The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 103

Chapter 103

The big fox and the little fox cub loved to snuggle together in winter. Their fur provided mutual warmth. The little fox cub would bury her head in the dense, soft downy fur on the big fox’s belly, her nine small tails wagging behind her.

She treated the big fox as the warmest plush nest. No matter how heavily it snowed outside, the big fox’s thick coat would keep the little fox cub from getting cold.

Cang Ran would gently stroke the little fox cub’s small tails with her paw pads. The little fox cub would let out a cute awoo sound. After warming her small face against the big fox, she would hop into Tan Qingxuan’s arms to serve as a little portable heater for her.

The little heater didn’t realize how warm she was, nor why her niangqin‘s hands were always cool. Although Cang Ran had told her that niangqin was a cultivator and didn’t need fur, the little fox cub still suspected the big fox had hidden her niangqin‘s fox fur.

Every time Cang Ran saw the little fox cub curl up on Tan Qingxuan’s lower abdomen, she would be reminded of how the cub must have been inside her mother’s womb, and a surge of emotion, almost tears, would well up. She and Tan Qingxuan had jointly nurtured a tiny life.

Of course, Cang Ran’s sentimentality never lasted long before the little fox cub started causing trouble, making the big fox let out sharp cries of alarm in various unexpected ways.

For instance, knocking over a bookshelf, spilling ink, or accidentally swallowing a toy. The little fox cub was a restless child. If you didn’t watch her for a second, she would cause some small destruction. Seeing the big fox jump around, she thought the big fox was playing with her.

To Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan, this mischievousness was simply adorable. The little fox cub resembled both mothers so much that seeing the traits of their own childhood in her, they couldn’t help but indulge her more.

Cultivators knew spells, so cleaning up was always fast. All they needed to do was wash the little mischievous cub clean. Due to the cub’s curiosity about new things, she soon grew accustomed to everything in the Rising Phoenix Palace and lost interest. By the age of three, she began playing wildly everywhere in the Grand Profound Sect.

The little fox cub had been well-taught on Fox Mountain. Even when mischievous, she wouldn’t do anything rude. The elders and disciples in the sect all adored the lively child.

However, the little fox cub sometimes found things confusing. One day, back at home, held in her fox mother’s arms, she asked Cang Ran in a soft, baby voice: “Mother, why does everyone call me ‘Little Immortal Venerable’ and not Xiangxiang? What is an Immortal Venerable?”

Cang Ran was reminded that Tan Qingxuan originated from the Upper Realm, an incarnation of Profound Venerable ($Qingxuan Shenzun$). Even if she was currently unwilling to ascend, she would eventually return to the God Realm one day.

When Tan Qingxuan was as small as Xiang Bao, was she also called Immortal Venerable Qingxuan? Would she, like Xiang Bao, ask someone this question? Who would Tan Qingxuan have asked?

Tan Qingxuan had said her Master, Patriarch Fu Qing, was always busy. Was Tan Qingxuan so reserved because she had no one to share her thoughts with when she was little?

Cang Ran calmed herself down, stroked the little fox cub’s head, and said earnestly: “Because your mother is Tan Qingxuan, who is respectfully called Immortal Venerable Qingxuan. Everyone likes Xiang Bao very much, which is why they call Xiang Bao ‘Little Immortal Venerable.'”

The little fox cub nodded like a little adult, kissed Cang Ran’s cheek, and sweetly said: “Xiang Bao likes everyone too.”

Cang Ran was kissed with a muah sound by her daughter, a smile spreading across her lips. The little fox cub grew cuter every day, looking delicate and lovely, and so much like Tan Qingxuan. It always felt like getting a kiss from a little Tan Qingxuan.

Tan Qingxuan was too reserved to initiate a kiss often, but the little fox cub was used to being kissed by the big fox and liked to use kisses to act cute. Cang Ran’s heart always melted when she was kissed by her.

She held her milky-smelling daughter, kissing the little fox cub’s fragrant forehead: “Let’s go find your niangqin. Let’s see what she’s doing?”

The little fox cub squatted on the big fox’s shoulder, searching for her niangqin with her. They searched all the places where her niangqin usually was, but today they didn’t see Tan Qingxuan’s figure. Coming out of the palace, they saw Tan Qingxuan practicing her sword under the tree.

Dark thunderclouds were brewing in the sky. Tan Qingxuan’s sword intent had always been powerful. A circle of golden spiritual energy surrounded her. As the foremost person in this world, her every sword practice would trigger unusual phenomena.

But this time, Cang Ran sensed something different. Her nerves tightened. There was a strong premonition that Tan Qingxuan was about to undergo a tribulation and ascend at any moment.

Tan Qingxuan saw them approach and retracted her sword stance, but the thunderclouds did not dissipate. Instead, the wind howled fiercely, signaling an impending storm.

A drop of icy cold rain fell from the sky, hitting Cang Ran’s upturned nose, chilling her to the core.

The water droplet turned into a slippery streak, flowing down and splashing onto the floor.

The little fox cub waved her chubby little hands, happily saying: “It’s raining, it’s raining! Xiang Bao can use her pretty little umbrella and look for little frogs to play with.”

Cang Ran’s robes fluttered violently in the strong wind. A sharp pang of pain pierced her heart. She held the little fox cub’s back: “We can’t use an umbrella or look for little frogs today.”

The little fox cub didn’t understand why she couldn’t use an umbrella. She stayed quietly in her mother’s arms, asking confusedly: “Why? Niangqin said Xiang Bao will get sick if she gets wet. Xiang Bao is a good baby and needs an umbrella.”

Cang Ran didn’t know how to talk to the baby about the ascension lightning tribulation. After Tan Qingxuan ascended, the little fox cub wouldn’t see her niangqin for an unknown period, and neither would she.

Tan Qingxuan saw Cang Ran and the little fox cub approach but noticed they didn’t get as close as usual. She quickly walked over, embracing both Cang Ran and the little fox cub, using the spiritual energy around her to shield the mother and daughter from the rain falling from the sky.

Although Tan Qingxuan had given the little fox cub three hundred years of cultivation when she was born, she had already touched upon the path of ascension at the age of three hundred and had already passed the ascension lightning tribulation at the age of eight hundred. It was only because the Heavenly Ladder had not descended that she had not ascended.

When the Heavenly Ladder was restored, Tan Qingxuan had sensed it. As she was giving birth at the time, she transferred a portion of her cultivation to the little fox cub and suppressed her own cultivation, concealing the heavenly secrets, which allowed her to raise the little fox cub with Cang Ran for three years.

Cang Ran looked at Tan Qingxuan’s picturesque face and couldn’t help but ask, “Is it the ascension lightning tribulation?”

Tan Qingxuan nodded slightly: “I had already passed the ascension lightning tribulation before I met you. This time, it is the Heavenly Ladder coming to guide me to the Upper Realm.”

Cang Ran asked sadly, “Are you going to ascend?”

The little fox cub saw her mother’s tears falling like broken threads. Thinking her mother was hurt, she quickly used her tender little hands to wipe them away: “Mother, don’t cry. Xiang Bao will blow on it, and the pain will fly away.”

The little fox cub’s cheeks were like soft white buns. Her pink little mouth puckered up, blowing seriously to comfort the big fox.

Tan Qingxuan took the little fox cub, a look of pity flashing in her eyes. She gently wiped the tears from Cang Ran’s eyes with her thumb: “I won’t ascend.”

Her white clothes were whiter than snow. In the midst of the vast rain, these simple words were more profound than a thousand eloquent sentences. Her usually cool and peerless eyes were filled with deep affection.

Cang Ran’s clear tears spun in her eyes: “Can you really not ascend? Will it have any adverse effects on you?”

Tan Qingxuan gently stroked her cheek, as gentle as always: “I am the reincarnation of a Venerable God. The Heavenly Dao of this world cannot harm me. I want to spend all the coming years with you and the cub. The Heavenly Ladder will only descend for three days. Once the three days pass and the Heavenly Ladder retracts, I can stay in the Lower Realm forever.”

Just as Tan Qingxuan said, after the thunderclouds dispersed, a sacred Heavenly Ladder connecting to the Upper Realm descended, landing directly in front of the Rising Phoenix Palace. Melodious immortal music emanated from the Heavenly Ladder, and the sky was filled with ten thousand golden rays of light.

This celestial phenomenon not only attracted the attention of the many elders of the Grand Profound Sect, but also many people rushed from afar to the vicinity of the Grand Profound Sect, hoping to witness Immortal Venerable Qingxuan overcoming her tribulation, ascending, and reclaiming her status as a God Venerable.

However, Tan Qingxuan never stepped onto the Heavenly Ladder. Instead, someone descended from the Heavenly Ladder. Cang Ran initially thought someone had come to receive Tan Qingxuan and wondered how Tan Qingxuan would refuse, but then she saw the elegant and sacred Demon God ($Yaoshen$) Lord.

The Demon God Lord stopped on the last step of the Heavenly Ladder, the hem of her white robe gracefully draped down. Behind her followed a goddess with long red hair as wild as raging fire, her features heroic, her pupils scarlet, and even her eyebrows seemed to be burning with flames.

Cang Ran was stunned. The Demon God looked at her tenderly, her voice very gentle: “Child, come closer so we can talk. Have you been well recently?”

The goddess behind her couldn’t wait a moment longer and immediately spoke: “We are your mothers.”

Cang Ran took a step forward, then paused in shock, frowning: “You must have the wrong person. I don’t have mothers, and I am not the original fox. I am a person from another world.”

The Demon God gently caressed her forehead and eyes, sighing at how remarkably similar Cang Ran looked to her: “You are my bloodline. How could I be mistaken? If it weren’t for someone plotting against us and stealing you away from me, your mother and I wouldn’t have been separated from you for so long.”

The Demon God had white hair and was pure as snow, untainted by the dust. Cang Ran couldn’t see any resemblance between herself and the Demon God Lord. She was a red fox now, with red hair, which was similar to the goddess behind her, who possessed the innate dignity of a divine being.

She pursed her lips and retreated a few steps: “No.”

Tan Qingxuan walked over with the little fox cub, handing the cub to Cang Ran. She stood protectively in front of Cang Ran and said coldly: “If the Supreme God wishes to recognize a relative, she must first see if the other party is willing.”

The Demon God Lord saw Cang Ran retreating, a trace of hurt flashing in her eyes. The goddess behind her, seeing Cang Ran unwilling to approach them, was so anxious that a layer of flames flickered around her.

The goddess couldn’t leave the Heavenly Ladder. She quickly explained, trying to win back her child: “Qingxuan, move aside. We won’t hurt her. She is our child. A’Ran, someone sealed you, causing you to fall into a deep sleep. When you woke up, you only had three tails. You were still in swaddling clothes when you left us, and someone altered your memories, which is why you don’t remember us.”

The Demon God added to the goddess’s explanation, speaking patiently: “That person made you disappointed in motherhood and unattached to family affection in the foreign world. They implanted false memories of that foreign world into you. The False Heavenly Dao also wanted to take advantage of you, guiding you to help the person it had chosen. When your mother and I discovered your life was threatened and couldn’t change the memories that person had altered, we could only convey our premonitions to you in the form of dreams.

We cannot descend to the Lower Realm. Even when the Heavenly Ladder descends, we cannot step off it. The last time you appeared in the Demon God’s Palace, I could only speak to you through a strand of my divine consciousness.”

These words struck Cang Ran like a bolt of lightning, stunning her where she stood. To Cang Ran, her past was something that genuinely happened. She hadn’t met a loving mother and had grown up like a weed, no longer yearning for maternal love. She was capable of loving herself well.

Indeed, as they said, there were peculiarities about her. She didn’t feel like the original fox, yet she could skillfully use demon magic, hunt to feed herself, and use her beast form without any discomfort immediately after crossing over.

Her nine tails were not the result of cultivation but the outcome of the Demon God Lord helping to break the seal. But this didn’t mean she had to acknowledge the two Supreme Gods as her mothers. Compared to the distant and unpromised God Realm, she would rather be a wild fox, living a simple life with Tan Qingxuan and the little fox cub.

Cang Ran hesitated for a long time behind Tan Qingxuan, then spoke to the Demon God and the goddess: “I don’t know if what the two Supreme Gods say is true or false, but Qingqing and I already have our own home now. I cannot become your child, and I don’t want to go to the God Realm.”

The Demon God stared at Cang Ran, instantly bursting into tears, as if pierced by ten thousand arrows. Two streams of blood-tears rolled down her face. She had considered that her child might not recognize her, but she hadn’t had the chance to make amends with Cang Ran.

Separated for many years, she thought of her child constantly. She remembered that Cang Ran was still a small kit when she left her side. Now, she had grown so much, yet she had never once called her ‘Mother.’ She had explained the causality, but Cang Ran was still distant.

The goddess thought that after the explanation, their past grievances would be resolved. It was already a failure as a mother that their child hadn’t grown up safely by their side. That person had truly succeeded. Missed chances were missed chances. The child wouldn’t give them an opportunity.

She held back her tears and quickly asked Tan Qingxuan: “Qingxuan, are you going back to the God Realm? You can take A’Ran and the child back to the God Realm with you.”

Tan Qingxuan, as a mother, could understand the Demon God and the goddess. If she were to lose the little fox cub, she would feel the same regret and self-reproach as the two Supreme Gods. But since Cang Ran was unwilling, she would respect Cang Ran’s decision.

She knew Cang Ran was an insecure fox. She said solemnly: “Cang Ran has made her decision. I will naturally accompany her and remain in the Lower Realm. The two Supreme Gods can return to the God Realm.”

The goddess had never expected this outcome. She quickly looked at the Demon God. The Demon God’s sorrowful gaze fell on Cang Ran, and then on the little fox cub she held in her arms.

Cang Ran was even smaller than the little fox cub when she left her side. That tiny kit, separated from her mother, fell into the hands of others before she was even a month old. It must have been very hard for her to grow up alone all those years.

The Demon God wiped the tear stains from her face and asked gently: “May I see your child?”

The Demon God had broken her seal and given her the Demon God’s Palace, which was certainly a kindness.

Cang Ran considered it for a moment, then held the child out for the Demon God to see.

The little fox cub’s nose and mouth resembled Cang Ran’s. Seeing her, the Demon God was reminded of Cang Ran’s appearance as a child, and her heart was overcome with greater sorrow. She said sincerely: “This child truly looks like A’Ran.”

The goddess looked at the child, tears in her eyes: “She is as beautiful as A’Ran was when she was little.”

The little fox cub didn’t know why the two strangers were staring at her. She hid in Cang Ran’s arms and called out to Tan Qingxuan: “Niangqin, Xiang Bao wants to go home.”

Tan Qingxuan took the child from Cang Ran. Cang Ran also patted the little fox cub’s back, soothing the child.

The Demon God saw that Cang Ran’s attention was entirely on the little fox cub. She knew that after this farewell, she would never see Cang Ran again. She asked: “Child, since you don’t wish to ascend to the God Realm, would you be willing to come and talk with us every day during these few days?”

Simply talking posed no harm, and the Heavenly Ladder would only descend for three days. Cang Ran nodded in agreement: “Alright.”

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