Inside the secret room, the formation lines flared with brilliant light.
Chu Zhenshan’s consciousness was pulled into a void.
He looked up to see a chaise longue set deep within a swirling purple mist. A snow-white fur rug covered the couch, upon which what looked like golden flowers seemed to bloom. Upon closer inspection, each “petal” was a fluffy fox tail, shimmering within the purple mist.
At the center of these “petals” sat a beguiling beauty with a curvaceous figure.
Chu Zhenshan did not dare look for long. He lowered his head and prostrated himself. “Chu Zhenshan, Great Elder of the thirty-seventh generation of the Chu Clan branch, pays his respects to the Fox Venerable.”
As soon as he spoke, he felt the Fox Venerable’s gaze fall upon him. Her gaze was gentle, like a spring breeze brushing against his cheek or a feather lightly stroking his heart. Yet, Chu Zhenshan was so terrified that his entire body stiffened, and a layer of fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
“Rise.”
The languid voice of the Thousand-Year Fox Sovereign drifted from the depths of the mist. The sound was like melted honey, so sweet it could make one’s bones turn soft. “How has the Holy Son been lately?”
Chu Zhenshan did not dare stand. He remained prostrate as he spoke. “Reporting to the Fox Venerable, the Holy Son first went outside the city to search for a mine. Then, the Successor of the Immortal Dynasty suddenly visited Xuanji City, and the two of them managed to establish a connection.”
“Oh?”
Deep within the mist, the nine swaying fox tails paused. Her tone grew a few degrees more wary. “How did they establish a connection?”
Hearing the hint of reproach in her voice, Chu Zhenshan lowered his head even further. “Her Highness the Crown Prince suddenly visited Xuanji City today…”
As he spoke, he immediately provided a detailed account of the events.
Finally, the Great Elder voiced his concerns. “…For some reason, the Crown Prince is extremely focused on the Holy Son. If it were mere exploitation, she certainly wouldn’t be this concerned.”
‘Concerned?’
Su Xuanxuan narrowed her fox-like eyes. Most Successors of the Immortal Dynasty throughout history cultivated the Ruthless Path. Those on the Ruthless Path must sever all emotions and desires to prove their Dao. But if one developed a heart of “concern,” they would face the danger of their Dao Heart shattering.
No one rose early without incentive. Since the Crown Prince was interested in her Holy Son, it certainly wouldn’t be because of ordinary romantic feelings.
At this thought, Daji’s fox tails slowed their swaying. Her charming, blurred gaze seemed to pierce through the heavy layers of mist, looking toward a very distant future.
“Continue to watch them.” Her tone remained languid, yet it carried an unquestionable authority. “I want to know every single move that girl makes.”
Chu Zhenshan bowed his head. “As you command.”
“And…” Her fox tails gave a gentle flick as her expression turned serious. “Increase the Holy Son’s benefits. We cannot let him be snatched away by another woman!”
Chu Zhenshan nodded subconsciously. “Yes!”
The languid voice rang out again, tinged with a hint of weariness. “Dismissed.”
Chu Zhenshan bowed, and his consciousness slowly withdrew from that void. In the final instant, he couldn’t help but look up at the massive, enchanting shadow deep within the mist. That graceful silhouette, hidden in the purple haze, felt like a dream or a hallucination.
The Great Elder of Chu was momentarily dazed. By the time he regained his senses, he had already returned.
The Great Elder sighed, the infatuation in his eyes fading, only to be replaced by confusion. ‘Why has the Fox Venerable, who has always been so strict, suddenly become so benevolent toward the Holy Son? It seems… the Crown Prince’s arrival isn’t all bad…’
Feeling relieved, the Great Elder braced his hands on his knees and stood up, his bones making a slight cracking sound.
Watching the formation lines gradually dissipate beneath his feet, scenes from the past flashed through Chu Zhenshan’s clouded old eyes. He still remembered that night 20 years ago.
The Fox Venerable had stood in the night wind, holding an infant still in swaddling clothes.
Chu Zhenshan had asked cautiously, “Regarding His Highness the Holy Son… how does the Fox Venerable plan to settle him?”
Looking down at the infant in her arms, the Fox Venerable’s jade-like fingers stroked his tender skin, her eyes filled with love and reluctance. “Find an ordinary household in the Chu Clan branch. The more ordinary, the better.”
Chu Zhenshan sensed her intentions and hesitated. “Must we really do this? He is the Holy Son…”
The Fox Venerable looked up, her eyes full of resolve. “That is exactly why I must arrange it this way! The fine clothes and gourmet food of the Taixu Sacred Realm would most likely turn him into a useless, hedonistic profligate who knows nothing of suffering. Only —”
“By letting him start from the lowest levels of a branch family, letting him taste the cold and warmth of the world and endure every hardship, can his character be tempered. If he cannot even crawl out of the mud, he is not worthy of the future position of Holy Lord.”
Chu Zhenshan opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words. That night, he took the infant and placed him with a couple of mediocre talent, arranging everything perfectly. From then on, Chu Yuan became the son of those at the very bottom of the branch family.
When Chu Yuan was 7-year-old, the Fox Venerable ordered him to plant a tattered cultivation manual on the boy. It was an introductory heart method that had been meticulously adjusted.
Chu Yuan held that ragged booklet and began to study and cultivate. His foster parents were even ordered not to guide him; he had to figure everything out on his own, bit by bit. However, only 3 months later, Chu Yuan successfully performed Qi Refinement.
Chu Zhenshan was filled with joy. When he reported this to the Fox Venerable, he couldn’t help but add, “…This child… perhaps we should give him more resources for his development.”
The Fox Venerable leaned against her couch, her nine tails swaying happily. “Give him what? He should continue to be tempered like this. If he cannot become a talent on his own, it proves he is nothing special.”
Chu Zhenshan fell silent. From then on, he never mentioned “resources” again.
When Chu Yuan was 10-year-old, his foster parents died in a beast tide. That night, thousands of demonic beasts rushed out from the mountain forests. The couple had shoved Chu Yuan into a cave and fought to the death to protect him, only to be torn to pieces by the beasts.
The child hid in that cave for 3 days and 3 nights. When he emerged, the world was a ruin, and corpses littered the ground. He knelt before his foster parents’ bodies, but he did not cry.
Chu Zhenshan stood in the distance, watching that small figure kneeling there for a long time. His expression was complex, but he knew the truth: that beast tide had been drawn there by the Fox Venerable.
Before the event, she had only said coldly, “Warm emotional bonds are a cultivator’s greatest weakness. It is for his own good to sever them early.”
Chu Zhenshan didn’t understand why a 10-year-old child needed to worry about “weaknesses,” but he didn’t dare ask.
There were many more such incidents…
Memories surged like the tide, leaving Chu Zhenshan’s heart filled with complexity. He pushed open the door of the secret room and stepped into the night. Under the moonlight, his silhouette appeared exceptionally aged, but there was a flicker of hidden worry in his clouded eyes.
‘If that child ever learns his foster parents died at the Fox Venerable’s hands, will he forgive this Supreme Guardian? Will he understand that her 20 years of “poverty-style raising” was to make him worthy of becoming the Holy Lord?’
—
At the same time, far away in her bedchamber within the Taixu Sacred Realm, Su Xuanxuan held a blood-red sphere with a solemn expression.
This was the [Time-Peering Orb]. As the name suggested, a cultivator could use it to glimpse events that would happen in the future. It was a paired Dharma treasure with the [Time-Tracing Light], which allowed a soul to return to the past.
The ancestors of the Taixu Sacred Realm had forcibly bound these to the Chu Clan bloodline. They helped her see the destiny of the bloodline descendants for the next 100 years in advance.
Years ago, Su Xuanxuan already knew that the Holy Son would activate his bloodline early, join the Heavenly Sword Sect, and then become a Licking Dog for Li Shixue… or rather, Ji Xuanyuan.
However, because Ji Xuanyuan cultivated the Ruthless Path, she hadn’t paid it much mind. It wasn’t until Ji Xuanyuan suddenly entered Xuanji City—an act that contradicted the future she had seen—that she was forced to become wary.