Chapter 16 Who is the Most Spoiled Little Fox Spirit

Chapter 16: Who's the Prettiest Little Fox Spirit?

"I have a gift for Huanxiang, too," Wu Liu said, looking at him.

Xie Huanxiang's eyes lit up, and before the man could even produce the gift, his hands were already restlessly digging into the man's sleeves and robe. "Come on, show me! I wanna see!"

Wu Liu went stiff and suddenly grabbed Xie Huanxiang's wrist.

"What are you doing?" Xie Huanxiang pursed his lips, pulled his hand back and turned his back to Wu Liu. "You're not really sincere about giving me a gift. I don't want it anymore. It's not like I'm short on gifts, you know."

As he spoke, he thought of something, and turned back around, snatching the little fur fox out of the man's hand and glaring at him. "And you're not getting the little fox back, either."

"..."

Wu Liu stood behind him, tugging at his sleeve.

Xie Huanxiang rolled his eyes and shook him off.

"The gift," the man said quietly.

Xie Huanxiang reluctantly turned his head and took a peek.

It was a thin belt woven from red cord. On the left side of the belt hung a red fox jade pendant showing a fox sleeping curled up with its tail, and on the right side was a jade ring.

Under the jade ring hung two little bells.

"What's this?" Xie Huanxiang reached out a finger to flick the bells.

Wu Liu stood behind him, holding the belt and wrapping it around the youth's slender waist, carefully tying a knot in the back. Then he picked up the dagger Xie Huanxiang had casually tossed by the pillow and fastened it perfectly to the jade ring.

"This way, Huanxiang can carry a weapon to defend himself without ruining his freshly trimmed nails," the man's tall frame completely enveloped him. He reached around from behind, lightly encircling Xie Huanxiang's waist, and flicked the bells and asked in a low voice, "You like it?"

Xie Huanxiang nodded, and as he turned, the bells at his waist jingled crisply.

"How'd you know I like foxes?" He couldn't put down the jade pendant on the left, examining it over and over, then gave a light snort. "Actually, not all foxes sleep hugging their tails."

Wu Liu nodded, gazing at the youth's proud and delicate features, and murmured, "If Huanxiang were a fox, he'd sleep hugging his tail too."

Xie Huanxiang immediately retorted, "I'm not a fox spirit. I don't have a tail. Don't be ridiculous."

Wu Liu was quiet for a moment, then gave a faint "Mm." "I said 'if.'"

"Fine, I'll forgive you." Xie Huanxiang lay back down on the couch, humming a little tune while playing with the jade pendant.

"Little fox, I'll give it back to you, after all," Xie Huanxiang said slowly, pulling out the flattened little fur fox from his robe. "But I'll check on it regularly. If you don't take good care of it, I'm taking it back."

Wu Liu gave a low "Mm."

Xie Huanxiang thought of something else, suddenly putting on a stern face as he got up from the couch. He kicked the man in annoyance. "Didn't you see all the treasures from my brocade pouch are piled on the floor? Why aren't you helping me put 'em away?"

By the time Wu Liu had gathered all the magical tools and treasures from the floor into the brocade pouch, the little fox spirit lying on the couch had unknowingly fallen asleep.

Xie Huanxiang had an orange-red fox tail clutched in his arms, his whole pale face buried in the tail's fur. Occasionally, he'd mutter a few unintelligible words in his sleep, just like the carved jade fox.

Wu Liu placed the brocade pouch by the pillow, then leaned down and reached out, his fingertip gently brushing the soft flesh of the youth's cheek.

In the demon realm, even demon cubs are born with hard scales, impossible to kill no matter how they fall.

Even among all the demon beasts he knew or saw, even those without hard defensive scales were forced by their parents from a young age to learn to catch prey on their own, sharpening the sharpest claws.

A little fox spirit with such soft flesh all over was clearly raised in pampered luxury. He probably doesn't even know how to hunt. If he were to fall into the demon realm, a single sneeze from any random demon beast could shatter his bones. Only the strongest demon could keep him safe.

Wu Liu's eyes darkened. He bent down to take off the youth's boots, pulled the blanket over Xie Huanxiang, then turned and walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

...

Xie Huanxiang slept until dark. Without lighting a lamp, he fumbled in the dark on the couch to comb his tail.

Although that demon had said combing once a month would keep his true form from appearing, Xie Huanxiang still combed it every day to be safe.

A month without combing would leave the tail fur tangled. That male demon knew nothing about a fox's tail. He had to do it himself.

As he combed, Xie Huanxiang fell asleep again.

The next morning, he woke up very early and, for the first time, went to Xiuyuan Hall to attend the senior disciple's morning lesson.

But although Rong Jue could move around, his face was still pale, clearly not yet healed from his injuries.

Xie Huanxiang lay sprawled at the desk in the last row when he suddenly heard the words "Floating Pagoda." He perked up immediately and pricked his ears without moving.

"The top of the Floating Pagoda, guarded by generations of the Liuyun Immortal Sect, suppresses a World-Ending Demon. It has been five hundred years to this day."

"A hundred years ago, this demon once forcibly broke through the Floating Pagoda's seal and escaped. Fifty years ago, the Sword Lord filled the Sword Formation with his lifelong cultivation and managed to capture it again," Rong Jue said solemnly. "This demon disregarded the bonds of its kind and harmed countless demon beasts fifty years ago. The Liuyun Immortal Sect cannot escape the blame for failing in its duty. Over the years, relations between humans and demon beasts have remained tense because of this."

"There is no second Sword Lord in the world. If this World-Ending Demon escapes again, all three realms will be doomed."

"Senior Brother," a young cultivator asked in confusion, "compared to that elusive Liu Wudao of the demon realm, which is more terrifying? Why can't we make them fight each other?"

Rong Jue said flatly, "They have never had the chance to clash, nor have they ever met. Whether they would fight each other or collude together, the Liuyun Immortal Sect cannot gamble on it, and neither can the three realms."

Thus, one relentlessly hunted the demon while it was still gravely wounded, and the other used every means to keep it suppressed within the pagoda.

"Senior Brother, what you said is wrong." A soft voice came from the very back.

No one had ever dared to contradict Rong Jue during his morning lessons.

Everyone turned their heads.

"Little Junior Brother, you're here for the morning lesson too?"

"Little Junior Brother woke up so early today. Did Senior Brother drag you here?"

Rong Jue walked over and looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"Senior Brother, how can you be so sure that it was the World-Ending Demon that slaughtered countless demon beasts in the Cangshan Snow Domain fifty years ago, and not the Sword Lord? Didn't the Sword Lord set up the Sword Formation in the Cangshan Snow Domain? Can he guarantee that his Sword Formation didn't accidentally harm any innocent demon beasts?" Xie Huanxiang argued confidently.

He had never heard of any World-Ending Demon. Humans were so hypocritical; it was likely that this World-Ending Demon was just their excuse, and it didn't even exist.

Rong Jue was silent, just looking at him.

Xie Huanxiang glared at him and lifted his chin slightly. "Am I wrong?"

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