Chapter 1040: Bai Fox Is Actually..._2

No wonder that quirky little white fox has always felt a sense of closeness to Qing Jun; back then, it was drawn to Lisong Valley because of Qing Jun.

Despite appearing to despise the little girl, it truly likes her, or it wouldn’t stay in Qing Jun’s small backpack.

But…

The little fox that I’ve been bullying daily is actually the first cultivator of Yan Kingdom?!

Chen Ye’s expression froze.

For a moment, many scenes flashed through his mind:

For instance, when he first met the miraculous little fox in Lisong Valley years ago, he held it upside down by its hind legs to inspect it, turning it inside out and even pulling apart the soft fur under its tail to check if it was male or female.

At that time, the little fox’s eyes were round with anger, its paws flailing, looking like it wanted to bite his neck out of sheer embarrassment.

Later,

He found the little fox, although spiritual, too unruly and tried training it like a dog with pills, and trained it for several years!

And now…

This little fox is the first cultivator of Yan Kingdom!

“Hiss… wait, the little fox had lost its memory then. Is it possible that after its memory recovered it forgot these things?”

Chen Ye’s head felt numb as he thought wishfully.

This creature,

is scarier than True Man Dongshan by tenfold!

“Taoist Friend Chen? Is there something amiss?”

Jian Gu, seeing Chen Ye silent for a long time, couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing, just feeling sentimental about this elder’s legendary encounter.”

Chen Ye came back to his senses, the startling expression in his clear eyes had long disappeared, his demeanor composed,

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Jian, for informing me and clearing up the confusion.”

Jian Gu hesitated slightly, then suddenly asked:

“But Taoist Friend Chen, why the sudden interest in True Monarch Ye? Did you… discover the true monarch’s whereabouts?”

Jian Gu’s question,

startled Chen Ye once more.

The way he spoke indicated that the Refining God Sect is currently not peaceful, and some internally harbor animosity towards the little white fox.

Should the Refining God Sect find out that the True Monarch Ye who has now reverted to its true form with drastically reduced cultivation is their little white fox, the consequences are unimaginable, possibly endangering the little white fox.

“Fellow Daoist Jian jests, how could someone as insignificant as Chen hope to find the whereabouts of such an eminent figure as True Monarch Ye?”

Chen Ye shook his head, his long sleeves gently brushed, his expression serene,

“It was merely due to serendipitously hearing rumors about the Nascent Soul catastrophe near Yunxi District, and after browsing through some Lingyin Sect’s secret records for verification, I found something peculiar which led me to inquire further of Fellow Daoist Jian. So it seems, Elder Ye’s background indeed is legendary.”

Jian Gu’s gaze lingered on Chen Ye’s face for a moment, as if truly believing Chen Ye’s words, he sighed:

“I see, I must be overthinking… but this is good. Though Taoist Friend Chen is now the Peak Master of Baopu Peak, high in power and status, involving oneself in matters of the Nascent Soul True Monarch is better avoided. In future encounters with other cultivators of the Refining God Sect, it’s best for Taoist Friend Chen to steer clear of discussing True Monarch Ye, lest it raises suspicion and causes trouble.”

Jian Gu sighed inwardly,

He became increasingly certain that the little fox was indeed the true form of True Monarch Ye.

But its condition is far from optimistic; otherwise, why would it revert to its true form?

Chen Ye nodded slightly, casting a deep glance at him:

“I will remember Fellow Daoist Jian’s advice.”

The two exchanged a few more casual words by the cliffside, until the bustle in the main hall on the front mountain subsided, and the grand banquet seemed to be drawing to a close. Only then did Jian Gu dispel the sword qi barrier around him and started descending the stone steps first.

Watching Jian Gu’s steady departure, the smile on Chen Ye’s face gradually faded.

He rubbed his chin, thinking that he used to hold the little fox upside down to determine its gender and forced it to bow and shake hands like a regular dog. Even with his thick skin, he couldn’t help but blush slightly.

“Come now, it’s just scaring myself. Who knows, maybe the true monarch enjoyed it? Cough cough… It’s not like I heard it object? This fox is always whining incessantly; how is someone from the Human Race, like me, supposed to understand its words?”

Chen Ye planned to later assure the little white fox that he was merely pretending to understand fox speak, maybe then it would forgive him?

…

Within the guest courtyard.

The three apprentices who had cleansed their bodies of impurities in the Cold Pool forbidden area had already returned ahead of schedule.

The senior disciple Zhiwei was sitting by the stone table, feeling inexplicably uneasy. When he saw his master enter the room, his eyes even dodged unnaturally.

As for the two little girls, Jin’er was sitting angrily on a small bench beside them, presumably upset by the girl. Meanwhile, Qing Jun was clutching her stomach, full of the warmth of the egg shell’s Innate Origin, and was rolling around on the grass without a care.

“Back already?” Chen Ye glanced at his three disciples.

“Master!”

Qing Jun sprang up, pitter-pattered over to Chen Ye’s feet, lifted her fair little face, and somewhat smugly patted her stomach,

“After soaking in the bath, Qing Jun feels full of energy, and my stomach isn’t hot anymore, just… hic… a bit too full!”

Chen Ye appeared to be looking at the girl, but his peripheral vision sneakily glanced at the stone table beside him.

With that glance, Chen Ye felt a bit uneasy inside.

On the round bluestone table, the little white fox that usually slept lazily had astonishingly woken up today.

The little fox sat upright in the center of the stone table, head slightly tilted, curiously sizing up Chen Ye from head to toe.

It’s no wonder the white fox was suspicious; as soon as it opened its eyes, it acutely sensed that Chen Ye had an inexplicable strangeness in his gaze.

That gaze… three parts guilt, three parts appeasement, three parts pondering, and one part incomprehension…

The little white fox couldn’t help but shrink its neck, secretly calculating:

“Squeak! Why is this Evil Race member looking at me with such a gaze today? Could it be… he stole my stored food while I was sleeping? Or has he come up with another trick to try and prank me?”

The more it thought, the more plausible it seemed. Its fox ears pressed back warily.

Chen Ye lightly coughed, rubbing Qing Jun’s little head with his hand:

“You mischief-maker, previously when I sent you to soak in the Dragon Sleep Cold Pool to cleanse away impurities, you happily jumped in alone. Why didn’t you take Bai with you for a wash too?”

“Huh?”

Qing Jun was dumbfounded by her master’s unconventional scolding, her little hands still clutching her round belly, and she stood there frozen in place.

Why did Master mention this now?

Feeling somewhat wronged, Qing Jun shrunk her neck and muttered softly,

“Master, every time Qing Jun wanted to take it to the river to wash its paws, it almost scratched Qing Jun’s face! Today… why are you suddenly so concerned about Bai?”

Qing Jun’s question only heightened the little fox’s suspicions.

The little white fox lay on the table, its pointy ears pricked straight up, carefully eavesdropping.

Chen Ye put on a serious face, speaking righteously:

“Were you washing Bai’s paws? You were just tormenting Bai! You are not to bully it in the future, understand? Bai is our family!”

Hearing her master be so concerned about Bai,

The little girl felt a bit jealous.

But Qing Jun was magnanimous since it was just a little fox!

She obediently nodded her head, not forgetting to explain:

“Oh dear, Master, those were things of the past! We’ve always taken care of Bai. Every time Qing Jun went out, I carried Bai on my back! I just thought it was sleeping this time, so I didn’t bring it along.”

“Hmph, that’s more like it.”

Chen Ye, feeling slightly guilty, went along with it.

It seemed a bit overacted…

But that’s okay!

As long as the little white fox’s identity wasn’t exposed now.

He could take this opportunity to please this little fox more, saving the trouble of begging for mercy later on.

And on the stone table,

The little white fox, after eavesdropping, felt a bit embarrassed.

Who considers themselves family with this Evil Race?

Who would treat their own family like a dog!

Seeing Chen Ye looking its way, it flicked its tail, deliberately turned its head aside, and put on a disdainful look.

Seeing its reaction, Chen Ye instead breathed a sigh of relief.

“It seems that after this Nascent Soul True Monarch regressed to its original form, its mind has also become like a child’s… Thankfully! As long as we build a good relationship now, even if it recovers later, it wouldn’t strike Baopu Peak with one sword.”