After Transmigrating and Humiliating the Cold and Glamorous Demon Venerable - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Eggs Are Also Chickens

Ye Lanqing placed the little fox back onto the bed. She had intended to check the wardrobe to see if her clothes had been chewed on, but her stomach suddenly let out a loud rumble. The original host’s cultivation was very low, far from the stage of Bigu (grain avoidance/fasting). Having just used her internal power to treat Zhao Hanxing’s injuries, the hunger was now even more overwhelming.

Ye Lanqing glanced at the little fox, who was resting on the bed with eyes closed but ears twitching slightly. With injuries so severe, she definitely needed food to replenish her strength.

Ye Lanqing looked at a few pieces of pastry on the table that were dry enough to choke someone. As for her storage bag, it contained only two low-grade spirit stones. These had to be used for emergencies; if she used them just to trade for a bite to eat, she would soon be left with nothing.

It seemed she could only go to the sect’s communal kitchen to try her luck and see if her status allowed her to claim any food.

“Little fox, you’re hungry too, aren’t you?”

Since she was going out to find food, the little fox couldn’t stay on the bed. Kittens and puppies could tear a house apart, let alone a villainous Demon Venerable from a book. If the Demon Venerable decided to renovate the place, it would surely be far more violent. She couldn’t let the original host’s meager belongings be destroyed.

What to do? Lock the little fox with iron chains? Definitely not. She was already so fierce just having medicine applied; if she were chained up, there was no telling how she might retaliate once she regained her strength.

The little fox would just have to endure staying in a cage for a while.

Ye Lanqing moved a rusty cage from the courtyard into the room. Seeing that the bottom of the iron cage was a bit dirty, she took the remaining cloth to wipe it clean and then took a relatively soft padded jacket from the wardrobe to line the bottom.

Looking at the cage, Ye Lanqing couldn’t help but sigh. Her supplies for the winter were already scarce, and after setting aside the ruined ones, she had to share half with the little fox. But the little fox was so badly injured; she couldn’t just let her sleep on the hard iron.

Ye Lanqing did her best to make the cage comfortable, added two pieces of charcoal to the mud stove, and cracked the window open slightly. Once everything was ready, she said to the little fox:

“Wait here. I’m going to find some food for you.”

Zhong Xue closed her eyes. She had no intention of eating whatever food this wicked cultivator brought back.

Seeing no opposition from the little fox, Ye Lanqing took it as agreement. She opened the cage door, scooped up the little fox, and prepared to put her inside.

Zhong Xue struggled forcefully several times, finally using her claws to brace against the cage. This little Taoist had clearly promised to remove the messy things from her neck once the medicine was applied, yet not only had she failed to do so, she had even brought in this beast cage that restricted her spiritual energy.

Those sapphire-like eyes flashed with murderous intent again. Zhong Xue wanted to fight this reckless little Taoist to the death.

Seeing the little fox’s body tense and her claws death-gripping the cage door in resistance, Ye Lanqing coaxed: “I’ll only be out for a little while. I’ll let you out as soon as I get back.”

In her previous life at the pet hospital, disobedient little ones had to stay in cages temporarily. To Ye Lanqing, this wasn’t abuse. But to Zhong Xue, this little Taoist was mocking her dignity as the Demon Venerable.

As the little fox’s body remained half-stuck outside, Ye Lanqing studied her. It was likely that the makeshift Elizabethan collar on her neck was uncomfortable, and coupled with her dislike for the cage, she was being extremely resistant. She had initially promised to take it off, but in this situation, she feared it would be difficult to put back on if she removed it now.

“Poor little thing, if you promise not to bite me, I’ll take it off.”

Zhong Xue looked at Ye Lanqing with cold eyes. This little Taoist dared to negotiate terms with the magnificent Demon Venerable?

“Poor little thing, if you agree not to bite me, wag your tail.”

Zhong Xue: ???

What did this little Taoist take her for? She wasn’t some dog kept by humans; how could she possibly wag her tail? Not only would she bite this little Taoist, she would bite her to death!

Every hair on the little fox wrote the word “resistance.” Ye Lanqing sighed helplessly: “If you won’t wag your tail, I can only let you endure this for a bit.”

Zhong Xue: …

In the end, Zhong Xue most reluctantly moved her tail. Though the movement was perfunctory, one could see she had wagged it twice.

“So good.” Ye Lanqing nimbly untied the tree bark bound around the little fox’s neck. After placing the little fox into the cage, Ye Lanqing used her spiritual energy to lock the cage, following the original host’s memory.

The liberated little fox shook her head vigorously and immediately began to gnaw at the cloth Ye Lanqing had tied around her four paws.

Ye Lanqing tidied her faded dress and put on a cloak that could barely block the wind. It was the height of winter; the sky was gloomy, and the cold wind swirled with fine grains of snow that hit the face like knives.

The residences of the low-level disciples of the Xuanfeng Sect were scattered along the mountainside. Not only were the houses simple, but the paths up the mountain were rugged. Ye Lanqing wrapped her worn cloak tightly and trudged through the snow toward the kitchen located halfway up the mountain.

It was currently the hour for serving dinner, and many cultivators were gathered there. A few who were familiar with the original host merely nodded from a distance without approaching to talk. The original host was solitary and had no friends within the sect. Ye Lanqing didn’t mind and walked straight to the window where rations were distributed.

The person in charge of food distribution was a middle-aged cultivator with drooping eyelids and a downturned mouth. Her name was Wang Qingshan, but the disciples privately called her “Wang the Skin-Stripper.”

The several low-level cultivators in front of her all successfully received their food: two coarse-grain buns, a small bowl of soup with almost no trace of oil, and a small dish of green vegetables. When it was Ye Lanqing’s turn, she handed over her identity wooden plaque.

Wang Qingshan lifted her eyelids, glanced at her carelessly, then at the plaque, snorted, and casually took a bun from a nearby basket that was noticeably smaller than the others and looked rock-hard. With a “clatter,” she threw it onto the tray in front of Ye Lanqing. As for the soup and vegetables, she ignored them entirely.

“Aunt Wang,” Ye Lanqing suppressed her anger and tried to speak in a level tone, “My soup and vegetables…”

Wang Qingshan waved her hand impatiently, like shooing a fly: “None left! Today’s ration is just this, take it or leave it!”

Ye Lanqing looked at the steaming soup and vegetables on the trays of the cultivators ahead, then at the lonely, seemingly overnight hard bun in front of her. Her voice turned cold. “Aunt Wang, I clearly saw the sisters and juniors ahead receive soup and vegetables. Why is it that when it gets to me, there are none?”

“Hey!” Wang Qingshan slammed her ladle against the side of the bucket and put her hands on her hips. “You couldn’t hunt a single thing during the last hunt. You contribute absolutely nothing to the sect and just spend your days eating and drinking for free. You’re lucky to even get a bite; you still want soup and vegetables?”

Her voice rose, drawing the attention of many surrounding cultivators. Ye Lanqing knew this was deliberate bullying. In the original host’s memory, even when she did hunt something, Wang Qingshan would still embezzle her rations. The original host used to swallow her pride and remain silent, but today was different. She could endure being hungry herself, but the heavily injured fox back in the room desperately needed nutrition.

“Aunt, according to sect rules, every cultivator who has not reached the stage of Bigu is entitled to a daily fixed ration of food. Please distribute it according to the rules.” Ye Lanqing straightened her back and looked Wang Qingshan directly in the eye.

One must know that for an ordinary person to enter the sect, they had to pay a chest of spirit stones. These stones were more than enough to cover their food and drink for thirty years. Not to mention low-level cultivators like them had to do various chores like chopping wood and carrying water.

Wang Qingshan was momentarily stunned by her gaze, which quickly turned into humiliated rage. She was used to bullying these backgroundless cultivators; when had she ever been publicly defied like this?

“Rules? In here, my word is the rule!” Wang Qingshan’s finger nearly poked Ye Lanqing’s nose. “If you won’t eat it, give the bun back!”

The surrounding disciples let out low snickers and murmurs. Someone leaned toward Ye Lanqing and whispered, “Just go. You’ve offended Aunt Wang; be careful or you won’t even have an overnight bun tomorrow.”

Ye Lanqing indignantly picked up the bun and walked out. Leaving the kitchen, the icy air filled her lungs, making her shiver. She looked at the bun in her hand, hard as a stone, and laughed self-mockingly. This little bit was hardly enough to fill a gap in her teeth, let alone provide nutrition for the little fox. Given the little fox’s arrogant nature, she would probably rather starve to death than eat this.

She had to find a way to get other food, especially meat. She remembered there was an area on the back of the mountain where wild rabbits and mountain chickens occasionally appeared. Although private hunting was against sect rules, it might be the only way.

As she was secretly calculating and preparing to take a detour to the back mountain to try her luck, a slightly hesitant voice sounded behind her: “Ye… Junior Sister Ye?”

Ye Lanqing turned around and saw a young girl wearing similarly plain clothing, looking at her somewhat timidly. This girl was named Liu Xiaohan; she had entered the sect at the same time as the original host. She was cowardly and was also a frequent target of bullying. However, because her attitude was soft, some sisters would speak up for her, so she fared slightly better than the original host.

Liu Xiaohan walked up quickly and hurriedly stuffed an oil-paper bundle that was still warm into Ye Lanqing’s hand, whispering: “Junior Sister Ye, take this. I don’t have a good appetite today and couldn’t eat much.”

Ye Lanqing was startled. She opened the bundle to find a soft, appetizing steamed cake and two boiled eggs.

“This…” Ye Lanqing looked at Liu Xiaohan, but the other girl didn’t dare meet her eyes, looking down and twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers.

“I saw you just now…” Liu Xiaohan’s voice was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz. “Aunt Wang has always been like that. Don’t take it to heart, and don’t get into more conflicts with her. Take it and eat it while it’s warm. If you say a few kind words to her tomorrow, she might give you more food.”

After saying this, as if afraid of being seen, she quickly ran away.

Ye Lanqing sighed. It seemed the original host’s social standing was truly pathetic if her only friendly peer didn’t even dare to give her food openly. Looking at the two eggs in her hand, Ye Lanqing finally felt a bit more at ease.

“Foxes love chickens, and eggs are basically half a chicken. The little fox should like them.”

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