“Blah blah blah… so, blah blah blah… what did you want to talk to me about? Blah blah blah…”
The little fox crouched by the teacup, licking the tea inside while squeezing in words between licks, looking incredibly busy.
“Uh…”
Song Yu sat at the table, barely able to believe that this white fluffy ball, busy drinking tea, was the same peerless little Fox Fairy who had stood alone before the Sword Trial Stele earlier that day.
“If you don’t mind, please have some of this…”
Song Yu carefully took out a small bottle from her Storage Bag, poured a full cup, and cautiously pushed it toward Xu Muxue.
“What’s this?”
Xu Muxue’s wet little nose sniffed twice with force before she tentatively licked it.
The little fox’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Oh! Jasmine Wine! Blah blah blah…” Xu Muxue nearly buried her entire fox head in the cup, letting out a muffled sound.
“This stuff hits hard, blah blah blah…”
So the rumors about foxes loving to drink were true after all…
Song Yu couldn’t help but smile.
Watching the little fox wag her big fluffy tail while sticking her butt up, Song Yu’s eyes gleamed with affection.
As a young maiden, Song Yu naturally had little resistance to cute furry creatures.
However, her master Qinghan had always urged her to focus on cultivation and strictly forbade distractions, so she never had a chance to interact with such beings until now.
Summoning her courage, she spoke up: “Um, can I… can I pet you?”
Xu Muxue was engrossed in her “blah blah blah” and didn’t hear Song Yu’s small voice at all.
Song Yu took that as tacit approval, swallowed nervously, and slowly extended her white jade-like hand toward Xu Muxue.
Her hand moved very slowly, as if wrestling with a fierce internal battle, or treating it as some kind of sacred ritual. By the time her hand finally reached Xu Muxue, the little fox had finished that cup of Jasmine Wine.
She lifted her head from the cup, her nose just touching Song Yu’s fingertip.
Song Yu recoiled as if struck by lightning, savoring the sensation—the tip of her finger was soft, warm, and slightly damp, causing her heart to race. Xu Muxue licked her own nose and tilted her head in puzzlement.
“Why are you so scared? I won’t bite you.”
“R-Really?”
Song Yu hesitated.
“Well, actually, I will!”
Xu Muxue barked playfully, baring her sharp canine teeth and lunging playfully.
Seeing Song Yu’s terrified expression, Xu Muxue chuckled smugly, then casually patted Song Yu’s hand with her pink paw pads.
“Just kidding. Since I drank your wine, Xu Muxue considers you a friend now.”
“Then can I pet you?”
Song Yu asked pitifully.
“Good friends?”
“With that attitude, what else is there to say? Just go ahead and pet me.”
Xu Muxue sat properly, stretching her neck out to signal Song Yu to begin.
Song Yu extended her hand and gently stroked Xu Muxue’s chest fur twice.
“So warm…!”
She whispered in surprise, a beautiful smile curving on her lips.
Xu Muxue’s feelings were complicated.
A former Spirit Severing stage cultivator who once stood at the pinnacle of the mortal realm was now being petted on her chest fur by a little girl…
Moreover, should she say it was inexperienced?
The tender and unrestrained touch was undeniably… lewd.
She stepped back: “Alright, time’s up. Stop your sinful petting!”
Song Yu’s pale hand hovered midair for a moment, then she sighed and stood up with a lingering look: “That’s enough, thank you, good friend. You’ve shown me a taste of paradise—I can die content now…”
“Don’t die! And my name’s Xu Muxue!”
“Thank you, Muxue, then I’ll take my leave…”
“Don’t leave! Come back here!”
***
Xu Muxue struggled for a good while before finally dragging Song Yu back to her seat by the corner of her clothes.
“Phew… you went all the way from Jade Maiden Peak to find me. You didn’t just come here to pet me a few times, did you?”
“Ah…!” Song Yu snapped out of her daze.
“Right, I do have something to discuss with the little Fox Fairy from Zuo Wang Peak.”
“So you’re saying that little Fox Fairy is me…”
Xu Muxue was a bit stunned. This light and airy little girl always gave her a somewhat naïve impression…
“Um, Muxue.”
Song Yu put both hands on the edge of the table, resting her small head on the stone surface, and looked at Xu Muxue sincerely.
“Could you please transform back to your original form? I just can’t focus with you like this—I keep wanting to… pet you.”
“…This is my original form.”
The little fox smacked Song Yu on the forehead.
“Oh! Then please turn back into your human form, okay?”
Xu Muxue rolled her eyes dramatically, and with a flash of white light, the petite, well-proportioned fox maiden with sharp fox ears appeared once again in the seat.
“Better… now what do you want?”
Seeing Song Yu’s eyes fixed on her fox ears, Xu Muxue quickly reached up to cover them.
Song Yu withdrew her hand reluctantly and a serious expression crossed her face as she spoke to Xu Muxue:
“Muxue, about this Sword Trial Tournament—could you please admit defeat?”
“…Huh?”
Xu Muxue was shocked.
This little girl, who was still only at the Fake Core Stage, had seen her reduce the Sword Trial Stele to dust, and yet now came to Zuo Wang Peak to ask her to give up?
Was it Xu Muxue who was crazy, or was this world?
“I know what you’re thinking, Muxue. You borrowed the power of Xu Mu’s disciple’s Sword to successfully draw out Xu Mu’s residual Sword Intent—that was how you managed to shatter the Sword Trial Stele.
But now that Sword Intent has returned to Elder Shen’s sword. I doubt you can easily wield it anymore.”
“But I can still use it…” Xu Muxue said weakly.
“Muxue, I know you have great talent, but you’ve only just begun your cultivation path…” Song Yu gently rubbed Xu Muxue’s head, clearly unconvinced.
“There’s a lot of undercurrents in this Sword Trial Tournament. It’s not something a little Qi Refining stage cultivator like you should get involved in.”
“I really can still use the Sword Intent…”
Song Yu’s expression grew serious. She cupped Xu Muxue’s delicate face in both hands and said slowly, word by word: “Muxue, this is not a joke. You know, my master… ordered me to incapacitate you in the tournament.”
Xu Muxue felt exhausted at heart and didn’t want to argue anymore.
“Orders from the master can’t be disobeyed. If we meet on the stage, I won’t hold back. Muxue, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Oh? Then sneaking over here to warn me secretly doesn’t count as disobeying orders?”
Xu Muxue perked up.
“We just met today, so why don’t you want to hurt me?”
“You…” Song Yu suddenly blushed and fidgeted, reluctant to say it.
“Me…?”
“Because I think you… are beautiful.”
Song Yu stammered but finally said it.
Xu Muxue was stunned for a long moment, then suddenly clapped her hands.
“Authentic! What a good catch!”
“When your master falls, I’ll support you to become the next Yunü Peak Master!”