Chapter 56: “It Seems My Fortunes with Beautiful Women Are Not Shallow.”

Not far behind Yan Zhao, Snowball covered her eyes with her little paws, finding this scene utterly unbearable to watch.

She, too, could naturally see that the little fox was injured. Moreover, such an intelligent little fox was rare, and she was almost certain she had already guessed its identity.

What a pity that this little girl from the Qingqiu Bai Clan was also somewhat scatterbrained. She didn’t seek help from just anyone, but had to run into Yan Zhao.

She had to suffer through all the hardships she herself had once endured.

Thinking about it this way, it seemed a strange sense of satisfaction suddenly surged through her heart.

Realizing her own thoughts, Ren Qingyue immediately felt ashamed. She inwardly chastised herself for her unsteady Dao-heart, feeling that taking pleasure in another’s suffering was truly inappropriate.

Yan Zhao bandaged the little fox’s wound in just a few moves.

Since her cultivation base had improved, her strength had also increased greatly. Forcing the treatment, Bai Jin, whose Dharma Power had been completely drained from injury, had no way to resist. She could only watch helplessly as Yan Zhao smeared the Stasis-Clearing Ointment on her wound and tied it tight with cloth strips.

She gave up resisting, her heart as dead as ashes.

Anyway, she wouldn’t die. At worst, she’d just bleed a little more and suffer the pain for a while longer.

Yan Zhao let go, allowing it to stand up and walk on its own.

The little fox that was Bai Jin stood up.

Hiss—

Pain. So much pain. Pain pain pain.

Every step was a limp.

Without a doubt, after Yan Zhao’s emergency treatment, it had become even more lame.

Yan Zhao also frowned, her expression solemn. “How did you get injured so badly?”

A little fox without an owner was truly too pitiful.

Yan Zhao sighed, thinking: If Snowball hadn’t met me, she’d be living the same kind of life.

Bai Jin didn’t know how to express her speechlessness at this moment.

She limped towards the woods. There was only one thought in her mind right now: to leave Yan Zhao.

But danger lurked all around. She had fled all the way back to the Medicine God Sect without encountering a single trustworthy person along the way, so she didn’t dare go too far.

Thus, she stopped at about ten feet away and, in the shade of a tree where Yan Zhao couldn’t see, tore the cloth strip off her leg.

The wound on her leg was a bloody mess.

Because of the Stasis-Clearing Herb’s effect, the blood flowed without stopping.

“…”

Her Dharma Power was exhausted, so she couldn’t cast a spell to clean the wound. She could only use the most primitive method—sticking out her tongue to lick off all the Stasis-Clearing Herb.

Yan Zhao, seeing it leave, felt relieved. She had absolutely no intention of following to take a look.

Turning back, Snowball was squatting right behind her.

“You came back by yourself? Did you see that limping fox just now?”

Yan Zhao bent down to pick it up, speaking earnestly: “This is what a little fox without a home, without an owner’s protection, looks like. So, don’t run off recklessly anymore.”

Ren Qingyue and Bai Jin, who heard this sentence not far away, fell silent simultaneously.

Yan Zhao patted its head again: “Meeting me, you are truly a lucky little fox.”

Ren Qingyue: “…”

Ha.

Yan Zhao no longer had any interest in playing games. Compared to playing hide-and-seek in the pitch-black forest, she’d rather find a place to sleep.

She started moving deeper into the woods. Snowball poked its head out from her arms, stretching its little head backward to rest on Yan Zhao’s shoulder. Its gaze passed over Yan Zhao’s shoulder to look at the forest behind her.

Among the deep shadows of the trees, a dim red occasionally flashed, like a campfire flickering in the night.

That little fox was still following behind.

Ren Qingyue could see the orange-red fox tail trailing behind it.

It naturally wasn’t hard to guess the reason. It, like her past self, needed to seek protection.

What a pity that with Yan Zhao’s personality, she might very well watch it die without helping.

But this little girl from the Bai clan—her elder cousin from the Tushan Clan had once righteously stepped in to help Yan Zhao solve a problem. Ren Qingyue kept this favor in her heart, and no matter what, she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Thinking this, she suddenly jumped off Yan Zhao’s shoulder.

But before she landed, a pair of hands intercepted her, holding her belly.

Her four little legs dangled in mid-air, still several inches from the ground.

“Hey, knew you were going to run! You naughty thing! What are you trying to do this time?”

Yan Zhao had been guarding against it sneaking away again. This time her reaction was very swift. Almost the moment the little fox exerted force with its hind legs, she made her counter at the same instant and indeed caught it in time.

Little Fox: “…”

Ugh.

Yan Zhao had already left that area far behind. Ren Qingyue felt helpless. She thought to herself that if the person meant to receive them was supposed to come, they would have already appeared.

Probably, their Shizun had not anticipated that after three hundred years, people and circumstances had changed. The jade talisman their Shizun gave her did not take effect after all.

The title Immortal Venerable Yuanqing, once sought after by all, was now barely remembered by anyone.

Human hearts change, it’s always been like this. There’s nothing to complain about.

This place, the Medicine God Sect, might not necessarily be a treasured land that could give Yan Zhao shelter.

In the end, she could only rely on herself to protect Yan Zhao.

But if it was only her, human strength would eventually run out. If she could have one more friend, Yan Zhao’s growth path would have another pillar of support.

Ren Qingyue thought far ahead. Therefore, she couldn’t let this current opportunity to bestow a favor on Qingqiu slip by.

Yan Zhao walked in the forest for two hours, finally finding a cave she could settle in. She hugged the little fox and burrowed inside. She also built a fire at the cave entrance to prevent forest beasts from approaching.

Bai Jin followed Yan Zhao to the cave.

The night was cold. She was injured and had been shivering from the cold the whole journey.

This pile of firewood finally solved her urgent need. Although the sleeping environment was terribly crude, and there was no food to fill her stomach, at least it was better than freezing to death alone outside.

The Medicine God Sect territory was vast. Before her injury healed, returning to her Elder Male Cousin’s side would absolutely not be accomplished in a single day.

Yan Zhao entered the cave, collapsed, and went straight to sleep. Even the harshest environment couldn’t stop her from sleeping.

It was just that now her sleep was different from before. Because her meridians had been rebuilt and she cultivated the Mental Cultivation Method, once she fell into deep sleep, the energy flow inside her body circulated automatically, drawing in the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. Her Spirit Platform was clear, and she no longer had nightmares.

Just before her consciousness faded, the last thought that crossed her mind was: Mother didn’t seem to call me today.

The orange-red little fox kept watch at the cave entrance, not daring to get too close. So, she curled into a ball, wrapping her big tail around herself to ward off the severe cold.

Cold and hungry, sleep was naturally impossible. The more her body suffered, the more sorrow overwhelmed her. She regretted insisting on coming down the mountain to play today.

Otherwise, she would have already settled into the guest room arranged by the Medicine God Sect Elder at this moment, treated with great courtesy due to her status as the Little Princess of Qingqiu. How could she have ended up in such a miserable state?

Late at night, the sound of subtle footsteps came from within the cave.

This sound was vastly different from human footsteps. Bai Jin’s ears twitched. The little paws covering her eyes slightly shifted open a crack.

The silver Spirit Fox stepped out of the cave with light, graceful steps, walking elegantly until it stopped before Bai Jin.

Moonlight poured onto the cave entrance, spreading over the Spirit Fox like a layer of silver frost, manifesting a kind of sacred, holy power.

Bai Jin blinked, actually feeling a flutter of heart.

It had to be said, as foxes themselves, they could better appreciate a fox’s beauty.

This silver-white Spirit Fox before her, with its elegant form and dignified gait, looked exactly like the Fox Immortal painting Bai Jin had once seen in Tushan Yu’s study.

She almost thought it was a Fox Immortal descending upon the moonlight to save her from this bitter sea.

The next moment, the Fox Immortal placed a fire-attributed Demon Core in front of her.

Leaving the Demon Core behind, the Fox Immortal turned and left, returning to the cave.

Its big tail flicked gently, its small body lay down on the spot, and habitually stretching its neck, it rested its head on Yan Zhao’s arm, closing its eyes to sleep.

Bai Jin came back to her senses and looked again at the Demon Core before her. Instantly, she was moved to tears.

The bond of the same clan was indeed genuine! Little foxes help little foxes! Human cultivators are all scoundrels!

She swallowed the Demon Core in one gulp, closed her eyes, and curled up again.

The power of the Demon Core slowly dissolved within her body. Her body gradually warmed, and the hunger in her belly vanished along with it.

Bai Jin let out a comfortable sigh and finally drifted off into a dazed sleep.

The next day, when Yan Zhao woke up, she felt something was off.

She was used to a little fox pressing on her arm every day when she woke, but today, upon waking, she felt an exceptionally heavy weight on her chest.

Opening her eyes, a warm orange fox tail was draped over her shoulder. The orange little fox was curled into a ball, sleeping soundly on top of her.

Yan Zhao: “?”

She poked the fox’s head.

The little fox was still snoring lightly, completely unrousable. Disturbed, it merely turned its head and shifted to a more comfortable position, continuing to sleep.

Last night, Bai Jin had found the stone ground too icy and cold to sleep on. She couldn’t stand it one bit.

She was, after all, a little fox pampered since childhood. Even though she had secretly followed Tushan Yu to the human world to play this time, she had never suffered the slightest material hardship.

The wind at the cave entrance blew in, cold and chilly. In the deep night with heavy dew, lying just a little while made her limbs stiff and her whole body ache.

In the end, she couldn’t resist the temptation and secretly sneaked into the cave.

After picking and choosing, only sleeping on Yan Zhao was comfortable.

At first, she didn’t really dare, fearing that after waking Yan Zhao, she would suffer another calamity. She hadn’t expected Yan Zhao to sleep so deeply that even throwing pebbles at her wouldn’t wake her.

Thus, Bai Jin was completely reassured.

So, happily, she ran onto Yan Zhao, using her as a meat cushion to press down on as she slept.

Finally warm, soft and warm—perfect.

Yan Zhao: “…”

She turned her head again to look at the other fox beside her.

The silver little fox was, as always, sleeping in her arms. Its little head was tilted, resting on her arm. In deep sleep, its breathing was light and soft, and warm breath flowed from its nose, blowing past Yan Zhao’s neck.

As Yan Zhao stared at it, it seemed to sense something in its sleep. Its little head suddenly moved, snuggling even closer into Yan Zhao’s embrace, its little nose almost touching Yan Zhao’s face.

Its breathing thus became clearer, a steady rhythm that could soothe one’s heart.

Two little foxes. This scene, no matter how one looked at it, was fragrant and seductive.

“It seems my fortunes with beautiful women are not shallow.”

Yan Zhao drew her conclusion, thoroughly satisfied. She didn’t move a muscle and closed her eyes again.

“Today is an auspicious day. Perfect for sleeping.”