Chapter 12

Zu Long had merely stepped out for a while, never expecting his reputation would undergo yet another transformation upon his return.  

From the ferocious great demon of the Northern Kuru Continent to a helpless little snake lugging around local specialties while visiting relatives and currying favor—all it took was Senior Shan Ji’s nonsense to bridge the gap.  

Had he not returned in time, who knew what kind of wild tales this guy would have fed the Little Fox Cub?  

Yuan Feng had put on quite the act, spinning outrageous lies without a care, fabricating eighteen generations of ancestors for Zu Long along with a whole host of Loach spirits, Shrimp spirits, and Crab spirits as relatives.  

Fu Li hadn’t believed a word of it at first—it was too absurd, too ridiculous. The Northern Kuru Continent was so far from Thunderclap Mountain. The fact that the three of them had drifted here was already a stroke of fate; how could they possibly have relatives here?  

Even if they did have relatives, after hundreds or thousands of years without meeting, showing up at their doorstep for help would likely earn them indifference. Otherwise, why hadn’t Senior She She sought out these relatives from the start, only doing so after deciding to stay at Thunderclap Mountain?  

Too fake, too fake. Couldn’t be trusted.  

But this world itself didn’t operate on much logic. As the saying went, reality was often stranger than fiction. When it came down to it, logic didn’t matter—maybe Senior She She really did have relatives he hadn’t seen in centuries but could still hit it off with instantly.  

The three seniors had managed to survive in a place as brutal as the Northern Kuru Continent, so they were undoubtedly powerful demons. Any relatives Senior She She remembered would probably be formidable as well, which meant they’d be far away.  

Thunderclap Mountain had no powerful snake or loach demons, but the Reach-to-Heaven River housed a few troublesome great demons. However, Fu Li only knew one Carp Spirit that even he couldn’t defeat, let alone how many unseen great demons lurked beneath the waters.  

The Reach-to-Heaven River stretched eight hundred miles, home to no small number of aquatic demons. If Senior She She had to visit each one to find his long-lost relatives, three or four days definitely wouldn’t be enough.  

Demons as good-natured as him were rare. Showing up unannounced to claim kinship would inevitably lead to fights—one scuffle here, another there, and time would slip away in no time.  

Yuan Feng laughed heartily, unconcerned about the consequences of his wild tales, flapping his wings in delight until he could barely stand.  

That old loach was right—this Little Fox Cub really was gullible. No matter what they said, he’d rationalize it himself, saving them the trouble of making up elaborate stories. Hahahaha!  

Shi Qilin stared blankly at the distant flowers and grass, cursing his keen senses for hearing everything too clearly.  

He had a feeling that once Zu Long returned, these two would end up fighting again. This time, it might not be the playful scuffles of before—they’d probably beat each other until their souls scattered.  

As it turned out, his premonition wasn’t entirely accurate.  

The Little Fox Cub basked comfortably in the sun, his fluffy tail swaying lazily, watching with amusement as the Little Chicken and Little Green Snake battled it out for three hundred rounds. Only when the sun began to set did he stretch leisurely, ending his day’s cultivation.  

Yes, his cultivation involved sunbathing.  

Fox Dad had said they were proper Fox Spirits, not ones to dabble in crooked methods. Cultivation simply required absorbing the Essence of the Sun and Moon—basking in sunlight by day and moonlight by night. Though they might not match the combat prowess of demons forged in bloodshed, they’d certainly live long, healthy lives.  

Shi Qilin figured the little one’s inability to retract his ears and tail wasn’t his fault—it was his dad’s.

Who teaches kids like that? Is he serious?

Senior Lu Lu sighed and separated the tangled Little Green Snake and Little Chicken, leaving them to teach the little one how to transform.

Zu Long released Yuan Feng’s chicken wing, shook his head confidently, and slithered onto a large rock. “Relax, I’m not that muddle-headed Fox King. I know how to teach a cub.”

Yuan Feng hopped onto Shi Qilin’s head, curious to see how this old dragon, who had never personally raised a cub before, would teach the Little Fox Cub.

And then, they witnessed Zu Long’s journey from confidence to existential doubt.

The fox cub was obedient and followed Zu Long’s instructions perfectly. The flow of spiritual energy was flawless, and the incantations were recited without a single mistake. Every time the light flashed, they thought he would transform into a proper human form, but when the light faded, his tail and ears were still there.

The fluffy, large tail was soft and voluminous, and the big, furry ears were adorable—but no matter how cute, they weren’t supposed to be part of a human’s body.

Zu Long lay dazed on the rock, utterly defeated. “Little Fox, are you sure those ears aren’t just glued to your head?”

If they weren’t fake, why couldn’t he retract them?

He was certain his teaching method was correct, and the cub was learning diligently. If not for those stubborn ears and tail, he would’ve praised the cub’s talent.

The current generation of demons was far inferior to those of the Prehistoric Era. Back then, only the finest among the dragon clan could linger around him. For him to give praise was no small feat.

So the question remained—why couldn’t the ears and tail disappear?

Fu Li touched his ears and then his tail, not as disappointed as Zu Long. “My father said the time hasn’t come yet. When it does, they’ll naturally vanish.”

His earlier joke about having Senior She She teach him transformation was just that—a joke. He knew his own situation best. Changing teachers wouldn’t suddenly make him succeed.

“Senior, don’t be upset. It’s not that you lack skill—it’s just that the right moment wandered off to play and forgot the time. Once it comes back, everything will be fine.” The fox cub patiently comforted the senior who had lost his way.

What was the big deal? He wasn’t even upset—why was Senior She She sulking?

Zu Long jolted upright, refusing to accept that he couldn’t even teach a cub to transform. “No anger, no anger. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

He was determined to see this through!

Fu Li didn’t want to waste too much effort on this and took a step back, whispering, “Senior, everything has its destined course. We should let nature take its lead, not force it.”

Zu Long, now in full authoritative mode, suppressed the cub’s protest. “No. You must learn.”

“Senior, you can’t just be unreasonable.” Fu Li puffed his cheeks and sat cross-legged on the rock, arguing his case.

Yuan Feng and Shi Qilin watched them bicker from the side. The little chicken poked the deer antler, and Shi Qilin wordlessly turned to walk farther away.

“Notice anything unusual?” Yuan Feng blinked his beady eyes.

Shi Qilin stayed silent for a long moment before replying, “No.”

Yuan Feng nodded thoughtfully. “Funny, neither did I.”

Shi Qilin: ???  

He thought the other had noticed something—turns out he hadn’t either!

Yuan Feng poked the deer antler again and said righteously, “The fact that none of us can detect any abnormality is the biggest abnormality. This silly little fox cub’s identity must be extraordinary. Isn’t that enough to know for now?”

Shi Qilin couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. He had never been a match for these two when it came to verbal sparring. Shaking his head to dislodge the little chicken, he went off to find a place to cultivate in peace.

Fu Li and Zu Long bickered for a long time, only stopping when the Jade Faced Princess sent a fox maidservant to call him back for dinner.

He needed to fill his stomach first. Once he was full, he could continue the argument.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to fully transform into human form, but after so many failed attempts, stubbornly persisting down that dead-end path was just a waste of energy. Others might refuse to turn back until they hit a wall, but he? He’d hit the wall and still wouldn’t turn back. How foolish was that?

The little fox cub had prepared for a long-term quarrel, but the next day, he was forced to call a truce.

The reason was simple—Tie Shan Gongzhu (Princess Iron Fan) had brought Red Boy to Thunderclap Mountain as guests.

Fu Li: !!!

Jade Faced Princess: !!!

Under his sister’s dagger-like glare, the little fox cub shrank into himself and weakly defended, “I thought Tie Shan Gongzhu was just being polite. Who knew she’d actually come?”

Humans had their social courtesies, and demons had theirs too. When Tie Shan Gongzhu had said a few polite words while seeing them off, if he’d taken them seriously, wouldn’t that have been terribly unsophisticated?

The Jade Faced Princess didn’t know what to say to him. She quickly arranged for the fox maidservants to prepare for the guests.

Tie Shan Gongzhu had come bearing generous gifts, so their Cloud-Touching Cave had to uphold the dignity befitting the rulers of the mountain. The Bull Demon King was the Bull Demon King, and Tie Shan Gongzhu was Tie Shan Gongzhu—they couldn’t be lumped together.

Fu Li rubbed his nose and followed them out, keeping his head down and not daring to speak.

The Jade Faced Princess didn’t dare let her guard down, but she maintained a warm smile. After welcoming Tie Shan Gongzhu inside and noticing Red Boy also keeping his head down, she suggested the two children go out to play.

Fu Li: ???

Sis! That’s mixing up the generations!

I call Tie Shan Gongzhu “Sis”! Red Boy might have been born earlier, but in Cloud-Touching Cave, he’d still have to call me “Uncle”!

The little fox cub was indignant inside, but he didn’t dare show it. He could only obediently take Red Boy outside.

Fortunately, Red Boy had also come to Thunderclap Mountain unwillingly. Seeing that Red Boy was equally unhappy made him feel a bit better.

Fu Li perked up. If he’d been given this task, he’d do it well. Just watch how he’d show Red Boy the splendid sights of Thunderclap Mountain.

Red Boy: …

He had been living free and easy on Hao Mountain when Tie Shan Gongzhu suddenly summoned him back to Emerald Cloud Mountain. He’d thought something major had happened at home, only to find out his father had caused trouble outside, and his mother was taking him to apologize.

The Old Fox King of Thunderclap Mountain was already gone. There wasn’t a single capable fighter left there. Even if his father had truly done wrong, she could just beat him up—why go to Thunderclap Mountain to apologize?

If she wanted to go alone, fine. But she had to say something about Thunderclap Mountain having a young prince around his age and insisted he come along to keep him company.

Making him, the Great King Holy Infant, go to Thunderclap Mountain as a playmate? As if he wouldn’t burn that fox bald with a single breath of fire.

Red Boy had protested for a long time in Plantain Cave, but it was useless. No matter how unwilling, he had no choice but to come along.

Fine, if it was just playing, he’d play.

“Is Thunderclap Mountain so big yet only has one Mountain God?” The Great King Holy Infant tilted his head, looking innocently at the silly little prince of Thunderclap Mountain who was enthusiastically telling him about all the fun spots in the mountains. “My Hao Mountain is only six hundred li, yet it has thirty Mountain Gods and thirty Earth Gods. Thunderclap Mountain actually only has one? Does he even get enough to eat normally?”

Fu Li’s eyes curved with laughter. “Of course he eats well. See that golden-glowing palace over there? That’s our Thunderclap Mountain’s Mountain God Temple.”

“What’s the point of building such a fancy Mountain God Temple? Do you guys actually worship the Mountain God?” Red Boy blinked, his exaggerated expression of surprise a bit overdone. “My Hao Mountain is different. The Mountain Gods and Earth Gods there have to report to me every morning to work.”

Fu Li: “…”

Can’t you just let it go?!

The little prince of Thunderclap Mountain stopped walking. Sarcasm was one thing, but he’d never been afraid of anyone.

“Your Mountain Gods and Earth Gods are just minor deities born from heaven and earth. Our Thunderclap Mountain’s Mountain God is different—he was nurtured into existence by my father’s methods. He alone governs thousands of li of Thunderclap Mountain. If he hadn’t firmly refused, I’d even have to call him ‘Second Brother.'”

“My father can make mountains and rivers give birth to divine spirits. Can your father do that?”

Author’s note:  

Fox cub (disdainfully): Can your father do that?  

Red Boy (darkly): Father, can you?  

Bull Demon King (awkwardly): Well… uh…