Chapter 317: Chapter 316: Rescuing the Fox (Second Update, Seeking Subscription)
In the mountain city, there appeared a couple and a maid.
The man was in his early twenties, tall and slender, exuding an air of elegance and composure, holding a folding fan in his white jade-like hand; his face was handsome, with starry eyes and sharp brows, and a faint smile on his lips.
The woman was also in her early twenties, her face like a peony, cheeks slightly flushed, lips red and full, her body like a willow in spring, voluptuous and enchanting, dressed in a purple dress that added an air of elegance and charm.
Behind them was a maid, carrying a bundle, half a step behind them.
This maid was also tall and had an exquisite appearance, but compared to the couple, she was far inferior.
They were Lu Xuanji, Jin Xi, and others.
Reaching the small town, the two of them went to a tavern, sitting near the window.
Jin Xi pointed at the menu, and soon the delicacies were served.
On the table, there were a dozen dishes.
Jin Xi took out chopsticks and started tasting the food.
Lu Xuanji also casually tasted some.
At that moment, he subconsciously looked towards the ground and saw a hunter carrying a fox, intending to sell it at the market.
This fox’s body was like white jade, with pristine fur without a trace of impurity.
"Interesting!"
Lu Xuanji slightly frowned, seemingly sensing something: "Ning Xue, go down and buy that fox?"
"Yes!"
Ning Xue nodded, not asking any further questions.
The next moment, she disappeared.
A moment later, Ning Xue returned to the tavern, carrying a white fox in her hand.
Lu Xuanji continued eating.
After a quarter of an hour, having satisfied his hunger, he started settling the bill.
Arriving at an inn, the three of them entered and started lodging.
The rooms here weren’t luxurious but were simple and clean.
"Master, does this fox have any peculiar traits?"
Ning Xue looked at the fox, inspecting it thoroughly, yet found no anomaly, saying, "I’ve checked, it’s a female fox!"
She turned the fox over, confirming it was female.
"It’s not a demon beast; there’s no demonic aura!" Ning Xue said.
"No, it is a demon beast, and a Demon Emperor at that!" Lu Xuanji said.
"This is a Demon Emperor; a Demon Emperor is a Nascent Soul Great Demon, but this fox is too weak; I could crush it with one hand!" Ning Xue pinched the fox, feeling that apart from its white fur, it had no other attributes.
Jin Xi spoke, saying, "This is an injured Demon Emperor. It’s strange, though; this Demon Emperor’s aura seems unfamiliar. In my perception, there is no similar aura from the Qingqiu lineage."
The world is vast, yet it seems small.
In the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there are only so many Nascent Soul Great Demons, and the circle is quite small. She remembered the auras of those demon beasts, but none resembled the aura of the beast before her.
Furthermore, for one in such a gravely injured state to appear in human territory seems unreasonable.
Lu Xuanji said, "I am quite familiar with her aura. She is a prodigy of the Qingqiu lineage. When she faced defeat at my hands, she was only in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Upon reaching the Purple Mansion, she wanted to capture me to Qingqiu to become a Furnace; however, I never expected she would now be a Nascent Soul Demon Emperor in a severely injured state, unable even to maintain a human form!"
"Facing it now, should we kill it or not?"
Lu Xuanji was momentarily filled with a hint of killing intent: "Those who are not of our race, their hearts are bound to hold different intentions! We should kill it."
Jin Xi said, "Your killing intent is a bit intense!"
Lu Xuanji asked, "Xi’Er, what do you think?"
"I heard that the fox race of the Qingqiu lineage are all peerless beauties, and those who reach the Demon Emperor realm are extremely rare. Xuanji, I’ve been thinking about it; the probability of you reaching the Golden Core Tenth Transformation is very low, less than even one in a thousand!" Jin Xi pondered, "If we have the assistance of this Qingqiu Demon Emperor, dual cultivation might increase the probability, perhaps to one percent."
"Why not rescue her, as they say, a life-saving grace should be repaid. If she offers herself to help you break through bottlenecks and improve your cultivation, it would be justified!"
Jin Xi calculated without considering anything else, only thinking about the benefits it could bring to her Dao companion.
"This doesn’t seem right!"
Lu Xuanji said.
Jin Xi, unconcerned, said, "On the path of cultivation, every step forward is extremely difficult, immensely challenging. To increase the probability by even one percent or a thousandth is good. Often, success or failure hinges on that scant probability."
"As for, ’Those who are not of our race, their hearts are bound to hold different intentions,’ this principle applies to the lower-level cultivators. Upon reaching the Nascent Soul, there is no longer racial hatred between cultivators — only the pursuit of immortality and aspirations of the Great Dao. Many Demon Emperors have friends among the human race; equally, some Demon Emperors have friends within human territories."
In the world of cultivating immortality, between the human race and the demon race, at the Foundation Establishment level, the Purple Mansion level, the Golden Core level, they fight each other to death;
But upon reaching the Nascent Soul, the relationship between human True Monarchs and Demon Race Demon Emperors becomes intricate.
Some indeed end with hatred, fighting to the death;
Yet with others, there is considerable friendship, considered as friends.
Upon reaching the Nascent Soul level, racial hatred no longer exists — only the pursuit of immortality remains.
Among the Nascent Soul of the human race, apart from some extreme aversion and slaughter of Demon Emperors who have killed too many humans, most Demon Emperors are not greatly disliked, and collaborations might occur when interests align.
...
Time passed, and after a long while.
The little fox opened its eyes, finding itself lying on a bed, cautiously looking around, only to see a familiar shadow.
Lu Xuanji.
"Was it you who saved me from the hunter? Was it you who resolved my Human Tribulation?"
The little fox opened its eyes, perceiving changes in its body; its cultivation was mostly destroyed, weak and fragile, seeming as though even a Qi Refining level two cultivator could kill her.
Yet, she breathed a sigh of relief.
For the Tribulation Qi looming over her head had entirely dissipated, ensuring her safety for now.
"Thank you!"
The little fox said.
"Why are you in such a pitiful state?" Lu Xuanji curiously asked.
"It was my aunt who plotted against me, and I was also hunted by Wu Xingyun!" the little fox began, recounting her tragic life experiences after undergoing Tribulation Crossing and becoming a Nascent Soul.
Lu Xuanji comforted, "My condolences!"
"Xuanji, from the first moment I saw you, I felt you would significantly benefit me. But the feeling was unclear. Later on, I thought it was your Pure Yang Dao Body attracting me. But now it seems that wasn’t the case; instead, you have a unique Destiny that can resolve the Tribulation Qi on me!"
"If not for you taking action to rescue me, I would have certainly died at the hands of the hunter."
The little fox said, "Such a way to die would indeed be the most humiliating death for a Demon Emperor in history, second to none."
Jin Xi spoke up, "Little fox, how will you repay the life-saving grace?"
The little fox replied, "How about repaying the life-saving grace by offering myself?"
Jin Xi: "..."
Originally intending to coerce or entice, before he could even start, this little fox agreed.
The little fox continued, "Actually, even without you saying, I would agree. My bloodline is powerful, and my talent unparalleled, but so too is the Tribulation on me... Without a Dao companion with strong Destiny to resolve the Tribulation Qi on me, even if I narrowly escape this disaster, I would undoubtedly fall to the next."
...
PS: Seeking subscriptions, seeking monthly tickets.