Chapter 7

Fu Li happily took the empty plates back after finishing his story, leaving the three senior figures grumbling at the entrance.

“What kind of nonsense is this? How could a tiny pond have a Dragon King? Since when did Dragon Kings become so worthless?” Zu Long frowned deeply, his eyes turning red with rising anger. “And that Ten Thousand Saints Princess—a member of the dragon clan who looks down on her own kind, only to marry some Nine-Headed Bug as a son-in-law. What was she thinking?”

“Probably because he’s strong and capable. What else could it be?” Yuan Feng lifted her cool gaze, hitting the mark with every pointed remark.

Didn’t she know exactly what dragons were like? Why pretend otherwise?

As the two seemed on the verge of another fight, Shi Qilin rubbed his aching head and drifted off like a ghost to find the little fox cub, hoping to soothe his battered heart.

He just couldn’t understand it. The dragon, phoenix, and qilin clans had all fallen into ruin, so why were these two still so argumentative? Couldn’t they act more dignified?

Fu Li paid no mind to the internal conflicts among the seniors—it wasn’t his place to intervene, nor did he have the ability to do so.

The little fox cub seemed perpetually carefree. First, he dashed off to check on Jade Faced Princess, making sure she wasn’t secretly crying. After fooling around for a while, he shifted back to his fox form and let her comb his fur.

There was no need to save face in front of his sister—she’d seen him in every state imaginable. The best way to avoid overthinking was to keep busy, and he was sacrificing himself to keep her from brooding. It definitely wasn’t just because he wanted a good grooming.

Ah, where else could one find such a thoughtful little brother?

The cub waved his paws and pranced about until Jade Faced Princess was smiling again, soon melting into a fluffy fox pancake on her lap, his nine tails wagging contentedly.

There was no rule saying only cats and dogs could enjoy being groomed. Foxes liked it too—they were furry creatures, after all. It was perfectly natural.

Don’t stop, don’t stop—the cub wanted more.

Jade Faced Princess gently combed his fur until the little fox was neat and pretty, then put away the brush and carried the sprawled-out sleeper back to his room.

Her silly brother had always been clingy. While other cubs groomed themselves, he was too pampered, carrying his little brush around and begging others to do it for him.

Shi Qilin watched their sibling interaction silently, feeling a bit intrusive if he revealed himself now, so he drifted leisurely through Cloud-Touching Cave instead.

Ten Thousand Year Fox King was a Demon King with refined tastes. The cave entrance was halfway up the mountain, its hollowed-out interior no less stunning than the outside—carved beams, painted rafters, and scenic views at every turn. Shi Qilin couldn’t help but sigh at how crude their own dwellings had been in comparison.

Truly, the fox clan always excelled in the art of indulgence.

Hazy light faded as the night deepened, dusk sweeping in. After a few weary crows cawed their way home, the mountain soon fell into silence.

By midnight, the little fox cub grew restless in his sleep, perhaps remembering the departed Old Fox King again. Whimpering, he curled into a ball, looking so pitiful it melted hearts.

Shi Qilin settled by the bed to comfort the sniffling cub, noticing Yuan Feng and Zu Long drifting closer. He glanced at them and sighed slowly. “Missing your son, huh?”

He transformed into Qilin Cliff right under Sibuxiang’s nose, and who knows how badly he scared the kid. Sibuxiang was timid—would he end up having nightmares every night like this Little Fox Cub?  

Ah, it really made him worry.  

Yuan Feng: “…”  

Zu Long: “…”  

The two of them seemed a bit superfluous. Maybe they should just go out and fight again.  

The Golden Crow soared at dawn, the sun rising over Fusang. At the entrance of Cloud-Touching Cave, fresh flowers bloomed and bamboo swayed, the vast sky clear and free of mist.  

The Little Fox Cub slept soundly until daybreak. After washing up and filling his belly, he stood on a large rock by the door, taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air. He spread his arms wide to embrace the beautiful day. “Wow, what a gorgeous mountain—it’s mine!”  

Every morning, the first thing he did was boost the mountain’s confidence. Their Thunderclap Mountain was no worse than any other peak, and its Mountain God would be the most dazzling of them all.  

Mountain Gods and Earth Gods were ghostly immortals who governed a region’s land. More formally, they were revered as the Gods of Fortune and Virtue. The Mountain God and Earth God lived underground, sustained by offerings of incense. Usually, as long as there were a few dozen households, there would be shrines for them, so these minor deities could be found everywhere.  

Emerald Cloud Mountain and Flame Mountain had human villages, but Thunderclap Mountain was vast, with towering peaks and deep valleys, rarely visited by people. It was home to wild and untamed spirits—any living soul who ventured in would be devoured down to the bone. No one dared to come here unless absolutely desperate.  

Only humans worshipped Mountain Gods and Earth Gods, and Thunderclap Mountain stretched for hundreds of miles with barely a human in sight. Naturally, there were no ghostly immortals subsisting on incense offerings here. It wasn’t until their father, the Demon King, settled in Thunderclap Mountain and used thunderous methods to discipline the unruly spirits that things finally fell into order.  

“Thunderous methods”—quite literally.  

According to his sister, their father’s title of Demon King was earned through sheer force. He could summon wind and rain, command thunder and lightning, and crushed anyone who dared oppose him. Only then did he carve out a home in Thunderclap Mountain, digging caves and establishing his domain.  

By the time Fu Li was born, their family had already lived on Thunderclap Mountain for many years. He didn’t know how much of his father’s legendary exploits were true, but whenever his sister recounted them, his father would grin like a fool—which seriously undermined the credibility of those tales.  

Back then, with their father around, he and his sister had nothing to worry about. All they had to do was bask in the sun and cultivate. Now that their father was gone, they couldn’t slack off. Otherwise, even if their father became a wandering spirit, he wouldn’t rest in peace.  

If his sister didn’t want to be the Demon King, then he would take up the mantle. As long as he trained hard, one day he’d become a Demon King as awe-inspiring as his father!  

The Little Fox Cub pumped his fist with boundless enthusiasm, as if he had already become the mighty Demon King commanding countless spirits.  

Behind him, Yuan Feng floated out, yawning, and chuckled at the lively little creature. “What’s got you so excited, Fox Cub?”  

“Thinking about when I’ll become the Demon King,” Fu Li replied, hopping down from the rock with sparkling eyes. “Don’t let Cloud-Touching Cave’s quietness fool you—when Father was here, it was bustling. All the big spirits from the surrounding mountains were his underlings.”  

But now, with the Demon King gone, the warmth had faded. If not for the lingering respect for their father’s legacy, he and his sister might have already been driven out to wander the wilds.

At the end of the day, it was because their cultivation was too weak. If he could be as invincible as their father, sweeping through the surrounding regions without a match, no demon would dare cause trouble at Thunderclap Mountain even after his father was gone.

Ah, never mind. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

Fu Li shook his head, tossing all his worries aside. When he looked up again, he was back to being the cheerful little fox cub. “Elder, do you have anything to do? I’m heading to the Mountain God’s temple later. If you’re free, you can come with me.”

The Thunderclap Mountain territory only had a Mountain God temple, not an Earth God shrine. No matter how much demons restrained their demonic nature, they were still demons—they couldn’t be as meticulous as humans.

When his fox father underwent his tribulation, he and his sister were locked in the deepest, darkest chamber of the Cloud-Touching Cave. By the time they broke the seal, everything was already over.

They said that when a demon failed their tribulation, their soul would scatter to the winds. But Fu Li refused to believe his fox father, so formidable, wouldn’t have made any preparations. As long as he and his sister guarded Thunderclap Mountain, one day, their father might just pop up out of nowhere to surprise them.

He knew it was a naive thought—but what if?

Even if his fox father had become a wandering spirit, he couldn’t be left with no one to remember him. He’d been wealthy and influential in life; he shouldn’t have to go without money in death.

A few days ago, Fu Li had already discussed with the Mountain God of Thunderclap Mountain about building a temple for his father to gather incense offerings. He didn’t understand the intricacies, but the Mountain God, a minor deity who relied on faith and incense for sustenance, surely did.

But before they could finalize the details, that damned old bull had shown up.

Now that the three great elders also needed incense offerings, they could just carve out a corner in his fox father’s temple for them. If they ever got tired of the incense, they could switch things up with some chicken, venison, or snake meat.

Well, that was assuming his fox father could beat them in a fight.

Of course, he couldn’t let the great elders catch wind of such schemes. If he angered them all, what would happen to his golden-finger grandpas?

The little fox cub’s dark, gleaming eyes darted around, clearly plotting mischief. Yuan Feng ruffled his big ears, pretending not to notice. “That old mudfish said he wanted to check out Azure Wave Pool. I have to keep an eye on him so he doesn’t cause a scene.”

Among the three of them, only Shi Qilin had a mild temper. If the situation at Azure Wave Pool was truly as the little one had described yesterday, Zu Long would be furious enough to fill in that wretched puddle on the spot.

Fu Li flicked his ears and tilted his head, putting on his most adorable look. “Well, we can visit the Mountain God later. Can you take me with you to Azure Wave Pool?”

He wanted to see the excitement too.

Yuan Feng pinched his chin, ultimately unable to resist the little fox cub’s big, watery eyes. “Fine. Go tell your sister. We’ll head to Azure Wave Pool in a bit.”

It wasn’t just Zu Long who was simmering with anger—he was also curious about what the so-called dragon palace in that puddle looked like.

Fu Li cheered and dashed off to inform his sister.

A little cub like him didn’t have the freedom to roam as he pleased. Two hundred years old might make him a great-great-great-grandfather in human terms, but among demons—especially those of powerful bloodlines—it was no different from being a newborn.

Though Thunderclap Mountain wasn’t far from Emerald Cloud Mountain and Rocky Mountain, he’d never actually been to any of the surrounding areas.

Off they went—time for an adventure!

The little fox cub of Thunderclap Mountain bounced excitedly, ready to set out. Meanwhile, deep within the Wansheng Dragon Palace at Rocky Mountain’s Azure Wave Pool, lanterns burned through the night, and the banquet showed no signs of ending.

The Azure Water Golden-Eyed Beast dozed at the entrance, while inside the dazzling golden Dragon Palace, the Bull Demon King and the Wan Sheng Old Dragon clinked cups, drinking countless jars of fine wine throughout the night.

The old bull sought to drown his sorrows in wine, but no matter how much he drank, he couldn’t get drunk. He could only pour out his grievances to the Wan Sheng Old Dragon. “The meager offerings from the folks near Flame Mountain aren’t nearly enough. Sheng Ying has just settled in Hao Mountain, and expenses are piling up everywhere. With the Old Fox King gone from Thunderclap Mountain, I figured the Jade Faced Princess and that little prince wouldn’t be able to hold onto their fortune. They’d be better off taking in a capable son-in-law like me to keep their lives stable. But Tie Shan just won’t agree.”

What was there to oppose? He could just take up a job at Thunderclap Mountain to earn money for the family—it wasn’t like he wouldn’t return.

The Old Fox King’s tribulation had caused quite a stir, so the Wan Sheng Old Dragon naturally knew the situation there. But the dragon clans, with their vast wealth from the four seas, had no envy for the riches left behind by the Old Fox King.  

With the Old Fox King gone, his two children indeed didn’t seem capable of safeguarding their inheritance.  

The Old Dragon King sighed, refilling the empty cups before casually asking, “So Thunderclap Mountain wants you to marry into their family?”  

The Bull Demon King hesitated, his gaze flickering. “Ha, haha… Not exactly…”  

Author’s note: Fox cub: Staring—