Chapter 11

Fu Li had it all figured out. Once the temple was built and running smoothly, the memorial tablets of the three elders would be placed in Fox Dad’s temple. When Fox Dad needed help, those three certainly wouldn’t stand idly by.  

The elders could stay by his side during normal times, and when emergencies arose, they’d ride auspicious clouds to descend from the heavens and rescue Fox Dad from peril. This way, they’d fully utilize the usefulness of these Golden Finger Grandpas who had worked so hard to find him two hundred years late.  

He was truly clever—no disgrace to the fox clan.  

The little fox cub was so smug he could barely contain himself, eagerly discussing with the Mountain God what Fox Dad’s temple should look like, completely oblivious to the odd expressions on the faces of the three Golden Finger Grandpas.  

Making them serve as Old Fox King’s underlings—only this little brat could come up with such an idea.  

“What exactly did you two tell this little brat back then?” Yuan Feng asked through gritted teeth.  

It was true they couldn’t reveal their identities, but that didn’t mean they should let the cub look down on them. How had they gone from being respected elders to mere lackeys in the blink of an eye?  

He had sensed something was off the moment they descended from the heavens. The fox cub had claimed to know they were Zu Long, Yuan Feng, and Shi Qilin, delivering the lines with dramatic flair and exaggerated emotion—any fool could tell he didn’t believe a word of it.  

Joking around was one thing—he wasn’t the type to be overly serious—but no matter how easygoing he was, having the mighty Phoenix Clan leader serve as a lackey was just unacceptable.  

Did he look like some random mountain pheasant who’d bow to a fox?  

Zu Long crouched nearby, looking up with innocent eyes. “At first, I wanted a majestic and domineering alias. I’m the ancestor of the dragon race—calling myself ‘Dragon Ancestor’ was perfectly fine. But Qilin insisted it wouldn’t work and started arguing with me. That argument made the silly fox cub think we were just bragging, and now we’re stuck like this.”  

Shi Qilin frowned angrily. “He said he was ‘Dragon Ancestor’—how is that any different from outright saying he’s Zu Long?”  

Zu Long argued righteously, “But the silly fox cub didn’t believe it anyway!”  

Yuan Feng clenched his fist and gave him a sharp knock on the head. “He didn’t believe it, and now in his mind, we’ve all become his dad’s lackeys—even worse than some no-name great demon from the Northern Kuru Continent!”  

“You both know how weird that little brat’s brain is. Him overthinking things is normal. Since he’s dead set on believing we’re just bragging and will twist anything we say to fit his own logic, let him keep guessing.” Zu Long rubbed his head and dodged, thinking this might actually be a happy accident. “The cub wants to set up a memorial tablet for his dad—might as well include ours. Whether it works or not, let’s try it first.”  

They had no other choice anyway. They couldn’t force the little fox cub to admit they were really the legendary Zu Long, Yuan Feng, and Shi Qilin who once dominated the Prehistoric Era. If they tried, the cub would definitely think they’d lost their minds.  

Failing to cultivate into a top-tier great demon in life, then spending their days after death deluding themselves with wild fantasies—what else could that be but madness?  

Shi Qilin was utterly aggrieved. “I am Shi Qilin—why should I have to pretend to be Shi Qilin?”  

“For the sake of our future happiness,” Zu Long said, patting Shi Qilin’s shoulder in a brotherly manner, his smug expression begging for a punch. “Hang in there, brother. Sooner or later, we’ll reclaim our rightful names—and scare that silly fox cub so badly he won’t even dare to cry.”

“Picking on a little cub, look how capable you are.” Yuan Feng rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms nonchalantly. “Forgot to mention, living the good life might not be so easy. Remember that Third Prince White Dragon of the West Sea who was nearly killed by Nine-Headed Bug and Ten Thousand Saints Princess? Latest news from Nine-Headed Bug—that unlucky kid had his horns sawed off, scales removed, and dragon pearl plucked by Guan Yin Bodhisattva from the Buddhist sect. Now he has to carry a horizontal bone in his mouth, transform into a white horse, and haul some mortal monk to Vulture Peak to fetch scriptures.”

As the words fell, the surroundings instantly turned icy, scaring the little fox cub so badly his tail fur stood on end. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Zu Long’s face darkened, his pale golden eyes frosting over. “Sawing off horns, removing scales, taking the dragon pearl, forcing a horizontal bone into his mouth, losing his dragon body—do the Westerners think just because the three of us perished, the dragon, phoenix, and qilin clans are theirs to slaughter?”

The conflict between the Buddhist and Daoist sects had nothing to do with them, but for the Buddhists to treat their younger clansmen like this—this was beyond endurance.

Yuan Feng sneered. “The Buddhists always push their luck. No wonder they came up with this scripture-fetching nonsense.”

“You two watch over this silly fox cub. I’m going out.” Zu Long glanced at the little fool spinning in circles, then vanished after leaving those words.

Golden light erupted from the ground, winds churned the clouds overhead, and sand and stones flew wildly through the mountain forests before everything finally settled.

Fu Li hugged his tail fearfully, hiding behind the Mountain God and whispering, “What’s happening in the mountains?”

The Mountain God scratched his head uncertainly. “Seems like a mighty being passed by.”

Fu Li gasped in awe. “Wow, just how mighty are we talking?”

Mountain God: …

Exhausted.jpg

Yuan Feng watched Zu Long leave, then returned to pinch the little fox’s ears casually. “The old mudfish has some business to attend to. He’ll be back soon.”

Fu Li: !!!

The little fox cub and Thunderclap Mountain’s Mountain God exchanged glances, both looking guilty.

Maybe they should discuss how to build Fox Dad’s Fox Immortal Temple again. After all, Golden Finger Grandpas were still Golden Finger Grandpas—letting them stay in a corner feeding on his dad’s leftover incense didn’t seem right.

Thunderclap Mountain had plenty of peaks and vast land anyway. Building another temple wouldn’t be hard.

Ha… haha…

The little fox whispered with the Mountain God for a while longer before waving him off to work. Then, beaming like a flower, he scooted over to Yuan Feng and Shi Qilin. “Elders, elders, what kind of temple would you like? Any preferences? If not, we can let the Mountain God decide. How’s that sound?”

Yuan Feng raised a brow, deliberately keeping a straight face to tease him. “Oh? So we’re not being shoved into a corner anymore?”

The little fox cub widened his eyes, speaking with utmost seriousness. “Elder, what are you talking about? How could we put you in a corner? Our Thunderclap Mountain isn’t so poor we can’t afford proper offerings. No need to economize!”

A flicker of amusement passed through Yuan Feng’s eyes, though her expression remained unreadable. “We heard it with our own ears. Could we have been wrong?”

“You elders were so far away earlier—must’ve misheard.” The little fox cub lied without blinking. Had they not known what he’d just been scheming, they might’ve been fooled.

Truly a fox cub through and through—born with a talent for deception.

Fu Li coaxed one and then the other, though no one knew where he’d honed his silver tongue—even the most unreasonable arguments could sound plausible when he spun them.  

The youth’s lively eyes sparkled with mischief, brimming with laughter. Even knowing he was spouting nonsense, it was impossible to stay angry at him.  

He was just a little cub, after all—why bother holding a grudge?  

Thanks to his masterful skills in wheedling, the fox cub successfully defused a potential disaster that could have shaken Thunderclap Mountain to its core. Such talent truly befitted Fu Xiao Li, the undisputed pinnacle of adorability on Thunderclap Mountain.  

Being a demon wasn’t particularly demanding—aside from cultivation and hunting for food, their lives weren’t much different from ordinary animals, just a bit more powerful.  

In this world where background dictated everything, life varied greatly depending on which mountain one lived on. It was said that minor demons in barren lands not only risked being slain by passing Gods and Buddhas but also struggled to fill their bellies.  

This was one of the downsides of being a demon—any hint of ability made you a target. Either you ended up as some immortal’s miserable mount or you hid deep in the wilderness, never daring to show your face.  

When he first learned the art of flying through the clouds and riding the mist, he loved venturing out. Thunderclap Mountain was vast, and the exploration games kept him entertained for years. But then, one time, he accidentally strayed beyond the mountain’s borders, scaring Fox Dad so badly that he nearly flooded Cloud-Touching Cave with his tears. His sister’s tendency to cry so much must have been inherited from Fox Dad.  

Honestly, growing up into such a tough fox under the guidance of two crybabies was no small feat.  

Perhaps the heavenly immortals were just too unreasonable. Fox Dad, terrified that his beautiful little cub might be snatched away as a pet by some passing deity, spent days recounting every unfortunate monster incident he’d ever heard of.  

Bedtime stories shifted from cultivation methods to the Records of Unlucky Monsters—it was impossible not to remember them.  

For a while, Fox Dad’s bedtime stories always followed the same pattern:  

*Once, there was a little demon who lived deep in the mountains. The little demon didn’t listen and sneaked off to play elsewhere. Just then, an immortal happened by, took one look, and sensed something amiss. “Demons are inherently wicked, their vile nature impossible to root out—they’re nothing but trouble!” So the demon was either struck down on the spot or stuffed into a sack.*  

*Poor little demon. Unlucky little demon.*  

With so many immortals in the heavens, who knew how many demon cubs had suffered such fates?  

Only Fox Dad knew how much truth lay in those stories. But after his relentless warnings, the fox cub never dared to leave home alone again.  

A fox as charming and irresistible as him was a rare sight—those unreasonable immortals would surely be tempted. For the sake of his freedom, he absolutely couldn’t risk wandering out.  

With its towering peaks and deep valleys, Thunderclap Mountain was uniquely beautiful. Now that the threat of the Bull Demon King was gone, peace quickly returned.  

Every day, Fu Li spent some time playing with the Jade Faced Princess, checked on the progress of the Mountain God’s temple, and then took Senior Shan Ji and Senior Lu Lu around to familiarize them with Thunderclap Mountain.  

Senior She She had been gone for several days without returning. The little fox cub held back his curiosity for as long as he could, but finally, while basking in the afternoon sun, he couldn’t resist whispering, “Senior, where did Senior She She go?”  

Yuan Feng, sprawled lazily beside him, yawned and replied, “Probably visiting relatives.”  

Fu Li sat up, propping his chin in his hands. “Senior She She has relatives nearby?”

Yuan Feng opened his eyes and, seeing the little cub was interested in their origins, began spinning a tall tale with a straight face. “We came from the Northern Kuru Continent. Between the Northern Kuru Continent and the Western Oxen Continent lies the North Sea. You know, that sea is just as treacherous as the Northern Kuru Continent, teeming with sea monsters and evil spirits.”

They say dragons have nine offspring, each different, but in truth, dragonkind can produce far more than nine descendants.

Why does Senior She She stubbornly insist he’s a dragon? It’s because he carries a faint trace of dragon bloodline!

Through convoluted connections of distant relatives, all serpentkind, flood dragonkind, and dragonkind in the world can claim some relation. Thunderclap Mountain is surrounded by numerous waterways, and the Reach-to-Heaven River houses a sizable Aquatic Abode. Who knows—perhaps the loach spirit or snake spirit living there might be some long-lost nephew from his third uncle’s family.

Fu Li listened in wide-eyed amazement. “W-wait, that’s possible?”

Yuan Feng nodded solemnly. “It absolutely is!”

Shi Qilin: “…”

He seemed to want to say something but held back.

The Little Fox Cub glanced at Senior Shan Ji, who was shaking his head, then at Senior Lu Lu, who had turned away to ignore their conversation. Dazed, he flopped back down. “I thought I was already quite the storyteller, but it seems there’s always a fox beyond a fox and a chicken beyond a chicken. Today’s been enlightening.”

Author’s Note:  

Yuan Feng: “???”  

Yuan Feng: “Why won’t you play along?”  

Zu Long: *sharpening blade.jpg*