Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Little Fox’s Special Ability

All the cultivators who had been hunting Jiu'er were dealt with in full. Thirteen were dead, and nineteen remained within the Medicine Immortal Sacred Mansion.

“Jiu'er, come here,” Zhou Qi said with a stern face, determined to show a little of an older brother’s authority.

“Brother, I...” Seeing how serious he looked, Jiu'er grew a little afraid. Was he angry?

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

“Jiu'er knows she was wrong.”

“What was wrong about it?”

“I... I don’t know.” Jiu'er answered in a tiny, pitiful voice.

“You’re being utterly unreasonable,” the white fox protested on Jiu'er’s behalf. “Jiu'er said such nice things for you, said you were the best human there is, and look how you’ve frightened her nearly to tears.”

“Go over there. I’ll deal with you in a moment,” Zhou Qi threatened. “I just happen to be short of a winter coat.”

“Jiejie, this man is so fierce. Let’s leave. We don’t want him anymore,” the white fox cried with a sob in its voice.

“Don’t make trouble.” Jiu'er patted the fox’s head. “If brother really wants to kill you, there’s nothing I can do.”

The white fox dared not speak again. It lay obediently in Jiu'er’s arms, peeking fearfully at Zhou Qi, terrified that he might suddenly decide to put it to death.

“You are guilty of three things.

First, since you call me brother, you should have discussed such matters with me.

Second, you should never have faced danger alone.

Third, if every time you see a member of the demonfolk in trouble you try to save them, there are so many demonfolk in this world—how many can you possibly save, and for how long?”

Zhou Qi barked the words out. Jiu'er was so frightened that tears spilled down her cheeks. She hurriedly admitted her fault in a low voice, tugging at Zhou Qi’s sleeve again and again.

Zhou Qi then ran into a dilemma over what to do with the little fox. It could not disguise itself, and its demonic power shone like a beacon. If he took it along, they would inevitably be faced with endless cultivators eager to slay demons and eradicate evil.

“Since you’re no longer in danger, go. Stay far away,” Zhou Qi told the little fox.

At that, the fox was horrified. It had only just found a few cultivators who would not shout for its death. If he drove it away now, sooner or later it would be hunted down by others all the same.

“Good person, I was wrong. I’ll never talk back to you again. Please don’t send me away... I’ll die,” the little fox begged quickly.

Jiu'er also tugged at Zhou Qi’s sleeve, whispering “Brother” over and over.

“Boss, don’t feel sorry for it. When the others come hunting, they won’t feel sorry for us. Miss Jiu'er is fine—so long as she doesn’t reveal herself, no one can discover her. But it’s different for it. Besides, didn’t you say you still need to take the dragon pearl for your friend? If we bring it along, we won’t be able to take a single step,” Little White urged.

“Give me one reason to let you stay,” Zhou Qi said at last, looking down at the little fox. If it had some special ability, the risk might still be worthwhile. At worst, he could teach it True Lord Tianxuan’s transformation art and aura-concealment method.

Little White said nothing more. Since the boss had already made up his mind, pressing further would be overstepping. Still, a suggestion had to be made; otherwise, if the boss blamed him later for failing to remind him, that would be his own fault.

Little White and Jiu'er looked curiously at the fox. To have endured so long under the pursuit of so many cultivators, it could hardly be an ordinary creature.

Feeling the gaze of all three, the white fox grew nervous. It thought hard about its special abilities. If it wanted the man in front of it to nod in approval, it would have to bring out its most formidable talent.

“I can act cute,” the fox said, tilting its head as it spoke. Its two round eyes blinked brightly. This was its ultimate trick; surely he could not resist it now.

The three of them all stared with mouths agape. Zhou Qi said expressionlessly to Little White, “Kill it. We’ll have an extra dish later.”

“Understood, Boss.” Little White drew his longsword and made as if to strike.

“Don’t! I can do more than act cute. I can be funny too, really. I can tell jokes. Once there was a demonic dragon cursed so that whenever it opened its mouth, it would fall asleep for a thousand years. Then it fell asleep. A thousand years later, it woke up. Then it yawned...”

Zhou Qi no longer knew what to say. Little White’s sword was already glowing faintly with spiritual light.

Ah, this child was hopeless, Jiu'er thought.

In the end, Zhou Qi took the two women and the fox and left the place. They found a mountain cave to rest in. First, he needed to wait out the cooldown on his transformation art. Second, he had to teach the fox the transformation art and aura-concealment method. Since he had already intervened, he might as well do the good deed to the end. That fox had even gone so far as to tell a bad joke to save its own life. It was not funny, but it had at least been heard.

After teaching the fox these two techniques, Zhou Qi discovered that its talent and comprehension were extraordinary. It learned even faster than he had when he first cultivated them. After all, to work out a cultivation method on its own from the body of a mere wild beast, it was enough to prove that it was a standout among beasts. Zhou Qi was somewhat wounded by the realization, but he had no desire to compete with a fox over who was smarter.

After pondering for a long while, the fox transformed into a lovely little girl, delicate as a porcelain doll, about three years old, with those round eyes blinking constantly in an endearing way.

True Lord Tianxuan’s aura-concealment method was extremely powerful. After cultivating it, all of the fox’s demonic power was hidden away.

This... turned out to be a female. Zhou Qi again entertained the thought of giving her a name, but Jiu'er stopped him, saying that the little fox already had one: Xiaohua.

Zhou Qi could only leave in mild disappointment and turn his attention to the Primordial Guardian Art and the Mountain-Hugging Seal.

Xiaohua’s transformation art, like Zhou Qi’s, had a twenty-four-hour duration followed by a twelve-hour cooldown. Originally, only Zhou Qi needed to exploit the glitch in their group. Now, however, two of them did, and they had to be perfectly synchronized, or else they would have to account for the time difference.

The power of the Mountain-Hugging Seal was astonishing. Zhou Qi studied it carefully. One had to visualize a great mountain. At once, he thought of Kunlun Mountain and Mount Tai. As China’s foremost sacred mountain, Kunlun had left behind countless beautiful legends and unfathomable mysteries through the ages. If he could manifest Kunlun Mountain, its sheer majesty and grandeur would be enough to awe and suppress any enemy. As the leader of the Five Great Mountains, Mount Tai had been personally climbed and ceremonially honored or sacrificed to by thirteen successive emperors. If transformed into his own divine ability, its force would surely be formidable.

That cultivator at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment was strong indeed, but the mountain he visualized was plain and unremarkable. Zhou Qi also thought of Mount Everest, but he had never climbed it himself, so visualizing it would certainly be extremely difficult.

Both Kunlun Mountain and Mount Tai he had personally climbed before, and he had felt their magnificence and momentum with his own body. The aching soreness from those climbs was still unforgettable to this day.

If he meant to do it, then he would do it. Zhou Qi began to visualize in silence. He started with Kunlun Mountain, imagining every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, every stone upon it, sketching its outline in his mind bit by bit, as though painting within his own consciousness. After a long and painstaking effort, a complete draft of Kunlun Mountain was finally finished in his heart, yet it still would not take form. He then tried to depict Mount Tai. Its scenery too was carved into his mind, but again it refused to manifest.

Zhou Qi puzzled over it for a long time without understanding. The technique was not wrong, and the cultivation method was not wrong either, so why could he not succeed?

“The two mountains you are visualizing are far too grand and boundless, and there is a mysterious force obstructing you. You should begin with a simple mountain. Once you succeed, it will not be too late to change to another. Besides, visualization takes long practice; it is not something one can master in a single attempt,” True Lord Tianxuan said.

I was too impatient, Zhou Qi thought. Perhaps I should begin with Jade Dragon Mountain. Though it is only an inconspicuous little peak before the gate of the Orthodox One Sect, my fate was altered there. Once I succeed in visualizing Jade Dragon Mountain, I can change again without delay.