《Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox》 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. "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 sign 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 1 – WHAT THE F%#@ Chapter 1 ¨C WHAT THE F%#@ 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. Status System [ 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: ] [collapse] ... 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 to him. [This System will help you to 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!'' Status System ] [collapse] 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 doesn''t need one...'' [...] [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 of 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 GODDAMN 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 Chapter 2 ¨C 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 and he had a hard time standing up, not to mention that this wasn''t a human body anymore and he 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... It would be bad for him. He finally managed to stand up and looked around. It was a quiet morning with chirping all around him. He didn''t dislike those sounds, but he was still afraid of them. He was just a cub and this Forest was extremely absolutely humongous, he could fit inside a Human male palm with very little difficulty. This meant he was truly and absolutely tiny and would take a lot of 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...] She could feel her depression dripping from the text, but he still opened his system. Status 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]Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com ] [collapse] His mind was still muddled, but he could see his blessings were completely outrageous. He also noticed that he got that unfortunate title, but he didn''t dare click on it, lest he vomit 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 he got the book, but because... [You need at least 100 Mind and 10 Insight to read this book] His fragile ego suffered a heavy blow since in his previous... he was very smart, but now the system told him 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 like he was very hungry. He strolled without a goalpost, looking all around him 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 swallows them and doesn''t chew them. He steeled his mind and walked towards the tree cautiously. He was worried that those birds were nearby and used 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. When suddenly his body 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. Status System[collapse] He cussed at the system. He also noticed that he could move his body again. [You have Acquired [Brave]!] [Title: Brave] [Gives the User 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] Status System [ 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] ] [collapse] 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 black bird that 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 3x 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 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 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 during 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 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 Chapter 3 ¨C Water and Escape Night had come, and everything quietened down. There were no more birds chirping, only some annoying bugs screaming in the night. He waited patiently, being parched it was difficult for him to focus, but he was too worried that he would be hunted the moment he approached that river. He was right. Soon carnivorous animals walked out of the bushes and went drinking the river water. He felt a chill down his spine when he saw how many of them there were. It was a whole 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 and the bears low growled at them 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 and dashed towards the bear. The bear scoffed at the wolf and slammed his paw into him, almost killing him instantly. 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 moving fish. The forest quietened down again. He waited if something/someone would try to approach the river. His ears didn''t pick up anything 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 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, but as it was too injured and couldn''t move he just tried to scare Aiko away. 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 ate this wolf''s meat. He 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 he jumped away quickly as the wolf''s sharp teeth approached his spine. -1HP He was injured again and back to 1HP... again. He was upset at the wolf, but since he was weak and injured he couldn''t do much about it. He 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 and he had a stupor of low howling and growling towards him. He ignored it and waited for the wolf to breathe his last breath, which took several 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] The system replied flatly like talking to an idiot. This greatly upset him, since this was the first time he had some kind of system and he was not 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 courageous feat above your possibilities!] [System has rewarded you with Title: [Courageous]] [Would you like to acquire [Courageous]?] He naturally said yes after checking the effects. Status System[collapse] He was weak and shivering. He spend 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 water 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. He 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 Skills/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 Skills/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. He currently had 10 Skill points. It seemed like every 10th Level he would get 2 points instead of one, which was nice. He found quite a lot of them that he could purchase, he guessed 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. He cursed in his mind that he couldn''t think that much far 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] [Ru?ppell''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 Chapter 4 ¨C First Evolution and Skills He 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 in here! I have to hunt or find some non-poisoned food to find that 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.] He 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, which would be perfect for this type of fox. What he liked the most from this was the increased intelligence. He didn''t care about beauty since he wouldn''t be meeting any Humans any time 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] He 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'' He 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 several times until he finally had a piece of mind when he didn''t feel any pain. He panted heavily and was startled by how much more he could hear around himself. He groggily stood up and walked towards the river. Here it was slow enough that he could see herself. He looked into the water. The first thing that greeted him were his overly large 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 not say ''Awwwww.'' His 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. She had extremely light blue, milky eyes and creamy fur that would blend in the desert perfectly, but in the forest... yeah. He will need something for stealth ASAP. He had delicate and soft fur, which even surprised him, so he looked at his system for answers. Status System [ 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], [collapse]Status System[collapse] 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.] He 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 he could use the rest of his Skill Points for more useful Skills. He thought about it for a bit. There was a very dry and warm air draft coming from the downstream. It would be nice if the climate was also drier or possibly desert-ish for him to completely utilize his [Desert Adaptation]. He walked downstream and periodically or whenever he was in the open he would use his [Hide] and [Enhanced sight] with [Danger Sense] to the maximum. 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. He 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!'' He 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 him and devour him. He turned around walking back inside the forest. His Stamina was lower by 5 points. Leaving him with only 8 points. He can traverse for about 4 hours more, including his regeneration. He would have to find a dense bush to hide in. He ventured through the forest. It was a quiet place and soon he knew why that was. In front of him was 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? He 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 your whole Village with a simple wave of 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...?'' He 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. He 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 Chapter 5 ¨C Odd Fellows "Was it that obvious?" The Lion''s Snakehead asked. He snorted at it. "Do you need to ask?" His tongue slithered. "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 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."Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com 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 them stare at them, but only run away after 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. ... He 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. He counted on the fact that the panther is the fastest so he would have an easier time escaping if he was not pursuing him. He 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 jumped inside the water and swam across. He had a hard time but managed. He 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 and 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...'' 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 in our Village." She 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''. He shivered and looked at the Horse like he 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." He 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 Ill boss!" He cried, startling Aiko again. ''This rock was talking?! How is that possible?'' Because he was on the Horseback he had a different perspective and he saw that the rocky rock was actually that Lizard! He stiffened remembering he slapped him. Sure he might not feel it, but if he is prideful and powerful monsters... He would immediately die after he found out about it! 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, no it was impossible for him to be 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! A large rock-wooden mansion spread in front of him, surprising him. He was confused, but curious. Why were there somewhere just holes, but somewhere else wooden shacks? 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 they didn''t approach, there were even humans around. ''No, were those ears? 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 again but didn''t have any reason. Now that she had, she was scrambling for 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 arrive in front of huge luxurious and beautifully carved doors. He 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 that 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 Chapter 6 ¨C Even Odder Fellows and How to Power Level Aiko was finally satisfied by making holes into the doors with her eyes and looked at the Horse. The Horse chuckled and gestured them to open the doors. It was a glorious and well furnished throne room. There were plenty of carpets and banners all around, it felt like he was transported into medieval era... 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 what was riding him. It was small furry animal that was curiously looking around. They were confused why would their Prince (Title, not part of the royalty of this town.) let an animal ride him... "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 dignified over long periods of time! As such Aiko''s first impression wasn''t the best. "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 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!'' He cussed at him. "... Did... did it just scoffed 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 friends 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 from some strange gems. Those gems were embedded in walls and ceiling and provided pleasant light that didn''t hurt his eyes, unlike lightbulbs... whatever those were. His ears twitched at slightest sounds, so much that some other attendants would make strange sounds just to attract that little ones 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. He knew these, they were normal numbers! Albeit a bit strangely shaped... Buddy placed him in front of the cards with number and between the brothers. He immediately stiffened and didn''t move. The maid suppressed her giggle and gently explained the game and the different cards. As he 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 gonna play this game...'' He thought. He was no longer on Buddy''s back and that meant danger from all around. He would 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. ''Just wait and see.'' Buddy snorted back. 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 on 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 like her, not to mention their sister. If Aiko got get 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. He couldn''t beat them in speed, since it seemed like they already knew where he was going. That wouldn''t stop him! He 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... She 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 different number than them. She turned at them with 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 creature in the Animal Beast Rank was able to outsmart someone in Magical Beast Rank. "Here you go." He placed 2 meat in front of Aiko, but was stopped by her paw. She had paw in the air gesturing more. "More? But you already got 2 meat for being faster then them." Buddy narrowed his eyes. She 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 good 20 minutes to finally explain her thoughts, but he succeeded. "You want me reward you for failing them?" He asked curiously. The brother glared at her, but she ignored it, since Buddy was on her side. She 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. ... She lost twice, mostly because those two brothers weren''t completely dumb and waited for the last second before claiming their cards. Like that she was getting only one piece of meat. She begrudgingly ate the meat, while thinking about the shop. She had time while eating and browsed the shop, trying to find anything of value and that she did. Not only she found an interesting skill, it would also help her with her 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 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 purchased it and tried it few times while eating, feeling ready he gulped the rest down and got in his 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 Chapter 7 ¨C Give me meat! Guide on how to Power Level She fell closer and closer above their hands and they were ready to slap 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 strange direction. She face-planted on the correct card, but because of the way she landed the card slid with her towards Char. He 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 she didn''t have newbie protection anymore she had to regenerate it with her [Health Recovery]. That would take a few days... Buddy laughed seeing his friend eat bitter medicine. He knew he ordered his sons to do that and he didn''t step in. He 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 [Common] Animal] He narrowed his eyes. It said Animal, that meant he wouldn''t be able to advance further in the Beast Ranks, but then. [Levelling further will allow you to Evolve into [Uncommon] Animal/Beast.] Beast! It might not be some super cool beast, but he was able to Evolve into a Beast! That was the important part. He ate happily as his Levels increased, but for some odd reason, his meat didn''t lessen? He looked around puzzled, but those beasts avoided her gaze. He didn''t understand why... little did he know that his ''Beauty'' already reached 210, which was a lot and that was also the reason his meat was never running out... [Level: 34 (1st Evolution)] He 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... He 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 daughter, but neither made any move, 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 Aiko''s ears twitch. "Ah, maybe I should give it to the bro-" Before she could complete the sentence Aiko lunged at the meat, but missing, 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 his imagination... She carefully placed her down and he ate to his heart''s content again. [Level: 40 (1st Evolution)] [You can Evolve into [Uncommon] Animal/Beast] Spoiler[collapse] He swiftly pulled up his [Skill Shop]. She wasn''t all that good at finding nice Dens, so he hoped he would find something in the shop... Unfortunately, he didn''t or it might''ve been too expensive for him... which was surprising since he had 150 Skill Points. He didn''t dwell on it too much and resumed his walking looking for his Den, but then it clicked him. He already had [Dig]. It wouldn''t be impossible for him to create himself a Den. He didn''t want to live inside the ground, but he realized it would be possibly the safest way for him. So instead of looking for an abandoned Den or hole. He was now looking for a nice meadow or something really nice and somewhat close to the river so that if he needed he would be able to drink water. He 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 near the river where he found a small hole on the side of the tiniest ravine, but that was good enough for him. He activated [Dig] and he had a very easy time playing bulldozer. He didn''t notice that he blocked 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 could also mean that if there is a heavier beast treading past here it could destroy my Den and suffocate me in the process... He sighed, but still dug upwards. The water filled a part of the lower part of the Den, because the river was too close. He slowly had a hard time seeing 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 much help if he enhanced his Night seeing capabilities. It cost him 50 points, but he would be able to see in complete pitch-black. That was worth it for him. He was able to see. There were a lot of tree roots, it seems he was able to dig straight below a tree, which would shield him from being burrowed alive. These were good news and so he dug 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 again. But this was very helpful for him and he would be able to do something with them, but later. Right now he was still finishing his Den and ''shovelling'' the dirt out of his Den. ... He finally finished. The Den was quite cold, which slightly disheartened him, but it was better than living above ground where predators could ambush him. He sat down, relaxed and looked at his status once again. Spoiler [ 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] ] [collapse] He had plenty of Skill Points, so he clicked on his 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. He wasn''t as much of a Digger if you ignore the fact that she just dug his burrow. He 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]. He was thinking long and hard about the [Burrow] since if he was in danger he could just burrow himself into the ground and wait for his enemy to pass or just keep digging and emerge somewhere further away from his enemy, completely losing them. Chapter 8 – Skills and Requirements Chapter 8 ¨C Skills and Requirements He chose [Burrow] and moved to [Bite]. There were similar options to [Dig]. It seems you are offered a greatly enhanced option, a slightly enhanced option and a passive option. He chose the greatly enhanced option. [Crushing Bite]. [Dash] was changed into [Sprint], which had a lower top speed, but could be kept longer because of decreased 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. He browsed the store, now that his Vitality was too great, with miniscule regeneration, so he had to find a Passive Skill that would allow him to Recover Vitality. Fortunately, he found one... Unfortunately, he didn''t know what to think about it... [Vitality Devouring #### Technique] [Intimate contact with #### will allow you to Devour their Vitality, recovering some in the process.] [Cost: ####] The cost couldn''t be seen, nor certain parts, but he felt goosebumps on his body when he read it. 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 other wasn''t, she might be missing something, but she 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! He can read the book! Let''s get some help from it! He pulled the [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] before him. If he said it looked like the bible... that was an understatement. It was so thick that it almost couldn''t fit in his Den. That was not how it looked previously and he had eerie feelings towards it, but without opening it, he wouldn''t be able to answer his questions. ''OH? It has 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 spread 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 the Heaven and Earth Energies.] [Beast Cultivators are Beast that harnesses 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 anymore, 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 look at Beast 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 started Cultivating can have any chance of defeating them and it would take a lot of time to kill them. They have very poor intelligence but are good enough to employ more advanced tactics. 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.] ... He saw that it was night outside and went to drink from the river. It was quiet, but life was slowly returning. Status System [ 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] ] [collapse] 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. He sneaked around during the night. He already verified that he could bask in the Moonlight, which was perfect and he didn''t need to worry that it would reset his counter. That also meant he could hunt only during the night, like right now. As he sneaked around, his hide ability went up surprisingly fast before slowing down eventually. It seemed like he had entered some kind of beast territory when it was going up so fast. He spotted his next target, another nest. He was aiming for revenge on another innocent bird! Which his [Predator Sense] guided him to. He 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 he was already hidden with his Level 5 [Hide]. As he wasn''t spotted, he crawled closer, only moving when his [Danger Sense] and [Predator Sense] would allow him to. He increased their Level by 1 doing so and it was much easier to guess the bird''s location and intention with his senses. It felt magical for him, to be able to feel it so clearly. He positioned himself as closely as possible and waited for the right time. ''Now!'' He 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 practiced 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. He 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... 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 was not the most sensitive and even he could smell the blood from quite a distance, more sensitive predators would definitely be able to smell it. He returned to his Den, sleeping the night and day away... Chapter 9 – Another Painful Evolution Chapter 9 ¨C 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 its 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. He also increased his [Health Recovery] to the 4th Level. He experienced many hardships, mainly 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 and for Stamina it felt like he was dizzy and out of breath, his coordination in both cases dropped sharply and as such he always maintained full HP and Stamina whenever he could. What made him very upset was that he never levelled up again at his main Level. It stood at 100 this whole time. It seems like he will have to Hunt a much more powerful beast for him to increase his Level again. He only had a few days left while the forest grew restless. He also spotted Buddy a few times. He was bloodied alongside his fellows. The least injured was the panther, but guessing by his fur he was probably also a shadow predator, allowing him to avoid much more damage than someone like that lizard or lion, who confronted their enemies up front. He snacked on some more eggs and returned to his Den. He realized 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 her paws. He laid down in his enlarged Den. She was worried that she would be stuck inside if his Evolution enlarged her too much. She lay down and waited for the counter to finally finish. She would then hunt for some food later once it was finished. It would take her about half a day to 2 days to digest the eggs, and she 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] The 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. He would have to bear with his skin and teeth. [Evolution is in process] ''AGHHHHHHHHHHH'' Her 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 nice 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 They were strange noises that gnawed at his Willpower. His mind was in turmoil asking questions about his race, attraction, murdering, hunting... everything was asked, but only some were answered. This was the burden of the Unique rarity. -100Hp Status System 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] ] [collapse] 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. She 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 has 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! She ran using her [Sprint], yet the darkness encouraged her further. She glanced at her system. Her eyes were drawn towards [Shadow Walk]. She 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. She 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). They relished in their power, some getting stronger with each kill, while others with each slash. Some were running low on energy and either fled or were killed by other Beasts. Others grew too strong and Beasts avoided them. She stared as something magical was happening in front of her. It felt like fireworks each time those Humans gathered their energy and released it, yet she knew she would be killed just by the aftershocks. A person died near her, yet he was completely oblivious to her. She observed him. His Vitality waned as his inner organs slowly slipped 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 still 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 willed it, but her Stamina wouldn''t keep up forever. She 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. She arrived outside of 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 Chapter 10 ¨C Shadow Fiend and Buddy She observed for a while, noticing a pattern in their alertness. Each of them would spend around 12-13 minutes observing their surroudings, and then change over. That changeover when they were not alert was around 20-30 seconds, where she could 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 more proficient with it and much more accurate. She 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 from the Humans. The Forest quietened and she stopped, munching 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 would guide her there. She felt sad but was comforted by it. She felt 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 pawprints 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 each moment, strengthening her body. 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. She arrived at another destination. Beasts fought Humans and Humans Beasts. She noticed one. 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... He gave her delicious treats and allowed her to Evolve into this... ''Help him.'' She made up her mind.The grass was a mid height. She was barely concealed, but since Moonlight wasn''t considered sunlight... She got almost the full effect of her [Shadow Enhancement]. She sneaked around. "Careful! There is a Beast around!" Shouted the powerful person. She was found out, but they didn''t know her exact location. She 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. She 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 minute of 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. Buddy snorted again. "You 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 find where. There was a crazy thought at the back of his head, but he denied it with his whole being. "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." He 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 levelling up more! She got closer, while those at the Peak of Foundation Establishment were aware of her, but 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 goddamn 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 souls and they shook their heads. Their disciples couldn''t even take care of the 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 specialized 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 do tell me I didn''t anger her." The Panther asked with a crestfallen expression. "Do I have to call 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 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 anymore. Chapter 11 – Battle and Fairy Chapter 11 ¨C 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.'' 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 Chapter 12 ¨C Beast and Human 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 everything, but was mostly filled with pill recipes and many, many Pills. She narrowed her eyes at the little Beast which was licking its paws and ruffling its 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 a Blood Replenishing Pill, a Blood Clotting Pill and a Wound Closing Pill. A Blood Pill was to replenish her own blood. It was a usually ineffective method as it would only replenish a small part of her blood because her cultivation and body would block 99% of it. While it was usually ineffective, after bleeding too much the efficacy would increase to about 20% allowing her to restore quite a bit of her blood, at the cost of introducing impurities. She didn''t care about impurities because of her Cultivation Technique, so she swallowed a small handful of Perfect Grade Pills. The Blood Clotting Pill would stop bleeding, but wouldn''t close wounds. It was important for prolonged fights where they would bleed a lot, especially against Demonic Cultivators which could and would make the wounds worse with their poisons and spiked weapons. This was a very effective and highly sought-after Pill since it used one''s own blood to create a filter that would block the rest of the blood. She could then take a few more Blood Pills to replenish it, in case she couldn''t form the thin film. This allowed Pill Concocters to earn quite a bit of money as long as the success chance of their Pills was greater than average. The Wound Closing Pill was the only one that didn''t do what it said. This pill would reinforce the thin film from a Blood Clotting Pill, making it much harder to break. The film from the previous pill was thin and easily torn, so Cultivators would use a Wound Closing Pill to strengthen the film, allowing them to move more freely without worrying about tearing the film and bleeding out. That didn''t mean it was without downsides. The film would certainly be strengthened but also made hard. In certain places, like around joints, using this Pill would actually restrict your movement. She used her Divine Sense to scout the surroundings. While her cultivation wasn''t the highest, her Divine Sense was extraodinary. She easily covered several miles, spotting some of the battlefields, but none were aware of her existence even after the mess she made. She sighed, 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 were used as the main currency for buying Cultivation manuals or time for teaching from Elders. 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... After swallowing the Blood Replenishing Pills, she used the Blood Clotting Pill in tandem, sealing her bleeding. She then crushed the Wound Closing Pill on her wounds, making the strange red-black film completely blacken and becoming hard as rock. It would allow her to run her Cultivation Technique to heal faster. 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. The 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 asthe world turned darker, but made 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?'' ''She is the hungriest creature. It will be a pain to feed her, kill her and skin her beautiful fur instead!'' ''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, a perfect contracted Beast! Every Junior and Senior Sister would be jealous of you~!'' ''Beasts can''t be trusted, raise her for an 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. They are great pets to soothe your nerves helping to advance in cultivation. Meanwhile, Demonic Beast are the total opposite. They would attack on sight, no matter if you were stronger or weaker. They could also cause various hallucinations. Not only auditory hallucinations like those voices, but there could also be visual hallucinations, somatic hallucinations and many others. They could hinder you or even cause Inner Demons, which practically cripple a Cultivator''s path as they wouldn''t be able to advance until getting rid of them, which is impossible in most cases. "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!'' The 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. The 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...'' The 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 of 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? Chapter 13 ¨C 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!'' 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. The Saintess'' eyes sharpened. "You should run, more people are coming." She warned this little Beast. Aiko nodded the second the Saintess finished before running off. She was low on stamina and unable to use her abilities to their full potential, but it was good enough to use a bit of [Shadow Walk]. ... "Saintess." The girl cupped her hands in greeting, 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 her Senior Sisters match, but they willingly stepped inside this forest making everything much easier. Her blood boiled and a sculpture of a Frozen Phoenix roared above her head signalling the start of 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* Using her senses, she dodged an arrow brushing past her. It would be a bad idea to drag the chase out in the scarce forest, she would have to run into the dense part to lose them. *Swish* Another arrow brushed past her. This one was a lot closer, sending shivers down her spine. She couldn''t be hit by this arrow, or she would surely die with her meagre Health! "Chase it! It''s up ahead!" The scout shouted at his fellow simps. "Get it! Don''t let it get away!" Another shouted with crooked eyes. "For the Saintess!" Shouted the last guy with a blissful expression. ... Aiko arrived in the dense forest, where it was much harder to track her. "Spread out and find it! We need to poison it at least, but it would be best to bring it back!" 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 so he was much dumber than he was before. He would have realised that they should have set up a Tracking Formation and Soul Chasing Formation to locate her easily. Instead, they were looking around like dumb robots because their brains weren''t working properly. Aiko almost blended 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 only able to kill them 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, forcing her to jump around to hide from arrows. Unfortunately, those bastards retained some of their brain cells and had decided to stick with the archer. He was the most dangerous enemy because of those coated arrows. She hid in a nearby bush trying to measure the distance. Her current mind was clear and sharp 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 great distance for very little Stamina. She used the momentum from her jump and arrived in front of the leftmost guy. The archer already trained his bow on her. She used [Crushing Bite] on the guy''s neck, and with 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. After hearing another crunch, she used the archer''s body to jump to the second last guy, instantly killing him from behind before jumping at the last one who was too shocked to act. She was savouring her victory while 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… Chapter 14 ¨C The Fox and The Fox, One stranger than the other... AnnouncementWarning Gore and Cannibalism! 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. Upon closer inspection, despite their appearance, the archer turned out be a woman, if their barely visible curves were any indication. 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 one of her comrades and pulled out a knife, slashing his chest. 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 the 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. 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 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 Chapter 15 ¨C 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 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 a Blood Replenishing Pill and... a Blood Replenishing Pill...'' She sighed, crushing 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-" Status System[collapse] [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 is 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 dry 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 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 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 Stage 9-1 the higher the affinity 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 Higher Affinity or 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] [Is 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 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 it 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 Chapter 16 ¨C 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 [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. ... 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 such lame name...'' Aiko thought. [This Cauldron can grow alongside 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 would greatly increase the User Durability, moreover, in case of a lethal attack the Cauldron would 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 side. It 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 is 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 out, which she didn''t understand, but it should be alright now since she had to claim her treasures! Chapter 17 – Village and History Chapter 17 ¨C 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. Then there were Foxes, miserable bed warmers for both Humans and Beast. 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 Beast 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 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 it 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 Chapter 18 ¨C 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 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 with full of-*Haaaa*" He exhaled. "Whatever, you 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 you can 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. [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 Chapter 19 ¨C 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. ... 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 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 Chapter 20 ¨C 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 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] Status System[collapse] 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? Chapter 21 ¨C 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. 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 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 Chapter 22 ¨C 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. 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 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 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 Chapter 23 ¨C 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 on 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 edge, much more powerful beings roamed 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. 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 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! Chapter 24 ¨C 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 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 sigh 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. "NO! BAD BEAST! DON''T YOU DARE TO 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?! Chapter 25 ¨C 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 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 are Sects." "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 and with long hair was 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. "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 was 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 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 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 Chapter 26 ¨C 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 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."Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om "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. "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 of 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 antics. ''You can locate it if it runs away.'' She sends 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 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 Chapter 27 ¨C 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 nearby alleys 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.'' 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 [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 [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." She 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. "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 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 Princess was considered one of the most modest ones in this continent. They never saw her shoulders or ankles naked. A lot of people pursued 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 him. 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 beast, 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 beast was 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 that 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." Princess hummed entering her place. "Prepare bath, we will have a new cute beast." 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 Princess and the Beast. "Princess you should check its gender, 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 is 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. 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 ever 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 Chapter 28 ¨C 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 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. 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 skill 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 is 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 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 Chapter 29 ¨C 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. 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 Royalties. ... 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 soon leaving so I have bought 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 whore 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 Chapter 30 ¨C 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 some 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 we 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 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, but there was tension and melancholy surrounding 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 they were still very outspoken about their views, 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 miss. They didn''t say anything, they were only tasked to make her stay in here at least a bit more pleasant.Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om 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 guards who were quite powerful, but if they didn''t catch her off-guard she would be able to run away. ... The outside servants brought food for them, but neither Aiko nor the Princess ate. They were not hungry and both of them noticed that it was poisoned. Neither of them would be hungry even 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. "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, the 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 the King he didn''t want to stop until he became Emperor. ... "Princess declined your offer, my 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 the 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 Chapter 31 ¨C Short Banquet, pretty Dancers The Princess was well dressed and Aiko sat on her shoulder. Aiko would be carried later by the 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. The 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 her 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. "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. [Gained Level] 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, releasing the restraints on the Princess and chasing after the little beast. 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. The 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 the Princess''s antics so they nodded at each other and one left... The rest was guided back to the Princess Palace where they activated the 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~ Chapter 32 ¨C 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 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.'' She 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 palace!" Someone shouted. "Secure the Empress 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, but couldn''t find anything. 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 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 the 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. Qi was penetrating the ground and 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 Chapter 33 ¨C 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.Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com "Please don''t misunderstand Princess. The Broken Formation Sword is missing and it''s not with the 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 for 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. She threw the sword towards him with her Divine Sense and he caught it. The King opened yet another room. There was his first daughter, his beloved daughter that he wronged. 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 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 the 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." And lastly to the 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 also 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 Chapter 34 ¨C Queen¡¯s Might and Backstory [Past] Somewhere in the past, the timeline of the Olden Age. "Sister, sister~" A 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. ...?iscover new chapters at novelhall.com [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 a 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. "A Mystic Realm is a much more precious Realm than a 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 no 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 a 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 able to become a 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 is pretty~" Her Sister also teased the girl''s mate and the mate was now completely red wanting to run away. "I-it''s a 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, beating slower and slower until it finally stopped. "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] The 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 their 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 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 Chapter 35 ¨C 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. 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 drowned 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] Status System [ 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] ] [collapse] 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 Chapter 36 ¨C 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 just used a 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 the 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 an 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 a 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. 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. Status System [ 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] ] [collapse] Chapter 37 – Fox Territory and Other Foxes Chapter 37 ¨C 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''ve had 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 take 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 the 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. ''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.Updated chapters at novelhall.com 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* Aiko was really curious if it was that hot, but was stopped by the 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 a 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 Chapter 38 ¨C 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...Updated chapters at novelhall.com 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 have shown off once I hinted at the suppression somehow, it would have had a 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 a dumb Beast, she won''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. 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 an Earth-Fire based Fox so she was fine, but her mate the 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 Chapter 39 ¨C 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 a 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 Purple Fox 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. 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? Chapter 40 ¨C 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 others stared in curiosity at the tiny cub and what it would do. They could talk already but found it too bothersome to do so currently. 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. "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 leave soon 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 Chapter 41 ¨C 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.Updated chapters at novelhall.com 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 his soul to enter the underworld or disperse his 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. 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 a 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 even handle the Sect Leader if it came down to it. She would wait until Aiko rested. 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. 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 Chapter 42 ¨C 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.Updated chapters at novelhall.com 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. ... 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 a tiny creature would be able to pack such a 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 the 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 Chapter 43 ¨C 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 move under the ground, but its upgrade would cost her 50 Skill Points. On the other hand, it would become an 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 an 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. Status System ] [collapse] ... 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 wouldn''t 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? Chapter 44 ¨C 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. Aiko appeared near the cultivation group with a mischievous smile. "Oh no, it''s the Fox!" One Cultivator would scream. "Please don''t hurt us!" Another yelled. Aiko smiled like a 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 a 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 Asshole Chapter 45 ¨C Explorer Aiko and Asshole 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.Updated chapters at novelhall.com 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. "A S-spirit Stone Mine! She found a Spirit Stone Mine!" Another shouted his eyes bulging to unimaginable size. The Queen sat there puzzled, it looked like a 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! ''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 Chapter 46 ¨C 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. 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. Chapter 47 ¨C Let¡¯s take this... and this... maybe a bit of this. Aiko was left completely speechless when she looked at her status. Status System [ 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], ] [collapse] ''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. ''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. ''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 Chapter 48 ¨C 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...Fo?ll0w current novE?ls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m) ... 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. Status System [ 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], ] [collapse] ''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. Status System [ 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], ] [collapse] 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 Chapter 49 ¨C 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. *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 Chapter 50 ¨C 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.Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com 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. ... 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 Chapter 51 ¨C 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 hearts and an 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. 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. "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? Chapter 52 ¨C 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. "In that case, anything important would be handled by me." The Grandmaster smiled and those old fogeys were left speechless. 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 Chapter 53 ¨C 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 tall 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 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... Status System [ 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], ] [collapse]Status System: 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], [Babi-barian] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1,066/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 1,312|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], ] [collapse] Chapter 54 – New Den Chapter 54 ¨C 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. 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." "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 Chapter 55 ¨C 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.Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com --- 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. --- 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. 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 Chapter 56 ¨C 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 their vigor 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. They left for their Dens, this event was less painful than they expected. "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 Chapter 57 ¨C 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... Status System [ 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], [Babi-barian] Cultivation Technique: [Blood Tyrant Scripture], [Moon Goddess Scripture] Elemental Spirit: [Seed of ####; Nurtured 1,066/100,000] Stats: (*2 Shadow Enhancement) HP: 1,312|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 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] [collapse] 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 Chapter 58 ¨C 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.Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com "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. 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 Chapter 59 ¨C 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. ... 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 Chapter 60 ¨C 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. "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 Chapter 61 ¨C 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 a 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 carve it either with powerful Divine Sense or Inscription Carving 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." "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." "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 a 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 Chapter 62 ¨C 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 piqued 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. ''''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 a 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 Chapter 63 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 64 ¨C 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''. 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. 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. Status System [ 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], [Babi-barian], [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] ] [collapse] [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 Chapter 65 ¨C 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]Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com ''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. 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 Chapter 66 ¨C 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 that 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 tail 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. 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 Chapter 67 ¨C 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 longer as her Beast 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.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com ... 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. "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! Chapter 68 ¨C 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 with her Mate she was guided 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* 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. Status System [ 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], [Babi-barian], [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] ] [collapse] Chapter 69 – Babi’s plea Chapter 69 ¨C 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. [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 Chapter 70 ¨C 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.Nne?w n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com 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. Status System[collapse] [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 with 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 Chapter 71 ¨C 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* 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 Chapter 72 ¨C 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. ''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 Nu?wa] [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 Chapter 73 ¨C 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! Nu?wa promised me!" Aiko shouted at the stinky Fox. Mei took quite some time to process what Aiko said. "I beg your pardon?" Aiko hmpfed. "Nu?wa 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.]Diiscover new stories at novelhall.compf... At least the shitty system gives me some good things." Aiko snorted but was happy inside. 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. ... Status System [ 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], [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(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 Nu?wa], 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] ] [collapse] Chapter 74 – Aiko’s Eloquent Speech Chapter 74 ¨C 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 the 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. "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 will we 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 Chapter 75 ¨C 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.Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com 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.'' "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 will we 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 Chapter 76 ¨C 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. "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 a 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 – (18+) Aiko’s ‘Awakening’ Chapter 77 ¨C (18+) Aiko¡¯s ¡®Awakening¡¯ Announcement This chapter contains: Voyeurism without sexual intent Read at your own discretion! 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.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com 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. 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 Chapter 78 ¨C 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.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com 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... ''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. Status System [ 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 Nu?wa], 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] ] [collapse] Chapter 79 – Tests and Arrogance Chapter 79 ¨C 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 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. ''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 the 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 that 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 Chapter 80 ¨C 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 Arrays 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. ... "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 Chapter 81 ¨C Understanding Waking up she skimmed through the Jade Slip. She was bothered by the incomplete story every time and wanted to destroy the 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.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com "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. 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! Chapter 82 ¨C 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 to 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.Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com "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. 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 Chapter 83 ¨C 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. "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 do 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… Chapter 84 ¨C 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. "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 a 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! Chapter 85 ¨C 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.Upstodatee from urs 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. "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 Chapter 86 ¨C 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 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. "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…? Chapter 87 ¨C 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. "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~ Chapter 88 ¨C 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 would it 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.NewW novels updates at novelhall.com "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. "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 Chapter 89 ¨C 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." ... "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. Status System [ 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], [Babi-barian], [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 Nu?wa], 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], ] [collapse] Chapter 90 – 1 year old and Shameless Leader Chapter 90 ¨C 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.Upstodatee from [Lunar Bath: Lv.1 -> Lv.4] She recovered... a bit. 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 there 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 Chapter 91 ¨C 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."NewW novels updates at novelhall.com ... ''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 Chapter 92 ¨C 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 degraded 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. 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 Chapter 93 ¨C 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.Ge?t latest novel chapters on nov(e)lbj/n(.)c/om 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. "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 hit 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 Chapter 94 ¨C 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. "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... Status System [ 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 Nu?wa], 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 ####] ] [collapse] Chapter 95 – Aiko’s Change Chapter 95 ¨C 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... Status System [ 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] [collapse]Status System Human Form 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 Nu?wa], 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 ####] ] [collapse] ''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~ Chapter 96 ¨C 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 *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 Himbos." 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 Chapter 97 ¨C 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.Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m 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?!" "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. ''...'' 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 Chapter 98 ¨C 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." "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 Chapter 99 ¨C (18+) Shadow Elder Announcement This chapter contains: Toy-play, Voyeurism without sexual intent Read at your own discretion!Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m 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. 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 Chapter 100 ¨C 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. "..." 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, unconsciously 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 Chapter 101 ¨C 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.Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com "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." Addiction, when used, would slowly build up lust, regardless of the mating season. This particular lust is only capable of being tempered by your partner. The effects were small when you were the one Cultivating, but if not, they would grow so horny they would soon go after their partner again, or foolishly another to slake their lust, often as the Cultivating one this time. As such, they were soon forced to mate again, and again. It was a vicious cycle that was hard to break. 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~ Chapter 102 ¨C 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. "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 Chapter 103 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 104 ¨C 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. ''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 Chapter 105 ¨C 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 Master 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. 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? ... 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 Chapter 106 ¨C 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. 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. "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 Fox’s brother Chapter 107 ¨C Blood Fox¡¯s 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. 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 Chapter 108 ¨C 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 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* "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 Side POV ¨C 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. System [ 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] ] [collapse] 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. System[collapse] 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 Chapter 109 ¨C 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?] Status System 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 Nu?wa], 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 ####] ] [collapse] [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. Status System [ 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 ####] ] [collapse] 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 her Luck was too! ''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 that because of 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… Chapter 110 ¨C 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. ''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 ¨C 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. "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?! Chapter 112 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 113 ¨C 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.T/his chapter is updated by aster, 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. "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 Chapter 114 ¨C 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.Re?a?d new chapters at novelhall.com 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. 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. 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 Chapter 115 ¨C 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. 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 the 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 a 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 Chapter 116 ¨C Mansion and Mission Target She left that place with disgust to explore other areas. There were no eyes on her, so she was curious about 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, unconsciously 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 to a chair thrashing 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. "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! Chapter 117 – Shame and Deal Chapter 117 ¨C 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. "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 fulfil 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! Chapter 118 ¨C 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. 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 would throw rocks casually, not 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, but 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 Chapter 119 ¨C 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. "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! Chapter 120 ¨C Tie em¡¯ up! "You said that the Herb was here!" They yet again screamed at each other, irritating Aiko.Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m ''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. 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 unconsciously 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 Chapter 121 ¨C 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. 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 and there was another girl following them behind... Chapter 122 – Bickering and Plans Chapter 122 ¨C 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. Status 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], [Silent Swimming: 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 Nu?wa], 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 ####] ] [collapse] She got 8 levels from this short exchange, which was great. There was a new thing: [Soul Palace (Undeveloped)] 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 Chapter 123 ¨C 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. 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 over this 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 Chapter 124 ¨C 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 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. 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! Chapter 125 ¨C 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 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.Re?Ad lateSt chapters at novelhall.com Only "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. 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 Chapter 126 ¨C 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 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 Chapter 127 ¨C 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... 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 Chapter 128 ¨C 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.Discover new chapters at novelhall.com 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. ''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 Chapter 129 ¨C 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 unconsciously, 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! 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 anticipated 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! Chapter 130 ¨C 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... Status 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: 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], [Silent Swimming: 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 Nu?wa], 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 ####] ] [collapse] 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. Status System[collapse]Status System Human Form[collapse] 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~ Chapter 131 ¨C 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. for new novels 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 herself and try 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. 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 Chapter 132 ¨C 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. "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 Chapter 133 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 134 ¨C 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. "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 Chapter 135 ¨C 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 uses 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. 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 Chapter 136 ¨C 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 terrific 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. ... 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?! Chapter 137 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 138 ¨C 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 bepuzzlement 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." 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. ... "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 unconsciously smile. [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 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 Chapter 139 ¨C 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. Now she just required a few weeks before she finished this and 9 weeks later it was fully assembled. 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 a 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 Chapter 140 ¨C 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. ... 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 befallen 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 Chapter 141 ¨C 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. "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 Chapter 142 ¨C 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 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 Chapter 143 ¨C Peacefulness was restored Aiko slept well throughout the night... or at least that''s what she hoped for. A very noisy a 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. 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 Chapter 144 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 145 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 146 ¨C 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. Aiko shrugged and looked away. 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 Chapter 147 ¨C 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. ... 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. "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 Chapter 148 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 149 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 150 ¨C 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. *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! Chapter 151 ¨C 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.Vissit for updates 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... ''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?! 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 Chapter 152 ¨C 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. "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 they might 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 Chapter 153 ¨C 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 torward 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. "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 Chapter 154 ¨C 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.Updated chapters at novelhall.com "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... "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 this 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 Chapter 155 ¨C 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... 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 Chapter 156 ¨C 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... 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 Chapter 157 ¨C 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. "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 you 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! Chapter 158 ¨C 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.CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m 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. Status 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: 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], [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 Nu?wa], [collapse] 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... Status System [ 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], [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 Nu?wa], 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] ] [collapse] 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 Chapter 159 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 160 ¨C 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.CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m "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. 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 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? Chapter 161 ¨C 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 pulverise 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. 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 Chapter 162 ¨C 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 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. 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. "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 Chapter 163 ¨C Inscription Sovereign and Kinky Dream Announcement This chapter contains: Toy-play Read at your own discretion! 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.Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com "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. 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’ Chapter 164 ¨C 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. ... 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 rock 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 Chapter 165 ¨C 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.Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com 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 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 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 have.'' She was curious, but that could wait since even if she was curious, she had no way to contact them 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 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 be able to use the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron]. That would save her a lot of trouble since she would be able to carry it with 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 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 after 10 minutes, Lady Liu told them about their accommodation inside the Capital and bid 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 commented and showed 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 that 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 she 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 able to cause trouble 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 close to 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 Chapter 166 ¨C Future and Courtyard AnnouncementDiscord had been compromised! Please leave the old server and join the new one! Crim''s account got hacked, so I will kick everyone within 4 hours of the release of this chapter for safety reasons! I apologize for the inconvenience! ;-; 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 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 can 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. He was a dignified Inscription Saint! 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, that was truly addicting silkiness. 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. 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 say 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 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… Chapter 167 ¨C 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.Follow the latest novels at novelhall.com "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." She walked away, but abruptly paused. 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 Chapter 168 ¨C 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 seniors forced her to play it and with each loss they were supposed to take their clothes 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. ... 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 Chapter 169 ¨C 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! *Twitch Twitch* 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… Chapter 170 ¨C 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? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) 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 thumbs up. "What do I smell here..." A sensual voice drifted into the group''s ears. "A group of vixens and a stupid bird." 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 Chapter 171 ¨C 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 a face and fight with 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 would 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... 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... Rant and Addressing readers concerns! Rant and Addressing readers concerns! First thing first, thank you so much for reading~! <3 FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE STORY, PLEASE READ! AND ALSO RANT INCOMING! Now for the more important stuff. It has come to my attention that there are quite a few misconceptions about my story, which is fine, until you twist it too much and make in into a negative by not actually reading my story. I won''t address that part, since I don''t see the point in having a discussion with someone that doesn''t want to have one. But it is also important to address certain parts, since this would not be the first time someone asked about it and I know that most readers won''t read the comments below. (This also might be my personal bias, one of many that I will address.) First! Dysphoria: Quite a few kind readers asked if it will ever be relevant. Yes it will be, as I wrote many times, once we get a PROPER Human form, Aiko will get her memories back and the confusion and shenanigans will begin, there will be questioning, insecurities, hiding and so on. I have said it many times and will do it again, I am a Novice Author. [Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox] is my first work, as such, there are many things that I will naturally not know how to express. Even so, I pride myself in being able to at least express my creativity when it comes to solving these kinds of barriers. That is why I was buying myself time with this and didn''t include it in the beginning, since let''s be honest. The beginning is great filter and also painful to read. (I do however believe that it improved over time. ^-^) PS: What? I''m supposed to look at my hearts? I''m not a Novice Author, since I have such an insane number of hearts!? Fuck! *Sniffles* Editors note~¡î: Hello there everyone, I am esThr or Placeholders as many will come to know. I am one of the three editors of this story and usually does the fixes for most of the chapters. To address the concerns of the author and readers, yes, in hindsight it is partially the fault of the editors that something like this happened. We are editors, but we aren''t omnipotent. Although we can help to reduce the amounts of errors in every chapter, it is by no means saying that we can fix everything. A personal note here, as an editor who has helped to do things, I have always been conflicted on two sides when it comes to editing. The side of me that wants to preserve the author''s style of writing and the side of me that wants to flesh out the writings more for a more ''enjoyable'' read. In my opinion, an editor helps to flesh out an author''s work and nothing more than that. I am just an editor, not a co-author or the story director. As such, the two sides are always in heated debates whenever I find errors or things that lack context. "Should I just correct it slightly and keep the author''s style or should I flesh it out more in the name of the story quality?" Of course, I am by no means a good writer and it is impossible for me to replace Ezy as the story writer. The most important part to remember that this is Ezy''s story. It is up to the author, Ezy to decide however the story will go. As such, I will and have always respected that ever since I (unwillingly, heh.) became an editor. On a side note, I have seen and understand the concerns of some people about the earlier chapters lacking context or outright not being understandable. As such, earlier chapters will be revisited for edits to make it more bearable and appropriate with similar quality to that of the latest chapters. Finally, this might be ignored by many but... we are aware that the story''s growth has been very abnormal. We are blessed with many amazing readers and Ezy is thankful for it. Unfortunately, this growth comes with envy and hate. It can''t be helped, it is human nature to be hateful on successful things. Even so, I hope that some people will tone down or outright stop attacking the author for nonsense or made up concerns. If it''s valid criticism, we will address it. Otherwise, don''t come to the author''s doorstep and pick a fight for your fragile ego''s envy. The royal road incident was enough. That''s all and I hope you continue to support/enjoy the story. Another Editor''s note: Since we''re doing this now... I''m known as Brick Turtle here who may have been mentioned a few times. I''ve helped a few times to edit the chapters and would like to follow up on Ezy''s and esThr''s comments. As editors, we mostly just started out by helping the author with fixes, word corrections and small polishings. As said before, there''s an internal conflict between staying true to the author''s original work and making changes to make it better for the readers. Personally, I prefer to leave the story to the author and then clean things up afterwards... except this time the mess is nothing if not unpleasant to deal with, but it is something to address. In the end, not everyone will be happy. There will always things which could be better, or more suitable, clearer, the list goes on. That doesn''t mean we won''t try to satisfy as many readers as possible, but at the end of the day this is a creative work driven by the author''s desire to spread their ideas to the world - their opinion is the most important, and we should respect that. All we as readers need to do, is to enjoy what we can, and if you find it lacking then you can move on to a different story. Alternatively, you can come join us on discord and provide your own suggestions, and if they''re good then it might be implemented. I''ll say that intrusive readers/editors who insist on having their opinions put in are the worst people for authors to deal with. They''re still human, and are trying their best to create something new with absolutely no experience in it before. That''s absolutely incredible, it takes a lot of courage to write something and then publish it online - I respect that. As for some of the inconsistencies and admittedly fairly poor information in the earlier chapters, we''re working on sorting that out too, but can''t promise anything. Finally, thank you to all the people who have stayed with us so far, to read these very long rants, and this novel. It means a lot to the author to become so popular in a short time, and know that simply having people read their sometimes incoherent ramblings makes them very happy and able to enjoy their own life. Maybe one day, we can fully clean up everything and create something worthy of being a top tier novel, but for now, just continue to bear with us~ FINAL NOTE: The actual chapter will come some time later, since this turned from author''s note into full blown chapter, my apologies for this inconvenience! Chapter 172 – Lady Liu in Love with Fluffy Fur Chapter 172 ¨C 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 poison and since she got double dosed, she felt 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. 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! Chapter 173 ¨C 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... 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… Chapter 174 ¨C 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 terrific, in the way she was just stuck to the horizontal beam. When Aiko moved it turned from funny, but terrific, 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... "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 whenever 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 Chapter 175 ¨C 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!? "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 Chapter 176 ¨C 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.Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com Thus, one less issue he had to deal with, but he didn''t like this. Why did that brat 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 Chapter 177 ¨C 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* "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/the same goes is 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 apart those Humans. "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 Chapter 178 ¨C 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 angered 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 returned 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 least she might really become a salted fish! Salted fish: is a Chinese (Cantonese) idiom to describe a corpse or people who lay around all day and do nothing. Aiko didn''t want that. She wanted to be influenced 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 softened gently as he welcomed the quests 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 o 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. 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 Chapter 179 ¨C 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... 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! Chapter 180 ¨C 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.ally 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. 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 way, 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 Chapter 181 ¨C 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, trees appeared. Plum trees, cherry trees, maidenhair trees, you name it and they have it. Even deeper inside there was a bamboo forest where all those smaller rivers 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 she could pluck a few peaches from the trees since she was slightly hungry again. 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 with this unique poison in their blood. 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. "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 this need. "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 that if the other assassin appeared inside the Palace she would use flags again, so he wanted to prevent that. "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… Chapter 182 ¨C 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 take even 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! 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 Chapter 183 ¨C 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.Visitt for the latest updates 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 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! Chapter 184 ¨C 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... 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 Chapter 185 ¨C 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, ut 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 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! 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. 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!? Chapter 186 ¨C 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. 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! Chapter 187 ¨C 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 until she 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- 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! Chapter 188 ¨C (18+) Best torture device! Announcement Warning for guys, do not read while eating or masturbating! Read at your own discretion! 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. 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?! Chapter 189 ¨C (18+) Aiko is also a pervert?! Announcement This chapter contains: Touching(measuring) that leads to accidental orgasm Read at your own discretion! 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. 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. "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 sigh 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 giggle 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 Chapter 190 ¨C 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.The? source of this conte/nt n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) 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. "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… Chapter 191 ¨C 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, which 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.Th.e? most uptod/ate novels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m 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. "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 Chapter 192 ¨C Herb Garden The next day, Aiko was completely rested and ready to brawl. She would shop to her heart''s content, since she would 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 give a gift to Lady Liu. She took good care of them 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 stared towards 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 her assailants. Meanwhile, 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 were attracting 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 individual, 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 could 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 would no longer grow higher, unlike Aiko who was yet to reach her top height. 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 very hidden from 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 the 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.Vi?Sit no(v)3lb/!n(.)com for new novels 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. "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. "Nuts, all kinds of nuts!" One spectator started to sell 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 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 the times and times she got into this kind of trouble... she would definitely make a lot of profits... 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 Chapter 193 ¨C 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-"Vi?Sit no(v)3lb/!n(.)com for new novels "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. They bought 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 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 bride 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~ Chapter 194 ¨C 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. "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 cop 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… Chapter 195 ¨C 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 stared around, 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. The only problem that she had was that if she bumped into someone, it would be either their ass or crotch... 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... "#%$@%" He fainted, foaming from his mouth. Aiko jumped towards the last one and grabbed his sleeve. Unfortunately, he was much smarter than the others, so when he saw how terrific this little child was; he immediately cut off his sleeve. The small girl started to free-fall and the Cultivator was relieved for a moment, but even that didn''t last long... Aiko used her [Quick Double Jump] and grabbed his waist. The Cultivator stiffened in horror. "W-wait, I didn''t try to- #$^$%#$" 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* Her body blasted away, but unfortunately, she was still alive... Chapter 196 – Fight, please? Chapter 196 ¨C 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. 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 the date for another 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? Chapter 197 ¨C 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. "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… Chapter 198 ¨C 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 a poison?! He couldn''t understand... Aiko plopped her head on the table, since there would be nothing else to do, but 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''. 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 me, 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 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. 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. "One is the large Fox. She causes so much trouble that there is 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~ Chapter 199 ¨C Grandmaster is being a bother and fun incoming~ A head popped into Mei''s small 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 has 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 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. 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. They only watched Inscription Cultivators a couple of times and the only thing they could say was that it was 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 smell 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 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! Chapter 200 ¨C Aiko had enough and a new weapon! AnnouncementWarning light Gore! Read at your own risk! 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 a strange smell on 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 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. 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 single Aiko and the 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 assassin 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! Chapter 201 ¨C You lunatic! AnnouncementWarning Gore! Read at your own risk! Aiko dashed towards them and they readied themselves. It was clearly shown in their eyes that they felt uncomfortable fighting against a life-sized 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 them. ''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 could 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 so 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 one!" 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. 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. 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 to what¡¯s about to come... *BOOM* Chapter 202 – Aiko is finished… Chapter 202 ¨C Aiko is finished... AnnouncementWarning light Gore! Read at your own risk! 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 terrific 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. "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?! Chapter 203 ¨C 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! "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 Chapter 204 ¨C 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, the lamp would not allow it... 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 Chapter 205 ¨C 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. Status System Human 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], [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 Nu?wa], 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] ] [collapse] Her Level increased once again, quite nicely. 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. "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 Chapter 206 ¨C 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. She didn''t have any guard around her, well maybe some guard, but she was similar to her brother. 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. "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 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 addiction 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 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~ Chapter 207 ¨C 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 where she would be able to hide. "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 can they use names?!'' 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. 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 soup 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 turned, 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?! Chapter 208 ¨C (18+) Lady Liu?! Announcement This chapter contains: Teasing, Light Sadism/Masochism, Domination, Femdom, you get my point... >.> Read at your own discretion! {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 also 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 than rubbing her chest and Aiko 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? "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''m..." Yanqi weakly replied between moans. "Who is a good girl~?" Liu Zhi repeated, mercilessly teasing her. "I''m!" 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! Chapter 209 ¨C (18+) Bad girl! Announcement This chapter contains: Teasing, Cunnilingus, Squirting Read at your own discretion! 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 Yanqi''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. "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? Chapter 210 ¨C 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. Was she looking like some kind of troublemaker that Aiko would be so wary of? Well... she was. She was exceptional beauty and that in and of itself would attract trouble. The Ghost Lady shrouded herself before leaving Aiko sleeping 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. "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. 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... She 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 Chapter 211 ¨C 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. "Oh..." The Blood Fox nodded in understanding. "We are in the same team, so I won''t naturally 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. "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 Chapter 212 ¨C 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. Aiko did have her double jump Skill, but that had to be timed properly. ... {Back with Chen Shi and Yanqi} 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… Chapter 213 ¨C 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. 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. "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 Chapter 214 ¨C 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?? The Umbra Fox gulped. She was unable to keep watch under these circumstances and she scurried inside her room... ... "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 Chapter 215 ¨C 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 you 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. "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. Aiko sniffled from the awful smell. "What in the hell are you doing?!" Chen Shi was the first one to come rushing inside and the crowd was behind him. "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 ground since they had more sensitive senses. It was unbearable for them to sniff this any longer! Aiko closed the lid, not realising that he 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! Chapter 216 ¨C 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 would 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* ''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 Chapter 217 ¨C 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. In other words, he was in a pretty awkward position next to the grinning Yanqi. 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 Chapter 218 ¨C 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 in 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. 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? Chapter 219 ¨C 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. "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 us.'' The Mirage Fox smiled kindly. "You are 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 give 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 fallen kingdom''s graveyard." The Mirage Fox paused. The more he tried to charm this Vicious Cub, the harder it 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 also turn into babysitting... Chapter 220 – Don’t bother me and Wakey wakey! Chapter 220 ¨C 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. 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 was 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 Fatty... Vicious Fox''s word clearly having an impact on him, this will be 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 Chapter 221 ¨C 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 mean 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 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. 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... ''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 Chapter 222 ¨C 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. 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. "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… Chapter 223 ¨C 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 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 effect is limited after 20 females and you won''t get much benefit any more. You will get benefits by rotating the females and assigning them by their yin power. The more powerful yin should be the last to prevent the overpowering of the other yin inside the male 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 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... The Blood Fox had tendencies to spoil Aiko in order to stay close to her so she wouldn''t get inside, but at the same time that made Aiko lazy. 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 could take it 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 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 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 very 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~? Chapter 224 ¨C Aiko turned arsonist?! Blood Fox where are you going~? AnnouncementDisclaimer: There is a spoiler in the pinned comment about this chapter for those with weak hearts (like myself)! If you don''t like the feeling that the end of this chapter is giving you, I suggest you to read it! 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 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 Chapter 225 ¨C 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! 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’ Chapter 226 ¨C 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. Status System[collapse] "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.d 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?! Chapter 227 ¨C 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 coincidence that it worked out like that, since he didn''t have this technique before and only obtained it because he wanted to track down the Vicious Cub''s team. ... 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 mastered many arts. A dream to any and all Cultivators. Moreover, she could act like a complete Human, which meant that they didn''t need to worry that she would be found 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 smoothened the muscles, allowing them to train more and more without being in pain. 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 felt 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 she was absolutely uncontrollable even to her own family. They thought they would be able to test more drugs on someone more powerful, but unfortunately, the Vicious Cub was able to smooth that insanity. The Blood Fox made everyone drool, as she didn''t have all that many scars, if 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 old Elders. 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 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 they 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 already activated. The Umbra Fox''s eyes lost focus as she was not defending since she was 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 both of you, you can keep her." He licked his lips and for the first time ever the Shadow Passion felt that he was gross. The Demonic Foxes... were complicated. Their thoughts were vastly different from those of other Foxes. They would only go for one Mate in their entire life, but at the same time, they would be completely obsessed with them. The Shadow Passion didn''t realise it, but she did not hold any feelings for the Mirage Fox. She liked his sweet words, but that was it. Now that she experienced a completely different feeling... it was hard to get back to the previous one. "Ugh." The Mirage Fox groaned again and only then the Shadow Passion realised he was messed up. He had lacerations from his shoulder to his thigh, not to mention his member was for some reason distorted. The Shadow Passion tilted her head, but then she heard that disgusting command. "The both of you. Service me, like twins." The Mirage Fox wanted to get healed as soon as possible, but at the same time, he wanted to enjoy that twisted idea as soon as possible. It would take slightly longer, but it would be absolutely worth it. The Umbra Fox stored it up and noticed that even her treasured Spider Silk that was supposed to be used for tying people was used, 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 ask 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 confused. Her mind was a lot clearer than before. "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 Chapter 228 ¨C 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. Aiko happily smiled and turned around, walking away. *Rumble* 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 Chapter 229 ¨C 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 Fatty was 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 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 tie it on her back again later. 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. "It will be fiiine~" Aiko munched on a piece of meat as her ears twitched happily. Her team did not think so. ... 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 naturally did not forget to enjoy her body as he also cleaned her. The fluids were sticky and dry on her body which lessened her appeal. He could not have that, so after cleaning himself and cleaning her; he would bang her and repeat 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 her 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? Chapter 230 ¨C 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 later as they waited hidden to not 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 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* 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 Chapter 231 ¨C 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 and the Gluttonous Fox could only sight in his mind. When will he get to see such a beautiful Fox get pounded again...? It was simply impossible, as 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 quite not 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 while in the dark, not as much as Aiko, but still much better than most of the Beasts. The Shadow Passion thought 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. 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’ Chapter 232 ¨C ¡®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. "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) Chapter 233 ¨C Troubles of Shadow Passion (18+ Umbra and Shadow Passion) Announcement This chapter contains: Teasing, Biting Read at your own discretion! 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. 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 would 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 have 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 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) Chapter 234 ¨C Wanshu lost her reason! (18+ Umbra and Wanshu) Announcement This chapter contains: Teasing Read at your own discretion! 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 those 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. 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! Chapter 235 ¨C 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 filled 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." She placed her hand on Wanshu''s stomach to properly dissolve and guide the Pill. It would be bad if Wanshu would end 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. 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. Around her eyes, there was a strange black tint that continued 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 yet black and her tail was much bushier. Overall, her body turned from a rugged state into a 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 close to Umbra, but she backed away from Wanshu. Wanshu''s heart was painful, 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) Chapter 236 ¨C Wanshu¡¯s Passion (18+ Umbra and Wanshu) Announcement This chapter contains: Teasing, Cunnilingus Read at your own discretion! 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 let''s 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 then misunderstanding made her that way, or maybe just maybe it is from the voices being 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 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* Chapter 237 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 238 ¨C 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 skewered, it''s only natural you also pick that habit." 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 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 joined 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. 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, which meant there would be a lot 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 did not understand why the little Fox never used the order function. "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 just the function of the contract?" Wanshu asked as she was confused and curious. "I think I did...?" Aiko didn''t remember if she used those functions. "I do use the locating function since it''s handy, but since they are mostly close by... even that is used rarely." She shook her head. "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. Well... she never felt that her body ached as much as before... 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 also could 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 Chapter 239 ¨C 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 doesn''t sting the eyes, most walls were either red or green, sometimes purple. It really hurt Aiko''s brain... 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 and a lot of them, 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 is, 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. 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 corpses 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 already found the Princess for her! Chapter 240 – Let’s deal with this Fox filth! Chapter 240 ¨C 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 not 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 brushed 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 find. 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. 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 had the same Bloodline as Aiko and that was of the Shadow Fox. It was not quite the same as Aiko had Fiend, 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 Chapter 241 ¨C 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 all that light. You would have to be very close to the meadow to see that, but at that point, Aiko would have already be alerted and take her team to run away. "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 would 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. 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 some kind 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. 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 the 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 would Wanshu 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 Chapter 242 ¨C 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. 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! Chapter 243 ¨C 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 place, 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 means her plan changed to first dealing with the corpses or causing chaos and last would be 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. 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~! Chapter 244 ¨C 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 the rest 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. "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. It would distract his Male disciples less and there would be less fuss about everything. 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 terrific Divine Sense lock 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 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. This would allow the Ink to vaporise due to the intense heat and all evidence about her deep would be gone~! 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 corpses!" 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 deep 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 in User who drinks this. Works even 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! Chapter 245 ¨C 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 that 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 would torture 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. "Sure, but we will switch on the other one, you can''t 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. "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? "Yes, it seems she will evolve soon." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "In a few hours of time." "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 can 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 tied rope around the Mirage Fox. She didn''t want to keep him close to her body since he was completely bloodied and there were too many needles inside his body. She didn''t want to get accidentally prickled. 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 the duo was quick at work. "It''s about an hour from here at this pace." Wanshu said. "Umbra, we will swap once we arrive under the mountain." The Blood Fox said. "Create as many traps as possible so we can defend this place!" "Yes!" Umbra immediately agreed, as that was her plan. "Aiko also had a 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 Chapter 246 ¨C Preparations for Disaster They swapped their places. The Blood Fox carried Aiko carefully while throwing aside the Mirage Fox. They could pick him up later, it was 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 numbers. It was also essential to keep Aiko deep inside the mountain so they could limit the output of Cultivators, unless they wished to be buried alive. This would allow them to maintain the status quo until Aiko woke up and hopefully either solved this problem or was able to run away. The Blood Fox arrived at the entrance of a cave. The cave was very moist and it was not the best place to keep Aiko 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, 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 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 deep sleep. The Blood Fox never saw such Evolution before as most would be 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. ''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 be 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, which meant he couldn''t mess this thing up. 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 Chapter 247 ¨C 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 a 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 teaching the young Saintess and the most heavenly Divination Cultivator 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 that 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 Sect knows, there are a few around that place, but for some reason, I can only see the 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 things with 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. "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 daughter was a Beast, so it would be enraging if his friend went against Beasts. "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, we need to funnel new blood into the main continent so we don''t lose the 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 good Qi and Treasure. Everyone would be able to get a piece of that pie if they were willing, but to restrict and cut 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 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 Chapter 248 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 249 ¨C Evolution is upon us A huge vortex formed around Aiko as her body slowly changed. This effect was still concealed by the Arrays that the Ghosts created, but it would be impossible to conceal it forever. The ever-hungry Aiko who would gobble up everything in her path during evolution was even more hungry as this Bloodline was not from the Mortal World. 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 in Arrays to provide 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 yet another 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, which collapsed all of them. 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.] [??? 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 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 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 – Cultivator’s Approaching Chapter 250 ¨C Cultivator¡¯s Approaching The team was waiting after the drop of ambient Qi, as the clouds started to gather. The Heavenly Disaster was upon them. Umbra waited in the shadows with the 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 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 big or small, either run away or hide 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 unsuspected Cultivators. So far things went easy as all of them were either weak Cultivators or oblivious idiots. Wanshu, even being slower, had much better 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 Umbra with Wanshu were already battling for days to end just to keep them in check. They were now at the losing end, but fortunately, the abnormal amount of traps they prepared did some heavy lifting for them. They found some poisonous Herbs too, so they rubbed them on the ropes and needles, further slowing the advance of the 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 none that slipped past Umbra and Wanshu, 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 quietened 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. The duo looked at each other. It seems like they will have time to recover before this battle. They did not use many healing Pills to preserve them and they were now 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 whole place cooled 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." 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 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 had some skills. 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 previously. 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 away from the flying ship 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 Chapter 251 ¨C 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. *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 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 Chapter 252 ¨C 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 moment 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 from the Shadow Units asked. The Blood Fox tightened her grip. These were much more powerful and might cause trouble to 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 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 were supposed to be four ships from the North, but only 1 came, which means there are 3 more." 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. "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 some of his older Cultivators around him said that it was insane and they were 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 that 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 thanks to his Qi, which 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 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 fall 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 flying ship, 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 have the symbol 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 Evolution finishes... He was not as concerned about 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! Chapter 253 ¨C 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. There was also a Dragon race that had the easiest time with this and that was also the reason they were the most powerful Beast one could possibly tame. The Young Master''s flying ship approached the mountain, yet he felt a strangeness in the air. 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 255 – Changes and the Fallen Ones… Chapter 255 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 256 ¨C Goodbyes The Young Master contacted the Foxes with the help of the Southern Sect. It was dangerous if they stayed so close to the mountain, so they convinced them to take sanctuary with them. None had any negative ideas 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 stuck 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 come 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 struck immediately. 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 immediately perished and part of that 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 they would also be hit by the part of the 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. If the Heavenly Lightning descended now, Aiko would surely die. 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?! Chapter 257 ¨C Body changed?! Beauty too?! Previously: Status System Human 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: 10.5/2,000 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 Nu?wa], [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] ] [collapse] ... ... 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 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 much higher?! 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 her hair and tails. Her tails were huge, so much in fact that she would be able to hide inside 1 tail 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 great, 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! Status System Human Form[collapse] 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 certain 4 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 watch and not decide? 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 a [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 swore to herself, she would naturally overdo it. She bit her tongue 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 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, like she was a moving corpse. 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 Blood Barrier. Their surroundings changed and everyone looked over... Chapter 258 – Evolution and Bark for me! Chapter 258 ¨C 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?] [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 Chapter 259 ¨C 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 the 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 didn''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 buy the "capsasin" and "lemon juice" or 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. Status Ezy System Human Form[collapse]Status Ezy System Human Form[collapse] 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 as she felt like she was no longer under anyone''s thumb. Her body was in a sorry state thanks to that drug and she would have lifelong negative effects. "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 her 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 Chapter 260 ¨C 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... 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 Chapter 261 ¨C Fear and Teasing Announcement This chapter contains: Light Gore Read at your own discretion! 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 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. 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 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. 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 similar kind of pain upon him?" 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… Chapter 262 ¨C The Mirage Fox is finished... Announcement This chapter contains: Gore Read at your own discretion! (This is a slightly different kind, as I did not have a good night rest for a few days, so I didn''t want to write how the gore happened like I did previously, but it should still portray what the duo did >.<) The morning was upon Aiko and she was once again in her Dew Form. The Blood Fox exchanged glances with Aiko, but Aiko was more interested in the meat being roasted. It was quite cold for Aiko for some reason, 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 by the Blood Fox away. 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, which 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. "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 on 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 thanks to a certain scent, his body was kept from dying... ... 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 when she was cold she overdid it, 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 are unusable..." 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 the 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 didn''t heal enough yet from Aiko''s Evolution and the space in front of Aiko was distorted. The crack formed 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… Chapter 263 ¨C Overdoing it once again for her team... They walked fast and slow, 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 were too great. At one point the Blood Fox couldn''t bear Aiko''s... ''outfit'', so she searched through her Storage Pouch for some clothes for the ''Dew Form''. It was a close hit on 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, since Aiko got a bit too used to it. Fortunately for the group, Aiko disliked their 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 the [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 distort like it did with Yuxi''s. 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 hold the decision-making 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 forced 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 easily 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. 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, no longer looking like they were crying. Their lips were black. Their eyes now looked like Wanshu''s when 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. It looked very rough, like when you scraped a wall, 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 made 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 pair of widened, surprised eyes and the other pair of widened, shocked eyes. ''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 Chapter 264 ¨C Teasing Blood Fox and Loot "You can go prepare food for everyone, we will guard Aiko." Yuxi said gently. The feeling from what she got from Aiko was very different, not to mention that Wanshu was like a glue to her 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 icy." Yuxi blinked a few times. "It 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 dressing up. 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, that small Aiko was very easy to keep in tails, but now that Aiko was ''big'' it was hard to place on tails since they would 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." "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 either they were in a relationship or 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. "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 to the first 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 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 their loot, but each word was like 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 his Uncle''s Spiritual Roots. For him, it was easy as these were his Spiritual Roots previously, so he didn''t need any elaborate witchcraft like what his Uncle did. Soon he recovered the Spiritual Root and wobbled back to the cave... Chapter 265 – Zhao Yichen Chapter 265 ¨C 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 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. "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 can cover you." His eyebrows turned sharp. He no longer looked like a beggar, but like a Young Disciple from a big Sect. 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 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 game and his stomach grumbled. "A favour for a meal." The Blood Fox smiled like a fox. "I''m good." Zhao Yichen''s hips 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 Chapter 266 ¨C 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 would 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 it. ''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 before she turned small, but they just couldn''t bear that gaze. "Hmmmm." Yuxi stared towards the Blood Fox. "What''s wrong?" The Blood Fox tilted her head. "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 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, Aiko had some kind of 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 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 part 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! Chapter 267 ¨C 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 was no problem with it. The Blood Fox rarely cooked to not attract attention, but even then some kind of eyes 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 someone ''stared'' at them which scared them. They were on the 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... Status System [ 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] [collapse] 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 of your tails and the number of Tails.] 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...'' ... 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. Status Ezy System Human Form [ 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] ] [collapse] [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~! ?? Chapter 268 ¨C Mei~! ??Status Ezy System Human Form [ 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)], [Wanshu (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] ] [collapse] ''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 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 dress up 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. She could learn that 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 in front to walk, 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. "Are you planning to smuggle me inside?!" The Princess was shocked. She didn''t expect this gorgeous Fox to be so daring! "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 without 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 washing 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 Pill, 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 Chapter 269 ¨C 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. 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 too. Aiko kept gazing at Mei, waiting for any kind of reaction. Mei moved closer and Aiko shut her eyes, expecting 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?" Mei 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… Chapter 270 ¨C 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 it or was 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. "Unless you do something bad." 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. 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 her ears were dyed in pink colour, slowly turning a tinge of 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 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 couldn''t finally bear it 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! Chapter 271 ¨C 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 into a small Aiko and Mei was able to wrap her completely. 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 another puzzled 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 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 until 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. 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 to 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. This allowed the legs and thighs to occasionally peek between the parts. Not enough to have a full view, but enough to arouse deep interest and ''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 uncovered. Decorated with laces, but those were smooth so it was not hard to ''access''. 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. The dress was too dangerous for the 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 demolish 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 with Aiko etiquette, 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 Chapter 272 ¨C 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 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. ''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 from 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 Chapter 273 ¨C 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 with 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 droll." 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. ... A few days later, Aiko got first class from the Blood Fox and later from Mei on 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 agreed readily, since she was quite low on Spirit Stones. 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 and 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 bit back and almost reached the Forging Fox nickname. "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. 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 for 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 spammed 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, but it was good enough to get notified 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 for the Sect''s needs often, even more so now that she looked healthier. 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, there is a guarantee of failure and even the possibility of death. 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 for sex, but it was different for 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 again when they introduced the Massage Chairs again. 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 commodity very sought after. 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 Chapter 274 ¨C Hugs and Massage Chairs Aiko was now running on both big and small forms. It seems like she recovered all of her Vitality or at least a good enough portion, that she didn''t sleep that much any more. Mei was also overjoyed, since it would mean she could start teaching Aiko Alchemy, but she still postponed it. It was important for Aiko to finish those Massage Chairs, wealth was needed to continue. 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 Massage Chair. This made Mei happier, but also more concerned. She didn''t expect such a reaction even from 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 new Massage Chair. Thanks to being healed and having her Abilities unlocked in her small form. She was 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 slow in big form, but too fast in small form. She had to train in her small form in order to be able to apply the Inscription Ink evenly. That was a very important part of Inscriptions. Even distribution of the Ink. If the Inscription Ink was too thin, the power, in this case Qi, would overwhelm the Ink, causing it to fail. Meanwhile, if it was too thick, the Qi would gather in that place and it could explode badly. It was something like Aiko throwing the 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 last her ''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 her and punish her. Mei tilted her head. "Won''t 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... "We will progress more later." The Blood Fox said gently. When Aiko tried her etiquette became 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 sharper parts, much more complete and by the blueprint, so Aiko didn''t need to work as hard 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! ... The Massage Chairs were lined next to each other and the quality was obvious. "He really did improve." Mei muttered before turning 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 felt a bad foreboding. "Just go." Mei rolled her eyes. The Grandmaster sat into the Massage Chairs and Aiko operated them from afar. "This won''t blow, right?" Dai Lu asked with a startled expression. "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 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 all that bad! Chapter 275 – Shabby Place? Chapter 275 ¨C 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. The parts were much more precise compared to the blueprints and Aiko got a better grip for her Inscriptions. She also adjusted a few 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 cleans itself up." "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 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 would 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. "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 Chapter 276 ¨C 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. 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! Chapter 277 ¨C First Wave! Aiko only blankly stared ahead, was it truly that easy to grow things? Her mind hurt from this, this could not be explained in 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. A line of people immediately gathered. 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. The opening time was when Aiko turned small, 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 overcome this 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 Foxes had to go 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 much more knowledge about the body, otherwise, she would not be able to come up with this kind of ingenious idea. The Jade Fox knew better than all of them on how to help small Foxes grow properly so they restrained their urges. 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. 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 racking 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 take their turns." 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 Chapter 278 ¨C Aiko against the Foxes The next day the 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 would 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 just not stare and 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. 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 made fox-like innocent eyes as 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 Chapter 279 ¨C 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. "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 Chapter 280 ¨C 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 solved 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 it 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. "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 Chapter 281 ¨C 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. "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! Chapter 282 ¨C 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 we should 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 is a lot of lightning going on 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. They were after Spirit Stones quite a bit, but this kind of 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 others will hide!" 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 it will 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 will go first." Wanshu licked her lips. "My stories will be longer." 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 are pretty much slaves to her?" 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. 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 were faster... 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 pain from a bigger, softer Aiko, than from the small, livid 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 the warmth that the Blood Fox''s neck and shoulders were giving her. 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. Mei came to the view and basket 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 the rising 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 later certain things...'' Mei licked her lips as this would be really fun. Chapter 283 – Story Finished and Cauldron for Pill Refining Chapter 283 ¨C Story Finished and Cauldron for Pill Refining Aiko compiled all those stories and changed many parts into special Runes that she connected discreetly on the side with other Inscriptions that would cause invisibility, and burning, among other things. 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 her previous blueprint was already pretty much ruined. It doesn''t seem like the quality of the paper is all that good. She will have to spend a lot of money on Jade Slip, 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 nowhere near the wooden sticks. So it''s only natural that it would be denied too. Aiko went outside. The team grew closer thanks to the stories, but strange tension could still be seen in the air. She didn''t know for what reason, but that was fine. Aiko learned 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 only trained with Aiko because of her Divine Sense, so she didn''t spend as much time with Aiko. That was fine, since Aiko''s Divine Sense was advancing nicely. The Grandmaster also taught others about Divine Sense and they progressed faster than Aiko''s, but they were also less powerful than hers. But this was still a good idea, since the Secret Realm was slowly approaching. The safety from the Divine Sense was undeniable. Moreover, only Foxes were able to attain this thanks to their pseudo-Human form, so they were the only Beasts, other than Dragons, that would be able to scan the 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 that some of Aiko''s antics persisted, but they were more or less satisfied with their work. Aiko was fast learning when it came to sex 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. If we add another few million now or later thanks to this Jade Slip, it does not matter now." Mei sighed. "Even if we have all this money, it''s not like we can actually use them. All the Auctions and shops banned Beasts from entering this continent, so we would need to pay for ''pardon'' in order to get inside. That is just not worth it." She shook her head. Mei was startled and paused. "What kind of metals?" Aiko pulled 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 this disgruntled Cultivator came in. He doesn''t have an official name, since he was killed by his fiance? from the Phoenix Clan, but that doesn''t mean he didn''t do 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 separate from 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, [The Shapeless Cauldron] should not exist! It was beyond Mythical! It could be called the Pinnacle of Cauldrons! 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 Chapter 284 ¨C 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. 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 Spiritual Flame that is stronger 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!] 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 after another group! 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 be only removed after another Evolution, but the amount of disaster you bring..." 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’ Chapter 285 ¨C 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 just after a few bounces!" 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, we are 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 stiff when it comes to Alchemy, as all Herbs have defects. You need to adjust the cut or how you rip the Herbs apart depending on their condition- Why are you looking at me like you found some kind of 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 became too stiff from inscribing. This was not good, but fortunately, she conned enough Spirit Stones that Aiko could fool around with Herbs. "Alright. I will guide you this time, but you will be alone 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 took Aiko''s hands and placed them between Aiko''s thighs. A yelp escaped Aiko''s lips. Her eyes were spinning. "If you are cold, you should place them like this, so that they warm up quickly." Mei explained, but Aiko was dead silent. 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 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. "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 Chapter 286 ¨C 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 also didn''t like the overly cautious Mei. 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 have even more than that..." Mei sighed. She didn''t understand how high Aiko''s Beast Core Energy could reach. This was quite troubling since Aiko had more Beast Core Energy and thus was harder to control. Beasts would usually have one Beast Core, meaning that they would be limited in their output. But Aiko was not like that. She had two Beast Cores, which could store even more than normal Beast Cores. This made it unnaturally more difficult to control, but it could also mean she could create more Higher-Grade Pills. Unlike normal Human Qi, Beast Qi had its own attributes. As such, you first need to purify the Beast Qi before you can use it on the Fire Shard. This meant that it would take more Beast Qi to achieve the same effect as Human Qi. On the other hand, Fox''s Divine Sense was much more powerful than Humans, so they were able to tackle harder and more complex Pills sooner and easier. What Humans might not be aware of is the fact that most top-ranking Pill Cultivators are Foxes. Unfortunately due to the influence of the Fox Village, not many are creating Pills that could be sold or auctioned to others. Most Humans were also fed up with the fact that Foxes would go to auctions to mingle with others, so they imposed a ban on all Beasts to make them easier to manage. 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 Foxes at the top, thanks to their soft tails that you could cuddle easily. ... "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. 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. The small form will be then used to revise the materials and adjust her 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 and scoldingly pinched 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 take 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 things went this way. As such, Aiko''s interference was very welcome as long as it stayed at this level. 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 Chapter 287 ¨C 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 explaining her class 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 nutritions, 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. 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. 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 be called Herbalists. Alchemist is the title only for someone who was 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? Isn''t Mei 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 you can get more Herbs from others during exchanges." She somewhat understood Aiko''s materialistic nature. If those Disciples messed up the order or anything, the Pill Cauldron would 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. 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 guess the state of the Pill Cauldron." Mei also added. "Water contaminates the insides, which is not a problem for what we are currently doing, but once you achieve greater mastery..." Mei narrowed her eyes. "You should 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 when she started Pill Refining... Chapter 288 – Still No Success Chapter 288 ¨C Still No Success Aiko prepared Herb after Herb. It took her a while to get used to the counting and everything surrounding it. The essence of the first Herb was only successfully created after 20 tries. The second took her 50 tries. Aiko wasted a lot of Herbs since she didn''t understand the counting mechanism. Not to mention that at times her breathing would speed up or slow down 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. It was no problem wasting their materials and 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 teasing, but there was just something so intoxicating about the current Aiko. Thanks to the fact that Aiko worked with a lot of Herbs and focused on refining the Pill. Her body leaked a very pleasant smell that had the ability to intoxicate others, but also enhance the effects of the Pill! 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 is 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... ... In 2 years, 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 the limited places, but they secured them for Blood Fox and Twins too! 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! 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 and in pain, thanks to the soot getting into her eyes and covering her face with fox 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 Chapter 289 ¨C 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. Stunned expression and lack of movement. All of them reacted like that until Aiko turned small. Then they acted completely 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 reach a Nascent Soul before you could shape your Divine Sense with 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 already had a hard time with the Twins if even the Blood Fox evolved... *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." "Another way would be just gathering the given Qi inside your body which can stimulate the Bloodline into awakening." Dai Lu smiled. "But this one has a problem with pain. 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. ''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 Chapter 290 ¨C 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 make more Pills." Mei smiled and Aiko just nodded. Aiko was able to run only one full Pill refining a day, since she was not allowed to do it in her small form. ... The first run was 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 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. The seventh try was finally the try that Aiko succeeded and with it came a few rewards. [Alchemy Mastery: Lv.5->6] Her Alchemy Mastery advanced by one, after such a long time and she also got 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. "So while you did achieve success. Now we will be training the control and everything around it. Moreover, I will whip you up, so that within 5 weeks you will be able to master Divine Sense." Mei proclaimed. Aiko didn''t even rest and she was already dragged away by Mei. Aiko felt energy rushing inside her body. It was not an unpleasant feeling. Her body was changing thanks to the Awakening of the Dream 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 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 would 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 places where you can''t be together, so keep that in mind while 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 if we are separated. We can then later fight while completely separate." 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 bodies 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 Chapter 291 ¨C 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, 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 foreign feeling, but that also didn''t mean that she liked this 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 those 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 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 insides." 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. ... Mei told Aiko 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 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. 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. 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 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 Chapter 292 ¨C 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 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 max from a batch. You could gain more than ten Pills if they 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 could say that she was the victim of this Pill, but she didn''t know why. 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. "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. [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 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 something outside. She was still conscious and in about 2 hours the sensation 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! Chapter 293 ¨C More Tails! "So..." Dai Lu''s lips were twitching. "So..." Mei''s lips were likewise twitching. "6 Tails, but only 4 give me any 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 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 200 Souls to get 1,001 Souls for the 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 troubles. 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 obtain 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 submitted its prize. ''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 go inside as outside had reduced 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 Souls] [Yes/No] [Yes] ... 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. Mei put 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 strong 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 strength, but once a Human attacks you, your strength will drop to the Peak of Golden Core." Mei smoothed Aiko''s frowning forehead. "What...?" Aiko didn''t believe her ears. She just gained so much strength, yet she was nerfed immediately?! "You can use your full strength 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 Chapter 294 ¨C 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. Keep at most 3 Tails." Mei said. "I will try to get at least 4 Tails before we enter, but if I can''t manage that, you will have to keep 3 Tails." Mei then explained. "It''s to keep you safe from others. If I don''t have more tails than you when I have higher fame, people might target you for believing you have more Treasures than what you are supposed to have." "Isn''t that a bit too late?" Aiko tilted her head. "I already ran around with 4 tails during 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 Divine Sense 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 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 cost 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. "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 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 the basics 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 Chapter 295 ¨C 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 creating the Pills. The distraction caused her to ruin too many batches, so much so that Aiko 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 didn''t even finish the previous Jade Slip, yet she got 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 with Mei''s lifetime knowledge. Mei was pleasantly surprised that Aiko still had that Jade Slip. At this point, she believed that Aiko would give 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 you learn it by yourself.] ''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. "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 on 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 haneriIt''s a layer of clothing under Kimono. 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 didn''t understand was that the lightest punishment was by the Immortal World standards and not Mortal Worlds! As such, Dai Lu was pretty much aching all over her body! Mei tilted her head. ''It was just 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?! Chapter 296 ¨C 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 did not attain the 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 her body was the heaviest. "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. "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 them and the muscular Foxes slowly stood up leaving 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 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 Chapter 297 ¨C 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 three 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 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. "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 Chapter 298 ¨C Other Foxes Aiko kept sitting on the Glacial Fox''s lap. She was wondering why everyone was so huddled up together... At that point, the Blood Fox and others came to Aiko. "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. "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 everything needs 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 Chapter 299 ¨C Secret Realm explanation "What else you didn''t tell me?" Aiko sternly asked. 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 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 the 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 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] 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. "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 thing from the Storage Ring and it''s completely random, but 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 Dantian, 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 Chapter 300 ¨C 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 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!] [-436,00 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 Chapter 301 ¨C 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 nobody ran 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. "What''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 previous element and if he infused it with his Soul, it would become the most powerful 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. "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 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 things for you, so go ahead and 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 Chapter 302 ¨C How to Steal a Garden 101 Aiko spent a few days with the 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 positive. 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 his 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 niece. 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, so it 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 died out thanks to 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 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. ''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. 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] levelled up?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''Was it because I handled the Herbs? Surely not?'' She was confused as to why she earned those things, 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 Chapter 303 ¨C 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] first consumes Stamina before it starts to consume my Beast Core Energy.'' Aiko nodded happily. She could use her Beast Core Energy to enhance the speed of the [Earthen Walk], but even the speed with just Stamina is good enough for me. ''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. 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 if she was in 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 is 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 you are already blushing, 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." Yuxi sighed. She wanted to collect many Treasures so Aiko would praise them, but her dirty partner seemed to have a different plan. "I will do my best to assist you~" Wanshu hugged Yuxi from behind, groping her. "Safe 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 Chapter 304 ¨C 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. Status Ezy System [ 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)] ] [collapse] ''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 decide their strengths.] ''...'' 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. [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 eyes were slit, but they had endless gentleness inside them. They were green, like her hair. She had 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 formed the hourglass type, 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 Chapter 305 ¨C 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 get would be either 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 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 they are faring through memorials and inflict damage on them if 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 the first inheritance ground. There were already Humans around, but Mei used the Concealing Talisman alongside [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 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. "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 similar 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 use this... thing, so that Aiko could sleep peacefully. "I take it back. You are quite useful... as a 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 a copy of each other, they would go feral, trying to subdue them to have them 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 such a 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 with her and our grievances." 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 control our powers." Yuxi also corrected Wanshu. Wanshu clicked her tongue. "Fine." Yuxi gave her a tender kiss, which turned into a brief make out, before more Cultivators interrupted them... Chapter 306 – Feifei drains the Secret Realm… Chapter 306 ¨C 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 feels like my head is being pressed by a mountain of information, but that also soon disappeared, turning 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 drew the outside Qi the same way as she did previously when her Qi was purged. [Pure Qi: 1] [Cultivation: [Early Stage Refinement Realm]] [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.] 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 would have already been scavenged.] 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 even might follow you, so that you can learn 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 Chapter 307 ¨C Misfortune after Misfortune Aiko ran through the forest. This was the easiest way to lose him 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 did not have any Treasures. 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 noticed that her speed lessened greatly. 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, unlike Aiko they had their own Techniques that could bypass the 36k restriction. Aiko still could use her sprint to temporarily increase her speed and lose them with a double jump in tandem. This allowed her some breathing room, but a certain duo of Cultivators was able to keep up with her speed. One was distorting the space while the other was clad in lightning. 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. 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 quite the many 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 nearly a 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 never met such a wall, 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! 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. Aiko 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 Chapter 308 ¨C 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 that feeling on her body, that gaze that tried to undress her. 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 simp was 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 her 4 tails for as much power as possible, but that didn''t protect her from getting bruises from their cooperation. Aiko ran into the forest, but the ground of people was like bulls charging at her. All the trees in their path were uprooted or twisted. "Stop chasing me!" Aiko shouted at them, but the only answer back was more fireworks. While her body was quite resilient, that was not the case for her tails. Tails were much weaker in terms of defence, especially those of a Spirit Fox. 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 ground of angry bulls, followed by salivating dogs. Most would tilt their head in disbelief, until they spotted the Fox. Then they would become either a dog or a bull, joining one of the groups. There were some Cultivators that were resistant to it, but those took a safety precaution and watched from far, far away. The groups chipped at both, 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 they didn''t deal anywhere near enough damage to deter their advances. Aiko would have to run until they tire out... ... ...... ......... After a week, almost the whole Secret Realm knew about this. 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. 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 they addressed her, so they gave them a good beating. ... 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 she was 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 only sapped her resources 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 to adjust her fighting, but there were so many groups around her! Mei used the loophole of this place to her advantage and almost wiped out the female group of Cultivators. She would finish the male group if they tried something, but they were just salivating over Aiko, so Mei left it to the team. "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 the whole cave to progress faster than the outside world. So even if the Blood Fox took a month inside it was only a day outside... "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 Chapter 309 ¨C 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 called 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 returned. "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 ''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 sulking that she already got a mate. "Stop sulking. What are you, a child?" Mei slapped his scales without 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 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." The Dragon and the Blood Fox said in sync. Mei glared at both of them, but could not harm one, so she beat up the other one. "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. "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 of 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 one large slab out of her [Tails Storage], it was a very familiar dirt half-block, filled 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 ''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 from who knows where. A few veins appeared on Mei''s forehead and she went to smash the Dragon into the ground. Meanwhile, Aiko moved to her team and munched jerkies with them. "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 not to grab a bunch of Herbs and start refining them for Special Pills for 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 Chapter 310 ¨C More Blocks and Divine Sense Aiko kept pulling out the blocks of dirt like there was no tomorrow. Mei kept harvesting it again and again until she felt completely exhausted. "Are we stopping now?" Aiko took the harvested Herbs and placed them in her [Tails Storage]. The Herbs without the dirt were very small, so she could store a lot more things. Mei also harvested the grass, so Aiko 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 each time she tried to correct her, Aiko would just come up with something even crazier. Her mind was unsteady and she couldn''t afford Aiko''s shenanigans. ''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 would cluck at you." He chuckled darkly. "Good support!" Aiko raised her thumb in approval before running away. 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 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 our uses, it would be having your Divine Sense to fight mine." The Dragon said, but before Aiko''s team could voice her disagreement, he continued. "Of course, I would 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. This also might cause Aiko demerits in terms of her psyche. If she made subconscious restraints, it would harm 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 Chapter 311 ¨C 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 he just created popcorn and munched on it. The Dragon also picked up what was left of the 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 didn''t unlock Divine Sense at all and Aiko''s Divine Sense was not as gentle or precise 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. 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''s 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… Chapter 312 ¨C A lesson to be learned... Aiko assisted Mei with her rest each time, but the stubborn Mei would reject it all the time. This caused Aiko to sneak when Mei just went to sleep and did the same thing again and again. 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 Herb of spacial storage that would allow you to preserve the Herbs. Most of them 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, but this might come to bite her later in the butt. [-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. She dodged the close blunt attack from the Flying Idiot and emerged 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 much quicker 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 and it would slowly peel 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 had time to correct Aiko''s behaviour, since she looked excited to give 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 would polish her missing experience.'' He nodded to himself. If there was no strife, then it might kill Aiko 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 Chapter 313 ¨C 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 the 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, Aiko and Mei softened 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 the system meat and allow her to not use it 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 to him back. ''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 her 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 research once she got out. Mei nodded happily. Finally, this ''gift'' was over and she could lay down and rest for a few days. 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. "I got this after 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 strange!" 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 Chapter 314 ¨C Cleaning and Pills Aiko was squirming the whole time, but that did not wake Mei up. She was sleeping 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 go to sleep too. Unfortunately or fortunately, she squirmed 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 in their tails, so this situation was no different... is what Aiko believed. Considering how little Mei needed for rest, it should be fine for Aiko to do the same. She sneaked behind Mei and wrapped her hands around her waist. She placed her head in Mei''s neck nook and dozed 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 came next to Mei while shaking her head. Mei glared at her, but before she could say anything... The Blood Fox peeled Aiko off and placed her on her own body. 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. "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 was 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! Chapter 315 ¨C 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 avoided the 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 that as the Herbs keep ''dropping'' 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. ''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 timed 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 Chapter 316 ¨C 8th Grade Pill and Mei¡¯s Feelings {What Aiko does when no one''s watching...} Mei just fell asleep. There was 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 tile 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 of such holes, 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 was created all thanks to a single Fox. Once the ''water'' hit the bottom, it made a disgusting squishing sound. It sounded like someone shat themselves and then some. Aiko recoiled from that voice, 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 burrow 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 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 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. 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 becomes 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 was such a bully...'' Aiko thought in her mind. ... Another day, 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 Chapter 317 ¨C Aiko messing with the Dragon Aiko was scavenging 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 be possible to achieve Kitsune form before ascension, but she 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 do 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 a 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. "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 Chapter 318 ¨C 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 Dragon did oversee her, but it would not hinder her movement. 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.No?v(el)B\\jnn 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 the safety camp, the first thing she would explore would be the holes in the ground. Yes, those spider holes. Aiko wondered if maybe something was washed up with the dumping of her impurities or if she could find something 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 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 Cultivators'' 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 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 [Lightness Technique] it would not make her light enough that she could step on leaves in the air, so unfortunately 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 distance and jump in the mid-air, neither of them were useful right now. 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! 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 the ''board'' of the leave. 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 would not be 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 Mei or the Dragon 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 dressed up again ready to 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 most energy seemed to be in the petiole.'' 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 Chapter 319 ¨C Cultivator and Troubles Inside a Cave The female Cultivators hurled their fireworks at Aiko, who was still free-falling. "Wait! She has the Storage Pouch!" The snobbish male Cultivator screamed. He was worried that they would destroy those 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 compression the barrier closer to the body with each hit, so it did have a limit where the barrier would not cover your body and another limit was against too fast projectiles with high penetrative components. It was not the best defence Ability 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 increased defence for hits into 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 press them against 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... ''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. 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 a 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? Chapter 320 ¨C More Treasures and Eggs? After gathering a bit of the silky liquid, it led deeper inside the cave, so Aiko kept snagging those things into her Storage Rings. It went quite deep inside and Aiko''s rings were filling quite a lot. At this rate, she would have stored 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 and the rest was just 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 towards a juncture. She could go either left or right, but she chose right, because 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 one of her legs, since she was holding the other one, trying to rip the boot away from her skin. After success, she noticed that her leg was quite badly burned, but thanks to the system, it was healing up. 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 the place. *Splash* The middle of this place made the same sound as when you throw a rock into a pond. Aiko was more and more confused, but 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 heal her injured leg and dry the boots. Aiko didn''t know if this place was unpolluted because of this heat or silky liquid, so she would like to not walk barefoot in here. ... After drying and equipping the boots, 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. At first, she did not hold any hope, since it seemed empty, but she did find quite large eggs. One was definitely dead, considering the numerous cracks, while the other one was intact. Aiko stored both in her [Tails Storage] since her Rings were full. She backtracked into 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 already looted the other things. 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 would definitely get 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 dismembered the spider with one [Lacerate], it revealed the Beast Core that was hidden behind its eyes. It was large and green, which made Aiko feel quite strange, but she 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 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 anything of value before leaving this place. It was the same thing, boots that freeze the ground into a double jump for speed, while throwing rocks onto the small patches of ice to shatter them. 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 she would move... Chapter 321 – Bath with uninvited guests… Chapter 321 ¨C Bath with uninvited guests... The 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 the 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 it. 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 make a large ball from 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 start most things in her small form and finish with 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 quick, but around the Warming Stones, it was nice and lukewarm. It would heat up eventually, Aiko just needed to wait for it. 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 even through transformation. The other thing 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 later. Aiko rubbed her tails together to spread the soap somewhat evenly. She was creating quite a mess, but all Aiko cared about was to get clean and not to get scolded so badly. Next up was her head, which was more troublesome than her tails. Sure, she had 8 tails and it was hard to clean, but it was nowhere as hard 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 inside while not getting 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, that must be a real pain to clean! "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 would 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 the fragile, begging side. ''That is a lie, once she won''t look at 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 used many high-grade Herbs and other materials for 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 used her transformation to transform into a small 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 undressed 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 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 Royal Dung Beetle!?" The Dragon was completely speechless at this little smelly rascal! Chapter 322 – Seals Undone and Chaos Ensues Chapter 322 ¨C 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 none 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 has 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 he tattled on the Blood Fox. "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. "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 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 decreased their sizes, since they didn''t have bodies, but they were still bigger than 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 helped you when you were sealed!" 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 Chapter 323 ¨C 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 guys got killed." She laughed with glee. "You have died too if you are 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 just left their mother. "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. "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 the 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 the wolf tripled in size. It was salivating at everyone, especially at the Tiger that was making a ruckus. "Meow?" The White Tiger played innocent as we 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 the update. ''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, there is Mei 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 Chapter 324 ¨C 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 with a Fox 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, allowed to harness the Fire Element, speeding up the Cultivation of Fire Cultivators, but it also allowed 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. 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 you a Water Spiritual Water, it''s not Water imbued with Qi, but similar to 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 Chapter 325 ¨C Cauldron that Shocks Beasts Aiko blinked her eyes at the pitiful White Tiger. "This should teach you not to say things you should, right?" Aiko asked him. The White Tiger nodded weakly. "But it''s definitely good to know Mei''s dark history." Aiko smirked. The White Tired 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, allowed one to harness the Wind Element, speeding up the Cultivation of Wind Cultivators, but it also allowed Wind-type Beasts to nurture their Wind-based Bloodlines. The second Treasure, allowed one to harness the Lightning Element, speeding up the Cultivation of Lightning Cultivators, but it also allowed Lightning-type Beasts to nurture their Lightning-based Bloodlines. 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, those Runes were woven into the material! 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, but you need to have the same element as those materials." 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 stat was. 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. "Foxes have their Beast Cores 10x times weaker, so you 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 would be 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. 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 best vow they could make, as there was a chance that the Human Cultivators might promise them to erase this 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! chapter 326 ¨C stolen treasures! aiko looked around as if 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 and divine sense. mei was helping the beasts with their beads to make them more compatible 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 got 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, 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, allowing them to 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. the speed was incomparable from 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 those 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. 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! 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, we will go through your evolution, which will be boosted by 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 caressed 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 fortunately 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 chapter 327 ¨C mei¡¯s evolution time passed and mei came to aiko, who was making doodle runes once again. "i''m about to evolve," mei said gently. "i would like to ask for the dew drops." "sure." aiko readily nodded. 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 pickle. ''100m vitality should be enough for mei, right?'' she was not sure if that would be enough. "that''s enough!" mei''s lips twitched. her specially created container for this drop was at its limit. ''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 her experimental self 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, their potency and the amount of stored energy are incomparable to other beasts. with such concentration of energy, even if you didn''t wish for it, you would be able to create spiritual things. like fires, waters, treasures and so on." the three-legged crow answered. "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.no?v(el)b\\jnn "not quite, most beasts have deeply rooted energies that don''t circulate well around the body. the only one different was dragons. there are also foxes, but since they, by default, have smaller beast cores, they can''t be used as spiritual nurturers." the black tortoise said gently. he was focusing 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 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 tell this to mei, so she keeps you in check." the azure dragon sighed. this little fox was getting out of control over time and needed some kind of reins over her. "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 unless mei finishes!" the azure dragon demanded from 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. 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 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 this whole thing happened because she was petty?! ridiculous! "you should really practice restrain..." the three-legged crow gazed blankly at the small fox. aiko pouted once more and wanted to retort him, but when 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 that little brat do this time?! why is this 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 would 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 chapter 328 ¨C transformation lightning the evolution was undergoing, 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 that''s different since she is doing it while 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 will have to entangle so much stuff.'' she sighed gently. "what''s wrong?" aiko asked. "nothing, it''s just that i will have to soon 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 didn''t put too much priority on it. ''it was fine until now, so it should be fine to do it later.'' aiko nodded. ''maybe after 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 it. *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 treasure and pill shattered, but she could feel her body transforming 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 takes care of mei... Chapter 329 – Nursing and Touchy/Cringy Aiko chapter 329 ¨C nursing and touchy/cringy aiko aiko nursed mei as she was losing that 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 those stories these things that happened while awake were in the good parts, while bad was in the sleeping parts, so aiko would follow suit and wait till mei woke 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 the watch. she was wondering if mei would wake before it 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 turned her body 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! ... "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 potato. ''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 brown and blue. it was quite a unique combination, but it didn''t end up there. her face was flawless, with a natural, healthy colour. her lips were small and cute, while her nose was slightly pointy. it was 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 pinkish inside rims. furthermore, her hair was long, reaching almost the ground level. she had long legs that attracted attention from all sides and plump thighs that screamed: let me squeeze you! her bosom was likewise appetising, since those peaks were 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 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? chapter 330 ¨C 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 and mei felt even guiltier about what she caused before, but 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 hunting for food and testing their divine sense in combat. it was difficult to use it without damaging themselves from the backlash. moreover, it was also harder to gauge someone''s strength when it came to divine sense, so you were more likely to injure yourself. 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 a bit longer before i start cultivating. do you have any questions?" mei asked aiko, since she could tell her about the current 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 can 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 questions and learned how to answer quickly.no?v(el)b\\jnn "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. status ezy system 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)] ] [collapse] 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 components! ''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 look inside 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! 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 [bloodline 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 chapter 331 ¨C aiko out, mei as nurse aiko was outside alone. her mind was a bit murky, but she was sadder about not being told than about the destruction and 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 hoped that they would share more things, so that she didn''t need to experience that chase or misunderstandings, 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, none approached her since everyone was working, especially the beasts who had their images 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 the 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 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 would definitely be history with it. ''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 her team. ''that dew drop says it all.'' mei still held some apprehension towards aiko giving out so much, especially now that her body was cold. "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... 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 correct 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 Chapter 332 ¨C 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 where we didn''t have that enslaving technique, so I have no idea how to come to that. It was mostly peaceful and I did reform the previous Fox Village because I was quite spiteful towards Humans, but it was needed since Foxes were on the decline from betrayals." 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." 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." 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 than ugly and 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 and created the Heavenly Fox Sect. Every other continent became the Fox Village and every Fox would stay recluse and 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 have held all the art in our spaces, it meant that we were still progressing at the same pace, unlike the outer 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. "The only ones who could truly rival us were Dragons, but thanks to my diplomacy we were in a somewhat friendly relationship. While everyone voted against us, since the Dragons stayed neutral, none of them could take a proper side." Mei paused. "I believe that is when some Human gave us that dubious technique." Mei was somewhat sure of it, but she was not around when it got this bad. "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 it and take care of it. 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 Chapter 333 ¨C 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 do that." 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 Breast Core from the Crow. The colourful Beast Core from the Kitty. The Ocean Blue Breast Core from the soon-to-be turtle soup. The somewhat woody brown 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. "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 none 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. "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’ Chapter 334 ¨C When ¡®Immortals¡¯ ¡®Fight¡¯ The sky darkened even more, thanks to a certain Fox having tendencies 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 inhabitable after Aiko was finished. The Dragon sighed gently. "I can feel presence 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 could not be suppressed in this place and he was 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, so they were tying him up with ropes. The Three-Legged Crow blinked innocently. "You got weaker, huh..." It waved its wing and they instantly vaporised a group of Cultivators... alongside 10% of the Secret Realm. The Black Tortoise pulled out a strange plank and surfed the waves he was creating. His waves swallowed many Cultivators and flooded the fires, alongside 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 roaming around. Whenever they would meet with fire, they would become fire tornadoes and when they met water, they would supercharge the water with lightning, creating a deadly trap for anyone who would fall into it. He was able to demolish 25% of the Secret Realm, since his Metal Element was also wreaking havoc 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. They had to be careful not to accidentally break it otherwise they would die! ... After 2 years from the start of Evolution, no 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 it would 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 into the Mortal World, 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 low, 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." She took down her mask. "Brother?" The ''handsome'' man was completely confused. This was not his masked brother, who was 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 that knife, which unlocked powerful poison 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 Chapter 335 ¨C 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 cultivated 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 Mei. 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 still step away from Dragons, since you won''t have their Divine Sense." Mei sighed. "But just being able to manifest Dragons'' power inside your Human body would be a good thing for you. Most Dragons will like anyone who can assume their form with the energy to boot!" 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. "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 would be me who decides that." 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. "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 it before 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 appeared to be her imagination. "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 get after me again. 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 Chapter 336 ¨C 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 even more intensified and all Beast cursed, while 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 outside. 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. 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! Chapter 337 ¨C 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. 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 Chapter 338 ¨C 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. "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. 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 Chapter 339 ¨C 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. 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. ... 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 Chapter 340 ¨C 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! 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. "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 overdid 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 it?! Chapter 341 – Reunion Chapter 341 ¨C 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 would 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 rind on her necklace. While this ''Immortal'' was useful, she was also stupid. ''You stupid child! Demonic Beasts won''t see reason! You will die!'' 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, but the Princess and the two girls behind her. Aiko noticed that 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 Chapter 342 ¨C 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 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. 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 Chapter 343 ¨C 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. Fang Jia 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 Cauldron, 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 highly mutating; 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. 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 white, 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 Chapter 344 ¨C 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. 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 showed 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 Chapter 345 ¨C 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. 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 her part of the 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 Chapter 346 ¨C 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 never knew when the time came she would be able to learn from someone about Forging, be it Fang Jia or someone else. It was better to be prepared when that time came. Aiko would naturally also include normal Cauldrons, to throw them off. So she would practise 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 had 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. "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 Chapter 347 ¨C 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. He 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. [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)=([Shadow Fiend Fox]+[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] [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 Chapter 348 ¨C 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 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, otherwise, the other one 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.] "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 have enough Energy in 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. [Sleeping: Mastered] [####: ####] "Another bug..." Aiko sighed. [Stealth: Mastered] "Reset." Aiko didn''t even hesitate. [Dark Vision: Mastered] "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 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 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! Announcement! (Reviews, Patreon, New story and possibly more!) Announcement! (Reviews, Patreon, New story and possibly more!) Hello, dear readers~! You all know who I am, so let''s skip the introductions and allow me to give you a general overview. You can pick the points you are interested in and skip those that you are not interested in. I would like you to read all of it, but I also understand that most would not be interested in what I have to say... 1. Apology 2. Reviews 3. About my Story and certain Events 4. Patreon, finally! 5. More Stories 6. Final Thoughts [Apology] I''m so sorry it took so much time for me to set everything up, the missed chapters and everything. Life was not the kindest to me since the month after starting this story. Moreover, the last few days were especially hard on me. From poor doctors, to fried boiler, to the fried outlet which doesn''t allow us to adjust the thermostat. It''s been just too much on me and I didn''t cope with it too well, so I''m sorry it took this long to set everything up. (And it''s still not finished yet, but I will get to that later x]) [Reviews] I wanted to post my rant about certain reviews and their strange inclinations, but I''m just too tired and disgusted by their implications, so I just deleted it all and I have only a few things left to say. 1. I DO NOT CONDONE REVIEWS ABOUT MY CHARACTER OR BEHAVIOUR The reviews are supposed to be about the story and nothing else. I do not care if you see me in a positive or negative light. I''m being myself and I love interacting with you, my lovely readers. That fact will never change and I will try to reply to every single comment that you kindly give me. I will also try to answer any kind of questions that you, kind readers, might have. Those who have been here for quite some time already know I love interactions, questions, and ideas and I will always cherish all of them! 2. I DO NOT CONDONE YOUR TWISTED FANTASIES This also comes back to the previous point, but there is also a second reason. I will try to explain my reasoning behind both points. The first comes back to the reviews. If you review the author, with something like ''The Author seems like a good person'', but then inside the review you write something like ''But I find it strange that he writes about grooming/rape/[insert negative trait]'', it naturally draws questions about my character and that is just as sickening to me as those horrible behaviours. You can hate me or hate my story, but if you write something like that I just can''t accept it. I''m not a stupid person and I understand your implications, just because you write ''But I want for the Author to understand this'' or ''But I want the Author to improve'' doesn''t excuse this kind of behaviour! The second reason behind this is that your ''rage'' is misplaced. If you are raging about rape and grooming, then why are you reading Xianxia in the first place?! Just pause for a moment and think about it. Xianxia is about a world of Cultivation, but how does one start Cultivating? An old geezer goes around villages goes around Villages to ''recruit'' impressionable children around the age of ~8 (In some it''s sooner, while other stories have it later). Those old geezers take those children away from their families before properly understanding the world or being taught by families and the same old geezers impart their reasoning, thoughts and behaviour onto them. THIS IS A TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE OF GROOMING. GROOMING ISN''T JUST ABOUT SEX FAVOUR AND ALL THAT, BUT IT''S ABOUT TWISTING THE PERSONALITIES OF YOUNG CHILDREN SO THAT IT FITS YOUR PURPOSES! As such any kind of Xianxia with Sects is by definition, one side of grooming. The same for rape. We are talking about times when everything belonged to the law of the jungle and purity would be treasured more than your own life. Then tell me, how would you humiliate someone without actually killing them? You guessed it, since purity is the most treasured for Cultivators, it naturally creates this situation that will stain you and make you less than your peers. Now, could this be written differently? Could my story be written differently? Yes, but then those morals and what I''m trying to show you would disappear. I tried showing you many times that grooming was bad. The other Cultivators would recoil in disgust or react in some kind of similar way. ''B-but why are those Cultivators not dead?! You are a hypocrite! @#$@#'' Because might makes right, you need power in order to get rid of them and if they are part of a large organisation (The Old Elders of the Fox Village), you can''t get rid of them easily. I mean, unless you want to break the values of the world, in which case feel free to ruin your story, but count me out. We will do proper cleaning, it will just take time... I showed you the twisted ideas of the Fox Village from the sidelines, in order to for what is to come once Aiko steps into that hellhole that needs to be cleaned. I tried showing the history and why/how it got so bad in the first place. If you chose to ignore all that, or chose to skim read it then you have only yourself to blame. Going back to the twisted fantasies thing. I will not, ever, write about adolescent porn. I will not write about it even if you give me a bad review. I do not care about your twisted fantasies and that you do not want to feel creepy towards paedophiles or rapists. If you have such kinks, keep it to yourself and don''t share it with others! Phew, that was a lot off of my chest, now let''s get to the things that my kind readers actually want! [About my Story and certain Events] 1. Where the seeeeeeex aaaaat?!?!?! It will still take time. The mind is a fragile thing and I want Mei to slowly slide into that kind of relationship. Please do keep in mind that Yuxi and Wanshu are different, as Wanshu is a Demonic Fox and they don''t wait around for that. 6. Patreon lacks pictures, we need pictures! That is also being worked on. I want the banner image to be filled with all the protagonists of the different stories and all that good stuff. That includes the tier pictures, but there are no funds to get those just yet, so I ask for your patience as I slowly get them! 7. Will there be Tiers for different stories? No, those tiers shouldn''t change unless my family and friends bully me too much about it. So if you purchase the 1st tier, you will get 3 chapters in advance in ALL stories that I publish. 8. What will the money be used for? For now that''s for the repair of the ruined boiler, so I''m no longer cold and then definitely meds. I would also like to move out of here since it doesn''t feel safe and we can''t do anything about it since there are no cameras or anything usable as evidence other than the messed up doors. Moreover, my neighbours also have a dog now, so it''s very loud, which makes it difficult to write and rest... After those things, I would go for healthier food, so that I can live long enough to shower you with all the chapters you deserve. And maybe, just maybe, if we reach good enough support I will resume making my own PC game, but I''m jumping ahead now. >.> x. If you have any questions about Patreon, you can either DM me or write them in the comments and I will try to explain everything. There is probably something I forgot to mention, so I will either edit this page or the first comment, or I will mention it in the Author''s notes, my apologies. >.< [More Stories] I have a lot of stories that I might be able to share one day, but that is for later, for now, there are a few that I would be willing to share under those milestones: 1. Crushing the Universe with Drones [Placeholder name] This story is very close to my heart, since it''s 80% lucid dreaming. It''s an RPG-styled ship-building novel. The protagonist and others are ''transported'' into the main station and are tasked to push back 3 adversaries. Androids, Replicants and Hivemind. This story is all about the main protagonist building his army of drones, customizing them with modules and improving his own system to push back the waves of enemies. It is a Harem since he will have ~2 wives, but I have not dreamed enough to question it further. Review: It was reviewed by a few and I didn''t get much feedback when it came to enjoyment, so it''s hard to say... ;-; 2. Surviving in Crumbled Worlds This is a story about a person who got transported into another world. He will have to battle against many opponents and enemies, uncovering what is exactly happening around him. The unique thing is that he didn''t keep the memories about relationships and other people, but kept memories of tools, objects, and that sort of thing... This story is about exploration, waifu ''hunting'' and battles with Abilities. Review: It was once again reviewed by a few and it has mostly positive reception after chapter 10, which means I still suck at starting stories... x] 3. Exploiting a God''s System in Another World A tired working woman gets transported into the world of a video game. She will have to thrive inside that world, create allies, conquer dungeons and explore. This is something like ''I have a Harem in Another World'', just bigger and more colourful with a female protagonist. So yes, it''s a Yuri Harem Story. >.> Review: So far none since I''m remaking the first chapters. (Shocker I know... It feels like I''m really shit at the beginning of novels x]) But it''s definitely something I would like to share, since it has a lot of unique elements when it comes to the system and relationships. >.> I will be able to prepare more stories, both big and small and we can all vote on it on Discord, SH, and Patreon and see how it will work. The best story for sharing would be [Surviving in Crumbled Worlds] since it''s the most coherent when it comes to my dreams and the most pleasing since Demonic Waifu. >.> You can of course contact me on Scribble Hub or Royal Road in the comment section, so if you have questions about those stories, feel free to ask them~! [Final Thoughts] So far it''s been an incredible journey with you guys. The positive energy vastly outweighs the negative energy and I intend to keep going until we reach the last chapter of Aiko''s story and maybe even further, but I will be past my 50s when that happens... XD Thank you so, so much for your generous comments, kind words, and continuous support. We would not have made it this far without your kind and generous attitude. I can''t thank you enough. Many thanks to: Paytoe, who is always willing to explain things and who I collaborated with. Crim, who is managing the discord and while it''s a clumsy road, I believe that we have built something nice that we can look at. SeriousBlueJewel, Brick_Turtle, SageFox, (Hidden)Kind Editor(Hidden), Eslam Falk, siuminiko1234, and Aschente for all the edits, hints, and explanations that they provide. (There are even more editors, so I apologise if I didn''t mention you... x]) ShadowVoid and others, for all the kind ideas and suggestions. All my kind readers who keep the comment section clean and kind. Ruti for... well, being Ruti :D I definitely forgot someone, since my head is full of things and it''s been difficult to keep track of everything. For that, I apologise to those I forgot and I hope you will enjoy your stay with Aiko''s shenanigans~! ^_^ Once more; Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ezy7506 Discord: https://discord.gg/F9SbyZbxHY You can of course contact me on Scribble Hub or Royal Road in the comment section. I try to answer all the comments, questions, and ideas, so feel free to share more with me~! And as always, I hope you will enjoy future stories and Aiko''s shenanigans~! ^-^ Chapter 349 – Aiko wrestles Mei Chapter 349 ¨C 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. 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. "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 ( ?° ?? ?°) Chapter 350 ¨C Spider knows the good stuff ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã) 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 hand, 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. 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 Chapter 351 ¨C 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. "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 Chapter 352 ¨C 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 there 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. 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." 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 so that those 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 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. Chapter 353 – Aiko’s Chase Chapter 353 ¨C Aiko¡¯s Chase Aiko kept observing Mei, but soon got bored. Feifei was waiting outside with others, so that she wouldn''t use 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 created ice around it, almost completely encompassing it. Only part of the ceiling was missing and a cave was created from that strange ''turtle''. Or maybe that turtle did this whole thing, which was 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 outside and inside walls, but not the ground itself, even if it was 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. 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 for Feifei and meditate here with her." Mei said gently. Feifei was the only other member who would be able to stay here and cultivate. Aiko waited inside, since there was no danger along the way and she was still looking for that 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 that he was being chased by a small Fox and immediately started to run away from her. Aiko would naturally not allow that Monkey to leave with all those Treasures! ----- Mei returned with Feifei, but Aiko was nowhere to be seen. There were some questionable cracks, 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 to cultivate and observe beauties, but one beauty ran away... 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 their leader told him to collect these Treasures! But now the same Foxes that killed that damned turtle were chasing after him! Obviously, he overexaggerated what was happening since this was pretty much a nightmare to him. Moreover, certain whispers kept appearing around him or whenever he went into shadows, which scared him shitless! ... 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 her paws as skilfully as monkeys could. Some monkeys even had swords and bows! Aiko was slightly startled by this 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 on 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 any kind of negotiations would be either: They give her Treasures and burn them alive. Or They don''t give her Treasures and she will skin them alive and make a mess 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 she wants to insult us, we will have fun with her while crushing her Beast Core!" The Golden Monkey roared. "I''m not insulting them, I''m insulting you! Did you eat so much shit that you even have shit for 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 could 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 the other Incarnate Forms while she had [Little Nightmares] on. She could only use the Abilities from the [Nightmare Fox Incarnate], but unfortunately, that thing didn''t have any defensive Abilities! Aiko would need to rely on herself in this battle! Chapter 354 – Aiko vs Golden Monkey Chapter 354 ¨C 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, but 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 and 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 and thanks to that spin, the damaged [Little Nightmares] were replacing each other in order to minimise damage! It was slowly working, but Aiko suddenly had a dangerous feeling, so 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. 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! Chapter 355 ¨C 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. Aiko didn''t take them yet, since she didn''t put much thought into her looting, but now she could appreciate their beauty. -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 Chapter 356 ¨C 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 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. "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. Aiko 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 Chapter 357 ¨C 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. "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... 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 Runes!'' 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 Chapter 358 ¨C 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. "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’ Chapter 359 ¨C 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. "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? Chapter 360 ¨C 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 dying black and she was 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 since you shower 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. Aiko was pouty when Mei squeezed her ass. "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? 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 enjoyed it many times, so now is my time." 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 bully you~" Mei said sultrily. She was aroused by Aiko''s behaviour. "I want to touch 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 tie 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 messy. Aiko''s body was a lot more beautiful than Mei expected, and a 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 way 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 was not used to the fact that the mild-mannered not-so-little Fox could cause so much destruction! 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. 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 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 shop 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... AN: I know we wanted to see other Foxes in action, but I cut this arc shorter, since it wouldn''t add much to the story. The next Realm arc should have them as everyone progresses in their Cultivation. 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. "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 place 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." 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. 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 Chapter 365 ¨C 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. "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. "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?" Aiko 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. 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 part, 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?" 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?" "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. 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. "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. 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 mouth 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 enough 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. 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 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. ''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''. 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... Chapter 377 – Rest of the Story and Reward "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... The Immortal sighed one more time before drawing a line with his fingers. An unimaginable explosion occurred as the very boundary of the world shook and the space tore apart. Half of the Cultivators died just like that, but that move also consumed a lot of energy, weakening the Immortal. It seemed like the Sect Leaders also had some good Divinators, which were able to divine his first move. "It seems like mutual destruction is the only way..." The Immortal sighed again and the Sect Leaders'' Souls shook. Unlike the Immortal, who was not scared of death, they were still in their primes and had a lot of things they wanted to do. Nobody wanted to die, but they also couldn''t back down from this kind of battle. Everyone rushed at the Immortal. It was a long fight that destroyed large parts of this continent. The formerly glorious and huge continent was reduced to a fraction as their fight extended for a few years. At the end of this road, everyone was too exhausted to continue, but the Immortal was gravely wounded and would not live for too long. It seemed like they were successful in their goal... "A pity..." The Immortal murmured. "It seems like my own greed got the best of me." He sighed as he lifted his hand for one last time. "STOP HIM!" The Leader of the Sect Leaders shouted and everyone understood what would happen if they failed now. The Immortal was aiming for the last Heavenly Peak, ready to cut it down. His hand drew a line, but one group of female Cultivators set up a sacrificial ritual in advance. "For our Peach Blossom Sect!" The female Elder shouted. """For our Peach Blossom Sect!""" And the other Elders and Disciples shouted in unison, before everyone slit their throats. "NO!" The Leader of Sect Leaders was shocked. He didn''t expect this kind of outcome and that his wife would be done like this. The sacrificial ritual shone and projected a barrier that was in the path of the Immortal''s hand slash. The barrier creaked under the pressure of the laws, not being able to completely withstand it. The Leader of the Sect Leaders stepped in and clashed against the weakened slash. He was unable to destroy it or block it, so he only slightly diverted the slash. This was still enough to protect most of the Heavenly mountain, but as the price, one of his arms was cleanly cut by the Immortal. The Immortal''s eyes dimmed as he failed to achieve the best outcome. The Leader of the Sect Leaders collapsed as a large quantity of blood poured out of his wound. It seemed like they protected the Heavenly Mountain, but in reality was a lot different. Soon the mountain creaked and screamed as the upper part of the Heavenly Peak slowly slid down the mountain. The Blessed Qi thinned even more and everyone felt lost. They didn''t think that the outcome would be like this. From the most Blessed Lands to one of the poorest out there... Everyone was shocked. This battle was pretty much pointless as none of them earned anything and only lost things. ... "That''s it?" One Beast asked as Aiko paused. "If you want to read the rest of the story, you should learn the Runic Language! You think this shit is easy to translate?!" Aiko glared at them. She was already reading for 3 days and 2 more Elders joined them as this was a lot more interesting than youngsters fighting. That Beast Elder immediately shut up and didn''t say anything any more. He was unable to understand Runes, much less Runic Language. If he kept going, it would feel like shooting an arrow through his foot! Aiko cleared her throat and recited strange incantations in Runic Language. The huge doors quivered and shone, shocking everyone. The city lit up as energy gathered in a single point between the doors. A small light shook as it slowly formed a White Jade piece. It slowly, but steadily floated in front of Aiko. "Finally something nice for reading stories." Aiko smiled from ear to ear and Mei was likewise shocked. There was no way to create Jade, much less White Jade, but here in front of her, this strange place was able to do just that! One envious Fox Elder suddenly spoke, interrupting everyone''s awe. "This should be owned by the Fox Village." The Fox Elder said haughtily. Everyone turned towards him and glared at him. Especially Mei, who wished to study it. Moon Aiko chuckled. "Sure." She extended her hand with the White Jade, and the Fox Elder tried to snatch it. However, no matter what he tried, his hand just passed through the White Jade. "Y-you, vixen!" The Fox Elder shouted. "What? You need to recite the Incantation if you want to touch it. It''s not my fault that you are stupid." Aiko rolled her eyes. The Fox Elder was clearly angered, and Mei raised her eyebrow. In front of them was not Moon Aiko, but Nightmare Aiko slightly distorting reality, so that it seemed like nothing changed. The Fox Elder had a good memory, since his Cultivation progressed well, and slowly recited what the Vicious Cub said. Once he finished, there was no change and he still couldn''t snatch it from her hands. *Rumble!* Suddenly, lightning passed through the cave city and struck the Fox Elder until nothing remained. "Ah, I forgot to say that if you make even a slight error in the Incantation, you will die." Nightmare Aiko no longer used Illusions to make herself seem like a good Fox. "Well, it''s better to say this late than never, right?" She smiled with that sadistic smile. The Beast and Human Elders shivered. This was too much of a change in demeanour for them and they felt fearful when looking at her. Some Elders even pursed their lips, since they were trying to recite the Incantations in their heads. "Nobody wants to try any more?" Aiko tilted her head. "Shame..." She shook her head gently. She stood up and slowly walked towards the path leading to the Heavenly Peak. Her team closely followed her, still wondering how Aiko was able to achieve that lightning. Mei was satisfied by this turn of events, while the Blood Fox recorded the Elders with greedy expressions. It took the Elders a bit of time before they recovered and cleaned the place. ... Aiko walked on an empty path towards the Heavenly Peak. "Isn''t it nice when we are alone~" Nightmare Aiko hummed. "Aren''t you just happy that you got something shiny out of just reading a story?" Mei narrowed her eyes and teased Aiko. "Hmpf" Aiko snorted unhappily. She was definitely happy that she got something out of that, but she wished that the lightning would leave behind the Elder''s Treasures. Not only did the lightning burn his body, but it also destroyed and erased his Treasures! Aiko didn''t like that at all and was quite pouty because of it. "But it''s a nice view, at least." The Blood Fox chimed in, trying to cheer Aiko up. "I suppose." Aiko was a bit bored by the view, since that story was a lot more interesting. The Blood Fox walked next to Aiko, gently swaying her hips. That attracted quite a few glances from Aiko, but no action. That was strange and it seemed like Aiko was really upset about that outcome. ... They walked quietly until they approached the Heavenly Peak, or what was left of it. The path was filled with greenery and flowers, so Aiko was able to calm down after the long walk. After all, it took them half a day to reach it. "You are late." One Fox Elder said. "We had a whole issue about the accusations, but since you were not here, everyone voted to kick you out." "That is fine, we have gained more than what we could from this Tournament." Mei said softly. "Good. Make sure to rob them well." That same Elder then glanced at the Vicious Cub, who was known for her ways. "Already did." Aiko smiled. "Good, good." The Elder happily nodded. "Now go sit somewhere, this place is a mess and it will take us a few days if not weeks to finish this." He shook his head before gesturing. "We will do just that." Mei nodded slowly. It was unfortunate that the Blood Fox or Twins couldn''t participate, but it didn''t seem like the Fox Elders, other than that strange one, were negative about them being late. ''It seems like Aiko''s attitude spread quicker than I expected.'' Mei knew that Elders saw her in a good light, even after she did something bad. And that was definitely because of the Massage Chair business, since they didn''t need to take part in the Heavenly Massage Parlour schemes. They might not openly visit, but behind the doors, they were willing to take part and get massages. It might not be as effective since their Cultivation was high, but that didn''t mean they didn''t get any benefits. For example, the Elder that they just talked with, was one that benefited most from it. His stagnant Qi in his body cleared, allowing him to use more of his Beast Core, which propelled him from the weakest Elder, all the way to the middle. As such, he was very grateful and accommodating when it came to Mei''s requests. "Oh, and tell me if you don''t like any furniture on the flying ship. There is still plenty that I can exchange." He smiled happily. "It''s been a pleasant ride so far." Mei chuckled. "Good, good." He nodded happily again. The group went to the Fox Village side and sat down. The Foxes gave them plenty of room, since they were worried about the Vicious Cub''s wrath. That didn''t mean that they would not observe the strange and only group that had multiple Demonic Foxes! They were the most interested in Mei, who seemed like leading the group, but a lot of them fell in love with the Nightmarish Vicious Cub. Her proportions were just right, so many Foxes, both male and female, sent flirtatious glances towards her. At first, Aiko didn''t mind, but that soon got old and Aiko was very bored. It also didn''t help that the battles on the podium were pretty slow and boring... Chapter 378 – Aiko creating food shortage for Humans! Aiko perked her ears as a very gentle scent entered her nose. Sniffing a few times she looked around to find the origin. She could see a few other Foxes looking that way and Aiko narrowed her eyes. She felt like she remembered that girl, but it''s been quite a long time since the last time they met. ''But it seems like the Humans are trying to lure Beasts.'' Aiko noticed that a lot of Human Cultivators were eating fragrant meat, which upset most of the Beasts. A mischievous smile was plastered on her lips as her form reduced in size. Soon enough, there was a small Aiko dressed in black clothing. Mei noticed this and grabbed Aiko. "What are you trying to do?" She narrowed her eyes. "Robbing food?" Nightmare Aiko tilted her head. "Didn''t you already have your fill?" Mei sighed at her little glutton. "That was before, I''m hungry now." Aiko shook her head. "Don''t get caught and bring some back." Mei didn''t stop Aiko, since she was likewise bothered about them eating so shamelessly. "En~" Aiko immediately snuck into the shadows and moved around. Most Humans would leave their meat in the open to taunt the Beasts, which allowed Aiko to steal it easily. Walking around, some Elders had already noticed that little thieving vixen, but other Elders had stopped them from taking any action. Soon the stupid Humans noticed that their meat was missing, but they were unable to locate the culprit. That was obvious since Aiko was a lot stealthier than most would expect. She also didn''t make any sense and it was not like the Beasts would allow them to create Arrays in the podium to locate her. Aiko had free reign over this place as long as the Elders didn''t stop her. Aiko stole all the meat, but one plate. That plate was heavily guarded and it was not worth her time to steal it. A lot of that meat was fragrant, but of a low quality, which Aiko didn''t like. She would distribute the low-quality meat to other Beasts and save up the higher quality for her team. Aiko tasted the higher quality and it was fragrant and delicious, but the first fragrant smell that entered her nostrils was the most alluring. Aiko went back to her team and gave them the meat places. They somewhat enjoyed it, but after tasting Old Ming''s cooking, it was not all that impressive. "I will go distribute the rest." Aiko said, which shocked her team. "You will share your food?!" Mei raised her eyebrow. "It''s too low quality for me." Aiko had already obtained a spoiled tongue from eating Mei''s and Ming''s cooking, so it was natural that she wouldn''t eat anything of low quality. Aiko appeared between Beasts which startled everyone and they were on high guard. That guard unfortunately didn''t last long as Aiko showed them the plates with meat. She was able to naturally blend with the other Beasts even when she was a Fox and everyone welcomed her. "Delicious." One Beast said and chuckled. "Those foolish humans didn''t know what hit them." They petted and thanked the little Fox, some even giving a few Spirit Stones for taking revenge for them. Aiko naturally didn''t reject their goodwill, since this was pretty much useless food for her, if she distributed it and gained something in return, that was only to her benefit. It also seemed like the Beasts liked her quite a bit now. "I will steal the last plate, so I will have to leave." Nightmare Aiko adjusted her behaviour, so that the likeness she built with the Beasts wouldn''t disappear. "But that one is heavily guarded." The Beasts frowned. While this little one was a Fox, she also shared the goodies with them, so they didn''t want her to be harmed. "Not that one, THAT one." Aiko nudged them towards the direction where Elders sat. "You are crazy." One Beast spat out his meat, before slurping it back in with his long tongue. "Eh." Aiko shrugged before melting into the shadows. "Say..." One Earth Turtle Beast asked his Shadow Beast friend. "Would you be able to suppress her?" "You are kidding me, right?" The Shadow Cat Beast rolled his eyes. "Can''t you see that my hair is standing to no end? That thing can easily suppress me in her sleep!" He clicked his tongue. "Will she succeed?" The Earth Beast was concerned about the little Fox, since she gave them a lot of meat. "I have no idea, but did you notice?" The Shadow Beast nudged his friend, but quite a few Beasts listened to their conversation. "Notice what?" The Earth Beast was not the smartest one, so he didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary. "The Elders didn''t act when the little Fox started stealing things." The Shadow Beast nudged his friend to look at the Human Elders. The Human Elders were observing something, but they didn''t act, because other Human Elders were glaring at them. "Huh... you are right." The Earth Beast noticed that abnormality and tilted his head. "Something good will happen, let''s watch the show, guys." The Shadow Beast chuckled. Everyone paid a little attention to what was going to happen with the small Fox... ... Aiko sneaked back to Mei and told her about her plan. "I already noticed that smell, so get everyone at least 2 and don''t eat everything." Mei nodded gently. She would be able to create some good Pills from the fruit that the youth was offering to the Saintess. There were 5 Saintesses present in this Tournament. They would not be fighting unless they were challenged and they sat with Saints that were supposed to be their partners. Unfortunately to the dismay of the Saints, the Saintesses never paid any attention to them. They didn''t like them at all, they were never in love. This whole thing was orchestrated by Elders to create powerful dual Cultivators, but they didn''t consider that the pairs might be unwilling. Well... the females were unwilling, while the males were more than willing. That was because there were very few females that could become Cultivators, much less beautiful prodigies. As such, the Saintesses were very sought after, or at least that''s what everyone thought. Aiko sneaked into the Human side again and some Elders frowned. Aiko chuckled and stuck out her tongue before completely disappearing from everyone''s sight. [Primitive Nightmare Domain] It was one of the Divine Abilities that was inside [Nightmare Fox Incarnate]. The right use of this Divine Ability was to isolate her enemy, induce nightmares and whittle down her opponent''s mental prowess. But that also didn''t mean that was the only use this Divine Ability had. Aiko figured out she could just wrap herself in that domain and cause nightmares for herself, but that also allowed her to pretty much erase any trace of her existence. Most Sect Leaders that were present still knew where she was, but they were too haughty and prideful to do anything about her, so Aiko had pretty much free reign once again~! The Human Elders were flustered and the Beast Elders, especially the Fox ones, were very happy about what was happening. There were some who were against what the Vicious Cub was doing, but they were silenced by the majority and the support from the Beast Elders. Aiko sneaked close to the first pair. Aiko sniffed it, but the smell was not right, so she didn''t eat it or store it away. She sneaked to the next duo. It seemed like the girl was looking at her, but that shouldn''t be possible, or so Aiko thought. She sniffed the food again. It was more putrid than the previous one which made Aiko''s face distort. ''I hate thissss!'' Aiko almost puked from the smell. Aiko didn''t notice, but the girl narrowed her eyes and sent a special message to the other girls. Now that everyone paid attention to the little intruder, they were quite confused about the little Fox''s expressions. Aiko moved from one pair to another until she arrived at the last one. ''Why does it smell so bad up close, but so nice from afar?'' Aiko was confused about this fact. The Saints were still oblivious to her presence. They never trained their Auxiliary Techniques, unlike the Saintesses, since they had a much harder life in this world. Without Auxiliary Techniques, females were more prone to be captured and used... ''Mei wanted these, but the only ones smelling somewhat alright are the last plate...'' Aiko shook her head. She was steeling her mind in order to try and munch into it... She sat down so that they couldn''t see her and snatched one for herself. *Munch* [Level up!] ''??????'' Aiko was confused, with just one bite she was able to Level up?! What kind of cheat food was this?! ''It''s not even meat.'' Nightmare Aiko was confused, so it was better for Moon Aiko to explain this. Aiko changed her form, but that also dispelled her [Primitive Nightmare Domain]. The Elders immediately spotted her and glared at the daring little Fox. They still didn''t move, since they believed that their Saints would be able to notice her. One Saint already noticed her, but didn''t say anything. He was amused how something so small could get past his detection Technique. He was confused, so he wished to figure out what changed so that he was now able to detect her. ''His'' Saintess already noticed the fact that he noticed, but didn''t say anything. Her demeanour worsened, since she believed that he just chose to ignore the little Fox, but she didn''t expect him to be completely oblivious! She clicked her tongue before moving her attention to the small, cute little Fox. ''One, two, three, four...?'' The Saintess was quite shocked that the little Fox already had four tails. ''And she is so cute... I wonder if she would come with me... she is much better than this mediocre guy.'' She narrowed her eyes. ''Li Xiu is so lucky that the little Fox settled near her.'' She frowned. Li Xiu already noticed the little Fox and there was a strange sense of familiarity, like they already met before. It''s been a long time and she had quite a hard time inside her Sect, so she forgot many things, but a certain small colourful Fox inside a bleak and dark forest was on her mind. ''Surely not, right?'' Li Xiu paused. ''Tsk. To think you can forget so many things. I told you to Contract that little Fox when you had the chance, now it will be much harder.'' The always haughty Phoenix clicked its tongue. ''I told you I will not Contract her.'' Li Xiu rolled her eyes, but now she knew that the little Fox that she just met was the same one she met before! Chapter 379 – Aiko and Saint/Saintess exchange Aiko somewhat happily munched on her food, but there were some issues with it. [You have been poisoned.] [Origin: Blessed Peaches] [Type: Emotion Adjusting (Love subtype)] [It is advised that the user consumes more in order for [Witch Fox Incarnate] to analyse it and create antibodies.] [[Greater Poison Resistance] neutralised poison in your body.] [It is advised to turn off [Greater Poison Resistance] in order to create antibodies against it.] Moon Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''They couldn''t be that stupid, right? Especially with such little intensity, everyone would be able to figure it out.'' Li Xiu pursed her lips at the little fox girl, but suddenly she felt a sharp gaze on her. For some reason, her Junior Sister had returned from the Secret Realm and was glaring at her. ''Why is she glaring at me? She already got her Treasures, especially the [Divine Steel].'' Li Xiu could not understand why her Junior Sister was acting like that. The Saint next to Li Xiu finally noticed something off and looked down. *Munch Munch* There, a small Fox was eating the fruit that he so desperately harvested! He also prepared something special in it, since his advances were constantly rejected! Upset at this situation, he glared at the Fox, but she didn''t even flinch. No matter what he did, the little Fox ignored him completely. ''Unforgivable!'' He was chosen by the Elders, yet his partner paid more attention to filthy Fox?! ''Unforgivable!!'' Aiko noticed that someone tried to take the plate away, so she grabbed onto it. Like this, she was lifted high into the air by the Saint. *Munch Munch* [Level up!][Level up!] Well... Aiko didn''t really care as long as each bite rewarded her with Levels. Meanwhile, Mei touched her forehead. She somewhat expected Aiko to become like this, since those peaches smelled very nice, but to think that Aiko didn''t care to this extent... ''I will have a throbbing headache later...'' Mei groaned. The Elders were likewise speechless. They didn''t expect that little vixen to completely ignore everything. The Saint tried to shake the vixen off, while holding down the fruits with his Divine Sense, but she just swayed from side to side. "This is not good for my digestion, could you stop?" Aiko indifferently said to the strange guy. A vein bulged on his forehead as he glared daggers at her. Aiko was completely unaffected by him and just- *Munch Munch* [Level up!][Level up!] He suddenly punched forward, intending to get rid of her, but Aiko just tilted her body and that punch missed. The Elders narrowed their eyes as that vixen dodged all the punches. "I''m not really into exercising while eating, can we stop this?" Aiko said it with stuffed-up cheeks. She looked like a small hamster with those full cheeks. Even more veins bulged on his forehead and even more Elders paid attention to this. Yet none of them would move from their place. What was between disciples would stay between disciples... not to mention for some reason some Human Elders were looking at her favourably, which just made them dumbfounded. The Saint glared at Aiko again and it seemed like his veins would pop any second. "You really should treat your forehead, it looks like you have worms under your skin." Aiko said as she munched on another fruit. *Snap* Something inside the Saint snapped and he breathed out gently. Li Xiu was happy that he finally gave up, when suddenly a torrent formed around his fist. Li Xiu wanted to block it, but she was still a bit far away from that. The torrent finished forming as the Saint shouted. "Mountain Crushing Fist!" The torrent formed into a small mountain instead of a fist and approached the vixen. Aiko narrowed her eyes. This was a good opportunity to see how much energy would be consumed if she tried to block the fireworks. The force approached her as Aiko projected her [Moon''s Crust], but instead of using it as an omni-barrier, she only projected a part in front of her. *BOOM* The wind whistled as the mountain approached the moon''s crust. Everyone turned around to see Saint going against a small Fox. Most of them rolled their eyes, since they didn''t believe that their Senior would hurt such a small creature. *Ding* The Saint was surprised as his fist was unable to reach the small Fox, but what was even more shocking, was the fact that his fist hurt quite badly. The only time his fist would hurt like this, was when he challenged the Saint from the West. The same Saint that was just now observing the little Fox with amusement, trying to figure out why he couldn''t detect her before. The Saint gritted his teeth, trying to ask his Elder for help, but... "I quite like fireworks, but can''t you wait when it''s night? Doing it like this is pointless, you know?" Aiko munched without pause and spat some juices on his face. ''What a waste, but I want to eat the whole plate before he stashes it away.'' Even Moon Aiko was not in her right mind due to the constant levelling. The safest way to do this, would be to stash them away in her tails and run away. The Saint completely snapped as his face turned ugly colour, but that was not the most humiliating thing that happened. "Pfft." Li Xiu was holding back her laughter. She didn''t expect the previously tiny Fox to become so powerful when she looked away just for a few years. ''Aren''t Beasts unfavoured by the Heavens? Pft, as if. If that was the case, there would not be so many monsters around.'' She was more and more convinced that humans just wanted to slander the Beasts in order to justify the slaughter and Contracts. ''Heh. I can''t believe that the favoured son of heaven would end up like this.'' Li Xiu smirked darkly. She was happy that this prick was finally dealt with. Aiko was confused by their attitude. The Saintesses looked at her with sparkling eyes, while most of the Saints glared at her. "What? Just because you can''t get attention, you are going to glare at me?" Aiko''s eyes rolled as she was dissatisfied with their conduct. All the while forgetting what she was currently doing and hanging off of a plate! The Saint glared at her even more, since the Saintesses looked at her even more favourably. Suddenly, warm hands wrapped around her body and her body was moved onto someone''s lap. Li Xiu smiled happily as she gently petted the little Fox''s head. Aiko didn''t mind, as long as her stomach or back was not touched. Li Xiu slowly and sneakily pulled up a comb. She was intending to deal with the tangled parts on her head and tails. She could even hear her Master sigh, how nice~! Li Xiu was overjoyed whenever her cold Master suffered, especially when her Mater favoured this shitty Saint that was next to her. At some point, she believed that her own Master fell in love with Disciples, while she was constantly chastised for walking around with the boys. Li Xiu rolled her eyes. "Men are a lot funnier than the poisonous ''flowers''." She accidentally said it out loud. "Not really, that only applies to you bipedal jerks." Aiko replied. Li Xiu paused as she looked at the small Fox. "What? Don''t pay attention to me, it feels like your Elders will gauge you apart." Aiko adjusted her seating and stole another fruit with her Divine Sense. The Saint was even more shocked, since that small Fox had much more powerful Divine Sense than what he had. And he even had a Spiritual Wood Amulet on him! "That''s true..." Li Xiu paused again, but then she resumed the combing. "You are just going to ignore them?" Aiko was slightly startled. She never encountered such an oblivious person! "Yeah, it''s not like they will do anything to me." Li Xiu shrugged. Her Master was cold and heartless, but would not raise her hand against her. "You are weird..." Aiko shook her head. "Your position is already bad enough, you know?" "Why would you say that?" Li Xiu was curious about what this little Fox, called Aiko, would say. "I mean, they already gave you poisoned fruits, who knows what they will do next." Aiko said without blinking her eyes. "Eh?" Li Xiu acted surprised, but she already knew about this. She even told the other Saintesses, since she didn''t want to be abused by their ''love'' later. The other Saintesses paused. Only now did they realise that the little Fox was eating those fruits, and their bodies stiffened. "Why are you eating it if it''s poisoned?" Li Xiu couldn''t understand the thought process of this little Fox. "It''s yummy." Aiko said flatly. Everyone pursed their lips. She could not understand why that little Fox was so obsessed with such a simple fruit... "But it will hurt you, no?" Li Xiu tried to understand Aiko a bit better, since she felt like it would be beneficial to her, especially since her system made a note about this Fox in particular. ''I wonder who Fairy Jade Fox is...'' Li Xiu narrowed her eyes. ''And why does the system want me to fight her?'' She clicked her tongue. "Not really, I can just tank it." Aiko shrugged and Li Xiu widened her eyes. ''Wait, is she like me?'' Li Xiu''s heart thumped. She did meet people similar to her, but none of them could understand her and why she didn''t want to take part in this mess. Yet everyone encouraged her and supported her as the ''Isekai Saintess that will overturn the world!''. She redoubled her efforts in making Aiko like her, since she felt like they could be good friends. "Eat as much as you want~" Li Xiu would happily coax Aiko. "Aren''t you just offering me poison?" Aiko raised her eyebrows. ''What is wrong with this girl? It seems like she is obsessed with me?!'' She could not understand what changed for that girl to be like this! "Didn''t you say you can tank it?" Li Xiu blinked innocently. "You understood what I meant?" Aiko blinked and Li Xiu flinched. ''I made a blunder!'' Li Xiu''s lips pursed as she was thinking about what kind of thing she should tell little Aiko. For Aiko to understand her without hating her... Chapter 380 – Aiko vs Saint Aiko ignored that startled look on her face and gazed towards her system. [Individual ''Saint'' was recognised as partial Son of Heaven. Due to him overreaching his Luck, his overall providence and Luck decreased.] [You have defamed the Saint, causing him to suffer from the decrease of Providence.] [The System was able to collect some of that Providence, but more tools for this job are required.] [Providence: 100,000 -> 100,500] [New Mission!] [Bully the Sons of Heaven and pluck the Daughters of Heaven!] [Reward: Tools to extract Providence per bullied Son/Daughter of Heaven] [Failure: -] ''It''s been a while since I got something like this.'' Aiko paused and thought about it. ''Providence is good, since it seems like everything I got from the system is from Providence. Thus, if I can gather enough of it, I can purchase more of those incredible Abilities.'' Aiko nodded gently. ''I also need to improve my current ones, so I''m not really in a hurry, but if I encounter someone like this, I should scrape a bit of their Providence.'' Aiko mused on this for a bit longer before munching again. [Level up!] [Level: 301 -> 302] ''This is as good as [System Meat].'' Aiko was shocked at how much she could earn just from this. ''I wonder if I can reach the max needed for the next Evolution...'' It was likely she would be able to do that if she ''confiscated'' the poisoned goodies, but she couldn''t really bear that smell. ''It would be better if they didn''t poison it, that smell is rancid.'' Aiko clicked her tongue before munching on another peach. [Level up!] [Level: 302 -> 303] ''Truly incredible.'' Aiko marvelled at the fact she was able to Level up so freely. "You see, tanking means decreasing something, so I thought that if you can tank it, you would be able to endure it or like, lessen the effect...?" Li Xiu''s brain was fried. She was not a good liar and coming up with things was difficult for her, but that was only the case towards those she liked. She was able to lie without blinking if she disliked that person. As it turns out, Aiko was quite the likeable Fox that also helped her survive inside the forest, so lying to her made her quite guilty... Aiko decided to ignore her, since her fumbling was quite fun to watch and her blushing face was very cute to boot. Aiko turned towards the Saint, who had the deadliest expression yet. His knuckles were white and his palms were bleeding. It was quite a fun sight since he was holding himself back because of the Saintess. "You look like you need to take a dump, don''t mind us, you can go and do the deed." Aiko paused. "Just wipe yourself properly or nobody will like you." The Saint''s eyes turned bloodshot, it was quite incredible how much self-restraint this guy had. Moon Aiko narrowed her eyes. She wanted to experiment in which ways she is able to extract that Providence. "How about eating some?" Aiko suggested it to the Saintess. From the corner of her eye, she saw the Saint''s body twitch. "But that would mean I would get poisoned too." Li Xiu raised her eyebrow. She couldn''t understand what the little Aiko was playing at. "It''s just love poison, everything will be alright as long as you stare at me, no?" Aiko said innocently. The empty expression on the Saint''s face was hilarious. Li Xiu noticed Aiko''s glances and like her, she glanced sideways. Seeing her supposed ''partner'' with that kind of expression made her exceptionally happy. It also didn''t make her stupid, so she understood where Aiko was going with this. ''If he suffers, maybe he will give up on me.'' Li Xiu liked this idea and would play along with Aiko. "My, what are you trying to do~?" Li Xiu was already used to acting, so blushing was a simple endeavour for her. The Saint twitched visibly, more and more veins popped on his forehead. [You have dealt a mental blow to the partial Son of Heaven!] [Providence: 100,500 -> 101,000] ''That simple?!'' Moon Aiko blinked with a mischievous smile. ''Let''s do more.'' Seeing that mischievous smile, Li Xiu chuckled gently. ''What is she up to now?'' "Say, ahhh." Aiko brought the fruit close to her lips, intending for her to bite. *Pfft* The Saint next to them coughed up blood. This startled both Li Xiu and Aiko. Li Xiu because she didn''t expect that reaction, and Aiko because... [You have dealt a serious mental blow to the partial Son of Heaven!] [Providence: 101,000 -> 102,000] [Son of Heaven only has 2,000 Providence left.] ''Huh?!'' Aiko didn''t expect it to be this easy to rob more from them. ''What if I turned into my Nightmare Form...?'' Aiko had a devious smile and she also had an excuse if they asked her why she had an adult form. ''Yep, time to experiment~!'' Aiko suddenly darkened her hair and Li Xiu''s eyes sparkled. ''It''s really her! It''s really her!'' Li Xiu was fangirling over Aiko''s changing fur. ''Dammit! I really want to pet her fluffy tail and ears-'' Suddenly Aiko''s body enlarged and in front of Li Xiu was a breathtaking beauty. "Or maybe you would like to bite me~?" Nightmare Aiko smiled mischievously while pressing her body against Li Xiu''s. Li Xiu blushed deep red and she couldn''t get her words out. *PFFFT* The partial Son of Heaven passed out as a fountain of blood formed from his mouth. Everyone around was quite shocked by the sight. [You have dealt a mortal mental blow to the partial Son of Heaven!] [Providence: 102,000 -> 104,000] [Son of Heaven only has 0 Providence left.] [Drop Kill rule now applicable!] Nightmare Aiko wondered if this was good or bad, but she didn''t get to think for too long. She immediately dodged as the sword blasted past where she was sitting. Nightmare Aiko immediately shrunk back down, laughing. "Kekekekekkekeke." As she laughed like a madman, she dodged that flying sword while stealing the other plates with the fruit and stuffing them into tails. "Are you alright?" Li Xiu''s Master gently touched her forehead to help her resist that charm, but for some reason she was confused. ''She is not charmed...?'' She was confused. "I''m alright." Li Xiu coughed awkwardly once she saw envious glances from both Saintesses and Disciples. She blushed again, from that kind of attention. "Come sit next to me for the time being." Li Xiu''s Master, who was beautiful beyond recognition, said softly. "En." Li Xiu didn''t reject this, since she felt that Master was quite weird. She then noticed Elders chasing after the small Aiko, only for them to pause once they got close to the Beasts'' side. Aiko stuck out her tongue before running away. Li Xiu giggled and her Master was now convinced. ''No wonder she didn''t like that ''incredible'' Saint. She is not into men.'' She sighed gently, shaking her head at this revelation. ''I also feel weird for some reason, but I don''t know why...'' She felt like some kind of burden was lifted from her body, but she could not figure out what or why. "You can watch her later, let''s go." Li Xiu''s Master said. "En." Li Xiu chuckled at her overly kind and warm Master. ... Aiko stuck out her tongue. "Come and get me, assholes. Awwww, you can''t? Do you want to run to your daddy for help?" Aiko savagely tore into their pride as she hid behind the Beasts that quite liked her. The Beasts that didn''t like her or were indifferent also narrowed their eyes. Some started to like her, while quite a few disliked her more. That was only because she was such a troublemaker with a bad tongue. They didn''t want to be on the receiving end, so most of them were silently watching over them, while carefully blocking the Elders. "You whore! When you come out, I will rip you apart!" The Elder threatened Aiko. He was the same Elder who was managing the Saint who had just passed out because of Qi Deviation. "Tsk tsk tsk. I understand I''m beautiful, but I will have you know that I''m still pure~" Aiko paused. "Oh, but don''t get your hopes up, I don''t believe that you would be able to keep it standing around me~" She stuck out her tongue again before running away. Most Beasts chuckled since the rumours about her already spread. "You-you-!" The Elder had veins all over his forehead. "Oh wow~! I wondered who taught him that frightening technique, but the real deal is a lot uglier than I expected." Aiko nodded, ''appreciating'' his ''demonstration''. *Cough* The Elder coughed up a bit of blood from the constant insults. "Ah, he is dying." Aiko looked away from the Elder. "Are you sure you are not supposed to save him?" She tilted her head and the Elder cursed loudly. "Elder Han, sit down." The South Sect Leader said gently. The Elder glared at Aiko one last time before returning. Aiko still trained her eyes on him, since it was not over. "Keep your feet steady so that you stumble, geezer. Don''t forget your lunch and Pills to keep healthy~!" Aiko kept shouting at him and now even the Beast Elder''s pitied that Elder. With each step and word, it felt like he was losing Vitality, he begrudgingly returned to his seat as the Medicine Peak nursed his Disciple. As he sat down, his body stiffened. "I know you are upset Elder Han, but if you-" The South Sect Leader tried to soothe him, but- "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Elder sprung to his feet and everyone Elder could see something sticking from his butt. ''''''What is flag doing in that place?'''''' They all thought. A small spider suddenly popped behind the Elder''s seat and waved at them before running away. ''''''No way...'''''' They couldn''t believe their eyes. The spider scurried right on top of the little Fox''s head! The Beast Elders avoided their eyes. Pity was too light for this kind of situation, as that Elder will be scarred and humiliated for life. "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" The other Elders had to restrain the Elder with a flag up his ass. The Medicine Peak Elder was currently trying to dislodge that flag out of his rear, as gently as possible. Aiko happily came next to Mei, smiling from ear to ear, while Mei had quite a stern expression... Chapter 381 – Aiko bickering "Auauauau." Moon Aiko whined as her cheeks were stretched by Mei. "What do you think you are doing?" Mei sternly asked. She didn''t like that Aiko got chummy with someone else, much less exposing the secret that she was an adult. "But I can''t maintain that form, the best you could do is let me enjoy it!" Aiko already had plans to divert their attention and also get Treasures. "I also got the fruits you wanted, so give me a break." Aiko added and fortunately, Mei paused her hands. "That doesn''t excuse what you did." Mei stared sternly at Aiko. Aiko pouted. "But I got all of them and also the information that I needed." Mei raised her eyebrow. "So you weren''t just messing around? That''s hard to believe." She shook her head. "I''m telling the truth!" Aiko glared at Mei. Unlike the Nightmare Aiko, Moon Aiko knew how to do things to get the best results. "Give me the fruits." Mei said sternly. "If you eat one of them." Aiko narrowed her eyes, but that mischievous smile could not be concealed. "What are you planning?" Mei glanced at Aiko. "Nothing~" Aiko turned around. "If you are not going to have one, then I''m not giving you any." She turned and wanted to join her team and made them eat the fruits. She needed to know how severe were the symptoms before disabling her [Greater Poison Resistance]. "You are not going anywhere." Mei pulled Aiko back down. "Give me one, I will eat it." She rolled her eyes and Aiko happily smiled. Aiko pulled the smelliest fruit out of her tail and presented it to Mei. "Eugh." Mei almost vomited, since she didn''t expect such a rancid smell coming from it. "Are you trying to poison me?!" Mei believed that this rancid smell would make her stomach churn and twist. "Yeah." Aiko immediately answered. "If you are in love with me, you won''t treat me that badly." She spat out. "Since when did I treat you- Stop with that gaze!" Mei glared at Aiko, for both the fruit and her ruthless, stabbing gaze. "Eat, eat~!" Aiko smiled again. She would make Mei eat this! "I''m not eating it." Mei immediately denied it. "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue, but still kept holding the fruit. Mei rolled her eyes and pulled out a small bowl. "Place it in there." Aiko tilted her head, but since Mei didn''t reject the fruit, there was no need to hesitate about this. She placed the fruit inside the bowl. Mei immediately pulled out water and a Pill, throwing it quickly inside. Soon, the rancid smell vanished and all that was left was a bowl with submerged peach. "What did you do?" Aiko blinked slowly. She could no longer smell the fruit. "Nothing~" Mei chuckled mischievously as she pulled out the fruit and munched on it. Aiko blinked at Mei, who was happily munching the fruit. Mei saw that dumbfounded look and felt amused by it. "What?" Mei chuckled again. "You don''t feel anything?" Aiko blinked again, feeling something amiss with the current situation. "I have neutralised the poison." Mei munched on the peach again. She now understood why Aiko was so gluttonous towards it. It was delicious once she got rid of the poison and as a bonus, she could see Aiko blankly staring at her and it was incredibly cute. "Che." Aiko spat as she couldn''t believe that Mei had bypassed it like this. "Do you have more of them?" Mei finished the peach, only leaving behind the seed. Aiko moved her tail and dumped the peaches on Mei, since she was quite upset at this finish. "Ugh! Smells!" Mei flinched as the extremely smelly fruit fell on her, but with a quick movement of her hand, she was quickly storing it into her Storage Ring. The Foxes and Beasts nearby blinked at the duo as they fought. This was a lot more entertaining than the fights, since Humans had to use elaborate Arrays in order to fight Beasts. As such, it was not about one''s skill, but how well you can bully the weakened Beasts. Why? Because unless you are hunted, the only suppression you will ever experience is either from more powerful Bloodlines or from the pressure of one''s being. The Array suppression was very artificial and it was difficult to get used to it because it squeezed your very being in order to restrict you. "Hehehe~" Aiko laughed like a gremlin as she kept dumping the peaches on her and Mei was desperately trying to store them before they hit her. The comical sight attracted a lot of attention, since Aiko was slowly changing colours. "Rascal!" Mei glared at Aiko as she stored the rest of the peaches. "Bleh!" Aiko stuck out her tongue before scurrying away from Mei. Mei clicked her tongue and observed where Aiko was going. Aiko sneaked around once again, but the only ones who could really see her were Elders and now Saintesses. Saintesses already got used to her energy, so it was not that difficult to track her, as long as the little Fox didn''t do something abrupt. ''Oh-!'' Aiko spotted the dice girl and slowly sneaked up on her. "Hello again." Bai Jing turned around startling Aiko. "Please don''t grope me." She said with a completely neutral face. "How did you know I was coming?" Aiko blinked a few times. She was sure well hidden when it came to the average Cultivator. "I have Divined it." Bai Jing chuckled. "Now, go go, I want to learn how to fight others." "That''s cheating." Aiko frowned. "You are not supposed to do that." "So that you can grope me?" Bai Jing raised her eyebrow. "I''m assessing the different sizes for upcoming projects." Nightmare Aiko came up with something that the Moon Aiko might say. Her eye also formed a star and she gave the dice girl a thumbs up. "..." Bai Jing didn''t know if this little Fox was playing around or was serious. "Can you please go somewhere else?" "No. You are my victim." Aiko pouted and sat on Bai Jing''s lap. Bai Jing sighed, since she already knew that Aiko would not want to leave, but she had to at least try and sway her. "You will get bored." Bai Jing tried to negotiate with the little Fox. "That is fine, I will go somewhere else when that happens." Aiko nodded slowly. She had already spotted another prey on her list. "Then why me?" Just because Bai Jing could divine things, didn''t mean she could understand them. This was one of such cases. She understood that Aiko would be coming, but she didn''t know why. She would have to make advanced conjectures and guess what would happen, which she hated. With each misstep, she would have to divine things again, but divining takes a lot of time and energy. She had simple dice, but they were not accurate enough when it came to the little Fox. She would have to divine every short incense stick of time in order to keep up with her. That was simply not energy efficient and sometimes she just had to surrender to her whims. ''Like when she tied us to a tree...'' Bai Jing sighed. Her divination told her that they would be safe over there, but because of that noisy individual, the divination diverted and changed. Aiko watched around for a bit, but as Bai Jing expected, she soon got bored and left. Aiko stood up and left Bai Jing alone, since she didn''t do all that much other than watch, but her eyes were already trained on her next prey. Some Elders kept glaring at her, but Aiko ignored them as they were not dangerous enough to cause her any trouble. She once again sneaked around towards her next prey and pounced on her. "Kya!" This time her prey was a lot more lively, so Aiko enjoyed messing with her. *Rub Rub* She rubbed her face on those smaller peaks. "Sup." Aiko greeted the girl. The same one who spent time with her inside the cave. "It''s you!" Fang Jia blinked a few times. No longer scared. "Punishment for leaving like that." Aiko''s mouth made a pouting expression, but her pressure was enough to keep Fang Jia''s retainers at bay. Fang Jia chuckled. "I had to leave since I finished everything." "But I didn''t." Aiko pouted even more. "Yes, yes." Fang Jia soothed the small Aiko. ''Why is she not big...?'' There was some sense of loss when she saw Aiko like that. "What are you doing?" Aiko blinked, still attached to Fang Jia like a tick. "Conversing with my retainers. Thanks to the previous blunder, this time it''s much better treatment." Fang Jia smiled from ear to ear. The previous treatment wasn''t the best, but it also wasn''t the worst. The main reason she didn''t like the previous treatment was because it was too tight and she had to give up on quite a few Treasures because of it. Now that things changed, she was more free than before and got to enjoy a lot of new things. "Hmmm... Anything fun?" Aiko blinked, looking for something nice to do. "Not really, but I wanted to talk with you later. Mother wants to meet you." Fang Jia''s lips twitched, while mother was not around, she knew that she was watching from the Palace. "Oh, sure." Aiko didn''t really mind. "How about ''that'' thing?" Aiko slowly changed into Moon Form, since it was important to separate matters. She sat down near Fang Jia, no longer being a tick, as her demeanour changed. Fang Jia had complicated feelings, since the overly intelligent Aiko was too scary... "That''s one of the reasons Mother wants to meet you." Fang Jia gestured. On the way back the Foxes were really prying about what happened in the cave, so Fang Jia believed it would be better to show ''that'' Cauldron to Mother first. Unfortunately or fortunately the Patriarch was around and suggested hiding this Cauldron well, or at least for now until she found a way to conceal it from prying eyes. "Uhu." Aiko nodded. [You have found a Minor Character: Fang Jia] Aiko blinked slowly. It seems like she will get more notifications from the system. [By bringing her to your side, you can earn rewards!] [Current Reward: Bonus to Forging] Aiko blinked again. These things were really nice, but she didn''t understand why the System was suddenly like this. ''Did something change after the Secret Realm...?'' [The User is approaching the beginning of the story, as such it''s necessary for the System to intervene about all the different Characters.] [Unfortunately, this update took longer because of ####.] [The update finished just now, so please do enjoy it. - Darkness] Chapter 382 – Aiko ganging up on Saintess Moon Aiko was very curious to know if she could find someone else with this new system thingy. [This is considered to be part of the reward for almost completely defeating the Minor Son of Heavens.] [Wasn''t he called differently?] [Shush. Don''t ruin the mood.] [Okay~!] "..." Aiko stared at her system blankly. This duo reminded her of that Darkness that followed her in the beginning and sometimes here and there. Aiko blinked a few times and looked around. The System didn''t react at all, so it seemed like she would have to find someone else to trigger it again. ''Fang Jia already likes me, so I should be able to bring her to my side later and make use of this buff with her. Dual Forging should be a thing, right?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and observed Fang Jia, who blushed slightly. The retainers saw the strange air between the duo and coughed awkwardly. They wouldn''t be able to report this to the Patriarch without being scolded... "I will go around, so see you later?" Moon Aiko was too curious if she could find more of those Son of Heavens and stuff like that. Fang Jia felt a tinge of disappointment as Aiko left as soon as she came. "Do you have to go?" Fang Jia asked slowly, but she soon pursed her lips, when she saw the expressions of her retainers. "Not really, but I want to find out something." Aiko was vague, since she couldn''t really tell the real reason. "Mmmm..." Fang Jia sighed. It seems like Aiko was not too interested in her. "We can play later, this is important." Aiko said seriously as she stood up. "Oh, and she is a spy from outside of your ''Palace''." Aiko pointed at one of Fang Jia''s retainers. "How do you know that?" Fang Jia tilted her head. Aiko pursed her lips. "Well..." How was she supposed to answer this?! [You have encountered a Minor Antagonist: Liu - Doppelga?nger] "I feel bad energy from her." Moon Aiko was pretty bad at this, but at least it was somewhat believable. "I will investigate it later." Fang Jia nodded. She did spend some time with this Fox, so she believed there was some truth in her words. "Anyway. I will return a bit later on, I have an investigation on hand." Aiko waved her tail as she shrunk back. She was not as stealthy as Nightmare Fox, but she needed to stay in this form to see where this would lead her. Nightmare Aiko is easily distracted and would not do her any good if she was in that form... ... Aiko sneaked around the place as the activation distance for the notification was quite small. That was unfortunate, since she needed to be really close to them and that aroused suspicion and posed quite the danger to her. She did have her Divine Abilities, but they likewise weren''t omnipotent. Aiko carefully scurried around. All the Saintesses were looking at her warmly, which unsettled Aiko, but fortunately, they were not minor characters. Aiko saw Bai Jing and came close to her to check on her, but even more unsettling things happened. [You have encountered ???: Bai Jing] ''What''s that supposed to mean?!'' Aiko screamed inside her mind. "What did you do?" Bai Jing turned towards Aiko, like she knew that she would be there. "Nothing?" Aiko tilted her head innocently. "You don''t have to divine me, I''m not the main character." Bai Jing shook her head. "Pardon?" Aiko blinked with tightened lips. "There are things like main characters and side characters. It''s decided by fate or what we are trying to divine. We can decide if the character is the main protagonist, someone who gets everything or not." Bai Jing mused on this. "I''m not one of those people. Divinators are very reclusive, since one bad divination can affect their whole life." She explained. Aiko subconsciously nodded, since she understood her. "That''s why Divinators who are aware like this are not liked by fate." Bai Jing chuckled darkly. "But you are alive and doing well?" Aiko raised her eyebrow. "That might be the case for now, but the higher Cultivation I obtain, the worse things will become for me and the more things I will be able to affect by my divinations." Bai Jing sighed. Aiko nodded again, this made sense, since the more powerful you were, the more damage you could cause. It was natural that Divinators would be able to control different kinds of destruction. Aiko said goodbyes and walked around. It seemed like her current system would not be able to identify Divinator''s fate, so it was best to not try this on everyone. While Bai Jing was not upset, it felt like she was trying to hint at the fact that other Divinators would not be as kind. That was fine, Aiko just had to beat a few Sons of Heaven and update her system enough that even Divinators would not be able to detect her! Aiko scurried towards where the Elders sat. Her main target was the Saintess who fed her or who allowed her to take more fruit. Aiko saw the glare of the reminding Elders, but there were more Elders who didn''t pay attention to her or scolded the others. Aiko remembered these Elders who sat with her for a few days listening to the story. She arrived near the Saintess who was conversing with her Master. [Warning! You are approaching a Daughter of ####: Li Xiu] [Proceed with caution!] Aiko was surprised by this notification. It seems like even the System was unwilling to tell her who she was under. ''It seems like she will be more than just Daughter of Heaven.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and plopped her head next to Li Xiu, observing her. Li Xiu was a cool beauty with long black hair. Her height was around 180 cm, which was tall compared to her Juniors and Seniors. Her hair was tied by a beautiful hairpin with a small phoenix carved on it. Aiko could not remember how she looked previously, but right now her eyebrows were very sharp and she had quite the arrogant air around her. Her lips were pinkish, which Aiko didn''t dislike and her body proportions were like in stories. She pretty much had a perfect figure even with that free-flowing dress. Her ears were a bit shorter than her peers, and between her eyebrows was a marking of a rising phoenix with spread wings. Li Xiu''s eyes had a strange kindling inside them and Aiko felt an unsettling feeling whenever she was close to her. [You have entered [Phoenix Domain]! Proceed with caution!] [You have left [Phoenix Domain]! Good job for surviving that nightmare!] Aiko was even more confused when a pair of hands lifted her up and placed her on a lap. "Curiosity can kill people." The Stoic Master said. "Let her be, Master. She saved my life." Li Xiu pouted. "Because you were careless." The Stoic Master rolled her eyes. "And I wonder who''s fault that was." Li Xiu rolled her eyes. "Don''t be a brat, or you will be punished." The Stoic Master glared back. Aiko observed the strange Master. She was likewise a cool beauty at around 178cm. Having black hair like Li Xiu, it felt like they were a mother and daughter pair, but her eyes were too cold for that. Her hair was tied by a sword hairpin which radiated coldness. Aiko also felt pressure from her which she didn''t experience. As for her body... ''Holy titties.'' Aiko''s eyes were glued to them, since she never saw anything this big. Her dress was quite tight, so Aiko didn''t need to imagine anything, but she was a bit on the chubbier side. Her complexion was cold, and her lips were slightly purple, it was a strange sight, but she was still a beauty. In the middle of her eyebrows, there was a strange white-blue egg. [You have encountered Master: Fairy Ah Cy] "Foxes are perverts. You should be careful." Master Ah Cy said to her Disciple. "She is fine~" Li Xiu rolled her eyes. "I believe that she never saw ''that'' size." She chuckled as she understood Aiko''s emotion right now. "What do you mean by that, brat?" Fairy Ah Cy glared at her Disciple and the little Fox. "I wonder~" Li Xiu hummed and sipped tea from her Master. "Do they come with additional features?" Aiko suddenly spat out. *PFFT* Li Xiu likewise spat out, her tea that Master was so kind to provide. Fairy Ah Cy''s body stiffened as she looked at the small Fox. She frowned and tried to scold her, but seeing that overly serious expression... ''Is she really a Fox?'' Normally, Foxes by this point would be drooling over her body and giving suggestive remarks, but this one was a strange one. "With additional back pain." Fairy Ah Cy didn''t really dislike this Fox after this experience, or rather she couldn''t. She had never seen her Disciple choke so much and be in such a sorry state. "So massages are important." Aiko nodded seriously. She would have to adjust her Massage Chair to recline or make a separate tool for massaging the back. "I don''t get any, since they can''t stay close to my body." Fairy Ah Cy sipped her tea. "What does that supposed to mean?" Aiko tilted her body. Li Xiu stopped coughing and chimed in. "My Master''s body is incredibly cold, so it usually freezes anyone who tries to help her." "Oho~" Aiko''s eyes sparkled and Ah Cy felt uncomfortable. "New Challenge." She smirked, this would be a good idea to research. That way she would be able to create a high-end Massage Chair that would be usable even by those with extreme conditions. "Wait, how do you know that? Did you touch your Master?" Aiko looked at Li Xiu suspiciously. "I didn''t-" Li Xiu defended herself, but her Master was ruthless. "She did." Ah Cy said indifferently. "Oho~" Aiko smirked. "And here I thought you were a pure girl." She smugly observed Li Xiu. "Nothing happened!" Li Xiu was completely red in the face and Aiko''s ears perked. "What happened?" Aiko alternated her eyes between both of them, seeking answers. "She peeped when I was bathing." Ah Cy delivered another blow to her Disciple. She was quite amused by how her cold and stoic Disciple was blushing from embarrassment. "That''s not true!" Li Xiu yelped. "Is that true?" Aiko''s eyes shined, there was some juicy story in the air and her hair changed to a black colour. "What happened then? Some private time?" Aiko nudged Li Xiu who was blushing even more. Chapter 383 – Aiko likes Ah Cy "So, what were you doing?!" Aiko was curious about what Li Xiu did to end up in that kind of situation. "I wonder about that too..." Ah Cy narrowed her eyes and ruthlessly continued. "There was no need to peep on me or jump on me." "She jumped you?!" Aiko''s eyes shined. She was interested in how and why that happened. "Master!" Li Xiu was blushing red, but fortunately her Mater was considered enough that she put up a whisper barrier around them. "Yeah." Ah Cy narrowed her eyes. "It also seemed like she enjoyed it." "What did you enjoy?!" Aiko immediately snapped towards Li Xiu. She wanted to know what Li Xiu was enjoying. "Master." Li Xiu at this point was almost crying. She was so embarrassed that she wished she could dig a hole and hide in it. "I wonder." Ah Cy crossed her arms. "So... how were they?" Aiko nudged Li Xiu. She wondered if they were as soft and firm as Mei''s, or as soft and squishy as Blood Fox''s. "Aiko!" Li Xiu almost died from embarrassment as Aiko kept asking questions. "Awwww. C''mon." Nightmare Aiko didn''t really care how Li Xiu figured out her name. She still was more curious about their texture than anything else. ''She has a cute name.'' Ah Cy thought, but she wondered how her Disciple already knew her name. ''Maybe I should pair them? They are both brats.'' She narrowed her eyes. "Li Xiu, you should tell her, or she won''t let you go~" Ah Cy was quite happy, it somehow felt like she avoided something unsettling. ''I still don''t understand why I would chase after the Saint...'' She was confused... ... Aiko and Li Xiu''s Master bullied her until they felt satisfied. "You are a strange Fox..." Ah Cy narrowed her eyes and smiled. This Fox was a lot different to what she was used to. She could even say that this little Foxie was very likeable. "You are a strange Master, first chasing Disciples around, but then doing 180." Aiko teased. Ah Cy lightly blushed and coughed awkwardly. "I have no idea what you are talking about." "Suuuure." Aiko leaned back to enjoy Li Xiu''s bosom. "I''m surprised that you didn''t go after her." She nudged Li Xiu. "She is my Disciples." Ah Cy rolled her eyes. "The Saint was from a different Peak." Li Xiu added, trying to embarrass her Master. "Oho~, so as long as they are not under you, it''s fine~?" Aiko teased Ah Cy. Ah Cy clicked her tongue and folded her arms. "Suddenly I''m starting to dislike you." Aiko''s eyes bulged at the unnatural motion of those huge tiddies. "Likewise! Who told you to cheat like that!" She was not talking to Ah Cy, but to her bosom. Ah Cy rolled her eyes. "Eyes up here." "I was not talking to you." Aiko snorted unhappily and Ah Cy chuckled. This was a lot funnier than Ah Cy expected, even when the little Fox had her eyes glued to her body. "So..." Ah Cy narrowed her eyes. "What is wrong with you?" She was still not lusting after her body, which she found weird. "Nothing is wrong with me. I''m perfectly healthy Fox~" Aiko hummed as she enjoyed the sensation on the back of her head. [You have inadvertently killed the Minor Son of Heaven!] [System will gain more tools for robbing Sons/Daughters of Heaven!] Aiko blinked. What did she do this time?! [System will adjust.] "I''m not so sure about that." Ah Cy narrowed her eyes. "Can''t you see my tails?" Aiko smacked her tails ''angrily''. "They are Fox''s tails!" She pouted. "That''s definitely the case, but I was not talking about that." Ah Cy rolled her eyes. This Foxie turned from smart to pouty real quick. ''That change happened once she changed colours, what a unique Fox.'' She narrowed her eyes. "Don''t even think about it, Master." Li Xiu immediately interrupted her thoughts. "I''m not thinking about anything." Ah Cy denied those accusations with a raised eyebrow. "You want her to be Contracted to me." Li Xiu stabbed her Master ruthlessly. "You are a good fit." Ah Cy coughed awkwardly. "Both of you are quite bratty (and cute)." She gently smiled. "You are now more alive, Master." Li Xiu raised her eyebrow and wondered if her Master was under some kind of curse. "What are you talking about?" Ah Cy tilted her head. "I''m still the same." "No, you are not." Li Xiu immediately denied it, shaking her head from side to side. Ah Cy''s lips twitched and she glared at her bratty Disciple. "Should we pick another Saint for you?" "Foxie, let''s go and deal with more Saints!" Li Xiu proclaimed. "If you sleep with me." Aiko accepted with a condition and smiled widely. Li Xiu choked and blushed, pinching her cheeks. "Auau." Aiko whined as her cheeks were moulded as Li Xiu wished. "You are a good pair, are you sure-" Before Ah Cy could even finish this, she was once again interrupted. "No." Li Xiu glared at her Master, she didn''t want to wish to Contract this little Foxie. She was the only Beast that didn''t immediately smack her away and Contracting her would feel wrong... Aiko listened to their exchange and she would definitely run if they tried anything. She had plenty of ways to escape, so she was not worried about being Contracted, even without her Blessings. Aiko observed her surroundings while the duo kept talking. She already verified a few targets and other targets that she was unable to identify, like Bai Jing. Most of them looked confused, so it seems that what Bai Jing said was true and they would know if Aiko checked them out. She didn''t try this on Elders for now, since she didn''t want to attract too much attention. Happy about her current position, she enjoyed that smooth, silky sensation. "I''m telling you! That Foxie has more knowledge than you stupid jerks." One Human Elder said. "Who are you calling stupid, stupid." Another Elder rebuked like a child. Old men fighting like children amused Aiko, but it was not the same for Ah Cy and Li Xiu. Both of them sighed and touched their foreheads. "Is that some kind of greeting?" Aiko blinked innocently. "My Companion also does that." Their lips twitched in unison and they gazed at Aiko. "She also does that." Aiko nodded again, curious about what they meant by that. They both rolled their eyes and Li Xiu once again squished Aiko''s cheeks. "Why again!?" Aiko cried out. "Because you are a bad Fox." Li Xiu puffed her cheeks. She still felt vindictive about what happened a bit earlier. "I''m a good Fox! I have not even groped you... yet." Aiko coughed awkwardly when she saw Li Xiu''s expression. "Yet?" Ah Cy was curious if this Fox was just acting. "Yeah, for research purposes." Aiko nodded. "Research purposes?" Ah Cy was even more confused. "I''m researching their sizes and effects on your back." Nightmare Aiko stole the idea of Moon Aiko, but since they were pretty much the same being; she didn''t feel guilty. "Oh..." Ah Cy nodded, approving of that kind of motion. She had quite the back issues before improving her Cultivation and now that her Cultivation was high up there, she still had issues. That was because that sensation remained like old scars from a Sword Cultivator. They would not heal unless she dealt with it accordingly, but the Heavenly Massage Parlour was completely useless when it came to this. They were unable to help her, much less touch her, since most of them would freeze almost immediately. That''s also why she hated her Extreme Ice Yin Body. Ah Cy couldn''t Forge, couldn''t create Pills and most Techniques were unusable due to her nature. She was also more lustful since her body was trying to balance her Extreme Ice Yin. That caused her body to ''evolve'' beyond what she was supposed to have. "I''m also researching different tools to alleviate the back pain." Aiko nodded ''seriously''. "A Massage Chair is one of such inventions." She smirked. "Massage Chair?" Ah Cy was very curious, since she could control herself enough to not freeze objects. "Yeah. You sit on it and it massages your muscles, relieving them." Aiko explained from the notes that Moon Aiko left behind. "It also eases up stagnant Qi in your body, but effects differ depending on your Cultivation Stage and how much stagnant Qi is in your body." She finished her presentation. "Would it be possible to try it?" Ah Cy narrowed her eyes. "It would not work on you." Aiko glanced at her bosom. "What is that supposed to mean?" Ah Cy raised her eyebrow. Nightmare Aiko changed colours, since her brain overheated. "Your centre of gravity is too tilted forward, so the massage chair wouldn''t be able to alleviate your back issues." Aiko kept explaining. "While you can try and use the Massage Chair, since your Cultivation is too high, you need to relax your muscles significantly in order to get any benefit from it." She ended her extensive presentation that her silly twin couldn''t do. Ah Cy nodded. What the little Fox said made sense. She opened her mouth to make suggestions about this, but no words came out. Ah Cy realised how embarrassing the sentence was and would rather not say anything. ''I mean... who would want to say that they wanted bosom holders...'' She coughed in her mind. "Is something wrong?" Aiko noticed that abnormality. "Nothing." Ah Cy shook her head. "And if you are wondering if I can make you a boob holder, that is impossible." Aiko shook her head. Ah Cy choked on her tea, and Li Xiu''s eyes shined. "What''s wrong, Master? You wouldn''t ask this little Fox to create something like that, right~?" Li Xiu teased her Master, but all she got back was a flick to the forehead. "Auch." Li Xiu flinched, since her Master was too powerful. "Why do you say that?" Ah Cy turned towards Aiko. While she was too embarrassed to say it, it was fine to discuss it since Aiko brought it up. "Because it would be very uncomfortable and I don''t want to touch them in order to make a proper holding device." Aiko shook her head. ''So each colour has a different personality.'' Ah Cy narrowed her eyes. ''How fascinating.'' "I understand, but I would still wish to give it a test." Ah Cy said and added. "Not for free, of course." "Obviously, but I don''t have it on me, so maybe in the future." Aiko shook her head. Just then, some kind of strange fight erupted between the Human Elders. Chapter 384 – The Game was rigged from the start "I''m telling you, that little Fox is much smarter than your stupid Disciple!" One Elder roared and Aiko noticed that it was the same Elder that listened to her stories. "Whose Disciple are you calling stupid?! She can''t even fight and you say that she is smarter?!" The other Elder bellowed. "Just because you have arbitrarily kicked her out of the competition doesn''t mean she can''t fight!" The first Elder roared back. "It was not arbitrarily! She was not here during the start and she Evolved inside the Secret Realm!" The second Elder spat saliva all around him. "It was arbitrarily decided! Do you even have any evidence that she Evolved inside?! You don''t, so shut up you stupid prick!" The first Elder roared once again. Moon Aiko glanced between them. "I don''t mind fighting, but I have no interest in this Tournament." She shook her head. "It''s pointless for me to attend something that doesn''t give me a return on investment." A lot of Elders glared at her, since the ones most benefiting from this were Humans. "What? You have something to say?" Aiko raised her eyebrow. "It doesn''t feel like you can refute my words, though. You can keep glaring like children if that makes you happy." She gently smiled at them. A few veins appeared on their foreheads and they glared at the shameless Fox. "We are not against fighting Humans, but we see no reason to attend this event." Mei suddenly spoke with quite a dignified voice. The Elders paused for a moment since they already heard about this Fox. The Jade Fox could create both Beast and Human Pills which was a rare talent. She was a multitalented prodigy who was found only once in a millennium if even that. "What do you suggest, Jade Fox?" The Elder who favoured the Vicious Cub softly asked. "Let''s make it into a betting game. We will put forth a prize for defeating Aiko and you put forth a prize for her defeating the challengers." Mei proposed, but she kept whispering additional rules to all Elders. ... This discussion went on for quite some time before they made up their mind. ''We can rob the Beasts of their Pills and enhance our Contracted Beasts.'' Everyone thought this, so there was no reason to reject this. None were against this idea and Aiko felt that she could scam them quite well. Mei also nodded, since now Aiko would be able to experience Human Cultivation and think about it even before she attained Human Form. That will give her an advantage over her peers and it will lessen the danger she will have to face. "Since we have agreed on these simple rules and no killing rule..." Mei narrowed her eyes. "We will start with 3 2nd Grade Beast Nurturing Pills." She suggested, and everyone stiffened. It was not a high bet, but it was also not low either. The most troubling thing was that every Human Elder wanted those Pills, so there would be a fight over it. The Human Elders started to bicker, and the Beast Elders kept glancing at Mei. Normally it was taboo to use Beast Pills like this, but it seems like the Jade Fox had some kind of plan, so they would keep quiet for the time being. The Human Elders kept going on and on until one of them won the brawl and challenged Aiko with 5 3rd Grade Revitalising Pills. It was worth about the same as those 2nd Grade Pills, so everything was alright. Mei nodded gently and was satisfied with this bounty. This would allow her to extract even more resources out of them. "My Disciple will challenge the Vicious Cub." The Elder rubbed his hands. He didn''t believe that Fox, who had that strange knowledge, would be able to fight too. Aiko jumped down from Li Xiu''s lap, and Ah Cy narrowed her eyes. ''It seems like our Sect will lose a lot of resources.'' She sighed, yet she had no intention to interfere in this little game. Ah Cy was happy that Li Xiu was finally interested in a Beast and it also didn''t seem like the little Fox minded the attention. ''Once Li Xiu matures, she should understand that Contracting her would be a good thing for both of them.'' Ah Cy didn''t teach Li Xiu the classic enslavement Technique that the Contract used, but a special one. It still allowed the Beast to retain their autonomy and grow stronger, but only her Peak was allowed to use that Technique. Li Xiu was concerned for Aiko, since she didn''t know how powerful she was. It was cute seeing her fret over things like that, but Aiko''s natural expression allowed her to ease up. "Who do you think will win, Master?" Li Xiu was interested in knowing if Aiko had any chance against them. "What do you think?" Ah Cy narrowed her eyes. This could be a good opportunity to teach Li Xiu that Beasts are not as weak as they look. "I think it will be difficult to win, since she is still a Beast. Humans have too many enhancing Techniques..." Li Xiu sighed. There were Techniques that would allow you to temporarily increase our speed 5 times! It was nothing the Beast could match, since Humans had their Dantian and pathways that enabled them to use this. "Shall we play this game too then?" Ah Cy pursed her lips. "What game?" Li Xiu tilted her head. "For each loss, you will wear clothing which I choose for you." Ah Cy smiled. Li Xiu blushed. "I-I''m not ready for those clothes, Master." She would be too embarrassed to wear those clothes, since they were either too revealing or difficult to wear. "Then you just have to win." Ah Cy shrugged. "What will I get in return?" Li Xiu narrowed her eyes. "I will allow you to bring the Foxie into our Sect and she will be under my protection." Ah Cy smiled. This was a good bait for the naive girl. "No taming or Contracting, Master." Li Xiu kept her gaze trained on her Master. Ah Cy pursed her lips. "Fine." She would concede this much in order to lure her in. "Then I agree." Li Xiu''s eyes shined. This was a good opportunity to invite the little Foxie and play with her. ... Aiko stepped onto that large podium, or whatever it was called. She was not interested in using her Nightmare Form, since she might accidentally kill them. That left her with the Moon Form, which was mostly observation and defence. ''But I don''t need to beat them up.'' Moon Aiko smiled sinisterly. She had her [#### Needle Technique], so she didn''t need to use her fists. She also had the [Moon''s Crust] which had ridiculous defensive potential. "I''m-" The Disciple jumped onto the stage and tried to introduce himself, but... "Skip." Aiko just cut him short. "I-" He tried again, but once again. "Skip. Skip. Skip. I will have to fight too many of you and your faces are average at best, so let''s just skip the introductions." Aiko rolled her eyes when she saw his expression. He was boiling with rage, but Aiko didn''t care. "Come already, I''m bored." She didn''t really care about the Tournament, but she would rob them of their Treasures. He immediately dashed at the Fox and his hands formed a tiger''s mouth. Energy gathered around those hands and they created a real tiger''s mouth. "Ohhhh!" Aiko was taken in by the tiger. These were not those simple fireworks that she remembered! This was something more incredible than that! "Undefeated Tiger''s Death Grip!" The Disciple shouted loudly and the tiger completely formed around his hands. The Tiger roared and charged at Aiko trying to kill her. Aiko was mesmerised for a moment, but then she pursed her lips. "[Moon''s Crust]." Aiko chanted simply, and a Moon-like crust appeared around her body. It was like a Moon descended and graced her presence. The Elders were shocked that the little Fox wanted to receive that attack, especially when she was suppressed by the stage she was standing on. ----- "Is she in danger?" Li Xiu''s eyes widened. "Wrong. This will be her win." Ah Cy shook her head. "How?" Li Xiu felt strange about it. "Because her opponent is wasting too much Qi on a flashy attack." Ah Cy sighed. She didn''t expect other Disciples to be so bad. She wouldn''t be able to choose another Saint for her Disciple any time soon... ----- The Tiger bit the tiny Fox, but the [Moon''s Crust] stopped it without too many issues. "Is that it?" Aiko tilted her head. Her [Moon''s Crust] was not even compressed by that bite, so it was strange that the Technique was so weak. "Don''t mock me!" The Disciple poured more Qi into the tiger due to him losing to the vixen''s taunts. ... "This is really it...?" Aiko tilted her head. No matter how long she waited, the tiger was unable to get to her. The Disciple was also panting harshly, like he was running out of breath, so Aiko found this whole situation strange. ''... I will just put him to sleep.'' Aiko sighed and used her [#### Needle Technique] to guide her in this. She tapped a few places on her body with startling speed and the Disciple collapsed onto the ground. "This was disappointing..." Aiko sighed with some frustration apparent in her voice. "Who is next?" Mei asked as she collected those Pills. "We are raising the stakes with these Pills." Since she didn''t need Human Pills yet, she would just use them to raise the stakes and extort the Human side even more. "My Disciple would be next." A long-bearded Elder said softly. His Disciple was a Body Cultivator, which would make easy work of that barrier the little Fox created around her. He also had a lot more stamina, so it would not end up the same. "What do you offer?" Mei asked softly and narrowed her eyes. "Luminescent Pearl from the Eastern Sea." The Human Elder said. "I see... You want more Beast Pills, right?" Mei understood the Elder''s intentions and why he pulled out such a precious resource. "Fine. 1 3rd Grade Beast Nurturing Pill." Mei said softly. "That''s not enough." The Bearded Elder narrowed his eyes, but another Elder interrupted him. "It''s enough. Those Pills are all Perfect Quality." "What?!" The Bearded Elder was shocked. He coughed awkwardly. "My apologies for my rudeness." He changed his tune really quick, since those Pills were a lot more precious than his simple Luminescent Pearl. It would not dirty the Beast''s body and it would also have greater efficacy! He couldn''t miss this just because he was rude! "Apology accepted." Mei didn''t mind it, since she would be able to extort even more from them. Chapter 385 – Aiko + Sling = Disaster The Body Cultivator cupped his fists, but Aiko was quite blinded by him... literally. "Why is his head so shiny?" Aiko''s inner thoughts leaked and a beautiful vein appeared on his head. "Whoa, you have a worm inside your head." Aiko marvelled at the wriggling vein that appeared on his head. "Beasts..." He glared at Aiko like he was intending to kill her. "Hm...." Aiko didn''t notice it at all. "When are you going to start?" She tilted her head. The Shining Body Cultivator''s forehead twitched and he rushed at the Fox. Aiko blinked a few times and frowned. ''He is not using any kind of chopping techniques.'' She was bothered by this, since blunt attacks would be almost completely negated. The Shining Head Body Cultivator met the Fox''s barrier and put a dent into it. He pounded the barrier again and again, putting more and more dents on it. He was satisfied with his work, but over time he realised something was wrong with it. Aiko yawned gently. "While you are flailing your arms, I will get some rest." She was tired of watching him try the same thing again and again. Aiko took out her Storage Ring and the referee intended to call the Vicious Cub''s loss, but what happened next stunned him. That small Fox pulled out a large pillow- no, several of them and laid on one of them. "It''s not really that comfortable, but since you will be pounding at it for a while, it should do." Aiko yawned as she pulled out a blanket. Everyone had question marks above their heads at the beginning and they even questioned the referee and why he was not interfering in this fight. The referee jumped down without the Body Cultivator noticing, but the little Fox immediately looked at him. "What? I don''t want to keep standing while he just senselessly bangs his head against my [Moon''s Crust]." Aiko clicked her tongue. "It''s not a Treasure?" The referee was speechless. "It''s just normal bedding!" "Well, duh. What else would it be?" Aiko rolled her eyes and shooed him away. The referee''s lips twitched, but since she was not doing something illegal, he couldn''t really stop her. Aiko went to bed sleeping, while the Stupid Shining Head Body Cultivator was raging at her. Fortunately, Aiko didn''t mind loud noises while she slept, so she pretty much fell asleep immediately. The Elders expected Aiko to be pounded to death once she fell asleep, but to their shock, the barrier was maintained even when she was asleep! [Sleeping] It was one of Aiko''s less used Skills since she didn''t sleep all that often and when she did, she usually didn''t use it since she would still accumulate some mental fatigue instead of recovering. This meant that she would eventually grow really tired and she didn''t like that. However, now was the perfect time to use it, since it could maintain her barrier while reducing the mental strain on her mind. While it wouldn''t completely erase it, she would gain more experience about using the [Moon''s Crust] than if she was awake. The Body Cultivator panted heavily. He was already getting tired of banging on that barrier. What was more, he soon realised that the barrier grew more and more stiff, making it harder to dent over time. The Elder''s lips twitched. Both Humans and Beasts pitied that unfortunate guy who was trying to get through that barrier. Mei''s lips likewise twitched. If Aiko went at it like this, it was less likely that they would be able to rob- Mei looked at the enraged Human Elders and her lips twitched. It didn''t seem like they would be backing out any time soon. They probably hated that Aiko made fun of them and Mei had a feeling that Aiko was not finished with her shenanigans just yet. ... 4 hours passed and the Body Cultivator finally tired out. He clicked his tongue and gained some distance. His Elder said that he shouldn''t use this Technique unless absolutely necessary. He unlocked his muscle''s potential and immediately bulked up. His Elder was satisfied with this transformation and his Disciple''s potential. The Body Cultivator jumped high into the sky and came crashing down onto the Fox. BOOOOOM The wind whistled as the earth caved in under Aiko. The actual barrier was likewise dented, and the fist approached Aiko''s face. It moved closer and closer, but never quite made it to Aiko completely. It was just short of it, but the Body Cultivator believed that it was an insurmountable wall in front of him. Aiko breathed in a bit of dust through her nose. Sneeze Her cute sneeze charmed quite a few ladies, while upsetting the male counterparts. Sleeping little Vicious Fox was adorable beyond imagination and they all enjoyed it, but now that bastard woke her up! The Body Cultivator was confused as to why his fellow disciples were glaring at him. "Ugh." Aiko groaned since the pillows got messed up and it was getting a bit cold. She yawned as she stood up. The barrier moved with her, throwing the Body Cultivator away. "I haven''t had enough sleep." Aiko protested and the glare towards the Body Cultivator intensified. He was confused even more, but he had to surrender since he was out of energy. "Couldn''t you do it sooner?" Moon Aiko whined. She appreciated good rest and she also knew that it was important to maintain her body and mind''s condition. She was however rudely interrupted, so she was unable to appreciate the good rest. "Nest. " Aiko slurred the word next as she yawned cutely. This caused quite a few eyes to train on her. A lot of female Cultivators wanted to subdue the little Fox to make her into a Contracted Beast and play with her all day. The male ones wanted the little Fox as a trophy to attract the female disciple''s attention and drive them crazy. A lot of Disciples begged their Elders to fight the little Fox, but eventually, the Northern Saint was picked. The Saintesses frowned, since they wanted the little Fox for themselves and they also didn''t want to hurt her. They wanted to fight, but their Peak Elders were unwilling to do that. The Saintesses felt like trophies on the wall, unable to do anything without permission from their Elders. This spawned quite the animosity from them and later on this would cause the great Female Cultivator Revolution... but that is a story for another day. ... "I''m Zan Yuan. Sword Cul-" Zan Yuan came with a haughty attitude, since this Fox only relied on her barrier. As a Sword Cultivator, he was the perfect option to wreck this vixen! It would also help to Contract her so that his Saintess would like him more. "Skip." Unfortunately for him, Aiko had no interest in these kinds of games. Aiko stretched gently and her small body moved quite swiftly. ''I can''t fight against him like I did till now.'' She believed that the sword would be able to bypass the benefits of her barrier. ''Even if it''s Divine Ability from [Moon Fox Incarnate], it should have its limits.'' Aiko wouldn''t risk injury just because she was careless. Zan Yuan was not agitated like others, his goal was clear and any distraction might prove fatal against this scheming vixen. ''If she grows up, she will be a beauty.'' Saint Zan Yuan narrowed his eyes, and his goal was expanded. Aiko didn''t like his gaze at all, so she would definitely give him proper treatment. ''Let''s try that.'' Aiko nodded and dodged his sword. Part of her barrier was cut, so it was obvious that her barrier was weak against slashes and piercing. She was weak against Sword Cultivators, but fortunately, this one didn''t have enough experience going against Beasts, so Aiko just chose to run away as she played with her tails. Both the referee and Elders were confused about what that little Fox was doing, but then it happened. Aiko pulled out her personal weapon out of her [Tails Storage], shocking everyone! """A sling?!""" Everyone looked ridiculously at the little Fox and her stupid weapon. Sling was one of the weakest and slowest weapons one could get. It was not as powerful as Treasure Bows, not as fast as Treasure Spears. Overall, it was a completely useless weapon only fit for Mortals. But... Everything changed when Aiko got her hands on it. She loaded a small pebble inside and swiftly swung it around. It almost immediately reached top speed, startling everyone. Mei pursed her lips and prayed that Aiko wouldn''t use too much Qi for it, otherwise she would be disqualified for killing her opponent. The rock was freed from the sling and it immediately reached the maximum possible speed, shooting like a cannonball towards the Saint. The Saint was shocked and blocked the small peddle so as not to cause any injuries. His sword which received the blow creaked as the blow was much heavier than he expected. It even sent him flying backwards! The Saint steadied his feet, intending to catch the Fox before she reloaded, but his eyes trained at a horrifying sight. Pebble after pebble was flying towards him. "Wha-?!" The Saint was completely speechless and jumped to the side. Meanwhile, Aiko... Ratatatatatatatatatata "Hahahahahhahahahaha!" She was laughing happily, since she didn''t expect this kind of efficiency. ''If I combine this with my tails...'' She narrowed her eyes as yet another terrifying contraption appeared inside her mind. 9 slings all firing at the same time in the Nightmare Form and each sling would have a human head inside. Aiko smiled from ear to ear when she imagined the destruction. "Ack! Stop!" The Saint pleaded as he was jumping and rolling around trying to dodge those terrifying pebbles. "Dance for me, bastard!" Moon Aiko was in the middle of transforming, but since Nightmare Aiko didn''t want to play with opponents yet, she kept her usual intellect. Aiko laughed happily as the Saint suffered miserably at her hands. Those eyes lusting for her turned into eyes full of horror. Aiko kept throwing pebbles until he finally surrendered... Chapter 386 – The Blood Fox vs Aiko The enthusiasm to fight the little Fox dampened a lot when it came to the Disciples. Meanwhile, the Elders were raring to go and fight her. Noticing that oddity, Aiko tilted her head and pondered on it. They weren''t unwilling to fork out more Treasures, but the opponent was the problem, so she just had to change the opponent. Aiko moistened her lips. "I''m not the only one who you can challenge." The disciples perked their ears. The resources behind Aiko were piling up and they wanted a share too, but were unwilling to fight her. "My team is here too. As many might know." Aiko beckoned towards her team. "You can challenge the Passion Fox or Twins, Shadow Passion and Umbra Fox." Aiko made sure to emphasize the ''passion'' part, since she understood that most knew about what those nicknames meant. "There is also Jade Fox, although you can fight her, I would recommend a more peaceful approach, like Alchemy or other things." Aiko nodded towards Mei, so that she would take over. "Of course, there needs to be more rules about this, so that other disciples don''t get hurt during the process. And the reason she named Twins as Twins, since they will only fight in pairs." Mei added a few things that Aiko left out. "They are all part of the team, but if you are too scared, you can keep challenging the Vicious Cub." The disciples gulped, the Vicious Cub was a fitting name for someone so sinister. Although she looked cute, looks can be deceiving... "There is no way they would be scared." Aiko shook her head assisting Mei. "Ah, they might have run out of Treasures to play this game." She sighed. "I didn''t think that the Human side had so little Treasures." Her pitying gaze enraged the Elders to no end. "Who are you calling broke?!" "I would like to see your wealth then!" They shouted one over another, trying to anger Aiko, but she kept her face normal. This enraged the Elders even more and they saw their Disciples willing to battle more. ... Mei collected more Treasures as next up for a fight was the Blood Fox. It didn''t seem like the Blood Fox was in a good mood, since she hated her previous nickname that the Elders chose for her. Their intentions behind that name were obvious... The Blood Fox with her bountiful bosom stepped on the stage and the disciples roared. Anything could happen during the fight, that included ''accidental'' undressing. Whoever would go onto that stage had the duty to grace everyone''s eyes with that glory. Of course, not everyone was like that, most of those that wished for this were immature teens that were ready to mingle and had too much pent-up desire. That didn''t stop the Blood Fox expression though. She kept her cold, stoic demeanour as she pulled her fan and waited for her challenger. ... While the disciples and Elders discussed things, Aiko sneaked around. She came closer and closer to the referee, making him confused. ''What does she want from me?'' The referee was confused. ''I won''t sway the judgment in her favour, hmpf.'' But to his confusion, Aiko just sat next to him and pulled out a strange paper cylinder. It was a paper megaphone, so that Aiko didn''t need to shout as loudly. The referee was confused. "Testing, testing, can you hear me?" Aiko shouted through the megaphone and her voice nicely spread around the ''stadium''. "Hello, I will be a commentator for these fights, since it seems like your Elders really hate you." Aiko proclaimed and the Elders immediately glared at her. "I will be commenting on what happens in the fight for those who might be confused or just can''t follow along with others." Aiko glanced at the stiff expression of the referee. "This was supposed to be your job." She clicked her tongue and he was left completely speechless with his mouth open. That expression didn''t last long and he soon glared at the tiny Fox. "On the Beast side, we have one of the most beautiful challengers, the Passion Fox!" Aiko narrated the Blood Fox beauty, making her blush. That blush was enough to drive most teens mad and they all wanted to challenge her. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox vowed to repay this ''favour'' that Aiko was doing. She already had practice partners for her massages, so Aiko would be her next ''customer''. Many challenged the Blood Fox and the Pills and Treasures piled up higher than ever. This quite upset Aiko, since in this Form she was small on all fronts, but it didn''t seem like cuteness would get her as far as beauty. This was a misconception on her part, since nobody really wanted to fight her after she bullied one of the most powerful Disciple, the Saint. Otherwise, she would make more than her team combined, and be on par with Mei. "On the Human side, we have- an average-looking Qi Cultivator!" Aiko had to change her narration, since she was irritated by the smug smile from the referee. "It seems like they will both be using Techniques, but who will win?!" Aiko cheered them on, and other disciples joined her. Mei''s forehead throbbed, it seemed like Aiko would continue her acting, which would cause her quite a headache. The battle started. "Passion Fox is creating small spears from her Blood!" Aiko immediately started to narrate. "Meanwhile, the average-looking Qi Cultivator is trying to gather Qi in his fists!" Aiko didn''t forget to throw a small shade here and there, since she understood that the disciples had a short fuse. The average-looking Qi Cultivator dashed at the blood Fox who shot her spears. He dodged those spears with some difficulty, since there were many of them, but they also were too small to parry. A few spears brushed past his skin and ripped it up. [Crimson Seduction] It was one of her new Abilities that she picked from [Crimson Incarnation]. Once she injured her opponent, she would be able to apply her Beauty to the mind damage that she would deal to her opponent. While her beauty could not be compared to Aiko or Mei. She still reigned over the Twins that adored her. This gave her the edge over Mei, since most of them feared her. The disciple abruptly stopped in his tracks, and the gathered Qi in his fist dissipated. The Blood Fox came close to him and kicked him off the stage. "Have you seen those guys?! The disciple was too weak-willed and he was easily seduced by the Passion Fox!" Aiko couldn''t comment much and pouted. Meanwhile, the Blood Fox was smiling that Aiko had a hard time commenting on her fights. It didn''t end with just one fight when it came to the Blood Fox. He was a very scheming vixen, after all. Her way of doing things was to challenge their minds. Every Cultivator prided themselves in being steady when it came to mind. No one would dare to admit otherwise, since they would also get scolded by their Masters and Elders if they did that. As such, everyone was forced to challenge the Blood Fox as long as the Elders were willing to fork out resources for it. And while all that was happening... "Have you seen those thighs?! Those supple thighs that were trying to burst out of her dress?" Aiko was fuelling their desire while also upsetting the Blood Fox. They had a small battle with each other, since the Blood Fox finished all her fights with only two Abilities, everyone was curious about her. Aiko could not narrate anything other than: Spears hit, she seduced, she won. The Blood Fox chuckled, seeing Aiko''s expression and she kept doing that. Who would be the one to first snap...? ... "Bastards!" It would naturally be Aiko... "Why do you keep challenging just her? This is the 27th battle! Why didn''t you play with me for that long?!" Aiko roared at them. "Why don''t you pick me or the cute Twins?!" She huffed. "Because Passion Fox is the most beautiful!" One Disciple shouted. "Shut up! You don''t understand the beauty of Twins! And I don''t mean it like your Human Twins, but the real deal! The subtle affection of identically looking girls! You would never know when you are kissing the Shadow Passion or Umbra Fox! That is the real appeal, you uneducated fuck!" Aiko panted at them. She didn''t want them to keep challenging the Blood Fox, since she was too skilled even under the suppression. What they also didn''t realise was the fact that she was using her Divine Sense to accelerate her Blood Spears! It would be completely hopeless if they kept fighting like that! "Who are you calling uneducated!" The Disciples roared, while other disciples just had a good snack. "I''m calling you an uneducated bastard! While you chase an already plucked flower that can''t offer you anything and simp for her for the rest of your miserable life, there are girls out there that look cute and can offer you a lot more!" It seemed like Aiko was trying to sell out her team, but she was just raging about the Blood Fox''s fighting style. "But keep challenging her, you simping fucks." Aiko kept spewing words at them. "You will die like miserable virgins or broke-ass simps that only experienced the looseness of a grand canal!" Aiko huffed at them as she kept berating them. She kept the offence until nobody wanted to challenge her to the battle of tongues. Nightmare Aiko was satisfied that the Moon Aiko also believed in the supremacy of a sharp tongue! Everyone fell silent, especially after the Beasts gave them pitying glances. Everyone was upset at Aiko, but they could not win against her sharp tongue... If they kept going like that, they would surely develop inner demons, which would cause them to stagnate. They could not afford that. The Elders kept glaring at Aiko, but she didn''t care. With that much bullying, they should pick the Twins next and Aiko would be able to narrate them better. The Blood Fox pursed her lips. She did her part and never lost, which brought back quite the boon for them. There were not many useful resources for their Beast Stage, but once they became Human... yeah, they would be doing well~. Chapter 387 – Twins against Duos The Twins stepped forward after Aiko harassed the disciples and Elders. There was yet another uproar, since the disciples didn''t expect them to be true twins. They expected two Foxes to look similar, but that duo was pretty much a copy of each other. The only thing slightly different was their facial markings. A new wave of challengers approached them and the Twins were quite happy. They did practise with Mei and the Blood Fox, but that didn''t mean it was perfect training. Yuxi and Wanshu didn''t really want to hurt them too much since their synchronisation was too good. Even Mei had troubles sometimes with them and she was very powerful. The challengers approached, but Aiko silenced them. "Keep in mind the rules. You can''t challenge them individually, and only in pairs. That means you will have to go and fight in duos." Aiko explained once again, since it seemed like they forgot all their brains back where they were sitting. The uproar calmed down quite a bit, but there were still plenty of challengers. The Twins also had a lot more Stamina than the Blood Fox, so they would be able to scam them even more. The first duo to challenge them were from a unique Sect. That Sect practised the sword, but in pairs. One sword was hard and sharp, while the other was mellow and free-flowing. This allowed them to dominate others while they were in pairs, but they had trouble acting alone. The pair were also quite pretty. The guy was only slightly taller than the girl and he had sharp features, fitting for his side. Meanwhile, the girl was very gentle and kind looking, it was a stark contrast to her blade. But as one would say: Look can be deceiving. It was her duty to confuse the enemies and make them lower their guard. ''''They are average.'''' The Twins thought, looking at the Human side. They were Foxes, so they could easily see through her acting. Moreover, there was also this unsettling feeling that they shouldn''t cross blades with the Human girl. The Twins nudged each other. This meant that Yuxi would be the support, while Wanshu would be the rolling rock, destroying everything in her path. Yuxi giggled softly and Wanshu eased up as well. The Human pair flinched from the sudden change of demeanour, and even the girl''s complexion changed. She no longer acted like a gentle girl, but as a mellow sword with hidden intent. Wanshu dashed towards the guy, he was average looking, so she would never be blinded by his handsomeness and as such she met his blade with ferocious impact. Sparks flew between their swords, but it was obvious that Wanshu''s blade was inferior. It seemed like this pair was very favoured by the Elders. Meanwhile, Yuxi was observing the situation, only disrupting the enemy''s cooperation. She would use daggers that were tied to [Nightmare Threads]. They were not allowed to use [Little Nightmare] which was fine, since they didn''t really train with that. They also didn''t pick more Abilities from [Nightmare Incarnation], other than [Nightmare Weaponry], just in case they ran out of weapons. This allowed them to master their Abilities with precision and use them to their full potential. The girl was bothered that the Fox was disrupting her Technique, like this, they wouldn''t be able to gain the upper hand. Yuxi used her [Nightmare Weaponry] to conjure a kunai and swiftly threw it at the girl. She didn''t expect it and had to completely cancel the Technique in order to defend against the kunai. Yuxi also threw one more towards the guy, so that Wanshu had an easier time. The guy was bothered by that as he already had a hard time fighting against this damned Fox brute. The girl parried the kunai, but Yuxi used that brief window to tie her with her [Nightmare Threads]. With that, the pair was no longer a pair and Wanshu was able to pierce his shoulder with her blade. The Human pair were defeated with such a precise Skill that even Aiko forgot to comment. "So cool!" Aiko yelped. "Did you see that everyone-" Aiko narrated what happened with great enthusiasm, which made the Twins blush furiously. The Elders were impressed by both the Twins and the Vicious Cub. Her intellect was high and she was able to accurately explain what happened during that fight. If it was not for her sharp tongue, she would be a fitting Beast for Contraction. Meanwhile, the Twins were quite terrifying. The Elders doubted the claim that they were twins, but seeing their impeccable cooperation that didn''t require talking, made for quite the bone-chilling combination and fighting prowess. The Elders no longer underestimated the Vicious Cub''s entourage, but that was not the same for the disciples. They were amazed by their cooperation, and everyone wanted to have a fight against them to see how far they would be able to go. This naturally disheartened the Elders, since they would lose a lot of resources, but so far the benefits were greater than the losses. You can''t often find such troublesome opponents, and if their Disciples could learn something from it... The Elders nodded at each other, they would call their Disciples and have them fight the Twins. ... The next challenger stepped forward, and Aiko observed this fight closely. She didn''t expect that the Twins would grow this strong. Moreover, she also understood that because of their special condition, they were able to dish out even more damage than they would be able to normally. This time it was once again a pair of Disciples, but their aura was incomparable to the previous duo. They both had the same stoic expression and their beauty was likewise striking. The girl was gentle like a flowing river, while the guy was as stiff as a mountain. It was obvious that the Elders were taking out the big guns in order to defeat the Twins. The Twins nodded again. Wanshu would be vanguard once again, since she was able to use more of her strength than Yuxi. Yuxi would be supporting from the backside, throwing kunai and other troublesome weapons. Both duos dashed towards each other and Wanshu''s blade met with the guys. The first impact was very startling for Wanshu, since she really felt like going against a mountain. The girl tilted her head, intending to slash Wanshu on her stomach, but she was intercepted by Yuxi''s blade. Yuxi also added 3 kunai to cause some chaos. Unfortunately, the girl spun like a meander, deflecting all of them. Yuxi narrowed her eyes and used her kunai with [Nightmare Threads] in tandem. The girl struggled a bit with the kunai, but the [Nightmare Threads] were shattered by the stomp from the guy. Wanshu used this opportunity to slash him, but he was able to block it with his sword. Everyone was silent. This kind of fight was rare since most of them would end up within a few moves, even the Elders observed silently, trying to imagine themselves in that situation for greater immersion. Unfortunately that stalemate didn''t last long, since a normal fight wouldn''t work, the Twins would just have to fight dirty... Wanshu briefly closed her eyes, confusing the guy, but he was quick to use this opportunity to slash her. Meanwhile, Yuxi kicked up the earth causing dust to get into their eyes, but since the Twins had closed eyes, they were fine. The pair yelped at the sudden situation as their eyes moistened and closed. It was difficult to see with dust in their eyes. Wanshu redoubled her efforts and strikes, making his footing unstable. Yuxi likewise worked towards making the girl suffer. The first thing she did was to catch the girl''s leg and pull her. Contrary to what most would believe, Cultivators don''t like to train their bodies unless they are Body Cultivators. That means the girl would not be able to spread her legs completely like someone who stretches their body daily. "Ack!" The girl yelled out as her private parts were strained. Yuxi delivered a swift blow to the stomach and the girl collapsed, foaming from the mouth. Wanshu finished this deal with a nice sidekick that sent the guy flying. The Twins were victorious again, but the Human side had bitter feelings in their mouths. From what was an honourable fight turned into a normal brawl... But Aiko didn''t think it was like that. "Did you see that? It''s important to know where you are fighting!" Aiko explained. "If you fight in a place like desert or with loose soil, you need to empower your eyes and create a Qi barrier to prevent sand from getting into your eyes!" Her suggestions kept going. "Sure, it might weaken you in the long run, but then you won''t be susceptible to outside interference!" The disciples paused and the Elders raised their eyebrows. None of them expected help from the Beasts, much less from someone called the Vicious Cub. Yet she accurately explained the situation once again and even gave suggestions to Humans. The Elders realised that their disciples were lacking in more aspects than they expected, so they wouldn''t blame the Foxes for such a cheap fight for the time being. Aiko kept explaining for a bit more. She was harvesting goodwill that will be later used to scam them more, but those silly Human Elders were unaware of that fact. Aiko finished her words and gestured. "Does anyone else want to challenge the Twins?" There were more challengers than before which startled Aiko and she glanced at her team. The Twins just smiled, not minding it. They already got a share of those Treasures and it was not like Aiko would keep all those Treasures for herself, so they had no complaints about fighting more. The Twins also noticed how powerful they were getting from actual fights and what they needed in order to keep improving. Cheap tactics would only work in lower Cultivations, so they would have to adjust their mindset and polish their coordination even more! Aiko was happy that the Twins didn''t mind more fights. The Treasures and Pills were piling up endlessly and it was fun to watch the Elders look for more Treasures to use as bargaining chips. Chapter 388 – Aiko is ready for a new scam! There was quite a ruckus after the 100th fight. The Elders also started to sweat at the loss of resources and Treasures. Mei naturally protected those resources and Treasures, since some Fox Elders were eyeing them closely. Fortunately, Mei was not stupid enough to give them anything other than 1 Pill from the Human side. The Fox Elders would protest, but she could always say that she already gave them their share. This event was organised and maintained by the Jade Fox and Vicious Cub. So they were completely excluded from the occasion. Moreover, some Human Elders saw the Vicious Fox favourably and would insult the Fox Elders who were trying to cause trouble. The Beast Elders were quite jealous that the Fox Village nurtured such wonderful seedlings. Some Beast Elders were discussing how to poach them, but since delegations would soon arrive, they would have to offer them a place on the mainland, which was more difficult. Aiko was completely oblivious to this, since she was observing the Twins which were dancing together. Their evolution was startling everyone as their movements and attack became more graceful and sharper. Most Cultivators with mediocre and average talents were no longer their match and could not lay their fingers on them. Cultivators with talent were still able to injure them, but the Twins would be able to beat them due to their impeccable cooperation. Cultivators that were hailed as prodigies did not approach the Twins, since most of them worked alone and it would not be beneficial for them if they lost this fight. There was more to lose than to win. Those resources were certainly nice, but if they lost. They would also lose a large number of their followers. While the early stages could be completed alone, it was always better to be with a group, so that you could use them as meat shields. That was the true nature of Sects. To protect and nurture prodigies, average Cultivators should be used as scapegoats. The Twins finished their fights since they were too tired. They fought 100+ times which was an incredible feat. ''Next up would be Mei, but the Elders are not moving.'' Aiko clicked her tongue. She was unhappy that they hesitated so much. Sure, this whole thing was a scam, but they already bit the hook and all that Aiko had to do was pull on the rod. "Next opponent will be a unique one!" Aiko proclaimed through her paper megaphone. Everyone paid attention to her, since she was the one who started this whole thing and made them lose so many of their resources. Aiko didn''t mind those piercing gazes and kept going. "Everyone must be tired from seeing constant fight- Who am I kidding? We all loved it." She chuckled. "But I believe it''s time to adjust the premise. Since fights were won and most of you gained a lot of experience then how about Alchemy?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "There is a lot to learn through Alchemy and your fighting instinct can''t be compared to your Pill Sense. How well you can craft those delicious Pill Can-" Aiko was interrupted by Mei''s cough. Aiko coughed to clear her throat. "Those wonderful Pills! ''''She wanted to say Pill Candies, right?'''' The Elders glanced at each other, since they had heard some rumours about the Vicious Cub. Those rumours were very mild compared to the real deal. The Elders wondered if they should take this opportunity to show the Beasts they had superior Alchemy since Humans had a much greater repertoire of Pills. Humans were also more skilled in Pill Refining, since they had hands, unlike Beasts. The Foxes were slightly different as they had Human form, but that didn''t mean their Human form could be compared to true Humans. Their fingers were still clumsy even after years in that form. Moreover, the number of Foxes skilled in Alchemy was very low. If you combined those two numbers, the theoretical number of Foxes that would be able to beat Human Cultivators... was pretty much non-existent. While there was always the possibility that a Fox could beat them. The likelihood of that happening in this place was pretty much zero. This should allow them to take most of the resources that they lost during the fights. "Do we have to create Beast Pills?" One Human Elder asked. He wished to bait the Beasts into giving out their Pill recipes. "No." Aiko immediately denied it. "You would make excuses for not being able to defeat us if we did it like that." She mercilessly scratched at his ego, so much so that he coughed up blood. "We will be doing Human Pills. Of course, you have to say the Pill in advance and possibly provide the Herbs since we might not have them. Beast Pills and Human Pills were different. Only the process was the same. The likelihood that Beast has materials for Human Pills was pretty low and so that''s why Aiko set up that rule. The Elders who favoured Aiko saw her in clear light. She yielded their advantage in order to demonstrate the might of her group. That is... if the Jade Fox would be able to pull out a win. The Elders nodded at each other. This ''battle'' would not be as difficult for Humans, since there was Divine Sense involved and a very delicate process that took a long time. Most Foxes would have minded staying still for hours to end just to refine a few Pills. All of these would help Humans easily beat the Foxes and regain their pride! Aiko saw how fired up they were. "I believe that every challenger has their own Cauldron, right?" She looked around carefully. "That is natural." One Elder smirked, it was unlikely that Foxes would be able to produce a good Cauldron, so everything was in their favour! It was their turn to robbing the Beasts! Aiko nodded. "How about the Herbs?" "We can provide some of them." One Beast Elder puffed smoke out of his nostrils. "We can provide if something is missing." The Alchemy Pill Peak Elder didn''t mind this, since most burden would be on the Beast Elders. "That is fine. And protective Arrays, so that they can''t be affected by outside interferences?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "I will do the Fox side." One of the Human Elders who favoured the little Fox volunteered. "I can do that by myself." Mei chuckled. "But thank you for your kind intentions." The Human Elder blushed and sat down. They all noticed how beautiful the Jade Fox was. ''It would be fun to bring her over, but it was unlikely to be that easy.'' One Elder thought. "Then I will do our side." Another Human Elder stood up. They pretty much looked all the same, so Aiko had a hard time distinguishing them. "That is fine. Please prepare it, so that we can move onto the stage." Aiko nodded. "Can multiple Disciples challenge her at the same time?" One lousy Elder asked. "That would amplify the bet. So if there were 2 Disciples challenging. You would need to stake twice as much as we would." Aiko licked her lips. "What?!" The Elder was outraged. "There is no need to make this game into a boring gang game." Aiko rolled her eyes. "If you want to bully someone, choose someone else, or my 8th-legged friend will visit you during the night!" She threatened and a ''small'' spider raised one of its legs to wave at the Elders. The Elders raised their eyebrows, but shivered the moment 4 out of the 8 legs were holding huge stakes. The Elder who was previously impaled was not saved yet. Yet the little spider had even more of those sinister stakes prepared. What was worse, the Elders could not call them out or seek help, since the other Sects would laugh at them. They had to hold in and get revenge during the Pill Refining! "How will we judge the Pills?" Aiko asked, while they were preparing the Arrays to make it difficult for cheaters. "How about the price of the Pill?" One Beast Elder suggested. "If we are talking just quality, it won''t really get us anywhere, but if we put it into a number and selling price. We can determine the winner." The Human Elders narrowed their eyes. "What about Cultivators that would never buy Beast Pills?" The Human Elder glared at the Beasts. "31% of Pills on the market are made by Beasts. Try that bullshit on someone else." A large Snake Elder slapped the chair next to him, completely obliterating it. The Human Elder kept glaring, but he couldn''t really refute it without drawing ire from other Sects. Aiko observed their exchange and chuckled. She didn''t think so many Elders would be on her side. ''This will make it so easy to scam them more.'' Aiko glanced at Mei and they gave each other a discreet thumbs up. Mei was currently swimming in resources and they would be gone pretty quickly once everyone reached Human Cultivation. It still should be enough to give them a good boost. It''s unlikely that they would be allowed to Evolve in the Secret Realm again without attracting more attention. So their Cultivation places would be very limited. ''That''s where Feifei would come in.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. There were not enough Blessed Lands in the Immortal World, so Immortals started to create them through agriculture. They would plant special Herbs and weeds that would thicken the ambient Immortal Qi, allowing them to create a pseudo-Blessed Land. ''Nobody says you can''t do this in Mortal World.'' Mei smiled sinisterly. She would create a beautiful grotto that would allow them to quickly pass Human Cultivation. ''The main issue would be Aiko.'' Mei narrowed her eyes as she drew the Array with special chalk. ''She will definitely have problems in the Human Stage.'' Mei was sure of it. That was one of the reasons why she ''rushed'' her Evolution, so that she could support Aiko when the time came. ''My Cultivation would be higher and I would be able to keep everyone away from Aiko until she stabilised.'' Mei knew that it was a very shocking experience for all Beasts to ''lose'' their Beast Core. Moreover, for proper Human Form, you are supposed to shatter it, but Mei didn''t need to do that, since she already experienced it. ''Aiko will have to undergo it, so I will have to watch out for that time and be with her.'' Mei nodded gently, preparing for the future as she kept drawing the Array. Her skill could not be compared to anyone else, she could let her mind wander, while not decreasing the effects of the Array! Chapter 389 – Mei is adapting Chapter 389 ¨C Mei is adapting Mei finished drawing the Array, most Elders could not understand how she was able to perform such an elaborate and difficult Array without paying all that much attention. They noticed that the Jade Fox was quite attentive towards the little Fox who was currently trying to haggle with them about the prizes. ''''What do we do about them?'''' The Elders wondered. They already were caught in this trap, but saying it out loud would bring backlash from everyone else. Another thing they have to watch out for is their fame. They never backed out from any Tournament or duel, yet this one was much more destructive than they expected. They could only hope that their Disciples wouldn''t take this bait, but... "Let''s go, everyone! Let''s show those filthy Beasts how to make Pills!" One Saint in particular was very upset with the little Fox. His Saintess was too enamoured by the little Fox. She no longer paid any attention to him, not even a glance. ''Just when I obtained that poison, everything went to shit because of that whore!'' The Saint glared at the little Fox. He completely ignored the fact that the Vicious Cub already disposed of 2 Saints, and now this would make the 3rd one. While Aiko would not take a step forward this time, she did orchestrate this thing, allowing Mei to take the reins and finish the scam. Aiko gave Mei a discreet thumbs-up with a gleeful smile. It seemed like they understood each other''s intention and they both giggled. "I''m Jade Fox from the Fox Village. If anyone wants to challenge me in Pill Refining..." Everyone expected that the Jade Fox was gentle, but... "Don''t forget to bring enough resources to match the prize, you are not really worth my time to fight for free." While her tongue was not as poisonous as the Vicious Cub''s, it was still enraging when a Beast looked down on them. That Beast was even a Fox! They were known for being lustful whores. The Disciples couldn''t take it and they charged forward. ''1, 2, 5, 12, 33...'' Aiko counted inside her head. She was taken aback at how many of them wanted to challenge Mei. ''Oi, oi, oi!'' Aiko''s eyes widened. There were 70 challengers at once trying to go against Mei. ''I did intend to scam them, but doesn''t this look a bit too destructive??'' Aiko was concerned she wouldn''t be able to scam them in the future. It would be bad if her piggyback was broken like this! Aiko glanced at Mei, but she was just counting the resources and Treasures she would obtain. ''Is this... really alright?'' She glanced towards the Blood Fox, which was known for her quick wit and haggling. ''The ''okay hand''?'' Aiko blinked blankly. ''This was really alright?'' She was confused, but since the Blood Fox didn''t mind this... ''To hell with it!'' Moon Aiko finally couldn''t wrap her head around this, since the piggy would be broken by a firm fist, but what could she do? Since she riled them up already, it would be difficult to dampen their spirit. Aiko glanced at the Human Elders, but all that she could see were their pained expressions and frowning faces. ''So they do feel the loss of resources.'' Aiko sighed and ruffled her hair. Until now the Elders were quite stoic and dignified, but now they were like any normal ''adult'' concerned about their finances. ''I will just watch.'' Aiko sat down next to the referee. Now there were 5 of them, 1 from Beasts and 4 from major Sects. "Everything alright?" Aiko asked them with a concerned expression. "I didn''t think you were sensible." The first referee who oversaw the duels blinked at the little Fox. "Sorry..." Aiko groaned. "I didn''t think they would have such an unstable mind." She was genuinely sorry since the piggy would be broken. The Elders misunderstood what she was saying and were touched. "It''s fine. They have to learn to keep their emotions in check and grow as a Cultivator." Another referee chuckled. He was in a better mood now that the little Fox apologised. "This will be a mess." Aiko groaned again. "But a quick and clean one. There is a prize and there is a goal." Another referee joined. "Since everything is clear if they can''t grow, then they are not suited for Cultivation. "That''s so easy for you to say, but they are just kids." Aiko sighed. "..." The Elders didn''t know what to say to that, so they chose to be quiet and prepare for all the tests... ... "The first Pill you will be creating is the Warming Pill. Everyone knows their uses from the Secret Realm, so I won''t touch upon it." One referee said. "You will gather the Herbs from that pile and create the best possible Pill you can!" He declared the start of the ''duel''. Aiko observed Mei, who was not really rushing. ''With all the advantages Mei has... those poor guys.'' Aiko shook her head. "Don''t worry, they are forbidden to harm each other." One referee thought that the Vicious Cub might be concerned about the Jade Fox, so he was trying to soothe her nerves. He was also one of those who stayed behind and listened to the story. "Thank god..." Aiko sighed. ''If that wasn''t the case, there would be bloody slaughter.'' ''''God? Does she believe in those things?'''' The referee found it peculiar, but the Vicious Cub was quite the odd one, so it was not impossible she believed in such things. "How long will it take?" Aiko tilted her head, while she was looking forward to everyone refining... She also didn''t want to spend too much time on it. "The Warming Pill is quite easy, so it should take around 8 hours." One Elder said, overhearing their conversation. "8 hours..." Aiko frowned. ''Isn''t that a bit too long?'' She was so used to observing Mei using the new Technique that they came up with that she was unaware that 8 hours was a reasonable time for an average Cultivator. ''Since Mei will be finished in 2 hours... no, maybe sooner. It shouldn''t take that long for others, right?'' Her sense of speed was so distorted by Mei that she didn''t believe it would take that long. "All we do is to observe?" Aiko asked them. "Yes, Alchemy is a very precise profession, just breathe less or more and the whole thing could blow up." One referee nodded. Aiko nodded. She had her own troubles with that. "H-Heavenly Light-Water!" One Elder stuttered when he saw the Jade Fox using that precious water to wash the Herbs. ''I suppose Mei kept some for experiments?'' Aiko tilted her head. She probably forgot that Mei kept some, but that was not a bad thing. ''She is attracting attention to her, so even if I show my water, it would not be surprising.'' Moon Aiko clicked her tongue. Mei was burdening herself too much. Aiko observed the Pill Refining process, each student did it slightly differently, but the basics were the same. Quite a few failed them since... "There are Herbs that look the same mixed into the pile, right?" Aiko had already experienced this feeling, so she was aware that such Herbs existed. "Correct. Only those who can identify the proper Herbs can move onto Pill Refining..." The referee narrowed his eyes. "Coincidentally, the Jade Fox also didn''t choose the right Herbs." He smiled with glee. This referee was against the Vicious Cub, since he couldn''t understand why so many people favoured her. "Hmmmm... It seems like she will make it difficult for you guys." Aiko kicked her legs inattentively. The referees were confused, but they noticed that Mei was placing and refining the Herbs in a different order. ''She also chose lower grade Herbs and only one high-grade Herb.'' They were confused and only the Peak Elder of the Alchemy Peak from South understood it. "She is creating a Superior Warming Pill with different resources. As for its efficacy..." She paused. "It''s questionable, so we will have to test it." Aiko glanced at her. ''At least some can still use their eyes to observe the situation.'' Aiko was happy. "But I don''t understand how she is counting her breaths. It''s all over the place." The Peak Elder shook her head. She couldn''t believe that the Jade Fox''s Cauldron hadn''t blown up yet. "Well, you should probably prepare for grading." Aiko breathed out gently. "What are you?" The Peak Elder was confused, but soon a gentle yet powerful medical scent spread throughout the ''stadium''. "What?!" She was shocked. "It''s not even 2 hours, how is that possible!?" She could not understand why the Jade Fox already reached the final stage of the Pill Refining process. "That was quick..." Aiko blinked. She calculated a slightly slower time, but that was probably because Mei used different Herbs. ''Surely she didn''t progress her Alchemy.'' Moon Aiko shivered when she saw Mei''s mischievous smile. ''Good god... I should start running!'' She felt like Mei would bully her again if she didn''t run away now! The Cauldron lid popped open and the medical scent assaulted everyone''s senses, it was a lot more powerful than anyone could expect. "WHAT?!" The Peak Elder was shocked. "11 PILLS AND ALL OF THEM ARE OF PERFECT QUALITY?!" Even from that distance, she could feel the efficacy of the Pills as just the scent made her body warm. "I have finished." Mei smiled and glanced at Aiko with a happy expression. ''I should''ve run away sooner.'' Moon Aiko cried out inside her mind. "Come here, come here." The Peak Elder was excited, since it seemed the Pill was as effective as the original Warming Pill, but it cost a lot less resources to make! If she could produce such Pills, they would be able to use their Cold Pond much more often with less risk! Mei brought them the Pills she made, but this was just the first Pill. Alchemy always had 3 Pills, in order to properly assess one''s skills and abilities in that profession. This time it was no different, so Mei was not haughty at all! She presented her Pills to the referee. They were shocked numerous times. Not only were there 11 of Superior Warming Pills. All of them were of Perfect Quality! It might be only 3rd Grade Pill, depending on Herbs, but that didn''t mean that this feat was easy to achieve! The Peak Elder''s hands quivered. ''I thought the theoretical limit was 10 Pills, while making 6 Pills in one batch was already an achievement!'' She could not believe her eyes! Chapter 390 – The Real Deal! ''''How does this even make sense?!'''' All the referees gulped, staring at the Jade Fox like they were about to devour her. ''I even held back...'' Mei pursed her lips. She would definitely need some comfort from Aiko, the Moon one especially~. "Jade Fox won this round." The Peak Elder didn''t want to admit, but none of her challengers would be able to meet this. Just then, the sky darkened. The referee paused what they were doing and looked towards the person who was causing such an anomaly. It was an unimpressive youth that was refining the Pill with all his might. Mei narrowed her eyes. It seemed like she had competition, but guessing from the size of the cloud... "You can do it Junior Brother!" A beautiful girl shouted from the spectator seats. She was a candidate for Saintess, but couldn''t make it because she was too infatuated with that boy. The Heavenly Clouds gathered, trying to bless the pill. The youth was focusing so much that his nose bled as the Heavenly Lightning descended. His Pill was blessed by the heavens and an even more potent medical scent spread through the surroundings. Mei raised her eyebrow. She didn''t expect this. It was not like she couldn''t bless those Pills, but it would be outrageous if she did it with all 11 of them. The Human Elders were hopeful that this unimpressive youth would be the breaking point where everything would be turned around... He haughtily observed the Jade Fox. "I''m Lin Fan! And I will make you my Dao Companion!" He proclaimed as the Pill solidified and everyone was hit with an even more potent medical scent. Lin Fan walked haughtily towards the referee and said. "This disciple hopes that Elders will be impartial in this competition." The referees'' faces twitched. That''s what they were intending to do from the start, but this cunning hare was trying to throw them into disarray? Keep dreaming! "Present your Pill." The Peak Elder was not impressed by his conduct. She favoured the Jade Fox more, even if she was a Fox... The Jade Fox was quiet and not haughty. She had a good head on her shoulders and knew how to make the best of the situation. Her mind was also incredibly steady, so she would be able to easily earn the right to be the Fox''s Saintess and not that scheming vixen! Lin Fan placed the Pill in front of the Elders and they studied it closely. He kept his haughty expression, glancing at the Jade Fox from the side. ''What an exquisite body! With that kind of Dao Companion, I will be able to rival the Heavens! Not even the Golden Palace''s Empress can match this beauty!'' He thought and had quite an insulting expression on his face. "Disgusting." Mei scoffed at him, making him freeze in place. "This is the highest-rated Pill one can produce." The Peak Elder couldn''t help but say out loud. "Fairy Jade Fox, don''t be like that. Everyone loses once." Lin Fan appeared magnanimous, trying to sway her emotions. "You are putting the cart before the horse." Moon Aiko was not impressed by his conduct. Before Lin Fan could refute that, the Peak Elder stepped in. "Let''s vote. Who believes that disciple Lin Fan won this?" The Peak Elder glanced at others. Only the referee who hated the Vicious Cub raised his hand. "What are you doing?" He was confused. "His Pill is clearly superior." "Are you really that stupid?" Aiko asked with wide eyes. She couldn''t believe that there was such a dumb Elder. "What?!" The referee glared at the Vicious Cub. "The criteria for victory is not the highest grade of Pills, but their sum of Spirit Stones." Moon Aiko rolled her eyes. "And let''s be honest, who would take ONE Blessed Pill, over 11 Perfect Pills." She shook her head. Lin Fan''s face twitched. He couldn''t believe that someone was ridiculing him like that. "Get a grip." Aiko scoffed at him. "Who believes that Jade Fox won?" The Peak Elder asked again, ignoring the conflict. 4 Elders raised their hands, making everyone speechless, especially Lin Fan. "WHY?! My Pill is obviously more precious!" Lin Fan couldn''t believe it. "That is indeed true." The Peak Elder said. "But even if your Pill could increase in price ten times... it would still not be enough. While we are counting the price of the Pills, that also comes with versatility." She gestured to other Elders and they all nodded. "What the Vicious Cub said has some merit. Nobody in their right mind would go for 1 Pill over 11, especially since all those 11..." The Elder paused. "Are just a step away from being blessed." This information shocked everyone, since it was more likely that the Pills varied in their perfection, but the Jade Fox reached Perfect Quality in ALL of them?! Impossible! Unbelievable! Lin Fan''s body shook, but he controlled his emotions. "Next round!" He shouted, making the Elders quite upset. [You have encountered a Main Protagonist: Lin Fan - Heaven''s Favourite] Aiko blinked and rubbed her eyes. [You have to plunder 100,000 Providence before you can affect his Luck.] Aiko rubbed her eyes a few times before they almost popped out of her eye sockets. ''1-100,000?!'' Aiko''s eyes were ridiculously huge as she watched the notification from the System. She glanced at Lin Fan before staring at her System. ''I only have 100,000!!!'' Aiko couldn''t believe what she saw. Aiko licked her lips, such a good fish landed on her lap, how should she butcher him...? ''But I can''t fight with Alchemy.'' Aiko groaned unhappily. Only Mei noticed Aiko''s vexed expression and wondered what was happening. ''Is she jealous...?'' She giggled inside her mind. ''Gosh, I''m jealous! I want to fight against him!'' Aiko could not figure out a way to defeat him, so she had to rely on Mei. Aiko''s eyes burned as she stared at Mei without blinking. Mei blushed. ''I-isn''t this a bit too much! He is just Human! You don''t have to be so jealous!'' She completely misunderstood Aiko''s burning passion. Lin Fan was even more upset since he noticed there was something more between them. ''Tsk. I''m not into petite Beasts.'' Lin Fan was upset that his Dao Companion chose such an unimpressive Fox. "What is the next Pill?" Aiko''s passion burned so bright that the Elders believed she wanted to punish that rascal and they were with her on the board! "We can start easy." The Peak Elder chuckled. "How about you do just the 5th Grade Qi Recovery Pill." She smiled like a demon. "Good idea!" Aiko gave her a thumbs-up, since she knew that Mei could easily go for 6th Graders. The Peak Elder chuckled again, she started to like this little Foxie. "You have heard us, return to your position and we will prepare the Herbs in the meantime. Nobody noticed the distorted expression Lin Fan had. He was heaven''s favourite, and just a few days ago he found a special 5th Grade Qi Recovery Pill that was actually 6th Grade! ''I have this round in my pockets!'' He chuckled with glee, but he would approach this delicately, since she didn''t want to scare the Jade Fox. ... Mei waited and noticed that his air changed. ''It''s better to withdraw this round and crush him in the next one.'' She would not lose anything if she lost 1 out of the 3 battles, so it was fine to reserve her strength and go all out later. She also had this odd feeling that he was observing her too much. ''I''m happy that Aiko is jealous, but he is really getting on my nerves now.'' That was one of the reasons Mei hated Humans, they did not have a steady mind and indulged in carnal pleasures too much. They would be easily controlled by their emotions, ruining everything for everyone! ... The Herbs were prepared and there were only 11 contestants, Mei included. They didn''t hurry and approached the pile of Herbs. They all took some Herbs from it, but only Lin Fan took 3 out of the 36 Herbs. The referees were confused, but then he pulled out the rest of the Herbs from his own pocket. ''Is he trying to make up for the Quality of the Herbs?'' The Peak Elder found this peculiar, but that didn''t mean he would win, and he would even waste his wealth! ''Reckless youth.'' The Peak Elder clicked her tongue. "You can do it, Senior Brother!" Another girl shouted from the spectator seats. She was sitting next to the previous girl and there were two others. Aiko observed them and watched them from time to time. Soon after Mei started her Pill Refining process, one of the girls released some kind of thread from her body. ''Am I seeing things?'' Moon Aiko tilted her head, but seeing that thread was weaselling its way towards Mei... ''Are they trying to cheat against MY Mei!'' Aiko gritted her teeth, bloodlust was oozing from her body startling the Elders near her. ''Who dares to interrupt the harvest season that my Mei and I prepared!?'' Her expression distorted as she bared her fangs. Her fur was quickly changing colour and ominous tails appeared behind her baring their teeth too. The Elders wanted to protect themselves, but the Vicious Cub suddenly appeared. "You little shit." Aiko''s voice was suddenly drifting from the spectators'' seats. "KYAAAAAAA!" The girl screamed as the thread she was creating was mercilessly eaten by Aiko. "You think you can just cheat without anyone noticing, huh?" It was a rare occurrence for Aiko to look like a monster. [The true form of [Nightmare Fox Incarnate] revealed its fangs.] [You have complete control over Nightmares.] [You can decide the targets that will experience Nightmares when they enter into shadows.] [The targeted being will have to fight with their Will against your Nightmares. The more cowardly they are, the more damage you will deal!] [It''s possible to drown the target into an endless nightmare! In such a case your Nightmare Essence will decrease per second per person drown!] Aiko observed the notification from the corner of her eyes. "What do you think you are doing?!" Lin Fan yelled out throwing a chain-type Treasure at Aiko. The chains wrapped around her body and she was bound in place. That kind of bloodlust and power was not fit for someone who had just 4 Tails. Even the Beast Elders were terrified of it. Moreover, those Tails... those were straight up from nightmares. Chapter 391 – Ah Cy joins Aiko [You have eaten the [Thread of Soul Suffering]!] [This is inferior to your [Nightmare Fox Incarnate] and will not be integrated into the system.] [You have inflicted a Soul wound onto the subject that used such Treasure.] ''I don''t believe that is enough.'' It was fine if the one who was refining cheated, but outsiders are supposed to stay out of this! Aiko was very displeased by their conduct. Suddenly, chains wrapped around her body from the Treasure the contestant threw at her. Aiko had a strange feeling about these chains and didn''t know what to think about them. She opened her mouth. "I''m not really into this, you know." [Nightmare Domain] She drowned the group in nightmares and watched her Nightmare Essence drop each second. Aiko felt satisfied with this, but she also felt puzzled as to why those chains didn''t try to restrain her. The group of girls screamed loudly as they scratched at their heads. It was quite a gruesome sight since their nails were quite sharp. "Ew." Aiko recoiled from their unsightly appearances, but she had no intention of dispelling this domain. She would keep them there until the Pill was finished as punishment. Suddenly, an Elder appeared next to her and used his palm to strike the Vicious Cub. "Supreme Jade Palm!" The Elder shouted. Aiko frowned. ''They weren''t protecting the contestants and now they want to interfere with me?!'' She was quite livid about their attitude. Everything was a fair game as long as they were contestants, but everyone else was supposed to stay out of this. Aiko used her shadow movement to relocate her away from the palm that was trying to suck her in. "What an unsightly attitude, human filth." Aiko said calmly, but her words were quite striking. "You have crossed the line, whore." The Elder said back. "Oho." Aiko chuckled. "You do know that even if you chase me away, that won''t disappear." "I can easily dispel this unsightly curse." The Elder said and nodded towards Lin Fan. "Pffft." Aiko giggled. "You can dispel that, but that little bitch will still suffer." She shrugged like she didn''t care. The Elder frowned, not understanding what the Vicious Cub meant. "Oh wow~, you are so clueless." Aiko laughed. "Even when someone uses a Soul-based Treasure in front of you, you are completely oblivious and you dare to host such Tournaments." She shook her head. This was not the first time someone used Soul-based Treasure in this place, but since previously it didn''t affect Aiko or her team, she didn''t call them out on it. The Elder frowned. "Your accusations are baseless!" "Are they now~?" Aiko hummed and let Mei focus on her Pill Refining. "Then shall we see, who is the fool?" Aiko didn''t really glare and she also calmed down significantly. Even if her Tails ate the [Thread of Soul Suffering], it didn''t mean she disconnected her Soul from it. "The girl will suffer due to your ignorance." Aiko sighed and her hand was swallowed by one of her tails. She then pulled out a shiny golden thread that was no longer concealed. The other Elders that wanted to move to apprehend the Vicious Cub paused. "I heard that Soul-based Treasures are quite delicious." Aiko crunched one part of the thread and the girl that tried to use it screamed out of her mind. The Elders were shocked. "You don''t dare to admit it and that is fine, but you do dare to use Soul-based Treasures in front of Foxes, you were the fool and she is the disabled." Aiko snapped the Treasure in half before the Elder could do anything. He was so shocked that he completely forgot to react, but now it was too late. There was a last scream from the girl before she stopped convulsing. She was now laughing funnily, like her mind regressed to her earliest age. "Bunch of brainless fools." Aiko spat those last words, which enraged the Elder. "You dare to harm my disciple?!" The Elder roared. Aiko could feel another piercing gaze on her and she looked over. Lin Fan was bleeding from his eyes from his intense glare. He was trying to maintain his special Pill Refining process, but his mind was unstable. Lin Fan believed that the Elder would protect his girls and that he would be able to woo another one, but that filthy Fox ruined everything! "You are an idiot, aren''t you?" Aiko shook her head. "Why would you give her something she can''t control? It''s your fault that she ended up like that and you glare at me." She shrugged with a sigh, she couldn''t believe that they were so ignorant. "[Thread of Soul Suffering] was not something she was supposed to have." Aiko said seriously as the Elder attacked her. Aiko dodged another palm, but the suction was a serious issue. She would have to use her shadow movement in order to dodge it, but that consumed a shit-ton of Stamina. She would run out at this pace. Yet Aiko wasn''t concerned about that. She already munched those threads, the girl turned stupid and Mei kept going with the Pill Refining. Everything was under control since her Tails would be able to easily inflict mortal wounds on his Soul, making him stupid too. Suddenly, a sword split the space between them and chill spread towards the surrounding, especially towards the Elder. Aiko was startled since she couldn''t perceive that speed, which was unlike her. She turned towards the origin. "I believe this is enough." It was Ah Cy with a beautiful sword standing straight. "You dare?!" The Elder was already delirious from Aiko''s insult and the fact that his hidden agenda might be revealed. Aiko tilted her head. She didn''t expect Ah Cy to get involved, but it was strange. ''Usually, a mediator would strike right between the trouble parties, but she sided with me by using more strength on his side.'' While the Nightmare Aiko was not the smartest, that didn''t mean she was stupid. She understood that implication. "I have turned a blind eye when your disciples interfered with others, since it was irrelevant to me." Ah Cy said in a chilling voice. "But now we see history unfold in front of us, yet YOU dare to interfere with it?" She glared at the Elder, since the Jade Fox was able to refine Perfect Grade Pills, it should be possible to refine Heaven Grade Pills. With that, she would be able to lift part of her worries that settled inside her body and continue cultivating further. In other words, Ah Cy had a vested interest in both the Vicious Cub, due to her Disciples and Jade Fox, due to her Pill Refining might. She was interested in Lin Fan, but she quickly realised that she got the same feeling from him, like she did from the Saint. Ah Cy didn''t want to do anything with that feeling, so she would rather side with the Vicious Cub, which gave her the strangest feeling. "I have no idea what you are talking about!" The Elder denied it. *Burp* Aiko massaged her stomach. "Do you mind if I eat more Soul-based Treasures?" She didn''t really eat them, but her tails did. That didn''t mean she didn''t want to continue this since... [[Little Nightmares] consumed Soul-based Treasure and reinforced its Core!] Aiko wondered how far she could take this and how much change the [Little Nightmares] would experience. "Without harming the Disciples?" Ah Cy raised her eyebrow. "I can''t really do that if they won''t submit their Treasures." Aiko sighed and shook her head. She quite liked Ah Cy so she was more inclined to tell the truth. "How much damage would it cause?" Ah Cy narrowed her eyes. None of the other Elders dared to join the Elder who cheated. "Not much as long as the Elders don''t interfere. They might be a bit weakened since I will have to nibble their Soul a bit." Aiko shrugged. "You dare to go after my Disciples?!" The Elder roared again. "Sheeesh, chill dude." Aiko cleaned her ears. "Your voice sounds like you are vomiting shit." She rolled her eyes. "Does any Elder protest against this, outside of him?" Ah Cy glanced at the cheating Elder. None of the Elders dared to raise any issue, they didn''t dare to since they were scared of both the Vicious Cub and Ah Cy. Ah Cy could easily freeze their Souls, which would kill them without being able to resist it. Their Nascent Souls would likewise be unable to escape her bone-chilling aura. Aiko calmed down significantly and hummed happily. She walked towards the first disciple who had the Treasure and made a grabbing motion. "Gimme." Aiko said cutely, but it sent shivers down everyone''s spine. "I-I have no ide- AGH." Aiko punched his crotch, making him froth from the mouth. She then used her Tail to rip the Soul-based Treasure from his body. In this case, it was a whip. She moved to another disciple as the other Elders glared towards the cheating Elder. They always wondered why their Disciples were so weakened, but it turns out that their Souls were harmed! "Gimme." Aiko''s eyes shined. "I-I" "I heard that females like to use these." Aiko pulled out an excessively wide flag, and the girl almost fainted. "W-wait! I have it here, please spare me!" The girl immediately pleaded with Aiko. "Gimme." Aiko repeated her words. The girl yielded and gave Aiko a small talisman-like ring. Like this, she walked around and collected all the Soul-based Treasures. Each time she did this, the Elders'' faces hardened more and more. Disciples were not allowed to own Soul-based Treasures, until they reached a Nascent Soul Stage where they understood their Soul correctly and understood their weaknesses and strengths. It was like giving a child a loaded cannon and watching as it flailed with a torch. If it didn''t ignite the rope leading into the cannon, nothing would happen, but if they did, their Souls would be obliterated. "Shame on you, Elder." One Elder spat out. "I can''t believe you would endanger yours and our Disciples like that." A beautiful Elder likewise spat out. It was a big deal when someone broke a taboo inside their Sect, but there were certain Rules that applied to ALL Human Sects. This was one of such rules and as such, the Northern Sect lost a lot of prestige and goodwill from everyone... Chapter 392 – Mei or Aiko, who is more vicious? The cheating Elder had his Cultivation abolished right then and there. Meanwhile, Aiko really wanted to confiscate the Treasures, but she still brought them to Ah Cy to deepen their friendship. "I thought you would nab them." Ah Cy understood the little Fox a bit too much. Aiko flinched. "Of course not." But seeing her pursed lips and unwilling expression, it was obvious what the little Fox was truly thinking. "You can choose one Treasure to keep, but I will be taking the rest." Ah Cy knew that it would not swim well with the other Elders, so it was better if the Vicious Cub didn''t take all of them. However, at the same time, the Vicious Cub should be rewarded! Otherwise, the Elders would be completely oblivious to their Disciples'' wounds! Now that they knew that their Disciples had their Souls harmed, they would be able to prepare countermeasures and make them healthy again. This was an important part, since if their Soul was not stable, they would not be able to break their Golden Core in order to achieve Nascent Soul. The Nascent Soul would be so distorted that it might even become an Inner Demon and one that was irreparable! The Elders were grateful, even if the Vicious Cub was a bit... forceful. However, they couldn''t fault her for that. If the Treasure was truly [Thread of Soul Suffering] it would not just cause suffering, but it might be able to even harm the Jade Fox! If they lost such an Alchemy prodigy, they would be unable to enjoy the fruits of their labour and buy more precious Pills for them. Especially from someone who was able to make both Human AND Beast Pills! Aiko chose the biggest Soul-based Treasure. It looked like some sort of shield, but in reality, it was just an oversized paper fan, which was made out of precious materials. Well... that didn''t stop Aiko, though. *Crunch**Munch**Munch* Aiko munched it with her Tails in front of everyone before sitting down next to the referees. She was quiet like a house as she watched the Elder which had his Cultivation abolished age rapidly. It was a funny sight, like someone sped time just for him, so much so that within a few breaths not even bones remained of him. Aiko was curious about why that happened. She believed that Cultivation slowed the ageing of the body and did not forcibly prolong it, but that might''ve been her misconception. ''So this is the Vicious Cub.'' The Elders now understood why she was called like that. Under that cute and innocent behaviour was a ferocious Beasts that would be able to threaten anyone with a Soul. The Elders had to be careful about how they addressed her from here on out. Aiko glanced at Lin Fan, he was not doing all that well. His energy was unstable and he had bloodshot eyes. It seemed like he would be unable to finish this Pill and she was right. The energy was so unstable that the whole Cauldron shook, instead of another Heavenly Lightning descending to bless it, a black eerie smoke rose from the Cauldron, making it obvious that he failed in Pill Refining. Meanwhile, Mei finished her Pill. Well... Pills, once again 11 of them. It was obvious that she was far better than most prodigies the Elders saw... But since she was a Fox they would be unable to poach her. Beasts would not believe Humans that Humans would protect them. It was more likely that Humans would try to Contract them when they were at their weakest. As such, there was subtle tension between Beasts and Humans. One really wished to monopolise the Jade Fox, while the other wished to boast about her. The only thing that was stopping them from voicing their opinions loudly was a small Fox whose ears were twitching and trained for any kind of annoying noise. As such, the Elders only boasted through Whispering Techniques. Aiko noticed the quietness and her fur slowly turned to that strangely beautiful Moon colour. Moon Aiko observed Lin Fan. It didn''t seem like he lost any Providence, and the Elders didn''t stop forward for using that cha- Moon Aiko paused. The chain was still wrapped around her body. [Heavenly Chains] [A special Immortal Chains that bound your enemy''s Origin and made them weaker.] [Disclaimer: Works only on weak Origins.] Aiko blinked a few times. She was unaware why it didn''t work on her, but... ''What kind of material is this?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. [Divine Steel] Moon Aiko''s eyes shined as she picked one end of the chains and started to unwrap her body. ''I will smelt it later and join it with the other [Divine Steel].'' She nodded to herself happily. Lin Fan coughed up blood from that sight. [You have mentally injured Heaven''s Favourite, causing him to suffer from the decrease of Providence.] [Providence: 104,000 -> 104,500 (Suppressed due to Mortal Laws)] Aiko blinked. She didn''t get any Providence from injuring those idiots, but she got it from wrapping the chains around her arm so it''s easier to store...? How does that make any sense? ''I don''t understand how the Heaven''s Idiots think...'' Aiko shook her head and threw the chain inside her [Tails Storage]. ''Well... I would like to rob him more, but there is this unsettling feeling that I should push my luck.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. It seems that if someone had a similar Providence, it was harder to engage against them. That also might be why she was able to easily deal with that Saint, since his Providence was tiny compared to this one. Aiko nodded gently. It was obvious that Lin Fan would be going after her, but Aiko didn''t care all that much. It was not like she could be harmed by him. He didn''t have the support of Elders and by the time he would have their support, she would be powerful enough to make that obsolete. ''It might be different on the mainland, though.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes again. There were certain things that she had to be careful about. She realised that there were not really powerful Elders in here, but when the Elders returned from overseas, they were incomparably more powerful. A good example is Li Xiu''s Master.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She was convinced that her Master was hiding something, as her power would be able to threaten Aiko. She was curious about how much power Li Xiu''s Master could manifest, but... ''I just hate the cold.'' Aiko groaned. It seemed like she would have to buy some Ice-related resistances in order to deal with the coldness of certain Cultivators. "A Perfect Grade Pill." The referee groaned again. They couldn''t believe how talented the Jade Fox was. It almost felt like she was spitting on their faces, since their best score was around 7 Pills from a batch, and about only half of them were Perfect. Most Alchemy Cultivators, Pill Refiners, Pill Gatherers, and others, could only imagine getting at most 10 Pills from the batch. That was the theoretical maximum one could reach. More than that would mean that you were a complete monster. The Elders and referees praised the Jade Fox, making Lin Fan even more upset. It was obvious he would do something the next round, and Aiko was looking forward to it. She didn''t believe Lin Fan would be able to deal with her Mei. Aiko wanted Mei to completely crush him, so getting support for him would make things even more difficult. She was looking forward to the mess they would create. "Next up would be a 6th Grade Pill! The Water Breathing Pill!" The Peak Elder announced, and the Jade Fox narrowed her eyes. "Will you be buying those Pills?" Mei pursed her lips. "That would be correct and we would be going by the quality of your Pills and their Efficacy, but at the lowest, we would go with market prices." The Peak Elder said. "That doesn''t seem too fair, since those Pills would sell like crazy at auctions." Mei shrugged and the Elders stiffened. It was obvious that the Jade Fox was not your average Fox, but they didn''t expect that kind of intelligence from her. "I will do my best, Elders." Lin Fan immediately took this opportunity to throw shade. "It''s only natural that we honour our Elders and their hard work." The Elders coughed, seemingly pleased by his words. "Yeah, yeah." Aiko immediately interrupted. "Humans will mingle with Humans, and the Beast will suffer for it. What''s next? The grass is green and you are bald as fuck?" She clicked her tongue. "Moreover, this was supposed to be a game to bet resources, not a game where the losing party is supposed to profit." Aiko didn''t forget to add that part to fluster the Elders who got ahead of themselves. They coughed awkwardly. "But we have prepared the Herb-" One Elder wanted to refute her gently, but Aiko was in her biting mode. "Herbs were prepared by both Beasts and Humans. Most of the Herbs came from Beasts." Aiko narrowed her eyes. She also heard something interesting from Mei. "Not to mention that Pill Refiners would take half of the Herbs and Pills they refine from the batch. The rest would be sold or given to the requester, depending on their deal." Mei shook her head. "I can refine 11 Pills, so 6 of them are pocketed. The Beast gave more Pills so they would get between 3-4 Pills depending on how much they were too willing to sacrifice for it. The rest of the Pills would be for the Human side, since they didn''t provide as much." Mei licked her lips and gave the Elders a severe stab. "Not to mention the Humans that were watching over the contestants failed to protect them against danger." Mei sighed like it was a regretful fact. The Elders were flinching and gnashing their teeth. "So, don''t you believe it''s a bit shameless that you praise someone who doesn''t even adhere to the basic Alchemy Rules?" Mei snorted at Lin Fan, it was obvious that Mei had something to do with those Alchemy Rules, since it seemed like she was particularly upset about it. "But the Elders provided this place for us-" Lin Fan tried to curry favour but failed miserably at that. "I will stop you right there." It was one of the Elders who listened to the story that Aiko told. He was even able to jump one small Stage because of that knowledge, so he was particularly fond of that story and history of this place... Chapter 393 – Aiko the attractor of troubles The Elder was not impressed by Lin Fan. He understood how powerful misinformation was and claiming this place for themselves was all they could do, but they didn''t own this place. This place is a land of no Cultivator and it should stay that way. That way the Beasts would be able to come here and mingle with them. The Humans would be able to get used to Beasts and not abuse their Contracted Beasts any more. This was an important place for them, in order to teach the youths about the importance of a steady mind and that not all Beasts are as stupid as bricks. Other Elders had to join this Elder, since it seemed more of them were on the side of the Jade Fox and Vicious Cub than the unknown disciple. The Elder snorted unhappily as he saw Lin Fan gnashing his teeth more. "It''s never a good idea to speak before you think. Reflect on this and go make the Pill." The Elder was so dismissive that Lin Fan''s forehead looked like some kind of ocean monster. Aiko sighed. "Serious, what do you teach your disciples..." She shook her head. "It''s good to get some flattery, but this kind of thing can easily make enemies, you know." Aiko was back to her lecturing self and seeing her serious expression, the Elders were unable to retort and could only awkwardly cough. It was always nice to get your ego stroked by the young Cultivators, so much so that it became sort of a tradition. Naturally, the Humans wouldn''t dare to admit that it was a tradition since it was too shameful, but that didn''t stop them from constantly maintaining it. Mei returned to her place and threw another Spirit Stone to strengthen the Array. It was obvious that Lin Fan was aiming for her, so it was better to be safe than sorry. Mei prepared the Herbs for the Pill. Lin Fan once again used his own to get a head start, but she didn''t really care. There was a lot more to the Pill Refining than met the eye. The main reason she was so successful was the fact that Aiko blessed her with this new Technique. It allowed her to more precisely get the temperature inside the Cauldron and it made it easier to maintain the right temperature. There were still some issues when it came to low temperatures, but no Technique was perfect, so it was only natural that it would have its demerits. That didn''t stop Mei from using it though. She was able to get more familiar with it, allowing her greater control over things, not just Pill Refining. Mei narrowed her eyes as she glanced at him. ''He is using his Luck to boost the effect of his Pills.'' She clicked her tongue when she saw that energy wrap around the Herbs. She was never able to see such a thing, but when Aiko ''messed'' with her Evolution, many things changed. Mei was now able to perceive the luck of others and while she was unable to manipulate it yet, it was only about time when she would be able to do that. ''There is the issue of Providence, but I believe this would be useful for Aiko.'' Mei did not know how to teach Aiko about this, since she was likewise unfamiliar with it, but that wouldn''t stop her from helping Aiko with her troubles. ''If we can get the mysterious energy called luck, it should be possible to have an easier life in the Immortal World.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She vowed to herself to learn the Technique and be able to manipulate the luck! She prepared all the Herbs as they were supposed to be, and she also cut off a few things that would affect the quality. There was a common misconception that you needed the whole Herb in order to get the best effects, but that was not completely true. What you required was not the Herb itself, but its essence. Some Herbs gathered their essence in roots, others in petals, while some even in the earth surrounding them. That was why it was important to dig the Herb carefully and not just pluck it like a barbarian. Mei was aware of all these things and she even taught Aiko how to concentrate the Herb''s essence in order to manipulate its effects better. That''s right, it was the ''squeezing'' stage that Mei taught Aiko. That ''squeezing'' allowed the Herb to concentrate its essence into a single point, making it easier to cut any bad or spoiled parts of the Herb! This not only saved time during refinement, but it also gave her the opportunity to create Perfect Quality Pills. Mei slapped all the Herbs inside. Her Divine Sense already surpassed her Mind, but that was fine, since she was used to controlling such a powerful Divine Sense. She was not limited by the basics the Mortal and Immortal World taught. Mei was still short in stats against Aiko, but she had so many Techniques and Abilities that the difference could not be taken into account. Moreover, Mei also noticed that Aiko''s boost was a tangled mess and that she was not getting much from it. ''That is what happens when you have too many Bloodlines.'' Mei sighed. Aiko needed to properly manage her Bloodlines, but it didn''t seem like she was aware of that. ''I will teach her later about it.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She likewise didn''t have any Illusion-based Bloodline from the Fox Village since it was swallowed by the [Sacred Ocean Kitsune]. ''Can''t believe that I have Kitsune Bloodline without actually being one.'' This bothered Mei greatly and she was wondering if it even worked properly, since her body was not a good vessel for it. ''Only time will tell.'' Mei manipulated the Herb essence inside her Cauldron in order to coagulate it. A gentle, yet powerful fragrance spread throughout the surroundings. She was quite satisfied with this effect. Mei was not fighting to win this round, since the winner was already determined and it would be bad if she stood out too much while in this state. It was better to wait and see what would happen. She also noticed that her new Bloodlines didn''t adjust her body, so she would have to wait for that too. ''I did rush the Human Form to help Aiko later and be with her, but it should stabilise itself during the next transformation.'' Mei would have to wait until the mainland in order to change into Human Form. ''I''m not sure if I want to do that in the Fox Sect.'' Mei clicked her tongue. If this Fox Village was already this messy, then she didn''t want to know how messed up would be the main branch. She would have to be careful, but with Aiko''s attitude, it would be difficult to maintain a good relationship with others. ''If Aiko doesn''t like them they are screwed and in turn, we are screwed.'' Mei clicked her tongue. She didn''t blame Aiko for her impulsive nature or sharp tongue. Every Fox had their own pride, so it was natural that someone as rebellious as Aiko, would naturally form her own personality. Mei would guide Aiko, but she would not restrict her growth. Growth can be good and bad, but it''s up to the individual to realise that. ''Well...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. ''If she did do something messy, I would definitely scold her.'' The place darkened again. It was obvious who did this. Lin Fan was refining something that once again attracted the attention of Heavenly Lightning. It seemed that it would bless his Pills again, but with that intensity, Mei knew that she would lose. The clouds above them crackled. If he didn''t maintain a good grip on his Pills, that kind of Lightning would absolutely vaporise the Pills. That''s right, just because you have attracted Heavenly Lightning, didn''t mean your blessing was a reward. If you can''t protect the Pill against the destructive nature of the Heavenly Lightning, it will easily destroy that Pill. Mei was convinced that Lin Fan would be unable to protect that Pill, but she also knew that with this size, it would strike a few times. She was not unhappy about her loss, since she already won this, but she was concerned that the Elders would be blinded and cheat her. The clouds crackled, and Heavenly Lightning would soon descend. Aiko pulled out a piece of meat and munched on it. This place was approaching its climax and Aiko was looking forward to it. First, Heavenly lightning descended to bless the Pill. It was quite thin, but considering the speed, it would definitely destroy the Pill if it was not protected. Lin Fan grew haughty as his distorted smile widened. The Heavenly Lightning approached his Pills. ''This is what you call a real prodigy!'' He laughed inside his mind, but just two meters from his Pill, the Heavenly Lightning made a sharp turn. "Eh?" Lin Fan''s whole face twitched, he couldn''t understand what was happening. "Huh?" The Elders didn''t blink, they wanted to understand what they were seeing. Aiko glanced towards Mei who had a blank expression and wondered why. Her face suddenly lit up as something approached her. "Huh-!" Aiko got struck by that Heavenly Lightning. "W-what t-the f-fuck?!" She got so electrocuted that she was unable to speak normally. Everyone''s expression changed as the sky rumbled again. "You fucking bastard!" Aiko roared once she recovered. "You are targeting me again!" The sky rumbled as if confirming it. "I haven''t done anything yet! Why are you after me!" Aiko immediately dashed behind the biggest Elder as the Heavenly Lightning started to descend. The Elder shivered. "[Doll Substitution]!" He yelled out as he used his Technique. In his place was now a small wooden doll. "Eh?" Aiko thought that she hid well, but her big meat shield disappeared. Another Heavenly Lightning struck her. "W-why m-e-e-e-e-ee!" Aiko cried out, it looked like she would actually cry. She was concerned about Aiko, but someone was faster than Mei. A bone-chilling cold spread as the sky was cleaved in half. A gentle sigh spread from the familiar seat. "Are you alright?" The Saintess was next to Aiko robbing her of the Heavenly Lightning through Technique. "This should feel better." Ah Cy still sighed, not believing her eyes. ''How could my Disciple choose such a troublemaker.'' Of course, she didn''t have a frowning face, but a face full of smiles. As long as her Disciple suffered, she would grow exponentially stronger than her peers. This would allow Ah Cy to be less concerned about her and be able to focus on her own cultivation! Chapter 394 – Aiko being doted on Chapter 394 ¨C Aiko being doted on The Heavenly Clouds were cut in half and dispersed. Lin Fan would be unable to bless his Pills. Some Elders took issue with this. "I believe since Elder stepped in that we should award Lin Fan with the win." One Elder said trying to sway others, but Ah Cy just rolled her eyes. "Alchemy Peak Elder, do you believe you would be able to protect your Pills against multiple Heavenly Lightnings?" Ah Cy just used the Peak Elder as a shield. The Peak Elder''s lips twitched. She couldn''t believe she was used like this. "No, it would be difficult to protect it past the second strike." The Heavenly Lightning was too thick. It would definitely reduce some of the efficacy of the Pill. "Do you have anything else to say, Elder?" Ah Cy merely glanced at the Elder, trying to make Lin Fan win this mess. That Elder was flustered and didn''t utter a word. "Thought so, it''s better to keep your silence, Elder, lest you look like a fool." Ah Cy sighed. She went back to her seat. The Saintesses swarmed Aiko. They were quite doting on her and the Saints could only turn a blind eye to this. As for Aiko? She was having the time of her life! *Munch* [Level up!] *Munch* [Level up!] The Saintesses used some of their delicious food to feed the small Fox. Mei was slightly upset, but she wouldn''t interfere this time, since the Heavenly Lightning was being a mess again. She merely placed the Pills in front of the referees, not paying much attention to them. The referees looked over, but almost frothed from their mouths. The Jade Fox once again made 11 Perfect Quality Pills. They were left wondering if she was really a prodigy or if her Bloodline was enhancing the effects of the Pills. "Petition to call her Fairy Jade Fox." The Peak Elder of the Alchemy Peak suddenly said, startling the Beasts. "Why would you say that?" One Fox Elder frowned. "I believe you don''t cherish her enough, and while we can''t give her the position of Saintess, this is the least we can do." The Peak Elder shrugged, Saints/Saintesses were reserved for Human Cultivators. That is not to say that the Beast didn''t have their own Saints, but the Human side did not acknowledge them. Mei shrugged. "I don''t really care about that." She then added. "Our team won''t be taking any more challenges, since this whole place turned into a mess." She sighed. The referees nodded. After Lin Fan summoned another Heavenly Lightning, many were trying to recruit him, but that passion quickly died down when the Heavenly Lightning got out of hand. While they had large Sects, no disciple should be allowed to own that land. If they tried to recruit Lin Fan, they would have to bestow upon him a large enough place that the Heavenly Lightning would only target him or his Pills. That is to prevent injuring his fellow Disciples. As such, no Elder was willing to openly invite him. Lin Fan coughed up blood when he heard that. The Jade Fox was supposed to be his companion, but she gained fame and acknowledgement easily. It made him angry and that anger was directed towards the tiny Fox. Unfortunately for him, there were plenty of Saintesses that favoured cute and small things. They also wished to meet the ''big'' Aiko, who had briefly transformed, but they knew that it was impossible, guessing by what the tiny Fox said. They could only give up for the time being, but that didn''t mean they wouldn''t keep Lin Fan in check. They noticed his glare towards the small Fox. Sure, she might have a sharp tongue and injured some disciples, but that was because they used Treasures that they were not supposed to have. All Soul-based Treasures that were found or bestowed upon the disciples would be ''confiscated'' until they reached the Nascent Soul Stage. After they reached that stage, they would then be sent to the Upper Realm of the Mortal World, where they would finish their Cultivation up to the Mahayana Stage. The girls fed the small Fox while Fairy Jade Fox was counting all the Pills and Treasures. ''There are a lot of Pills we can''t use, so it''s better to stash it away.'' Mei went through them. ''There are also Treasures that we can only use in Human Form, since Human Forging Cultivators were not very skilled at their jobs...'' She clicked her tongue. Because Beasts had different physiques, the armour or any kind of clothing Treasure had to be adjusted accordingly. Unfortunately, Human Forging Cultivators were not skilled enough to make that adjustment and would rather focus solely on Human Cultivators. Mei stashed most of the Treasures into her Storage Rings and put them away. Some Elders still approached Lin Fan, but she didn''t care. "Very well, we will bestow the Jade Fox with a new nickname, calling her Fairy Jade Fox." The Fox Elders conceded under the passionate gazes of the Human Elders. Mei didn''t really care about her nickname, since she earned it a long time ago, so it didn''t make her happy or sad. She sat down with her group and waited, there were still some finishing fights until the Tournament was finished, but that was not for her team to care about. They already showed their might and earned resources, all thanks to the small instigator assisting Mei. ... Aiko returned from the ''Saintesses visit''. She was quite a lot rounder than before. "Did you have to eat all of that?" Mei rolled her eyes. *Burp* "Yeah, I will be able to Evolve soon thanks to that, I want a normal body and not this small one." Moon Aiko was smart enough to weasel her big form into the picture, that way nobody would question her why she was suddenly so big. "I can''t get used to the fact you won''t be small any more." Mei sighed, indulging Aiko in her plan. "It will be fiiiine." Aiko shooed her team with her hand, it was obvious that she didn''t really mind, but this was good acting for the Elders around. It also reduced suspicion on their team and neither the Human nor Beast Elders would be able to find fault with them. Mei smiled softly. "What are you up to?" She gently pinched Aiko''s cheek. "Digesting my food." Aiko sat down next to Mei. "Then I will definitely leave this place, since the Tournament is not all that interesting." She shrugged. The Human Elders'' lips twitched, some even grew a few centipedes on their foreheads, but they couldn''t really fault her. She made a mess out of a few Saints, ate a Soul-based Treasure, and her team was likewise demonic. The Elders turned a blind eye towards that team, except for the Fox Elders. "I believe that it is good learni-" One Elder tried to keep the team here, but... "No, skip. We will be leaving once we rest a bit." Moon Aiko ruthlessly cut him off, since she wanted to find a fluffy bed and sleep in it. That would not happen in this place since there were too many eyes on her and she was bothered by that. Mei giggled, followed by the Blood Fox and Twins. It was time to leave this place... ... The short rest was enough for them to recover and one peculiar Fox Elder approached them. "The flying ship is parked in the same place, this is the Jade that verifies your identity so you can enter your room. If there is nothing else you need, you can just ask the gatekeepers to let you go out of the city." The Fox Elder smiled from ear to ear. Thanks to this small group of Foxes, their prestige reached the heavens. "And if you don''t like the furniture, just leave it outside and I will replace it." Another Elder said. Both Elders looked at each other and sudden light flashed between their eyes. They came to a tacit understanding to continue currying favour with this group. It would not hurt them any more, since a lot of Elders not to mention Peak Elders favoured them. Mei received the Jade and nodded gently. "We will do as the Elder arranged." "Now, go go, it will get messier now since there will be a lot of cheering." Both Elders smiled happily that their Fox Village had raised such prodigies! Mei nodded gently before leaving with the group. "It will become less messy now, right?" One Beast asked, but deep down he was unhappy. He wished to see that group fight more. Moreover, he also wished for the Fairy Jade Fox to fight too. He wanted to assess their combat power and teach his Disciples how to destroy them if they met by chance. ''I can''t let them hog all the spotlight!'' Unfortunately for everyone... There was a lot less cheering than they expected. The group of Foxes brought something new and fresh to the Tournament, not to mention that they were highly skilled too! As such, most of that enthusiasm washed over them when they saw those low-level fights. ... Down the mountain where the group was walking along... "The view is nice." Aiko didn''t need to gather more research material, so she finally enjoyed the view properly. "Would you like to have your abode high up the mountains, or down the plains like the current Fox Village?" Mei nudged Aiko. She wanted to nuzzle her, but she would wait for later. "Hmmmmm..." Aiko paused. She didn''t know if she liked mountains or plains more, but mountains have definitely better views. "I suppose I would go for the mountains." She nodded gently. "Why mountains?" Mei asked, giggling to herself. "Better view, fresher air and you can pour water or lava down it and defeat all your enemies." Moon Aiko stated her intentions clearly and Mei stiffened. "Can you not make it all about battles?" Mei sighed. She was a bit frustrated by this side of Aiko. "I mean..." Aiko sighed. "If we are talking about mountains, there will always be a jerk that tries to cut them down." She was referring to the story that she read days ago. "Oh..." Mei nodded. "But it''s unlikely that you will find this kind of mountain and have it not be occupied by a large Sect." She shook her head trying to dissuade Aiko from those kinds of plans. "Do you truly believe I can''t find anything like that?" Aiko narrowed her eyes and her ears twitched. She was a lot more used to her current Moon Form, so she was more expressive than before. "In the Lower Realm of the Mortal World? I doubt it. In the Upper Realm of the Mortal World? It''s possible. In the Immortal World 3rd Layer? Definitely." Mei nodded gently. "Too many worlds, realms, and layers." Aiko shook her head. "True... It''s difficult to navigate between them." Mei sighed softly. She disliked this too, but there was nothing she would be able to do about it. Chapter 395 – Goodbye to her cook Mei and Aiko arrived in the cave city and walked around for a bit. It was quite deserted and most shops didn''t work since everyone was watching the Tournament, or at least all large Sects. This allowed their group to go around unnoticed. ... "Awww, will you be leaving now?" Ming Xiuying pouted. "The Tournament didn''t even end!" "We were not allowed to participate, since Aiko liked the story on those large doors too much." Mei sighed. Old Ming narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying she got the inheritance?" He clicked his tongue. "I will arrange it, so no information will leak." He was there only for the first day, so he was unaware of the situation and what happened later. He would rather spend his time with his love than listen to stories. "Thank you." Mei smiled happily. "Don''t mention it, I''m pretty much your slave now, since you have helped my Xiuying greatly." Old Ming shook his head. "We will meet at the main continent later." Mei suddenly said. "I see..." Old Ming nodded. "If I keep this job for longer, I can then make use of the connections to leave this place with Xiuying without lifting my finger." He was quick on the uptake. "Awwww." Ming Xiuying was still sulking. She would miss her new friend Mei and the cuties that came as a complete package. "We will meet again." Mei chuckled. "That''s too late! I want to see you grow more!" Ming Xiuying protested. This changed her to almost a complete sweetheart and she wanted to know where Mei would be going further. Mei sighed softly. "It''s so like you, you loved getting into others'' business so that you could observe them or grope them." She shook her head. "Grope them?" Old Ming sharpened his ears as he whispered this part. "I was not that bad! Especially not as bad as you! Demonic Experimenter!" Ming Xiuying pouted. "Demonic Experimenter?" This time Aiko sharpened her ears. She didn''t know about this side of Mei. They both suddenly awkwardly coughed. ""I will miss you. Let''s play again later~!"" They said in sync as they giggled with joy. ... "Do we have everything?" Aiko asked Mei who was finishing her business with the couple. "I think so, I should have everything now, but I also might be missing some things." Mei shrugged like she didn''t mind forgetting something. "If you forget something, I will stay inside the flying ship." Aiko proclaimed. Mei clicked her tongue. "Would it kill you to go with me?" "Yes." Aiko replied flatly. "All I want to do is lie down on a bed. I have socialised enough for the next few years." She shrugged seeing Mei''s glare. "You are really a sloth." Mei sighed. "Better than a Demonic Experimenter." Aiko teased. "You-! Just you wait when we arrive inside the ship-" Mei glared at her, but Aiko finished her sentence for her. "I will transform into my Nightmare Form and tease you, don''t worry." Aiko had a playful expression. Mei clicked her lips, Moon Aiko was getting more and more daring as time went on! This wouldn''t do! "I have more plans than just that." Mei smirked, trying to unsettle Aiko with her acting. Aiko blankly blinked. "Sure, let''s just go, I can hear them going down the mountain." "Really?" Mei perked her ears, which she rarely does. "No, but I don''t want to meet them." Aiko made a teasing gesture and Mei ''glared'' at her. "Should I escort you?" Old Ming suddenly asked and Aiko''s eyes lit up. "I forgot that you are the perfect transportation treasure." Aiko smugly nudged Mei. Mei rolled her eyes. "If that won''t take too much of your energy." She would concede this time to Aiko. "I don''t mind." Old Ming shrugged, it was just about creating a space rift near the flying ships and letting them go through it with him. "Bye~!" Aiko waved at Ming Xiuying before nudging Grandpa Ming. ... They got kicked out of that space, since too many flying ships distorted the space element around. "Didn''t think it would be so unstable, my apologies." Old Ming ruffled his hair in frustration. "That is fine, but you should practise more for later." Mei shook her head. She didn''t mind this kind of transportation as long as it didn''t endanger their lives. "What will you do from now on?" Old Ming suddenly asked. "I noticed that Aiko still has an unstable Beast Rank, so we will have to help her finish that so that she doesn''t attract Heavenly Lightning like a fly." Mei proclaimed. "Huh? Is it because of that?" Aiko blinked speechlessly. "Yeah. There was not enough Heavenly Lightning in the Secret Realm so the Mortal Heavens deemed you unfit for your current stage and are trying to test you to finish this." Mei explained. ''Oh, I will have to Evolve one more time then.'' Aiko nodded. "Does that mean it will be as devastating Evolution as before?" "No, it''s just the ''finishing touch'' that needs to be done." Mei shook her head. "If you Evolve inside the Fox Village this time, it will completely rid us of any suspicion." She added. "Because my Evolution won''t be as chaotic, so they will be unable to place it on our heads." Aiko nodded, understanding Mei''s intentions. "As for me..." Mei paused. "I suppose I will keep practising and going through all the resources we acquired and sell some later, maybe." She didn''t really have any grand plan and she could not say that she would be going to war with the Old Elders, since there might be some spies. Mei didn''t care if the Old Elders knew that Aiko Evolved inside the Secret Realm, since it would make them more wary about their group. This in turn would make everything safer since they would not openly antagonise them like they did previously. ''Mystic Fox...'' Mei was wary about that variable, since she knew about Mei''s origin, or at least something about it. "Very well, if you need to sell anything I can be your middleman." Old Ming chuckled before waving goodbye. "Aaand he is gone." Aiko sighed, her portable meat cooker had just disappeared. "We will meet again." Mei chuckled. "If you have any Treasures that you don''t need, we can sell them through him." "I have plenty of loot, but what I was thinking was... how about we recycle those Treasures and take those precious materials?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "That would be difficult, once you fuse metals and other resources together, it''s exceptionally hard to separate them." Mei shook her head. "Even with ''that''?" Aiko smirked. She already let Fang Jia have that Technique, so it should be good enough to get more information about it. And if others tattle on her? ''I can just wipe them off, no?'' Aiko tilted her head, not understanding the gravity of the situation. Mei rolled her eyes, but then abruptly paused. ''It might be possible?'' She raised her eyebrow. Technically speaking, the Cauldron Aiko was talking about had a lot of ''chambers'', so one of them could be for that, but if that was the case... ''We don''t have enough resources to buy Treasures and re-smelt them.'' Mei clicked her tongue. "Keep experimenting and tell me if it''s possible." Mei nodded gently. "Ay ay!" Aiko ran towards the flying ship. Mei chuckled before following with the team. ... "Phew..." The big Aiko plopped head-first onto the bed. It was so nice to be big again that she didn''t mind her overly small and tight clothing. Mei''s lips twitched. If she didn''t need to sort out her Herbs and look over this room, she would definitely pounce on her. The Blood Fox stepped forward and with swift and fluid movements redressed Aiko. Mei was shocked that the Blood Fox didn''t even need to move Aiko in order to redress her. "How did you do that?" "Trade Secret." The Blood Fox had a mischievous smile. "Don''t tell me you used your intellect in order to come up with a Technique?" Mei frowned. The Blood Fox shrugged, confirming Mei''s suspicion. "Seriously, you-" Mei sighed, but didn''t press on. "What can I do when Aiko is so cute." The Blood Fox shrugged again, but her intentions were to win over Aiko completely. "Good luck with that." Mei rolled her eyes. She didn''t believe that Aiko would be keen on having the Blood Fox around. Yet a few moments later, she regretted those thoughts. "Mmm." A sweet and captivating moan escaped Aiko''s lips. "A bit lower." The Blood Fox was using her old technique to massage Aiko. Mei''s face twitched. She couldn''t believe that the Blood Fox was this shameless! A few minutes later, Aiko was put to sleep, which disrupted Mei''s plans. "You-" Mei was completely speechless that the Blood Fox was able to achieve something like this. The Blood fox shrugged again. "It''s still an incomplete technique." The Twins were a lot more insensitive than Aiko, so it was easier to not put them to sleep and make them horny. Mei vowed to keep the Blood Fox far away from her, so that Aiko wouldn''t grow dependent on this luxury! It has nothing to do with Mei being jealous, nothing, you hear me! The Twins nudged the sleeping Aiko. "Whoa..." They couldn''t understand why Aiko was able to sleep so peacefully after having the Blood Fox''s hands on her. "Vixen." Mei clicked her tongue and sorted her Herbs while sulking. ... Aiko stretched her body, but she had hands wrapped around her waist. Mei was sleeping peacefully behind her, while the rest of the team made a big pile with their bodies. ''The Twins are more attached to the Blood Fox now.'' Aiko observed. "Awake?" Mei yawned unhappily. She kept sorting until almost morning, while Aiko slept peacefully through all of it. "Yeah, it was a nice rest, but I will continue later." Aiko had a few plans to do inside her mind. She needed to visit Fang Jia to progress her Cauldron and... ''I wonder if I can get more pets?'' Aiko was reminded of the first village and wondered how they were faring. ''I will probably have to take some missions too.'' She groaned unhappily. Those missions took too much time out of her day, but if there was a mission that would lead her to Fang Jia or that village? ''It should be possible, right?'' Aiko didn''t believe that those stacks of missions wouldn''t contain something like that! Chapter 396 – Face to face ?? Aiko was sprawled on the bed as Mei had something to do outside. The Twins hogged the right and left side of Aiko since they didn''t have anything better to do. They observed how Aiko''s slender fingers traced the Runes and created different ones in their place. Soon both Yuxi and Wanshu placed one of their hands on Aiko''s back, making her pause. "Is something wrong?" Aiko glanced at them. "We were wondering what you were creating." Yuxi was the first one to talk, since it seemed like she was the leader, even though Wanshu was more ''proactive''. "I''m thinking of making a portable massager. The Massage Chair is good and all, but it''s troublesome to move around and could be confiscated easily." Aiko explained. Yuxi gently caressed Aiko''s back, enjoying the sensation of both the silk and her well-shaped tails. "The problem with that is that it can''t be as elaborate as the Massage Chair, as it would be bad if someone stole it, another thing would be the cost. The Massage Chair is ''low'' in cost because I don''t have to really use expensive Inscription Ink, but everything would change with the portable massager." Aiko sighed. "If I don''t use expensive Inscription Ink, then it will just vaporise right away." Yuxi traced Aiko''s tails as she nuzzled her body close to her. She confiscated one side of Aiko just for herself. Wanshu did a similar thing, but she wasn''t brave enough to nuzzle too close. "There is so much work to do." Yuxi''s eyes spun as she was not used to that amount of knowledge being used at once. "You are incredible." "These are the basics." Aiko replied flatly to Yuxi''s praise, making her pout. Yuxi didn''t like that so she nuzzled Aiko''s face. "What?" Aiko was confused as Yuxi rubbed her cheeks against hers. Yuxi kept nuzzling Aiko until she let go of her pen and then they jumped her and nuzzled her properly. The Twins were more connected than one could expect. The reason they loved to mingle even more than before was because they shared their senses. At first that kind of sharing was faint, but the more they grew closer, the bigger the sensation became. It got to the point where the Twins would know when the other touched themselves and it drove them crazy from pleasure. The next instance was when the Blood Fox was giving them a massage. Their tolerance was different, so it was a nice and sensual feeling. Then what might be the next step? ''''What if we include 3rd person in our mingling?'''' They thought that it was a good idea to do that, but the Blood Fox was too mischievous and Mei was too scary. The only one left was Aiko, who didn''t really have any drive, but they believed that it would be fixed over time, especially since both Mei and the Blood Fox were on the offensive. The group of 3 Foxes giggled as they tickled each other. That was until Mei came and grabbed the duo. "Aiko is trying to work, so get a room before she is finished." And unceremoniously kicked the Twins out of the room. "What? Feeling sad?" Mei put her hands on her hips. "Hmpf." Moon Aiko pouted. She didn''t dislike that kind of playful playing, Mei was more intimidating when it came to that. Mei shook her head and came close to Aiko. "What?" Aiko went immediately on guard. Mei sat down near Aiko on the bed as Aiko took her tail and covered the front and sides of her body. "Am I that scary?" Mei felt a bit hurt by Aiko''s actions. "A bit." Aiko confessed. "What exactly is scary?" Mei wanted to change, so that Moon Aiko liked her more. "Your forcefulness." Moon Aiko was hesitant whenever Mei got too close, since she could still remember how forceful she could be. "Hmmmmm..." Mei didn''t really think her actions were all that forceful, but those were just her feelings and not Aiko''s. "Then what should I do?" Mei lay next to Aiko, which relaxed her greatly. Both of them felt better next to each other, partly because they shared Karma, but also because they more or less knew what to expect from each other. Aiko didn''t like Mei''s forceful nature, but she understood that if Mei wanted to survive, it was natural she would develop like that. Mei didn''t like Aiko''s reserved nature when her other form was pretty much a sexy Fox seducing everyone, but she understood that she should separate the two of them until Aiko''s mind joined together. Mei kept talking slowly with Aiko while gently caressing her tails. It seemed that Aiko relaxed greatly around Mei. Mei took a soft brush and Aiko let her have one of her tails. ''They are messy once again.'' Mei narrowed her eyes, it was time for Aiko to take care more of her tails. ''Or maybe I should teach her Technique that limits the filth?'' She pondered on it, but couldn''t come to a conclusion. It was fine to use that Technique, but Mei worried that Aiko would rely on it too much. Aiko let go of her tails, since Mei was no longer a threat to her. She also seemed taken aback by the previous conversation, but now Mei was calm and collected. Mei was happily brushing Aiko''s tails and letting her observe what she would do next. That way Aiko would be able to run away if she didn''t like something. Mei noticed how relaxed Aiko was and closed the distance between them. It slightly alarmed Aiko and her larger eyes trained on Mei warily. Mei didn''t do anything for a while so Aiko relaxed again. ''Slow and steady, huh?'' Mei was collected, since she was used to refining Herbs and now that she kicked the Twins out of the room there was no need to hurry. She gently caressed Aiko''s hand and she withdrew it. "You are really ticklish." Mei gently nudged Aiko. Moon Aiko blushed slightly. She didn''t like those tender eyes that Mei was making, it made her feel strange. Mei slowly pursued Aiko''s hand which was trying to run away from her. Eventually, Mei caught up to Aiko and slowly caressed her hand again. She could feel the heat radiating from her even when Aiko was more attuned to Yin in this form. Aiko tried to keep a relaxed front, but she could hear her heart beating inside her ears. She didn''t like that at all. Soon Mei intertwined her fingers with Aiko, but Aiko withdrew her hand. Mei didn''t mind it as she gently caressed Aiko''s palm. Aiko pursed her lips. "It''s nice, isn''t it?" Mei smiled tenderly. "I-I suppose." Aiko didn''t know how to react to this different Mei. Mei drew closer, but for some reason, Aiko didn''t mind it. The other hand approached Aiko''s side, making her stare at the hand and what it would do. The hand stopped at her side and gently grabbed it, squeezing it. Aiko felt a ticklish sensation, like she was not used to the touch. Mei grabbed Aiko''s hand with her right hand and intertwined their fingers. Aiko observed Mei close, slightly on guard, but she didn''t stop her just yet. Mei''s left hand traced Aiko''s waist as she slowly moved Aiko closer to her. Aiko was adjusting her eyes from her intertwined hand to Mei''s expression, trying to find anything wrong with them so that she could run away. Mei just had a tender expression, but there was also a trace of uneasiness and uncertainty, which puzzled Aiko. Aiko never saw those emotions coming from Mei when she was doing these things before. Their bodies meet, but nothing happens, other than the transfer of their heat. Aiko was close to Mei''s face, but she didn''t come any closer. This was in stark contrast to what Aiko was used to and to what Nightmare Aiko might like, but Moon Aiko was quite happy with how it went so far. Mei''s hand traced Aiko''s back, making them breathe in unison, their stomachs, and bosoms met, yet their legs were far apart from each other. Mei didn''t want to scare Aiko, so she left her plenty of room for escape. She let go of Aiko''s hand and gently caressed her cheek. Aiko felt quite nice, so she closed her eyes. Mei kept going like this for a bit, before getting closer to Aiko''s lips. Aiko''s closed eyes made her more sensitive and she could feel Mei''s breath getting closer. Aiko''s breath stilled with a bit of fear. Yet their lips only briefly met. Aiko could feel a strange sensation on her lips, but it didn''t feel as scary as before. Slowly opening her eyes she could see Mei''s doting expression mixed with a tinge of fear. They observed each other''s emotions, slowly getting used to it. Mei''s hand slowly moved towards Aiko''s human ears. She understood that going after anything else would scare her. Aiko''s left eye closed as Mei played with her left ear. Mei''s left hand was occupied by holding Aiko''s exceptionally slender waist. A small wet click spread from Aiko''s lips as Mei approached again. Their soft and sweet lips met softly and briefly before parting again. The fear in both of them lessened each movement, but neither of them wanted to rush things. Aiko breathed out as she glanced at Mei''s soft, sweet lips. Mei came closer to Aiko''s lips again and they kissed softly, testing the waters. One kiss after another, they get more used to this sensation, attention, and affection. They didn''t go for full-blown make out just yet, as they were savouring their time with each other and without disturbances. Mei had a really hard time not to push Aiko down, but she respected the boundaries and attentively kissed Aiko. Once Aiko got more used to it, Mei kissed her cheek and then her eyelid, making her giggle from the ticklish sensation. Aiko placed her hand on Mei''s hip and gently traced it. She was not even aware she was doing that, but it greatly pleased Mei. Mei played with Aiko like this for a bit, making her more and more relaxed. Soon after, Mei paused. "How do you feel?" "You are strange, but I don''t dislike it." Aiko was open about this. She was worried that Mei would be more forceful, but so far she enjoyed it greatly. Mei pursed her lips as she let Aiko mount her body... Chapter 397 – Mei’s Affection ?? "Kya!" Moon Aiko squealed as she didn''t expect it. Her ears twitched and her eyes darted around. "You wouldn''t try to escape now, would you?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "N-no?" Aiko looked away like she was not definitely planning to do just that. Mei grabbed Aiko''s hips and gently squeezed them. "W-what?" Aiko''s eyes darted around. "You are supposed to lay on me." Mei chuckled mischievously. Aiko looked away, unsure what Mei was planning, but her thoughts were interrupted by a sensation between her legs. "Mrrr." Aiko stifled a moan as Mei used her leg to tease her. "Lie down or I will continue." Mei giggled mischievously. Aiko pouted and once she lowered her body, Mei grabbed her two cheeks and moved her slightly higher. They were now face to face. "I''m not going to do anything any more." Mei smiled. ''Mostly, if you take too much time I will take the reins again.'' She licked her lips. Moon Aiko was never really interested in this kind of thing, so she was unsure how to do things. It was not that she was not aroused, but she was afraid of where this would lead them. Aiko clumsily grabbed Mei''s chest and kneaded it. "What are you a cat?" Mei giggled happily. Aiko''s ears and tails stood straight, clearly offended by that remark. "I''m just teasing you." Mei nuzzled Aiko before they sat down. Part of Aiko''s clothing got misplaced, revealing part of her shoulders and bosom. ''Smaller and nicer.'' Mei liked this type of body more than the other Aiko''s. ''Since she is not very active.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She slid her hands across Aiko''s left bosom, making her shiver slightly. Both Mei and Aiko observed each other, but only Aiko had half-closed eyes. Mei was looking for those perky cherries that Aiko was trying to hide with those silky bandages. Once Mei found them, she circled them, making Aiko stifle another moan. Her hands were as clumsy as Aiko''s, but she was very passionate and attentive, which more than made up for her lack of experience. She was great at teasing, since she would always tease her boy toy, but when it came to the end deal, there were none... Mei nuzzled Aiko''s bosom, making her yelp in surprise. "W-what are you doing?" Aiko didn''t really understand why both Mei and Nightmare Aiko liked to nuzzle them. It was not like they were any softer than other parts of Mei''s body, moreover, it was harder to keep them in place as they would spill all over the place, making them less comfortable to sleep on. Mei looked up and sealed Aiko''s lips with a mischievous smile. She didn''t use her tongue or force all too much. She just exchanged a few light, tender kisses with Aiko. Mei loosened Aiko''s belt which mostly held her clothes in place. Aiko partially stopped Mei, but because of her movement, part of her dress got loose and revealed her bosom completely. It was still covered by bandages, but it still made Aiko shy. She shifted her body, but that caused her flower to be rubbed by Mei''s legs. She winced with a moan and Mei used this situation to pull down the bandages. The bounce was not as impressive as one might hope, but Mei was more than satisfied with this. Mei once again smothered her face with Aiko''s bosom. She could feel Aiko''s tails darting around frantically, which distracted her slightly, but she would not tie them down for the time being. Mei gently kissed Aiko''s inner breast, making her shiver from the sensation as it spread through her body. Aiko was looking at Mei, who was acting like a mischievous child playing with their favourite toy. "Ah!" Aiko was startled when she was playfully bit and licked by her. Mei was savouring the soft sensation that she never felt before, she even felt that her body was lacking now, reigniting the passion in her body. She nibbled and licked, not approaching Aiko''s now perky nipples. One hand was tied by Aiko who was squeezing it tightly, while the other hand held her waist so that she wouldn''t fall over. It didn''t seem like Aiko wanted to run away, but Mei was still worried that she might do something Aiko disliked. She took her time teasing her inner chest, only slowly moving outwards towards those delicious cherries. Aiko was stifling her moans, probably due to embarrassment or worry that others might hear. "This place is soundproof, I made sure of it. The doors are also locked and sealed, so nobody could barge inside." As if reading Aiko''s mind, Mei explained her current situation. Aiko blushed deep red, not expecting this. ''Could I even escape if Mei sealed the doors? Making holes in the wall?'' She was momentarily distracted, which allowed Mei to lick her sensitive nipples. "Ah!" Startled Aiko let out a sweet moan which aroused Mei even more. It was more of an innocent moan rather than bewitching, but Mei liked it nonetheless. She gently circled Aiko''s nipple with her tongue, making her shiver from the sensation. Soon after, Mei kissed the cherry before sucking it in. Aiko felt a strange sensation, but she didn''t dislike it. She allowed Mei to play a bit more, but she still kept holding her hand as it reassured her that Mei would try anything bad. Mei liked Aiko''s expression more. Her eyes were closed and she was moaning softly through her lips, slowly getting into the rhythm of their hearts'' heartbeat. Feeling the heat coming from Aiko, she knew more than anyone that Aiko was horny. "How about wrapping your hands around my neck?" Mei suggested, since she wanted to use her right hand. Aiko hesitated for a moment. "Just so you know, if you try to bully me, Nightmare Aiko will deal with you." She pouted unhappily. Mei giggled. "Let''s do that." She took her other hand on Aiko''s other nipple and gently traced around it. Aiko moaned from the sensation, which made her happy. Mei moved her lips to the middle of Aiko''s bosom and gently kissed her. Her other hand, which was not supporting Aiko''s waist, was slowly moving down. Aiko felt that sensation and her waist squirmed. Mei found it cute and slowly caressed her stomach before moving lower and lower. Mei''s hand met Aiko''s honey pot. Even through the silky bandages, she could feel Aiko''s pulsing pussy. She was amused by this fact, that Aiko was not as innocent as she appeared, but she might''ve been a hungry beast lying in wait. Mei ran her hand down Aiko''s lips, making her lower body squirm. Aiko''s wrapped hands also tightened, making Mei cuddle Aiko''s bosom. Thanks to that nice squeeze, Mei had the full course in her face. Mei mischievously flicked Aiko''s special little bean, which sent lightning through her body and her body twitched violently. Mei didn''t expect this and soothed Aiko for a bit before she calmed down. ''Overdid it...'' Mei pursed her lips. ''Flicking would be saved for last.'' She smothered her face with Aiko''s bosom and gently kissed it. Aiko squirmed again as Mei slowly rubbed her little flower. It was slow and rhythmic motion, which aroused both of them. Aiko was now enjoying the sensation and let Mei do her thing. That didn''t stop Mei from closely observing Aiko, since she was still worried about her. She caressed Aiko''s pussy until she felt that inviting pulsation again, but Mei didn''t take it just yet. She used her fingers, nails, and lips to make Aiko moan even more sweetly. By the loudness of her voice, it was obvious that she was approaching climax. Mei didn''t stop even when Aiko squeezed her face tightly and kept going. Rubbing, caressing, until an explosion happened. Aiko was using even more strength now as her whole body shook before falling down. She had reached an explosive orgasm that shook both her body and mind. Mei slowly lowered Aiko, so that she could recover. That however, didn''t stop her from kissing Aiko softly. This time Aiko was more inviting for Mei, so they exchanged their tongues in a soft and wet embrace as they danced and whirled together. Both their bodies were hot and Aiko''s pulsing pussy was especially inviting. Mei Slowly lowered Aiko onto the bed, where their bodies met in a scorching embrace. Mei''s leg gently brushed between Aiko''s legs and she did the same. "Oh? Mischievous aren''t we?" Mei giggled. Aiko pouted away, but still used her leg the same way Mei did. Mei let out a delicious moan, similar to Aiko. Their bodies kept heating up. "Aren''t you a little too hungry?" Mei raised her eyebrow, she expected Aiko to last, but she didn''t expect her to recover so quickly. That made Aiko pout even more and she playfully bit Mei''s neck. Mei moaned unrestrained, since she believed in her abilities to soundproof this room. Yet, she failed to notice that two pairs of curious eyes were watching them with wet anticipation... Mei embraced Aiko as she did the same. They kissed for a long time while their legs teased each other. Mei traced Aiko''s body once again. It was more gorgeous than any Immortal that she ever came across. Her hand lowered to Aiko''s lower lips, gently squeezing them. Aiko squirmed again as she tried to play with Mei''s bosom. Mei was ready and Aiko was as inviting as it could get, her lower lips were practically begging for it. Mei approached the secret place that had never been visited by anyone before. While Foxes didn''t have the concept of virginity, it still aroused Mei that she was the first one. She gently pushed the bandages around startling Aiko. "I will be gentle." Mei softly kissed Aiko''s face. *Bang Bang Bang* A vein manifested in all its glory on Mei''s face. "Mei, you need to go outside, the Elders are no longer waiting and trying to barge in!" It was the voice of Blood Fox. Aiko blinked innocently at Mei, who had an incredibly sinister and evil expression. She tried to ignore it, but... "Fairy Jade Fox, we need to talk!" The Elder''s voice almost shattered their eardrums. Aiko blinked again and let Mei decide what to do. This situation pretty much cooled both of them down and it felt like Mei was ready for war with that expression... Chapter 398 – Aiko’s Might Mei fixed her clothes before storming outside. "Fairy- AGH! MY HAIR LET GO OF MY HAIR! NOOOO, MY EARS! MY FLUFFY EARS!" Aiko blinked towards the doors, it seemed like Mei was going wild, so Aiko patched up her clothing. Suddenly something jumped on her full of curiosity. "How was it, how was it?" Yuxi kept pestering Aiko for an answer. "Feels nice right?" Wanshu smirked at Aiko for her dislike of intimacy. Aiko''s fur changed to black and she tackled both of them. "Just you wait! I will make the greatest massage tool and make a mess out of you!" Nightmare Aiko pouted before leaving the room. The Twins gulped as it didn''t feel like they got the losing end of the deal. ''What do you think?'' Wanshu asked Yuxi. ''Don''t ask me, Aiko can be scary.'' Yuxi was scared, but also excited about what Aiko might come up with. ''True.'' Wanshu nodded and stopped their thought conversation. ... Aiko walked outside, but it was quite an impressive mess. Pieces of hair and fur lay all around her, the whole room was a mess like two cats were chasing each other, but only one was losing its fur. The furniture was scratched and destroyed, yet it didn''t even take Aiko a minute to get out of the room. What in the world happened?! Aiko suddenly paused. ''To begin with, how did the Twins manage to get inside?'' That was an important part for Aiko. ''Why didn''t they join us...'' She pouted slightly before walking outside with fixed clothing. The outside was an even bigger mess. Swords were lying on the ground and more fur was scattered around. There were even patches of blood here and there. *Boom* Aiko jumped at that sound with a tremor. "Surely Mei isn''t tearing down this place, right?" Aiko suddenly shivered. *Boom* "Surely not..." Aiko''s expression changed to a distressed one. *Boom* "Gosh, Jade Fox, what are you doing?!" Aiko yelled, but in return, she only got- *Boom* Yet, it seemed like Mei had enough and was purging the bastards that interrupted her. ''I wonder what those Elders wanted.'' Aiko tilted her head as she walked through the flying ship. She was not really looking forward to what Mei was doing, so she was taking her time with it. ... Eventually, she managed to walk outside. There was even more mess around and some kind of messenger was waiting on the sideline shivering from fear. "What''s wrong?" Aiko approached him. "Are you Vicious Cub?" The messenger sobbed, trying to run away, but he couldn''t since there was still a message to deliver. "Oh, do you have something for me?" Aiko tilted her head. ''Is she really a Vicious Cub? Isn''t she a bit too big?'' The messenger was confused, but the Energy signature would not lie. Aiko was still in her adult form, since she didn''t bother changing into her small form. "Please place your hand here to register the delivery." The messenger sobbed. It seemed like another fraud was trying to rob him. The stone block that Aiko placed her hand on glowed slightly, confirming that she was the recipient. The messenger''s eyes bulged and he alternated between the stone block and the Vicious Cub. "What?" Aiko tilted her head. Her clothes were a peg smaller, so certain parts of her body were outlined really well. The messenger coughed awkwardly. "Nothing. Here is the message, and I have already confirmed your authenticity. That will be all, bye!" He gave the Vicious Cubs all the things that she needed before running away. He didn''t want to deal with this, especially since a certain scary Fox was walking around pulling out everyone''s hair! Aiko tilted her head as he ran away. ''Is he shy?'' She knew that her clothes were slightly smaller, but this overreaction was a bit abnormal. Aiko took the small Jade and read through it. Her body froze in place, these were not good news. ''Lady Liu passed out...'' Aiko sighed. She felt like it was just yesterday that Lady Liu taught her. ''Although she would scold me for how I look now.'' Aiko giggled to herself. Reading more of the message, she raised her eyebrow. ''You tried to keep Lady Liu''s Soul so that she wouldn''t disappear, but failed miserably? That''s obvious, Lady Liu can''t be kept that easily...'' Aiko nodded to herself, but from the corner of her eyes, she noticed something. ''Eh? Isn''t that Lady Liu?'' Aiko felt like that Ghost was familiar. ''Lady Liu might visit you, so I beg you to help her however you can. I have failed to subdue the Heavens, but we can''t let her go up and suffer for thousands of years!'' Aiko sighed. ''So much work to do.'' She smacked her lips as her tails smacked the deck. ''Are you Lady Liu?'' Aiko mouthed her thoughts to the Ghost. The Ghost smiled gently. Aiko was genuinely shocked. Lady Liu was this reserved, graceful lady, yet that Ghost was wearing sexy and glamorous clothing, with phoenix hair pins and other hair accessories. She was the complete opposite of Lady Liu, outside of the attractive face and the way she behaved. [#### Eyes] Aiko''s [#### Eyes] involuntarily activated, revealing the hidden chains that were strapped all around her body, trying to choke her and pull her towards the sky. Aiko was puzzled, but her mind was certainly not blank. There was this nagging feeling that if she could break at least one of those chains, it would make her incredibly happy. The strange thing was that the happiness didn''t come from easing Lady Liu''s situation, but from the breaking itself. Good/Evil: ??? Aiko smiled from ear to ear, but it was not her usual smile. There was something nagging in her mind and she didn''t really reject it. Her tails also changed into [Little Nightmares], but their form was likewise different, more sinister. ''Don''t try to fight this.'' Lady Liu mouthed her thoughts, but Aiko was too excited about those chains... *Boom* The place where Aiko shot out from crumbled, like it was devoured by something. Not only that, but the Qi inside the Ink and other instruments completely vanished, as if fearing her presence. Aiko was a little devil who approached a beautiful princess, yet neither of them was scared. Lady Liu was shocked more than anything. She didn''t expect that one of her pupils would have ''THAT'' Origin. Lady Liu wondered how far Aiko would be able to go, with the whole Immortal World going against her. ''You should live happily.'' Lady Liu smiled, feeling the pull of the chains. ''It''s been a while since we were able to do this.'' ''Tell me about it, it''s exciting~!'' ''You two should focus, it''s been a while since we could inflict damage on the Immortal World.'' ''Hold your horses and don''t completely destroy the Immortal World, we need our Princess to enjoy it. Only after it''s useless to our Princess can we destroy it.'' ''But nobody said we can''t deal damage to the Heavenly Dao.'' The Tails talked excitedly between each other, sending a shiver down Lady Liu''s back. She couldn''t believe that ''those'' guys were able to escape their confinement. It felt like history was writing in front of her. [Jaws of ####] The whole world darkened as immeasurable force descended. Aiko had her Lantern out, so that she could store Lady Liu inside it. As such, the distance was short and only paid 10 million Vitality. Everyone noticed something wrong with the world as a huge eye appeared up in the sky as if someone called it here. The [Little Nightmares] rushed at the chains, trying to buy time for the big eye to do something. Lady Liu no longer felt any pull from those chains, but that didn''t mean she was not scared. The eye above her could see through her Essence and Origin, yet it didn''t try to harm her. She gulped nervously as the surrounding space tore open and uncountable rows of white teeth chattered at them. "Munch Munch!" Aiko pointed towards those chains. "Munch." She then pointed at Lady Liu and made an extravagant X with her arms. This made Lady Liu chuckle and thousands of tiny eyes trained on her, making her sweat. The uncountable rows of teeth immediately bit into the chains. One would expect that those chains would be nearly indestructible, since they were able to bypass both Immortal World and Mortal World barriers AND violate the basic Laws. Yet those same chains were just crunchy candies in front of those rows of teeth, they offered no resistance against it. The severance was quick and painless for Lady Liu, but the same could not be said for the guys on the other side... Not only did they lose the Great Dao Numinous Treasure and a piece of their Soul, but also their main target. The Darkness swallowed Lady Liu, and Aiko checked her lamp. [100 Ghost Parade Lamp(Slightly Damaged)(Reworked)] [Ghosts: 3/5] [Ghosts: Liu Zhi''s Sister, Slave 1, Lady Liu] ----- Mei tore the hair from one Fox Elder before moving to another. She would make them all go bald and destroy their Treasures for their transgression! She was destroying the flying ship by accident, since it took a lot of energy to make the Treasures blow up. Suddenly the whole place darkened and Mei''s body shivered. Not just her, but everyone could feel the pressure of something that shouldn''t exist in the Mortal World. Mei quickly looked outside. Aiko was in front of Ghost, doing something. Her Tails were even more fiendish than before. ''It''s really ''THAT'' Origin...'' Mei leaned against the wall. It would be impossible to go outside until Aiko calmed them down. They were the harbingers of destruction and those that swallowed worlds like candies... The world around Aiko collapsed as Darkness swallowed the both of them. Mei was not as worried, because she felt that connection with Aiko and it was not severed or changed, so she just had to wait it out. ... The Darkness subsided and Mei went outside. Just because she had that connection didn''t mean her worry was completely gone and she would rather check on Aiko herself. She approached the deck as Aiko stumbled down. She looked clearly tired, not exhausted. Her form was small, and she was holding a Lantern. Mei knew about that Lantern, but never really cared about it, since there were more powerful Treasures in the outside World. She approached Aiko slowly, picking her up gently. Aiko''s tails scared her Soul a lot, but this was still Aiko and she would not hurt her, or at least that''s what Mei believed. She transported Aiko to their room as the Darkness slowly subsided. It seemed Aiko got more and more tired over time, so Mei would place her on the bed and let her rest properly before asking questions... Chapter 399 – Aiko the headache maniac Aiko fell asleep for quite some time. Mei was worried about her, since they even departed while Aiko was still sleeping. It took her about half a month to wake up from her slumber. Aiko groaned unhappily as she stretched her large body. "How are you feeling?" The Twins immediately swarmed her as the Blood Fox watched from the side. Mei was currently outside, still ripping into the Elders for disrupting her, so she was not around. Aiko groaned again and looked around. "Tired, cranky, lemme sleep some more." She wanted to lie back into the bed and steal their tails, so that she could sleep properly. "Aiko, you have already slept for almost a month." The Blood Fox nudged Aiko. Aiko''s eyes opened, trying to figure out if the Blood Fox was joking or not. "Seriously?" Aiko blinked at her. "Seriously." The Blood Fox nodded seriously back. "What-?" Aiko was left speechless as the Twins tackled her. "Aiko is back~" Yuxi hummed as she nuzzled her. It was great to watch them during the process and it also bothered the Twins greatly. They wanted to join, but they also felt like Mei would be mean to them if they did. Aiko didn''t mind their attention since she was in her Nightmare Form. She tried to recount the events and pulled out the Lantern. Aiko knocked at it, but there was a barrier set up that protected it. She was unfamiliar with that barrier, but since it had her Energy, she didn''t mind it. She would figure out the gist of it later once she went inside to greet Lady Liu. ''I wonder what Lady Liu is doing~'' Aiko hummed happily. ----- "S-Sis?! What are you doing here?" Liu Zhi''s sister gasped at the sudden appearance of her sister. Lady Liu blankly looked around. She was missing a lot of Ghost Qi, but this place was pretty much flooded by it. "You can''t talk." Liu Ru sighed. "Gather some Ghost Qi from here, since we won''t be able to consume it anyway." Liu Ru instructed her Sis. Former Lady Liu nodded. She wore the Empress garb now and her majestic energy could not be concealed any more. ''I didn''t think I would see her like this again.'' Liu Ru''s eyes shined at her sis. Liu Zhi was greatly bothered by the shining eyes, but she also noticed another Ghost stored in there. She looked towards him and Liu Ru interjected. "He is a friend. He might be injured and lazy, but he helps around greatly." Liu Zhi raised her eyebrow and Liu Ru stammered. "I-it''s not like that! He is just a friend! He helps around okay!" Liu Zhi had a smug smile on her lips and playfully teased her little sister. ----- Mei returned to the room, only to find a fur pile once again. "Did Aiko wake up?" Mei tilted her head. "Yes, she did. She says she is tired and cranky." The Blood Fox sipped her tea. "Let her rest, we are still travelling, so there is no need for her to move around just yet." Mei chuckled and gazed at the Blood Fox. "Seriously... what''s up with you and Tea consumption..." She shook her head. "What?" The Blood Fox played the ignorant act and sipped her tea again. There was not much to do once she was almost completely freed from the Demonic Nature. The voices wanted to teach her a lot of things, but most of them bothered her. They were seduction education, sex education and others, just to lure in Aiko. ''I have no intention of taking Aiko with me.'' While the Blood Fox was happy for the voices, that didn''t mean she would try to harm Aiko. Aiko was a big driving point that also allowed her to stay sane. She rewarded them with some many Treasures that her birth family would salivate at or straight up faint! ''It''s good to keep Aiko happy, but also keep those voices away from her.'' The Blood Fox nodded softly as her attitude changed once again. "Nothing." Mei sighed. "How about you help out at least a little bit, before consuming so much tea." She rolled her eyes. "I already sorted most tools, Treasures, Spirit Stones, currency, needles, fabric-" The Blood Fox kept listing things she did and Mei had to stop her. "Stop! Alright, alright, you did a thing, good job." Mei was always irritated by the Blood Fox and her prowess when it came to sorting things. ''It wasn''t even a day since I told her to do that.'' Mei groaned unhappily. She was trying to keep the Blood Fox in check, but failed miserably each time. "Will Aiko create more Treasures? I would have to adjust my sorting system." The Blood Fox murmured the last part. "Probably, but don''t expect quality, they will be mostly utility Treasures, since we don''t have materials nor proper Cauldron to Forge them." Mei shook her head. "True, while Aiko is building her versatile Cauldron, that doesn''t mean it will be finished anytime soon." The Blood Fox nodded. "I really can''t deal with the two of you." Mei ruffled her hair as her ears twitched. "And you two! Stop hogging Aiko and let her rest!" Mei tried to grab those Twins, but she lifted the whole fur pile. ""Don''t wanna!"" The Twins answered back. A vein appeared on Mei''s forehead, but she couldn''t just throw them away. "I heard that violence is not attractive." The Blood Fox had a smug smile while talking to Mei. More veins appeared on Mei''s forehead. "Out, now!" She glared at her. "What''s happening?" Aiko stirred awake since it was quite loud outside. The duo kept glaring and taunting each other while the Twins were next to Aiko. Aiko glanced at everyone before grabbing Yuxi''s tails and going to sleep again. This was not her issue and she would definitely not engage with it! ... Waking up the next day, things seemed calmer than usual. ''They are sulking.'' For some reason, everyone except Aiko was sulking. ''Ah, never mind. The Twins are just mimicking the duo.'' Aiko rolled her eyes as she pulled out a snack out of her Tails, but for some reason, it was already chewed...? ''... Ah!'' Aiko completely forgot about the Foxes inside her Tails and she spilled them out. The Blood Fox and Mei were shocked by the sudden appearance of Demonic Foxes and went on guard. "Is this everyone?" Aiko asked around the pile of Demonic Foxes before shaking her Tail again. One last Demonic Fox fell out of her Tail onto the pile, and Aiko was satisfied. "Blood Fox, we need some food and Mei, we need to know more about them." Aiko commanded like a leader for once, and everyone was speechless. "Are those from the Secret Realm?" Mei asked, since she could see a few familiar faces. While she didn''t engage with the Demonic Foxes that didn''t mean she didn''t visit them with the Sect Leader. She knew most Demonic Foxes in the sealed zone. The Blood Fox pulled out food and the Demonic Foxes immediately lined themselves for the serving. Mei''s lips twitched, since those Foxes looked exactly like a hungry Aiko. "I nabbed them since I liked their energy." Aiko shrugged. "And more hands means less work for us." She smiled. "More hands means MORE work for us." Mei clicked her tongue. "You have to house them-" *Aiko patted her Tails* "Feed them" *Aiko stared at the Blood Fox* "Train them" *Aiko stared at Mei* Mei''s lips twitched. "You are trying to shirk all your responsibilities!" She yelled at Aiko. "Nope, I will provide the Beast Cores for their growth~" Aiko smirked since she got quite a few of them. "You-" Mei pinched her nose bridge. It''s been a while since she had such an impressive headache. "What? Something wrong~?" Aiko smirked at her. Mei flicked Aiko''s forehead, making her flinch. "Auch! That was uncalled for!" Aiko pouted unhappily. "Uncalled for, my ass! Do you know how much work and explanations we will have to do if we take in so many Demonic Foxes?!" Mei was upset at Aiko''s impulsive nature. "Nobody needs to know." Aiko shrugged. "Right guys?" "Of course, Mistress." The Demonic Foxes nodded obediently, which was unlike what Mei imagined. "Do you like her?" Mei was speechless at their docile conduct. She was completely unaware that they had the front seats when the Darkness manifested and they also experienced the brunt of that might. Each one of them from that point on turned docile and worshipped Aiko, since they couldn''t imagine someone so young to be so powerful. As such, they obeyed Aiko''s every will and whim, no matter what it was. They were even happily starving, just not to burden Aiko, but a few of them couldn''t bear it any more and munched on some snacks inside the Tails. The Demonic Foxes didn''t know how to answer the Jade Fox. It was more of an obsession than like when it came to Aiko, but an obsession that wouldn''t get in their way. Seeing their difficult expression Mei didn''t press them on. She knew that Demonic Foxes had a harder time thinking and that the Blood Fox was a rarity... and Wanshu... and Yuxi... ''Wait, aren''t there too many rarities in this team?!'' Mei was once again speechless. "So what, you are creating an army?" Mei gave up on thinking about this and just asked plainly. "I didn''t think an army would be a fitting word, they are too weak." Aiko sighed. The Demonic Foxes munched on their food, but that didn''t mean they didn''t feel bitter. It would usually take an Elder to pacify them, yet this young Fox said that they were weak? ''We are definitely weak.'' While they did have their pride, they couldn''t compare to the pressure Aiko exuded when she went after those chains, so they could only concede on this part. Mei''s forehead throbbed from pain. It was easier not to think when it came to Aiko, but she was just so abnormal that all Mei''s plans went up in flames. "Your next step?" Mei asked her. "Feeding." Aiko raised her hand happily. "They are being fed already." Mei sighed at Aiko. "Not them, me. I''m hungry." Aiko pouted unhappily again. Mei''s mind blanked. "Whatever, just do whatever, I give up. Come to me once you have some kind of plan." She would have to create painkiller Pills, so that she could get rid of the throbbing headache. Aiko observed Mei, who just gave up and left the premises, leaving the curious Twins and sharp Blood Fox alone with them. Chapter 400 – Discussing Demonic Foxes Aiko shook her head and looked at her entourage. In the corner of her eye, she noticed a pair of horns that she almost forgot about. "How are you doing, Feifei?" Aiko suddenly asked, and the Twins trained her eyes on her. "It would be better if you prepared more food inside your tails." Feifei pouted. "So you were the one who ate my snacks." Aiko pouted back at her. "You were the one who almost starved us." Feifei shot back. There was a slight tension between them, but it was mostly a friendly banter, with nothing underlyingly hostile. The Blood Fox observed them. Mei liked Feifei more than others, be it her innocent nature or cute sensual nature. Feifei liked to watch others and portray their relationships. ''I bet she would cry if I told her that she missed an event.'' The Blood Fox giggled. "What are you up to?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox. "Cooking, since they will go through all our reserve food, and we can''t really take them outside if you want to keep them secret." The Blood Fox shrugged. "Sorry." Aiko was genuinely sorry about this, since she didn''t expect this kind of thing to happen. There were only a dozen or so Demonic Foxes that she stole from that prison, so she thought that it would be all right to keep them inside her tails. Unfortunately, Aiko didn''t expect to fall asleep like that, so she wasn''t prepared for the consequences... ... With the Demonic Foxes and Feifei fed, Aiko sat nearby, looking over them. "What do you think?" Aiko asked the Blood Fox, since the Twins were useless when it came to this thing. Their playful nature could easily derail things. "They are fine. There are no obvious diseases or injuries that would hinder them other than a few strained muscles and bruised skin here and there." The Blood Fox nodded that these were top-notch helpers. "How did you even get inside the Secret Realm?" The Blood Fox wondered about this part. "We were sold by the Fox Village for resources from the Apes." One Demonic Fox answered. "Seriously?" The Blood Fox''s expression distorted. Aiko tilted her head. ''There weren''t all that good resources to begin with. Sure, they got plenty of Beast Cores and a few Treasures, but that''s about it.'' While Blood Fox was upset, Aiko was puzzled. Both of their worldviews were vastly different. "And you want to follow the Vicious Cub now?" The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "If possible?" The Demonic Foxes never heard of the Vicious Cub, but it should be alright, right? Aiko almost dozed to sleep, since she was still not fully recovered, but for the time being, she endured it. "That would be me." The Demonic Foxes wondered about why she was called the Vicious Cub, but they didn''t dwell on it for too long. "We would like to follow her." The Demonic Foxes bowed towards the Blood Fox, since it felt like she had more say over these things. The Blood Fox sighed. "You will make your own food." She couldn''t just be a cook. She wanted to get stronger too, so it was important to make them cook for themselves. "We mostly know how, but we could use some help in the beginning." The most outspoken Demonic Fox bowed towards the Blood Fox. "That can be arranged, but I will not slow down my teaching just because you can''t keep up, so it will be important to help each other out." The Blood Fox pursed her lips. It was impossible for Demonic Foxes to cooperate, yet... "We will do that." The outspoken Demonic Fox nodded. "What is your name?" The Blood Fox took an interest in this Fox. "Brave Passion..." Her expression wasn''t quite right, but the Blood Fox ignored it. "What about your name?" The Blood Fox didn''t like her nickname either, so she would not use their nicknames if they didn''t like it. "Yu." Demonic Fox Yu pursed her lips. She didn''t think they would ask for her actual name. "Nice name." The Blood Fox nodded. "So Yu in private and Brave Passion outside." She nodded slowly and nudged Aiko. "I heard it, I heard it..." Aiko pouted like she was being made fun of. "Good." The Blood Fox smiled. "I will talk with them later about their Element/s and other things, so we can give them resources." Aiko nodded happily. "But they won''t participate straight away." The Blood Fox added with a smirk. Aiko clicked her tongue. Now, even her little helpers were banned from looting with her. "You need to understand that under their current condition, they would be captured again. It''s better to train them- It''s better for them to be trained by Twins, since they fight well." The Blood Fox corrected her statement to include the Twins, since they had too much free time on their hands. "They can also teach them how to fight dirty when they are against someone of similar strength or stronger. Of course, that has a limit, but every tool has its purpose." She chuckled gently when she saw the pair''s sparkling expression. Wanshu was happy that more Demonic Foxes were rescued, while Yuxi wondered if they were as passionate as Wanshu. "And it''s up to you to strengthen their Divine Sense." The Blood Fox chuckled when she saw Aiko''s startled expression. "Why me?" Aiko couldn''t understand why she was targeted like this. "That''s because your Divine Sense is powerful, and you have too much free time." The Blood Fox smirked. "But I will be doing blueprints later. How am I supposed to train them?" Aiko tilted her head. "That''s the thing, you won''t." The Blood Fox chuckled, confusing Aiko. "???" Aiko was left speechless, questioning her intelligence. "You will just activate your Divine Sense and let them bash it with their own. Oh, and try not to retaliate, vegetable Foxes would be useless for us." The Blood Fox added. "Huuuh? Wait, does that mean I will be bullied, and I can''t retaliate?!" Aiko looked angrily at the Blood Fox. "I don''t think they can even move you with their current strength." The Blood Fox shook her head. She felt it the first time she experienced Aiko''s aura, but once you tasted it... your Demonic Nature would repress, causing you to weaken greatly. "Really?" Aiko felt suspicious, but she could always bully the Blood Fox later if she was scammed like this. "Really." The Blood Fox said seriously, and the Demonic Foxes wondered if her Divine Sense was that powerful. One had to know that while Divine Sense was powerful, it could also cripple you if someone more powerful used it against you. As such, most wouldn''t usually use Divine Sense as a training tool, and everyone had to rely on their experience to improve their Divine Sense individually. Aiko glanced at the group of Foxes. They were of many different colours, but most were around the Blood Fox beauty. This made Aiko question how unfair this world was, since one group got all the beauty, but no brains, while others got brains, but no beauty. "Can I go to sleep?" Aiko suddenly asked. This kind of thing exhausted her if she was not in her Moon Form. It was surprising that she lasted this long without throwing a tantrum or creating mischief. "Yes, but before that, summon your Divine Sense." The Blood Fox nudged Aiko. Aiko groaned. "Do I have to?" "Yes." The Blood Fox smiled. Aiko released her Divine Sense in the form of a wolf, making everyone inside the room shiver. They were no longer the predators of mischief but weak meat on the table, about to be consumed. Aiko yawned. "Be nice to them. They are friends." The wolf snorted unhappily, but listened to her. The oppressive nature had withdrawn, and they could breathe again. ''Aiko got even more powerful.'' The Blood Fox smiled bitterly. She regretted more and more that she didn''t play nice previously during Evolution. ''But in Divine Sense, Mei is the true monster.'' The Blood Fox clicked her tongue. She once startled Mei, and her Divine Sense threw her through the forest with such ease that the Blood Fox questioned if Mei was a true Immortal. Aiko lay on the bed, catching the Blood Fox''s tails. The Blood Fox stiffened, but ultimately sighed. She would indulge Aiko once in a while, but bed tails were designated to the Twins, since they still had too much energy. "You can practise your Divine Sense against this wolf. You don''t have to worry about it getting hurt, since you won''t be able to make a dent into it." The Blood Fox chuckled. Yu raised her hand. "What is it?" The Blood Fox tilted her head. "Can you make a dent into it?" Demonic Fox Yu gazed at the Passion Fox. She was notorious for her strength and beauty. "Nope." The Blood Fox shrugged like it was not a big deal, and the Demonic Foxes were startled. They started to whisper between each other, but eventually settled. They tried to control their Divine Sense, but it was quite difficult. Just then, Mei returned with Herbs inside a special basket. "Did Aiko sulk?" Mei asked her, seeing the huge wolf protecting the sleeping Aiko that was wrapped in the Blood Fox tails. "No, she is just tired." The Blood Fox shook her head. "Then why?" Mei pointed at the wolf. She held a grudge against it, since she was unable to harm it in any way before. Now, she could see herself making a dent into it, but that made her even more speechless. ''Just how powerful is that wolf for me to feel that way...?'' Mei sighed. "Divine Sense training. We will be getting Beast Techniques soon." The Blood Fox nudged Mei to finally give them the Techniques. "Ah, right." Mei completely forgot about that. "But you are fine, so you are doing this for them?" She glanced at the group of Demonic Foxes. "Yeah, they need to grow stronger if we want to use them." The Blood Fox shrugged. "True, but they first need a better understanding of their Divine Sense." Mei questioned what the Blood Fox meant. "The first thing was to unfurl their Divine Sense, no?" The Blood Fox tilted her head, and Mei''s lips twitched. ''That''s only for prodigies! Weak Foxes need tender care!'' Mei angrily proclaimed inside her mind, but she was unwilling to call the Blood Fox a prodigy. "I will help them with this. You can train on Aiko''s wolf." Mei sighed. There was even more work for her... "Are you sure? You seem busy?" The Blood Fox tilted her head. ''It''s better than having a group of Foxes go vegetable on us!'' Mei glared at the Blood Fox, but didn''t say anything. This puzzled the Blood Fox, but she didn''t question it. She was already behind everyone, so she had to do her best to catch up and make peace with Aiko. As such, she would train fervently, until she was as powerful as everyone else. ... Mei trained the Demonic Foxes while Aiko was asleep. It took Aiko a few weeks to wake up, which startled everyone. "Enough?" Mei narrowed her eyes when Aiko finally stood up. "I think?" Aiko felt completely refreshed. "Good..." Mei had a small headache. ''How is she able to keep her Divine Sense constantly on?!'' She didn''t believe that Aiko would be able to keep that wolf out forever and would eventually tire out. ''Not only did she not get tired, but her mental capacity also recovered?! How does that make sense?!'' Mei questioned everything she knew, so she had yet another headache. "Is something wrong?" Aiko sat next to Mei, looking at her. Suddenly, she could feel many pairs of eyes on them. "Keep practising!" Aiko growled at them. They were too weak yet so easily distracted. The group of Demonic Foxes closed their eyes obediently, but their ears still perked up, waiting for what would happen next... Chapter 401 – Back to ‘Home’ and Grandmaster Aiko nudged Mei. "It''s because of your chaotic nature." Mei wanted to shove her troubles away, but she endured it. It was not Aiko''s fault... well... it was her fault, but Mei didn''t want to see it that way. "Sorry." Aiko planted a discreet kiss on Mei''s defenceless neck. "Stop it." Even as Mei said that, she didn''t feel unhappy. This gentle Aiko was much better than the forceful one. ''Oh...'' Mei suddenly realised that... that might''ve been the reason, why Moon Aiko called her a bully. ''But I don''t like losing control.'' Mei clicked her tongue as her thoughts drifted away from worries. "When will we arrive in the Fox Village?" Aiko suddenly asked. "Within a week." Mei answered slowly. "I pressed them a bit, plus there seem to be issues with the Secret Realm, so they have to report that too." She chuckled sinisterly. Mei made sure that it would be difficult to regrow that hair and fur, so they were pretty much furless Foxes now. She felt happy whenever she thought about that. "Okay, should I start my blueprints now, or do I have some kind of work?" Aiko asked Mei. Mei felt suspicious about Aiko, since she was too cooperative and kind. "Not really. The Demonic Foxes need to learn to control their Divine Sense, so just keep your wolf out and let them play with it." Mei gestured. "Okay." Aiko nodded. That was not a problem for her, since she didn''t feel tired, and it even seemed like her Divine Sense improved! ''Should I go and sleep some more?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. Because of her Skill, she was able to keep Divine Sense activated and because the Demonic Foxes ''fought'' against it... you get the idea. Aiko sleep = Aiko getting stronger... If other Foxes heard this, they would be absolutely outraged! Of course, Aiko had no intention of telling anyone about this, since she didn''t need more trouble than she already had. ''I will work on those blueprints...'' Aiko smiled, and the Twins joined her. This time, they weren''t sensual and teasing. They just watched as Aiko''s hand darted across a simple wooden board, creating an elaborate blueprint for a new Massage Chair N.134. Aiko had to throw a lot of iteration out of the window, since it would not fit all Foxes. She had to make special adjustments that would allow her to activate only certain parts of the Massage Chair. This took a lot of time, since Foxes had different builds depending on their profession. Sex Foxes were the easiest since they had similar/same builds, but the Muscle Foxes and Hunter Foxes had very different builds, so Aiko had to accommodate them. There were also neet Foxes that occasionally came to her business, and they were like shrivelled sticks. Yep... more adjustments for our poor Aiko. ... A week passed like a flowing river. They were almost landing when Aiko took her Tails and started to shove the Demonic Foxes inside. "You got a lot of food and everything, but it should not take THAT long for me to get you out, but just in case." Aiko explained as she kept shoving those Demonic Foxes inside. Her own group looked at it from the side with speechless expressions. They understood that Aiko had special tails, but they didn''t think they were THAT special. Mei could only watch speechlessly as everyone, including Feifei, disappeared from their sight, and not even their residual energy was left behind! Mei shook her head before standing up. "We didn''t win anything in the normal Tournament, so a lot of Elders would try to scold them. Unfortunately, they can''t go against us, since we won plenty." Mei chuckled. "Even if they are quite a lot of low-level things?" Aiko tilted her head. "Because there is so much of it, it''s no longer ''low level''." Mei giggled. Everything in big quantities was worth a lot of money, but most would be unable to gather that much of it. Of course, Mei and her group were different as everyone had their own occupation, which could bring a lot of money. Even the Blood Fox and Twins. The Blood Fox was a great scammer, while the Twins were good fighters. They would be able to hunt Beasts, while the Blood Fox would sell the Beast Cores for ridiculous, but still within limits, prices. This made Mei happy, since she had enough wealth to play around with Herbs and Pills, making even more money. ''The real deal would be once we can enter the Auctions~'' Mei would be able to get a ridiculous amount of Spirit Stones from that. Some would even exchange Herbs for her Pills, constantly feeding the never-ending Pill Refining. Mei chuckled as they arrived on the deck. There were a lot of eyes on them. Most of them were envious, but with enough fear that they wouldn''t dare to approach them. There was also a certain upset Fox down on the ground, grinding her teeth, but everyone ignored her... Aiko and her group walked down, ignoring everyone and slowly walking towards the Grandmaster''s abode. Everyone was speechless by their conduct, but nobody dared to interrupt them since the Sect Leader ordered them sternly. The Sect Leader already knew that the Jade Fox acquired a lot of useful Pills, so she wanted to please her in order to ease her bargaining. Mei was satisfied with this, and they immediately visited their business. ... "Finally back?" Dai Lu chuckled. "That appears to be the case." Mei chuckled back. "How was business?" "A lot of thieves deserving spanking, other than that..." Dai Lu sighed. "Almost all of the Massage Chairs broke. Some Elders even came with the excuse that they want to repair it." It seemed like even the Grandmaster had a hard time. "But all of them were rejected." Mei giggled. "Obviously. No way will I allow them to steal Aiko''s inventions." Dai Lu frowned. She looked a lot healthier than before. Her eyes were no longer as sunken as before. Her skin was of a healthier shade, and her nails were back to normal colours. "You look good." Mei commented. "Thanks to you." Dai Lu laughed happily. ''I might be able to do something about the rest of your body later.'' Mei sent a telepathic message to Dai Lu, since she knew there were a lot of ears around here. ''That quickly? I thought it would take at least a few more decades?'' Dai Lu raised her eyebrow. ''I wouldn''t be Immortal if it took that long.'' Mei rolled her eyes. ''True.'' Dai Lu nodded. ''I heard you made quite the mess.'' She chuckled. Mei shrugged, and Dai Lu invited them inside. ... Dai Lu set up a simple Array to block outside eyes, while ears were handled by Mei. ''I still need a more powerful Beast Core to accommodate more functions into the Array.'' She clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "You got even more powerful..." Dai Lu was speechless, but she noticed that everyone except the Blood Fox became abnormal. "So you really did Evolve inside the Secret Realm..." Dai Lu was speechlessly shaking her head, but deep inside, she was happy that those shitty Humans suffered. "What can I say? We got lucky." Mei teased her. "Don''t be so inviting, or you will one day wake up with an additional person on the bed in the morning." Dai Lu would not take teasing lying down. Mei laughed, and so did she. Aiko looked at their exchange and suddenly asked. "Do you know how to fight with a sling?" Dai Lu stiffened and looked speechlessly at Aiko. She then looked at Mei, but she just shrugged again. ''I can''t believe she chose THAT kind of weapon.'' Dai Lu suddenly paused. ''No, with her chaotic nature, it''s possible...'' She clicked her tongue. "I know some things, but it''s not much different from hand throwing. You need to understand what gives it strength and act accordingly." Dai Lu explained. "I can also imbue it with Qi." Aiko added another bombshell. Dai Lu''s body visibly twitched, but soon, she gave up thinking about it. "I will help you practice later." Dai Lu sighed. "Thank you~!" Aiko hummed happily. "Why didn''t she choose at least a bow?" Dai Lu groaned. "Because she likes to throw head bombs around." Mei shrugged. "What? You mean those special cannonballs from the Empire on the mainland?" Dai Lu blinked like she couldn''t believe it. "No, no. Head bombs. They are packed with so much Qi that it easily surpasses the common reason." Mei smiled at the fact that she was not the only one with a headache. "What a scary Fox." Dai Lu shook her head. Unfortunately, Dai Lu had much higher resistance to chaos than her, so she was almost completely fine. Mei''s lips twitched, but she didn''t comment anything any more. "I felt some kind of strange energy?" Dai Lu pointed at Aiko''s tails. "Whoa, you are good." Mei smiled. She wondered what kind of energy it was. "No, it might be close to a Law?" Dai Lu experienced Law once during her battles, and that experience stuck with her. That experience was a complete bloodbath... Mei stiffened. There was no way that Aiko already controlled Laws! Even Immortals had problems controlling them! ''Damned system!'' Mei cursed, but she couldn''t bring herself to not use it, since it was way too useful... "Well, whatever it is, it''s very stable, so we don''t have to worry... about... it...?" Dai Lu was looking at Aiko speechlessly. Why, you might ask? Aiko was taking one Demonic Fox after another out of her Tails. This place was safe, and she didn''t want to keep them inside. "Grandmaster~!" Feifei happily ran towards the stunned Grandmaster, but stopped when she felt that bloodlust ooze from her body. "Those bastards." Dai Lu had her whole arm covered with veins because of how much she flexed her body. "So they were reported as missing, huh?" Mei had her suspicions, but she didn''t say them out loud before. "I will break their fucking spines." Even Dai Lu''s kind face turned demonic as she exuded an aura of murder. "It''s fine. The plan is progressing well, so they won''t be able to announce more ''missing'' Foxes." Mei shook her head gently. Dai Lu clicked her tongue, and she gently caressed Feifei''s head. "I can''t believe they would do that." She was obviously livid about this. "We will deal with them when the timing is right." Mei smiled darkly. "Good, I will try my best and wait." Dai Lu clicked her tongue in displeasure. "Grandmaster." All the Demonic Foxes greeted the Grandmaster respectfully. "My god..." Dai Lu''s face twitched again. "It''s spreading..." She looked towards Aiko. "Do you plan to build an army or something...?" She was looking at Aiko speechlessly. "They are too weak." Aiko proclaimed. "That''s not-" Dai Lu sighed as Mei patted her shoulder. ''Now you know my pain.'' Mei smiled happily. "What will you do with them?" Dai Lu narrowed her eyes dangerously. She would severely scold Aiko if she didn''t have a proper plan. "Raise their strength, I suppose... so they can help me rob the Secret Realms." Aiko smirked mischievously. Dai Lu paused for a moment, and then she completely froze. ''Does that mean she can transport others into the Secret Realm through her Tails?! Isn''t that a bit unfair?!'' Dai Lu''s eyes shook as she realised that as long as Aiko was chosen for a Secret Realm... an army would follow her inside. A shiver went down her spine, and she was now happy that Aiko was not of the same generation she was... Chapter 402 – Furniture and Lady Liu Aiko went to play with her lamp as she left the Demonic Foxes in everyone''s care. It was important to check if everything inside was going well. Aiko focused her mind as her Soul was pulled inside. She was swimming in Ghost Qi when she noticed that there were a lot of new things inside this place. Couches, beds, lamps, pelts, dressers. It puzzled Aiko. ''How did they get these things inside...?'' She tilted her head. Aiko swam around a bit more before encountering the strange group. It was obvious that the main being of this place was Lady Liu and her sister. Meanwhile, Slave 1 was doing all the work for them. Aiko blinked a few times if she imagined things. "What the hell is going on here?!" Aiko speechlessly reprimanded them. All of them were startled and approached Aiko with a bow. Aiko felt incredibly weird that Lady Liu would bow towards her. "Enough, enough. Don''t do this again, it feels weird." Aiko dismissed them and asked again. "So, what are you doing?" "In order to settle and stabilise my sister''s Soul, I have taken it upon myself to make her comfortable." Liu Ru bowed again. "Wait, I feel like you are skipping a few steps." Nightmare Aiko groaned. At times like these, there was supposed to be Moon Aiko! Liu Ru paused and glanced at her Sis, but her Sis just nodded. "Allow me to explain." Liu Ru coughed. "How Souls work is quite peculiar. When they have a vessel, they are easily settled inside and they are not affected by outside influence." Liu Ru formed a circle that represented the vessel. "However, everything changes when you lose your vessel." Liu Ru removed the outer membrane and the vessel started leaking. "Once you lose your vessel, you will start to lose your Soul. If you are not dragged into the underworld and washed away properly, you will lose your sense of self and eventually your existence." She kept explaining. "It takes a lot of time for Souls to adjust, but they are usually left with the most powerful feeling, usually vengeance, and they become Wandering Ghosts." Liu Ru pointed at her sister. "My sister is a bit different. She was ''inflicted'' by a ''curse'' that would make it that once her Soul is settled into her vessel, if your vessel is unable to maintain itself and uses the Vitality of the user in order to repair itself. The natural loss also increases over time as more cracks appear on the vessel until it becomes unmanageable." Liu Ru explained more and more about what was happening. "As such, my Sis''s Soul is very worn out and has lost a lot of its abilities, including speech. She was trying to find you in order to bid farewell, but well." Liu Ru shrugged as she pointed at Aiko. "You have messed up their plans and now she is freed." Liu Ru sighed happily that she chose Aiko as her Master. "I got it so far, so why are you making the furniture and other things?" Aiko nodded, somewhat understanding what happened to Lady Liu. She would later investigate why they did it to her and for what reasons, but it puzzled her that Lady Liu had such an apologetic expression. "In order to ''mend'' the Soul, well that part is impossible but, you need to make the Soul comfortable, make it feel like she is in the realm of ''living'' and not the realm of the ''ghosts''." Liu Ru pointed. "She has recovered by about 5% so far, but we are unable to deconstruct what we constructed from the Ghost Qi." Liu Ru sighed. "So we are taking out time and trying not to spend too much of Ghost Qi." "So you are trying to make a home for Lady Liu so that she can talk again?" Aiko tilted her head. "Among other things, but yes, that is one part." Liu Ru nodded happily that Aiko understood. Aiko nodded gently and waved her hand, dissolving everything from the Ghost Qi and making everyone slightly nauseated. "Call me when the Ghost Qi is low, I will dissolve it and you can prepare more things." Aiko nonchalantly left, leaving everyone speechless. "Didn''t you say that it was impossible to deconstruct them?" Liu Ru glared at Qiang. "I didn''t lie." Qiang rolled his eyes. "I''m unable to do it, but since she is a Fox, she has a high affinity for Yin." He shrugged. "Why didn''t you say something then?" Liu Ru was harsh until her Sis stopped her. "Wouldn''t it be awkward if you called our Master and she wouldn''t be able to do it?" Qiang rolled his eyes. Liu Ru was at a loss for words, since what he said could happen and they would have to deal with the aftermath. She coughed awkwardly. "Can we resume the creation?" "You are not doing anything, so just do your best to translate what your sister means." Qiang was too tired to address her as Empress. Lady Liu even said to speak to her comfortably, but Liu Ru kept glaring at him, making everything awkward. ... Aiko was back in the real world, but she observed the Lantern. She had some plans for this, yet she didn''t have the means to improve it yet. What was nice was the Primordial Soul Wood. It was now freed from Slave 1, which meant that she would be able to work with this material. ''Although I don''t have anything that I want to make just yet...'' Aiko sighed. There were many things she wanted, but she didn''t want to pair just precious materials with average materials. Aiko looked around. Mei was nearby preparing her things. "Finished?" Mei glanced at Aiko as she kept working. "Not yet, Lady Liu is settling down in her Soul." Aiko shook her head. "You have plenty of time." Mei said. "They want you to take a solo mission, but we can easily delay it for two months." She added. Aiko narrowed her eyes. "You want me to stay? You want to bully Moon Aiko?" Mei coughed awkwardly. "I unfortunately won''t have time for that since the old fogeys made their move, so I will be quite busy." "Isn''t it quite dangerous to leave then?" Aiko raised her eyebrows. "Quite the opposite, actually." Mei chuckled. "They won''t be able to send too powerful Foxes, and even if the Elders spread how powerful you are, not many would believe them. As such, you will be safe as long as you leave in time." "It feels suspicious." Aiko clicked her tongue. "What if they are not that stupid?" She stared at Mei with piercing eyes. "In that case, you will be in trouble, but as long as you can deal with it, you can get lots of Treasures." Mei sighed. It didn''t seem like Aiko was all that interested in Treasures as she didn''t even twitch at that word. "What? Don''t like it?" Mei tilted her head. "I don''t like it, yeah. I don''t want to deal with them. I want to make my blueprints and find a way to get Lady Liu into a Human body." Aiko sighed. "Why not nurture her as a Ghost?" Mei suggested, steering the conversation in a different direction. "Why and how?" Aiko asked Mei slowly. She was unsure about keeping Lady Liu as a Ghost. "Because she can retain her prime strength, and you won''t need to worry about Spiritual Roots and Physiques all that much." Mei nudged Aiko. "Ah..." Aiko nodded. "I completely forgot that Humans were different from us." She sighed. "But I''m not sure if she will agree." "She will." Mei chuckled. "Why do you think that?" Aiko felt suspicious. "You said that you want to take care of her. In other words, her Soul is trying to settle without a vessel." Mei then continued. "As such, she wishes to stay as a Ghost." "That makes no sense." Aiko speechlessly stared at Mei. "Not quite. The Lamp can keep Ghosts that have not settled down yet in their form as you captured them. Sure, the Inscriptions might be damaged, but it''s not the work of the Inscription but the material inside the Lamp." Mei explained slowly. "Them wanting her to settle means that she wants to also stay as a Ghost." "But what if she is doing that only to talk with others?" Aiko was not convinced. "Hmmmm..." Mei paused. "It''s still unlikely. You can learn to control the surrounding Ghost Qi and write messages with it." Mei explained her reasoning. "..." Aiko still didn''t believe it. "I will just ask Lady Liu later." She sighed. Mei shrugged. That was also an option and she would not hold it against Aiko if she didn''t believe her. A Ghost appeared near them. "We have run out of Ghost Qi." *Pffft* Mei choked on her tea, but before she could ask what she meant, the duo disappeared. "How in the world can they run out of Qi..." Mei couldn''t comprehend it. ... Aiko was back inside the Lamp and the air inside was definitely thinner. She snapped her finger and Ghost Qi hit their faces at full force. "Can''t believe you have thinned it so much..." Aiko was speechless. "We did our best to prepare everything for Lady Liu. Now we just need to redo it again, but only keep things that Lady Liu feels like keeping." Liu Ru thanked Aiko with a bow. "Does Lady Liu want to stay as a Ghost?" Aiko immediately asked the important question. Lady Liu nodded gently, words were not necessary for this kind of thing. "Is it because of the outside world?" Aiko asked differently, and Lady Liu paused. It couldn''t be said that she hated the outside world, but she didn''t wish to keep her living form. It was sort of a punishment for the deed that she did in her young years. "Are you sure?" Seeing Lady Liu so adamant about this Aiko felt like there was something amiss, but she couldn''t put her finger on it. "Let her settle down first, Mistress." Liu Ru bowed towards Aiko. "After that, she can tell you all about it." "Hmmmm... Fine." Aiko didn''t pursue this matter any more. "I hope you will get well soon." She cupped her fists before disappearing. "She is like a hurricane, quickly coming and going..." Qiang was speechless. "She definitely is..." Liu Ru sighed, but soon after narrowed her eyes. "I don''t think you have time to talk. You need to finish all those things again!" Lady Liu smiled apologetically for her sister, and Qiang could only smile bitterly. From someone revered and worshipped to a lowly carpenter... Chapter 403 – Work and Peeping Aiko set up her research space and worked on the Massage Chair a bit more. She knew that she had to do other things, but this made her quite happy, and she didn''t need to move too much around, which was simply perfect. She would finish the Massage Chair before leaving and fix the other ones. No, maybe she should throw them away and replace them with new stuff, but she would have to discuss it with Mei later. Aiko also wanted to touch upon the poisons inside her body and how to deal with them. The [Witch Fox Incarnate] dealt with it for the time being, but Aiko wanted to solve them completely. There is also work with the Lamp... Aiko sighed gently. She was tired from the amount of things she had to do, and Moon Aiko was still ''sleeping''. Her Grandpa Flame was practising control over his flames so that he could help Aiko cleanse her Beast Core carefully. Feifei and the Demonic Foxes were with the Grandmaster. Dai Lu took care of them and trained them while Aiko was working on things. Mei was making Pills for the Sect Leader to progress with the purge. There were some hints at their movements, but their main base was still hidden. Until they can root out everyone, it''s possible that they would run towards other continents, which would make things even more difficult. The Blood Fox practised her Divine Sense some more, while Mei taught her about Beast Techniques on the side. The Twins liked to fool around, but sometimes even the Grandmaster had troubles with their coordination. They were now skilled enough to win any 1v2 or 2v2. Mei also came to Aiko about the Beast Techniques, but Aiko had different plans. [Registered the presence of Special Techniques.] [Updating Database.] [Updating Shop.] [Preparing update to allow conversion of Human Techniques into Beast Techniques.] "Let''s wait what the system does." Aiko nudged Mei outside, since she wanted to continue with her blueprints. Mei had a strange expression on her face, since she didn''t like Aiko relying on it too much. Unfortunately, there was also no way to convince Aiko about it, since that same system helped her greatly. ... Days passed, and Aiko worked on her things. Everyone was slowly improving, but the system update still wasn''t finished. ... Weeks passed, and Aiko finished the blueprints. It was a greatly improved version of the Massage Chair, but now she didn''t have any more time to build it. She could only repair the Massage Chairs that broke. Walking towards the business, it was quite lively. Not just because there were rumours that there would be a reopening of the Massage Chairs, but also the fact that Jade Fox stockpiled more Pills than they could buy. While the Alchemy Peak had a lot of cheap Pills, their quality could not compare to Jade Fox''s Pills. As such, if there were an opportunity, Jade Fox''s Pills would be sold out in a matter of days. As such, Aiko had a hard time getting inside the business as it was swarmed by customers. Fortunately, she could still turn small and just wander between their legs before finally arriving at her destination. "You are sneaking around again." Mei narrowed her eyes as the Blood Fox greeted and served the customers with ''proper'' prices for the Pills. "It''s difficult to get inside." Aiko shrugged. Just then, a lot of them noticed the tiny Fox and clenched their rear. They didn''t notice her until Jade Fox started talking with her. "I didn''t think it would be this busy, so we didn''t create another exit, but I''m already making plans about that, since it''s quite the pain to leave this place." Mei sighed as she leaned against the counter. A lot of Foxes gulped and shifted their eyes away from the Jade Fox. They knew she was a beauty, but like her partner, she was quite a vicious one. "Good." Aiko approved of that plan. "I will go look at the Massage Chairs before leaving." "Already time, huh?" Mei sighed. There was a subtle understanding between them, as if they were plotting to announce Aiko''s departure on purpose. Aiko didn''t really mind pursuers, since if she tried really hard, only someone like Mei would be able to spot her. And as long as she didn''t change her form, she would stay hidden for a long time. ... Aiko walked into the individual rooms and got a glimpse of the Massage Chairs. Most of them were easy to fix; the Inscription Ink just burned out and needed to be reapplied, but some of them had strange sticks that were stuck between the ''gears''. ''I will tell Mei to look for them later, since quite a few would be still operational if not for these.'' Aiko sighed. She knew that Dai Lu was not versed in these things, so she didn''t really dare to touch them, but that was not the case with Mei. Mei would be able to inspect these and work out what''s wrong. Then they will be able to impose limitations on usage and possibly even ban internal factions from using the Massage Chairs. Walking outside, Aiko met with Mei and explained her reasoning. "I will watch out for those." Mei nodded gently. "Cool. I will be going now." Aiko nodded to Mei, and they hugged each other. Both of them could feel so many eyes on them, but they didn''t really care. Mei was feeling better after this, and that was all that mattered. ... Aiko sneaked outside and went to the Shadows Peak. She would deal with that mission quickly, so she could continue all of her work that had been stockpiled over time. ''I should''ve also given some gifts to those girls.'' Aiko nodded gently, but smirked right after. ''I wonder what Chen Shi would say if I told him I captured Lady Liu.'' She had quite the evil, yet teasing smile. "I wonder how the bird lady is doing..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. That bird lady was no longer number one when it came to size, and Aiko wondered how she would feel about it. ''Let''s sneak upon the Peak Elder.'' Aiko chuckled as she bypassed all the guards. She sneaked through the window into the Peak Elder''s room. "Whoa, I didn''t know you had a relationship." Aiko speechlessly stared at them, and they immediately separated. "W-what are you doing here, Vicious Jade Fox?" The Peak Elder tried to appear dignified, but both of them were flustered. "I wonder what I should say to the Blood Fox about her brother making out with the Peak Elder." Aiko smirked, and Zhi glared at her. "What? I''m not lying, and it''s not like you are trying to conceal the fact that you are in each other''s pants." Aiko shrugged like she didn''t care about it. The Peak Elder blushed even more, but Zhi retorted. "We have not done anything." "Can you say that once you wipe off that lipstick?" Aiko rolled her eyes, and Zhi coughed awkwardly, discreetly wiping the lipstick on his face. "You know, there is plenty more on your chest, right? And also, fix your clothing, I''m not interested in seeing your little mouse." Aiko scolded him. Zhi glared at her, but he couldn''t fix his clothing before wiping all the marks. "And I''m here since you want me to do a solo mission-" Aiko then realised something. "Wait, why are you calling me Vicious Jade Fox now?" "The Elders decided to give you a new name before you leave this place, and since a lot of them voted on your beauty, we had to compromise." The Peak Elder spoke with a blush, but something was strange. ''Wasn''t the Vicious Jade Fox supposed to be grown up now?'' The Peak Elder was confused, but didn''t question it for the time being. "Then, how is Jade Fox called?" Aiko blinked. "White Jade Fox. And your Demonic Servant is Red Lotus Fox." The Peak Elder added. "Huh? Sis has a new nickname?" Zhi blinked with surprise. "The Elders were unable to capture your sister, so they are now trying to win her over with little things." The Peak Elder commented on it. ""That won''t work on her."" Both Zhi and Aiko said in unison, and their eyes immediately snapped at each other. A spark flew between them like they had some kind of internal fight. "Don''t believe that you know your sister better than I do!" Zhi proclaimed righteously, like a doting brother. "Don''t think you spent as much time with Blood Fox as I do!" Aiko hmpfed back at him. "You-!" Another spark flew between them, and the Peak Elder giggled. "Vicious Jade Fox. This mission requires you to visit a certain small village and see if there are any Foxes inside. If not, just report it and come back." The Peak Elder smiled. "And if they do?" Aiko tilted her head. "If you report that there will be more missions for you." The Peak Elder smiled, but the Vicious Jade Fox groaned. "So there are no Foxes, got it." Aiko nodded and left back through the window. "You can''t lie." The Peak Elder shouted out of the window. "Sure, Sure." Aiko rolled her eyes. ... Picking the mission out of that mission-plastered place, she embarked outside almost immediately. "Can I bring the Demonic Foxes with me?" Aiko asked the Grandmaster all of a sudden. "They are not ready for fights." The Grandmaster retorted. "But they are easier to hide when they are with me." Aiko would not be outdone, even in her Nightmare Form. Dai Lu paused. "That is a good idea, actually." She nodded, caressing Aiko''s small head. "Huh?" Aiko was surprised that she agreed. "If someone found the Demonic Foxes in here, it would derail our plans, but since you can hide them inside your tails... It''s the perfect situation for us, as you can also utilise their fighting prowess if someone follows you." Dai Lu nodded for quite some time. "So I can take them?" Aiko didn''t think it would be this easy. "Yes, but I would prefer if you didn''t use them yet, you need to grow first." Dai Lu warned Aiko. "Of course." Aiko didn''t have the intention of using those Foxes for battles. ''Nobody said anything about bringing beds with me~'' She hummed happily, startling the Grandmaster. Dai Lu sighed. "You are the only person who would use Fox tails as beds instead of valuable resources." "That''s me~!" Aiko giggled. "The Fox Tail Bed Connoisseur!" "Yes, yes." Dai Lu ruffled her hair before calling over the Demonic Foxes. "You will be coming with her, but whenever you have time, practise what I taught you." Dai Lu explained and gave them homework. The Demonic Foxes nodded obediently, making Dai Lu once again speechless. ''This is seriously an army.'' Dai Lu groaned, incredibly happy that she was not part of Aiko''s generation. ''Poor Foxes, that they will have to go against her in order to get a spot for the mainland.'' She sighed softly. Chapter 404 – Old Friends Packing everything up and putting in a few finishing touches, Aiko was ready to depart. Not needing to be with others meant she could get a nice speed boost from all her Skills. When she left in her pseudo-human form, nobody really paid attention to her as she was using her concealment. But once she was inside the forest, she immediately transformed and charged forward like a bullet. ''Since the ''compass'' works well, I can just charge towards my destination without a worry of being lost.'' Aiko chuckled to herself as she sped up further. She did notice a few breaths trying to follow behind, but once she also used [Wind Jump], she was easily able to lose them. ''I know I should probably guide them around, but I really want to work on my stuff. I also need to Evolve again, so that I won''t attract more lightning.'' Aiko clicked her tongue gently. She was like a lightning magnet in her current disposition, which bothered her greatly. She couldn''t do anything about it yet, since she was missing a lot of levels. That would naturally change over time, or she could use System Meat, but she didn''t want to use it so haphazardly. Yes, she had a lot of meat inside her inventory, but what if it could be used on other Beasts too? ''I''m not that pressed about this yet, so I will hold out for as long as possible.'' Aiko nodded gently. Nobody was following her, and most Beasts didn''t even notice her. That made Aiko quite happy, since she won''t be bothered for some time. *Thud Thud* Suddenly, Aiko could feel a faint vibration through the ground. ''Marching?'' Aiko tilted her head. While the sound was faint, it was not singular, it felt like there were many that walked the same path, causing these tremors to spread all around. Aiko paused and thought about it. ''I wonder what this will show me.'' She was curious why there was someone marching. ... Sneaking around, she found the origin of those tremors. It was a large army travelling across the lands, but... ''Only a couple are Cultivators, and they are even weak ones...'' Aiko clicked her tongue. They were so conspicuous, yet no real Cultivator was in sight. She perked her ears and tried to listen to them, she was trying to figure out where they were going. "We have finished one war with ''that'' Kingdom, yet we are going to war again?" One soldier complained. "I heard that war is too lucrative, so most families decided to band together and pressure the Emperor." Another soldier sighed. The third soldier sighed. "I heard that the Emperor wants to expand his inner harem and that we are invading this Kingdom since the first and third princesses are Twins." "How does that even work?" The soldiers kept joking about this, but the atmosphere was more or less bleak. Aiko shook her head gently before disappearing from this place. She was not really interested in this war or those princesses. Aiko already had a few Princesses in her group, and that was enough. She didn''t need more. Moreover, her main plan didn''t change all that much. She would visit that Village and return as soon as possible. Aiko nodded gently as she disappeared from that place. ... Aiko kept dashing through the forest until she reached a stage where she felt a strong feeling of deja vu. ''Why is this reminding me of something...?'' Aiko paused and looked around. The place was definitely familiar, but she couldn''t figure out why. ''Lady Liu is recovering well, so I don''t need to do anything about it.'' Aiko was quite happy, so she sped up once again. ... Arriving in front of the strange Village. The feeling of de?ja? vu hit her ever more strongly. The walls were made out of dark wood and looked quite tough. There was only one gate into the Village, and there were Beasts standing guard. Other than the walls, the main gate looked quite damaged. It seems like there are fights every so often, but only the gate was damaged, which puzzled Aiko. ''Should I just jump over?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. She could still use her [Earthen Walk] that was integrated into her incarnation, but she didn''t really like going under the ground any more. It took a lot of time to take care of her tails, and the special coating that her teacher taught her was only for water and not dust. ''I will have to invent or buy something later.'' Aiko clicked her tongue. She placed her small pay on the wood and realisation hit her. ''This wood is seriously tough! It would take a lot of energy for me to damage it!'' Aiko blinked. Aiko looked around when a sudden voice startled her. "What are you doing here, snooping around?" Aiko turned around to see the lizard talking to her with other Beasts behind him. Aiko blinked multiple times. "Another Fox snooping around. Do you want to die?" The lizard slithered his tongue. He was a large, bulky bipedal lizard with a thick tail. He was quite literally built like a mountain. His scales were dark brown, but Aiko had a feeling that these were not his real scales. Slit eyes with long tongue. "You wouldn''t do that." Aiko chuckled. "You have already fed me a few times, that would be a shame, wouldn''t it?" She laughed, seeing his dumbfounded expression. Char looked at the Fox up and down. She had an even more sinister expression than before, but there was a familiar feeling about her. "The small brat that ate us out?" Char spat out. "I didn''t do that! You fed me!" Aiko protested. Char laughed. "What are you doing here?" He was probing Aiko. "Looking for Foxes, but it''s such a bother." Aiko didn''t really care about the mission. "So, where is Buddy? How about the others?" She already met the little blackie that was scared of her and Brave Lion, or whatever he was called. "Buddy is in the Beast Sect, almost moving to the mainland. The Wise Turtle died protecting this Village." Char felt speechless at how innocent the little Fox was. "Awwww." Aiko sighed. "I would love to meet them." She shook her head. "How about your daughter?" "You are not going to seduce my daughter." Char immediately felt a sense of danger. "I''m not going to." Aiko rolled her eyes. Her entourage was already full, so she would naturally not do it. "She is with Buddy, right?" "How did you guess that?" Char blinked innocently. "You have a great relationship with Buddy, and since you get a lot of resources if you join a Sect, it would be natural that you, as a doting father, would send her away into a much safer place than this Village." Aiko explained her reasoning. "I miss the silent, cute, and little Fox." Char sighed, but still chuckled. "Let''s go inside." Char invited Aiko. "Village Chief! We shouldn''t!" One Advisor glared at the little Fox. "Oh, please. The only one who can challenge her head-on would be me." Char rolled his eyes. The little Fox didn''t really conceal her energy, so he immediately noticed her thanks to his Dragon Bloodline. ''It would be painful to fight her head-on.'' While he was confident in his scales, that didn''t mean he wanted to damage them. He would still be able to beat Aiko, but it would take him a long time to recover, so he had to be careful. The battles were getting more and more vicious over time, so it would be unwise to antagonise someone this strong when they meant no harm. "Sure, but I won''t be eating." Aiko could already imagine how much scolding she would get from Mei if her Beast Core degraded further. "Are you sick?" Char immediately picked the small Fox and went inside the Village. "I would get scolded." Aiko shook her head. "I think I understand." Char nodded slowly. His Village didn''t have that high-quality meat, so it contained a lot of impurities. Those impurities would make it harder for the small Fox to recover. "Refugees?" Aiko blinked at the Foxes in certain parts of the Village. ''Again, Demonic?'' She tilted her head. The Village looked a lot better than before. The houses looked sturdy and ''healthy''. They didn''t look like bleak imitations any more, but a good original. Those houses were built with bricks, while the roof was made out of either wood or tiles. The contrast was nice, and Aiko felt like she had arrived at a small village. The residents also looked a lot healthier than before, but there were many injured warriors walking around. "Yeah..." Char scratched his head. "We have ambushed the Human Sect during some kind of deal, and those were the ''goods''." He sighed. "As expected. It''s a mess everywhere." Aiko shook her head. "Everywhere? Did something happen on your end, too?" Char narrowed his eyes. "Can we have a private conversation? I have a few things I want to do." Aiko nudged him. "Sure." Char chuckled. This kind of Fox was a lot more agreeable than the common ones. "..." The Advisors kept glaring at Aiko, but everyone ignored them. So they could only swallow their pride and move on from this. Aiko and Char went into a private meeting room. As the doors closed, Aiko transformed into her pseudo-human form and stretched her body. "Agh, this is nice." Aiko didn''t stop throughout the journey, so it was unlikely that she was followed, but just in case, she prepared a few heads for the occasion. "You grew up." Char was impressed by the air around Aiko. "Dear, are you-" Char''s wife walked into the room and saw a beautiful Fox sitting on the ground in front of her husband. She grabbed her husband''s shoulder and squeezed it. Char''s scales creaked like crazy, and he was trying to soothe his wife. "It''s not how it looks! She was the tiny Fox many years ago!" Char immediately explained, and his wife went from Devil mode into doting wifey mode. "Oh, why didn''t you tell me, dear? I would cook something nice for her." Her sudden switch startled Aiko. ''Such strong mood swings...'' Aiko shook her head. "She didn''t want to eat, so I didn''t want to bother you." Char sighed. "Well, since you are already here, how about staying here-" Even before he finished his sentence, his wife was already sitting down, observing the ''little'' Fox closely. "But she was not as sinister before?" She tilted her head. Chapter 405 – Demonic Foxes and Familiar Visitors Chapter 405 ¨C Demonic Foxes and Familiar Visitors "You know how Evolutions work." Char shrugged. His own daughter went from lizard to almost completely genuine Dragon, so he understood there would be changes. Aiko observed them for a bit as they chatted. "What do you plan to do with those Foxes?" Char''s wife asked. What was strange for Aiko, was that she could only see her silhouette. She couldn''t make out her face, body, colours, nothing! It was strange, but she would ask about this later. "Brave Passion will talk to them if they want to follow me around or not. Either way, I will report that there will be no Foxes in this Village, since the Fox Village will soon become one glorious mess." Aiko shrugged. "Are you supposed to tell us that?" Char frowned. "Probably not, but who cares. I definitely don''t." Aiko chuckled softly. "You-" Char could only sigh as he observed the daring little Fox. "Where is this Fox?" Char''s wife looked around. "Do you allow me to contact the Foxes?" Aiko tilted her head. "Sure. You are harmless, so we don''t mind." She nodded gently. "How would you know that?" Aiko was staring at her speechlessly. "Who knows~" She hummed mischievously. Aiko rolled her eyes, but ruffled her tails. "What are you doing?" Char''s wife was quite upset that the ''little'' Fox was trying to seduce her husband. "Trying to find Brave Passion, give me a moment." Aiko was grabbing the individual Demonic Foxes inside her Tails, trying to find out the Brave Passion. "What kind of bulls-" Char''s wife had almost a nasty outburst when the ''little'' Fox suddenly pulled another Fox out of her Tails. "What-!?" She was shocked silly. Meanwhile, Char almost coughed up blood. ''Is that even possible?!'' He was doubting his eyes. "Yes, Mistress?" The Brave Passion quickly adapted to her situation and didn''t question it. Aiko happily nodded as this was a perfect attitude. "There are Foxes outside, so contact them and explain the situation. If they want to stay, they can stay." She shooed the Brave Passion away from the room before paying more attention to them. "What were you saying?" Aiko tilted her head. Neither of them spoke, since they were still shocked. "I don''t know where to start." Char''s wife sighed. "Don''t ask me, I still can''t cope with what just happened." Char shook his head. ... They exchanged a few words here and there, while Aiko patiently waited for them to recover. "What do you plan to do with the Foxes if they join you?" Char''s wife suddenly asked. "Train them so they can loot the Secret Realm with me." Aiko shrugged. This time, not just Char, but even his wife coughed up blood. "Are you a lunatic? Are you trying to ruin Secret Realms?!" Char''s wife spat out. "Who said anything about ruining?" Aiko tilted her head. "I said looting!" She pouted. "That''s not-" Char''s wife didn''t know how to communicate with this ''little'' Fox. "Mistress?" The Brave Passion was behind the doors. "What is it?" Aiko spoke to her gently. "They would like to join, but they are not in good shape. I would like to request reinforcements." The Brave Passion explained briefly. "Already?" Aiko thought it would take a few days. "I will explain later." The Brave Passion said. "Okay." Aiko ruffled her Tails again. ''''Don''t tell me-'''' The pair thought in unison as the ''little'' Fox pulled out another Demonic Fox. They were shocked silly by the sight. Aiko and the ''new'' Demonic Fox exchanged glances. ''She will need more help...'' Aiko didn''t want to overwork her servants, so it was better to summon more of them. She ruffled her Tails again, and the pair stiffened. Two, three, four, five- The pair coughed violently as they counted the newcomers. Moreover... ''How are they still sane?'' Char''s wife was bothered by this part, since Demonic Foxes were supposed to be quite feral. Yet these were obedient and submissive. "Go help Brave Passion with her work." Aiko commanded. "Yes, Mistress." They answered in unison while politely bowing. Aiko nodded happily as they disappeared behind the door. "What were we talking about?" Aiko innocently scratched her head. "Nothing..." Char''s wife was mentally exhausted and was not in the mood to engage in any conversation. "Oh... Okay." Aiko nodded slowly. She believed that they still had some questions, but didn''t ask them out of consideration. ... The pair discussed things while Aiko kept observing them. Char''s wife sighed. "This is too exhausting for me." She stood up, leaving the room. "What are your future plans?" Char hoped that the ''little'' Fox would stay here for a while. "I don''t really know. I will report the mission and probably leave this place." Aiko shrugged. "Want a safe place for the report?" Char invited her again. "Nope, I will just do it here." Aiko shrugged and pulled out the Contact Talisman. "Aiko?" The Peak Elder spoke. "Yep. There are no Foxes here." Aiko said simply. "But my report says something else." The Peak Elder sounded suspicious. "I should say that there are no longer any Foxes in this place." Aiko rolled her eyes. "What does that mean?" The Peak Elder frowned. "I took them." Aiko shrugged like it was not a big deal. "There are more groups arriving soon, so try to defend them." The Peak Elder said. "There is no need to defend them, since they won''t be able to find them." Aiko shrugged. "..." The Peak Elder understood why the Jade Fox had a headache. "Don''t worry about it, and tell me how many enemies I should dispose of?" Aiko nudged the Talisman. "If possible, please don''t kill them." The Peak Elder said. "If they act aggressively, you can give them ''your'' treatment." She added. "Gotcha." Aiko nodded. "Should I leave afterwards?" "If you can keep the Demonic Foxes safe, yes." The Peak Elder said before cutting off the connection. "Premature, but should be fine." Aiko nodded. She believed something was strong on the other side, but she wouldn''t be able to deal with it. It was better to focus on this situation rather than to deal with things out of her reach. "I will go and reinforce the Village, just in case." Char stood up, and Aiko walked behind him. "Sure, I will hide the Foxes, so that they have no reason to attack. If they attack, I will naturally help you." Aiko giggled. "Thanks. This is where we part for the time being, but if a bell rings, please come to the Village''s Gate." Char explained before leaving. "Sure." Aiko waved before leaving towards the Demonic Foxes. ''There is a lot to do, but I just need to store them.'' Aiko licked her lips. "Can we get some food, Mistress?" The Brave Passion asked. "Sure." Aiko pulled food out of her Tails and gave it to them. "Eat as much as you want, since this mission is almost over." "Already?" The Brave Passion was quite shocked. "Since there are no Demonic Foxes, we don''t have anything else to do." Aiko shrugged disinterested. "Oh." The Brave Passion blankly nodded. Her Mistress was too powerful! ... The Demonic Foxes were recovering from their injuries and mental state. They were quite cuddly, but since Aiko was in a good mood, she didn''t mind being swarmed by them. "Is this all of them?" Aiko asked her. "Yes, Mistress." The Brave Passion answered softly. She found all of the Demonic Foxes, and once they saw her bubbly expression, everyone wanted to follow her. It was all thanks to the soothing nature Aiko exuded. Those voices pretty much shut up immediately, which did cause issues, but it was better than them constantly ranting inside their minds. The sudden quiet caused a lot of unease, and that''s why they were so cuddly. ''I feel like I''m at some kind of Beast Shop.'' Aiko pursed her lips. ... Aiko accompanied the Demonic Foxes until the bell rang. She then shoved all the Foxes inside her Tails before meeting Char by the gate. "Everything is ready." Aiko gave him the ''okay'' sign. "On our end, too." Char nodded gently. "We can greet them." They walked outside the Village. There were 3 groups of Foxes waiting. "So you finally walked out from your little Vill-" One haughty Fox proclaimed, but when he saw the Vicious Jade Fox... he immediately turned meek. Aiko tilted her head, but didn''t say anything. "I already told you there are no Foxes inside." Char scoffed at them. "Then there shouldn''t be any issue for us to look inside, right?" The third team leader said. "Sure." Char shrugged and invited them inside. He believed Aiko would be able to uphold her words. The 3 teams were startled that he was so willing and followed him inside. ... Their expressions changed drastically. "Where are the Foxes?!" "I know, right?! They are supposed to be in here!" "You guys are delusional." Only the second team didn''t believe that questionable information, which caused quite a conflict between the groups. "Finished?" Aiko tilted her head. "You know that you are supposed to clear the mission quickly. Yet you dilly-dally like that." She clicked her tongue. The first and third team glared at the Vicious Jade Fox, but they were unwilling to openly diss her. They treasured their backdoors, so they were quite defensive when it came to this. "Then let''s go. I have better things to do, than to follow meaningless missions." Aiko shook her head, making everyone into a fool. Just then, a flying ship suddenly appeared, descending near the Village. ''More reinforcements.'' Char thought that this was the first time these guys had come so quickly. He still worried that the Foxes had made a mess, so he called the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion for help. A beautiful Fox with rough-looking Cultivators and a young girl descended from the ship. "How are you doing, Char?" Her motherly expression startled Char. "You look better than ever. Did something nice happen?" Char narrowed his eyes. "I have a nice relationship, and with my daughter too." Fang Jie giggled. "Hello, Char-" Fang Jia suddenly noticed Aiko. "Hello~!" She waved happily at her. Fang Jie''s expression stiffened, but she didn''t comment on this situation... Chapter 406 – Cuddly Princess Fang Jia went and hugged Aiko. "Hehe~" She had a silly smile, like she was plotting something. "Hehe?" Aiko tilted her head. "Hehe~" Fang Jia giggled silly, and Aiko could see her mother pout quite a bit. "Are you sure you are supposed to be here?" Aiko asked her. "How rude, when I took the time to get here." Fang Jia pouted. "Fine, fine, welcome. Now, why are you here?" Aiko thought that was an important question. "I heard there were Demonic Foxes in here that would be abused if the Fox Village got their hands on them." Fang Jia explained, even when her mother glared at her. "Not abused, but definitely sold." Aiko nodded. "Unfortunately, there are no Demonic Foxes here." She shook her head. Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. She had a very sharp nose for lies and knew that little brat was lying. She hasn''t called her out just yet, since maybe there was a reason for that. The 3 groups of Foxes shrank back. The might that the flying ship brought was beyond them. "Anyway." Fang Jia let go of Aiko. "You are coming with us." She smiled from ear to ear. "Why me?" Aiko blinked. "Because of ''that''." Fang Jia gestured. "Ohhh... that." Aiko nodded as if understanding, but soon after. "What is that again?" She innocently asked. "THAT!" Fang Jia gestured again. "Ohhhh.... that that." Aiko nodded again, but this time she understood. ''I didn''t think she would finish the instructions for [The Ever Shaping Cauldron].'' Aiko was impressed. "Do we have to go now?" Aiko asked her. "Not really. There are things that my mum wants to do, so we will go later." Fang Jia explained. "Oh, okay." That was still pretty bad for Aiko, but not bad enough that she would reject this potion. She wanted to know as much as possible about the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron]. So she would naturally follow Fang Jia. ''I can always run away later since I have the ''compass''.'' Aiko nodded gently. "So what were you doing here?" Fang Jia asked. "Looking for Demonic Foxes as part of my mission." Aiko sighed. "What a waste of time." She shook her head. "Was it that bad?" Fang Jia voiced her concern. "Not really." Aiko shrugged teasingly, and Fang Jia pouted. "You can talk on the ship." Fang Jie groaned unhappily. Her own daughter paid more attention to an outsider than her, and that outsider was even a Fox! This quite upset her, but not enough that she would try anything bad against that Fox. "Let''s go. We can go to my room." Fang Jia dragged Aiko away. "See you later, Char. I will try to visit again." Aiko waved at them as they stood rooted in place with blank expressions. "I hope we won''t meet again, and if we do... bring some painkillers, would you?" Char''s wife''s voice sounded from within the Village, startling even Fang Jie. ''She is still alive and fine.'' Fang Jie sighed gently. "Jade Fox is working on that, so I will bring plenty~!" Aiko laughed happily. ''Jade Fox.'' She was quite famous everywhere, especially after the Tournament. There were even bounties for capturing her and making her into a Contracted Beast, but not many were willing to take on the missions. ''Vicious Cub or Vicious Jade Fox.'' It was the partner of the Jade Fox who was known for her vicious and exploitative nature. She didn''t have any bounties, since her infamy spread far and wide, especially at that time when she used an assassin''s intestines as rope for a hammer made out of a living body. Those kinds of rumours send chills down everyone''s spines. Especially those who wished to take on these bounties. Fang Jie was concerned about her daughter, since her future partner had tendencies to go for the rear... ''I will talk with the Vicious Jade Fox later about this.'' Fang Jie hoped that the Vicious Jade Fox was less stuck up and horny unlike the normal Foxes. ''Considering my daughter dislikes perverse things, mostly, then that might mean that the Vicious Jade Fox should be alright... I hope.'' Fang Jie sighed tiredly. This will take a long time to investigate, but she didn''t really want to stop her daughter. ''Only with experience you will learn.'' Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. ''Vicious Jade Fox also has ''THAT'' Cauldron, which will be important for someone like my daughter, since she will be targeted a lot.'' Fang Jie held a positive outlook on the Vicious Jade Fox. Her daughter would definitely be targeted, not for owning that Cauldron, but because she was her daughter. She left the Fox Village, so now she has a bounty on her head. ''It''s nice that the Vicious Jade Fox is an oddity.'' Fang Jie nodded her head slowly in appreciation. ''Moreover, she also doesn''t mind the fact that my daughter is a half-Fox, but mostly Human.'' At first, she was worried that the Vicious Jade Fox was acting, but now she knew that was not the case. ''My daughter likes her, but I''m not sure about the Vicious Jade Fox. I can already smell at least a dozen other Foxes on her.'' Fang Jie clicked her tongue. ''You will have to suffer, my daughter, but this is also a learning experience.'' She shook her head gently. "Shall we talk inside?" Fang Jie asked Char, who was a long-time friend and once upon a time, a lover of hers. "Just don''t make things awkward. I have a wife." Char warned her before sighing. He was tired from the visit of the little Fox, and now, yet another troublesome Fox arrived. "Obviously." Fang Jie rolled her eyes and followed him inside. ... Fang Jia touched a special marble on the table, and the room was sealed from the outside world. "Oh? I can''t ''see'' outside?" Aiko tilted her head. "That''s because I have set a boundary, so we can talk without restraint." Fang Jia explained. "Can I get one?" Aiko''s eyes twinkled, but when she saw Fang Jia shook her head, she could only click her tongue. "Shame, I really wanted one." Aiko shook her head. "It''s too precious a Treasure to be given out so easily." Fang Jia shrugged. "I know, I know, shush now." Aiko groaned unhappily, but she didn''t press on with this. "Shall we talk about it? Or do you want to perhaps rest?" Fang Jia had a strange twinkle in her eyes. "What? Why? You want to kidnap me?" Aiko teased Fang Jia. "Huh? How did you know?" Fang Jia blinked innocently back. "Huh? Hold on. Seriously?" Aiko blinked back at her. Fang Jia choked when she realised that Aiko was just joking around. "W-well..." She couldn''t meet Aiko''s eyes. "Why do you want to kidnap me?" Aiko felt flabbergasted. "Because I want you to meet my mother and my other mother." Fang Jia spoke awkwardly, since she was not yet used to calling the Patriarch ''mother''. "Do I have to? No, to begin with. Why do I have to?" Aiko blinked in confusion. Fang Jia choked again with an obvious blush. "I-it''s nothing. She just knows a lot about the Cauldron." She made up some kind of lie, since she was too embarrassed to admit she wanted to court Aiko. Aiko noticed that Fang Jia lied, but she didn''t have any negative emotions towards her, so she let it slide for the time being. "For how long? I want to return as soon as possible, since I still have work to do." Aiko groaned unhappily. She wanted to be done with the upgrades and then laze around hugging Mei''s tails. "I''m not sure. If mother takes an interest in you, you might need to sneak out..." Fang Jia awkwardly narrated how her mothers might act, but she didn''t know what might actually happen. "But they mean no harm. I made sure of it, and I can promise you that." Fang Jia said seriously. "That''s to be seen." Aiko shrugged. "After all, in theory, I''m supposed to be a bounty hunter going after your mother." She sighed. "What a bother." "They still have that bounty?" Fang Jia was shocked since the Patriarch said that she would deal with it. "They do, but it''s not like anyone would be willing to take it. Everyone is too busy with their ''stuff'' to do most missions." Aiko shook her head. "Even this mission was assigned since I have been running around too much without them." Or at least that''s what Aiko believed when she read the description of the mission from that ''room''. "Oh..." Fang Jia felt that this was close enough to that promise, but it was not the best solution. ''Well, it''s probably the best she could do.'' Fang Jia convinced herself. "How did you progress in Forging?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "I''m still a Forging Apprentice when it comes to the Patriarch''s evaluation, but in normal terms... I''m already Forging Adept." Fang Jia gave a thumbs up with a happy smile. "I''m not sure if that is good or not, but as long as you are happy with it." Aiko smiled slowly. She was quite tired from running around. ''I have secured the Foxes. Reported findings, and the other teams are still outside, but with this flying ship around, they won''t be able to do anything.'' Aiko summed up her experience in order to see if she forgot something. ''I can''t meet Buddy or others, since they are elsewhere. The same goes for Char''s daughter. There is nothing else in here, really...'' Aiko blinked ever so slowly. She didn''t believe this mission went so smoothly. ''Well, not exactly...'' Aiko shook her head. She was still kidnapped by this Princess. "If you want to rest, we can talk later." Fang Jia nudged Aiko gently. "You just want to cuddle me." Aiko immediately laid out Fang Jia''s intentions. Fang Jia choked. "I can''t help it, alright! None of my servants nor even my mother has such a smooth and soft tail!" She pouted unhappily. "What? You can''t sleep without something soft?" Aiko chuckled jokingly, but Fang Jia made an awkward expression. "Seriously?" Aiko suddenly felt kinship with this Princess, since it was hard to sleep without proper ''bedding''. "I can''t help it, alright?" Fang Jia blushed a deep red. "I have been having nightmares due to certain events, and I can''t shake them off." Her body shivered slightly. "But no touching. The moment you touch, I will kick you off." Aiko had already had a harder time sleeping on normal beddings, much less if someone was thrashing or touching her. "En!" Fang Jia smiled happily and hugged Aiko. Aiko could only stare at this gesture, since it was not like she disliked it. ''I think this is the fault of the Moon Aiko, I''m not excited about this at all...'' Aiko pouted unhappily as she went to bed with the Princess... Chapter 407 – Aiko and Fang Jie Aiko woke up when the flying ship was already high up in the sky. At first, she was puzzled, but then she remembered that the Princess was kidnapping her. Aiko yawned slowly. ''It''s not like I can''t escape since I have that ''compass''.'' She was not concerned at all. "You woke up early." Fang Jia rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, I can''t sleep without proper bedding." Aiko shrugged. She did recover a bit, but next time she would definitely lie on the Spirit Crystals. "You too, huh?" Fang Jia was still half asleep and soon passed out on the bed. Aiko stood up slowly, so that Fang Jia would not wake up. ''What am I going to do now that my host is asleep?'' Aiko gently touched her cheek. ''Let''s explore.'' Aiko stretched before leaving the room. ''The boundary is incredible.'' Aiko could not feel the insides once she was outside. "You are finally awake." Fang Jie narrowed her eyes as she stood some ways away with her retainers. "I wouldn''t say that." Aiko yawned. "Do you need something from me?" She noticed long ago that Fang Jie had a high interest in her, which made her wonder what she might want. Fang Jie narrowed her eyes, but didn''t say anything for quite a long time. "How about tea?" When she finally spoke, those were the words she uttered, but with pursed lips. She was never able to clearly speak her mind when it came to the happiness of her daughter. Fang Jie even rejected the Patriarch many times, out of fear that her daughter might dislike her... "Sure. I also don''t mind poisons, since I''m researching them." Aiko added when she noticed the retainers glaring at her. "That won''t happen around me." Fang Jie was a Pill Refiner, so she would be able to spot any kind of poisoning. "Sure, sure." Aiko rolled her eyes. She didn''t believe in the skill of others, since they were questionable at best. "How disrespectful." Fang Jie clicked her tongue. "That goes both ways." Aiko shrugged before yawning again. The retainers were clearly glaring more, thanks to her constant yawning. ''It''s not my fault, alright.'' Aiko glared back. Fang Jie shrugged, leading Aiko to the guest room. "This feels like some kind of private villa." Aiko was looking around somewhat curiously. "Because it is. This ship cost a fortune, since it''s not the classic flying ship for transportation of Disciples." Fang Jie briefly explained, but she had quite a weird feeling about the Vicious Jade Fox. "Are herbal teas alright?" Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. "Sure." Aiko wasn''t picky about tea, but she would be picky about meat. "Snacks?" Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. "Jerkies." Aiko immediately answered. Fang Jie chuckled. "My daughter likes sweets." "Good." Aiko nodded approvingly. "Why?" Fang Jie raised her eyebrow. "We won''t steal each other''s snacks that way." Aiko shrugged. Fang Jie opened her mouth speechlessly. "You know that usually partners like to like the same things." "That''s only for the first 6 months to a year. Once that first euphoria vanishes, you will realise that they like the same things and you have to eat less of your favourite thing." Aiko rolled her eyes. She felt like she was talking to an odd person. Fang Jie paused. She vastly underestimated this Fox. ''She was not your usual Fox who would look for temporary pleasure and would seek long-term investment.'' Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. Of course, that was a misconception on her part, since Nightmare Aiko melded with Moon Aiko for this occasion. "Here." Fang Jie served the tea and sat down, unlike the low table Aiko was used to. This place had full-fledged tables with chairs. Aiko sipped the tea slowly. A prompt from the system startled her. [You have been afflicted by low-grade truth poison.] The system didn''t even bother capitalising that poison, that''s how weak it was. Aiko was not surprised at all, since she didn''t expect some kind of subtle jab from this Fox, but this... "This is underwhelming. Why low-grade truth poison?" Aiko tilted her head, and Fang Jie flinched. ''You call this low-grade?! What have you been eating till now?!'' She was completely speechless since this poison was not low-grade. This was high-middle grade poison, at around 4th Grade, but since it was not used, this poison was not ranked. "You could''ve just asked me what you wanted to know. As long as it''s not too personal, I wouldn''t mind answering." Aiko shrugged. "How did you get ''that'' thing?" Fang Jie immediately put that to use. [Low-grade truth poison was neutralised.] "I can''t tell you that one, since that''s too closely related to me." Aiko shook her head. "I understand." Fang Jie nodded. There were plenty of hidden inheritances, and most Cultivators wanted to hide those places, so that no one else could find them. "Do you know how to use it?" Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. "Mostly, but I only created the makeshift version. I don''t know much about forging, so I didn''t really want to finish it haphazardly." Aiko paused. Her hair slowly turned white, startling Fang Jie. "To begin with, the Pill part is above the Forging part, maybe because Pills need more even and controlled heat. If it were under, the Pills would definitely burn. The whole thing is huge and burdensome, but that''s also probably why it has an additional function for defence. Moreover, it also feels like that thing has a deeper meaning, but my understanding of Pill Refining and Forging is too shallow, I can''t understand it." Moon Aiko was notorious for her rants, but Fang Jie quite liked this side. "Yes, it is as you say. There are certain parts about this thing that are strange. For example, the middle channel." Fang Jie liked the nerdy Vicious Jade Fox. "Yeah. I worry that without proper care and a powerful Divine Sense, it will leak into the lower compartment, but then I believe maybe that''s part of the hidden meaning? Something combining the medical properties of Herbs with the longevity of metal? But then what would you do if the Herbs weren''t compatible?" Aiko shook her head. This whole thing was not simple at all! "That is only if you look at surface level Forging. You can also forge wood." Fang Jie chuckled. "Huh? What?" Aiko had so many questions. "Not every wood is as you might expect. Certain woods are filled with Elements, making them closer to a metal than actual wood." Fang Jie explained and giggled, seeing her expression. Moon Aiko had the dumbest expression so far. Her mouth hung open, and she just stared at her speechlessly. "What kind of bullshit is that?" Moon Aiko communicated her dissatisfaction. "It''s true." Fang Jie pulled one of the resources that could be forged. It was a special metallic wood that you could meld together with other materials. Aiko immediately trained her eyes on that material. *Clang Clang* She tested her hands against it, but she was immediately shocked. The wood sounded exactly like metal! Moreover, it was also tough as one! And if not to make matters worse, it still looked like wood! "What the fuck?" Aiko spat out her normal curse sentence. Fang Jie laughed. This place was under the boundary, so nobody would listen to them or see them. She was free to laugh to her heart''s content. "I had the same reaction when I first saw it." Fang Jie giggled at Aiko. "No wonder." Aiko nodded, investigating the metallic wood. "But you can''t use this as base material for that." Fang Jie shook her head. "Obviously." Aiko rolled her eyes. "At best, you would need a few more materials before you could do something about this." She summoned her little flame. Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. She didn''t know about this kind of flame. "Can you meld this, Grandpa?" Aiko asked slowly. "I wondered what was up..." The little flame sighed. "Don''t call me for such trivial things, I''m still trying to research how to purify Beast Cores." Mellow Azure Spiritual Flame rolled his eyes. Fang Jie''s eyes widened. Not only was this a Spiritual Flame, but it also had a clear consciousness! This flame would be coveted by all Forgers and Pill Refiners! ''Moreover, that little flame has a clear tinge of Dragon''s Might.'' Fang Jie felt confused, since that had never happened before. Even in the ancient texts, nobody wrote about a Dragon Spiritual Flame. Yet right in front of her was one such flame. A Spiritual Flame with a weak Divine Sense, which used it to mould the metallic wood into a perfect sphere. "How is this?" Grandpa Flame proudly presented his work. "Incredible! You have improved so much!" Aiko''s eyes widened. She didn''t expect the weak Spiritual Flame to grow so much while she was not looking. "Anyway. You can feed me that grass later. I will go practice control over these flames till then." Grandpa huffed a bit before going back inside Aiko''s body. "It has very clear intelligence. Moreover, it sounds old and wise." Fang Jie was confused about what kind of flame this was. "Yeah. He is my cute Grandpa." Aiko nodded happily. This was one of her most useful companions. ''Speaking of, where is that little spidey?'' Aiko wondered where her Spider went. "I have never heard or seen such a flame, but my partner might know more about it." Fang Jie nodded slowly. She was more used to calling the Patriarch her partner now, but it still felt quite strange. "Is that so?" Aiko didn''t really need that information, but it might be useful for the future, so she didn''t say anything. "Anyway. I can''t believe you see that as low-grade poison." Fang Jie was still flabbergasted about that part. "Don''t look at me like that, it''s not my fault." Aiko shrugged. She believed that because of her Skills and Abilities. The poison''s effectiveness was reduced so much that the system attributed it to the ''low-grade'' category. Fang Jie shook her head. "What are you planning with my daughter?" She would be asking quite an important question from here on out. "She is cute and cuddly. She is also a Forging Cultivator." Aiko didn''t feel the need to conceal things. "She is very agreeable and has a similar cadence to mine, so I just like her." "So no love?" Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. "I''m not sure what that means or how it feels." Aiko was unsure of such emotions. She liked to fool around with her companions, and she definitely had something special with Mei, but could that be called love? She was not sure. "Oh?" Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. Her opinions about the Vicious Jade Fox changed greatly. At first, she thought that the Vicious Jade Fox was an exploitative Fox, but that doesn''t appear to be the case. "But why do they call her Vicious Fox then..." Fang Jie muttered her inner thoughts. "Because I skewered the Harem Kings." Aiko paused. ''Right, Harem Kings. Where are they now?'' She wondered how they were doing. "Skewered?" Fang Jie tilted her head. "Impaled." Aiko made a fisting motion into a hole, and Fang Jie instinctively recoiled. "You don''t have those kinds of sexual tendencies, right?" Fang Jie was really worried about her daughter. "Obviously not." Aiko rolled her eyes. "Wouldn''t that mean I liked my enemies that tried to kill me if I liked it?" She felt a bit speechless by those jumps in logic. Fang Jie coughed awkwardly. "You never know what kind of kink one might have." She couldn''t meet Aiko''s piercing eyes. Chapter 408 – Floating Business Aiko sipped her tea without talking any more. She was slightly upset with Fang Jie and her attitude. "Anyway, my daughter will definitely learn a lot from you." Fang Jie believed that it would be a good thing even if the final outcome might be bad. "That goes both ways." Meanwhile, Aiko believed that Fang Jie spoke about experience in Forging and other things. "I''m glad we understand each other." Fang Jie smiled. "En." Aiko smiled back. In fact, they did not understand each other... ... Aiko walked around the flying ship with Fang Jie. She was being explained what each individual part did. "Why are you telling me all this?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Because it would be fun to see someone build their own flying ship." Fang Jie believed that Aiko would have some interesting insight into things. "But I don''t know where to get Floating Stones." Aiko sighed. "That will solve itself one day, just keep this information in mind and ponder on it." Fang Jie chuckled. "But I already have plenty of work to do. I gotta finish all Massage Chairs and all that." Aiko groaned unhappily. "Massage Chairs?" Fang Jie perked her ears. "Yeah." Aiko nodded slowly. "There are things that massage your body, and thanks to Inscriptions and other things, they can relieve your body of stagnant Qi." She advertised her things, but she then realised that Fang Jie would never be able to visit her. Aiko clicked her tongue, but paused. ''What if I open my own Pavilion?'' Aiko raised her eyebrow. That was not a bad idea, but it would cost a lot, not to mention the management... ''My Ghosts.'' Aiko once again narrowed her eyes, but she quickly dismissed that thought. ''They need to first grow stronger.'' She didn''t believe that the Ghosts would be able to stay away from the Lamp without them degrading or vanishing. ''It seems like the Moon can produce quantities of Ghost Qi, which allows the Lamp to fill up...'' Aiko pondered on this. "Say..." Aiko nudged Fang Jie. "What is it?" Fang Jie tilted her head. "You wouldn''t happen to know of a way to create a floating island, right?" Aiko blinked at her innocently, but Fang Jie recoiled. "Why are you asking that?" Fang Jie was on guard, since that kind of thing can be easily used as a weapon. "It''s a bother to build a business on the ground, since you can''t move it." Aiko sighed. Fang Jie blinked like she had just heard something outrageous. "What...?" She thought that she hadn''t heard right. ''Floating business? Who would do that?!'' "Floating business, floating house, floating building that allows people to visit it." Aiko tried to explain it in different words. "No, I understood it the first time, but why would you want that?" Fang Jie was confused. "Hmmmm..." Aiko paused. "Because Massage Chairs can''t work forever. You have to maintain them, but my range of movement will decrease if the building/business is rooted to the ground." Aiko shook her head. "Oh..." Fang Jie nodded. She understood that kind of thing, since most managers were those who had their Cultivation stuck and could not progress. That way, they could dedicate their lives to managing and fixing the business, and the owner would only come back once in a while to check up on it. ''There are no Treasure-based businesses, since things often break and it''s hard to earn money from them.'' Fang Jie thought that Aiko would be losing money if she set up something like that, but she didn''t voice her opinion. There were businesses that sold Treasures, but not many that would let you use their Treasures. Heavenly Cultivation Pavilion was one of them, but that one only lent you their room with cultivation mats and pillows, so that you could cultivate in peace. It was low maintenance, but it could not be said that those cultivation mats or pillows were of high quality... "There are no obvious ways to keep floating islands, as the Floating Stone would have to be massive. After all, Earth is heavier than wood." Fang Jie chuckled at Aiko''s expression. "Fair, anyway. Fang Jia wants me to meet both mothers, but one of them is a Patriarch? How does that work?" Aiko asked her. Fang Jie was surprised that her daughter would tell her this, but she didn''t mind as much. ''The Patriarch was interested in the Cauldron, but she is more worried about Fang Jia, now that she has been accepted into the family.'' Fang Jie found that tsundere attitude quite cute, as long as she didn''t overdo it. "It''s to keep potential suitors away, and female ones you can easily dismiss." Fang Jie briefly explained. "I don''t understand." Aiko shook her head. "The male to female ratio when it comes to Cultivation is around 80/20-70/30, the minority obviously being women. As such, you would get fewer proposals if you were a man rather than a woman." Fang Jie explained. "Ohhhhhh." Aiko nodded, understanding the meaning now. ''Instead of a dozen letters, you would get only a few.'' She found that quite laughable, but she believed she would get to that point one day. ''It''s not a bad strategy, since men are more favoured.'' Aiko saw how Humans treated females. Most females would end up as vases or trophies, like the Saintesses. They had no say in what their partner would be like or how they would look. Sects were not interested in that, they were only interested in the power that the Saintess could give them. As such, there was distinct animosity between the groups. Of course, Beasts were quite different as they would fight over their partner, and the strongest one would take the place, but the females could still reject them. Unlike Humans, which still could have children (albeit the chance was incredibly low), Beasts did not have that same pleasure. They were pretty much impotent the moment they acquired their Beast Cores. That was made by Heaven''s Way in order to limit the extinction of Humans. That didn''t mean the Beasts were at a disadvantage, as they were many in numbers and lived in much more dangerous environments, making them a lot stronger than Humans. Beasts had to be cautious and on guard almost all the time; as such, that kind of thing became a natural state of being. Humans had to focus in order to be on guard, depleting their mental capabilities in the process. Each ''faction'' had its positives and negatives, one wasn''t above the other, but everyone agreed that Heaven was more lenient towards Humans. Aiko had no interest in ruling over either group, since that would take too much of her time and limit her freedom. Even her own faction will be managed by others, since she believed the most important thing was to get stronger. That means she couldn''t be slowed down by internal affairs. ''Rules will be set that would benefit those who obey them.'' Aiko licked her lips. "..." Fang Jie didn''t talk all that much for quite some time. ... "You can recreate the floating island on water." Fang Jie suddenly spoke to Aiko. "Huh?" Aiko blinked. "But doesn''t everyone make a big deal out of the sea/ocean?" She was confused. "Certainly." Fang Jie nodded. "But if you can Cultivate a Beast into a high enough Stage... They can fly in the air." She wouldn''t normally say this, but she felt that Aiko would be capable of doing something like that. "Ah!" Aiko''s eyes shot open as she had already made a mental note about it. "Oh, right." She suddenly noticed one of her notes. "What?" Fang Jie paused. "How do you feel about the other Princesses?" Aiko asked her cautiously. "Most of them I don''t like, since they were affected too much by their mothers. They also tried to bully my daughter, although they failed on that part." Fang Jie openly showed her hostility. "Oh, true. Poisoned food is no joke." Aiko nodded in agreement. "What? Poisoned food?" Fang Jie looked surprised. "Yeah. I played with the Prin- your daughter a game about throwing all the poisoned food on the ground." Aiko chuckled, remembering that time. "I didn''t know about that..." Fang Jie frowned. If she knew that, she would immediately kidnap her own daughter, so that she could be safe. "She dealt with it really well." Aiko would throw praise into the mix so that Fang Jia wouldn''t be too scolded by her mother. "You don''t have to take her side." Fang Jie rolled her eyes. "I''m not. I''m just telling the truth." Aiko shrugged. "So a floating island, something like a turtle would do, right?" She asked her. "That would be a far stretch, since most Beasts wouldn''t allow you to do that to them." Fang Jie sighed. "Moreover, if you have unruly customers, they can injure that turtle." She shook her head. "Ah, right." Aiko nodded. "Which means I will set up rules and let the Jade Fox set up the Arrays, so that we can punish them. There will still be issues with high Stage Cultivators, but if they come, they might as well die." She shrugged like it was not a big deal. "You are taking this way too easily." Fang Jie shook her head. "True." Aiko agreed on that part. She was taking it easily, but that was because she was confident. ''If we don''t do just one business, but multiple, then we can have Old Ming guard it.'' Aiko smirked mischievously. "You are plotting something, just exclude my daughter from it." Fang Jie felt some apprehension when it came to Aiko''s business. "Eh, sure." Aiko shrugged like she never intended to use Fang Jia. "Anyway, I will let your daughter meet someone special, but you are not allowed to talk about her." Aiko gave a warning sign to Fang Jie. "If they are to be kept secret, then they shouldn''t meet my daughter." Fang Jie immediately declined that motion. "It won''t hurt your daughter if you don''t say, and I''m telling you this, but I don''t intend to stop. I would just exclude you from the meeting." Aiko shrugged like she didn''t need Fang Jie to attend that meeting. "And you believe that I would allow that?" Fang Jie gave a stern glare. "Eh, it''s not like you can stop me, after all, your daughter brought me here, and it would be weird if I vanished." Aiko chuckled darkly. They couldn''t really threaten her, especially since she had a lot of things in her arsenal. Fang Jie frowned. "You are going too far." "Eh." Aiko shrugged. She would allow the sisters to meet. Whether it would be a happy meeting or not was not up to her, but to the sisters. Did they have animosity or not? Aiko didn''t know, she would just be the mediator in their meeting so that they wouldn''t try to kill each other. Chapter 409 – Sisters’ reunion "Mum!" Fang Jia pouted at her mother. "What?" Fang Jie played innocent. "Don''t steal my Aiko!" Fang Jie protested. "And don''t feed her weird stuff!" "A bit late for that." Aiko chuckled. Observing the duo. "Mum!!" Fang Jia was like a rebellious teen in her twenties. "What? I haven''t done anything. That little Foxie shrugged everything off." Fang Jie pouted, like she was being wronged by her own daughter. "Thankfully, but you know what happened to the others that you have fed your Pills and other things!" Fang Jia scolded her mother. "It''s not like they didn''t ask for it." Fang Jie rolled her eyes. "Guys, I''m still here." Aiko proclaimed speechlessly. She was being completely ignored! "Suuuure!" Fang Jia snorted. "As if! You always say: Oh, how about tea? And then you feed them some kind of Pill Tea!" Fang Jia would have none of that if it came to Aiko. "That''s..." Fang Jie paused and awkwardly coughed. "Not entirely wrong." She awkwardly scratched her cheek. "I know! That''s why I''m saying this." Fang Jia protested again. Aiko observed their situation. ''This place has a boundary too, and since nobody is around, I will invite Feifei.'' As the duo bickered, Aiko pulled out a few snacks from her tails and prepared to observe their antics. She also pulled out Feifei and shushed her, before they not-so-quietly munched on the snacks. "Shouldn''t you invite the other girls?" Feifei whispered to Aiko. ''It would be too suspicious, I just want you to meet your sis." Aiko shrugged. Feifei hugged Aiko for such kind consideration, before observing the bickering duo. "I didn''t think she had such a beautiful mother." Feifei lamented that she didn''t have her notes with her. She would be able to paint so many smut stories with those! "Don''t even think about it. It''s enough that you drool over all of us." Aiko rolled her eyes. "That''s not true." Feifei pouted and munched on her snacks. "Could you stop eating while we are trying to talk?!" Fang Jie finally couldn''t bear those sounds and snapped at Aiko. "!" She noticed another strange individual next to her. "Mum?" Fang Jia tilted her head, before turning it towards Aiko. "Huh? Feifei? Is that you?" She observed her dead sister, who had scales on her body here and there. "Hehe~, Hello~" Feifei smiled at both of them. Fang Jie had an unsightly expression, but Fang Jia went to hug her. "I thought you were dead." "Nope, well, I almost was, but thanks to Aiko, I was able to actually live my life." Feifei then smirked. "I''m a half-step Dragon, fear me! Rawr!" She teased her sister, whom she missed. Fang Jia laughed happily. "It''s good that you are energetic again." "Oh, you have no idea. It was so suffocating when my mother fed me those drops." Feifei shivered. "But everything has been dealt with and I''m no longer like a honey bee attracting attention everywhere." She said proudly. "But you still are." Aiko immediately retorted. "Yeah, that''s definitely the case." Fang Jia agreed with Aiko, since Fang Feifei became even more beautiful when she was not looking. Feifei blushed and looked away. "I''m just Feifei now, so address me like that, please. I''m no longer Human~" She hummed as her tail slapped the ground. "Mum..." Fang Jia felt heartbroken. "What is it, sweetie?" Fang Jie immediately showed a concerned expression. "Why am I the only one that doesn''t have a tail..." Fang Jia sobbed quietly. Fang Jie was speechless and also felt a tinge of pain. "At least I can smack you like this without anything getting in the way." Aiko proclaimed as she smacked Fang Jie''s ass. "Kya!" Fang Jia yelped and rubbed her left cheek. "Aiko!" She glared at Aiko, like she had never been unhappy to begin with. Fang Jie felt strange about this situation, but she was quite happy that Aiko was able to cheer her up... albeit she didn''t appreciate the way she did it. Feifei stared at her sis''s ass. "Can I too?" She was already rubbing her hands. "NO!" Fang Jia glared at the duo. ""Awwww."" The duo said in unison, clearly unhappy. "You-!" Fang Jia was speechless at their antics, but deep inside, she was incredibly happy that Feifei was alright. She was the only one who didn''t bully her, and while they didn''t meet face to face, they still held good feelings towards each other. ... Feifei and Fang Jia chatted happily. Naturally, Fang Jia was restraining Feifei''s grubby hands, so that she wouldn''t be molested by her own sister. Aiko watched on the side happily, with this reunion, most of her companions had their own happy reunions. ''All that''s left is Lady Liu, but that can wait until she recovers her voice.'' Aiko also didn''t mind Chen Shi suffering a bit. He needed to grow up a bit more so that he wasn''t like a bickering child. Well, that was Aiko''s perspective, since she held a small grudge against him. Chen Shi was a very reasonable, but overprotective person. That was only natural since he lost the love of his life many times, and he didn''t want that to repeat. Unfortunately, he failed and would suffer for it, for the time being. ... Aiko munched on her snack as Fang Jie sat nearby. "It''s been a while since my daughter was this happy." "You mean since a while back when she noticed me?" Aiko was in a retorting mood and would not leave anyone unscathed. Fang Jie pinched Aiko''s cheek. "Auau." Aiko groaned unhappily since her meal time was interrupted. "Thank you." Fang Jie smiled gently. She felt better knowing that, ''that'' special person was not someone foreign. "They seem to be in good spirits." Fang Jie sighed happily. "Seems like it. How long is the journey? Should we relocate to a more comfortable place?" Aiko asked her. "It''s not that long, but Feifei shouldn''t be shown in front of the Patriarch." Fang Jie clicked her tongue. She knew that the Patriarch was escaping due to that whore, so she could only stay in the Mortal World for the time being. "I will be enough." Aiko noticed that implication and shrugged. "You too?" Fang Jie widened her eyes. She was talking about those drops. "Yeeeah, the one that bestowed those drops ''graced'' me with her presence." Aiko spat on the ground in disdain. "Fortunately, everything turned out all right eventually, but I believe there are already rumours about a beautiful Fox commanding the masses." She clicked her tongue. "Now that you mention it... There was an event where the Sects rushed for Treasure, only to return completely enamoured." Fang Jie paused and looked at Aiko. "Don''t look at me like that, I didn''t think I would have that kind of effect." Aiko rolled her eyes. "True." Fang Jie nodded. She didn''t really hold it against Aiko. ''She was the victim, after all.'' Fang Jie clicked her tongue. "I think you will get along." "I don''t think so. I''m not very liked." Aiko said, since most would pursue her for her beauty, if they didn''t know the rumours. If they knew the rumours, it was even worse than that, as many would seek her just so they could get impaled... Aiko shivered before munching again. "Let''s stay here until we arrive, so they have time to play around." Fang Jie smiled faintly. "Sure." Aiko didn''t mind, but she pulled out a few more Foxes from her Tails. Fang Jie almost coughed up blood when she saw that. "I was wondering how you brought Feifei here, but to think you could command the Space Law." She was completely speechless at Aiko''s prowess. Aiko tilted her head, but didn''t say anything. "What would you like us to do, Mistress?" Yu was the first one to speak. "Nothing. Just enjoy your time before we arrive, since this mission will be slightly delayed." Aiko sighed unhappily. The Demonic Foxes were puzzled, but soon mingled with each other. "So..." Fang Jie didn''t know how to say this. "So, what?" Aiko tilted her head. "They are Demonic Foxes, right?" Fang Jie asked awkwardly, since she couldn''t believe her eyes. "Yeah." Aiko nodded. "They are all Demonic Foxes and they are very cuddly." She caressed the head of one of the Demonic Foxes, and she purred happily. "..." Fang Jie felt a sudden headache. "Aren''t they... You know... supposed to be feral?" She didn''t know how to word it without offending the docile Demonic Foxes. "I suppose." Aiko shrugged and noticed that the Demonic Foxes glared at the Demonic Fox that received the head pats. Aiko went around to give head pats to all of them. "It''s because voices fear her." Yu briefly explained to Fang Jie, since it seemed like she had a good relationship with Aiko. "Huh? So those rumours are also true?" Fang Jie was shocked. "Are you really hostile because of those voices?" She asked them. "Yeah. They wear on our minds, and we turn feral because our minds are too weak and worn out." Yu nodded. "That is not the case when we are around Aiko, and with her current strength, I believe that even if we separate for a few years, we will retain reason very easily." She praised Aiko inside her mind. "That incredible, huh." Fang Jie opened her eyes wide. She didn''t expect Aiko to be a much greater being than what she heard in the rumours. "Whoa! So many Foxes." Fang Jia liked fluffy things, so she was naturally inclined to go after the Foxes. The Demonic Foxes warily stared at her, but when Feifei gave the nod of approval, they just ate their snacks, ignoring her presence. Fang Jia slowly approached them with combs and got to work, socialising with the other Foxes. "I know that feeling." Aiko sighed, looking at the adoring Princess. "So you were a victim too, huh?" Fang Jie chuckled. "I wouldn''t say victim, but she was quite clingy." Aiko laughed. "You don''t sound like you minded." Fang Jie narrowed her eyes. "Why would I mind? She is cute." Aiko shrugged, and Fang Jie rolled her eyes. "I can''t believe that my daughter likes this Fox." Fang Jie shook her head. "Oi! I''m still here, ya know." Aiko glared at her. "Oh my, I didn''t notice you." Fang Jie stuck out her tongue. ... The Demonic Foxes quite liked this half-Fox. They were not apprehensive like the normal Foxes, because they were also ostracised. As such, there was a familiar emotion between them that allowed them to bond quite quickly. "We have limited time to play, so let''s do this properly!" Fang Jia''s eyes burned with passion as she intended to groom all the Foxes inside this room. It helped greatly that most Foxes had only a single tail, as they wouldn''t be able to obtain another one without a sane mind. The Grandmaster also forbade them from acquiring more tails until they understood their powers. Otherwise, it would be a self-destructive act. As they played, the Foxes and Fang Jia bonded greatly, which allowed her to like Aiko even more. She didn''t really want to put a stop to her play time with the Demonic Foxes... Chapter 410 – Heavenly Treasure Pavilion Patriarch Chapter 410 ¨C Heavenly Treasure Pavilion Patriarch The flying ship landed in a beautiful plaza. The whole scenery was magical as there were floating islands around with waterfalls falling down from them. Under the flying ship were roads leading to a peak, while others led to community houses. The scenery and buildings blended perfectly; nothing was out of place or odd. Aiko looked around with curiosity. This would be the first time she saw the real deal, a Sect that was big, yet ''humble''. ''I like this place.'' Aiko nodded in appreciation. "Jie, you are back." The Patriarch was clearly excited, but her excitement quickly dampened when she saw an unfamiliar Fox on board. Aiko saw a gorgeous Fox with quite a short skirt, down on the plaza. Her whole being was oozing seductive air, and not many would be able to resist that kind of temptation. She had burning red hair with huge 9 tails behind her. Yet, Aiko knew that she was not that different from her. Her body was hourglass-like, like most Foxes would have, but her face looked very young, almost as young as adult Aiko. Her eyebrows were thin, but she didn''t have any human ears, only Fox ones. She was still a picturesque beauty, just slightly differently. For some reason, she also liked to walk around barefoot, which Aiko appreciated. "This feels like deja vu." Aiko blurted out. Fang Jia stifled a laugh, while Fang Jie smiled. "Yes, I''m bringing someone interesting." She gave a meaningful smile towards her partner. The Patriarch didn''t like this visitor, but didn''t comment on it before guiding her inside. Aiko observed everything closely and felt unfortunate that they were rushing inside. "Do you like it here?" Fang Jia asked nervously. "A lot." Aiko nodded. "It''s not just about liking, but this place is simply incredible." Lian snorted at the young Fox, but still felt proud. "The energies circulate well, which doesn''t allow you to sustain too much stagnant Qi. Moreover, by shifting certain things around, you can gather different Elements inside." Aiko explained her quick observation with [Moon''s Eyes]. The ponds, rock formations, side-walks, trees, everything had its own sense of purpose and something it did for its surroundings. Nothing was placed haphazardly; everything flew well together, boosting each other''s effects. Lian paused her steps and turned around. This would be only the 3rd time during her Patriarch years that someone was able to grasp the essence of this place and what it was used for. She felt confused and speechless at the same time. Lian severely underestimated this young Fox. She would have to reevaluate her later, especially since Fang Jia was trying to woo her. The Patriarch and Fang Jie had different approaches when it came to these things. Patriarch wanted to control the situation, figure out everything before it happened. Meanwhile, Fang Jie wanted stability, to let things flow in a natural way and learn from such experiences. Unfortunately, Fang Jie was not very vocal, unlike her daughter, so Lian had to be careful about this situation. From the sidewalks, they made their way into the main room. The hall was large and the table was huge; it could host around 30 individuals at the same time, and even then, you would have plenty of room for each individual. Lian sat at the head of the table, while Fang Jie and Jia sat closest to the head. Aiko sat next to Fang Jia, since she was dragged there, but that still earned her a glare. "Oi! This is not my fault, look at your wifey." Aiko snorted unhappily. She didn''t even earn this glare! Lian rolled her eyes. She liked feisty Foxes, but not like this. "I heard you want to know more about the special Cauldron." Lian suddenly spoke, surprising all of them except Aiko. "Not really." Aiko could get plenty of information from the system. What she was looking for was more practical experience rather than written. "I''m looking for research, not just information." Lian narrowed her eyes. This young Fox was quite thorough. "What do you wish to accomplish with that kind of Cauldron?" "How would I know?" Aiko shrugged, but when she saw Lian not budging, she just told her plan. "I wanted to create more Massage Chairs, but that is ultimately a hobby, my companions need Treasures, but auctions are locked from us and normal Humans have piss poor Treasures." She sighed. Lian perked her ears at the word Massage Chair. "Is it something like the Heavenly Massage Parlour?" "I have never been there, so I have no idea what you are referencing." Aiko shook her head. "The Heavenly Massage Parlour uses tables for massages and Humans as the massage tool." Lian was slightly interested, so she would indulge this young Fox. "That is not the case for me. The Massage Chair is both a chair and a tool. It massages you while you rest on it. It''s not perfect, but there are a lot of adjustments you can make to improve it. It can also be customised to each individual''s preferences, but for now, it has a harder time with huge bodies as it doesn''t penetrate too deep." Aiko sighed unhappily. The more Lian listened, the more impressed by this young Fox. "How many partners?" Lian narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by that?" Aiko tilted her head. "Romantic interests?" Lian changed her question. "One? I think? I don''t really understand romance." Aiko shook her head. Seeing that the young Fox didn''t have rows of partners made Lian quite happy. It was natural for Foxes to have multiple partners, especially the female ones. It was not because they were loose, but because they had too much energy. Over time, they would wear their partners down and hurt them, so it was openly known that unless you could release that energy, it''s better to have a few partners. Of course, the Fox Village''s ''Technique'' was different as it converted that kind of energy into Cultivation for those using that ''Technique''. Fang Jia glanced at Aiko and wondered who that one was. ''I wonder if it''s me~'' She hummed happily just thinking about it. "Jade Fox, right?" Lian narrowed her eyes. "Yeah." Aiko nodded, and Fang Jia stiffened. "How is she doing?" Lian was curious if it was the same Fox, but it was unlikely. "She is recovering well. I think she is quite happy about it since Old Ming and her partner said that she looks better." Aiko was happy that someone cared about Mei as much as she did. "That''s good, but what does she think about you telling others about that Cauldron-" Even before Lian finished her sentence, Aiko already looked away like she was guilty of something. "..." Lian speechlessly touched her forehead. "I''m surprised you are not giving her headaches." "I wonder when the tea is coming." Aiko hummed innocently, but it was obvious she was once again guilty. "How many times did you do it?" Lian felt like this young Fox was not easy to deal with. "???" Aiko had a bunch of question marks above her head. "Sex." Lian rolled her eyes, for a Fox, she was quite naive. "Didn''t do that." Aiko shook her head. Lian almost choked and observed the gorgeous Fox with white-ish hair. "Impossible." Lian denied it. "Vicious Cub." Aiko didn''t want to do it, but she said her nickname. Lian visibly recoiled. "You are not dating her." She said to Fang Jia. "I will date her." Fang Jia firmly said. "Um... I''m still here." Aiko felt like she was being excluded once again. "No, you won''t. Do you know what she does?" Lian frowned at Fang Jia. "She likes to impale scum, so what?" Fang Jia had already researched Aiko''s rumours. "That implies it''s her kink." Lian snorted unhappily. "It''s not my- ah, whatever." Aiko was already excluded from the conversation, so she found the closest servant and went towards them. "Hello, can we get some tea?" Aiko greeted them and asked them for tea, but the servant ignored her. "Hello, I''m Vicious Cub and I would like some tea." Aiko smiled ''innocently'', but she could already feel him clenching his cheeks. "I also have special tools that can rotate-" Aiko narrated her special flags that were still not finished, but since her target didn''t know that, she could just keep going. "Wait! I will get you your tea!" The servant suddenly yelped. He heard from the Vicious Cub, and pretty much everyone did their research, but the protection against her was not yet made, so they had to be careful about her. "Thank you." Aiko smiled. "Their bickering will last quite a while, so prepare extra, otherwise I will have to entertain myself." She was talking about her blueprints, but the servant shivered and immediately ran to arrange the tea. "Will you play with me?" Aiko suddenly asked the empty air, but her eyes were trained on someone. "How did you find me?" The female guard, called Nightingale, didn''t believe that such a young Fox would be able to spot her. Yet that same young Fox was staring right into her eyes, so she had to compromise. "You reek." Aiko tilted her head, but she couldn''t understand the real reason either. "I... smell?" Nightingale was quite upset. "Not smell like a scent." Aiko shook her head before tilting it. "It''s hard to say. There is a sense of unwilling servitude?" Aiko tilted her head to the other side as her ears twitched. "Unwilling servitude?" Nightingale blinked. ''She can suppress my Element?'' Her eyes widened. "Did you ever experience suppressing someone?" Nightingale was quite curious. "Elaborate." Aiko had a headache from everyone not completing their thoughts. "Experience about suppressing someone''s Element?" Nightingale tilted her head cutely. Looking closely, this girl was quite a shocking beauty, especially with that kind of tight outfit. She was quite slim and about as tall as adult Aiko, maybe a bit taller. Her face was mostly covered, but her light blue eyes could not be concealed. Her eyebrows were likewise mellow, but with a dangerous feeling added to them. Not only that, but her hair was black, which meant she was mostly Shadow Element and Bloodline. Her hair was tied into a bun so that nobody would be able to grab it easily. Her full bodysuit left little to the imagination as it perfectly outlined her body. She had the perfect ratio for hourglass, but modest bust with butt, yet the harmony was striking. This girl also had a special middle foot stopper as she walked around barefoot. Nightingale noticed the Vicious Cub observing her, but she could not feel any lust from her. This confused her greatly, and she would have to ask about it later. "I don''t think so, I usually finish fights quickly." Aiko pondered on it, but she couldn''t remember when she would be able to feel this feeling. "I see..." Nightingale pursed her lips. The more she talked with this young Fox, the more odd she seemed... Chapter 411 – Sampling and Deal Chapter 411 ¨C Sampling and Deal Aiko returned to the guest room or hall. Well, it was pretty big, so it was probably a hall. The duo was still bickering, but fortunately, Aiko had something to do now. ''Sample tea.'' While Aiko didn''t care too much about the taste of tea, her companions loved to drink it. Aiko thought that while she was in her Moon Form, she should gather as much research material as possible and come up with some tasty tea for others. However, that proved quite difficult. ''This one is tasty, but the resources are cheap.'' Aiko knew that Mei loved quality, but she was not sure how she would react to cheap tea. Another tea was too mellow for Aiko''s taste, and it was expensive, too. Like this, she sampled quite a few teas, but none of them piqued her interest. All of them had different demerits and not many benefits. ''Mei keeps talking about Spiritual Teas, but I have no idea how to create one, and she always calls the leaves precious, but she doesn''t say how they are supposed to look. In the corner of their eye, everyone was watching over the Vicious Cub, including the Fang family. This was sort of a rite. It was to demonstrate the taste of the user and how cheap they were. Likewise, it would also uncover their snobbish demeanour if they only cared about price. However, what surprised everyone was the fact that the Vicious Cub didn''t like any of them, not a single tea. This greatly upset them, but they had to follow their Patriarch''s words. They couldn''t use rare poisons or anything that enhanced the flavour of the tea just yet. Everything has its purpose, but they were unable to gauge the taste buds of the Vicious Cub. Aiko noticed that more and more of them are paying attention to her. "What?" She tilted her head. "You are no longer bickering? Why?" It was an abrupt pause that made her suspicious. The group glanced at each other before looking at their Patriarch. "You don''t like any of them?" Lian narrowed her eyes. "They are not magical." Aiko shook her head. All of them had their issues. Lian chuckled. "So you are really just after Spiritual Tea." Aiko''s ears perked. She didn''t know if she had ever had Spiritual Tea, but she really wanted to try it. "But what can you offer me in return?" Lian smiled sinisterly. Fang Jia pursed her lips. While she wanted her mother to be nicer to Aiko, she also knew that the Spiritual Tea couldn''t be handed over so easily. There was a process to this, and one had to offer something in return or be a long-time VIP customer for the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Aiko didn''t really have anything to offer, or rather, she didn''t have anything to offer that she was willing to part with. "Do you have any rare poisons?" Patriarch was not a cruel person, and since she saw the Vicious Jade Fox ponder on it so carefully, she would naturally help her out a little. "Hmmmmm." Aiko had a slight reaction, but it made Lian wonder. ''Why is she so hesitant?" Lian tilted her head. "I do have rare poison, but I can''t take it out." Aiko groaned unhappily. She would be more than happy to get rid of the poisons inside her body, especially that exotic one that was made just for Inscription Cultivators. "What kind of poison is it?" Lian''s curiosity peaked. There were a few poisons that would be bad if they were handed over, and she wondered which one the Vicious Jade Fox would introduce. "I don''t know its name." Aiko shook her head. Lian frowned and wanted to dismiss the Vicious Jade Fox, but... "It''s that exotic poison that cripples Inscription Cultivators." Aiko suddenly proclaimed, and the hall fell silent. "Do you have it?" Lian had a serious expression, so much so that even Fang Jie was startled. "Yeah." Aiko nodded. "Can you give it to me?" Their Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was hit by this poison and quite a few Cultivators were crippled by it. What was worse was the fact that the poison assimilated with the person, making it difficult to extract or research. "No." Aiko shook her head. Lian''s face twitched. "I will give you tea leaves if you give me that poison." She would offer a large quantity of tea leaves, since this was a big deal, yet the Vicious Jade Fox didn''t want to trade it?! "Ah," Aiko was startled by her demeanour. "You misunderstood, it''s not like I don''t want to give it to you, but it''s carefully sealed inside my body, so that it doesn''t affect me." She didn''t know how those seals worked, since they were done automatically by [Witch Fox Incarnate]. Lian''s eyes widened. "You were also affected by it?" She didn''t believe that certain rumours were true about the Vicious Jade Fox. "Yeah, early in my life, I was poisoned. I had to deal with it for a few years, but since I was really good at inscribing, I was able to ignore it more or less." It did greatly slow the inscribing capabilities, but it was not like she was completely crippled. "How did you deal with it?" Lian was both curious and willing to pay the price for this information. "I used a Pill from Jade Fox, although nobody explained to me how to use Pills..." Aiko groaned. "Afterwards, the poison sort of melted into my bones, but later was sealed by my Divine Ability." Aiko explained it briefly, since she didn''t know enough about the Patriarch to trust her that much. She was still ''mother'' of Fang Jia, so that gave her some credibility, but that was it. Lian had a serious expression on her face and pondered on it. "Is it possible to seal the poison in other people?" "I have no idea." Aiko shrugged. It was not like she had any test subjects for that research. "How about getting that poison out of your body?" Lian was asking about the possibility of extracting that poison from her. "No idea again." Aiko shook her head. The poison was sealed inside her body, so it was not like she needed to deal with it. "Any Techniques for that?" Lian kept pressing on, as this was an important matter for both her and her Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. "Don''t have any." Aiko shook her head again. "What if you got such Techniques?" Lian narrowed her eyes. "I don''t have any Beast Techniques, so I have no idea." Aiko kept shaking her head. Her neck started to hurt a bit from that constant motion. "Huh?" Everyone inside the room blinked at her. "What?" Aiko snorted unhappily. "You don''t have Techniques? Why?" Lian was confused. "Jade Fox said that you need a certain baseline of Divine Sense before you should learn it." Aiko shrugged. She also had her arsenal full, so it was not like she really needed it. "What if I provided the Techniques?" Getting the poison was important, so Lian didn''t mind parting with some of her Techniques. "Jade Fox said that I shouldn''t take the Techniques of others. They can easily harm me." Aiko shook her head, crossing her arms like the letter X. Lian frowned. ''I don''t like Jade Fox, she teaches too well.'' She clicked her tongue. "What about information about that Cauldron?" Lian pressed on with more ideas. "It''s not worth being crippled over information. If I can''t use that information, doesn''t it turn useless in the end?" Aiko speechlessly stared at her. Lian had her words stuck inside her throat. What the Vicious Jade Fox said was indeed true. It was not worth the danger to obtain either of those things, as she could come to conclusions on her own. This information would just speed up her advancement, which was irrelevant for the long-lived Beasts, unlike Humans. Lian pursed her lips. She was wondering what she could offer the Vicious Jade Fox in order to gain that poison or at least seal- "What if we prepare someone with poison inside their body? Can you try to seal it? We would naturally reward you for it." Lian narrowed her eyes. "I''m not sure if I can do it or how long that seal will last." Aiko didn''t like those things, since she was open to being attacked by them if something went awry. "That is fine, even if they die, we can gain a lot." That was the attitude of Immortals; those who had their Cultivation stuck were not worth the resources, and the best they could do was to be a good testing subject or servant of the lowest class. Aiko didn''t mind sacrificing others for her research, but she was on the edge about it. "Of course, they would be criminals. We are not desperate enough to use normal people (yet)." Lian was enticing the Vicious Jade Fox. "I suppose we can try it." Aiko didn''t mind researching her abilities. It was about time that she went through them and cleaned them or changed them into something more useful. Lian nodded happily. "Dear?" "Lian?" Fang Jie tilted her head. "You don''t mind spending time with her till we prepare everything right?" Lian didn''t want to impose this on Fang Jia, since the Vicious Jade Fox''s kinks were still... a bit too much. "Jia will take care of it." While Fang Jie didn''t mind spending time with Aiko, that didn''t mean that she didn''t find Jia''s eyes bothersome. Fang Jia had sparkling eyes that were saying: Me! Me! I will do it! So much so that Fang Jie was greatly bothered by it. ''I don''t want her to be hurt by a Fox, but she is so deep that no matter what I do, she will be hurt.'' Fang Jie found it strange that Fang Jia only briefly reacted to the information that Aiko had one lover, or partner, so much so that it felt like she was the carbon copy of her mother. ''Although I did tighten his belt once we started dating.'' Fang Jie nodded. It was questionable if her daughter could do the same, but she was still of the same blood. "Thank you~!" Fang Jia hugged her mother happily. "Forging?" Aiko noticed Fang Jia''s sparkling eyes. "Forging!" Fang Jia nodded with a twinkle in her eyes. Aiko gave her thumbs up and they both ran away... Lian sighed. She was so close to achieving her goal where everyone inside her Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was cured of their illnesses, so close, yet so far. If the Vicious Jade Fox was able to seal poisons, she would be able to learn how to seal other things, too. This was a bit detrimental for Lian, since eventually, the Vicious Jade Fox would be able to seal the Heavens, but what can you do? ... "I have my own Forge, so we won''t be using that." Fang Jia licked her lips. "We will use that, right?" Aiko nodded. "Yeah." Fang Jia nodded back. "I have my own place that is close to the Patriarch''s place. It''s protected by Arrays and other things, so nobody would be able to eavesdrop on us!" She proclaimed and hoped that Nightmare Aiko would return soon... Chapter 412 – Fang Jia’s Cauldron "Do you think they are upset?" Aiko groaned unhappily. They were supposed to lock the door! "I don''t think so." Fang Jia shook her head. They had to return to the hall for something, but to think they would see ''that''. "Good thinking for dragging me away, maybe they will think it was a different Fox!" Aiko gave Fang Jia a thumbs up for her quick thinking. "Thank you~, but we should do some forging now." Fang Jia was happy, but she was still waiting for Nightmare Aiko to come out. "Sure thing, show me what you got." Aiko smiled and nodded. Fang Jia pulled her huge Cauldron, and the whole room shook. Aiko even did a small jump from the tremor and was startled by the size. "..." Aiko was left speechless again. This was not a Cauldron! "This is the supposed full size, but I only use the lower half, so I have no idea if the upper half is quite right. Mum said it was fine for the time being, but you couldn''t go above 4th Grade with it." Fang Jia sighed. Aiko observed it closely. If you were to stack Aiko''s on top of each other, it would take about 2 adult-sized Aiko''s with one small-sized Aiko to reach the top. The lower part was the biggest one. "Can I go inside?" Aiko''s Divine Sense was unable to penetrate it for some reason. "Sure, just be careful as there were quite a few sharp things." Fang Jia didn''t mind, but warned Aiko about the potential dangers. Aiko nodded gently and got inside. The inside was not as big as the outside, as the thickness of the Cauldron was significant. The usual Cauldron that Aiko was used to was just like a witch''s cauldron with a lid, but this one was a humongous Cauldron that she only saw on some art from Mei. There were different compartments made out of different materials. Everything seemed quite precious, so Aiko was careful with it. One compartment was chillingly cold, while another had a strange sense of warmth. Each compartment was very different, which caused Aiko to wonder. She went back outside, and Fang Jia smiled at her. "Each compartment can be taken out and adjusted if you have any kind of special material. I have it like that so that I''m not limited by the size of the Cauldron, but it has its own demerits." Fang Jia sighed. "The compartments have different temperatures compared to the middle, so it''s harder to adjust their temperature?" Aiko tried to guess the reason, but she barely missed it. "Yes and no. The different materials clash with their energies, making the whole thing that much harder to maintain. Ah, but don''t get me wrong. It''s not like the Cauldron is being damaged by it, the compartment just gets ''contaminated'' since they are not properly attached to it." Fang Jia sighed unhappily. She was pretty much burning through her mother''s resources trying to make things with this thing. Aiko nodded and went for the upper part. If one were to compare it, the lower part took about 2/3 of the Cauldron, and the rest was the upper part and fancy tip above the Cauldron. The upper part was smaller and a bit poorly made, but that was obvious since Fang Jia didn''t dabble in Pill Refining. But even then, there were some notable changes. For once, there were multiple openings, so you could stuff more Herbs at the same time, but in a controlled manner. You could do that with the usual Cauldron, but that had limits. Because of the size of this thing, you could stuff a lot more materials inside and possibly make bigger batches of Pills. Aiko was already looking to test those, but it would be a pain to make this whole thing. "Impressive, right?" Fang Jia smiled proudly. The upper part was not as functional as the lower part, but that didn''t mean it was useless. "Since I''m not using the upper part, I have used tough materials to raise its defence to the max!" She giggled happily. It would be difficult for her to die with this thing inside her body. "You can definitely do that." Aiko nodded. "But couldn''t you just fill the whole upper part to make it even more ridiculous?" She tilted her head. "No, I need the heat circulation, which comes from the upper part, in order to maintain stable heat in the lower part." Fang Jia shook her head. "I see..." Aiko nodded her head. There was a lot more going on than she expected. Aiko groaned slightly, since this thing had to be carefully thought out. She couldn''t use the same materials for the bottom and top part, since the bottom part had to endure more heat, and that would be too cold for the upper part material, while using the upper material would melt the bottom part- Aiko had a headache. "Anything that can help solve this?" Aiko glanced at her. "The Divine Steel can be used for both, but then the defence would drop, since it doesn''t mix well with certain important materials." Fang Jia had access to rare materials thanks to the Patriarch''s doting. "Force them?" Aiko tilted her head. "Causes instability that will make it easier to blow up, and that''s the best case scenario; at worst, it corrupts each other, making both materials useless." Fang Jia shook her head. "Different base material?" Aiko kept going with her research. "It''s possible, but the best material in my possession that I can freely experiment with is the Divine Steel." Fang Jia groaned unhappily. She did have access to rare materials, but that didn''t mean she could splurge on them. She had to carefully consider everything about it, before using such precious materials. "Hmmmm..." Aiko thought about it, but it was possible that her Divine Meteorite could solve that problem. "So, how about it? Do you want to see Forging, or would you like to finish your Cauldron? I have some rare materials I can share with you." Fang Jia squirmed slightly. Mother always told her to trap others with kindness. "I''m fine for now, I can''t finish something I don''t understand." Unfortunately, Moon Aiko was far from average. She was seeking the best possible solution, and the upper part of the Cauldron was a good hint for Aiko. ''I can''t properly make the bottom part since I have no experience in Forging.'' She clicked her tongue before turning to the suddenly sad Fang Jia. "What''s wrong? You don''t want to forge?" Aiko tilted her head, puzzled about this sudden change of emotions. Fang Jia was startled that her emotions leaked so much, and she shook her head. ''There will be another opportunity!'' She vowed that she would attract Aiko with her wits! "I''m fine." Fang Jia smiled innocently, but Aiko knew she was plotting something. ''Since it''s not a black signal, I will let it go.'' Her [Intention Perception] was constantly changing, depending on how many emotions someone had. Before, it was easy to guess, but the more time she spent with someone, the more complex those intentions and emotions would get. Eventually, it would be such a ball of yarn that Aiko would have a hard time guessing if the endgame was good or bad. "Are you sure?" Aiko asked again. She didn''t necessarily have to see Forging. She could just ask someone else. "I''m really fine. I just miss the Dark Aiko." Fang Jia shyly fidgeted. "..." Moon Aiko felt hurt, but it would obviously not appear on her face. "I-I will do the Forging now!" Fang Jia noticed that deadpan expression and immediately moved to show Aiko her Forging Skills. ... "Aren''t you supposed to hit here?" "Why are you dosing it in water?" "The heat is uneven over here" Aiko constantly barraged Fang Jia with questions. The worst thing about it was that Aiko was right each time! Fang Jia wanted to cry that Aiko had such superb observation Skills, it took her many months to just get a basic grasp, yet Aiko just waltzes in and corrects her like it was nothing! "I can''t do this!" Fang Jia cried out, startling Aiko. "You are too much! Why are you so observant!" Fang Jia wanted to boast in front of Aiko, who didn''t know much about Forging, but it turned around and bit her into her ass. Fang Jia suddenly turned towards Aiko and laughed sinisterly. "You are coming with me! We will suffer together!" She grabbed the confused Moon Aiko and dragged her away somewhere. ... "So... you want me to teach this Fox my Forging Skills?" An old, small guy snorted at them. "Impossible." He immediately dismissed Fang Jia. "Old Lei, don''t be like that..." Fang Jia pleaded. "Just once!" She wanted Aiko to suffer like she did for all these years! Old Lei snorted unhappily. "I''m only teaching you because the Patriarch asked me to!" "Then let us watch you forge!" Fang Jia didn''t compromise. She wanted to see if this stubborn bloke would be able to endure Aiko''s barrage! "Do you have any technique-stealing abilities?" Old Lei felt suspicious, so he asked the young Fox. "Not that I know of." Aiko shook her head before tilting it. "Why?" "This feels suspicious." Old Lei snorted again. "Why would she want you to watch me?" "Hmmmm... It''s because her Technique is not polished, and she couldn''t endure my questions?" Aiko had her own research, but that didn''t mean she was unaware of other people''s feelings. She was aware that Fang Jia suffered, but for some reason, she liked it. It felt like Nightmare Aiko''s sadistic side was leaking through. "..." Old Lei paused. If even a novice like her could guess that... "Just once." Old Lei suddenly said, curious about this Fox''s origins. "By the way..." Aiko trained her eyes on his body. He was short. Shorter than small Aiko, almost like he was some kind of dwarf. However, contrary to his small body, his muscles were ripped and bulging with power. He felt like a small bull packed with power, but the most striking thing about his body was the pair of antlers on his bald head. There were no other notable features that stood out like those two. "They are real, now come inside." Old Lei knew what she would ask, so he just dragged them inside after a short response. "This place is stuffy." Aiko didn''t like it. "That''s what Forging is all about." Old Lei smirked. He liked to make others suffer. "Then I''d better redefine what Forging means later." Aiko was looking around as she muttered that, but she couldn''t see those bulging veins on Old Lei''s head. "Hoho, that''s quite a big talk." Old Lei snorted. "I already redefined Pill Refining. I can just do it again." Aiko shrugged, like she would not be outdone by an old, stubborn Forging Cultivator. "I will hold you to your words." He raised his small hand with a ridiculously large hammer compared to his body. Chapter 413 – Aiko and Old Lei Aiko observed Old Lei as he wielded that big hammer with ease. "You can''t use Divine Sense during forging?" Aiko suddenly asked him, interrupting his concentration. Old Lei paused. "How will you build a house when you don''t know how to do it? Sure, the house might look fine, but will it last?" "So it''s a difference of experience? No, maybe grasping the essence of how Forging Cultivation works?" Aiko nodded slowly. Old Lei raised his eyebrow. He didn''t expect this little Fox to be so intelligent. ''Who said that all Foxes are lustful whores.'' He clicked his tongue as he hammered the iron into shape. "And you use this to understand the material, so that you can use Divine Sense later, but what if that material is tricky?" Aiko stared at him, hammering in constant rhythm. "You mix materials together, so it''s easier to handle. If you are looking for the tricky part inside the material, then you need to have more control over your Divine Sense." Old Lei glanced at the young Fox. This would be the first time that his appraisal was way off. "So you can overpower it, but won''t it have a negative effect on its durability?" Aiko played with the metals nearby. She had never seen so many colourful metals before and was curious where he got them. "Certainly, that''s why you usually mix several ingredients in order to create Treasures." Old Lei explained as he worked the iron. "But what would be the difference between completed work with Divine Sense that is stable and one that is not?" Aiko nudged him. She felt like this was kind of like Alchemy in a sense. You just didn''t count your breathing and had to make the material soft enough that you could mould it, but not soft enough that it would turn into liquid. "The stable one would turn into proper Treasure, while the unstable one would turn into Cursed Treasure." Old Lei answered the curious Fox with some apprehension. "The Cursed Treasures have negative effects. They can range from itchy ears to straight-up death wish, so they are treated as cursed objects and not used." Old Lei added, so that the young Fox didn''t try anything foolish. "I see... but doesn''t that mean it would empower the positive effects? There needs to be some kind of balance, right?" Aiko blinked at him carefully. "I don''t know. I have never forged Cursed Treasure." Old Lei shook his head, and Fang Jia was overly excited. ''I can''t believe that Old Lei would admit that he didn''t know about something! Go Aiko, go!'' Fang Jia smirked from ear to ear happily. "Whenever I would notice things not going well, I would stop. You can learn bad habits if you finish things and they turn out cursed." Old Lei glanced at Fang Jia. He would give her proper homework later. "I see..." Aiko nodded. It was very similar to Alchemy, but it seemed like there was less danger compared to it. "What are the possible dangers during forging?" Aiko asked him out of curiosity. "The main one would be the explosion of the Forging Cauldron. While the walls are thick and everything, if you are not careful, it will still explode." Old Lei shook his head. "But the main issue would be consumption." He warned the young Fox. "Consumption?" Aiko tilted her head. "Unlike Alchemy, where you use somewhat low temperatures. Forging Cultivation needs ridiculous, but stable temperatures. As such, the sheer concentration and consumption of Qi is on another level." Old Lei explained. He then added. "So while Alchemy is quite renewable and easy to get into, Forging Cultivation is the complete opposite." He shook his head. "You can''t grow materials, and most of the time, you need to look for them. That comes with the inherent danger of sudden death. Moreover, just because you find those materials doesn''t mean they are usable, as they need to be purified." It was a taxing and very expensive occupation, but one that was very sought after. There were a limited number of Cultivators that would be able to join Forging Cultivation, and even fewer that had the means to maintain this expensive path. Thus, all Treasures were inherently more expensive, and if you wanted your own weapons, it would cost you even more. "I see, unlike Herbs, there is no way to grow metal..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Can''t you just create metal from Qi?" "It''s definitely possible, but the amount of Qi you need is not something one can easily do." Old Lei shook his head. "Hmmmm..." Aiko paused. "You forgot to hammer that part, it''s uneven. This part doesn''t have enough heat, and this part has too much heat. Moreover..." She started to disassemble his smithing skills, which prompted a glare from him. "I know. I''m just testing you." He wasn''t. He reached a point where he stagnated, and the more time he spent at that point, the worse his skills got. ''I have aged.'' He looked at the slightly uneven blade and sighed. "How can you teach when you can''t even do simple things?" Aiko tilted her head. "While I have become rusty, I''m still Forging Ancestor!" Old Lei angrily glared at the young Fox. "Is that so?" Aiko tilted her head. "But wouldn''t that mean that Fang Jia would pick bad habits from you?" Old Lei suddenly got all fussy and kicked both of them out. "Do you still want to learn the Forging Cultivation path?" Fang Jia suddenly asked Aiko. She was in a good mood, since this was the first time she had seen him so fussy. "Definitely, we lack proper Treasures." Aiko nodded slowly. The first thing she would have to do is acquire blacksmithing skills so that she could understand smithing better. She walked back with Fang Jia, who hung on her arm. She was like a panda wrapped around her, but Aiko didn''t mind. "You need to first finish your Cauldron." Fang Jia suddenly said, and Aiko stopped. "I don''t have to. I''m not aiming for Treasures yet." Aiko shook her head, but then she paused. ''Damn! I was almost swept! I can''t stay here for that long!'' She wanted to return and finish those Massage Chairs, so that their income would increase. Aiko noticed that Forging Cultivation was more expensive than Herbs, since there was no way to create metals, for now. As such, she would have to spend a lot more Spirit Stones on it than on Alchemy. Moreover, selling those Treasures would also be an issue, since the auction was still locked for them. "I will do basic smithing." Aiko suddenly said. Her Divine Sense was good enough that she didn''t need to hammer, but she would still try it out. She was curious about what kind of effects it would have on her. Would it help her? Was it just a waste of time? Aiko didn''t know, but she was looking forward to it. ... Aiko sat down at a table with Fang Jia. They brought some basic, cheap metals, which were fine with Aiko. She was not looking for anything expensive, just something that she could use to test things. ''I want to test the difference between having the given Skill and not.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. Testing what kind of impact her Skills had on her, and haven''t, was very important at her current stage. If everything could be solved by Skills, she would splurge a bit of her Skill Points to gain the necessary Skills to make things easier for her. Picking that metal, Aiko used her Divine Sense to lift it up. "What are you doing?" Fang Jia was curious about what Aiko would do with it. "Observing." Aiko activated both [#### Eyes] and [Moon''s Eyes]. This allowed her to get the general structure of the metal. There were dots that connected to each other. Hundreds of thousands of those dots were in a single small piece of metal. They were arranged sporadically, without a sense or reason. ''What would happen if I could arrange them?'' Aiko tilted her head. She summoned her Grandpa to help her with it. Grandpa Flame appeared, but didn''t say anything. They had a close connection with each other, so he understood Aiko''s intentions. ''I didn''t think she could see so much.'' Dragons had their own eyes that could see through things, but just because they saw those things didn''t mean they liked to create things. Because they saw things others couldn''t, they always tried to make everything perfect, but that was not always possible. More often than not, you would end up with an imperfect product that would anger you. It got to the point that some Dragons would even lose their sense of reason out of that anger. As such, there were only a few Dragons that forged or created things in general. Grandpa Flame slowly heated the metal, and Aiko used her Divine Sense to mould it into different shapes. The moulding was very slow and inconsistent, as the temperature was low, but once you raised the temperature, it turned even worse. The small dots would move around much quicker, making it harder to properly align. To add insult to the injury, Aiko also didn''t know what was the best alignment she could have. This made things significantly more difficult, and it took a lot of time. ... "Vicious Jade Fox." Nightingale called out. "Mm?" Aiko didn''t even bother to look around, but that didn''t surprise anyone. Around here, there were dozens of floating metals, slowly melting, shaping, re-shaping, and so on. It was a sight to behold, but one questioned her Divine Sense. Was she overworking her brain, or was this her natural state? Her calm and collected demeanour made things even more difficult to guess. "Patriarch would like to talk to you about the sealing process." Nightingale said slowly. "Hmmmm." Aiko was quite dismissive, since she was collecting her research material. "Is that a no?" Nightingale was slightly confused. "I will be there later." Aiko dismissed everything around her, since she was this close to realising something incredible. She was this close, yet so far from it. Whenever she would get close to it, it would feel like she was hitting some kind of wall. So Aiko''s ''reasonable'' assumption was to create this kind of simulation dozens of times to speed this process up. It was quite taxing on her mind as she was trying to calculate and observe all of them, but she could feel that ''wall'' slowly breaking down. She was this close...! Chapter 414 – Witch Aiko and Poison Aiko eventually gave up, since that ''wall'' was too tough for her right now. She still had to try other things, but those could wait, as she was meeting the Patriarch again. "What did you need?" Aiko felt like she was at home, which greatly disturbed Lian. "We have people ready for the sealing." Lian''s forehead throbbed at how nonchalant she was. ''I pity whoever is your partner.'' Lian was completely unaware that this was not Aiko''s only form and that other forms were even worse than this one... "Oh, good. I wanted to leave this place soon." Aiko nodded happily. Lian was perturbed by that response. "Why do you want to leave? Don''t you like Fang Jia?" "Yeah, I do, but that doesn''t make me money, so that I can try the Forging Cultivation path." Aiko shrugged nonchalantly again. Lian narrowed her eyes. "Do you think you have what it takes to walk that path?" "I don''t know." Aiko shook her head. She was still in the testing period, so it was hard to say if she would stick with it. The most notable thing about the Forging Cultivation path was that it was quite similar to Alchemy. This would allow Aiko to transition somewhat smoothly from one to the other. Lian rolled her eyes. She didn''t like this kind of nature in Foxes. Haughty about their achievements and constantly overestimate themselves. "Shall we see the people who will have their poison sealed?" Lian wanted to get rid of this young Fox so that Fang Jia could stabilise her mind. Fang Jie walked around just at the right time. "I will go too." She jumped happily. Thanks to Aiko, she was saved from Patriarch''s gentle touch. She was not yet ready to open up, so Aiko was like a shining saviour for her. "You too?" Aiko tilted her head. She didn''t understand why Fang Jie wanted to join. "I want to see what happens with the poison inside one''s body." Fang Jie knew that it was taboo to observe the insides of other Cultivators. That was also one of the reasons why they didn''t try to observe where Aiko''s inner poison was located. However, in this situation, it was different. This time, it required their observation so they could throw that taboo out of the window! "Oh, sure." Aiko didn''t mind, since she was getting a lot more in return. "Then let''s go." Lian was not at all happy, since she remembered how this young Fox interrupted them... ... They arrived at what looked like a prison. It was inside a mountain, there was magma flowing around, making things unbearably hot even for Aiko and her [Thermal Regulation]. But at the same time, this was a good opportunity to raise it, so she wouldn''t be bothered by Forging Cultivation later. They walked through the prison into the middle part, where it had a normal temperature. "This is an observation deck, so that we can oversee all the prisoners without boiling alive." Lian proclaimed, and the young Fox nodded slowly. Aiko was observing everything around them. This place was pretty much littered with Arrays and Inscriptions, Treasures and Talismans. It was a sight to behold. "We have identified prisoners with poison, which range from mild inconvenience to life-threatening. So you can decide which to pick first." Lian was convinced that the young Fox would be haughty, but that was not the case. "The easiest one." Aiko proclaimed as she sat down. Her fur was changing into black colour, and her nerdy air changed into a seductive one. Lian stared speechlessly at this sudden change and didn''t know what to say or think about it. Lian shook her head before calling prisoners with the easiest poison in. Aiko sat down on a chair and they seated that prisoner in front of her. "You can do whatever you want; nobody in here is a saint, so you don''t have to worry about Karma or anything." Lian didn''t think that the young Fox knew about Karma, but just in case, she would say it. "Oho~ there is a-!" The prisoner was quite naughty, but an invisible force ripped his tongue. "Keep quiet, or I will twist your balls off." Aiko''s eyes changed as she used [#### Eyes]. Normally, those eyes would be concealed under [Moon''s Eyes], but she couldn''t use [Moon''s Eyes] in this form. As such, her eyes turned into what looked like mouths with rows of teeth, but a moment later, they turned into hundreds of eyes. Not just the prisoner, everyone was taken aback, and a sense of danger overwhelmed them. Lian was more cautious than before, since she had never experienced this sensation. She read many books about eyes and their different powers, believing that the most powerful were Dragon''s Eyes. Yet in front of her was power unknown to her and possibly more powerful than what Dragons could create with their eyes. She was curious, but also wary. This young Fox had too many secrets, which didn''t bode well with Lian. She didn''t want her daughter to get hurt or have her Soul injured. Lian kept observing the young Fox closely, just in case she needed to act to protect Fang Jie. "Was it that hard to keep shut?" Nightmare Aiko rolled her eyes. Her Divine Sense ripped his tongue, since she felt like he wouldn''t be able to protect himself. She also didn''t want to touch his filthy body, which reeked from not being washed in years. Aiko closed her eyes for a moment, and they changed again. All those eyes were trained on his body, observing him closely. ''It feels like I can see his blood vessels.'' Aiko blinked a few times, each time her eyes changed colour. ''Is the green one poison? Is it inside his whole body?'' Aiko tilted her head. "The poison is inside his whole body?" Aiko asked the duo. "En..." Lian felt a sense of desolation from those eyes. "I see..." Aiko nodded and got back to work. She would not be sealing anything any time soon, as the most important thing was to move that poison somewhere where the seal would not be interrupted. If she sealed it as if the poison would not worsen, but the body would likewise not get any better. If she wanted to extract as many benefits from this situation as possible, she needed to get the best possible results. Moon Aiko was worried about Karma, but Nightmare Aiko wasn''t. Thus, Moon Aiko made a deal that only criminals would be ''tested''. This allowed Nightmare Aiko full rein without others questioning her means. Nightmare Aiko focused her mind on that poison and tried to move it, but it didn''t work. It felt like the poison was stuck to the body like glue, and her gentle fingers were unable to peel it. Next, what she tried was to amplify the poison. "HAAA HUUUU HU HAAAAAA!" The prisoner winced and thrashed around as his whole skin was changing colour, but without a tongue, he was unable to say anything. Aiko used a bit of her sealed poison as a catalyst. At first, she wanted to transfer the poison, but that was impossible without breaking the seal. However, using it as a catalyst to increase the potency of the poison was possible. As such, Aiko tried to change the characteristics of the poison inside the prisoner''s body until he died. "That''s not sealing..." Lian muttered, but didn''t question the young Fox. Aiko paused, and the prisoner plopped down lifelessly. The guards on the side shivered, but they didn''t make a sound, just in case that young Fox would be after them. They had to agree that she was gorgeous with an ample bosom, but even that couldn''t overshadow her sadistic tendencies. "Hm, interesting." Aiko concluded her short test. "Can we get something stronger than the Inscription Poison?" She wanted to know if weaker catalysts could be used on stronger poisons. "There are only a few of them." Lian narrowed her eyes. "That is fine. I''m not testing sealing just yet." Aiko nodded. Lian was puzzled, but she was never really proficient at sealing things, so she didn''t question her means. "Bring prisoner number 657 here." Lian ordered them, and they waited. Not everyone in this place was a prisoner because of a crime that they committed. They were in this prison because they were also a danger to their fellow Cultivators. ... In front of Aiko was now a huge ''gorilla'', a Human that was distorted by poison. It was very obedient to the shock of others, since it loved to destroy things due to the pain the person was experiencing. "Hmmm?" Aiko tilted her head. She once again looked with her [#### Eyes], but this time she saw something else. ''A mist? Fog? What is this?'' Aiko tilted her head so much that she almost fell off her chair. ''I can easily manipulate it?'' Aiko tilted her head to the other side. She moved the poison into one place slowly and carefully. That huge body was also shrinking in front of everyone''s eyes. Everyone was shocked, especially Lian. She didn''t expect this kind of outcome. Aiko touched the monstrous body with her hand. This allowed her to speed up the process without damaging the internal organs that were on the brink of failure. The body kept shrinking and shrinking, Aiko could even hear some guards gasp. *Squish Squish* Aiko opened her eyes. The soft sensation on her hand was familiar. *Squish* "Nice and squishy." Aiko licked her lips. "How are you feeling?" She kept her hand on her booba, since it was soft and cool. The Qilin girl nodded, slightly disturbed about the place where the strange Fox was touching, but happy because she was no longer in pain. "Hmmm." Aiko wondered if it was possible to seal it, but what if she took it out of the body? Would the body collapse? Aiko tilted her head again and tried it. She slowly compressed that poison, so much so that the girl groaned from pain, but didn''t try to stop the Fox in any way. Aiko finished the compression. From liquid, it turned into a hard lump. Her nails sharpened as she plunged two fingers into her body to extract that lump. Everyone was shocked, and even Lian wanted to step in, but Aiko pulled a badly smelling ''Pill'' out of her body. "You can heal her, or kill her, since she is now useless to me." Aiko said, but that squish was certainly nice. She would be quite sad if they killed her. "Thank you." One guard bowed deeply and immediately took the girl into his arms. "I will get you to a healer, sister." He then glanced at the Patriarch, but she just looked away. He immediately ran out of the room, leaving them alone. Aiko was holding that strange Pill inside between her fingers, waiting to see if something would happen to it. Chapter 415 – Aiko, the newly appointed poison prodigy! Chapter 415 ¨C Aiko, the newly appointed poison prodigy! Aiko kept going like this. There were now several ways in which she could manipulate those poisons. The easiest way was when the poison was ''foggy'', in other words, it was not seated anywhere in her body, and it kept changing locations. This was also one of the harder poisons to cure, since it was harder to detect. The middle road was when the poison was in the bloodstream. It was more or less like the ''foggy'' poison, but a bit harder to manipulate. Aiko couldn''t concentrate that poison into one place, since it would block the veins. The easiest way to take it out was to ''bleed'' the system, but that couldn''t be used often. Why? Well, if you are low on blood... You get the idea. The third way was to seal the poison. Aiko was not really successful in this since sealing was difficult. If the poison was not moved out of the organs, it would impede their function. The seal would help it from getting worse, but the organs would likewise not get any better. Moving the poison into one place inside the body would allow her to seal it, and the person with the poison inside their body would get better over time. Later, she would be able to unseal it, and the Cultivator would be able to deal with it with Qi and Pills, or other methods. As such, Aiko could successfully only seal poisons she could move, or rather, that was the only way to gain most from the transaction. Not moving the poison could also result in organ failure. You are, in theory, sealing part of their organ with it, since you couldn''t move it away. Aiko shook her head gently. This was difficult stuff to do, but fortunately, she had plenty of ''willing'' research participants. "I didn''t think you would be good at this." Lian felt slightly speechless at how the young Fox operated. "I''m not that good." Nightmare Aiko knew that if it were Moon Aiko, she would be able to move the poison even if it was deep inside the tissue or bones. Of course, it was no different for their body, since Nightmare Aiko doesn''t have as good control as Moon Aiko. "You are suddenly humble." Lian was more and more confused about this young Fox. Aiko rolled her eyes. She was not humble, it was a definitive fact that Moon Aiko ruled when it came to control, while Nightmare Aiko ruled in battles. Nightmare Aiko had many battle-oriented Abilities, while Moon Aiko was the observant thinker. ... "I think I can try the Inscription Poison now." Aiko suddenly said. While she was not confident enough to move it, she at least wanted to see what kind of poison it was. "Sure." Lian had many Inscription Cultivators afflicted by that poison, so it was not an issue. ... An Elder came into the prison, where some kind of young Fox conducted her research. ''I have heard that she was beautiful and that Fang Jia was trying to curry her favour.'' The Elder was well-informed, since he was the Peak Elder of the Inscription Peak of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Why was he coming instead of some kind of low-class Inscription Cultivator? ''I hate how weak my body became... I can''t live with this!'' The Peak Elder was enraged at how much his cultivation had stagnated, especially when it came to Inscription Cultivation. "Elder??" Lian stared speechlessly at the stubborn fool. "Don''t stare at me like that, little Lian. We both know this is necessary." The Peak Elder believed that it was better to use his life as material, instead of young''uns. "..." Lian frowned, but she knew that she couldn''t move this stubborn fool. "Another grandpa?" Aiko felt like she was attracting too many of them lately. This one was not dressed in lavish clothing, but in simple white clothing. It gave him a sage-like appearance and the wisdom of the ages. The Peak Elder chuckled and sat down. Aiko didn''t dwell too much on it, and her eyes quickly changed. Unlike the normal reaction, she always got. This elderly man was calm and collected. ''Oh shit! Oh fuck! Why is she so scary!'' The Peak Elder cried inside his mind and almost fainted, sitting upright. He didn''t expect this young one to be so... Aiko tilted her head. ''How strange...'' Unlike the other poisons, this one didn''t show on her ''green'' spectrum, but on the ''black'' spectrum. ''The only time I got this reaction was with the Qilin girl...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Can we get the Qilin girl back for a moment?" Aiko asked the Patriarch. "Sure." Lian was confused, but didn''t mind calling them back. "Patriarch." Unfortunately, only the brother came. "I want your sister here, now." Lian commanded. "My apologie-" The brother wanted to interject, but Lian would naturally have none of it. "Fine, I will do it myself." Lian sighed. Just because she was infatuated with Fang Jie, many Cultivators no longer took her seriously. It seemed like she would have to do a few more purges until they understood and took her words seriously. She disappeared and reappeared with the girl, gently placing her on a chair near the Peak Elder. Another Elder ran into the prison, breathing harshly. "Patriarch, you can''t just take my patient away from me." The Alchemy Peak Elder was an old grandma. She had white and green clothing, which was refreshing in this black and red prison. Her scent was also gentle and quite addictive. "You can continue here. This is important." Aiko interjected as she noticed that the Qilin girl had less ''black'' stuff inside her. The Alchemy Peak Elder wanted to scold the young Fox, but seeing the Patriarch not say anything... ''Is something wrong with this young Fox?'' The Alchemy Peak Elder felt something amiss, so she didn''t go out of her comfort zone. She didn''t like to scold others, only when it was absolutely necessary. "I was just detoxifying her. It could''ve waited." The Alchemy Peak Elder grumbled. She was a really cute grandma. Aiko observed the girl and the grandpa. Neither of them was in good condition, but the girl was recovering quickly. ''Detoxification... was it?'' Aiko tilted her head. She was not as smart as Moon Aiko, so she would just gather the necessary components for her. "Is there something wrong?" Lian frowned. "I think." Aiko nodded. "I would have to ask her later, but can we use Herbs and stuff?" She knew a bit about detoxifying Pills, but it was important to find the right one for this one. "We?" Lian tilted her head, and the young Fox''s hair changed to ''white'' again. Lian pursed her lips. ''Is this the ''we''?'' She thought she understood what the young Fox meant. "What do you need it for?" Lian didn''t want to splurge resources without a good reason. "It doesn''t have the same reaction as other poisons, so I''m thinking of a different approach." Moon Aiko said. "While the reaction and how it behaves are closer to poison, other components are not. As such, my Ability does not work on it. I would like to use Herbs to figure out the origin, and then you would be able to do the rest." She didn''t want to spend too much time on it, since she had already been here for quite some time. Lian''s lips twitched. She couldn''t get used to these changes in demeanour. "You can use it. Alchemy Peak Elder will also assist you." Lian said. Peak Elders in this place were not called by their names, since they would change quite often. Every 6 months, there was a small tournament between Peak Elders and Elders to see if Peak Elders still had the prowess to keep their position. Lian got tired of remembering all their names, since they changed so frequently. As such, she proclaimed that she would only use the ''place'' as their name. Thus, Alchemy Peak Elder. "Sure." Moon Aiko didn''t have any problems with this, since there were better Alchemy Cultivators out there. She also never tried any kind of detoxification, as Mei told her it was quite dangerous. If you detoxify too quickly, the thing you tried to detoxify could rebound harshly, injuring the user. However, if you tried to do it too slowly, the thing would try to protect itself from being detoxified, gaining immunity to the detoxification. As such, you had to accurately strike a balance between those things, and Aiko couldn''t bother with that. None of her companions needed it as they kept their Beast Cores somewhat pure, and if they got a bit worse, Mei always cooked something up. Moon Aiko yawned. "But tomorrow. I already did too much work today." She stretched gently, and her loose clothing suddenly adjusted itself. A small spider peeked out of her clothing before hiding inside again. Lian thought that she saw something, but it must''ve been her imagination. ''She was able to cure 67 Disciples. Diagnosed 146 prisoners and only killed 14 of them.'' Lian thought that the young Fox was overdoing it, since it had already been a few days since they entered this place. Everyone stayed completely still for days, because her work was that mesmerising. Her sensual hands waved slowly in front of her body, making certain parts shake in return. It was a beautiful melody, no matter the gender. "Sure, have some rest." Lian smiled slightly, and a few guards alongside Peak Elders almost coughed up their intestines. The cruel and unforgiving Patriarch smiling?! Does she want this young Fox as a companion? She only smiled at that one Fox, and now there is another?! They had so many questions, yet nobody dared to ask them. The wrath of the Patriarch would be severe, and they didn''t want to get caught in it. "You can take your sister away. It seems she helped greatly." Lian dismissed everyone, but still took notice of the Qilin girl. ''I wonder what that old fogey will say once he knows his daughter is fine.'' Lian didn''t want to lock his daughter in here, but this place had incredible suppressing abilities when it came to curses and poisons. That Qilin girl had both curse and poison inside her, or rather, it was Cursed Poison. As long as the poison was inside her, the curse would reapply itself again and again. The curse was the rebound of the poison and the transformation of the body. In other words, even if you located that poison, unless you had a powerful Taoist and Alchemist working in sync, you would be unable to get rid of that poison. Yet that young Fox only slightly injured that girl and got rid of that poison. She could be called a prodigy when it came to poisons... ''Maybe I should reward her a bit more so that Jia wouldn''t get the butt treatment?'' Lian pondered on this and she thought it was a good idea. Chapter 416 – Detoxification and overenthusiastic Old Lei Chapter 416 ¨C Detoxification and overenthusiastic Old Lei The next day, the Alchemy Peak Elder guided Aiko into her hall. There she stored most of her Herbs and other catalysts for Alchemy. Aiko sniffed around. There were many Herbs with overpowering scents, while some had wild ones. "This place is big." Moon Aiko nodded in appreciation. "It''s my hall and my lifework." The Alchemy Peak Elder spoke slowly. She was not too happy that such a young Fox would touch her precious Herbs. Aiko looked around, but then stopped. "We will make weak and powerful detoxification Pills." Moon Aiko told the Peak Elder. "Do we need it for that poison?" The Alchemy Peak Elder frowned, but didn''t voice her opinion just yet. "We need to establish the degree of power necessary to detoxify it." Moon Aiko glanced around. There were different containers here and there. "You first need to neutralise that poison." The Alchemy Peak Elder finally couldn''t bear it and voiced her opinion. "And how did that work out for you?" Moon Aiko clicked her tongue. She hated stubborn fools the most. The Alchemy Peak Elder glared at her, but she was unable to refute her words. Why was that? Because they failed in neutralising that poison, even with the most expensive and precious antidote Pill. "How many detoxification Pills do you know?" Aiko glanced at her. "Around 200." The Alchemy Peak Elder could never compare to the sharp-tongued officials, so she just gave up refuting her for the time being. "I''m guessing the most powerful might be too powerful, so we will go for the middle and low end." Aiko nodded slowly. The Alchemy Peak Elder paused. She didn''t expect this youngster to be sensible. ''Most of them would roar about the most powerful Pills, but that is not the case with her? Did someone teach her old Alchemy?'' Her favourability towards this young Fox slightly increased. "It will take a day." The Alchemy Peak Elder tried to intimidate the young Fox, but she just yawned. "Then I will go to sleep again, my eyes are still tired." Aiko immediately left the place, leaving the flabbergasted Peak Elder alone. "... I can''t believe the Patriarch likes this Fox..." The Alchemy Peak Elder shook her head. ... The following day, Aiko was grumpy. A certain someone didn''t allow her to sleep in. "If you are soooo good, then why didn''t you just give me the Pills yesterday? Do you know how much concentration you need in order to achieve that desirable result?" Moon Aiko clicked her tongue. She was somewhere between her Moon and Nightmare Form. Lian''s lips twitched, but she just sipped her tea. She would not butt in between these two, since she knew that both of them were quite prideful. "That''s what you get for being so stuck up." Old Lei snorted happily. "If you need anything, glasses or such, just tell me, little one." She was buttering up Aiko like crazy. Why was he suddenly like this? He was able to reunite with his daughter after a long time, and her body was even in pristine condition! What his daughter suffered from, was a mixture of Cursed Poisons and Forging Impurities. Those two combined into something truly vicious and dangerous for everyone around. However, he heard from her daughter about a strange Fox that cured her. Naturally, he was a doting father, so he looked for any kind of rumours to give to that person. There was a certain prodigy Alchemy Cultivator who went around curing important figures, but he was not good enough in his own eyes. His daughter had a twinkle in her eyes when she talked about her saviour, so he searched again. To his dismay, it was the same Fox that scolded his Forging Cultivation, which upset him greatly. Well... he had to yield. Nobody was able to cure his daughter. Yet a young Fox came, cured, and went, it made him quite speechless. ''It''s always a good idea to curry favour with prodigies.'' Old Lei nodded his head. ''But not that Alchemy Prodigy, that guy is farming girls.'' He clicked his tongue in annoyance. He only ever had one wife. ... Aiko begrudgingly sat down with the Pills. "You should bring the less important members who were poisoned, since this is pretty much live testing about the reaction." Moon Aiko explained that this was pretty much experimental testing. "Bring the least accomplished here." Lian commanded and waited for them. ... Aiko had in front of her 5 young guys who were poisoned. Each degree of poison was different, which would help her gather more information. She used the weakest one with the weakest Pill and watched the reaction. ''Whoa, I can see the Pill going around his body!'' Nightmare Aiko was curious about what would happen to them and watched the different colour spectrums. The ''black'' spectrum was obviously the most important. Aiko could see the black stuff lessening, but there was something strange about it. "Peak Elder, how does detoxification work?" Nightmare Aiko tilted her head since the reaction was different from what she was used to. The Alchemy Peak Elder rolled her eyes. "Detoxification needs to be given in the perfect amount, otherwise the thing you are trying to detoxify can rebound with more strength. There are instances where that is not the case, but those are not considered poisons or anything like that." She expected a lot from this Fox, but was quite disappointed. Moon Aiko came out and went through the Pills. She picked the most powerful and gave it to the same person. ''If my assumption is correct, this ''poison'' or ''impurity'' doesn''t have the rebound status like the other poisons and impurities do...'' Moon Aiko''s headache, since she would have to work this out. Her thoughts were also all over the place, so it was difficult to say if she was right. Nightmare Aiko came out again and observed the reaction. The black spectrum reacted greatly, and it shrank, but it also left a lot of ''white'' behind. Aiko was not sure what that meant, and she would leave it to Moon Aiko for later. Her only job was to observe and ''record'' everything for the Moon Aiko. That guy coughed a bit of blood, and Aiko noticed a clog on the back spectrum. ''It probably needs a bit of help.'' Aiko stood up and approached the guy. He blushed furiously, but the next moment he was upside down. "Hu-GAUH" He was confused, but that beauty struck just below his ribcage. There was an uncomfortable feeling inside his body, and he started to vomit. Instead of a pool of blood, he vomited black viscous stuff. The others recoiled as Aiko kept shaking him like a sack of potatoes. Nobody questioned why she was standing on a chair. They didn''t dare say that she was short... Once he stopped, his whole face was messy, so Aiko pulled out a bathtub that she stole from the monkeys and used her [Ancient Spiritual Water] to generate slightly better water than what you would get from a Qi-rich environment. "H-huh?" The upside-down guy dreaded what would happen to him next, but the young beauty would not wait for him. *Gargle Gargle* Aiko kept submerging her body in order to clean him, slightly drowning him in the process. Lian coughed awkwardly. "I think he is now clean." Aiko paused, but eventually pulled him up. "I-I can see a fairy." The guy said with a half-drowned expression. Aiko''s face twitched, and she dropped him onto the chair before she jumped away. ... "Alrighty." Moon Aiko nodded slowly with her research material. "So you are saying your body feels weird, right?" Aiko asked him. "Yes, it feels like there is something missing, and it''s harder to control." The guy told her. She was too pretty, so they were all very cooperative; it was definitely because this beauty was quite ruthless in her conduct. They also blushed throughout the whole thing, but that was because her clothing was slightly messy. "Can you diagnose him, so I know what that means?" Moon Aiko asked the Alchemy Peak Elder. The Patriarch had to nudge her, since she was stubborn like the Forging Cultivator. ''I can''t allow my daughter to meet with her! What if she gets the same treatment?!'' Old Lei groaned unhappily, but he would still butter her up. ''That was some kind of ancient water!'' Old Lei''s expression burned, since it was very useful to the Forging Cultivators. He was not looking to steal it, but to teach her how to use it properly. If she could slowly cool down the metal, it would be able to gain more properties from the materials, and if certain other materials were kept cooler, that would allow them to maximise their effects! Aiko was slightly startled by his burning expression, but she ultimately thought that it was a good thing. ''I still want to learn Forging Cultivation, so him being like this is positive... I think.'' Moon Aiko was unsure, since she felt like she might suffer later... "Hm?" The Alchemy Peak Elder tilted her head. "Why is he malnourished?" "So that''s what it is." Aiko nodded. She now knew what the white part meant. "Right." Aiko crossed her arms, looking towards the last 4. They shivered, but for some reason also looked excited. "You will take 1 lowest pill a day. You will take 2, 3 and 5." Moon Aiko assigned them the Pill consumption in order to determine how slowly they should take it. They might have different poisons and impurities in their bodies, but it should be fine, even with some margin of error. "And I will explain to you what this thing actually means." Aiko turned towards Lian before dragging her out of that place. Moon Aiko was already sick and tired of that gloomy place and needed some kind of change of scenery. ... "Oh, my~" Fang Jie covered her mouth with twinkling eyes. "I-I can explain!" Lian was flustered as she was dragged by the young Fox away. "Have fun~" Fang Jie waved her hand, like she was dismissing a friend. "Noooo! I can explaaaaain!" Lian yelled as Aiko dragged her into the guest hall. ... "So that''s what happened." Fang Jie calmly sipped her tea, but she didn''t forget to tease Lian about it. She finally had some kind of weakness over her, and she loved every second of it! Lian was too stoic when she was the Patriarch, which created a natural wall that Fang Jie couldn''t cross. Fortunately, thanks to the kind Aiko, she now had a weapon that could easily tear down that wall. Did it hurt Lian''s pride? Maybe a little bit, but who told her to be so stoic!? Chapter 417 – Aiko and Blacksmithing Fang Jia was training in her room, so there was no time for Aiko to butt in. That was quite a good thing, since Old Lei sought her out. "I heard you finished business with Patriarch." Old Lei was so short that Aiko felt tall for once. "We are still working on it. They need to gather more data on how much they should give Pills to them, among other things." Moon Aiko explained briefly. "Good, that means you are free." Old Lei nodded with a stiff expression. "What are you up to?" Aiko was suspicious about his behaviour. "I will teach you all about Forging Cultivation and Cultivators." Old Lei proclaimed, but Aiko could only nod slowly. "First, I will let you watch me again." Since Old Lei had his daughter back, his mind sprang to work, and he was back to peak condition. "You want me to correct you again?" Aiko shook her head unhappily. "Haha, as if." Old Lei snorted at her. "After I let you watch, I will explain the whole process. You will then try it yourself, and then I will explain the different path." "Isn''t there just one path?" Aiko tilted her head. "There are multiple." Old Lei shrugged. "For example, one path specialises in Treasure, while another..." He narrowed his eyes. "Specialises in Flying Treasures." Aiko''s ears perked. She heard about flying ships, but Flying Treasures? She only encountered that flying sword, and even that was mediocre at best. "Hehe." Old Lei laughed happily. "I will teach you later, but you need to get your basics right." "Okay." Aiko didn''t decline this kind of thing, since she was concerned that she wouldn''t get a good teacher later on. While this guy was short, his demeanour was more to her liking, even if he was sometimes a bit like a bull. "When will we start?" Aiko nudged him. "We can now, but I will be running here and there, because of my daughter." Old Lei explained. "That is fine." Aiko happily nodded. "At least I can absorb more information or scold you for improper smithing." She teased him slightly, so as not to make him too upset. Old Lei snorted unhappily. "Sure, sure. Let''s go." He believed that it was better to show her his real skills before doing anything else. ... Old Lei hammered the metal inside his Forge, although he no longer needed to do that, because his Divine Sense was powerful, he still liked the sound of hammering. "Nice, isn''t it?" Old Lei smiled as he looked over the young Fox with closed eyes. "I usually don''t like sharp sounds, but this is nice." Aiko felt like this was quite nice music, but she couldn''t explain it. She should be hurt by that high-pitched sound, because of her overly sensitive ears, but that was not the case. "This is what happens when Forging Ancestor hammers normal metal." Old Lei said proudly. "We don''t have to use as much strength as Mortals, and we have more control over our hammer; as such, most of the sounds are simple and not really painful. You can estimate someone''s Forging Cultivation Path by letting him hammer metal." Old Lei explained and then added. "If the ring is painful, unstable, ''wrong'', or simply doesn''t sound like music, then he has holes in his basics, causing a ripple effect to his skills." "I see." Aiko nodded. "But that doesn''t explain why you need to use blacksmithing before Forging." She couldn''t understand that part. "Because of the movement of the metal. The grains, lines, everything." Old Lei smirked. "Ah!" Aiko nodded, understanding what he meant. She already worked on those things, but maybe it would be different if it were done by a hammer? Was that what she was missing? "You seem interested. How about it?" Old Lei smiled happily. His new student didn''t seem as stubborn as Fang Jia. "I will prepare for it." Aiko nodded slowly and opened her shop. She browsed it slowly, trying to find smithing-related stuff for now. [Blacksmithing], [Gold Smithing], and so on. They were cheap, but she was not really interested in them. "[Smithing Mastery] and [Forging Mastery]." Aiko narrowed her eyes. It should be possible to slap them into Divine Skills later. Each of them also costs quite a lot. 10,000 Skill Points each, which was impressive considering one was Mortal and one was Cultivation type. Aiko found it weird, but still paid the price for [Smithing Mastery]. She would buy [Forging Mastery] once they advanced to that part. She also tried to find others, but most were already included in [Smithing Mastery], so Aiko gave up. "It''s quite hot..." Aiko didn''t like the increase in temperature, but she believed that [Thermal Regulation] would gain levels with this. "It will get even hotter once you start moving, but if you get too hot, just run out of my house and take a plunge into the lake." Old Lei chuckled. "Is that why you had that lake?" Aiko felt slightly speechless. "For what else? When you start this journey, it''s so unbearably hot that you wish you could jump into any kind of water." Old Lei shook his head. "To begin with, the issue with bathtubs is that one jump is all it takes to force all of that water out. Then you are left with no water, and you need to fill it up again. That either takes time or money if you use water-based Treasure." Old Lei went on a long rant, so much so that Aiko almost fell asleep. "As such, it''s easier to just big up a large hole and fill it with rainwater." Old Lei finished his two-hour rant before looking at the young Fox. "Why are you not doing anything? The forge is almost stone-cold!" He snorted unhappily. "If someone didn''t take so much time to talk about this story, I wouldn''t have to wait around for you to finish." Moon Aiko believed that all stories were worth listening to. It was definitely not because there were some stories that didn''t finish, and she was still upset about it. Certainly not! Old Lei snorted again, but let her go for now. Fang Jia would never listen to him like this and would always interrupt him, so he would let the little Foxy do her thing. "I will help you fire the forge." Old Lei sighed, but a flame appeared before him. "You also have a Spiritual Flame?" His eyes widened. "While its firepower is not much, it looks easy to control." He nodded in appreciation. "With this, once you start your Forging Path, you will have a much easier starting point, good." He nodded happily. "Is there a difference?" Aiko tilted her head. "You won''t understand for now, but you will soon." He smiled knowingly. "Okay." Aiko nodded, a bit suspicious again, but she let it slip. "First, you need to heat the metal; it needs to be glowing, but not too much or it starts melting." Old Lei explained. "Is that even possible?" Aiko raised her eyebrow. "Listen here." Old Lei started yet another story... ... 6 hours later, he was finished and so was Aiko. [Smithing Mastery: Lv.1->Mastered] -> [Arts Mastery: Lv.1 (Inscription, Alchemy, Assassin, Smithing)] Moon Aiko went nuts with the levelling once she understood how to do it. It was quite simple, actually, you just needed to increase how much you learn about a given subject, and the levels would just flood in. This allowed Aiko to merge that skill and also make Old Lei flabbergasted. "Are you sure this is your first time smithing?" He couldn''t believe his eyes. "I learn quickly." Moon Aiko still frowned at her younger self, since she now believed that when she was in a younger life-stage, she was able to learn a lot more than right now. Another thing that also helped her was [Thermal Regulation] [Thermal Regulation: Lv.2->4] This kept her somewhat cool, but she was still bothered by the heat. Unlike the heat from the desert, this was a strange kind of dry heat that made her skin uncomfortable, like she was slowly roasting alive. "You should take a dip, and I will tell you a bit more about Forging Cultivation." Old Lei smiled. "Okay." Aiko didn''t reject it since her clothing pretty much stuck to her body. ''I will need some proper clothing later.'' She clicked her tongue before simply jumping into the lake. *Splash* A few bubbles formed on the surface of the water before Aiko resurfaced. "This is incredible." Aiko felt alive once again. "Hehe." Old Lei chuckled again. "You understand why I dug this hole now?" He smiled with glee. "Good job." Moon Aiko gave him a large thumbs up, since this was quite an amazing feeling. "Praise me more." Old Lei laughed before walking away. He was going to take care of his daughter before Aiko finished her dip. He was quite happy that he knew her name, since he understood that Beasts were quite stingy with it, and for good reason. ... Old Lei returned and invited Aiko back to his home, where his daughter was being taken care of. "By the way, you can call me Lei Hai, and my daughter is Lei An." Old Lei suddenly exclaimed. "Okay." Aiko nodded slowly. She didn''t expect to get their full names so soon. "My daughter can be quite stubborn, but she means well." Old Lei apologised in advance. "I was thinking about this, but what kind of race are you?" Aiko tilted her head. From her understanding, only Humans and Foxes at this stage had a Human body. Old Lei chuckled. "That is a secret for now, maybe once we spend a few years together, you will get to know that." "Ah, I see." Aiko nodded knowingly. "Something that can''t be said openly or enemies would appear all around us." She stroked her chin slowly. Old Lei twitched. "You should curb that smartness before someone hurts you." "Thank you for your concern." Aiko would naturally not do that, and Old Lei understood that by this point. "Why do I even worry about you? You will go and do something crazy anyway." Is the feeling he got from Aiko, especially now that she has learned blacksmithing so quickly? He didn''t need to correct her all that much, since it felt like she already knew about grains, cooling and other things. He was completely unaware that Aiko had already gone through that whole process in order to rearrange the metal into a perfect structure. She might''ve failed for now, but she was now ever so close to finishing it, and that would allow her to create a lot stronger and more powerful Treasures! Chapter 418 – Forging History Aiko met with Lei An. It was the girl who had her poison removed by Aiko. She looked quite healthy now, but she didn''t move from her bed. "Us Qilins are quite sensitive, so we can''t easily heal our wounds." Old Lei sighed. That was also one of the reasons why Qilins aren''t supposed to be Forging Cultivators. "Then why did you become one?" Aiko tilted her head. "My wifey liked to hear me hammer." Old Lei scratched his head in embarrassment. "My mother''s and my ears are quite sensitive, so we like music." Lei An smiled. "I see." Aiko could relate to that, since she also liked music. "As such, we are on this path due to our family." Old Lei eventually shrugged. "Thank you once again for helping my daughter." He bowed towards the young fox without an ounce of arrogance. "It''s fine. She just happened to be in the right place at the right time." Aiko felt like she shouldn''t accept that bow for the time being. His daughter was still not completely okay, and it could return. Aiko didn''t really want to deal with that again, since she wanted to leave this place and get back to her research. It was still important to finish her research in order to extract as many rewards as possible, especially. [New Mission!] [Forging Path: Learn basics of Forging and finish moulding metals together.] [Reward: Advanced Knowledge about Forging Cultivation] This was a simple mission without any kind of demerit, which Aiko loved to see. The reward was also perfect for her current disposition, where she hunted for knowledge. "Anyway, you can talk to my daughter while I make tea, and we can start the lessons." Old Lei happily hummed as he walked away. "You are stepping on the path of Forging Cultivation?" Lei An tilted her head. "Yeah." Aiko didn''t conceal it, since there was no reason for it. "Why? Isn''t it a hot and stuffy experience?" Lei An was interested in why such a successful Fox would be willing to learn something as hot and dirty as this kind of path. "Definitely, but I would like to create my own things." Aiko chuckled at her. "Because you are blocked from auctions?" Lei An pursued this question further, since she wanted to know a bit more about her saviour. "Yeah." Aiko nodded slowly. "But that is not the only thing. I have quite a few ideas that I would like to build." "Like a flying ship?" Lei An giggled when she saw the young Fox stiffen slightly. "Well, they are quite expensive and unlikeable." Aiko shrugged like she didn''t like any of them. Well, she didn''t like them, but she also didn''t dislike them. All of her designs would have positives and negatives, like any normal flying ship. "You can definitely learn that, but the main material is hard to get." Lei An shook her head. "Floating Stone?" Aiko tilted her head. "You already know about it? Good." Lei An nodded. "If you also know how it looks, you might encounter one on your journey, although it''s difficult to store." She sighed. "You can''t store it in Storage Rings?" Of course, Aiko would not mention her [Tails Storage] as that would be secret for the time being. Others can question if Aiko could store living beings inside her tails and that was fine, but once she pulled more things, others would get suspicious about it, and she would like to avoid that for the time being. "No." Lei An shook her head. "Storage Rings would float away if you did." "Eh?" Aiko blinked innocently, trying to imagine a bunch of Storage Rings flying around. "That''s right." Lei An giggled. "It would fly away, and since the world border is not even, it would all converge into a single place and get collected by big Sects." She then added with a sigh. "You never wondered why so many large Sects have so many flying ships?" "Because they found flying Storage Rings." Aiko clicked her tongue. "So they are just bandits." "But they don''t feel like that since they only ''found'' the Storage Rings." Lei An was quite angry. "But nobody mentions how you have to erase the Soul Imprint on the Storage Rings in order to open them." It felt like she lost her own Storage Ring to this. "I see..." Aiko would definitely do the same thing, but she would not call herself a righteous Cultivator. She was a Fox, hated by many just because she was one. They all had prejudices about her lust and inclinations, and Aiko would not be able to change that. ''It''s better to be vicious.'' Aiko nodded slowly. At times, that nickname was quite nice. They kept talking for some time. While Lei An didn''t move around much, she was a great listener, maybe a bit too much... ... "Where should I start..." Old Lei sighed slowly. They were sitting around a table, sipping tea, and his daughter was closely observing Aiko. ''Can''t believe that my daughter would be so interested in a Fox and with those rumours to boot.'' Old Lei groaned, but he misunderstood this whole situation. Lei An only had that twinkle in her eyes because Aiko wanted to learn Forging Cultivation. She was always interested in what others could come up with. Would it be something useful? Something selfish? She didn''t know, and that''s why she was always interested in these things. ''Who cares about that pampered Alchemist when I can watch over hard things getting harder and more beautiful?'' Lei An hummed happily. "Forging Cultivation Path started a long, long time ago. It was during the Age where Cultivation as a whole just started..." Old Lei started with history. The story started with a couple that had a fight. The wife wanted to punish her husband by impaling his behind for what he did against her. Meanwhile, the husband wanted to live his life as he always did, but he dreaded his wife. This prompted him to turn towards Mortals to give him some ideas. "Why won''t you just create something defensive out of metal? You are an Immortal, so you should be able to use materials from not just monsters, no?" One Mortal suggested this, and he had an epiphany. He understood what he had to do and how to accomplish it. He started to hammer away, as there was no path for Forging Cultivators. Over time, he upgraded his craft with Divine Sense and other wonderful things. He even ''stole'' the idea about using a Cauldron to make those Treasures. As such, the first ever Forging Cultivator... died being impaled by his wife. He was so engrossed by his art that he didn''t notice his wife creeping up to him. "Seriously?" Aiko suddenly interrupted the story. "Seriously." Old Lei nodded, and Lei An was holding in her laughter. However, that was not the end of the Forging Cultivation, as the research from that guy and his prototypes was left behind. We call those Treasures, simply because the first thing didn''t have any names and thus were exceptionally rare. He only created a few Treasures, but all of them were heaven-defying. One Treasure allowed you to gather Qi from a large area and concentrate it in one place. Another Treasure made you immune to many kinds of poisons. Yet another Treasure protected your Soul, so that if you were killed, your Soul would be protected, and you would be able to run away in order to possess a new body. There were many kinds of Treasures, each was unique and precious. The 2nd generation of the Forging Cultivators were unable to manifest that kind of skill, as they never went the same route the first Forging Cultivator did. There was also no pressure about being impaled, so Forging Cultivation stagnated for a long time. Eventually, the Forging Cultivator found a new body and resumed his production. Large Sects all sought him out in order to get an edge over the others. The Age of Beasts was over with the Age of Treasures. Most Beasts were unable to cope with the new defensive capabilities that Humans demonstrated, and the Primordial Dao had to intervene... It imposed restrictions on forging, so that only a few could learn it instead of all. Divine Sense, Spiritual Flame, Cauldron, and so on. It imposed many restrictions in order to make sure that the Beasts wouldn''t go extinct. There was a need for all races, and Primordial Dao understood that. It was impossible to get rid of those Treasures, since Humans would find another way to create them. Humans were the most troublesome race of them all. They didn''t cherish the resources that were there from the body. They only cared about surpassing the Heavenly Dao... The Forging Cultivation stagnated once again, since you needed a Forging Cultivator in order to create a Forging Cauldron. As such, only the first and a few from the second generation were able to make those. But it didn''t stop there. Most of them would blow up their Forging Cauldrons, making the already scarce resources even scarcer. That''s where the Void Cauldron and Shapeless Cauldron appeared. Aiko''s eyes shone briefly, but she listened attentively. Void Cauldron allowed one to create things out of Void or Qi. Void was harder to control, and only the Princess and a few others were able to use it. Meanwhile, the Shapeless Cauldron just required Spiritual Flame and metals to create. As such, they began mass hunting for spirits... once again. At this time, the Primordial Dao had to intervene again. It made Spirits more powerful, but also restricted. Humans were unable to hunt them and enslave them once again. They needed to coax them and feed them in order to gain approval and be able to connect with the Spiritual Flames. As one might expect, this once again stagnated the development as only big Sects had the resources to coax those Spiritual Flames... "The Forging Cultivation Path is very rough due to this. There is not enough information, and when there is. It''s dubious at best..." Old Lei shook his head. "That''s also why, unlike Alchemy, you need supervision over the whole thing, or you might hurt yourself during the process." Old Lei warned Aiko. "I see. The Primordial Dao made something incredible." Moon Aiko was happy about this, since this was the perfect field for her to thrive in. "You are probably the only one who would say that." Old Lei shook his head. Aiko was the only one who was smart enough and resourceful enough to bypass all those restrictions. Old Lei lamented at his poor life and was quite envious of this little Fox... Chapter 419 – Aiko + Demonic Foxes = Fluff Ball Chapter 419 ¨C Aiko + Demonic Foxes = Fluff Ball "So, the moral of the story. Don''t piss off women." Aiko nodded her head slowly. "Yes- No, wait yes. No, that''s not the point!" Old Lei groaned at the absurd conclusion Aiko came to. "Then what?" Aiko tilted her head. Lei An was holding in her laughter since she had never seen her father struggle like that. "Never mind..." Old Lei groaned again. It was better forging than engaging with women. Of course, his wife was an exception. ... Aiko went around with Lei An, who shared her knowledge about smithing and forging. They walked around until the talk slowly shifted and Aiko couldn''t help but ask. "Where is your mother now?" Aiko was really curious about that since both of them loved her so much. "I don''t know..." Lei An shook her head. "She was taken to the mainland by a large Sect." "Do you think this poison has to do something with that?" Aiko raised her eyebrow, and Lei An paused. "I have to talk with my father." It felt like Lei An realised something and rushed away. "..." Nightingale watched this from the sidelines, but didn''t enter immediately. Well... at least that''s what she intended to do. "Will you come out already? It''s really bothersome when someone is watching over me." Aiko ruthlessly and immediately called her out. "Your senses are too sharp." Nightingale clicked her tongue. This young Fox made it exceptionally difficult to do her job. "Or your stealth is just that bad." Aiko shrugged without caring about her. Old Lei was teaching Fang Jia and Lei An also ran away, so Aiko was slightly bored. She was not allowed to use the smithy, and she also was not allowed to explore too much around. "Patriarch allowed you to meet the other Demonic Foxes." Nightingale suddenly said. "Gotcha." Aiko ruffled her Tails and pulled out Brave Passion. "Mistress?" Brave Passion was currently eating as she was pulled outside by Aiko. "There are more Demonic Foxes you can talk to. Do what you like." Aiko said gently before patting her head. ''I wonder what they are to me...'' She was confused about why she was collecting so many Demonic Foxes, but those reasons would show up eventually. At least that''s what Aiko believed. "En." Brave Passion munched on her food while Nightingale was questioning what she had just seen. ''That''s... a Demonic Fox? No, wait, that''s not important, was she always in her tails!?'' Nightingale observed the young Fox with a keen eye and then the Demonic Fox. ''Why does it feel like this Demonic Fox is different...?'' Nightingale tilted her head. "Still enough food?" Aiko asked her. "Plenty." Brave Passion replied briefly. They rationed their food, just in case something happened to Aiko. "You don''t have to save that much, I will send more food later." Aiko was concerned about their well-being. "Thank you, Mistress." Brave Passion bowed slowly. "???" Nightingale was more and more confused as time went on. Demonic Foxes were known for everything, but being gentle. Yet in front of her was an absurdly gentle Demonic Fox. How did that make any sense?! "Patriarch only allowed-" Nightingale tried to pressure the young Fox, but was dismissed immediately. "Yeah, yeah, I will just borrow something to read while I accompany you with Brave Passion." Aiko shrugged like it was not that big of a deal. Nightingale''s body stiffened. "Brave Passion?" "That would be my nickname, yes." Brave Passion nodded slowly. Nightingale alternated her sight between the two of them, trying to spot a lie. ''Wasn''t she one of the Foxes that were being sold? What is she doing here? I have to report this to my Mistress!'' Nightingale panicked slightly, but her demeanour didn''t change. "I-" "Sure, sure. Go, I will look around more." Aiko dismissed her since there was more to the body language than met the eye. Nightingale disappeared from there. "Is it alright for you to show us openly like this?" Brave Passion was concerned. ''Is this making of another Blood Fox?'' Aiko narrowed her eyes, but she quite welcomed it. ''The smarter they are, the less work I will have to do.'' "I''m still converting Human Techniques, but I will have something for you a bit later." Aiko also noticed something very special about Demonic Foxes from observing the Blood Fox. ''They don''t have stagnant Qi.'' It was not like they didn''t have it at all, but it felt like they had a way to deal with it on their own, meaning their potential was exceptional. Of course, at the time of picking these Foxes, Aiko had no idea. She only figured it out soon after coming in contact with higher stage Cultivators. ''The amount of stagnant Qi is proportional to the time one has cultivated.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Thank you, Mistress." Brave Passion nodded happily. "How are you doing inside, by the way?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "We are doing good." Brave Passion nodded, she was maintaining everyone''s mental health and improving their condition. "Good, it''s good that you are their leader." Aiko nodded in appreciation. "Pardon?" Brave Passion was confused by Aiko''s words. "What? You are the leader." Aiko tilted her head. "Thank you so much, Mistress!" Brave Passion almost cried. "???" Aiko was confused by this sight, but she didn''t know how to properly ask about this, so she just gave up and patted Brave Passion. ----- "That young Fox is getting more interesting by the day." Lian chuckled. "How is ''research'' going?" She changed the topic. "The research is going well. It seems one needs between 2 and 3 Pills a day to reach the perfect detoxification, but the Alchemy Peak Elder suggests two." Nightingale added to the report. "Because we will spend less resources on nourishing them back." Lian nodded, understanding the intentions. "How is the time required for it to be detoxified?" She asked slowly. She wanted yet another weapon to use against Chen Shi. "It depends on the time someone was poisoned, how much poison they were inflicted with and how high their cultivation is." Nightingale summed up her review. "Foxes from tails." Lian chuckled again. "That is definitely a new one." She smacked her lips. "Should I?" Nightingale paused her words, not wanting to insinuate anything. "Allow them to meet the Demonic Foxes. I wonder what they will do..." Lian narrowed her eyes. "Even our medicine is not perfect, so it''s only natural there will be a fight. Help out the Vicious Jade Fox and... Brave Passion? If something happened." ''Mistress remembered their names?'' Nightingale was slightly bitter about that part. "Yes, Mistress." But she would not do anything that might hurt her Mistress. ----- "Most of us love meat, but we are fine with vegetables from time to time, so we can clean our system." Brave Passion explained their eating habits. "We have too many carnivores..." Aiko groaned unhappily. Her meat reserves would dwindle greatly if even more Demonic Foxes joined. "Change of plans, try not to invite them too openly." Aiko gave her thumbs up, fearing for her meat. Brave Passion was a ''young'' member of Aiko''s religion, but that didn''t mean she was that naive. "We can hunt our own meat." She murmured under her breath. Meanwhile, Nightingale speechlessly slapped her forehead. She couldn''t believe what kind of carefree conversation they were having. ''You are going into the battlefield and you act like that?'' "Patriarch allowed you to visit them." Nightingale appeared out of nowhere, but Aiko already knew about her. "Cool, and the books?" Aiko asked her. "?" Nightingale tilted her head. "We have made a book out of our experiences and knowledge. If you would like to see it, Mistress?" Brave Passion presented a Jade Slip to Aiko. "Where did this appear from?" Aiko tilted her head. Brave Passion wanted to say from the loot horde inside that strange space but paused herself. "We have collectively written what we knew and experienced." She presented it in front of Aiko. Aiko took the Jade Slip from her hands with some confusion written on her face. "Well, it''s not a book, but it will do." She nodded before following Nightingale away. "Don''t even try to steal it." Aiko suddenly kicked Nightingale. Nightingale was quite upset, not for the fact she was kicked, but because she couldn''t sense it coming. "I wouldn''t!" "Bullshit." Nightmare Aiko called it out immediately. "I saw your sparkling eyes when Brave Passion introduced it!" She snorted unhappily at that blatant lie. "..." Nightingale felt like this young Fox was getting more and more outrageous with each passing moment. First, she found a cure for the poison that was impossible to cure, then she mastered smithing and now she could even read minds?! Nightingale silently guided them, no longer coveting that Jade Slip, but she would still report it to her Mistress later. ... "It''s like a ball of wool..." Nightingale had a headache. She expected that the young Fox and Brave Passion would be jumped and injured, but this was still outside her expectations! The moment the young Fox entered the place with the Demonic Foxes, all of them trained their eyes on her. It got to the point that even Nightingale feared for her life, but what happened next made her completely flabbergasted. The Demonic Foxes swarmed Aiko and immediately made a huge ball that looked like cotton. "As expected." Brave Passion nodded. She already noticed that Aiko''s ''energy'' got stronger from the last time, but this was still an incredible difference! "As expected?" Nightingale almost fainted. ''Couldn''t you warn me in advance?! How am I supposed to deal with this?!'' Suddenly, Aiko''s head popped out of the yarn ball. "A small help, please?" Aiko was almost drowned by the overenthusiastic Foxes and called for help from Brave Passion. Brave Passion opened her fan before closing it right after. It made a very distinct noise and the yarn ball collapsed. Aiko jumped outside, looking around all puzzled. "What happened?" "Sound Cultivation?!" Nightingale was even more speechless as that one was one of the rarest Cultivation Paths one could walk. "I have temporarily put them to sleep. Since they are also Demonic Foxes, it will work only briefly, but that''s enough time to hide behind me." Brave Passion smiled happily, completely ignoring the Shadow Fox next to her. It felt like some kind of new rivalry... Chapter 420 – Moon Aiko Overwhelmed Moon Aiko immediately hid behind Brave Passion. "What is supposed to happen now-" Before Aiko could finish her words. "Are you her friend?" "She is so cute." "Can we stay with her?" "Take us with you!" Nightingale fainted standing upright. The supposed feral Foxes were gently ''seducing'' the Vicious Jade Fox to take them away. She had never seen that before! They were always grumpy and very unstable. Making it difficult to work with them or even give them food. "Sit down. One at a time." Brave Passion commanded like she was already their leader. ''That won''t-'' Nightingale almost coughed up blood when she saw all the Demonic Foxes obediently sit down and listen to her. "Nice." Aiko kept hugging Brave Passion''s waist, so as to not allow her to move away. One Demonic Fox was already a lot to deal with, much less several dozen of them! "I''m glad you are the leader." Aiko breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mistress." Brave Passion smiled, and all the Demonic Foxes perked their ears. An unspoken rule was established between them. Brave Passion was their leader, while their saviour was the kind Fox hiding behind her. Their eyes sparkled, which made Aiko quite bothered. "So..." Aiko didn''t know what to say. "I can manage them." Brave Passion smiled. "That would already be like 5 dozen, no...?" Aiko doubted her words. That was a lot of Foxes to manage. Moreover, there were also male Foxes. "There is no problem." Brave Passion nudged Aiko, but Aiko kept sticking to her waist. ''I ain''t coming forward no way.'' Nightmare Aiko might''ve jumped in, but not Moon Aiko. Aiko glanced towards Nightingale. Nightingale coughed awkwardly. "I would have to ask my Mistress..." ''You are supposed to support me, not make things even more difficult for me!'' Aiko cried out inside her mind. "Please do." Brave Passion completely embraced the role of being a leader of the Demonic Foxes. Aiko could only silently cry... ... Aiko sat on the side with a few Demonic Foxes. Nightingale was nearby just in case something went awry, but most of the time, her soul was leaving her body. Why, you might ask? "Is this the right pressure?" One Demonic Fox asked as she massaged Aiko''s shoulders. "A bit to the left." Nightmare Aiko proclaimed as she went through the Jade Slip. "There are some branches entangled in your tails, I will do my best to get them out." Another Demonic Fox nudged her. "Sure, thank you." Aiko munched on food from a nearby Demonic Fox. ''What am I looking at...?'' Nightingale was unsure of what she was seeing. At one point she even questioned if she didn''t fall into Illusion Formation! This sight ensued for quite some time and that was not all. "There are currently 3 generations, excluding generation 0. I''m the first generation and also the Leader. If you have any questions you can ask either me or the generation above you. This will also follow in terms of seniority. We are no longer barbarians, so there is no need to use strength." Brave Passion was ''educating'' the new squad of Foxes. ''My god... they are building an army.'' Nightingale had to stay here and watch this, but how was she supposed to report to her Mistress?! Wouldn''t she get scolded?! "There you are!" Fang Jia suddenly popped up. "No fair! You are supposed to play with me!" Her eyes immediately lit up as she saw ''Dark'' Aiko. She jumped at Aiko and landed right between soft pillows with a pouting expression. "Maybe if you were a good student, you wouldn''t have to take so many more lessons." Nightmare Aiko sensually said. "I will be good. I will earn a lot." Fang Jia was a lost cause, one might even question if she was the same person. The Demonic Foxes noticed Fang Jia, but they didn''t have any opinion on her. Their Mistress didn''t mind it, so they didn''t mind it. They were not bothered that Fang Jia was a halfling. "How were your supplementary lessons?" Aiko glanced at her as she kept reading through the Jade Slip. "Old Lei is strange. He is a lot kinder and everything. Even takes his time to explain everything!" Fang Jia couldn''t believe that was the same Old Lei, who made her re-smith a thousand swords a day! "He got his daughter back." Aiko chuckled, unaware that she foiled yet another background plot... "True. She is cute, but it feels like Old Lei is keeping her in a cage." Fang Jia pondered on her complexion. "She was poisoned till now, so it''s only natural that she wouldn''t be allowed to do much. That will change over time. Old Lei is not that kind of character." Aiko smacked her lips, looking forward to more smithing or possibly forging, but she would also like it if things sped up. "How much time do you have?" Aiko nudged her. "About a day, not enough to make any significant progress on our thing." Fang Jia pouted. "Oh my~, ''our thing''?" Fang Jie popped out of nowhere, scaring Fang Jia. "It''s not how it sounds like!" Fang Jia immediately defended herself. Fang Jie got the message that her daughter visited the Demonic Foxes and was worried about her, so Lian accompanied her to here. In the background, there was Lian with a funny expression, gesturing towards Nightingale about the current situation. Naturally, that was ignored by the main parties... "Heee~, and how does it sound like then~?" Fang Jie teased her daughter. "Good timing." Aiko nodded. "How are they?" "They are recovering well, but you really did a number on me. Do you know how many Pills I had to prepare once the research was over?" Fang Jie pouted like a child, nudging Aiko for attention. Meanwhile, Lain was flabbergasted by the report from Nightingale and even almost fainted. "We spent so much resources to keep them in fine condition, yet it took one visit..." Lian felt completely defeated for the first time ever. Meanwhile, Aiko was conversing with Fang Jie about the research boring Fang Jia. "I thought she grew out of fondling busty bosoms, but that is not the case." Fang Jie suddenly teased her daughter again. "Mum!" Fang Jia cried out. "Oh, my~" Fang Jie giggled as she avoided her daughter''s assault. "It''s good that you have a good relationship." Aiko nodded. "It also feels you should comfort the Patriarch." The last part was added since Aiko noticed Patriarch collecting pebbles a few steps away from them with a strange expression. Fang Jie turned around and was puzzled. Avoiding her daughter¡¯s assault yet again, she went next to Lian to comfort her. "What a happy family. Do they treat you well?" Nightmare Aiko was slightly curious about this since it would affect the future. "Yeah. We will also move on the mainland soon since the Elders are getting cured." Fang Jia added. "Already?" Aiko blinked. She didn''t expect that part. "Yeah, while this place has a lot of resources, they are still limited. Both my mothers want me to grow a lot, which means they want to shower me with rare materials." Fang Jia kept going. "So while it''s possible to get more materials into this place, it''s not advised, since they would have to either cross the ocean or have to deal with Movement Arrays." She sighed. "When will you leave?" Aiko tilted her head. "Probably in a few months, but I believe that once you leave, you won''t be able to return here as everyone will be packing." Fang Jia sighed. She wished Aiko would visit her more often. "Hmmm. I believe there will be a tournament about seats for the mainland, but who knows how that will end up." Aiko shrugged with a sigh. "Why?" Fang Jia tilted her head. "There are issues with Elders." Aiko shrugged. "Is that why you are collecting Demonic Foxes?" Fang Jia was still upset that Aiko spent more time with them than with her. "They are interesting, and I can help them." Aiko didn''t really feel that way, since she really didn''t know why she was doing this. She just felt like it and then went with the flow. "Is that why they are swarming you like this?" Fang Jia looked around. Most Foxes didn''t look any different to normal Foxes if you ignored their abnormal beauty. "They feel fine and happy around me." Aiko shrugged. She didn''t want to explain this whole thing as the Jade Slip attracted her attention. "What are you reading?" Fang Jia was curious about it too. "Something the Demonic Foxes gave me. It''s their experience and happiness for meeting me." Aiko summed up the information inside, but it was very interesting. Their Beast Cores had a harder time attaining impurities, even if they bathed in them. Moreover, some could even completely wipe out their Beast Cores out of all impurities. Of course, that still left their body with impurities, but it still made them incomparably powerful! Aiko was curious about what she could do if her Beast Cores were free from impurities. "Mistress, some would like to learn about other occupations. Am I allowed to group them by their interest?" Brave Passion asked. Fang Jia felt like this Fox was her biggest adversary. She was completely unaware that it would be the Blood Fox... "Sure. I don''t mind, but nothing that would hurt us in the long run." Aiko warned her about that part in particular. If they only cared about sex, they would end up like the Fox Village. Well, it would be to a lesser degree since Aiko would not allow them to cultivate that sinister Technique, but still. "Thank you." Brave Passion smiled and immediately made groups out of the Demonic Foxes. Alchemy, Forging, Talisman making, Arrays, Inscriptions, Music Cultivation, and so on. Everyone had their own little group, and some of them even had several. Brave Passion led the Sound Cultivation, as she had the highest attainment, while the Foxes with the most experience leading their respective groups. The whole thing devolved into one big information-sharing session, and their breakthrough happened every so often, making Lian cry even more. "This is so unfair...!" Lian cried. "Why is her group so powerful, yet we have to spend so many resources just to make it work for our Disciples-!" "There, there." Fang Jie gently caressed Lian''s back. She was concerned about her mental health, but there was only so much she could do... She was also concerned about the growth speed of the Demonic Foxes, especially when it came to Alchemy. Even novices took only a few moments to become Pill Apprentices! Chapter 421 – Aiko and Business The group session ended with Aiko showing everyone into her Tails. This made Lian quite literally faint, standing upright. How was it possible that a single Fox could house so many living beings?! She couldn''t understand it... That thing aside, everyone was concerned about the army that the young Fox was raising. Every Demonic Fox without insanity was exceptionally intelligent or fast at learning things. This allowed them to clear the necessities and immediately go practise their given occupation. The hardest at work were Sound Cultivators, as even a single sound out of them could hurt not just everyone around them, but also themselves. There were many prerequisites to becoming a Sound Cultivator, the main one would be control over your energy. If just a tiny bit more energy leaked into the zither, it would be devastating to everyone around them. Being a Sound Cultivator was a wonderful thing. Pretty much every Cultivator would worship you for your obscenely destructive power, but at the same time, fear you for the same reason. Sound Cultivators were powerful double-edged swords. As such, they required a lot more practice than your common Cultivation Path. "Everything is so complex." Aiko didn''t like Sound Cultivation, since it sounded like another headache that only Moon Aiko would be able to deal with. "We will practise safety first so that we will not burden our Mistress." Brave Passion bowed slightly, and the other Sound Cultivator Foxes bowed with her. "Fine. I won''t ask about what you need for now as we will be moving later." Aiko didn''t store Brave Passion and her group just yet, since she was the leader. She had to report her findings and everything else so that everything worked like a well-oiled mill. ... Finishing her business with Brave Passion, Aiko turned towards the rest of them. "We have Fang Jie, Jia, Lian, Nightingale and a few shadows..." Aiko counted them. "Just keep quiet so that I don''t have to become your enemy." She suddenly smiled. "That''s obvious." Lian rolled her eyes with a still slightly throbbing forehead. ''Nobody would dare to antagonise an army of Demonic Foxes. At best everyone could only suppress them, but they couldn''t be controlled by Soul or Mind Techniques, even most curses were shrugged off like they were nothing! That bothered Lian since the only defence against Demonic Foxes would be to either drug them or kill them. By this point they pretty much worshipped Aiko, which was not a bad thing, but also not a good thing. Lian was concerned that one of the stupid servants could anger her and make her hate the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and with her plans about the Massage Chair, it was obvious that the Heavenly Massage Parlour would go under. Well, they would have to scrap the ''Heavenly'' out of their name, since it would no longer be the best thing Cultivators could seek. "On another note, do you have some kind of beastclopedia?" Aiko tilted her head. "Beast-what?" Lian couldn''t understand that word. "Some kind of book about beasts and their most basic traits?" Aiko tilted her head. She was looking for some kind of Beast that would be as large as an island, could swim, fly and walk, while also protecting itself from harm. That''s right! Aiko was planning to build a flying Fort- Massage Chair Business! She would be able to move her business whenever she would go, which would allow for quick maintenance. Aiko also understood humans'' greedy nature, which would prompt them to seek her flying Massage Chair Business no matter where she would go. ''And if I invite Old Ming...'' Aiko chuckled. Not only would it become a flying Massage Chair, but also a flying restaurant! "She is scary..." Fang Jia saw the manically giggling Aiko and shivered. "That''s just how some Foxes are..." Fang Jie had vacant eyes, like she already experienced something like this... "She is indeed scary..." Lian had this nudging feeling that many businesses would go under with Aiko around... ... Lian guided Aiko into a certain library. "This library was created by Human Hunters, in order to record Beasts'' nature and their quirks." "So that they can be easily hunted, huh?" Aiko clicked her tongue. "Indeed." Lian nodded unhappily, but this was necessary information. "You can read anything in this room, but nothing in the other rooms." Lian explained to Aiko. "That is fine by me." Aiko nodded, not minding that. She picked up the first ''book'' and sat down. This would be a long research. ... ...... ......... ''There are only a few Beasts that would match what I want if I don''t include the exceptionally rare ones.'' Moon Aiko frowned. She was weighing her chances on how likely it was that she would be able to find those Beasts that would be perfect for her current situation, and she could only come up with a few. "Roc''s can house large buildings, but they still need to rest." Aiko believed that with a few adjustments, they would be able to stay in the skies forever, but there were other issues. "Defence is impossible, and the offence would damage the buildings." Aiko clicked her tongue. That left her with only one good option. Rare Earth Turtle. It''s a mixture of sea and earth variants but with a few important points. 1. Their shell can be both low and even or tall and spiky. Aiko would be able to choose if she would go for the ''Peak'' version of her business, or nice meadow. 2. They can ''swim'' on land. Those kinds of turtles could move the land like it was water, allowing them to keep their speed. Their defence would likewise rise to absurd numbers. 3. Their shell doesn''t move much, and it''s sturdy, making everything easier to defend. This was very important since Aiko planned to create special buildings attuned to Qi and Elements. 4. Docile Nature Aiko wouldn''t have as hard time taming them or teaching them not to do certain things. ''Like barrel rolls.'' Aiko dreaded that part. All her hard work would be drowned or compressed. There were a few other points, but these were the best points Aiko could make at the moment. It was definitely not because Earth Turtles were herbivores! Aiko closed the last ''book''. It was hard work researching everything, but the hardest part was yet to come. She had to find an Earth Turtle that was willing to be made into a transportation turtle. Of course Aiko would give it benefits, but Earth Turtles liked to dive into water/earth, which would abuse her business and customers too much... ... Walking outside, Aiko was greeted by pouting Fang Jia. "What is it?" Aiko tilted her head. "We are spending time together now." She pouted even more when she saw Aiko''s confused expression. "You spent two weeks inside!" Fang Jia didn''t know if she should be upset at her or concerned for her... "Oh..." Moon Aiko blinked with a startled expression. That was indeed a lot of time for Aiko, who wished to return as soon as possible. "We can hang out." Aiko still needed to finish her Cauldron, so this was an important part. "Don''t even think about talking about ''that'' until I''m satisfied!" Fang Jia pouted even more. "Oh..." Aiko pursed her lips. "Don''t give me that!" Fang Jia cried out, while she didn''t like light Aiko as much, her expressions were still adorable for her. "Ugh, fine. We can talk about it a little bit, but don''t make it the main topic!" Fang Jia yielded like rice paper without any resistance. Aiko smiled happily, which made Fang Jia groan even more. ''I told you she is a vixen.'' ''Rich coming from someone who has been asleep for years.'' Fang Jia clicked her tongue. Her annoying ring was back from sleep. ''You shouldn''t-'' The voice inside the ring tried to say something, but Fang Jia took it off of her body. "Can you do me a favour?" Fang Jia asked Aiko. "What is it?" Aiko paused her steps. "Please take this and throw it as far as possible!" Fang Jia smiled from ear to ear. ''No!'' The voice inside the ring suddenly yelped. ''I''m sorry, okay! Don''t throw me away, please!'' She pleaded with Fang Jia about this, since she was very compatible with her. As such, the Soul inside the ring didn''t need to squeeze her dry just to recover a bit of strength. ''You will be silent unless it''s important or I ask you a question.'' Fang Jia narrowed her eyes. Aiko tilted her head at Fang Jia, who stood still. ''Some kind of strange equipment?'' She was curious about it, but not curious enough to ask Fang Jia about it. ''I swear!'' The voice inside the ring had to yield, otherwise she would not be able to finish repairing her Soul Body. "Sorry, it seems I mistook this one for something else." Fang Jia giggled happily for some reason. Aiko felt slightly strange, but she still just nodded. ''She has suspicions about this ring.'' The voice inside the ring said briefly before keeping quiet. She wouldn''t maintain this status as long as the vixen was around! ... Aiko lay on the bed with Fang Jia, and around them were Jade Slips with smithing forging and Forging Cultivation Path. It was quite extensive, but neither of them were in a hurry. Aiko was slowly and gently scratching Fang Jia''s back to make her less pouty. ''Maybe I should get Massage Skill and put her to sleep?'' Aiko still remembered how well she slept with the help of the Blood Fox. But she dismissed that thought for the time being. ''I still need her input. It wouldn''t be very productive if I put her to sleep.'' Aiko sighed softly. It would be troublesome if her only source of reliable information was asleep. "How about I return the favour?" Fang Jia''s eyes sparkled with mischief. Aiko paused her reading. "Are you sure? I thought you would like to keep going like this?" She didn''t believe her at all. "That''s true, but I also wanted to (take revenge on you) help you~" Fang Jia smiled ''innocently''. Aiko tilted her head. "Sure?" ''Hehemuhahahaha.'' Fang Jia laughed inside her mind. ''Allow me to show you the power of my mum''s knowledge and my fingers!'' Contrary to what most might believe, forging was all about finger work and your imagination, especially if you wanted to put in the finishing touches. As such, Fang Jia''s dexterity was much higher than usual! ''I will make you regret not spending more time with me!'' Fang Jia smiled with mischief. Chapter 422 – Spending time together Fang Jia was obviously aiming to make Aiko regret her actions, but it didn''t quite go the way she intended. "Ahhhh." Fang Jia softly moaned as her back was pressed by Aiko. ''It''s so fun pressing these ''buttons'' since it lights up other things.'' Aiko somewhat understood why the Blood Fox loved to massage others. However, she was completely unaware that the Blood Fox only practised on the Twins, and Aiko was the only one she was doing that for. ''Dammit! Why is she so good at this!? I want to bully her, but I also don''t want her to stop!'' Fang Jia cried inside her mind. She wanted to sway Aiko to her side, but so far, she had complete control over her. "I hate you..." Fang Jia pouted unhappily as she was enjoying her massage. "Why?" Moon Aiko tilted her head. She was researching her body and the differences in pressing intensity at different locations. "Because you always come and go, but you never stay..." Fang Jia booed Aiko as she was enjoying her massage. "Is that so? But I also have my own life and things I want to achieve." Aiko didn''t really see the point in staying in one place. All places would eventually end up redundant for her. That''s why she was aiming for the Earth Turtle. "Mum said the same thing." Fang Jia clicked her tongue. She quite disliked how accurate her mother always was. "She has experience." Aiko nodded in agreement. "At least spend time with me as the Dark Aiko!" Fang Jia protestingly kicked her legs, making Aiko sway on top of her. "Settle down, or I will get serious." Aiko narrowed her eyes threateningly. "What are you going to do? Massage me to death?" Fang Jia squirmed her body, trying to shake off Aiko. "That would be possible, but that would be no fun." Aiko pressed certain points on her lower back, and Fang Jia squealed. That squeal soon turned into a moan, and Aiko worked her way up her back, occasionally ''sensually'' whispering to her. Needless to say, this was a great turn-on for Fang Jia. She was at the mercy of Aiko, and for some reason, she enjoyed it a lot. Aiko''s magic fingers made her feel things she didn''t know even existed. This exchange lasted for quite some time until Fang Jia plopped completely exhausted onto the bed. ... "Forget everything that happened!" Fang Jia couldn''t believe she orgasmed from a simple massage and felt shame that she never felt before. "Why? You sang quite well." Nightmare Aiko was resting around, teasing Fang Jia. "You-" Fang Jia slapped Aiko''s thigh due to her embarrassment as her already red face turned even more red. "I will repay this ''favour''!" She threatened cutely, making Aiko giggle. "Sure, sure." Aiko nodded. "I wonder if you will be liked by others..." She paused for a moment. "You will definitely be liked by the Twins, but I''m not sure about others." The Twins were very unbiased when it came to their preferences. As long as something was cute or sexy, they liked it. It was more the case for Wanshu than Yuxi, but they pretty much acted as one entity, so... "Feifei also likes you, although you should be careful." Aiko said seriously, licking her lips. "What about sis?" Fang Jia tilted her head. "She likes to watch." Aiko snorted unhappily. "Huh?" Fang Jia blinked, and embarrassment once again overcame her. "T-there is no way that sis would be like that!" She protested against Aiko''s words. "You don''t have to believe me." Aiko shrugged like she didn''t really care. "I can''t believe it..." Fang Jia had certain trust in Aiko, more so than her sis. That might change over time, but this trust was tilted more towards Aiko for now. "What does she do in her free time?" Fang Jia was curious. She did talk with her sis, but they didn''t talk for THAT long. "Painting. I''m thinking about making her an Art Cultivator, but that will depend on her." Aiko was looking forward to what she would create if it was a Cultivation Path. "An artist, huh?" Fang Jia heard about those here and there, but they were rare. Their battle power depended on how well they could imagine and draw certain things. There was also a legend that one Immortal Artist was able to sculpt their own world and paint it with life, but that was just a legend. Nobody knew where that was or if it was even created. Cultivators liked to boast about their creations, making them bigger than they already were. This bothered Aiko and many Cultivators since the truth was often deceiving... "I still can''t imagine her as a peeker." Fang Jia still couldn''t believe that her sis would peek at other people''s intimate relationships. "And wouldn''t you be a peeker, too?" "How?! It was an accident that we barged into your mothers'' business!" Nightmare Aiko was not a voyeur. It was always an accident that she caught other people during their intimate time! "Uhuh." Fang Jia didn''t believe it one bit. "Aren''t you supposed to lock the doors if you do something like that?" Aiko kicked her feet unhappily. "Mother can''t do that. Otherwise, others would think something happened to her." Fang Jia shook her head. "Whoa, they have no personal space, huh." Aiko clicked her tongue. "Or maybe they liked to be watched? At this point, nothing would surprise me." She shrugged lightly. "..." Fang Jia didn''t know what to think about that. It was true that her mother enjoyed the attention the Patriarch was giving her, but at the same time, she couldn''t imagine her mother being an exhibitionist. ... They rolled around the bed, discussing things with each other. Fang Jia didn''t dare to engage with Aiko too much due to her magical fingers and stubborn approach. Fang Jia wanted Aiko to be on the receiving end and not her! Unfortunately, both Nightmare and Moon Aiko had different ideas. "There will be a Sacred Realm opening in a few years." Fang Jia suddenly said. "There will?" Aiko tilted her head. "Yeah, I won''t be here, but I heard interesting rumours that might help you." Fang Jia wanted to help Aiko to be able to get to the mainland. Only large Sects were able to cross the ocean, and even during those times, they had to take at least 2 Mahayana Stage Cultivators for protection. That''s how dangerous the ocean was. Of course, there were also Sects that turned their flying ships into flying fortresses in order to spare expenses and not send Mahayana Stage Cultivators. "Oho~?" Aiko perked her ears. Any kind of goodie was a good goodie for her! "I heard there is one last Crimson Bee colony living there." Fang Jia whispered to Aiko. "Hmmmm..." Aiko was not really interested in bees or honey. "It''s said that crimson bee''s honey can revitalise the body and allow healing complex injuries." Fang Jia added, trying to nudge Aiko to search for them. "I see." Aiko nodded slowly. She was interested now since it seemed like the honey was quite mysterious. ''Maybe I will be able to research more about Vitality if I get a bit of honey?'' Aiko didn''t really like the idea of going against a colony of bees with their stingers! It sounded like a horrible idea, but her research has to go on! Aiko nodded slowly. "Thank you for the information. Would you like another mass-" "No." Fang Jia immediately denied it. While she was interested in Dark Aiko, it seemed like only Moon Aiko did the massages. She wanted to be molested by Dark Aiko, not made into a melted puddle by Moon Aiko! "Awwww." Nightmare Aiko booed Fang Jia. She was looking forward to that massage since Moon Aiko looked like she was having fun. Unfortunately, Fang Jia misunderstood who did the massage and turned down this opportunity. What a shame... ... "So now about the Forging." Moon Aiko proclaimed as Fang Jia was glued to her lap. "Forging is very different from what you have experienced. It included shaping the metal and combining it with other metals." Fang Jia poutingly answered. "There is also a legend about using Herbs as ingredients, but that''s simply impossible." Fang Jia sighed. "The heat from the Forging Cauldron is too high, and it would immediately vaporise most Herbs." "There are some Herbs that could protect themselves against that heat, but they would still be degraded." Fang Jia shook her head. She already burned a few Herbs out of curiosity, but it seemed like it was just another legend. "Hmmmm." Aiko believed that the small hole between the Forging and Pill Refining parts was the key to mixing those two things together, but she would have to first finish her Cauldron before she would start anything. "Anything else I should know?" Aiko tilted her head. "You can''t use your hands with Forging. I mean... you can, but any touch would degrade the Quality of the metal, so it''s not advised." Fang Jia then added. "Everything should be done with Divine Sense!" "That is fine by my end." Moon Aiko could utilise Divine Sense better than Nightmare Aiko. Her Divine Sense was also more protected against external influences. However, there was still an issue... While Moon Aiko had a more powerful Divine Sense, it was harder to use in battle as she specialised in creation and observation. Meanwhile, Nightmare Aiko had a less powerful Divine Sense, but she could use it in combat. Mei constantly warned Aiko not to use Divine Sense in battle since if someone had more powerful Divine Sense, becoming a handicapped retard would be the least of her issues. The major issue about Divine Sense was that it connected the power of Soul and Mind. In other words, if someone was able to imprint Techniques through the Divine Sense. It would make it exceptionally easy to enslave or affect others. As such, Mei banned Aiko from using it in combat, just in case such a person existed. "Then there is not much more that you need." Fang Jia shrugged as she caressed Moon Aiko''s soft thighs. "You are being indulgent." Aiko didn''t mind it since she felt close to Fang Jia. "And who is the one spoiling me?" Fang Jia protested. Aiko was too defenceless, which made one worry about her normal life. "I have no idea what you are talking about." Aiko just gave her a massage and other things. It was not like she was being spoiled like her team. "Boo!" Fang Jia booed Aiko again. She wished she could be as shameless as Aiko was! Chapter 423 – Combining Metals Fang Jia was too shy to openly pursue Aiko with intimacy, so she could only attract Aiko''s attention and let her do her magic. "Let''s do some Forging." Aiko nodded slowly. "I wonder how Old Lei will look like when you say that..." Fang Jia was convinced that Old Lei would cough up blood from her enthusiasm. "I can''t complete my Cauldron if I don''t know anything about Forging Cultivation. I don''t want to redo the Cauldron from scratch each time." Aiko shook her head. "But you still have to swap metals that the Cauldron is made out of since you will always find something better." Fang Jia shook her head. There was always something to do with the Cauldron. "I think I won''t take your approach since there are too many issues with it. Of course, my path is likewise difficult but more stable." Moon Aiko nodded slowly. "I''m not as crazy as you are, so I have to take things like that." Fang Jia clicked her tongue. Moon Aiko was too smart, or maybe just too observant? She didn''t know, but what she did know was the fact that Moon Aiko would reign over anything she touched, given enough time... ... "You have come." Old Lei smoked his pipe one last time before putting it away. "Ready for your lessons?" He was very enthusiastic. "Yeah." Moon Aiko nodded, and Fang Jia hid behind her. "Since when were you shy?" Old Lei snorted. "Since when were you kind?" Fang Jia retorted back. Both of them clicked their tongue before walking towards the smithy. ''They are still fighting.'' Moon Aiko couldn''t understand their conflict. She walked with them to the smithy, which was normally used for mortal smithing. "This time, we will do the real deal, so watch carefully." Old Lei said. "You will use a hammer?" Aiko blinked in confusion. She believed that hammers would cause impurities. "This is different as this hammer CAN be used with this metal, but if used with other metals, it would naturally degrade them." Old Lei explained. "Does that mean we can still use hammers?" Aiko tilted her head. "If you think you have the means to create a hammer for each metal and their mixtures, sure. But the best is with Divine Sense." Old Lei shook his head. "It might be difficult at first since your Divine Sense might ''burn'' a little due to the intense heat and melting metal." Old Lei continued his explanation. "However, that''s where the mortal smithing came in. Your body was accustomed to the heat, so it was not as shocking for the rest of your being." "I see." Moon Aiko liked old people. They knew their stuff well! Old Lei picked up his hammer and made several metal ingots levitate. Aiko watched as those ingots floated into the semi-transparent Cauldron and slowly heated up. "It''s nice that you can also see inside." Aiko marvelled at this idea. "But because of that, it can only handle this metal." Old Lei clicked his tongue. "I see." Aiko believed that the demerit was worth it. In order to show how it actually worked and what you are supposed to do. "Keep in mind that we are currently not making Treasure, but just merging the metals into ingots, which can be used later with more metals or resources to create a Treasure." Old Lei explained. "Can you reheat the metal if it cools down?" Aiko tilted her head. "Yes, but only if the last step was not to make it into Treasure. If it was, that metal becomes useless." Old Lei chuckled. He made many mistakes and had to throw a lot of metal aside. "Does that mean that the step between metal and Treasure produces some kind of special interaction?" Aiko tilted her head. She couldn''t understand why the metal couldn''t be reheated again. "You are spot on." Old Lei smiled. "The last step between metal, or resources and Treasure is that it releases a lot of Qi, which binds them together, allowing them to display their ''traits''." Old Lei didn''t know how to properly explain this step since it was not understood all that deeply. "I see... more research is needed." Moon Aiko nodded. "Seriously, I feel like you will become a pioneer at this point." Old Lei shook his head as he worked the metal into proper shape before trying to join it and mix it together. "I already am, but I can always go for more." Aiko shrugged like it was not a big deal. Old Lei''s face twitched, but he didn''t question her. Anyone who would try to question this Fox would suffer a painful headache, which drove everyone away. ... Melting, shaping and mixing. This process was much longer than how Pill Refining was, but at the same time, it was also simpler. Unlike Pill Refining, Forging doesn''t require too much adjusting when it comes to temperature or counting your breaths. What was required was a powerful, resilient Divine Sense and tenacity to go through the whole process. "Say, why can''t you just take small pieces of metal and try to mix them together to see the results?" Moon Aiko questioned as she turned her eye Abilities on. "It''s hard to see if it was successful or not. It also is harder to observe, so you need a lot of metal to see if anything happened..." Old Lei sighed. He would love to experiment, but he was not perceptive enough. ''But I can see it.'' Aiko could see those things, even the strings of Qi the metals exuded while they were melting. ''I wonder if the Qi is supposed to leak like that?'' Aiko tilted her head. It seemed like Forging was much more complex than she expected. ''This will take a lot of time...'' Aiko groaned unhappily. She didn''t think she would have to spend that much time here, but she was... ''Nothing I can do now. Let''s just watch and learn as much as possible.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and observed Old Lei closely. ... "I can''t get enough of his Forging skills." Fang Jia pouted. Old Lei was too skilled for her liking, and it put quite the pressure on her. "It''s nice dancing with sounds." Aiko, on the other hand, loved the sound of metals clanking against each other. At some point, she wondered if she was interested in metals! "You are weird..." Fang Jia pouted. "So are you." Aiko shrugged. "How mean. I''m the most normal person there is!" Fang Jia snorted unhappily. "Say that again when you bring another Divine Steel into my smithy!" Old Lei immediately retorted her words. Fang Jia clicked her tongue. "That was an accident! An accident, I tell you!" Fang Jia really accidentally stumbled upon that, but if it was not for Aiko retrieving it and sharing it with her. She would not have anything to recover from the Secret Realm except a few Herbs and metals. "You are both strange to me. Do you know for how long I had to work to get to this point?!" Old Lei sulked. "One weirdo comes back with legendary metal. Another weirdo learns smithing within a few days/week!" Old Lei couldn''t believe that the two abnormal creatures in front of him believed they were normal! "Have some shame, alright?!" Old Lei almost cried. "Now, now." Lei An appeared out of nowhere, soothing her father. "You are also the odd one since you were able to Forge a Treasure on the first try." However, Lei An was on no one''s side and just wrecked the room more. "An!" Old Lei glared at her, but she just giggled. "How are you doing?" Lei An greeted the duo. "As pretty as always." Fang Jia praised Lei An. "Why, thank you." Lei An smiled. "I want to do more Forging. It''s already been a while." Aiko sighed. "As diligent as always." Lei An shook her head and giggled again. "What can I say? I would like to return ''home''." Aiko shrugged. "Then I wish you luck. I only came here to deliver some iced drinks." Lei An glanced at her father. "Since a certain someone wouldn''t allow me to join the fun. "That certain someone is concerned about your wellbeing since you were locked up for too long." Old Lei dismissed that snarky comment before sipping his cold drink. Lei An didn''t say anything before leaving. "She is so stoic." Fang Jia sighed. "I think she was cute and happy." Aiko shrugged. "... How could you tell?" Fang Jia couldn''t understand Aiko. "I mean, both of our faces are stiff, so we can naturally tell?" Aiko tilted her head like it was an obvious answer to a strange question. "Never mind." Fang Jia forgot for a moment how abnormal Aiko was. "Your observation skills are as creepy as they are amazing..." Old Lei shook his head. ... "Now listen well. Your first duty is to perfectly melt the metal and keep it floating. It can''t touch any of the walls under any circumstances. Otherwise, both the Cauldron and the metal would get ruined! You would have to clean up that mess and cry over the ruined materials!" Old Lei explained with a stern voice. "Now you can use these metals." He placed small metals in front of them. They would not be used for Treasures but practise, so he didn''t give them as much. Wasting resources was a sin, especially if those resources were finite. "If you can''t melt it perfectly on your fifth try, you should give up on Forging Cultivation Path." Old Lei suddenly declared. "Why such an odd number?" Aiko tilted her head. "Because there are limited resources. In other words, if you can''t nail something on the first two tries, everything will go out of your pocket. You have to become a good enough Forging Cultivator that you can create a Treasure within two tries while using completely unknown materials for you." Old Lei explained more since he quite liked Aiko. "We can''t research those materials beforehand?" Aiko tilted her head. "What if those materials are newly discovered?" Old Lei narrowed his eyes. "I see where you are going with this." Aiko nodded. One had to be skilled enough to predict how the metal would react and act accordingly in order to not ruin it or degrade it. Degradation was not too bad if you weren''t aiming for top-notch Treasures, but ruining the ingredients was a big no-no. "I think I understand what Forging Cultivation is about." Aiko slowly nodded her head. It was a bit like Pill Refining but with its own set of rules and limited resources. "If you understand it. Then get to it." Old Lei snorted but still watched them with a warm expression... Chapter 424 – Practising Mixing Resources Aiko didn''t buy the Forging Skill yet since she wanted to know how different it would be with and without Skills. Aiko easily levitated the metal and used the Cauldron provided by Old Lei. Heating the whole thing was easy, thanks to her Grandpa Flame. Old Lei''s face twitched when he saw that ridiculous flame that stared at him. ''What the hell is that Spiritual Flame?'' Old Lei caressed his chin. "Anything else?" The metal was already heated enough, but Aiko wanted to combine them. "Oh, right." Grandpa Flame nodded. "Let''s get to it." The Cauldron heated up even more, and the heat inside the room started to rise. Fang Jia was concerned that the whole room might get too toasty, but Aiko had the time of her life. [Thermal Regulation: Mastered] She already watched it rise previously, but she didn''t pay too much attention to it since the difference was negligible. However, things have now changed. [Thermal Regulation] turned from mildly useful to incredibly useful in the span of a few moments. Once it reached the Mastered stage, Aiko could feel like she was not too hot or cold. It was the perfect temperature, which allowed her to focus the best! Aiko immediately worked on her metal more closely. She was supposed to mix them together carefully, but since this was her first try, she didn''t know the exact process. Some resources inside her Cauldron just didn''t want to mix together. It was not because Aiko lacked Divine Sense, but because the metals inherently resisted being mixed together. This puzzled Aiko since she went from "somewhat easy to do" to "impossible to accomplish". Moon Aiko tilted her head a few times before she came up with a way to allow her to do this. The resources were not allowed to touch the walls, but that was not an issue. Aiko would create a whirlpool inside the Cauldron, forcing those metals and resources to mix together. Of course, there was an issue that the metals would try to ''run away'' from the centre, but Aiko''s Divine Sense was powerful enough that she could create a containment space for it. She would not allow the resources to move from the centre, and the whirlpool would force those resources to mix together. "Hooo." Old Lei came next to Aiko, admiring what she was doing. "Is there something wrong?" Aiko tilted her head, while Old Lei mixed those metals together with his Divine Sense and hammer. She didn''t have one. As such, she had to come up with her own way to do this. "This is a very unique way to do this, and you would not be able to accomplish this if you didn''t have a powerful Divine Sense." Old Lei nodded in appreciation. "I might''ve underestimated just how ridiculous your Divine Sense is." He smacked his lips. "Keep at it, and let''s see how well it will mix." There was not enough information about this kind of technique that Aiko was using. Most would take those resources and knead them like dough until everything was mixed together. Then, they would use their specialised hammers to evenly spread all materials. Meanwhile, Fang Jia was having some trouble with this part. Her Divine Sense was not powerful enough to cope with the heat and heavy resources. "You are doing well for your first try, but if you feel like you are in too much pain, just stop. We can always take out another Forging Cauldron." Old Lei was gentle in his approach, so much so that Fang Jia doubted her ears. "What do you mean by that?" Fang Jia didn''t believe that the stern Old Lei vanished just because Aiko stormed into this place. "You will injure your Mind and Soul if you keep going like this." Old Lei added before returning to his position to observe both of them at the same time. ... Aiko kept mixing, increasing the spinning force in order to continue to mix them together. But she realised something strange. ''It''s not mixing together, but merely creating its own ''camps''.'' Moon Aiko had activated both of her eye Abilities, making it exceptionally easy to see that those resources actually didn''t mix together. ''It seems I will fail this one.'' She noticed that Grandpa Flame didn''t increase the temperature any more, which meant the resources would not be able to bear more heat than this. This limited Aiko in what she could achieve, but at the same time, made her wonder what was wrong with it. ... After an hour, Fang Jia was finished, and Aiko gave up. The metals just didn''t want to mix together, and they were in this strange stage of seemingly ''mixed'' together. "Oho." Old Lei nodded. "You have both mixed it perfectly, but why didn''t you pause sooner?" Old Lei glanced at Aiko. "What do you mean by that? It''s far from being mixed." Aiko shook her head. "Is that what you believe?" Old Lei paused. "It''s what I can see. It''s not really mixed together, but they form small camps and just nudge each other away." Aiko tried to explain what she saw, but it was difficult since she couldn''t come up with a good comparison. Old Lei blinked, startled by Aiko''s words. He couldn''t understand where she was coming from, since this metal was perfectly mixed. However, Aiko was adamant that it was not actually mixed. ''It feels like when you try to combine water with oil.'' Aiko clicked her tongue. It seems like Forging Cultivators are either unable to see it, or they believe it''s perfectly mixed and nothing is wrong with it. She didn''t believe they couldn''t see it, so it was probably passed down as Forging Cultivators'' knowledge, and nobody questioned it. Or they might''ve questioned it but were dismissed as crazy. Aiko couldn''t come to a conclusion yet and observed Old Lei''s knowledge and dedication. Old Lei took those mixed resources and placed them away. "We will do this three more times, with different resources, and lastly, we will try to create Treasures!" Old Lei proclaimed. His students were very smart and very enthusiastic, so he would allow them to see how difficult it was to create a Treasure. "May I try this one? One more time?" Aiko asked about the first mixing again since she wanted to buy Forging Skill with her Skill Points. "Sure." Old Lei didn''t reject Aiko since those metals were too small to put a dent into anything, and the Treasure would be likewise of a low quality. However, this would allow them to understand metals and get better at mixing them. [Forging Mastery] -10,000 Skill Points Aiko bought the Skill and immediately got to work. She instantly noticed a small difference in the handling, but the most startling thing. [[Forging Mastery] is interacting with [Appraisal]!] [Materials inside the Cauldron are not compatible. Mixing won''t be successful.] [Appraisal: Lv.3->4] Aiko was startled, but she kept doing it since Old Lei seemed like he was not doing this on purpose. He genuinely believed that this was the right thing to do. Aiko didn''t question him for the time being and finished all the mixing. ... "You have done exceptionally well, considering this was your first time." Old Lei nodded happily at his Disciple and student. "But we both fudged one of them." Fang Jia sighed. She was distracted for a moment and ruined a Cauldron, while Aiko was the same. ''I didn''t fudge it...'' Aiko rolled her eyes but didn''t try to correct them. What she was trying to do was to compress those materials to the best of her abilities, but she applied so much pressure that it just blew up in her face. "That is still perfect. Most would struggle for a few times or run out of Divine Sense, causing them to drop the whole thing." Old Lei shook his head. These two had such ridiculous talent that it was unbelievable. Especially Fang Jia, who didn''t have a Beast''s Divine Sense. She had limited resources, but she used them so well that most Forging Sects would try to poach her for themselves. ''Patriarch will have a hard time keeping her in one place.'' Was what Old Lei believed when he saw her in action. ''Moreover, she is more enthusiastic now that she has a companion.'' Old Lei smirked at them. "What is it?" Aiko narrowed her eyes on him. "Nothing. You will improve over time, but now it''s time to create your own Treasure." Old Lei proclaimed, changing the topic. "It will be a pretty bad Treasure since it will be small and won''t have as many precious materials as normal Treasures would have, but it will be your first attempt, so this would be perfect." He turned towards Fang Jia. "You will have to rest for now since this would require significant Divine Sense." "En." Fang Jia nodded and sat down, observing the two of them. "I will show you how Treasures are created. We are aiming for the most normal and basic Treasure since anything more significant would require more resources." Old Lei proclaimed and rolled up his sleeves. "Watch for now, and I will answer your questions later." He lifted his hammer before placing his handmade resources into the forge so that they heat up properly. ... "Once it''s heated like this, you will take it out and squish it for the desirable shape. If you are creating something like armour, it''s better to make it into a long sheet. If it''s something like a sword, then a long and narrow ingot would do the trick." Old Lei explained as he progressed. "I''m currently creating the most basic Qi Gathering Treasure. It will be pretty lame, but it''s easy to make, and you can see the process." Old Lei focused on his work as he advised them. "As you go through this process, you will notice that the resources will try to actually stick with each other." Old Lei showed the ingot that he created out of all the materials. They indeed stick together, but Aiko could still see that they were not mixed together. "With this, you keep heating it up until the Treasure is almost melted. Then you will shape it into a desirable shape to finish it off, and here you have it." Old Lei quickly cooled the Treasure with water in order to showcase his work. Aiko was impressed with his skill, but she was not impressed with what he created... Chapter 425 – Mission and Progress "That''s about everything you need to know to start your Forging Cultivation Path." Old Lei finished his teachings on the 19th day. "Thank you for teaching me about Forging." Aiko bowed towards him. He was very knowledgeable about the general technique, which allowed Aiko to harness a lot of knowledge. Thanks to that, a few things happened. [Forging Mastery: Mastered] -> [Arts Mastery: Lv.1 (Inscription, Alchemy, Assassin, Smithing, Forging)] [Mission Completed!] [Forging Path: Learn the basics of Forging and finish moulding metals together.] [Reward: Advanced Knowledge about Forging Cultivation] [Appraisal is progressing!] Aiko understood a few more things now. First: [Arts Mastery]''s level won''t rise no matter what for the time being, even when she kept practising her Skills under those names. Second: Missions give you a headache since they compress all of that information and send it into your brain. Third: [Appraisal] is not all-knowing but hinges on your own knowledge + a bit more on World Knowledge. What that meant was that unless Aiko had the bare minimum knowledge about a given thing, [Appraisal] would not activate, or if it did activate, it would just tell you [Rock] or [Dirt], which was not useful at all... Aiko concluded that the more research she did, the more [Appraisal] would improve since once she got the basic knowledge about a thing, the [Appraisal] would start working, but it would also tell her things she didn''t know at all. It didn''t tell her everything about the given thing, but it was enough to make a difference to the observant Moon Aiko. It was still an incredible thing that Aiko acquired that knowledge, since she now better understood the [The Ever Shaping Cauldron]. What the lower part and upper part were supposed to do, and how they would interact with each other. Aiko still had some time, and she also wanted to get a bit more acquainted with the Demonic Foxes, so she dragged Fang Jia away. "Thanks for everything. I have more things to do, so let''s meet one day again!" Moon Aiko said goodbye to Old Lei. "She is too lively." Old Lei shook his head, but he understood why she was like that. It had been quite a while since she came here, and she was always restless about staying here for too long. ''Well, we will definitely meet again.'' Old Lei munched on a piece of bread that was made by his daughter, chuckling to himself. ''With that kind of talent, she will become famous sooner than she might think.'' ... "Why are you in a hurry?" Fang Jia was slightly confused. "I almost finished everything, so I wanted to spend some time with you and my other companions before I embark." Aiko explained as she stopped near Fang Jia''s home. "Oh..." Fang Jia was quite sad, but she was not strong enough to keep Aiko around, so she didn''t try to stop her... for the time being. "And why the other Foxes?" Fang Jia tilted her head. "Because they created groups last time I had them around. There are around 70 Foxes in my tail, so I want to know them a bit better before we move somewhere." Aiko wouldn''t be able to have them around in the Fox Village since they were the ones who sold them. This left her with no way to deal with this situation. Other than to talk with them here and outside the Fox Village. Here, it was safe since everyone knew that there were Demonic Foxes. The Demonic Foxes were also obedient to Aiko, so she didn''t need to worry about them throwing some kind of tantrum. Nodding to herself, she smiled. "And you need to get used to them since I feel like you will be sticking to me." Moon Aiko didn''t know why she thought that, but she believed that would be the case. "W-what are you t-talking about?!" Fang Jia immediately turned red and ran inside her house. "Did I say something?" Aiko tilted her head slowly. She couldn''t understand why Fang Jia acted like that. ''It will probably sort itself out.'' Aiko didn''t think it was that big of a deal, so she just pushed it to the back of her head. ''Now then.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes and started pulling out all the Demonic Foxes, but not Feifei. She worried that this place would have something against her- "You can take out my sis, too. Nobody will hurt her when I''m around." Fang Jia peeked from behind the door with a blushing and pouting expression. Aiko paused for a moment. "Sure." She had nothing against having Feifei outside... She also needed some stretching. ... "Aiko?" Feifei was surprised that she was also outside. "Jia wanted you outside." Aiko shrugged and pointed at the pouting girl. "Oh~" Feifei immediately ran towards her and tackled her. "Now, as for you." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Please command us, Mistress." It seemed like Yu was the perfect leader as everyone obediently followed her steps. "No command, I just want to know more about your groups and Cultivation Paths." Moon Aiko believed that with that information, both her system and [Appraisal] would be able to advance significantly. "Of course, Mistress." Yu smiled and bowed towards Aiko. "I will begin." Yu smiled with a genuine expression like she was never burdened in her life. "I''m both a Sound and Music Cultivator. I specialise in both Destruction and Calming down one''s mind." "How do they differ?" Aiko tilted her head. "Sound Cultivators are Cultivators that use sound purely for destruction. They are very devastating, and one of them could easily change the tides of the war." Yu explained Sound Cultivation just slightly so that they could go more in-depth later on. "Meanwhile, Music Cultivation has no physical destructive potential, but they still can harm your mind if they play the notes incorrectly. Their main purpose is to aid other Cultivators during meditation or comprehension and are usually seen as essential for big Sects." Yu then added. "Since there are so few Music Cultivators, they usually skip from Outer Disciple all the way to the Inner/Core Disciple, depending on their skills." "Ohhhh..." Aiko was very curious about that since she might really like music. "I''m the leader of both the Sound and Music group, since I have the most experience." Yu bowed gently. "I''m very curious about it, so we will talk about it later." Aiko smiled happily. "Next up are the Body Cultivators. They are slightly different from what you might''ve learned." Yu pointed at quite the slim Foxes, which confused Aiko. "They challenge their bodies with burdens and poisons in order to create the perfect bodies that can hold the biggest Soul, or so they say." Yu chuckled. "Most see them as crazy lunatics that run around with heavy weights and bathe in painful, poisonous baths." She shrugged when that group rolled their eyes. "That''s still interesting. Can they gain poison immunity?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Yes, but it takes a long time before your body will be able to develop it." Yu sighed. "It''s very taxing on both resources and their bodies, since their pain receptors are quite numb." "I see. We can expand on this later and see if we can improve it." Aiko nodded lightly. "Thank you, Mistress." While Yu did say those harsh words, none of them discriminated against each other, and they made fun of each other rather than being spiteful. "I will skip Energy/Qi Cultivators, since that''s what you are, Mistress. The next ones are Sword Cultivators." Yu pointed at yet another group of slim Foxes, but it was obvious that their hands were once quite rough. "They practise the sword and are one with the sword. They can utilise powerful Sword Energy/Aura/Heart, whatever you want to call it." Yu explained. "Their Cultivation lives by the sword and dies by the sword, so breaking Sword Cultivators'' sword was like killing them." Yu explained. "I see, so they are very expensive when it comes to materials." Aiko nodded her head slowly. All of these groups would be exceptionally useful. "Yes..." Yu pursed her lips. None of these groups were cheap, since all of them needed their own specialised equipment or Pills. "Continue." Aiko immediately dismissed her gloomy expression and pressed on. "Another group would be Art Cultivators. They can range from painters to sculptors. It could also include Massage Artists, but those are so rare that they might as well be extinct." Yu sighed. Aiko nodded her head. While the rave about her Massage Chairs was great, it also attracted many enemies. The Massage Artists would have it rough since they needed to live. "They can and can''t fight. It depends on their specialisation." Yu scratched her head. "What do you mean by that?" Aiko tilted her head. "Paint Artists can create a small living world with creatures, allowing others to train in them. Meanwhile, the same Artists could drag Cultivators into their paintings and let them be slaughtered by Cultivators or Beasts inside." Yu smiled. "Ohhhhhhhhhh!" Aiko''s eyes shined. That sounded quite exciting. "The sculptors are quite difficult since they don''t have any real combat power. However, they can create golems that would do their bidding, so you could say that they were the generals of their armies." Yu smiled, but deep inside was quite nervous. None of these groups were cheap to maintain, and they also required extensive knowledge... "They sound like fun. I really want to see them in action. We could make so many things with them." Aiko giggled happily. This would allow her to maintain gardens with Herbs, among other things. "I''m also in the Art class!" Feifei suddenly ''ambushed'' Aiko. "You are?" Aiko tilted her head. She knew that Feifei liked to draw, but to think she would choose this path... "She is very talented in drawing, and with a bit of help, she could allow her drawings to come to life." Yu giggled, trying to support their small sister. "Oho~" Aiko giggled. She was quite happy for Feifei. "Yep. I will do my best!" Feifei''s eyes burned brightly. "Then what about the Herbs?" Aiko teased her. "A-uh... I can do both of them!" Feifei was startled, but she still proclaimed it with the same enthusiasm. "Is that so~" Aiko giggled happily about how things were turning out. Chapter 426 – Fluff and Slow Departure Moon Aiko glanced at the fluff pile of Foxes rolling around. She was currently revising her Forging knowledge, so there was no way she would join at the moment. Unfortunately for her, that fluff pile had a different idea as it rolled towards her. "Huh...?" Aiko blinked with a startled expression. She thought she imagined things when the fluff pile turned towards her, but that was not the case! "Wait a moment, I''m not finished yet!" Aiko yelped out as she was rolled over by the fluff pile, merging with it in the process... ... "Phew..." After a few hours of rolling around, Aiko was finally able to make it out of there. Inside, there was a grand giggling party as they used their weight to keep the fluff ball rolling. That naturally delayed Aiko''s department, but she was not unhappy about it. As long as the group was in a good mood, everything would be good. Moon Aiko sat down in a safe place where she wouldn''t be taken for a ride and kept revising her knowledge. She could improve the Massage Chairs further, thanks to understanding metals a bit better. There was an issue with heavy Foxes, like the Muscle Foxes, but she could do 2 types of chairs. One type would be heavy-duty for the hulking muscles, while the second type would be for soft muscles. The one used for soft muscles could be used by both hulking muscles and soft muscles, since it would target different muscle groups. On the other hand, heavy-duty Massage Chairs could not be used by soft muscles since they would be wrecked by their power. This would simplify everything for Aiko as she didn''t need to make one Massage Chair to fit them all. These two categories made it very easy, since heavy-duty Massage Chairs would have one large size, while soft-muscle ones would have several of them to fit about 5 categories. The range of power would also be different, since soft muscles didn''t need as much power to make them move. Thus, slim Foxes would pay less as it would cost less to operate. Aiko nodded as she heard a huge explosion. Looking towards it, it seemed like someone didn''t pay attention during the ''rolling'' of the fluff ball, and they crashed into the side of the house. "Auch." "Ugh." The Foxes groaned as their heads spun constantly. It took some time until they were able to stand up somewhat straight. "Enjoyed the ride?" Moon Aiko tilted her head. Everyone participating blushed as they couldn''t meet her curious eyes. "You can enjoy it for a bit longer. Afterwards, we will be departing." Moon Aiko said. "Wanna stay with me?" Fang Jia asked Feifei. "It''s fun going around with Aiko, so I will stay with her." Feifei shook her head. It was a lot more exciting when she followed Aiko than anyone else. "I can''t believe I was rejected by my sister." Fang Jia shook her head like she really couldn''t believe it. "What''s so strange about that?" Aiko tilted her head. She had plenty of resources, and Feifei even had friends within the group, so it was not unexpected that she would say that. "Because she would be a lot safer with me, and we could have a lot of fun..." Fang Jia sighed. "You don''t have friends, huh?" Moon Aiko immediately stabbed Fang Jia''s soft heart. "W-w-what are you talking about?!" Fang Jia blushed, but she couldn''t refute Aiko''s words. It was true that she didn''t have all that many friends. Fang Jie was intimidating enough, but now her other mother was even more fearsome. Most would approach her only to gain benefits, which could not be called friendship. They would also get punished by the Patriarch for approaching Fang Jia for that reason. Aiko just glanced at the blushing Fang Jia before sighing. "You will meet again, but before we get to that point, you should socialise more." Aiko''s piercing gaze was quite hurtful for Fang Jia, especially because she was unable to deny it. "I hope it will be soon." Fang Jia sighed. "I don''t think it would be that long with Aiko''s current record." Feifei nodded her head. "Oi. What''s that supposed to mean?" Aiko glared at Feifei. "Nothing~" Feifei hummed, hiding behind the Demonic Foxes. It seemed like Feifei was already accepted by this group, so there was no need to worry about her being bullied. "I swear..." Aiko sighed. There were so many troublemakers, but at least everyone was happy with how things were moving. "What''s next on the list, Mistress?" Yu asked Aiko. "It would be your training, so I can use you during Secret Realms." Aiko nodded. The need for resources grew sharply, so it would be better if everyone became gatherers and cooperated with each other to earn those resources. Aiko then could distribute them as she saw fit and Mei would be able to make plenty of Pills out of the rest, which would make everyone happy. ''I also understand how to make Treasures...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''While they are weak for the time being, that will change over time, and since I can produce them myself, there will never be a lack of them.'' She nodded happily. Aiko knew there was a group of Forging Demonic Foxes, and she planned to share her Cauldron with them later to boost their efficacy. However, not now. Aiko didn''t have a proper way to make them swear on it so that they would not leak the Cauldron. You could say vows could work for this, but if Aiko used the rules in a way that would kill the Demonic Foxes if they shared that information. Then anyone with a charm or mind control Technique could mass-kill her companions. Aiko was wary about that, so she postponed this issue for later. ''I can always create a Cauldron for them.'' Aiko already planned for her Cauldron to be the ''Sect''s'' size. In other words, huge enough that it could create other Cauldrons inside. That would help her in the creation of other Cauldrons for her team. ... With those thoughts out of the way, Aiko made her way towards the Patriarch''s place. She was ready to depart and would just stash those Foxes into her tails later on. Arriving at the grand hall, Aiko checked if the door was locked. It wasn''t locked, and it didn''t seem like ''they'' were doing anything, so she entered. "You are leaving already?" Lian raised Jade Slips in front of her in order to read them. "Yes, I have done everything that I needed." Moon Aiko nodded her head in appreciation. "Jia will be sad." Lian narrowed her eyes, looking at Aiko. "If she can''t deal with partings, then she won''t make it far." Aiko''s serious expression startled Lian. "Do you think she will forget about you?" Lian chuckled. "Unlikely." Aiko shrugged. "It''s not often that you meet someone who can cause so much trouble." "En..." Lian sighed. On one hand, she was happy that one headache would leave, but on the other, another headache would bloom. "Jia will mature. She also needs to make new friends and experience the world." Aiko suddenly said. "I know..." Lian groaned like she was feeling guilty. "The later that happens, the worse the consequences will be." Aiko added those words in consideration for Fang Jia. "What are you trying to say?" Lian snorted. "You have an excellent guardsman that can hide in the shadows." Aiko glanced at each one of them, hiding around the room. "Continue." Lian tapped her armrest. "Fang Jia can experience the world, while those in the shadows will protect her from mortal danger. Of course, they won''t interact with her too much. She can''t learn if she has a safety rope right next to her, but if it''s some distance away from her. She will feel alone enough that her mind will change in how it works. Added to that, even if she was injured, she would quickly learn how to deal with it." Aiko explained. "What if there is a mortal danger?" Lian snorted unhappily. "Refer to my first sentence." Aiko giggled. "Aren''t you taking this too lightly?" Lian was unhappy about Aiko''s attitude. "Shouldn''t I be saying that? I already know that you drove everyone around Fang Jia away. All the learning material and everything she could gain from them. Learn how to distinguish between good and evil, pure thoughts and impure thoughts. Learn to understand human emotions." Aiko sighed. Lian groaned. "The rewards are in the next room, so you can get them." She couldn''t rebuke Aiko for what she said since she was indeed keeping Fang Jia too well protected. This would cause issues later, but Lian believed she could deal with it. "Don''t make her into a spoiled Young Miss, or we will have to straighten her up later." Aiko warned Lian as she was leaving the room. Lian sighed. "I can''t believe I''m being lectured by a juvenile Fox." She groaned unhappily just thinking about it. "But she has a point." Nightingale voiced her opinion. "You talk back much more often after that young one arrived." Lian was displeased with her. "My apologies, Mistress." Nightingale bowed before disappearing into shadows. ''Look at me. I''m even scolding my own subordinates when they have done nothing wrong.'' Lian groaned unhappily, even more than before. When Aiko came, the place was quiet, since she purged everything, but now it has become lively again. That was not necessarily a bad thing, but it would affect her Heavenly Treasure Pavilion in the future. ''At least our Elders are on their way to being cured...'' Lian shook her head. She couldn''t believe that the thing that acted like a poison was actually not a poison. ''What a vicious thing to do, to mask impurities as a poison.'' Lian knew that if it wasn''t for Aiko''s insight, they would be like beached whales, unable to find any water. She was grateful for that part, and that''s why she rewarded Aiko handsomely. Of course, she gave her daughter the same materials and even more so, so that she wouldn''t fall back. ''It''s all so that Fang Jia could pursue her first love...'' Lian was quite unhappy, but she wouldn''t get in between them. A first love would always hurt, but it would also bring the greatest growth. This would also allow Fang Jia to see that the world was not as sweet as it seemed. ''Although I still can''t believe that Fang Jia didn''t mind that Aiko had a partner already.'' Lian believed that Jia was like Jie in this matter. ''Well... I''m not much different. I''m allowing Jie to keep her husband even when he behaved like trash.'' Lian shook her head and looked towards the future. Chapter 427 – Farewell and Greetings The time to part with everyone had come. Aiko got her reward for finding the cure for the Inscription Poison, but it was quite strange. ''They gave me Divine Meteor, which would now allow me to finish my Cauldron completely with a bit of leeway, and they also gave me this blank card...'' Aiko looked towards the blank card, unsure how to feel about it. "If you ever come across one of my establishments, just show them that card." Lian said with authority in her voice. "I will. Thank you for having me." Aiko smiled as Fang Jia clung to her. "Do you have to leave?" Fang Jia''s eyes sparkled. She didn''t wish to let go of Aiko, but she also knew that she couldn''t keep her either. "We will meet again one day." Aiko smiled. Fang Jia let go of her, allowing Aiko to board the flying ship. "Keep your mind steady." Lian believed that Aiko would be able to go far... As long as she didn''t lose her way. "You too." Aiko chuckled as the flying ship vibrated. This was not a high-grade flying ship, and it was also small. It was a perfect flying ship that would be able to deliver Aiko to her destination. Fang Jia suddenly ran up and hugged Aiko. Aiko hugged her back in return, but she didn''t expect a sudden ambush from her. Fang Jia stole Aiko''s lips before running away without looking back. Aiko was stunned as the flying ship took off. Fang Jia was giggling to herself. "That''s what you get for not paying enough attention to me!" She smiled mischievously, but the fire was lit inside her. ''To keep up with her, I will have to work harder.'' Fang Jia narrowed her eyes, and only Fang Jie could see that strange twinkle. ''Oh god... this will turn into a mess...'' Fang Jie knew those eyes since she had those same eyes when she pursued her husband. Lian, on the side, was likewise stunned. She didn''t expect the meek girl to suddenly turn so bold. "It''s good to be young..." Lian wrapped her hands around Fang Jie. "Not here..." Fang Jie tried to squirm away. "So it''s fine in private?" Lian smiled mischievously. Her nine tails swayed behind her gently, ready to entangle her. "You know what happened the last time!" Fang Jie glared at her, but Lian just laughed back. "That mischievous Fox is no longer here, so come here!" Lian picked up Fang Jie. "Kyaaa!" Fang Jie yelped from the sudden movement. ''Ugh... get a room...'' Fang Jia groaned. She was the only single one here. ... ...... ......... "This ship is quite unstable..." Aiko looked around the small ship. It was around the size of 3 small fishing boats. It was also empty, with only a single hut that had pretty much everything inside it. From room to storage room to the control room. It even had the Floating Stone. "That is only natural, Young Miss." The ''driver'' said slowly. "As you make the ships smaller, it will naturally get harder to control the Floating Stone." "Why is that?" Aiko already switched her gears since there was no time to dwell on things. "As everything gets smaller, it also gets lighter. As you get higher, everything gets more chaotic." The driver said slowly once again. "The winds and currents..." Aiko thought she understood. "You really are an exceptional Young Miss." The driver nodded his head. "But it''s not quite good enough." Aiko''s comprehension was good, but it was not good enough for her upcoming plans. She had to consider too many things, some of which she didn''t understand yet. "Wisdom comes with time. If you can''t solve something, just give it time." The driver chuckled as he carefully steered the flying ship. It''s been a while since he was allowed to have such a conversation. Most Disciples would avoid him for the sole reason that his sentences were hard to understand. "What if you have to do it now?" Aiko paused for a moment. "Then you better make the best use of your current knowledge. The river will never pause or slow down just because you want to cross it." The driver spoke ever so slowly, but Aiko didn''t dislike it. "I see..." Aiko thought that she understood, but there were still things that made her on edge. "How long will it take to get to our destination?" Aiko looked out of the flying boat for the first time since they embarked. The scenery was breathtaking. Mountains converged and rose to the heavens. Rivers took their time to carve the earth. And greenery was trying to take over the rest. It was simply breathtaking... "In a month..." The driver paused. "Is what I would say if it was someone other than Young Miss." "...?" Aiko tilted her head. She couldn''t understand this part. Suddenly, his whole body rose with mighty pressure. "I''m one of the Elders from the main ''continent''. I would like to take you as a Disciple, but too many are already imprinted on you. There is no need for me to do it too." The Old Cultivator stomped his feet, and the space below them distorted. No, the space itself made a wave like it was made out of water. Aiko couldn''t even mutter a surprised sound when the sound of breaking spread. The space in front of the ship shattered, and colourful stardust spread far and wide. "Try not to fall down. It would be a bottomless fall." The Old Cultivator laughed as the flying boat went through the shattered opening. An endless nebula spread around them. The main colours were yellow, orange, and red. The colours playfully mixed together, bringing in a sensation that Aiko never experienced, yet she felt familiar with it at the same time. "Maybe we will see a star pass by if we are lucky." The Wise Old Cultivator chuckled. Looking at him closely. He was full of vigour and energy, unlike his previous self. It felt like he was a mischievous brat who liked to play around, but at the same time acted like he was a weak elderly man. His clothing was white, like any other Cultivators, but it was adorned with decorations from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. A kind and elderly smile was plastered on his face, but his eyes soon widened. Not just one star passed around them, not just two. Dozens. Hundreds. Maybe even thousands of stars passed by them. The already colourful panorama became even more stunning as more and more colours joined. The stars felt intimate with Aiko, and she leaned against the railing, enjoying the sight. Her tails formed into [Little Nightmares] even in her Moon Form, and those tails curiously glanced around. The Wise Elder sat down. It was not good to disturb someone of this stature. He would just watch over this magical sight in silence. The amount of passing stars someone could summon in this place was different from person to person. Usually, the more heinous the person was, the fewer stars one would get, and the whole scenery would be bleak and dark. Yet not only did it not happen this time, but the whole scenery was filled with beautiful colours and stars. He was wise and would not pry for her identity, but he knew that their Young Miss caught a big fish. Trying to court her was a different matter, but at least she was a good person. *Cough* The Wise Elder almost coughed up blood when he was this Young Miss playing with the stardust. ''This is not good for my heart.'' He might be a Void Amalgamation Stage Cultivator, but that didn''t mean he could be unfazed when someone played with stardust like that. *Coooooough* He almost choked to death when he saw Aiko play with the stars that were moving around. ''Close your eyes. Close your eyes. Don''t die prematurely!'' The Wise Elder patted his chest slowly. He closed his eyes, no longer looking at the beautiful scenery where a gorgeous Fox defied common sense. ... Aiko was sitting down, leaning against the railing. The stars had already gone away, and she was just nudging the dust around like she was playing inside the river. "Young Miss, we are almost there. Please retract your hand." The Wise Elder smiled. "Thank you for this." Aiko''s mind was at peace like she just reached nirvana. "Everyone will gain something different from this. There is no need to thank me." The Wise Elder smiled as the space shattered in front of them. The flying boat passed through the shattered space slowly, leaving behind the beauty. As she left, the space dulled again, and a few sights spread from here and there... ... "We are close to the Fox Village. I can descend somewhere here, and you can leave, Young Miss." The Wise Elder smiled as he observed the surroundings to find the best spot. "Thank you so much, Elder." Aiko bowed towards him with her hands cupped. This didn''t even take a day, and she arrived at her destination! "No need. I only did what I was ordered to do, Young Miss." The Wise Elder smiled again. ''Although I did suffer some mental damage...'' He coughed awkwardly. "Then I will be going." Aiko suddenly jumped down from the flying boat. "..." The Wise Elder blinked a few times. "!" He immediately rushed to the edge of the flying ship to catch her. There, a certain young Fox treads in the sky by simply kicking it with her feet. The Wise Elder almost had another coughing fit before calming his mind. ''It''s not Void Walking. It''s not Void Walking. It''s not Void Walking!'' It seemed like his mind was quite fragile these days, and he would have to work on his Tranquil Heart Technique again. The flying boat slowly turned around, flying into the horizon. ... ''There is so much to do...'' Aiko thought as she kicked the air below her feet. She was currently using [Wind Jump] repeatedly to take flight. It was not that she didn''t want to walk or land, but because of the sensation she was currently having. ''I think I will be able to do something with the metals now!'' Aiko believed that she reached a state where anything was possible. It was called Enlightenment. It rarely happened, and it also had different ways to manifest. Some would spend years in a daze as their Mind Cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. Others would get a sudden spark, just like Aiko did. It varied, but it was still Enlightenment, something that all Cultivators sought after. Chapter 428 – When Aiko returned Aiko arrived at the Fox Village but was blocked by the guards. "Why can''t I enter?" Aiko tilted her head. They were very uncooperative, and she couldn''t even see that familiar Muscle Fox. "You will have to wait." The guard didn''t say more. ''Gosh, why did it have to be her.'' Inside his mind, he was already panicking since he was ordered not to let any Foxes in, not just the Vicious Jade Fox. They would be investigated by the delegation from the mainland about their missions and how much work they did for this place, and based on that, they would be allowed to board the flying ship even without an internal tournament. Of course, he was not allowed to say any of that in order to test the patience of the Foxes. "Yeeeah..." Aiko sighed. Her hair was turning black. She could feel something approaching from within the village, but that kind of energy was unfamiliar and felt naturally hostile to her. The guards flinched and were ready for battle, but... Aiko would not be stopped just because a few idiots believed they could stop her. She needed to work on her metals in order to utilise her current state of mind, and nothing would stop her. Shadows shrouded her body as her body disappeared with a wisp. They looked around, but they couldn''t see the Vicious Jade Fox any more. This would be counted as trespassing, but nobody would dare and try to pursue her since everyone cherished their backdoors... ... Aiko appeared in her sinister form in full combat form. "Grandmaster?" Aiko looked around. "Both Grandmaster and Mei are outside." Blood Fox approached Aiko. "Don''t let anyone disturb me. It''s very important." Aiko ordered the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was quite surprised that Aiko would order them, but everyone understood that something must''ve happened to her. The air around Aiko was very unique. That much they realised. "En." The Blood Fox bowed and activated a small jewel in her hands. The whole Grandmaster''s Abode was shrouded by a similar Array that was around the whole Fox Village. This Array was created by Mei in order to protect Aiko since things started to heat up. Not only was this Array more powerful than the Fox Village''s, but it also cost a lot less to maintain. Mei used her Immortal knowledge on this, so its efficiency could not be compared to Mortal Worlds. Not even Immortals would be able to break it easily if you supplied enough Spirit Stones. Aiko smiled as her hair turned white, and she immediately went into the Grandmaster''s house. Sitting down in the large room, Aiko spilled all available, non-large, Treasures and made them levitate. She then spilt metals and asked her Grandpa Flame to help out. "I can''t believe you achieved enlightenment already..." He was speechless at first, but he did his work dutifully. The flying metals slowly melted and rearranged themselves. With her heightened sense, Aiko was trying to determine their best form. She tried again and again, but the metals were quite uncooperative. Scaling things up to absurd numbers, there were dozens, maybe even hundreds of flying metals around Aiko. There were also Treasures flying around, but those Treasures were not touched by her for now. During this time, Aiko pondered why it was difficult to rearrange the metal in certain ways. No matter how many times she tried it, the metal would resist her will. Aiko gave up for the time being, but she still collected a lot of information. Grandpa Flame sweated at the sheer scale that Aiko was operating on. He couldn''t believe she could process all of that information. Moving on to the Treasures, Aiko immediately noticed the irregularities. The Treasures were not perfect, and the mixing of metals was likewise not perfect. As such, Aiko was able to perceive the broken seams between the metals. In theory, she should be able to break down Treasures that were not completely mixed together by using the broken seams to her advantage. ... At this moment, a certain Fox with terrifying senses arrived in front of the gates of the Fox Village. The guards bowed, fearing her wrath. They were the same guards that stopped the Vicious Jade Fox. The gorgeous Fox looked around. She was one of the delegations here to pick Foxes that had a bright future. She was slim, unlike other Foxes. Her body was far from bountiful, but it had a certain innocent charm. She already offered the seat for the Jade Fox and Grandmaster of this tiny Fox Village. They both had bright futures, especially the Grandmaster, who mostly recovered from her scars. She was a beauty, and there would always be someone who would be willing to accommodate her, even if she was that old. "Report." The delegation Fox ordered. "We have stopped almost all Foxes from entering." The guards replied. "Almost?" The delegation Fox picked up on that word and glared at them. "Didn''t I tell you to stop ALL of them?" Her glare was a serious issue for the frail guards, but they couldn''t refute her words. "We apologise for our incompetence!" They both prostrated in front of her. "What happened?" She was not interested in worms squirming around. "One Lightning Fox just bypassed us altogether, without even stopping. There was another Fox that just disappeared in front of us like it was nothing." The guards replied. "Describe the second Fox." The first was definitely impressive in its own league, but these guards had powerful Divine Sense, and it would be impossible for someone to just ''disappear'' in front of them. "It was a beautiful Fox with silver- erm, black hair." The guards didn''t know how to properly explain it since that Fox changed her colour midway through. "Just describe the process." The delegation Fox groaned. She couldn''t believe that she had chosen such stupid guards. "Yes..." The guards gulped. "It went something like this. A silver-haired Fox arrived here, wishing to enter the Fox Village since she completed a Shadow Peak''s mission. We stopped her because we were ordered to, but she seemed impatient. At that moment, her hair changed colours, and her whole demeanour changed. It was quite terrifying, so we guarded against her, but shadows wrapped around her, and she just disappeared from the spot." The guard elaborated, and the other nodded along. ''That is incredible.'' The delegation Fox was both impressed and upset. ''She might''ve defied my order, but that might be because she has a split personality. Based on what I heard, she also can twist her shadows into space elements, making her travel through space. This is a huge find.'' The delegation Fox was anxious. As was said, she was just ONE of the delegations. There were other members that arrived here and were looking for Foxes that had a bright future. While she did offer the Jade Fox and Grandmaster a seat with Treasures, they didn''t say yes, yet. She did hear rumours that Jade Fox had a partner, but that was irrelevant. If your partner can''t follow beside you, you will abandon them for a better future. Yet the Jade Fox was not swayed by beauties, not swayed by Spirit Stones because she had quite the business, not swayed by Fame. It was difficult to work with her. "Find the Fox that escaped-" As the delegation commanded, a huge Array activated at a certain ''Peak''. Everyone turned towards that place since everyone was vaguely aware of it. The Grandmaster''s Abode. ''But the Grandmaster is supposed to be in the main hall of the Fox Village.'' The delegation Fox had a nagging feeling that this was an important hint for what she was looking for. ... Both Mei and Grandmaster looked outside. "The Array activated, Mistress." Dai Lu licked her lips. "She is fine. I can''t feel anything wrong with her body." Mei stopped Grandmaster from acting. ''But I do feel strange energy from our link, like she is in some kind of trance.'' She narrowed her eyes. That was not a good sign. "Should we go?" Dai Lu asked Mei. "Yes, there will be others coming, considering this kind of fuss." Mei set up that Array to protect Aiko, but she didn''t expect it would be activated so quickly. This would greatly change their plans to conquer the old fossils, but Mei didn''t mind. She was already so attached to Aiko that she would rather wipe this place out than part with her. "Oho~ I will be joining too!" The Sect Leader appeared out of nowhere with delegations. "I wonder what is going on and where did that strange Array come from." "Tell me about it. Based on that energy, I would have a hard time making a dent into it. Moreover, it even blocked my Investigation Divine Sense, so I can''t really see what is happening inside." "Serious? It blocked your Divine Sense?! Who made that thing?!" The delegations chatted without a care in the world. That was only natural since most of them were as strong as the current Grandmaster. Mei rolled her eyes, but it was not like she had a good way to stop them. Moreover, once they entered her Array, they would be at her mercy, so she would be able to do anything with them. Confusion, injury, curses, with just slight adjustments, anything was possible. Everyone followed the gorgeous Fox. They already tried to woo her over with numerous rewards, Spirit Stones, Treasures and other things, but she dismissed most of them. ... The Demonic Foxes inside the containment zone sniffed some kind of sweet scent. Most of them paused for a moment, which greatly unsettled both Elders and guards watching over them. It felt like they were under some kind of spell, but they couldn''t figure out why they were acting so strange. ... Inside the Array, there was another commotion. "There are more Foxes coming to see what is happening. What will we do?" Yuxi returned from scouting. "We are not allowed to let anyone inside. That was the order." While that voice was ordering, Aiko still didn''t actually use the order function, so the Blood Fox had some leeway in those terms. However, that didn''t mean she had any intention of allowing anyone inside. She would fulfil her role perfectly, especially since Aiko was leaking so much unique energy. Chapter 429 – What it means to be Enlightened Mei arrived with others on the side of the Grandmaster''s Abode. It was quite a messy situation, with many Foxes lying around groaning from pain. Between them stood a certain pair of Twins, who were looting their groaning bodies. "Are you sure this will work?" Wanshu couldn''t understand the thought process of the Blood Fox. "If they don''t have their resources or Treasures, they are less likely to come to this place again." Yuxi believed she was right, but the Blood Fox just wanted to obtain those things for later purposes and not with this kind of grand plan in mind. "I can see that working." However, Wanshu and Yuxi were completely oblivious to that fact. "What are you doing?" Mei''s lips twitched. "Jade Fox." The Twins smiled happily as they came closer. "They were quite loud, and Vicious Jade Fox ordered us to keep things in check." They would naturally use Aiko''s name in order to pacify the seemingly angry Mei. ''Another Jade Fox?'' The delegation looked at each other, not believing that this small Village would dare to use that kind of nickname twice. Mei groaned. "So, what happened?" She wasn''t really concerned about the delegation. She could stash away the whole team onto the flying ship with her achievements alone. If they also added others, they would be able to stash many more. "Vicious Jade Fox came, ordered and went." The Twins replied innocently, and Mei almost flipped out. "That''s not what I mean-" Mei was about to punish the Twins when a quite thick scent hit them. Something was burning. Was the Grandmaster''s Abode on fire? "We are going inside." Mei said, and Grandmaster followed. The others naturally followed along, but a certain voice stopped everyone. "I don''t think that is possible." The Blood Fox smiled gently. The delegation was especially interested in this Fox since Blood Foxes were more likely to be bloodthirsty maniacs. To add to it, she was also a Demonic Fox, so it was mind-blowing that she was able to act like this. "It''s not time for games." Mei narrowed her eyes. "I agree with that." The Blood Fox nodded. "But this is about the safety of the Vicious Jade Fox." "What do you mean by that?" Mei tilted her head. While there was a strange energy in the air, that didn''t mean Aiko would be in any danger. The delegation also raised their eyebrows. This kind of disrespect was rare, but the steadfast attitude from a Demonic Fox was too shocking for them to mind it. "Nothing will happen to her." Mei already isolated the place where Aiko was inside an Array that fed into another Array. It was virtually impossible for the delegation or even the Sect Leader to harm Aiko. The Blood Fox didn''t step aside for quite some time. "Very well. It will be on your head now." The Blood Fox knew that Aiko was in a unique situation that would attract a lot of attention, but Mei was too stubborn to listen to her. Mei walked past the Blood Fox as a few sparks flew between them. The delegations were quite young Foxes, so they were interested in this kind of rivalry. Moreover, it was over a Fox that the Fox Village called ''Jade Fox''; the additional suffix was irrelevant since someone had to be exceptionally beautiful to earn that nickname. Needless to say, everyone was interested in that Fox... but they were completely oblivious to the word ''vicious''. ... Walking through the Grandmaster''s Abode, even the Sect Leader sensed something wrong with her body. ''I can''t muster my Divine Sense nor control my Beast Core energy.'' The Sect Leader felt uneasy, but it seemed like everyone, except Jade Fox''s group, was affected. "I can''t believe there is a place that can restrict me like this. Hey, hey, can I train here?" One youthful male Fox pleaded with Jade Fox. He was gunning for her in the beginning, but this place was much better than a temporary relationship. "No, we like peace and quiet." The Blood answered in return. Neither Aiko nor she liked noisy situations, and when Mei refined Pills, she was of the same mind. The youth clicked his tongue. He was quite slim with lightly purple hair, indicating his Element was lightning, but unlike lightning, his fuse was not that short. "This is quite a beautiful place." Another Fox joined in the conversation. This time, it was a female Fox that had dark blue hair, indicating her Element was water. She had quite the sensual body, but her demeanour was mild until waves started to build up. "Thank you." The Blood Fox smiled, but she didn''t really have a positive outlook on this look since they looked like troublemakers. "You nurtured this place?" The Sect Leader was a bit startled. She believed that most of the work was done by Jade Fox, but that didn''t seem like it any more. ''What if the whole team has their own specialisation?'' The Sect Leader at first believed that Jade Fox was the brain of the operation, but what if everyone had their own small field where they excelled and it was not just fighting? ''Dear god...'' The Sect Leader could feel a headache incoming. This time the delegations were too young not to get heated over things. Another wave of unique energy hit them, and with that, the smell of something burning. Mei slightly quickened her steps, and they arrived in front of the Grandmaster''s place. "My home." The Grandmaster sniffled as there was an overpowering smell of something burning. That would not be easily cleaned... "We can clean it later." Mei rolled her eyes and opened the doors. What they saw shocked them... ... There was a gorgeous Fox sitting on a pile of broken metal. Around her floated countless other pieces of metal with Treasures to add. When one metal broke down, it plopped back onto the ground, being replaced by a new metal. This kind of thing was repeated constantly. The breathtaking Fox was in a daze, constantly waving her hands. "You are really overworking my old bones!" Grandpa Flame groaned. "You need to keep your temperature in check if you want to finish soon." A soothing voice came out of her soft lips. It captivated everyone, even when she didn''t try. Mei at first raised her eyebrow but then leaned against the door frame. Cold Steel, Iron, Cold Iron, Mystic Iron, you name it, and the stunning Fox was using it. It was also not a low quantity. "Oi, oi, oi, do you know how much resources those cost?!" "P-please marry me." "I wish I could fight her..." The delegation was noisy for a moment, but a certain cold Fox shut them up when she lowered the temperature. They all turned into mild lambs in front of her. Nobody would dare to defy her. ''Enlightenment... what will you create?'' Mei finally figured out why the Blood Fox kept everyone out. This was a precious moment for any Cultivator, and being disturbed at this point might have disastrous effects. ''Fortunately, nobody can move while I''m around.'' Mei was smart enough to prepare in advance. "Huff, huff. Did I ever tell you that I hate you?" The Grandpa Flame sulked at the amount of work he was putting in. At first, nobody really paid attention to the Spiritual Flame, but once it talked again, everyone''s eyes were strained. Almost all Spiritual Flames could not talk. They could only nudge you with their emotions, but they couldn''t share their thoughts. Such a unique flame would be coveted everywhere, yet the cold Fox was keeping everyone in check. "I will feed you later." Moon Aiko rolled her eyes. She was at a critical point. She could almost taste what was behind that impenetrable wall. "You mean suffocate me, like you did last time?" Grandpa Flame protested. At this point, the delegations were questioning their lives. Some of them had their own Spiritual Flames, but those hungry bastards had never enough. How much did she feed it to cause this kind of reaction? It was simply ridiculous... "She is exceptional." The cold Fox suddenly spoke. "And you should keep your hands to yourself." The Blood Fox gently deflected her fervent desire. The cold Fox and the Blood Fox had a staring contest. Unfortunately, the Blood Fox was already used to this kind of thing, so she won it easily. The cold Fox clicked her tongue, but before she could protest, a sharp sound spread from inside the room. All the metals fell to the floor. Mei narrowed her eyes. The delegations were slightly disappointed. ''It''s natural she would be tired when she handled so much material at once.'' ''Her Enlightenment is almost gone, and it doesn''t seem like she gained anything. How unfortunate.'' ''I will coddle you later so that you feel better.'' There were different thoughts from the delegation, but one thing was unanimous. She failed her Enlightenment. However, what happened next made them hold their breath. As the metals crashed, the Treasures approached the gorgeous Fox. "You really are whipping this old body." Grandpa Flame sounded sulking, but his eyes shone brightly. He realised that Aiko was doing something out of this world, and he would do his best to support her. "Show me what you got." Grandpa Flame burned brighter than before, raising the temperature of the whole room. Even those outside were hit by that strong heat, yet the Fox inside the room didn''t look bothered. "Can you compress it into a blade?" Aiko didn''t believe that simple heating would work, so she had a different idea. "En." Grandpa Flame compressed his body into a knife. The knife was so hot that it distorted the surrounding space slightly. Aiko took it into her hand, and the first Treasure approached her. She stabbed that Treasure precisely where the seams were broken, but the Treasure exploded. Mei was about to rush in to protect Aiko from the sharps, but a chilling sensation overcame them. All of the broken shards that were created due to the explosion were easily stopped by the gorgeous Fox. ''Oi, oi, oi, that''s not how you use Divine Sense!'' ''That''s not possible! Even if you strengthened your Divine Sense, it would still be pierced by small fragments. That''s also why we are not using it during fights!'' ''I love her! Please marry me!'' Some found it ridiculous, others questioned, yet there was already a group of fans inside the delegation cheering her on... A new Cult was born... Chapter 430 – Disassembled Aiko threw that Treasure aside. It was now completely useless. She didn''t notice at all that someone was watching her. Aiko was solely focused on the task at hand. "More compression?" Aiko tilted her head. It was likely that the Treasure blew up due to flames burning a larger part than it was supposed to. Aiko adjusted her seating slightly as she cut another Treasure. Grandpa Flame could manage only so much when it came to the compression of his ''body'', so Aiko would have to deal with it in her own way. ''If I can''t cut deeply, I will just have to make grooves and go from there.'' Spotting those broken seams was easy, but executing what she needed was hard. Aiko had to focus a lot in order not to cut too deeply. Only the tip of the knife was thin enough to not cause any explosions, but Moon Aiko noticed another thing. ''The Treasure gets inflated the more Qi is located around it.'' This made Aiko frown, but it was not like she couldn''t deal with that. By drawing the Qi to her body, it would create a zone where the Qi was quite sparse. This allowed Aiko to make deeper cuts without sudden explosions. Everyone watched with still bodies. They observed what the gorgeous Fox was doing, but they couldn''t figure out her goal. They would have never guessed or believed that she was trying to disassemble a Treasure. ... Aiko worked her way around the Treasure, cutting all the seams. The Treasure was still holding together due to the inner parts still connected to each other. "Can you create a string?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. It was not wise to use a string-type cutting tool in the beginning, but since everything seam was ''highlighted'', she would be able to use string to cut the rest off. "You want too much from me. I''m not some kind of high-ranked Spiritual Fire." Grandpa Flame shook his head. At this moment, it was impossible... "Too bad." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "I will just have to saw it off." "..." Grandpa Flame facepalmed. "Seriously, you really do the craziest stuff..." "Or you can just compress your body into a needle, and it would just scrape it away..." Aiko caressed her chin. "Aaand, she is not even listening to me..." Grandpa Flame sighed but still listened to her demands. Making himself into a needle. It was a lot thinner than the knife, but at the same time, weaker. It was difficult to keep going like this, but Aiko did her best for several days, slowly piercing places so that the Treasure was easier to split. *Creak* *Crack* The Treasure fell apart once Aiko made enough holes, and one could see the different materials that it was made out of. One Treasure turned into hundreds of small shards, each corresponding to a different material. Aiko tucked away her Grandpa and inspected all the shards. Most of them were quite sharp, so she was careful. She noticed that the success was alright. She lost a bit of material, but she still obtained around 80-90% of what it was made out of. The lost ones were those that were mixed together or turned into dust. Aiko didn''t want to collect the dust, so she just set it aside. Her Enlightenment was over, and she finally blinked to reality. ''I''m so tired...'' Aiko yawned, looking around for a nice place to rest. ''...'' She met her eyes with numerous Foxes, but she was fortunately too tired to curse out loudly. "Finished?" Mei smiled at Aiko. "Probably? These will have to be melted in order to see if they are perfect, and I will also have to revise how to do this again. But yeah, I think so." Aiko nodded, not even asking about who those guys were since she didn''t feel any hostility. Mei snapped her fingers, and everyone, including the Sect Leader, were kicked out of this place. ----- "I can''t believe they kicked us like that." One delegation clicked his tongue. He really wished to recruit that Fox and even offer her benefits if she joined his harem. "What is her name?" A curious delegation asked. It was the same Fox that wished to court her and the same Fox who started the new Cult. "The Vicious Jade Fox." The Sect Leader sighed. She didn''t think that she would also be kicked outside. "Can we meet with her?" The delegation shared this thought. "Of course. She is part of the Fox Village." The Sect Leader said, but she knew that the Jade Fox would intercept this until she was sure that her partner was alright. ''It didn''t seem like anything went wrong with the Enlightenment, but...'' The Sect Leader glanced at the delegation. They all had excited expressions as this would be the first time anyone was able to disassemble a Treasure. ----- "How are you feeling?" Mei would leave the greeting for later since Aiko was tired and already attracted a lot of attention. "Tired..." Aiko groaned unhappily. Her mental strength was depleted due to the overuse of the Divine Sense and her eye Abilities. "Who were they?" Aiko asked briefly since she felt like they were too strong to be from this Village. "Delegation from the mainland." Mei pursed her lips. "They are neither good nor bad, so try to get used to them." "Right..." Aiko didn''t really think she would be able to get used to them, but that was irrelevant right now. "What do you think?" Aiko took a small shard from the ground and showed it to Mei. "I can''t believe you had the idea to gut a Treasure." Mei was flabbergasted, but it was still within the ''Aiko did a thing'', so it didn''t surprise her nearly as much. "Not very surprising, huh?" Aiko yawned again. "Let''s talk later, you should rest." Mei sighed as she nudged Aiko into her room. "My home..." Dai Lu sniffled softly, and Mei could only sight. "Let''s go clean this place..." Mei wouldn''t really clean it but merely move it into another room so that Aiko could still continue her research. If she was able to disassemble other Treasures, then they would be able to reclaim a lot of precious materials that could be later used for their own personal Treasures. ''Maybe she would be able to reclaim even Relics...'' Mei licked her lips as she helped Dai Lu clean the room. "It''s a mess..." Dai Lu sighed softly. ... Aiko woke up the next day. She was still somewhat tired, so she was not very enthusiastic about moving around. "Lazy day?" Mei returned from Pill Refining, and a sweet scent wafted from her body. "How about joining me?" Aiko said lazily and slightly absent-mindedly. "Tempting, but I have to clean someone else''s mess." Mei teased Aiko about her absurd ways. "Ugh." Aiko was not too happy about that part, but how was she supposed to know that others were watching her?! "Regretting it?" Mei narrowed her eyes. "I believe I told Blood Fox not to let anyone in, so it would be your problem." Aiko was not stupid. She would shove this mistake onto Mei. Mei''s face twitched. She did indeed allow them to enter, but how was she supposed to know that Aiko would do something so outrageous?! ''No, scratch that, she always does something like that...'' Mei groaned. "Well, I''m dealing with it, aren''t I?" Mei retorted. "You wouldn''t need to deal with it if you listened to Blood Fox." Aiko shrugged before plopping back onto her pillow. ''Right, I should get some tails to rest properly.'' Aiko, every so often, forgets that she needs something soft to lay on in order to rest like a normal living being. Some of her Titles were a serious inconvenience, but Aiko was unable to get rid of them. Even if she wished, the system didn''t have that kind of function, so she could only slowly alter them over time. But the key word was slowly. So far, she was only able to alter a couple, and most of them were due to her advancement in age... ... Aiko lazed around for a few days. There was quite a storm outside and not the water one. The Fox Village was up in arms about rumours that a Fox was able to disassemble a Treasure. It was a completely outrageous rumour, but since everyone had too much free time, it blew out of proportion. As for Aiko... "Moar graaaaass!" "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" She was playing with Grandpa Flame. The game was called Feed the Flame, and Aiko was stuffing him full of the beneficial grass. "I won''t stop until you make it into the top 100!" Nightmare Aiko proclaimed. "Do you want to kill me?!" Grandpa Flame retorted like he was being tortured. "No, you won''t die." Aiko smiled evilly as she kept feeding her Spiritual Flame. ... *Huff**Huff* "I have you..." Grandpa Flame cursed Aiko with an inflated ''stomach''. "You can''t eat more?" Aiko poked Grandpa Flame with more special grass, but none of it burned any more. "You really want to kill me. I can''t even process everything you have fed me." That was the truth. Aiko fed him so much that he had problems digesting it. "That seems to be the truth..." Aiko pouted. She wished him to grow fast and strong so that Moon Aiko wouldn''t be so exhausted from her work. Of course, Nightmare Aiko had only a soft spot for tired Moon Aiko. Otherwise, the nerdy Aiko would give her a headache with: You have to do this and that. It was a kind of love/hate relationship. "What will I do now?" Aiko hummed. She was unable to take out the Demonic Foxes or Feifei. The Twins were being trained alongside the Blood Fox by the Grandmaster. Mei was pacifying the situation and refining Pills. ''How about I create more Massage Chairs?'' Aiko smirked. ... "So..." Aiko wanted to ask Mei for more materials for Massage Chairs, but Mei stopped her. "Sacred Realm will be opening soon, and while you don''t need to prepare as much, you still should learn a Beast Technique or two." Mei narrowed her eyes. "You won''t be going inside?" Aiko blinked. "Someone interfered, so I''m unable, but everyone else can. If you meet up with them, you should be safe." Mei sighed. "Awwww. I will miss you." Nightmare Aiko pouted. "You will miss messing with me." Mei rolled her eyes and nudged Aiko''s nose. "Not true." Aiko coughed awkwardly. "Yeah, yeah." Mei rolled her eyes. "It''s time for you to learn!" "Not the nerdy stuff!" Nightmare Aiko wanted to run away but was easily captured by Mei... Chapter 431 – Bullying Nightmare Aiko Aiko was tired from her first spartan training, especially since Moon Aiko was unwilling to come out. This greatly bothered Nightmare Aiko, but it was not like she could force it out. ''I''m not good with nerdy stuff...'' Aiko whined inside her mind. "I can''t believe you are this bad at learning things..." Mei was quite speechless about the current predicament. "I don''t like nerdy stuff." Aiko sniffled, trying to appease Mei so that she would let her go. "You can''t escape this." Mei was serious about this training since she didn''t want Aiko to get hurt. However, at the same time, if Aiko went into the Sacred Realm, the plans would be greatly pushed forward. To add insult to the Elders'' injury, the Grandmaster was already finishing the training of the Demonic Foxes. In other words, Aiko would completely dominate the Sacred Realm and have it for herself! ''But I still worry about her, so this is a necessary step.'' Mei nodded to herself seriously, but she was quite weak against Aiko''s current expression. ''This is not fair.'' Mei looked away with the lightest blush. ''How could Nightmare Aiko have the same expression as Moon Aiko?!'' It made her want to bully Nightmare Aiko like she did with Moon Aiko. "Since you don''t like the theory part, how about a bit of practice?" Mei would yield a bit since she liked Aiko''s obedience. It was definitely not because she felt like she would have a difficult time controlling her emotions. Aiko''s flat ears immediately perked up, and she was reinvigorated. "You are not lying, right?!" Nerdy stuff was a no-go for Nightmare Aiko, but that was not the case for fighting! Mei pinched Aiko''s cheek. "So you just acted, huh?" She was quite upset. "I waw wot." (I was not.) Aiko cried as her cheeks were mercilessly pinched. "Hmpf." If it was not for their connection, Mei would not believe Aiko, but since she was sincere... ''I will go ''easy'' on you.'' She licked her lips slowly. A shiver went down Aiko''s back. "We will play catch. For each time I catch you, I will get an hour with Moon Aiko." Mei proclaimed the stakes before smirking. "This is not fair!" Aiko cried out. "I also want something in return!" "We can make it so that if you can escape or catch me off-guard, you get to play with me as Nightmare Aiko." Mei was confident in her speed, so there was no way that Aiko would be able to catch her. Aiko suddenly turned serious. "No takebacks!" Aiko immediately dashed with all her movement Skills and Abilities in tandem. Mei sighed softly. While her stats were lower on paper, she had a lot more Beast Core energy. What that meant was that Techniques that increased speed were... simple for her to sustain. Mei turned into a gust of wind and immediately caught up to Aiko. Aiko flinched, not expecting this. "Wind Steps. It is a very basic Beast Technique for Foxes. Depending on the terrain, we can easily surpass the speed of the same Beast Rank Beasts." Mei explained as she touched Aiko''s back. "Noooooo!" That was one hour that she would have to spend as Moon Aiko with Mei. Mei licked her lips. "That''s one~. I wonder how much I will get~" She hummed happily as she saw the ''heartbroken'' Nightmare Aiko. "I will definitely get you!" Aiko yelped as she used [Wind Jump]. ''It''s not quite like Walking in Void, but it''s not that far either.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. Aiko had quite the arsenal, but the more she had, the safer she would be. [Wind has been sealed. You are unable to use [Wind Jump].] "Huh...?" Aiko read the notification from the system and was startled. This Ability allowed her to stay in the air but without it... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA." Aiko was falling to the ground. Mei caught her midway. "That''s another one~." She hummed happily. "You rely too much on things that can be easily interrupted. You need more than just one movement Technique." "Bully!" Aiko cried out, and shadows wrapped around her. Aiko disappeared from that princess'' carry and appeared in the forest before suppressing her existence. She was now hidden within the shadows, waiting for this game to pass. Mei pursed her lips. Playing like this was a lot more fun than theory, but theory was important, so there were no mishaps. ''She is so cute like this...'' Mei couldn''t get enough of Aiko''s sudden expressions, especially when she was startled. Mei gracefully landed on the ground and spread her Divine Sense. She immediately located Aiko since her Divine Sense was quite prickly. "Got you~." Mei smiled as she popped near Aiko. Aiko was not the only one who had an instant movement Technique and while Mei''s couldn''t compare to Aiko''s, that didn''t mean it was useless. For short distances like this, it was more than enough! "Hiiiii-!" Aiko jumped back but soon broke down crying. "This is unfaaair! You knew I wouldn''t be able to win, so you just wanted to bully me!" Aiko''s crying face startled Mei. ''Did... did I go too hard on her?'' Mei''s demeanour changed greatly, and she approached Aiko with worry. Aiko grasped Mei''s dress... "Caught you." Aiko sniffled through her nose. Mei''s face twitched, but she was not mad. "Let''s call it even, alright?" She would comfort Aiko. "Hmpf, bully." Aiko jumped, trying to use [Wind Jump], but since the Wind Element was blocked, her body only sped up slightly. "...?" Aiko was confused since this feeling was different. Mei gently hugged Aiko. "This is wrong. You should circulate it like this." Mei helped Aiko with her energy circulation since she was better in practice than in theory. ... [You have learned [Wind Steps]!] [[Wind Jump] merged into [Wind Steps], upgrading it into [Gale Steps]!] "Hmpf." Aiko sped through the forests with her new Beast Technique. [Gale Steps] [Quickens the body and allows for temporary flight. Not user-friendly during storms.] Aiko felt much lighter now than even with her [Lightness Technique]. She also had no issue traversing dense forests since the winds would naturally ''bend'' her surroundings, allowing her to passively dodge any incoming trees or branches. This subtle change boosted Aiko''s speed greatly, but... "You are doing well. The more revolutions you can do, the faster you can go, but you will also burn through more Beast Core energy, so I advise you against it." For some reason, Mei was able to easily keep up with Aiko and even give her tips. Aiko didn''t know if she should cry or be infuriated by Mei, but since she was no longer bullying her, she would let it slip. Aiko advanced her Technique greatly with Mei''s help. *Whoosh* "Hm...?" The delegation was stunned as two lively Foxes passed by them. "Was that...?" One delegation Fox asked. "Gale Steps, an advanced version of Wind Steps. It''s also harder to intercept with Wind-restricting Techniques." The nerdy delegation Fox adjusted his glasses. "Say... you didn''t feel that ''Technique'' from them before, right?" Some Foxes could naturally feel if other Foxes had certain Techniques, especially if the said Fox already knew that Technique. "She didn''t have that kind of air around her before." The nerdy delegation Fox said. Gale Steps were not used just for its speed, but it would also wrap your body with wind, in other words... free cooling! Forging Foxes loved Gale Steps for this fact specifically, as it allowed them to Forge for longer periods of time! "Monsters..." One delegation Fox sniffled, since it took him 2 years to learn Gale Steps... "Have we recruited them yet?" The nerdy delegation Fox asked. "Nope. The old fogeys intercepted that she is still too young." A female Fox delegation snorted disdainfully. "How old is she then?" One curious delegation Fox asked. "She should be in her 50s or 60s, but we are not completely sure due to the Secret Realm and how long she achieved her intelligent Form. In other words, this is just an estimate..." A Fox with many papers suddenly said. ''Monster...'' ''Monster.'' ''Cutie!'' The delegation had different opinions on this, but... "Should we pursue them?" The curious Fox asked. She was also the one who was in the Cult. "Do you have to ask?" The nerdy delegation Fox readjusted his glasses as winds wrapped around his body. Gale Steps. Everyone in the delegation knew about them. They sped through the forests. Tracing the energies of the two unique Foxes. ... "Why am I not faster than you are?!" Aiko cried out. She was getting more and more upset as time went on. "While you are powerful, you have very little Beast Core energy. No matter how powerful your body is, if it can''t bend the basic laws, you can''t escape me." Mei giggled. ''Well, I did say that, but I definitely don''t want to fight Aiko head-on...'' She was in quite a precarious position. She wanted to teach Aiko about Fighting Techniques, but even if she excluded Aiko''s monstrous Divine Sense... ''How am I supposed to teach her without losing face as the number one...?'' Mei groaned unhappily. Aiko''s monstrous growth and system made everything so much more difficult... "Someone is catching up to us." Aiko didn''t like the idea of others catching up. "You can hide, right?" Mei licked her lips. If they dared to pursue them, then they dared to antagonise them. "Yeah, but it might be unpleasant for you..." Aiko caught up on Mei''s strange expression and knew that she was plotting something. [Nightmare Domain] Aiko wrapped both her and Mei in her domain, completely concealing their presence. "Ugh." Mei almost immediately collapsed since she didn''t expect to get hit by such thick energy. ''I''m not the fighting type.'' She almost vomited from the nauseating effect. "It''s alright, they are nice." Aiko gently rubbed Mei''s back. She didn''t expect this kind of violent reaction from her. "Ugh..." Mei groaned even more, but it was obvious they were hidden in this black world. ''I think something is trying to chew on my mind. *Kick* "Oi! Bad! She is mine!" Aiko kicked something, and Mei immediately felt better. ''Why am I not even surprised that Aiko has something like this...?'' Mei groaned as Aiko took good care of her. Chapter 432 – Delegations purpose Hidden in the domain, the duo watched as the Foxes stopped nearby. "...?" The curious Fox looked around. "What''s wrong?" "We lost them." The nerdy Fox rolled his eyes. This was so obvious, yet some of his companions were completely oblivious. "But how is that possible?" The curious Fox tilted her head. "Don''t ask me why." The nerdy Fox stiffened. "I thought you would be a bit better." Mei was already behind the nerdy Fox with a blade on his throat. "You must be joking, Fairy Jade Fox." The nerdy Fox''s lips twitched. He was good in Techniques but not a good fighter. He also tried to flatter her to prevent his head from detaching from his neck. A scraping sound was heard around, and they saw a certain gorgeous Fox preparing sharpened sticks. "I thought you would use flags?" Mei tilted her head. The delegation sweated. They already gathered the most important rumours, especially about certain Fox that went after behinds. "Flags are too precious for them." Nightmare Aiko held a grudge since if it was not for the Elders and them, she wouldn''t need to join the Sacred Realm ''expedition''. Mei rolled her eyes, but she understood that Aiko was upset. However, it seemed like she didn''t have all the information. "I already told you that they are neither good nor bad." Mei rolled her eyes. The delegation cautiously observed the duo as they chatted without care in the world. They heard that Jade Fox was highly skilled, so they didn''t dare to move from their position lest their companion lose his head. "Then why are you...?" Aiko tilted her head, pointing at the knife. "A test." Mei groaned unhappily. She was still slightly nauseated from Aiko''s concealment ability. "Bullshit." Aiko immediately called her out. "Are you still sulking just because I taught you those Techniques?" Mei clicked her tongue. "So what?!" Aiko pouted, looking away before scraping more wood into pointy sticks. Mei sighed and let go of the Fox with glasses. "So, you better have a good excuse for following us like horny beasts." She glared at them, and they flinched. "Haha. You must be joking, Fairy Jade Fox." They would do their best to butter her up so that she wouldn''t have any hard feelings about the current situation. Aiko rolled her eyes as she observed them. "Speed it up." Unfortunately for the delegation, Mei was completely ruthless when it came to her questions. "We wanted to recruit both of you and explain the plan." The nerdy Fox readjusted his glasses before speaking slowly. "It''s not like you will join in the cleansing." Mei rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. "That is true. As a delegation, we can''t really interfere with internal issues inside the Fox Villages. Our only mission is to recruit good seedlings and escort them to the mainland." The nerdy Fox sighed. It was obvious that there were issues, but they also came with Elders who observed their moves. If the Elders do not wish to move, they also couldn''t move. The only ones who could violate the orders without repercussions were said Elders. "Then why are you talking about some kind of grand plan when you are losing good seedlings to them?" Mei snorted disdainfully, but then it clicked. She clicked her tongue and glanced at Aiko. ''I should make a plan, just in case the mainland is the same/worse than what it is over here.'' The dots connected themselves. It was not like they couldn''t act, but because someone pulled the string, they couldn''t engage with the issues. The delegation was always chosen from somewhat young Foxes. Those were the Foxes that had the most stable mind, but their mission was unique each time. During Mei''s age, the mission was also about solving internal and external problems that the Fox Villages might face. ''But that seems to drastically change...'' Mei frowned. The small island didn''t have enough resources to progress at the same scale as the mainland, but at the same time, this place was safer for Beasts. There might''ve been large Sects, but the wealth that they could collect was ultimately limited. In other words, calming or suppressing Pills/powders would be harder to get. If Mei combined all of this information, the end goal was obvious. ''We are going to join the Beast Sect.'' Mei was still dependent on her Beast Form since it had much greater prowess than Human Form. However, this came with a demerit. The Pills she was creating had to fit Beasts. In other words, you needed different Herbs from what Humans would use. As such, Mei couldn''t join non-Beast Sects as long as she wanted to progress with her Beast Form. ''My Beast Core is already topped up, but this would cause poor Evolution that would not gain me anything. I have to gather resources with others in order to make Evolution worthwhile...'' Mei sighed. "Naturally, we can''t affect the Fox Village, but that doesn''t mean we can''t give preferential treatment." The nerdy Fox was the only one to talk since the other Foxes were too scared of a certain Fox, which was still sharpening her sticks. "Elaborate." The noble air was great around Mei, so much so that they gulped nervously. ''This pressure.'' ''I wanna go home...'' ''I wanna snuggle with the queen!'' They had different opinions, but their plan didn''t change. "Even if there is some kind of trouble in the Sacred Realm, as long as she makes it out alive, all will be good." The nerdy Fox said. "In other words..." Mei narrowed her eyes. "You have already prepared seats for us." "En." The nerdy Fox said. It was important to get the Fox, who made the Massage Chair business to the mainland. Moreover, her partner, Jade Fox, was also incredible with Pills, Arrays, Talisman... It was ridiculous not to make exceptions. Unfortunately, the Elders intercepted both of their admissions, and the delegation had to choose. A Fox that builds a Massage Chair that only she can maintain, or a Fox that can make many wondrous things that could benefit many of them. The choice was obvious, but it was still a painful one. ''I heard that some partners are inseparable. I hope this is not the case.'' The curious Fox knew a lot of things due to her curiosity, but it also distorted her common sense thanks to it... ''The problem is the Sacred Realm.'' Mei frowned. She didn''t really want to engage with the delegation, but it was important for Aiko to follow. Even if the others couldn''t follow, Aiko could just stash them inside her Tails and let them go once she arrived on the mainland. ''That way, she could keep her team and the Demonic Foxes.'' Mei knew that Aiko was more familiar with the Demonic Foxes than common Foxes. She never asked why since Aiko could keep them inside her tails, and it was not like the Demonic Foxes would hurt her. Unlike common Foxes, Demonic Foxes were exceptionally intelligent if they kept their sanity. As such, they had a much better understanding of the pros and cons when they did something. Aiko tapped Mei''s shoulder. "Do I have to really participate?" She wanted to do anything other than go to another strange Realm where she would be chased by a bird just because she took a few Herbs from it... "You do have to... You are very important to me, so I will do my best to support you." Mei smiled gently. They were in their own world, while the delegation... ''Ugh...'' ''I feel sick...'' ''I don''t want to be single...'' ''I want to join them.'' The delegation had different opinions about this, but the main one was... ''We need those two to join the mainland!'' There were too many Foxes that plotted unsavoury things on the mainland, so having someone sexy and cute would be a blessing. "We can nudge the numbers a bit since the other delegations are quite weak. We could allow others to join in the exploration of the Sacred Realm as bodyguards, but there are a few issues..." The nerdy Fox stepped forward, trying to increase their familiarity. "The Sacred Realm teleports you to random places, and it''s also limited by one''s Beast Rank." Mei explained to Aiko. "Is that why you can''t join?" Aiko believed that Mei would be able to fudge the Beast Ranks. "I can''t." Mei sighed. It was not like she couldn''t, but it would attract too much attention and make the old Elders more cautious. This would delay everything and make everything harder than it already was. "Awww..." Aiko pouted. "I will create many resources for you so that you are safe. Your only mission in that place would be to plunder as much as possible." Mei soothed Nightmare Aiko. It felt strange that she acted like Moon Aiko, but that was fine by her. The delegation chose the cautious approach, so they didn''t needlessly meddle with this. Sure, some of them had thoughts about wooing Jade Fox over, but that was only after they arrived on the mainland, where they had more power. "So I can''t use these?" Aiko lifted her sticks, and the delegation shivered and took a few steps back, hiding behind trees. "Not now." Mei sighed at the silly Aiko. "So I will get a chance later?" Aiko raised her eyebrow. "We mean no harm!" The curious Fox yelped loudly. She didn''t want to become the target of the Vicious Jade Fox... Well, she did want to become one, but not in that way! "Maybe..." Mei didn''t really have any positive or negative thoughts about them. They were so passive that she thought that they were holding in shit. "So, what now?" Aiko didn''t want more nerdy stuff. "You will keep practising what you just learned. While I prepare everything for your ''Evolution''." Mei gave Aiko a meaningful smile, and she nodded back. "Gotcha, so you want me to chase them with sticks in my hands." Aiko raised her sticks, and the delegation scattered. "That could work." Mei nodded and let Aiko do her things. As long as she practised that Technique, everything would go well enough. Aiko disappeared with [Gale Steps]. ''This is just the first step. I also need to prepare that special Rune for Aiko, so that we can share resources like Stamina and Beast Core Energy. That way, she will be safer inside even if she is chased.'' Mei narrowed her eyes. She couldn''t use the same Rune as before since Aiko was much stronger than before. That meant she would have to use more expensive materials for this, but that was fine. ''Everything is for the sake of Aiko.'' Mei smiled as she leisurely walked back. Chapter 433 – The nerdy Fox is a better teacher than Mei?! [Gale Steps reached 2nd Stage] Aiko dashed after the nerdy Fox since he was the most skilled with [Gale Steps]. As such, Aiko had to try really hard to keep up with him. The nerdy Fox clicked his tongue and used another Beast Technique to shake off this beautiful yet scary Fox. Aiko narrowed her eyes as she noticed that he was escaping. Well... splitting into multiple individuals. ''Is that some kind of Illusion Technique?'' Nightmare Aiko''s ears perked. She hasn''t practised with her Illusion Technique, which could give her an edge over the others. Especially if she plays her cards right, she would be able to fool Beasts that might threaten her. Trying to mimic his steps, she was trying to make his Technique her own. Noticing that, he frowned and suddenly stopped. "Stop!" The nerdy Fox raised his hand, but she was too focused on her Technique to stop. They crashed into each other, and Aiko sent their bodies flying against a tree. "Auchie." Aiko rubbed her nose. "Why would you stop?!" She glared at him and threatened with her sharpened stick. He was quite handsome looking more closely, and he also was no longer shrouded in Illusions. His eyebrows were thin, well, his whole body was very thin, thinner than what Aiko was used to. The only thing somewhat masculine about him was his face. He had round glasses and was the epitome of nerdiness. His overly long hair and ''dress'' also didn''t help his case. With purple eyes and purple streaks running down his hair, Aiko assumed that he was partially Illusion-oriented. His tail was pitifully thin, and that was probably why Aiko didn''t pay attention to his looks. ''Tail is about 2/10...'' Aiko clicked her tongue. The only redeeming feature was that he had 5 tails. "You can''t use that Technique like that, or you would get a rebound!" The nerdy Fox scolded her. "Ah... he is back at it..." The curious Fox tucked her tail and glanced at her associates. "We should run before he picks on us too." The other delegation Foxes nodded at each other and sped at the highest speed yet. "Where do you think you are going?" The nerdy Fox readjusted his glasses as he picked up Aiko and set her aside so that he could drag his colleagues back. ... "We are sorry!" The delegation Foxes had their heads close to the ground. They were terrified of his teaching, since it would always take a lot of time and he liked to scold them for not doing the Techniques properly. "Beast Techniques are the backbone that allows us to compete with Humans." The nerdy Fox readjusted his glasses. "As such, you have to perform them perfectly." Aiko was sitting on the side, looking at them. ''They... completely forgot about me...'' She didn''t know how she should feel about this, but maybe if she stuck a stick up his... Aiko sneaked behind him and used the stick, but his body slowly melted, like it was never there to begin with. "When it comes to ambushes, the Illusionary Steps can help you avoid them a few times, but you still have to pay attention." The nerdy Fox readjusted his glasses as his stern eyes looked at his colleagues. "There is a perfect student for this Technique." Once the nerdy Fox got into his teaching personality, nothing would stop him, not even strange rumours. At this point he didn''t care he was against the Vicious Jade Fox. He just saw her as a student that needed to be corrected. "Come here, student." The nerdy Fox adjusted his glasses. "And you lot don''t try to run away, or I will recite the whole Buddhist Scripture to you." He threatened, and they shivered and swayed with the wind. "???" Aiko was still confused about this situation. ''How did he dodge? My eyes told me that I should''ve hit him.'' The nerdy Fox had a very serious expression, like a stern teacher, but... ''Divine shit! I almost got impaled!'' On the inside, he sweated buckets if the Vicious Jade Fox used the same Technique that allowed the Fairy Jade Fox to sneak up on him... *Gulp* He must learn more about the Vicious Jade Fox so he can prevent that! Aiko got close, stuck still in her hand. "You will need to focus, so throw that away." The nerdy Fox, with his still serious expression, said. But Aiko just put it into her Storage Ring for later use. The nerdy Fox''s face twitched, but it was not like he could command her. They still didn''t completely agree to leave this place, so it was important to butter them up. "I will show you how you should use this, and you will mimic me. I will then adjust the Technique so it fits your body." The nerdy Fox explained. It was not that he was a kind teacher who wanted to explain the Technique to everyone, but... ''The more I know about them, the less worried I have to be if they want to hurt me.'' He wanted to gather as much information as possible about troublesome Foxes that might threaten his life... or backdoor. "No nerdy stuff?" Aiko was so shocked that she stared at him speechlessly. "Would you listen to what I have to say if I did that?" The nerdy Fox crossed his arms like he was in a bad mood. "Nope!" Aiko laughed happily. The nerdy Fox coughed. This kind of smiley Fox was his weakness, so he would have to chant calming heart mantras later. "Then watch me." The nerdy Fox took a few steps, his body slowly distorted, and there were three of them. "How did you do that?" Aiko tilted her head. "The Illusions are create-" The nerdy Fox tried to explain it with pride, but Aiko stopped him. "How did you switch places with the Illusions?" Aiko sinisterly tilted her head since this was the thing that allowed him to dodge her stabby stab. The nerdy Fox stiffened. He didn''t expect that she would notice that. He adjusted his glasses again since the rims were uneven from fighting his colleagues constantly. "You have progressed on your insight well." The nerdy Fox was both impressed and terrified. He didn''t expect her to notice this so soon. It would take most Foxes around 2-3 years to even learn about the existence of illusion switching, but this Vicious Jade Fox already realised that on the third try. This was terrifying talent and he was questioning if it was a good idea to take the Fairy Jade Fox and not the Vicious Jade Fox... "Tell meeee." Aiko really wished she could impale him, but he would just run away through his illusion clones. The nerdy Fox coughed awkwardly. "You can call me Ru. I will first teach you how to create illusion clones, and we can move from that." "Tsk." Aiko clicked her tongue unhappily. If she could figure out how he did that, catching him would be a lot easier. It seemed like Ru realised that and chuckled. "You will have to work harder if you want to catch up to me." He provoked her on purpose since most of his colleagues were too lazy to do anything without that. However, we are talking about Aiko... "I will definitely impale you." Nightmare Aiko immediately grabbed two sharpened sticks and chased Ru. "You need to have some attainment in Illusions if you want to create illusion clones. Moreover, it''s also difficult to move them since you have to think how to move your body, but somewhere else." Ru explained as he was chased by the Vicious Jade Fox. ''I''m really a genius at teaching Foxes.'' He nodded to himself happily. Suddenly, a chill went up his spine, and he quickly switched his place with an illusion clone. "Tsk. Almost." There were two Vicious Jade Foxes chasing after him. ''What...?'' Ru couldn''t believe his eyes that the one that chased him was an illusion and not the real one. A realisation hit him like a tsunami. ''I might''ve provoked her a bit too much...!'' He saw that those two Vicious Jade Foxes were almost indistinguishable from each other. They were almost a perfect carbon copy. "I can do this faster." Aiko narrowed her eyes and mimicked his steps again, but something felt wrong. "Your third and fifth step need to be a half-step to the left and right respectively." Ru told her and she adjusted her steps. [You have learned [Illusionary Steps].] The illusion clone that Aiko created was now much more solid than before, so much so that Ru was concerned for his rear. "You shouldn''t overdo it, since Illusionary Steps drain too much of your Beast Core, it should only be used when you know that it would be difficult to avoid damage." Ru explained as he let the Vicious Jade Fox chase after him again. Since he knew that she was not of the same Beast Rank as the Fairy Jade Fox, he was convinced that she would eventually run out of Beast Core energy. ... And he was right. Not long after, her breathing got uneven, and her illusions appeared murky. "You should stop now. Your Beast Core has almost hit rock bottom." Ru gently dissuaded her from chasing after him. "Dammit." Aiko glared at him. She didn''t expect that he would have so much energy. When it came to simple Stamina, it would be difficult to rival Aiko, but she was still not at a Beast Rank that would allow her to match their Beast Core capacities. ''I''m glad she got tired. I can''t believe that her Beast Core has such a high capacity for her Beast Rank...!'' Ru sweated a few buckets since he didn''t think that the Vicious Jade Fox would be able to chase after him for so long. His associates also realised the abnormality of this Fox and now regretted that they picked the Fairy Jade Fox over this unpolished brilliant. "I will get you next time!" Aiko glared at him. "You did well." Mei appeared out of nowhere, and her expression was not all that good. It took her 2 weeks to teach Aiko Gale Steps, yet this Fox only took a few hours?! Despicable! "I still ran out of energy..." Aiko whined to her. Mei hugged Aiko protectively and soothed her. Ru believed that he was catching animosity for something he didn''t do, but his Beast Core energy was quite exhausted and that glare was not at normal one, so he withdrew. "You were still able to learn the beginning of the Illusionary Steps. You should be proud." Ru praised the Vicious Jade Fox in order to appease her partner, but he noticed that the Fairy Jade Fox''s expression got even more severe. "If you excuse me." He tucked his tail between his legs before running away. His associates followed since they realised that this situation was abnormal... Chapter 434 – Finishing Evolution "Why are you here so soon?" Aiko tilted her head as she kept hugging Mei. "Because I finished gathering those resources. You can now finish your Evolution." Mei smiled lightly. "Gotcha." Aiko was happy that Mei came before she skewered all of them. It would be troublesome if they refused to transport them thanks to it. Mei narrowed her eyes. "Did you have fun with them?" "Not really. They kept running." Aiko sighed. Neither of them was in the mood for anything, so they just exchanged a few more words before going to the Grandmaster''s Abode. ... "Will I be Evolving here? Isn''t that a bit of shame?" Mei took good care of this garden, and Aiko felt guilty for what was about to happen to it. "It''s fine. We will be leaving anyway, so it''s better if we use it now rather than leave it for someone else." Mei proclaimed. "Gotcha, but don''t blame me if this place becomes a mess." Aiko warned her. "I already told you it''s fine. This place has dense enough Qi that it would not attract too much attention." Mei snorted unhappily at her. "You know what kind of Evolution I have." Aiko put her hands on her hips. Mei rolled her eyes. "Go before I spank you." "Or I might do it." Aiko hmpfed away with the Storage Ring that Mei provided. Mei only sighed and set up an Illusion Array so that others wouldn''t bother Aiko while she was preparing. ''No way will I allow them to let Aiko Evolve in their designated spots. They think I must be completely stupid.'' She clicked her tongue before disappearing. There was more work with the Sect Leader, and Mei wanted to properly scam them before she left. ... Aiko sat down in her designated spot, marked by Mei. It was in the middle of the gorgeous plain garden that was nurtured by Mei. Looking through the Storage Ring, there were Pills, Talismans and other things that could help Aiko. There was even something called Elemental Essences that Aiko only had inside her body. However, she believed that this thing was different from what her body could attract. With it came a note with instructions on how she should approach this Evolution and how to not make it into a full-fledged Evolution. Aiko nodded as she read through it. This was simple enough that even Nightmare Aiko didn''t mind it. Popping a few Pills inside her mouth, she followed Mei''s instructions until she felt like she was drawing Qi into her body. ''It''s starting~'' Aiko hummed. ----- Outside, a large phenomenon was happening. Attracting many eyes, especially of those old fogeys. "You said she wouldn''t be able to Evolve!?" One grumbling Elder roared. "How is that my fault?! Based on my fate calculation, she was not supposed to Evolve here but inside the Sacred Realm!" Another Elder roared back. "What do we do now?" The third Elder rolled his eyes. "We will attach a Relic to the exploration team, and once the Vicious Cub is Evolving, they will corner her." The first Elder snorted unhappily. They already spend too many resources on this whole thing. "What about the Mystic Jade Fox?" The second Elder coughed awkwardly. He really wanted to get his slimy hands on her. "She is assisting us, don''t bother her." The fourth Elder said disdainfully. He liked the Vicious Cub the best when she came, but now she had already grown up, and he lost all his interest. Yes, it was the same Elder way back in the beginning who ''praised'' Aiko... They all clicked their tongues for different reasons. ----- The Sect Leader looked outside. "Why is she Evolving there?" "?" Mei acted innocent like she couldn''t understand the question. "Seriously..." The Sect Leader sighed. She was quite unhappy with her behaviour, but her Pills were too good to question her like this. "What else can you offer us?" The Sect Leader looked over the Pills. Just a few of them would take the whole Alchemy Peak a month to create, but the Jade Fox was bringing those weekly. "I can offer..." Mei kept explaining as she smiled to herself. With this, Aiko would be able to Evolve without any intervention. ----- "Aiko is Evolving." Yuxi glanced at the huge dark cloud above the whole Grandmaster''s Abode. "Aiko is Evolving." Wanshu nodded alongside Yuxi. "Aiko is Evolving..." The Blood Fox sighed. This would be yet another messy day. ... "Mistress is Evolving?" The Demonic Foxes curiously cheered on. "Pay attention, or I won''t allow you to participate in the Sacred Realm exploration!" Dai Lu said sternly. "Boooo!" The Demonic Foxes booed her since they wanted to see what kind of changes their Mistress would go through. Dai Lu could only sigh to herself. ----- The Pills and Elemental Essences floated around Aiko as she munched on them as the instructions said. More and more energy coursed through her body, but there was no unstable vortex or anything. The intake was smooth and stable like it was always meant to be. This puzzled Aiko, but she was happy nonetheless. "Maybe I won''t destroy this garden~" She hummed happily to herself. In fact, she would destroy this garden... ... Aiko slowly drifted to sleep as the Evolution took place. More and more energy approached her body, even some things inside her Tails were consumed, especially a few certain coffee beans. As Aiko floated around and absorbed Qi, a pattern formed between her eyebrows once again. In the beginning, it looked like an empty moon, but once those coffee beans joined Aiko, it formed a small sprout inside her Moon. That small sprout squirmed as it slowly spread its roots inside the Vibrant Moon. But soon that Moon disappeared with everything else, shrouded by darkness... ... ...... Time passed as Aiko woke up to a completely black garden. "I destroyed it..." Aiko groaned unhappily, but her body was oddly light, so much so that she started to question if her previous body was hers to begin with. ''How did this happen?'' Aiko tilted her head as there was no longer any noticeable feeling of discomfort. Her body also didn''t change by much, but Aiko didn''t mind. ''I shouldn''t attract Heavenly Lightning or anything like that, right?'' Aiko wished that would be the case. She stood up as ashes and dust created all around her. The flowers could no longer maintain their shape and disappeared into nothingness. The formerly black place turned brown once again as it unearthed new soil. ''I feel awful for Mei...'' Aiko believed that Mei loved flowers, considering how much time she spent with them and what was around their business. ''I hope she is not too mad.'' Aiko would comfort Mei later once she was not doing anything. ... Aiko left the Illusion Array, and Mei was already waiting for her. "Finished?" Mei pursed her lips. "I think so?" Aiko tilted her head. "So it only took a month? Not bad." Mei praised herself. "Huh? That long again?" Aiko groaned unhappily. So much wasted time on nothing. "And you used the garden well, right?" Mei soothed Aiko. "Yeah..." Aiko didn''t know what she was supposed to say since she destroyed that garden. "Good, that way I don''t have to transport anything." Mei nodded happily. Another thing was taken care of, and what was left was to transport the business, and that was it. "I''m sorry..." Aiko said gently. "I told you to use the garden, so you don''t have to apologise." Mei sighed softly. "Anything happened while I was out?" Aiko felt quite guilty, so she changed the topic. "Those bastards pushed the Sacred Realm forward, and for some reason, all the major Sects agreed." Mei clicked her tongue. "Huh, already?!" Aiko was quite shocked. She thought she had more time. "Yeah, it''s unfortunate, but there is some somewhat good news." Mei sighed to herself. "What kind of news?" Aiko tilted her head. "You won''t be observed during the Sacred Realm, so your Demonic Team can go wild and plunder as much as possible." Mei clicked her tongue. "But because you won''t be observed, someone can go after you, so you should be careful." She warned Aiko. "I will do my best, but how much time do I have?" Aiko tilted her head. "Not much. You should start preparing." Mei sighed. "How is business?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "We have already blacklisted all the troublemakers. Moreover, the Muscle Foxes are also keeping watch over our business since it''s beneficial to them." Mei pursed her lips. It felt like they had their own private bodyguards. "Good, if something needs fixing. I will do it quickly. Let''s remove as much wealth as possible from this place." Aiko''s eyes shone with the light of Spirit Stones. Mei chuckled. "Sure, sure." ... Arriving at home, the Grandmaster looked at Aiko speechlessly. "You got uglier." "Who is ugly?!" Aiko immediately snapped at her, and everyone giggled. "Why are you laughing?!" Aiko couldn''t understand why there was such a merry atmosphere. "Congratulations on your Evolution, Mistress." The Demonic Foxes were a step ahead of everyone and already congratulated Aiko for this achievement. "Huh... yeah, thanks." Aiko was shy for some reason, or maybe she was conscious of the ''ugly'' remark. "Aiko needs time to prepare, so don''t hog her too much." Mei sternly said, but the Demonic Foxes were not afraid of her. "That is fine. I will make this quick. The Demonic Foxes worked well while you were Evolving. We have distributed them some Souls, and now everyone has at least 3 Tails." Dai Lu explained. "This major boost in strength allowed them to pass the baseline I have created. As such, they can join you on your exploration of the Sacred Realm. They are also allowed to fight as they learned a few Beast Techniques." Dai Lu discreetly shivered. Now she understood why Demonic Foxes were hailed as crazy prodigies. All of the Demonic Foxes had no issues learning a couple of Beast Techniques. Some were even able to master them in that short amount of time. The most exceptional was Yu, who pretty much was ahead of everyone else in both knowledge and strength. "So I can take them with me?" Aiko nodded happily. "En. They are ready." Dai Lu smiled. "In that case, I will prepare for departure." Aiko smiled again before going to gather resources from their private room... Chapter 435 – Information and Mei Aiko prepared most of the things that she needed. She also included one Massage Chair, just in case. Demonic Foxes. Check. Pills from Mei. Check. Talismans that she hasn''t used yet. Check. Jade Slips from Mei. Check. Aiko didn''t know if she required anything more than that, but she was satisfied with this. All that was left was something from Mei. Well, Mei told her to visit once she had everything prepared. ... Arriving at their business, Mei was managing it well. It felt like she was doing this for some kind of reason, but Aiko would ask. As long as Mei was happy and not bothered, everything was fine. Seeing that Aiko arrived, Mei smiled slightly. "I thought you would take forever." Mei teased. "There are only a few days before we have to depart, so I wanted to prepare everything that I needed." Aiko raised her hand. "Keep in mind that you can go inside only when you are under Holy Beast Rank." Mei nudged Aiko. "I won''t Evolve again... I think." Aiko whistled innocently. Mei sighed. "If you Evolve inside the Sacred Realm, you will be kicked out, so just in case you want to Evolve, store everyone inside your tails first!" She warned Aiko about the possible dangers. "Gotcha. I will do my best and not Evolve until everyone is away." Aiko saluted happily. "What is that supposed to mean?" Mei tilted her head at the silly Aiko. "I don''t know, I just felt like doing it." Aiko shrugged. "But I do not recommend Evolving this time." Mei sighed. "Why not?" Aiko tilted her head. It was rare for Mei to look like this. Her complexion also looked quite bad. "The Elders are plotting something. There is also a certain Fox that is trying to make fun of me, so be careful while you are inside." Mei ruffled Aiko''s hair. "Stop it." Aiko ducked and rolled away from Mei. It was not like she minded Mei''s affection, but ruffling her hair was a no-no. Her hair was hard to maintain due to her speed. It would get entangled with branches and leaves, making her look quite miserable. "I have also prepared some food you can take with you and rations for the Demonic Foxes." Mei sighed. She felt like a cook. Mei wished that Old Lei joined them soon so that she didn''t need to maintain that hungry army. "Thank you so much~!" Aiko hugged Mei and nuzzled into her bosom. The ''customers'' coughed at that impressive bounce and recoil, but with one sharp glare, Mei pacified most of them. The rest shrunk back once Mei tapped the sign called ''blacklist''. "Can you not do that in public?" Mei pinched Aiko''s cheeks. "It''s not like I''m doing anything to you?" Aiko tilted her head. She might be a head and some smaller than Mei, but that didn''t mean she was THAT small! Mei sighed. She didn''t know how to explain this to Aiko, so she just gave up and indulged her. Who knows how much time Aiko will spend inside the Sacred Realm- "Right! The most important part." Mei suddenly realised that Aiko might be missing important pieces of information, so she would share it right now. "What''s wrong?" Aiko tilted her head while being smothered by Mei''s ample bosom. "You must exit the Sacred Realm before 5 years are up!" Mei warned Aiko. "If you stay there for longer than that, the place will bind your Soul, and you will become an inhabitant of that place. Never able to return back." "Can I not go?" Considering how much time Aiko''s Evolution took, it was not impossible that it would take more than 5 years... "I wish, but I don''t have a way to transport you to the mainland, and this time, they got Elder at the Divine Beast Rank..." Mei sighed. If she could, she would just beat up the delegation so that they would be able to join the mainland without doing troublesome things, but Divine Beast was a whole different issue... "Whoa, it''s the first time I hear Rank like that." Aiko was fascinated by how powerful they might be. "They are strong, but Divine Beasts also have a protective ''barrier'' around their body, nullifying most attacks under a certain threshold. What''s even more outrageous is that those attacks do not consume any kind of energy, and in some cases, they can even give you energy!" Mei clicked her tongue. If it was just Sacred Beasts, there was a possibility that she would be able to deal with them, but her Beast Core was too small to be able to deal with Divine Beast. "Ohhhhhh." Aiko''s eyes shone. She was really curious about that Fox. "They are not friendly, so don''t even think about it." Mei shook her head. She would not let Aiko approach them since it could spell doom. "Are they hostile?" Aiko tilted her head again, thinking how she could scam such an individual. "Not quite, but they have a certain troublesome agenda." Mei sighed. "Is it that bad?" Aiko frowned, concerned about Mei. "A bit. They are just too old to see reason, so do your best inside the Sacred Realm and come back stronger than ever!" Mei nudged Aiko a few times. "I will do my best!" Aiko proudly said. "Good, now let''s go inside and finish the preparations." Mei smiled. "More Pills?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "You will see~." Mei giggled mischievously. ''Aiko will be happy about this one~.'' ... At first, Aiko was suspicious, but seeing Mei in such a happy mood, she dismissed her thoughts. "What will you give me?" Aiko curiously asked Mei. "Do you remember the Rune way back that I gave you?" Mei smirked. "You mean that one that allowed me to maintain my [Pseudo-Human Body]?" Aiko didn''t remember anything else. "En." Mei nodded happily when Aiko remembered. "I have made a new powdered Ink that I can apply to you. I also researched a more advanced Rune, so now we will share both Stamina, Beast Core energy and Vitality." Mei explained. "That way, even if you are hunted by some kind of accident... you will never run out of energy!" She said proudly. "But you will run out of energy." Aiko frowned. She didn''t want to harm Mei. During those previous times, it couldn''t be helped, but now she could help it, but Mei was too adamant... "It''s fine. My meditation can gather more than enough Beast Core, and if you don''t overdo it, nothing bad will happen." Mei smiled. Aiko''s safety was a priority, and since she was already watched over by the Grandmaster and a few delegations, she should be safe even if someone attacked her. ''If she can find some nice Herbs inside, it should be possible to restore the Grandmaster to her prime.'' Mei smirked. Everything would easily fall in place if it was Aiko! "Are you sure?" Aiko was still concerned about Mei. "What about that Fox?" "She won''t be able to do anything." Mei laughed sinisterly. She had already prepared a juicy Forbidden Technique just for her. ''I always wanted to experience with puppets, so this would be the perfect target for it.'' Mei hated that hateful Mystic Fox and would do everything to wreck her mind. ''And because the Forbidden Technique was already prepared. I can''t be affected by Charms or anything like that.'' Mei smirked sinisterly like she was creating some kind of evil ploy. "Who are you, and what have you done to Mei?" Aiko recoiled, observing the Fox in front of her. Mei coughed up awkwardly. "I''m still me." Seeing Aiko''s concerned and slightly frowning expression, she couldn''t help but laugh. "Everything will be alright." Mei laughed happily. These days, she is in a much better mood than before. There was nothing she really had to take care of. The business would run even without her and everything that fit into her plans. Sure, Aiko''s shenanigans might derail some things, but since the old fogeys were pushing so hard, Mei''s faction was able to identify most of them and their bases. There were only a few individuals left to find, and when that happened, the grand finale would manifest! Mei cackled like a witch, and Aiko took some distance. ''Where is my Mei...'' Aiko sobbed inside her mind. ... Mei coughed awkwardly once again. "Are you back?" Aiko asked the Fox, who looked like Mei, with some suspicion. "I''m always here." Mei choked when she saw Aiko''s distorted expression. "I can''t look like that?" Mei slapped the table with some anger. She was enjoying herself so much, so why was Aiko looking like that? "You look ugly." Aiko suddenly proclaimed. Mei choked on her words, which she wanted to use as a retort. "W-what?" She was speechlessly staring at Aiko. "Not to mention, it looked like a Fox and a turd had a baby." Aiko recoiled once again. Mei choked from the severe emotional damage that she was inflicted by Aiko''s ruthless words. "I didn''t look like that..." Mei sniffed. "No, you just looked like Blood Fox when I first met her." Saying it like sage, Aiko delivered that finishing blow. Mei was knocked out due to the absurd emotional damage. "That''s more like Mei." Aiko nodded approvingly as she saw that familiar shocked expression. ... "You are a bully..." Mei sniffled after she woke up. "..." Nightmare Aiko didn''t know what to say to Mei since she only said what she thought... "You will comfort me now." Mei made a hugging motion. Aiko approached her, but Mei stopped her. "Only Moon Aiko is allowed." Mei snorted unhappily. Nightmare Aiko was flabbergasted, but if it would make Mei feel better, she would indulge her for a bit. ''But if she bullies Moon Aiko...'' Nightmare Aiko narrowed her eyes. Her hair slowly changed, and in front of Mei was a beautiful girl with a less intimidating bosom. Mei squealed as she jumped at Aiko. Aiko squealed back from the sudden tackle. "I have missed you quite a bit..." Mei confessed without a care in the world. She got her hands on Moon Aiko. She would cuddle her to her heart''s content! "Ummmm... uh..." Moon Aiko didn''t know what to do since she was not used to these kinds of things. "Shush." Mei shushed Aiko with a nuzzle. "You are my comforter because of Nightmare Aiko." She found those nicknames quite fitting. ''I wonder if there will be active Aiko too...'' Mei suddenly paused, thinking about how Aiko would look like if she was hyperactive. ''Dear lord, let''s hope that doesn''t happen.'' Mei''s body stiffened from her imagination... Chapter 436 – More Knowledge for Moon Aiko Mei snuggled Aiko for the rest of the day. Most Muscle Foxes didn''t mind as the Passion Fox replaced her in customer service. The Muscle Foxes liked the Passion Fox more as she was well-spoken and softer than the cruel and unforgiving Jade Fox. There were also rumours that there were multiple Jade Foxes now, which puzzled them. When it came to the Vicious Jade Fox, there were no questions about the validity of that nickname. She was cute and playful, a bit sinister, but which Fox wasn''t. Meanwhile, the other Jade Fox didn''t make as much sense. She always hid somewhere. She was nowhere as gorgeous as the two others. It just felt like she was trying to weasel her way between them. As such, the general consensus was to intercept the ugly Jade Fox and keep her away from those two cuties. ... Mei and Aiko listened to the gossip and exchanged meaningful looks. "She can''t be that ugly, right?" Aiko nervously laughed. "She doesn''t compare to us. We are well-known and resourceful, not using our beauty to our advantage. However, her whole personality is her looks. That''s why she is so petty." Mei sighed, nuzzling Aiko again. "No wonder that she feels like she is out to get us..." Aiko clicked her tongue. She was quite upset that nobody was trying to do something like that. "It''s fine. Everything is in place, you just have to make it out safely." Mei took the special powdered ink. She intended to make that Rune on Aiko''s hand. "Will this be really alright?" Aiko''s eyes narrowed as she was worried about Mei. "Don''t worry, I''m not weak, and unlike you, I will have plenty of time to meditate." Mei''s eyes softened. It felt incredibly good when someone worried about you. "I will leave it to you then..." Aiko pursed her lips. She couldn''t really dissuade Mei, so she would just be careful during her exploration. ''I hope I won''t attract too much trouble...'' Aiko sighed. ... Mei finished the Rune, and it was slowly getting time to leave for the Sacred Realm. "You are going too?" Aiko tilted her head. "The Rune is not omnipotent, so I have to be somewhat close to you. Moreover, this Sacred Realm is used to teach the younger generations about dangers and how it looks inside." Mei explained this event briefly. "So you will be watching others..." Aiko now understood what those previous words from Mei meant. She would not be watched, so she could let loose, but others would likewise not be watched, which meant they would be the troublesome group. "In general, try to avoid the Northern Sects. Southern Sects seem friendly to you, but just in case, be cautious as for the rest. From the Western Sects, there is some kind of strange obsession about you and Eastern... Well, you don''t have to worry about them since they will always be late." Mei chuckled. "This is very little information." Moon Aiko frowned. "Well, it''s not like I can guess their goal. I''m just warning you that there might be a certain agenda since we both are on the Hunter''s List." Mei shrugged. "What is that?" Aiko tilted her head. "It''s a special institution that keeps tabs on Beasts and gives them danger ratings associated with bounty rating." Mei explained. "Once you are in their eyes, you will be given a danger level. So that Cultivators can seek you out or avoid you. As for the bounty rating, that is for, if they capture you, how much Spirit Stones can get out of you." She clicked her tongue in displeasure. Humans liked to give everything a price tag, even when things were complicated. This resulted in many peaceful Beasts going for a lot of Spirit Stones, making them almost extinct in the process. "How about we burn them?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "That wouldn''t help. Just because they disappear, doesn''t mean that the intention behind the institution also disappears." Mei shook her head. It would take too much time to get rid of them, and eventually, there would be someone else who would pop up, making the whole eradication pointless. "Can''t believe that Humans do something like that." Aiko sighed. "Foxes have Human form and are beautiful, unlike most Humans. As such, we are the staple of those bounties." Mei shrugged. "Gotcha." Aiko nodded slowly. Fortunately, her [Blessing of the Ancestral Phoenix] was active, so she wouldn''t be easily enslaved. "Why did you pack so many things?" Aiko tilted her head. "Just in case you find something nice in the Sacred Realm, I will be able to immediately make it into Pills for the Grandmaster, and after that, we pretty much have a powerful force that can rival the delegation." Mei licked her lips. Even the Divine Beast would not have an easy time against the Grandmaster during her prime. "You really like to antagonise them, huh?" Aiko chuckled. "Who told them to bring that old bastard over, he is too old to engage in these things, but fortunately, he won''t side with the old fogeys." Mei smacked her lips. If he joined them, their plans would be delayed again. "Can''t we just put the healed Grandmaster against him and deal with those old fogeys?" Moon Aiko was already making plans towards her special flags to reward those bastards for what they did. "It would be possible, but that is only if you find Herbs inside the Sacred Realm..." Mei noticed a certain marking between Aiko''s eyebrows. ''Since when did she have that? Was it concealed till now? Did that appear after finishing Evolution?'' Mei had quite a few questions, but she would postpone them for later. "I will do my best." Moon Aiko nodded with a happy expression, making Mei want to hug her once again. "Good, then let''s go so that we are not bothered by the others." Mei licked her lips. "By the others?" Aiko tilted her head. ... The plaza was completely filled with Foxes, unlike the Secret Realm, which was mostly for good seedlings. The Sacred Realm was for everyone picked by the delegation. Unlike the Elders of the Fox Village, the Fox Sect had a better and more advanced rating and ranking system. So, they found plenty of seedlings that were ignored by the Fox Village. "Is that Vicious Jade Fox?" "And next to her is Jade Fox, right?" "I can''t believe they let ''that'' have the same name as them." "I know right? It''s ridiculous how ugly she is compared to that pair." "I want them to hug me..." "Keep dreaming, they will easily crush you." The Foxes whispered between each other, but since Aiko''s ears were quite sensitive, she could hear all of them. ''There will be more animosity between our groups since the public opinion is like this.'' Moon Aiko sighed, but she didn''t mind being in the spotlight. Did she get used to it after such a long time, or did she just not care about this situation at all? It was hard to say, but Aiko was happy that she was not bothered by them. The flying ship flew over the plaza, and Aiko was startled. ''It''s as big as a large city.'' Aiko couldn''t believe that such a big flying ship would take them along. ''It''s because they are trying to raise our prestige that they are using the delegation''s flying ship.'' Mei explained through telepathy. She saw how startled Aiko was, so this was the best time to explain everything. ''There are in total 5 groups in the delegation. We have already met the most powerful group and the forerunners that can give us the best benefits.'' Mei kept going but sighed inside her mind. Even the best benefits were shit compared to what Aiko could find in Secret Realm, much less in Sacred Realm. ''The other group competes against each other about who will gain the most and best seedlings.'' Mei''s passive expression was quite startling, but that didn''t stop Aiko from listening. ''Those groups had their own factions on the mainland, which would allow them to give you said benefits. This was made so that they could spread their influence and learn how to lead others, but...'' Mei paused with questionable feelings. ''They misused it?'' Aiko tried to guess, but she missed the mark. ''No, the Foxes would offer so little that they would gain too much in return, making the whole Fox Sect unstable.'' Mei clicked her tongue. ''But isn''t that misusing?'' Aiko was confused. ''No, since the first rules didn''t state that it needs to be an equal exchange, and that''s where the Elder from the mainland comes in.'' Mei shook her head. ''To watch over them so that they don''t do anything stupid?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''En. Because they ripped off a few Foxes, there was great resistance inside the Fox Sect. That almost caused the whole Sect to disband since a few prodigies were completely livid about being scammed.'' Mei chuckled. ''Were you part of that?'' Aiko believed that if something like that happened, Mei would definitely be part of it. ''No. I was the one doing the scamming.'' Mei coughed awkwardly when she saw Aiko''s speechless expression. ''Seriously...?'' Since when did her kind and cute Mei turn into a devil? Aiko didn''t understand. ''Well... the Elders were too stingy with resources, so I had to gain them from somewhere.'' Mei looked away, feeling nostalgic about her previous life. ''Why?'' Aiko believed that there would be a good reason for this. ''Because I was not as talented.'' Mei said expressionlessly, but Aiko could feel the hidden pain in her voice. ''Oh... but you are progressing quite quickly?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''And whose fault is that?'' Mei pinched Aiko''s cheek gently, giggling to herself. "D-did you see that?" "Jade Fox smiled! Jade Fox smiled!" "I feel like I''m going to faint..." "Then faint. I want to have a better line of sight." "You-!" "Fight me." "Shut up, you bastards. Can''t you see they are lovey-dovey?! Just enjoy the ride before she pulls out the flags!" "..." "..." "..." Aiko''s lips twitched as the scene grew quiet. Those last words were enough to silence most of them, even those who were bleeding from their noses. Aiko felt like she had become quite the celebrity, but she also felt something looming over her. It was not a good sensation and made her feel on guard... The huge flying ship didn''t land, as there was not enough room for it to land. There were no mountains that could be used to make an anchor point, and as such, they were unable to make a proper dockyard. The next challenge was upon them... Chapter 437 – Huge Flying Ship "We will have to make it up there." Mei proclaimed, attracting a lot of attention. "That''s not too far?" Aiko tilted her head as Gale wrapped around her. Aiko easily jumped on the deck, looking over all the Foxes. "It''s really not that high..." Aiko was confused about the non-existent challenge. "I expected you would make it up here, but I didn''t think it would be in one jump." A certain Fox adjusted his glasses. "Why not? It''s not that-" Aiko was confused, but when she heard a crash behind her, she turned around. "..." Aiko speechlessly stared at the Foxes crashing into the ship or not making it the whole way. "Do you understand now?" Ru adjusted his glasses as he glanced below. "Most Foxes are not skilled enough to jump so high." "Are we decreasing altitude?" Aiko tilted her head when she noticed that the ground was getting closer. Ru''s lips twitched slightly. The Vicious Jade Fox was always strange, but this side of her was even stranger. ''I can''t feel the vigour she previously had, but this Technique she just showed, the Gale Steps, were much more polished than before.'' Ru couldn''t believe it. This was definitely not the work of Evolution that she experienced, which meant that her current ''form'' allowed her a higher degree of control over her body. Ru was slightly fascinated, especially since there were rumours floating around that the Vicious Jade Fox broke the taboo about Evolving inside the Secret Realm. ''Unfounded rumours, you can''t Evolve so quickly back to back, or your Beast Core won''t be able to manage it. Moreover, it would cost so much that even a small Sect would go bankrupt.'' Ru clicked his tongue at those useless gossips and straightened his back. "We are lowering the ship and rating the skills of the Fox seedlings." Ru explained to the Vicious Jade Fox since she more than deserved it. "Why?" Aiko pressed him for answers. "The delegation is not unanimous. We have our own group, and we were tasked to gather the best seedlings and get their rating." Suddenly, Mei appeared next to Aiko, and so was the rest of the team. Most of them only learned Wind Steps, but that was enough to reach this high if they twisted their bodies slightly. Expect the Blood Fox, who easily used Gale Steps. Ru gently bowed before continuing. "We get resources depending on how many Foxes we can attract, but if the Elders find out that we have cheated them, they would be punished." The other delegation groups approached Aiko''s group since they were the only ones who managed to get here at this altitude. "But doesn''t that mean that as long as they won''t find out... you can do whatever you want?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''The rules changed again...'' Mei was convinced from this brief exchange that the mainland was not in good shape either. "That is correct. It''s to encourage our nature and develop our skills." Ru proclaimed, but his face said it all. He was not too happy about this whole situation and would rather compare skill against skill. "What a sh-" Nightmare Aiko came out for a talk, but Mei was quick enough to silence her lips with her hand. It would not be a good idea to insult the delegation when she hadn''t yet entered the Sacred Realm. It was important that Aiko robbed it blind before they realised how special she was. Aiko looked back at Mei, but she just made a shushing motion, and Aiko rolled her eyes. Even when the other groups approached, Aiko and her team only conversed with Ru. It was not because they gave them the best benefits but because Aiko was more proactive towards the glasses Fox. Since they were pretty much her servants, they would follow her lead and nudge her if something was going awry. The Blood Fox assessed that this situation was for the best, since the competition between them would become even fiercer as they noticed that they missed on good seedlings. This would help Aiko to expand her chaos inside the Sacred Realm without too much pressure or external interference. ''There is only so much that our opponents can do.'' The Blood Fox licked her lips discreetly. ... More and more Foxes managed to get on board, but around 30% still didn''t manage to reach the top, even as the huge flying ship lowered to the lowest possible point. "It seems we will be losing a few of them." Ru adjusted his glasses as he snapped his fingers. A translucent yet shiny stairs appeared from the side of the ship. "Anyone who was picked by us or the Elders can climb these stars. Do it quickly, as we will be departing in a few moments." Ru''s commanding voice spread throughout the plaza. "That is Sound Communication." Mei immediately explained to Aiko. "Doesn''t sound all that appealing." Aiko didn''t like the name at all. Mei then added. "It''s a prerequisite for Whispering Technique." Mei added. "Why use that when we have something better?" Aiko felt a bit speechless. "Because you can''t use it in Human Form?" Mei felt a bit speechless from such a strong rejection. "But don''t we have-" Aiko wanted to say the Karmic connection, but Mei stopped her. "Yeah, but what about the others?" Mei rolled her eyes. "They will manage?" Aiko said innocently. At this time, Ru kind of understood why there were certain rumours about them. Their conversation was hard to follow, and it made you want to facepalm hard... Mei played with Aiko''s cheeks for a bit before others arrived. ''We aren''t going to any rooms?'' Aiko tilted her head. ''No, this place is where we will stay...'' Mei chuckled. It was rare that you were allowed to have your own room on a flying ship. Most of the time, you would spend outside on the deck or in a shared room. ''Cheapskate...'' Aiko clicked her tongue. ''That''s just how Cultivators are...'' Mei shook her head. ... They seated themselves in a place with enough sun and shade that they could both sunbath or rest. Most Foxes didn''t approach them so they were not disturbed. A lot of Elders were explaining about the Sacred Realm, but Aiko was snoozing on Mei''s shoulder. Due to that, other Foxes also didn''t listen as they tried to burn that cute image into their minds. "Do you think she would sleep on me too?" "Keep dreaming. So far, she only hanged around girls." "So what? I have soft muscles." "But you have baggage hanging." The Foxes laughed and chuckled as they ridiculed the impossible dreamers. Getting close to the Vicious Jade Fox was almost impossible. Not only was she protected by Demonic Foxes, but even after getting through that, the Vicious Jade Fox in question was very picky about interaction. The main point being... how she ignored the other delegation groups and only chatted with the glasses Fox. If she was so picky that she would even reject powerhouses, what could common Foxes do to approach her?! Like this, the huge flying ship flew towards the direction of the Sacred Realm... ... ...... Aiko stretched her body as she felt that they were losing altitude. "We are already there?" Aiko rubbed her eyes, making other Foxes squeal from happiness. "Yes, we have arrived." Mei nodded. It was quite quick, which would suggest they burned quite a lot of energy. "Quick." Aiko yawned before standing up. Looking down, she could already see two other ships. From the symbols, those were probably the Northern Sects and Southern Sects. "I meant to ask, but why did you say Sects and not Sect?" Aiko nudged Mei. "Because, unlike the Secret Realm that is monopolised, the Sacred Realm is open to all Sects. Of course, they were limited. How many Disciples they could send depended on their size, but all of them could participate." Mei explained as she caressed Aiko''s hair. "Is that so?" Aiko didn''t believe that giving small Sects opportunities would change things. "Don''t underestimate them, lest you end up like last time." Mei warned Aiko. "Wasn''t it your fault that I ended up like that last time?" Aiko shot back. Mei pinched Aiko''s cheek again. "Don''t get cheeky with me. You need to stay safe." "Yesh." Aiko slurred her speech since her cheeks were pulled. The flying ship landed. It was the largest ship so far. "The Elder will be upset..." Ru popped out of nowhere. "Why?" Aiko couldn''t understand why since their ship was the biggest. Wasn''t that a good thing? "Look." Ru nudged everyone to look at the horizon. Over there was something that looked like a flying city. "I''m not dreaming, right?" Aiko rubbed her eyes, but soon, ideas flooded her about her own flying city. "You are not." Mei shook her head. She didn''t expect the Western Sects to be so lavish... Well, they did capture a Dragon, but that was beside the point. Aiko wanted to observe the city closely, but something told her that was not a good idea. There was a subtle pressure coming from that flying city. "That is Dragon''s pressure. Unlike the kid you have met before." The Blood Fox explained to the confused Aiko. "Didn''t he sound like an old grandpa?" Aiko was confused about how that old-sounding dragon was a kid. "While Dragons mature very quickly. Their Elders'' thought process is that you should reach at least 100 years to be considered a teenager and 1,000 to be considered an adult. Of course, most young Dragons don''t care about that thing and mingle immediately as their bodies mature." The Blood Fox explained. "That''s also why so many young Dragons get captured since they don''t understand the world clearly just yet..." She shook her head slowly. "Things are so complex..." Aiko shook her head, but she didn''t think it was strange. Most Foxes would arrive at the steps of the Fox Village somewhere around double, but most likely triple digits when it came to their age. As such, most of them were already mature enough to consume the information and make their decisions. In this, Aiko was a rarity never seen before as she joined when she was just a tiny fluffball. Most Elders believed that she was that tall, but only some figured out the truth later on. Of course, there were questionable fanatics and other ''beings'', but that couldn''t be helped... That''s the nature of the world, where the weak are eaten... Chapter 438 – Familiar Faces Everyone disembarked from the flying ship. There was a subtle tension between the Northern and Southern Sects, but Aiko didn''t care about it for the time being. She was more curious about a certain flying ship that concealed itself into its surroundings. "If it isn''t the curious Fox that our Senior Sister talked about." A certain panther appeared out of nowhere. "Oh, it''s the kitty." Aiko''s eyes shined. It was the same familiar black panther that tried to eat her when she was little. "I''m a panther!" The Black Kitty groaned unhappily. "You should call me Nightmare Claw." He said proudly as he liked his new cringy nickname. "Nightmare Kitty." Aiko nodded as she teased him. "That''s not- Ugh..." The Black Panther rolled his eyes as his head hurt. He could never win against this little-not-so-little Fox. "Junior Brother, where did you go?" A soft voice attracted Aiko''s attention. "It''s the Dragoness." Aiko''s ears perked as she observed her. She looked thinner than before and less vigorous too, making Aiko wonder what was wrong with her. "Be gentle with my Senior Sister. She is not feeling well..." The Black Panther whispered to Aiko. "Gotcha." Aiko was not ignorant and noticed that there was something wrong with the dragon girl. Aiko liked her quite a bit, but her first mission was to plunder. She would care about things later on- "Why are the others in Human Forms?" Aiko whispered back to the Black Panther. "They found some kind of Technique inside a Secret Realm, so they were able to become Human temporarily. It''s similar to what you Foxes have." The Black Panther whispered back. "Are you joining this exploration?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "I''m?" The Black Panther felt like something would go terribly wrong... "Good, nab that Technique for me and I will reward you." Aiko smiled innocently. "Why would I rob my fello-" The Black Panther tried to play it off, but... "10,000 Spirit Stones just for that Technique. If you bring anything else, I will reward you accordingly." "Your wish is my command, Mistress." The Black Panther immediately became subservient to her since he was only earning around 100 Spirit Stones a month... 10,000 Spirit Stones would cover his expenses for Beast Armour, which could protect him and maybe even for some claw weapons for his paws. "Good, just make sure it''s not obvious and I will reward you even more." Aiko smiled from ear to ear. "I will overthrow the heavens for you, Mistress." The Black Panther prostrated even more since stealth was his bread and butter. Aiko was happy about this and trotted towards the Dragoness. "Are you joining too?" Aiko smiled innocently like she was genuinely asking, but she was observing her closely to find what was wrong with her. "What are you doing here?" Yueying petted the small Aiko. Her own height decreased, but she was still taller than her. "Nothing~" Aiko hummed innocently. "Don''t try to plot anything, and just find some nice Treasures inside." Yueying was oozing elder sister vibes, which Aiko quite liked. It was very different to everyone in her team. "I''m not plotting anything." Aiko pouted. "Then why are you observing me?" Yueying raised her eyebrow. "You got smaller." Aiko proclaimed as she jumped, almost matching the Dragoness''s height. "Or you just got taller." Yueying''s face stiffened. It was obvious she didn''t want to talk about this, but she also felt like this small Fox wouldn''t press her on. That was the only reason that she actually answered and didn''t just brush it away. It was true that Aiko got ever-so-slightly taller, but Yueying lost a lot of height and weight in recent months. ''It seems like they are almost finished with my heart...'' Yueying''s gloomy expression startled Aiko. Aiko ruffled her tails and pulled out a piece of meat. "Here, eat some. It''s good for you." "I''m fine." Yueying smiled gently. "Eat some." Aiko repeated, since she was already sharing her meat, she would not take a no for an answer. "But-" Yueying was startled at her determination. "It''s delicious." Aiko nudged her with her words. "I''m-" Yueying found it hard to go against this kind of person. "It''s good for you." Aiko repeated her words, not backing out. "Thank you." Yueying planned to store it away, but her natural gaze made her eat it in place. A warm energy spread throughout her body, and she was very confused. "Yummy, right? Blood Fox knows how to pick meat." Aiko almost salivated. She had quite the trouble holding herself back from taking it back. Yueying smiled genuinely for the first time in a while. "It was indeed delicious." Her complexion also seemed to improve... Aiko''s tail waggled happily before she ran away. ... "What did you do?" The Black Panther questioned Aiko. "Nothing, I just gave her some meat-" Aiko looked into her inventory, thinking that she would offer him a small piece too, but... ''Huh...? All the meat is here...? Then what did I give her...?'' Aiko blinked many times, but no matter how much she counted, the number didn''t change. ''Don''t tell me...'' Aiko''s face stiffened. ''My XP meat...'' She sniffled quietly. "Here, have some..." Aiko gave the Black Panther normal meat as she sniffled quietly from losing her precious source of power. "Huh... are you sure?" Seeing her expression, the Black Panther felt like she would be eaten alive later, but the meat also smelled too delicious to be left alone... ... Aiko returned to her group with her suking expression and sat down. "I need to be more careful..." Said Aiko, as her Soul was leaving her body. The team was considering asking about what happened, but seeing Aiko''s expression, they chose not to... "When will we start?" Aiko asked Mei. "In a few hours. They are giving the Eastern Sects time to get here, but if they can''t manage..." Mei chuckled. "Then less competition for us~" She was quite happy since she already pulled a few strings to cause as much chaos inside the Sacred Realm as possible. That would make moving and everything else easier. "And you too, you should also watch over Aiko from time to time." Mei narrowed her eyes. "That is only natural." The Blood Fox stiffly replied. It felt like Mei was overstepping her bounds. There was a subtle cracking going between them, but they finished it each with ''hmph'' and everything calmed down. "We can find Aiko with our connection, so we can help her if the time arises." Yuxi said happily. "Indeed." Wanshu was more and more interested in Aiko since she noticed that her creativity was quite bottomless. ''Moon Aiko is also cute. It reminds me of Yuxi when I met her...'' She took quite a liking to that side of Aiko. ... Time passed like a flowing river. It was time to go into the Sacred Realm. Aiko''s mood recovered, and she was ready for it. "So you will be watching from there." Aiko glanced towards the half-stadium-like structure. "Yeah." Mei nodded, but she had a special place with Arrays and other things arranged for her by the Grandmaster. Of course, she would redo it to her liking and strengthen it just in case someone wanted to interrupt her. With that, she would be safe and able to protect Aiko by giving her Beast Core Energy. "But the time inside this time is not sped up?" Aiko narrowed her eyes. "It is." Mei blinked innocently. "You will run out of energy." Aiko sighed like she was a criminal. "I will be fine. I even have Pills to boost my Beast Core energy, and keep in mind that my Purity is much, much higher than yours." Mei snorted unhappily because Aiko was underestimating her. "I hope nothing will happen." Everything went well, so Aiko was worried something might happen. "Don''t jinx it now and go to the ''starting'' line." Mei shooed the overly worried Aiko, but inside she felt warm and fuzzy. It was a nice feeling when someone worried like this about you, and Mei was very happy about it! ... The group of Cultivators arrived in front of the Sacred Realm. It didn''t look like a tear in space, but more like a lake, just tilted to the side. When someone touched it, it would send ripples to the edges and then back. That sight mesmerised Aiko, and she wondered if she could recreate something like that. In theory, it should be possible if she tweaked it a little bit, but it would still be difficult. The resources this would require would be too immense- ''Wait, who is taking care of the business when Mei and Grandmaster are here?'' Aiko suddenly realised something, but now it was too late to ask about it... "You will be entering a Sacred Realm for the first time. It''s very different from a Secret Realm, and you will understand that once you go past that ripple." One Human Elder explained briefly. "You will explore and find Techniques and resources. You have 5 years until there is a point of no return." He added to warn them. It would be bad if they lost these good seedlings. Well, every Elder was aware that many Disciples would lose their lives there, and it would be their duty to avenge them and scam the other Sects. Many Elders gave their treasured Disciples a Recording Stone, which would allow them to record who slighted them or harmed them. Then those Disciples would take it to their Elders, and those Elders would see justice for them! It was quite an unsightly move, but those Elders didn''t care. If they could suppress prodigies, then they would do so and with no shame whatsoever! "After you enter the Sacred Realm, you will be teleported into an unknown place. I suggest that you use that time to quickly join with others as Sacred Realm is more perilous than simple Secret Realm." Another Elder added more parting words. "Beasts are more intelligent, and their average strength is also incomparable, so you should watch out and not approach their domains." More and more worried Elders butted in. It soon turned into a whole parting debate. Such a long debate that the Eastern Sect finally arrived! "We are not late!" The Sect Leader happily jumped down and into his seat. "Don''t mind me, don''t mind me, just continue whatever you are doing." The Sect Leader laughed. He looked like a ruffian looking for a fight. His flying ship also landed, and his Sect''s Disciples quickly joined the group. "I''m surprised that you were willing to appear here." One Sect Leader haughtily said. "Unlike you, I''m pretty handsome. I''m here to pick up some Foxie wifey. Don''t bother me, old hag." The Eastern Sect Leader dismissed her. Of course, he had no plan to look for a wife since he already had one, and it was a handful one at that. As such, he would just ridicule them to buy time for his Disciples to properly prepare for this and calm down! Chapter 439 – Sacred Realm! ''I don''t know why, but I kind of like him.'' Aiko''s tail swished happily. The team was even more concerned about Aiko''s upbringing, but they wouldn''t step in immediately. It was obvious the Eastern Sects were quite lazybones from their attitude, but it couldn''t be denied that the surrounding air was pressuring. If they were that lazy but still were able to stand tall like this, it was obvious they were doing something good. Even if this might be bad in terms of Aiko''s character development. If she could get friendly with them, the benefits would be obvious. ... "We should prepare for confrontations." The Blood Fox whispered, and the whole team prepared. It was time to enter the Sacred Realm! "I want to watch that flying mountain a bit more." Aiko clicked her tongue. She liked to watch that Sect Leader and the flying city. "There is nothing we can do about that." The Blood Fox shook her head and was ready to enter. The Sacred Realm was open all year round, but you had limited time that you were allowed to spend inside. The time limit was 5 years and a few months, but all the Sects Leaders gestured to only 5 years. Even if you left after 2 years, you would be able to spend only 3 more years inside later. So once those 5 years were up, you would become part of the Sacred Realm if you didn''t leave it. This danger was two-sided. On one side, a Sect would lose a talented Disciple, but on the other, that talented Disciple would also block the future Disciples by going against them. The beings inside this Sacred Realm could increase their Cultivation further than in the Secret Realm. That fact was concerning, but since the large factions inside didn''t fight until antagonised, the Sect Leaders left them alone. This was both a good learning experience and learning about different rules that floated around Sacred Realms. The Sect Leaders gave the signal, and everyone went through the rippling portal... ... Aiko opened her eyes. She was expecting some kind of lush forest or endless plains. Maybe a mountain or two, but what was in front of her was completely different... ''Am I inside some kind of complex?'' Aiko tilted her head to the side. She was inside a long hallway leading to somewhere. The colours were dull purple, so it was difficult to tell her location. The pristine glass windows that led outside were likewise difficult for Aiko. ''Illusion...'' This whole place had a high possibility of being shrouded in illusions. Even Aiko didn''t have an easy time seeing through it. ''This is kind of dangerous...'' Aiko tapped the windows, but they were firm and filled with Qi. Even if it was see-through, the glass was no different from an impenetrable wall. ''Why it couldn''t be forest or plains...'' Aiko groaned unhappily. She suppressed her presence and cautiously walked around. It was dangerous to be in here, but she also couldn''t just bust her way out. ''Please, do not let me meet anyone else...'' Nightmare Aiko was in a pickle for the first time in a while. Normally, she wouldn''t mind this kind of thing, but this place was creepy and sent shivers down her spine. Aiko''s tails pretty much stood straight, like a scared Fox. ''Why did they have to choose purple...'' Aiko sniffled as she quietly walked around. Suddenly, steps were approaching from behind. They were slow and paced, which meant that the person was still unaware of her presence. Aiko hid behind one ornamented armour statue. Everything looked quite pricey, from chandeliers to paintings. ''I should''ve walked in a different direction.'' Aiko was so scared that she walked in the direction of treasures, which also meant there would be more personnel walking around. The steps weren''t loud, but for Aiko, they were deafening. As the steps approached, she huddled close to the armour without the sound, quietly observing from the shadows. What came into view was a gorgeous Fox, so much so that Aiko was more mesmerised than when she saw Mei. She was quite tall for a Fox, but her noble air was unquestionable. She was in a similar fashion to Mei or the Blood Fox. Her proportions were seen like on any other Fox, busty and oozing sexiness. Her clothes were tight fit, and they were bright in colour, looking similar to a kimono. It seemed like purple was the theme of this place as she wore mostly purple, even if her hair was black. ''11/10 I want to sleep there!'' Aiko''s eyes shone for a moment. Why? Because that Fox had 9 tails! 9 large fluffy tails that would be amazing to sleep in. It took Aiko a moment to realise what was happening, but that breathtaking Fox was totally looking at her! ''... fuc-'' Aiko barely dodged the strike from the gorgeous Fox as her clothes ripped. It was all thanks to her [Intention Perception] that she was able to react in time since she was completely taken in by that Fox. Aiko ducked and tried to run away, but the Fox caught her. "H-huh?" Aiko was startled by her speed, which couldn''t be compared to hers. "P-please let me go?" She didn''t know what to say, because for some reason, the intention to kill completely vanished, and instead of murderous red eyes, there were curious eyes looking at her. *sniff sniff* The stunning Fox sniffed Aiko. "W-what is it? I don''t smell! I had a bath!" Aiko was in such a bizarre situation that she didn''t know what to do. The gorgeous Fox lifted her easily and took her with her, like she was some kind of toy. ''She is definitely soft, but what''s wrong with this situation...?'' Aiko''s face squirmed as she was carried like a plush toy and above her were two heavenly soft pillows. ''I''m kind of bothered by their weight...'' Nightmare Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''And where is she even taking me? This hallway is more lavish than before!'' No matter how much Aiko squirmed, the Fox didn''t pay much attention other than snuggling to her. ''I shouldn''t have come to this place...'' Aiko whined as she was carried away... ... "#### ##?" Aiko was currently sitting surrounded by a ground of beautiful Foxes. ''... what''s up with this situation...'' Aiko thought that 9 tails were exceptionally rare, but... ''All of them have 9 tails...'' Aiko couldn''t believe her eyes. If it was not for her [Intention Perception] telling her that they meant no harm, Aiko would surely faint from the shock. They also tried to strike up a conversation with her, but Aiko couldn''t understand what they were saying. "Hold on." Aiko lifted her hand, and the Foxes observed her with curious faces. "... You can understand me?" Aiko tilted her head. The Foxes also tilted their heads, mimicking her. They then giggled and nodded. "But I can''t understand you..." Aiko groaned. "Alright, this calls for drastic measures!" Aiko struck her fist into her palm. She ruffled her tails, and the Foxes exchanged looks. "Yu, I choose you!" Aiko pulled out her trusted Demonic Fox. "Bite them!" Aiko pointed at the gorgeous Foxes, making them giggle until they noticed one more Fox was now present. They exchanged looks as they saw the new Fox with food in her hands. Yu coughed awkwardly and stored the food inside her Storage Ring that was handed to her by the Grandmaster. "Mistress." Yu bowed towards her, and all of the other Foxes did the same. "What''s up with this situation..." Aiko felt like the breathtaking Foxes were enjoying this situation and messing with her... "#### # ## #?" One Fox spoke happily, and others chimed in. "Hm, hm." Yu joined them as if she understood them. "You have good eyes. Our Mistress is the cutest!" She proclaimed happily, suddenly and naturally becoming part of the strange group. Aiko was left speechless. "You are supposed to bite them, not join them!" She cried out like she was being wronged. Yu and the other Foxes looked at Aiko before giggling away... ----- As soon as everyone left into the Sacred Realm, a large projection appeared in front of the half-stadium-like seats. Everyone was watching what was happening inside the Sacred Realm. ''Depending on what kind of Sacred Realm, the years would advance at different times. Aiko''s place would also have different time zones...'' Mei narrowed her eyes. While the Sacred Realm was more stable than the Secret Realm, it was still not perfect. Otherwise, it would not be opened to the public like this. That meant that Aiko would age and mature but without oversight... ''Let''s hope she doesn''t cause too much chaos...'' Mei hoped. Meanwhile, the other Elders were discussing with each other how amazing their Disciples were and what they could achieve. They boasted and boasted until the first Disciple died to a measly High Stage Magical Beast of the 8th Grade... The silence permeated through the stadium as the Elder lost all of his face. Meanwhile, another Elder started to boast when his Disciple had taken down a High Stage Magical Beast of the 7th Grade... Mei didn''t care about them, and Dai Lu was of a similar opinion. ''That''s Blood Fox, right?'' Dai Lu narrowed her eyes. The Blood Fox immediately defeated a group of Cultivators who tried to capture her. ''Yes. She improved greatly.'' Mei smiled as she replied to the telepathic message. While she was rivals with the Blood Fox. The Blood Fox was definitely so weak that she would be captured. Moreover, Aiko would be very sad/angry if that happened, so even Mei hoped that she would be alright. ''The Twins are ruthless as always.'' Dai Lu''s lips twitched as they could see the Twins rob them blind like they were some kind of thugs. ''Aiko''s influence...'' Mei sighed, but she wasn''t unhappy. The more Treasures they collected, the more materials would Aiko be able to recycle. The more they stole, the easier resource-wise it would be for Aiko. ''They are doing a good job.'' Mei smiled. ''You shouldn''t encourage that!'' Dai Lu felt flabbergasted. ''Then are you willing to share your resources?'' Mei raised her eyebrows. ''They are indeed doing a good job.'' Dai Lu gave them a seal of approval. It was not like she didn''t want to share her resources, but the whole group was so resource-hungry that she was considering retiring early. ''Let''s hope they gather enough resources...'' Dai Lu groaned unhappily, and Mei could only not have a slight headache... Chapter 440 – Aiko vs Foxes Aiko chased after the Foxes that were giggling at her, including Yu. "Come here!" Aiko shouted at them angrily, chasing them. The Foxes ran from one side of the room to the other, avoiding the cute Fox. ... *wheeze wheeze* Aiko was out of breath as her Stamina hit rock bottom. ''What is wrong with those Foxes...'' Aiko couldn''t believe how much Stamina they had. The floor was stone-cold for Aiko, and the texture felt unnaturally smooth. Foreign materials with foreign uses. While Aiko was interested, she was still upset at the Foxes. The Foxes liked the cute Fox. It was not often that they had outsiders infiltrate this place, much less someone clueless. Yu was explaining something to them in a language that Aiko could understand, but the Foxes talked in a language that Aiko could not understand at all. It felt strange how joyful their conversation seemed and the curious glances they were giving Aiko. ''How strange...'' Aiko snorted unhappily. She felt excluded and ridiculed. ''At least this place doesn''t smell.'' Aiko sighed. It was a large hall with ornamented pillars. The place was still in the same dull purple colour, but that didn''t mean it looked as gloomy as the hallways. The middle of the hall was covered by a fluffy carpet. It looked similar to a throne room. Well, it did have an actual throne, so it made Aiko wonder if it was one. The place was excessively bright, so there was no need for any illumination. As for the Foxes, they were very colourful compared to the gloomy interior. Their kimonos ranged from cute to sexy to straight-up lewd, but the general size and shape were the same. ''I wonder what they would look like in different clothing...'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. ''It''s time for revenge.'' Aiko completely concealed herself with Domain, startling most of the Foxes. Some still knew where she was, but they wouldn''t move since they couldn''t feel any hostile intentions. *slither slither* Aiko slid on the ground by pedalling with her legs until she reached her first victim. It was a cute Fox that made fun of Aiko, and she was also the same height. *ruffle ruffle* Aiko''s domain came undone as she stuck to her tails like a bug. "Kyaa!" The Fox yelped with a voice that pleased Aiko. Aiko ruffled her tail a bit before hiding back with: "9/10 tails, I will visit you later." She chuckled evilly. This repeated several times, making most ''unmolested'' Foxes laugh until it was their turn. Aiko sneaked behind the most mischievous Fox, but for some reason, she was able to dodge her. Aiko paused her movements, exchanging glances. "Rawr!" She immediately chased after her. "Let me rate you!" Yu was laughing her ass off since Aiko recovered from her gloomy mood very quickly. That was a good thing since gloomy Aiko was a walking disaster... Suddenly, another Fox, more gorgeous than the others, appeared. ''1... 2... 3...'' Aiko counted her tails as she fell on the fallen Fox. "Kyaa!" As the Foxies screamed, she ruffled her tails with satisfaction. "10/10, this is the good stuff!" Aiko smothered her face with the Fox''s tails. ''And it smells amazing too...'' But Aiko didn''t forget about the certain stunning Fox with 10 tails! "You are next!" Aiko immediately attacked her next prey. At first confused about her intentions, but seeing the other Foxes... this cute little Fox was mischievous but completely harmless. Aiko was able to catch that breathtaking Fox without too many issues, which confused her greatly, but soon. ''This is simply incredible...'' Aiko almost immediately fell asleep. ----- {10 tails POV} There was chaos in her palace... For some reason, her retainer found quite a cute Fox, and now they are indulging her. At first, she was hesitant since all Foxes were very cunning, but hearing their endless laughter, that didn''t seem to be the case. Curiosity filled her entire being, something that didn''t happen in a long, long time. Slowly standing from her sofa, where she rested her tails, her destination was the main hall. ''At least they didn''t drag her immediately into our storage room...'' She sighed gently. Walking towards the main hall, the laughter and joy increased. The ever so dull halls brightened greatly. No longer dull with stale air, their excitement drove everything to be more colourful. Walking into the hall, an adorable Fox chased her retainer. At first, she was confused, but looking at her retainer''s joyful face, she got to her mischief, too. She tripped her retainer, making her fall to the ground. The cute Foxy dived at her like any Fox would. "Mistress!" The Fox cried out as she was ''molested'' by the cute Fox. It was all fun and games, seeing others having their tails ruffled. The cutie rated her tails before training her eyes on her. The Fox smiled at her, letting her jump at her. ''How amusing...'' It seemed like this Fox wasn''t doted on enough, so she was pursuing the tails of others. She could not feel any lust from her... mostly, so she was more interested in... *Zzzzzzzzz* ''... She fell asleep?'' What a bizarre situation this was for them, but... ''What a strange energy... is this why they like her?'' She tilted her head as her mind became clearer, less puffy, and restrained. ''And this Fox...'' She looked at the foreign Fox that already mingled with others. She was likewise a Demonic Fox, but her expressions and feelings were so natural that one would doubt that claim. ''Is this because of her...?'' She gently caressed the sleeping Fox''s face, but that little rascal almost bit her with a giggle. "Who you might be?" Once the Demonic Saintess spoke, everyone quietened. "My name is Yu. I serve the mischievous Mistress." Yu glanced towards Aiko, who was blissfully sleeping. "I already apologised in advance, but if you feel wronged, I can do it again." Yu smiled innocently. The Demonic Saintess felt strange. "While you might not be as strong as she is, you can''t compare yourself to her." "I do agree..." Yu nodded her head. The Demonic Saintess was satisfied with that answer, but that satisfaction didn''t last long. "She is too exceptional not to serve her." Yu giggled happily. The Demonic Saintess felt like she encountered a familiar wall, one that would not budge or change sides just because she spoke a few simple words... "You are... simple." The Demonic Saintess didn''t believe that the sleeping Fox was all that exceptional. Cute, for sure, but not one of a kind. "You will understand." Yu gave her a knowing smile. Even some of the Demonic Foxes would faint when it came to Aiko''s shenanigans. The Demonic Saintess tilted her head. "Let''s talk more once she wakes up." She conceded for the time being, as she knew she would be victorious once the sleeping Fox woke up... ----- Aiko woke up from her blissful sleep. Looking around, the Foxes were huddled together, looking at her curiously. ''This requires drastic measures.'' Aiko narrowed her eyes. As the Demonic Saintess wanted to talk with the cute Fox, the cutie already jumped down. "Yu!" The previous Nightmare Aiko that resonated with everyone changed within a moment. In front of them was now Fox with a noble air, who observed everyone. "Yes, Mistress." Yu bowed with respect. The Demonic Saintess was speechless about being ignored. She tried to talk again, but... "It''s time to learn another language." Moon Aiko crossed her arms. Her linguistics was maxed and couldn''t improve, but that didn''t mean she couldn''t change it. ''My Titles changed, so Skills should too.'' Aiko smirked to herself. "Yes?" Yu was confused. "You and you." Aiko pointed at the Foxes that changed. "You are going to talk to Yu, and she will interpret it." The confused Foxes looked at each other, but Aiko was just starting... ... At first, Aiko was unable to understand a thing, but as time moved along, she was able to understand more and more. It eventually got to a point where she was able to understand their conversation. [Passive Skill: [Linguistics] is changing.] [Linguistics] V [Demonic Linguistics] "Yu..." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "Yes, Mistress?" For some reason, Yu was concerned about her next words. "Why didn''t you translate everything?" Aiko immediately pinched her cheeks like Mei would always do. Yu''s face was shaped through the pinching, making Aiko giggle. "Seriously, if you translated everything, this would not take so long!" Aiko sighed. "Mistress?" Yu was confused. "Anyway! I''m called Vicious Jade Fox, although I don''t prefer any of my nicknames, so just call me Aiko!" Aiko proclaimed to everyone, shocking them greatly. Everyone exchanged strange looks and expressions. "What? I believe I did translate it correctly?" Aiko tilted her head and looked at Yu. "You did, Mistress." Yu pursed her lips. This is what she was talking about! The mind-shattering chaos that she could create. The Demonic Saintess blinked a few times. "Aiko?" "Yes?" Aiko tilted her head. "That is your actual name? You know you shouldn''t tell anyone." The Demonic Saintess scolded her. "Well, you will be coming with me, so it''s fine." Moon Aiko replied so flatly that it made everyone speechless. "We didn''t say we would follow you." The Demonic Saintess felt that her arrogance was unfounded. "You won''t last long..." Yu whispered under her breath, but as everyone was a Fox, it was natural that they all heard it. Their pride got hurt, but that didn''t stop Aiko. "Let''s get everyone out and discuss what''s next. You don''t mind if we use this as a base, right?" Aiko turned around to face the Fox with 10 tails. The Demonic Saintess didn''t mind this, as she wanted to challenge the arrogant Fox. "Sure, we don''t mind. As long as they are Foxes." The Demonic Saintess said. "Ah... but I have a friend that isn''t one. Is that fine?" Aiko didn''t want to keep Feifei inside her Tails. "Is she Human?" The Demonic Saintess asked with narrowed eyes. Everyone in here hated Humans and would not allow them to access this place! Chapter 441 – Demonic Foxes appear! Chapter 441 ¨C Demonic Foxes appear! "Not right now?" Aiko smiled. "What is that supposed to mean?" The Demonic Saintess was more and more flabbergasted. "She is more or less a human, but not really." Aiko shrugged. She didn''t know how she should explain Feifei''s transformation without causing everyone a headache and making herself a target. "In that case, I will be the judge." The Demonic Saintess rolled her eyes at this uncooperative Aiko. "Sure." Aiko shrugged and ruffled her tails. The Demonic Saintess was confused, but once Aiko pulled out a dragon girl, she almost fainted. "Meet Feifei. Feifei, this is somebody." Aiko didn''t know her name, so she just called her as she saw fit. "Hello, somebody." Feifei smiled, unaware that she was not called like that. The Demonic Saintess had a headache for the first time in a long time, but looking at the girl... she was not quite a Human or Beast. Parts of her body were covered with scales, and she had horns and a draconic tail. "She can stay." The Demonic Saintess didn''t feel the unusual greetings from this creature, so she didn''t mind. Aiko smiled from ear to ear and ruffled her tails again. "What a gloomy place..." Feifei commented. "At least there are cute older sisters." She smiled happily. At first, the Foxes didn''t like this newcomer, but after she called them older sisters, they softened greatly. They were old grannies at this point, but someone called them young? Of course, they would like that person! Aiko paused her ruffling as she saw Feifei already incorporated herself into the group of Foxes. "How does she do that..." Aiko was flabbergasted, and the Demonic Saintess was the same. "You are so strange..." The Demonic Saintess had never met such an odd group. Aiko pulled out another Demonic Fox from her tails, making the Demonic Saintess wonder if her Innate Ability was endless. ''No, to begin with, I have never heard about an Ability that would allow you to keep things inside your tails...'' The Demonic Saintess shook her head and sighed. Once she opened them, there were already 20 new Demonic Foxes in front of her. "..." The Demonic Saintess blinked a few times, then rubbed her eyes before yelping loudly. "Where are they coming from?!" She was dumbstruck by the current abnormal situation. Only once there were over 70 Foxes did Aiko pause her actions. "Everyone outside?" Aiko yelled out. ""Yeah~!"" Everyone shouted at once, making the once peaceful palace very rowdy. "Gosh, why is everyone so rowdy!?" Another Fox came from a different hallway. Her body immediately stiffened when she noticed many, many new Demonic Foxes. She looked around and spotted her Mistress. "W-what is happening? Invasion?" She was confused more and more, the more the new Demonic Foxes mingled with their own group. Everyone was chatting happily, and nobody cared about the strange Beast mingling with them. "Don''t ask me..." The Demonic Saintess gave up understanding the situation. She thought that Aiko was normal and unimpressive, but not only was she abnormal, but she was also chaotic! ''Did I make a mistake by letting them use this as a base?'' The Demonic Saintess sighed. It seemed like age was getting to her... "..." The newcomer looked around. With her beautiful purple hair, it was like she was announcing that she was a Lightning Fox. Her friends, and colleagues were already taken in by the group. Some of them even pulled out their instruments and started playing and singing. Her speechlessness was apparent, and her gaze kept questioning the Demonic Saintess about what was happening in front of her. ----- The Blood Fox slaughtered yet another wave of Humans. Some of them had special energy around them, which meant they were being observed. ''What a bother...'' She wanted to find Aiko so she could step onto another stage with her help. Unlike normal Foxes, Evolution for Demonic Foxes was not based on Beast Core and Bloodlines but also on knowledge. The Blood Fox did her best to gather as much knowledge as possible, and she felt like it should be possible to Evolve now. ''I can feel her far away, but the pressure coming from that place is no joke...'' She narrowed her eyes as she formed yet another Blood Spear and pierced another assailant. Her control over her Blood Abilities was incomparable to before. She was easily manipulating, and slaughtering the fodder without using too much energy. ''This will take a while...'' The Blood Fox suddenly felt a nudge on her mind. It was beckoning her. It was the same place where Aiko was located. ----- "You feel it?" Yuxi slew another Human Cultivator. "Yep." Wanshu didn''t lag behind, as her body was different from when she met Yuxi. It was incomparably more powerful and faster. "Should we?" Yuxi paused as her partner sensually fluttered her eyebrows. "But we can''t spend time together..." Wanshu licked her lips. "M-maybe later then..." Yuxi stuttered, gulping nervously. Her partner''s sex drive was no joke. They didn''t really have a concrete goal other than to enjoy their time, gather resources along their way and regroup with Aiko at least once. ----- "What a mess..." Li Xiu sighed as she looked at the other Disciples. They were all raring to go and enslave the Beasts so they could have them as pets or companions. Li Xiu didn''t understand the appeal of that. Once you enslaved the Beast, they would lose the ability to improve. In other words, they would quickly become obsolete as you kept cultivating your power. As such, the best way to get companions is to tame the Beasts and not to enslave them. She believed it was the same with Aiko. If she enslaved them like her chicken wanted, Aiko would lose her lustre very quickly. Meanwhile, if she was able to beckon Aiko to join her, they would be able to grow together forever. She wouldn''t need to part with her and could always help her. ''And once she reaches her Human Form, we could play in auctions.'' Li Xiu giggled to herself. ''Now, what should I do~'' Li Xiu hummed as she released a small parrot made out of flames. ''Go scout ahead and tell me anything interesting you see from the air.'' Li Xiu commanded her stupid chicken so it wouldn''t get any stupid ideas. ''Yes...'' The Glacial Phoenix sniffled as it was treated harshly. ''I wonder if I can find her.'' Li Xiu hummed to herself as she walked absent-mindedly around the Sacred Realm. ----- Aiko was happily watching over her group, mingling with the others. It was nice that they were not hostile and got along nicely since Aiko intended to take them out of this place together with her existing team. ''But what about the hierarchy...'' Aiko frowned. The new Foxes were way too powerful to submit to the commands of weaker Foxes. ''Maybe a separate group...?'' She pondered on it for a while until the Demonic Saintess interrupted her. "What is your plan?" The Demonic Saintess felt like her own team was being swayed by her Foxes. "I don''t really have a plan. I want to gather resources for my team and then escort everyone out." Aiko narrowed her eyes. "But I don''t know anything about the Sacred Realm." She turned towards the Demonic Saintess and pressed her for answers. The Demonic Foxes in this place liked to mingle since everyone already knew everything about Foxes inside this place, but this new blood was different. New stories, experiences, and techniques. The Sacred Realm Foxes could not pass on those things. However, at the same time, they were not impressed enough with Aiko to follow her. One needs to know that Demonic Foxes were exceptionally intelligent, and this intelligence only improved over time. Everyone here was at least 1,000 years old. Thanks to the Sacred Realm, their life expectancy was also a lot higher, so their intellect only grew and grew. While Aiko was abnormal and chaotic, she was still not up to the task of having them serve her. As such, one Fox stepped forward. "Demonic Saintess, how about we let her play ''that'' game?" One Sacred Realm Fox smiled. "That, huh..." The Demonic Saintess was surprised that someone even suggested playing that game, as their lives would be at risk... "Does anyone have any kind of objection?" The Demonic Saintess didn''t immediately reject that suggestion, but more voices were needed if they wanted to proceed. Another Sacred Realm Fox lifted her hand. "Yes?" The Demonic Saintess smiled, hoping that they would reject Aiko. "I believe we should reduce the scale of the game until she gets the hang of it." The Sacred Realm Fox proposed. The Demonic Saintess''s face stiffened. She didn''t expect others to be on board with this decision. "What game are we talking about?" Moon Aiko was too curious not to ask about this. She was curious about what kind of game they could come up with. The Demonic Saintess sighed, letting her retainer get the board for the game. "Only bring the first board and we will expand it as we go. Include a new shard too." The Demonic Saintess conceded, since she treasured her group. "Thank you~!" The Sacred Realm Foxes happily jumped at the Demonic Saintess and cuddled with her. "Stop it! We have guests..." The Demonic Saintess was snuggled, and the ''guests'' looked at them warmly, knowing that kind of feeling. They also happily cuddled Aiko, not just because it would calm their voices but also because she was soft and cute. Aiko was like a plushie, cute, soft and often fought over. Aiko smirked at the Demonic Saintess, liking the expression she was making. The Demonic Saintess blushed and kicked everyone out of the hall so that her group could be indulged without her being embarrassed. ... She is cute." Aiko proclaimed in the hallway, and everyone agreed. They felt like the Demonic Saintess was partially like Aiko, maybe not as abnormal and chaotic as she was, but definitely caring for her own group. The Demonic Foxes immediately jumped at Aiko and cuddled with her since they were already roused by the Demonic Foxes in this place. "W-wait! We need to discuss things first!" Aiko was soon drowned in the fluffy tails of the Foxes as they cuddled her for a few hours...