Ye Zhibai stopped after giving her just a light touch.
Punishing the Scummy Fox was satisfying enough, but her current state felt a bit… too tantalizing. Touching her tail again might lead to trouble.
From the way the Scummy Fox lay there now, panting heavily, it was clear the roles of dominant and submissive had completely reversed.
Ye Zhibai wasn’t an idiot. She could put two and two together.
This so-called “Lord Deity” kept talking about sanctioning her, but where were the actual sanctions?
Ye Zhibai figured that even if she possessed some power, she couldn’t wield it—just as she herself had admitted.
Otherwise, why wouldn’t she resist when Ye Zhibai had rubbed and pinched her ears and tail?
In other words, there was no need to hold back!
The Fox Maiden Loli’s muttering, however, was cause for some concern.
“Damn… damn human… just wait till we gather our strength again. Give it a year or so… and you’ll regret it. Clean your neck and wait for us…”
“Light Orb?”
“We’re not Light Orb, hey! You’re seriously the rudest human ever!”
The Fox Maiden Loli propped herself up with her tail’s springy bounce and managed a clumsy carp flip to her feet.
She jabbed a finger at Ye Zhibai, baring her little tiger teeth in protest!
But that fierce-cute display didn’t instill any fear in Ye Zhibai.
Lolis were best when they stuck to being soft and adorable—scary just didn’t suit them.
Ye Zhibai felt a wave of exhaustion.
Earlier, she had tried to maintain some girlish decorum, but with no one else in the room except this bizarre non-human creature, there was no point in holding back.
She had wanted to flop down cross-legged like she used to, carefree and unladylike.
But when she actually tried it, something felt off.
The space between her legs in the nightgown felt drafty and uncomfortable.
Reluctantly, she switched back, pressing her legs together naturally as they dangled over the bed’s edge, her hands braced against the mattress.
Only then did she notice the Scummy Fox still fuming over there.
“So… not Light Orb,” Ye Zhibai asked aloud. “What’s your name, then?”
“We are…! Er, what are we called?”
“Don’t look at me…”
The Fox Maiden Loli fell deep into thought, her tail swaying as she tapped a finger against her chin and tilted her head skyward.
“Now that you mention it… we really don’t know. It’s been ten thousand years since we last took a human form… Maybe you could call us Lord Deity?”
“Guang Yu.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll call you Guang Yu. That work?”
“What kind of… are you naming us?”
“…”
Ye Zhibai tensed up.
The Fox Maiden Loli’s cute little face had suddenly clouded over!
Naming a deity did seem pretty bold.
And she’d picked such a name!
For Guang Yu, Ye Zhibai had combined “Light Orb”—from her initial appearance as a clump of trashy light—with “Little Jade,” a common name for cats, since she’d shapeshifted into a kitten earlier.
She’d always dreamed of owning a cat. It was one of her life’s great aspirations!
A few tense seconds passed.
Then the Fox Maiden Loli’s expression shifted—from overcast to partly cloudy, then to full sunshine. Even her dreamy chestnut hair seemed to gleam brighter!
Her ears perked straight up, and she beamed radiantly!
“Guang Yu… Guang Yu…? Haha, sure! Human, who knew you had talent! Heh, we’ve studied in the heavens for so many years and moons—we’re quite the scholar! We recall that ‘jade’ is a symbol of wealth and luxury in the Mortal Realm, right? Yeah… Guang Yu has a nice ring to it. Haha, we thought you’d pick some vulgar name to mock us, but you’re pretty savvy!”
“You like it… that’s what matters.”
Well, damn—she’d even gone to school up in the heavens!
A real Culture Fox!
Ye Zhibai decided she’d have to watch her words from now on.
After all that back-and-forth, she still had no clue what was really going on—other than having named her.
That wouldn’t do.
Ye Zhibai resolved to get the full story. This situation was too bizarre otherwise.
“Guang Yu… can you tell me? What exactly are you? Why are you here? You have fox ears and a tail, so why transform into a cat to approach me?”
There were too many odd details, so she started with those.
But Guang Yu was still hugging her big tail, swinging it smugly back and forth.
“Ei hehe… we have a name now! Human, human—say ‘Guang Yu’ one more time! We’re granting you the special privilege of uttering a deity’s true name!”
Fury boiled up.
She was dodging the real topic, wasn’t she!
As Ye Zhibai reached for her ears again, Guang Yu’s little face paled, and she scurried back a step!
“Don’t!”
“If you don’t want that… get to the point. No more changing the subject…”
“Mm… we were just excited about the name… you’re no fun at all…”
Guang Yu’s tiny feet rubbed against the floor in a sulky little dance.
She decided to answer Ye Zhibai’s last question first.
“You seem smart, human, but you’re not all that clever~ Think about it: if we’re staying at your place from now on, wouldn’t turning into a cat be more convenient? Maintaining our True Form is exhausting—we can’t keep it up forever. Shapeshifting into a small animal is much easier. And don’t loads of humans keep cats?”
You’re planning to stay here?!
But Ye Zhibai’s OCD kicked in: “Then… you’re a fox. Why turn into a cat…?”
“You’re the fox!! Rude jerk! We told you—this is our True Form! We’re not an actual fox!”
“Then at least turn into a fox…”
“Who keeps foxes as pets?!”
“…”
Fair point. Some people did, but it was rare. Cats were way more practical.
It was logical, convincing even.
This part made sense, at least.
What Ye Zhibai cared about most was still: “So… you really are a deity?”
“…”
Guang Yu fell silent, bowing her head as if gathering her thoughts.
Moments ago, she’d been all giggles one second and puffed-up indignation the next.
But when she looked up this time, her face was etched with solemnity and gravity.
Guang Yu’s starry-blue eyes locked onto Ye Zhibai’s violet ones, galaxies swirling in their depths.
“!”
A torrent of immense information flooded into Ye Zhibai’s mind like a raging tidal wave!
Her head throbbed fiercely. She clapped a hand to her forehead!
Wincing in agony, she squeezed one eye shut and forced herself to look up. “What… did you do to me?”
“Didn’t you want to know what we really are?” A faint blue glow flickered in Guang Yu’s eyes. “We’re just using the most efficient method to tell you.”
The blue light in Guang Yu’s eyes continued to pulse. “Don’t worry… for an ordinary person, this would make their head explode. But you’re a creation of the Mother God. Across all the heavens and myriad realms, it’ll only give you a momentary headache.”
Like hell it was nothing!
Her brain felt like it was about to burst!
