“A female?” Yun Xi suddenly realised something and said in surprise, “Ye Lang, you mean it’s having its period?”
“Yes.” Ye Qiu gave a soft hum of confirmation.
“So that’s what it was. I thought it was injured.” Yun Xi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Ye Qiu gently pressed around the spot where the little white fox was bleeding, then massaged its belly for a while, sending a strand of true qi into it. After that he spoke to the fox, “Little cutie, I’ve given you a massage, so you won’t bleed any more.”
“Try to avoid cold or raw food for a while, or your tummy might hurt.”
“Also, there are quite a few experts and ferocious beasts nearby, so be careful.”
With that, Ye Qiu set the little white fox down on the ground.
The fox shot into the undergrowth with a whoosh and hid itself, clearly very wary of people.
“This little thing has such a big temper yet such a timid heart,” Ye Qiu said with a laugh. He took Yun Xi’s hand and turned to leave.
After they left, the little white fox poked its head out from the bushes, sniffed the air deeply a few times, then stood upright. Its originally dark, round eyes suddenly turned emerald green, shining as brilliantly as gems.
At the same moment, its tiny body began to swell like an inflating balloon. One after another, tails sprouted from behind it.
A second tail, a third, a fourth, a fifth…
Each tail was half a metre long.
Even more astonishing, it suddenly spoke in a human voice.
“Changsheng? Ye Lang? So his name is Ye Changsheng?”
“Just you wait, Ye Changsheng. You dared treat me like that. I won’t let you off.”
The little white fox glared in the direction Ye Qiu had gone. Remembering how he had poked its bleeding spot, shame and anger flashed in its emerald eyes. It shook its head, then released a terrifying wave of demonic aura that shook the heavens and earth, as though an unrivalled ferocious beast had awakened.
By now, Ye Qiu and Yun Xi were already several dozen li away.
Both of them stopped at the same time and looked back towards the valley.
“What powerful demonic aura!” Yun Xi’s pretty face grew solemn. “It seems a member of the demon race has entered the Undying Mountain.”
“Demon race?” Ye Qiu’s eyes narrowed as something occurred to him. “That location… wasn’t that where we were just now? Could it be that little white fox?”
“No, it can’t be her,” Yun Xi said with certainty. “I examined it earlier. That little white fox had no cultivation at all.”
“Besides, the Seven-Coloured Blazing Sun Sword is with me right now.”
“This holy sword has been carried by every successive leader of Azure Cloud Sword Sect. It has slain countless powerful demons. If any demon came near me, the sword would warn me immediately.”
Ye Qiu asked, “Should we go back to the valley and check?”
Yun Xi shook her head. “No need. Every time the Undying Mountain opens, the demon race sends people in to search for treasures. We’ll meet them if we’re meant to. There’s no point going back.”
Ye Qiu found her attitude rather surprising and asked, “I’ve heard that human cultivators treat demons and devils as mortal enemies that everyone must kill. Yet you don’t seem to hate them that much. Why is that?”
Yun Xi replied, “It’s because I’ve had very little contact with demons, and none of them have ever harmed me, so I bear them no hatred.”
“To be honest with you, Changsheng, I actually dislike the way human cultivators treat demons.”
“There are bad people among human cultivators, so I believe there must be good ones among the demons too. Humans and demons should be able to live together in harmony. Only then can the world become a better place.”
“Moreover, all things in this world have spirits. Since demons exist, there must be a reason for their existence.”
Ye Qiu smiled. “Xi’er, I never knew you held such views. Impressive!”
Yun Xi laughed. “These aren’t really my own ideas. They’re all things my father has said.”
Ye Qiu was stunned. “Your father is the leader of the greatest sect in the Eastern Desolation, and he says things like that?”
Yun Xi giggled. “Silly, of course Father can’t say such things publicly. If he did, it would cause a tremendous uproar. All the top forces in the Eastern Desolation, the Western Desert, and Central Continent would probably turn against Azure Cloud Sword Sect.”
“He only ever says these things to me in private.”
“Apart from me, he has never told anyone else, not even Wine Sword Immortal or the others.”
“Father says his greatest wish is for all races and powers in the cultivation world to live in peace, with no more conflict, so that everyone can focus on pursuing the path of immortality, becoming saints, emperors, immortals, and achieving eternal life.”
Ye Qiu was rather taken aback. He had never expected that his future father-in-law, a man he had never met, was such an idealist.
“Your father’s dream will be incredibly difficult to achieve!”
Ye Qiu thought to himself that even universal prosperity had never been accomplished in the mortal world, let alone everyone becoming an immortal.
Yun Xi said, “Yes, I’ve tried to persuade Father too, telling him how hard it would be to realise that ideal. Guess what he said?”
“What?” Ye Qiu asked.
Yun Xi answered, “Father said, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way.’”
Ye Qiu was even more astonished and thought, “My future father-in-law is really stubborn!”
Yun Xi continued, “All right, enough about that. Let’s head back.”
“Mm.” Ye Qiu nodded, took Yun Xi’s hand, and the two carried on.
Before long, they returned to the original spot.
From afar, the rich aroma of roasting meat wafted over, making their mouths water.
Ye Qiu looked up and saw that the battlefield had already been cleared. Long-browed Daoist, Mo Tianji, Lin DaNiao, and a group of Azure Cloud Sword Sect disciples were sitting around a fire, barbecuing.
When he looked closer at what was being roasted, he realised it was An Ruoxi’s pet mount, the Thousand-Li Scarlet!
“Old man, you’re having a barbecue without calling me?”
At the sound of Ye Qiu’s voice, everyone turned. Seeing Ye Qiu and Yun Xi walking hand in hand, strange expressions appeared on their faces.
“Big brother is impressive! You really won Fairy Yun Xi over.” Lin DaNiao looked on with open envy.
Long-browed Daoist’s gaze swept over Ye Qiu and Yun Xi, then he shouted, “Little brat, where the hell have you been? Why are you only back now?”
“If you’d taken any longer, I was about to go look for you.”
Ye Qiu laughed. “What, were you worried I’d run into danger?”
“This poor Daoist couldn’t care less whether you live or die,” Long-browed Daoist snorted. “I was just after the cumin in your pouch. Hurry up and hand it over.”
“You heartless old coot.” Ye Qiu chuckled and cursed, then pulled the cumin from his Qiankun pouch and tossed it over.
Long-browed Daoist sprinkled the cumin over the meat, instructed a few Azure Cloud disciples to keep turning the skewers, then walked up to Yun Xi with a broad smile. “Fairy, you’re not too tired, are you?”
As soon as he said it, Yun Xi’s pretty face flushed pink.
Long-browed Daoist continued, “Fairy, that little brat didn’t bully you, did he?”
Yun Xi’s cheeks turned even redder. She thought to herself, “He practically bullied me to death.”
“Hahaha, I’m just showing a bit of concern for the fairy, nothing more.” Long-browed Daoist laughed heartily, then said, “Changsheng, come with me for a moment.”
Ye Qiu followed him to one side and asked, “Old man, what is it?”
Long-browed Daoist lowered his voice and said, “Little brat, I’ve got great news for you!”
