The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 104

Chapter 104

After the little fox cub was coaxed to sleep, Tan Qingxuan placed multiple layers of barriers in the Rising Phoenix Palace to prevent the two Supreme Gods from using divine spells to spy on them.

Cang Ran rested her head on Tan Qingxuan’s lap and told her about her memories: “Qingqing, I always felt like a stray dog without a home. No one loved me. It wasn’t until I met you that I felt I was adopted.”

“You’ve given me so much love, this much,” Cang Ran gestured to her own small heart and then drew a large heart circle around it. “You are very tolerant of me. The thought of you is sweet. The hardships of the past don’t feel bitter anymore.”

“I also made many friends: little Hedgehog, little naughty bird, Elder Qu, and the annoying Song Zhen, who isn’t so annoying now. I also have a wife and my own baby. I have a small family.”

After speaking, Cang Ran remembered that Tan Qingxuan was an ancient person and might not fully grasp her meaning. Compared to the two sudden mothers, Tan Qingxuan gave her love and kinship. If Tan Qingxuan were to suddenly tell her that she was her mother, Cang Ran might hesitate for a second but would choose to believe it.

Tan Qingxuan said warmly: “In my eyes, A’Ran is not a stray dog. You are the most formidable Fox King ($Huhu Dawang$). I was able to safely give birth to our child because of the peace that the Fox King fought for outside.”

Tan Qingxuan’s soft black hair fell down. Her fair skin looked beautiful, and her serene inky eyes reflected only Cang Ran’s image.

Tan Qingxuan lowered her head. The soft strands of hair brushed against Cang Ran’s cheek, tickling her like a small feather, fluttering her heart.

Their eyes met. The love in Cang Ran’s heart peaked. Perhaps love wasn’t something intense, but the constant awareness that the other person deeply loved her too.

Cang Ran buried her head in Tan Qingxuan’s shoulder and rubbed against her: “I’m not a very strong or brave person. I’m timid and afraid of death, afraid of pain and hard work. If I must be brave, I will only be brave for Qingqing. I feel secure only when you are with me.”

Cang Ran said seriously: “Qingqing, the child and I can go to the God Realm with you. You don’t have to stay here for me. If not ascending has any bad effect on you, you must tell me. You are the most important person to me.”

Tan Qingxuan gently stroked her waist-length red hair. She naturally knew Cang Ran was a timid fox. For Cang Ran, her current life was already perfect, and she didn’t want to face sudden changes.

Tan Qingxuan parted her red lips, her tone very affectionate: “Elder Qu also didn’t ascend. It’s just a choice. Not everyone’s ultimate goal is to ascend. I have cultivated in seclusion for many years, traveled to many places, and met many people. I know what I want. Having you and the child in the Lower Realm is enough. So, A’Ran, what do you want?”

Cang Ran frowned slightly: “I’m the same as you, Qingqing. If we ascend to the God Realm, what will it be like there?”

Tan Qingxuan said warmly: “After ascending to the God Realm, we can no longer return to the Lower Realm. We will probably see my Master, and the Patriarchs. With the elders’ care, it should be no different from our life in the Grand Profound Sect.”

Having to see the elders. She wasn’t that great a fox. What if Master Fu Qing and the Patriarchs didn’t like her and broke them up?

The two Supreme Gods claimed to be her mothers. Cang Ran thought that if she could be stolen from the Demon God’s side, what if someone stole her little fox cub? She wouldn’t be the strongest in the Upper Realm. If she and Qingqing couldn’t protect their cub, she would suffer and blame herself.

Tan Qingxuan saw the worry in her eyes and smoothed her furrowed brow: “Those two Supreme Gods will not leave for another three days. You can talk to them and consider it again.”

Cang Ran nodded: “I will think about it again.”

Cang Ran’s gaze fell on the sleeping little fox cub. The little fox cub was lying flat on her back, revealing her belly. Her nine pale pink little tails were tucked underneath her, and a small pink tongue peeked out a little. She looked adorable and well-behaved, emitting a sweet milky scent that cleared away Cang Ran’s cluttered thoughts.

Cang Ran transformed into the big fox and gently nudged the little fox cub’s soft belly with her nose. The little fox cub was a very fond eater and often ate her small belly until it was round.

No matter how much she sniffed, the cub always smelled of milk. The little fox cub began to gradually wean off milk at three months, but hasn’t fully succeeded even now. Even if she couldn’t get milk from Tan Qingxuan, she would hug a small bottle and act cute with her aunties.

The big fox’s black nose, which kept nudging her, was quickly blocked by Tan Qingxuan’s hand: “Don’t bother her. She’ll be mischievous when she wakes up, and then it’ll be hard to coax her.”

Cang Ran was pinched on her pointy fox mouth by Tan Qingxuan. She gently used her paws to pull the little fox cub into her arms, covering the cub with her fluffy large tail like a blanket, and then snuggled into Tan Qingxuan’s arms herself.

Waking up early the next morning, Cang Ran noticed that the Demon God and the goddess were still sitting cross-legged on the steps of the Heavenly Ladder. They hadn’t left all night and looked at her very gently when they saw her.

Cang Ran also wanted to learn about the God Realm, so she started talking to them. It was then she learned that the goddess next to the Demon God was the Goddess of Fire ($Si Huo zhi Shen$).

In the God Realm, the Goddess of Fire and the Goddess of Time were originally childhood sweethearts, growing up together. After they assumed their respective duties, they had a working relationship, but a childhood sweetheart could not compete with a new arrival. The newly ascended Demon God was the Queen of the Azure Hills, a nine-tailed white fox, who immediately captivated the Goddess of Fire upon her ascension.

Affection grew between the Goddess of Fire and the Demon God over time. They fell in love and gave birth to Cang Ran. Cang Ran was born on the Divine Mountain, and it was snowing heavily that day, so she was named after the Divine Mountain.

Everything was heading toward a happy ending until the Goddess of Time, whose love had been forcefully taken away, couldn’t win back the Goddess of Fire’s heart and couldn’t harm the Demon God, who already had a divine body. She could only brutally attack their child.

The Goddess of Time originally intended to kill Cang Ran directly but wasn’t cruel enough. She only sealed Cang Ran and gave her a low-grade Heterogeneous Fire ($Yihuo$), preventing Cang Ran from dying before adulthood. Afterward, she used a divine artifact to return to the God Realm. By this time, the loving relationship between the Demon God and the Goddess of Fire was already broken because they had lost their child.

Before they could suspect the Goddess of Time, the Goddess of Time used her divine power over time to implant fabricated memories of an alternative time and space into Cang Ran’s mind. When she was caught by the Flower God upon her return to the Upper Realm, the Goddess of Time self-destructed along with the divine artifact before her divine status could be revoked, completely cutting off the possibility of Supreme Gods descending to the Lower Realm ever since.

Although Cang Ran was the child of two gods and was born in the God Realm, after being sealed, she could only remain in the Lower Realm. She could only be reunited with her family after ascension.

The Heavenly Dao of this world was running low on energy and was gradually being eroded by the False Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Gods of the Upper Realm noticed the peril facing this world, and Profound Venerable God (Tan Qingxuan) voluntarily descended to resolve this danger. However, they never expected Profound Venerable God to share this destiny with Cang Ran.

The Demon God, unable to be reunited with her own flesh and blood, could only respect Cang Ran’s decision: “Child, if you are unwilling to ascend now, your mother and I have discussed it and are willing to wait for you to come home in the God Realm. One day in heaven is one year on earth. The Heavenly Ladder has been restored, and your friends in the Lower Realm will also ascend to the Upper Realm one after another.

If you are lonely and wish to see us, you can ascend with them via the Heavenly Ladder before your life span is completely exhausted. Only after ascension can you live as long as heaven and earth and escape the cycle of life and death.”

Cang Ran nodded. Perhaps there would be such a day. The little fox cub she and Tan Qingxuan raised would grow up. They would get bored staying in the mortal and cultivation worlds, and all their old friends would have ascended. Then, they would take a trip to the God Realm.

Just because she and Qingqing didn’t want to ascend didn’t mean everyone else didn’t. Staying in one place for too long would eventually become boring. It was just not the time for her to ascend yet. After all, once she ascended, she couldn’t return to the Lower Realm. She hadn’t made up her mind yet.

Qingqing hadn’t told her about the lifespan issue, likely not wanting to worry her. Fortunately, the Demon God told her, which served as a reminder.

The Goddess of Fire’s fiery red eyes flashed with tears: “Your mothers are relieved to see you grew up safely and took good care of yourself. Our wish is fulfilled. Qingxuan is a trustworthy person. With her taking care of you, your mothers are also at peace. However, child, your mothers still feel very sorry for our little A’Ran and wish to make it up to you properly.”

Cang Ran was still a little uncomfortable with these two birth mothers suddenly appearing, but the fact that they approved of her relationship with Tan Qingxuan and respected her decision made Cang Ran feel positively about them: “Qingqing and I will try to ascend to the Upper Realm as early as possible in the future.”

The Goddess of Fire felt relieved by Cang Ran’s promise. When they descended from the Heavenly Ladder, they simply wanted to see their child. They were already content as long as the child didn’t hate or dislike them.

The current outcome wasn’t too bad. The bond between mother and daughter could be slowly fostered later. She had been afraid of scaring the child when they first arrived but couldn’t control her own emotions, wanting Cang Ran to call them ‘Mother.’ Now, she didn’t expect the child to quickly lower her guard, but being able to talk was good enough.

The Demon God and the Goddess of Fire remained on the Heavenly Ladder for three days without disturbing Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan’s life. Only before leaving did they ask to hold Cang Ran.

The Demon God transformed into a pure white fox, displaying her nine pure white fox tails. Cang Ran also transformed into her original form. The white fox approached and rubbed her furry cheek against the red fox’s cheek.

The milky pink fox cub darted around their feet. Her furry little head bumped the white fox’s leg one moment and the red fox’s leg the next. Her tiny, sharp canine teeth bit playfully everywhere, and her little tail wagged happily.

The red fox and the white fox snuggled for a moment, then the red fox picked up the little pink ball and handed her to Tan Qingxuan. The little pink ball didn’t understand separation. She only knew the fun new things she had just discovered were gone. She looked at the two big foxes with bright eyes from Tan Qingxuan’s arms.

The white fox transformed back into the Demon God. Her and the Goddess of Fire’s figures disappeared as the Heavenly Ladder vanished, returning to their own God Realm.

Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan remained in the Lower Realm. The sky was clear for miles. Everything was as normal. Only the little fox cub looked at the sky and softly asked the big fox: “Mother, will Xiang Bao see the big white fox again?”

Cang Ran stroked the little fox cub’s head: “We have to wait many years until Mother also cultivates to the Great Perfection stage of the Great Vehicle Stage ($Dacheng Qi$) to see the white fox. Does the cub like the white fox?”

The little fox cub nodded: “The white fox’s fur is very soft and smells as fragrant as Mother’s.”

Tan Qingxuan looked at the little fox cub with gentle eyes. Cang Ran gently pinched the little fox cub’s round cheeks twice: “Where does it smell fragrant? You little imp, you just want to go play somewhere else.”

The little fox cub shook her head like a rattle, her plump little hands wrapping around Tan Qingxuan’s neck: “I want Niangqin.”

“You naughty little cub, why don’t you want Mother?” Cang Ran tickled the little fox cub, making her giggle.

Cang Ran realized that the little fox cub, who was a fox demon like her, had no little demon playmates at three years old. She should find some playmates for the little fox cub and take her out to travel more.

Fortunately, the little fox cub was still very small and had a long time before she grew up. There were still many places in the Grand Profound Sect she hadn’t played in, and she needed to learn some basic knowledge before she could travel thousands of miles.

Cang Ran created a basic learning plan for the little fox cub, from kindergarten to elementary school. Once completed, she could take the fox cub and Tan Qingxuan to the mortal world, to travel and visit Song Zhen and Huazhao, who were currently away. However, plans often change. When the little fox cub was five, Song Zhen approached Tan Qingxuan first and asked to go traveling.

“Senior Sister, I have always practiced sword techniques to avenge my family. I hadn’t finished cultivating when I realized there was no one left to avenge. The enemy was killed by Huazhao. After that, I drifted aimlessly. Now I understand. I don’t have the aptitude for sword techniques, and forcing cultivation won’t yield further progress. I want to go out and use my medical skills to treat more people and pass on my family’s medical lineage.”

“I entrust Mingyue, Mingyu, and Mingxin to Senior Sister’s care. They are all good candidates for sword cultivation. I kindly ask Senior Sister to guide their practice in the future.”

Tan Qingxuan saw that Song Zhen was determined to leave and did not try to force her to stay: “Junior Sister, rest assured, I will take good care of them. You must also take care of yourself.”

Cang Ran smiled from the side: “Then you must write back often. You must also come back frequently for the New Year. The little fox cub will miss Auntie.”

Song Zhen glanced at Cang Ran. Initially, she couldn’t stand the sight of this fox, but after staying by her Senior Sister’s side for a long time, even the fox seemed to be filled with immortal energy. The more she looked, the more she felt the fox was a good match for her Senior Sister.

She nodded and promised: “I will definitely come back. I can’t bear to leave little Xiang Bao either.”

The little fox cub heard that Auntie Song was going on a long journey and tearfully hugged Song Zhen’s leg, refusing to let go. She even insisted on sleeping by Auntie Song’s side that night, a tiny bundle clutching a small pillow.

Song Zhen’s heart melted from the little fox cub’s crying. She couldn’t bear to leave the Grand Profound Sect. In the end, she sent a message, asking Cang Ran to carry the sleeping little fox cub home late that night.

Not long after Song Zhen left, Huazhao, who often found excuses to stay at the Grand Profound Sect, also left. She and Song Zhen hadn’t fully reconciled, but both the human and the bird chose to travel the mortal world.

Every month, Tan Qingxuan would receive a family letter from Song Zhen. Huazhao would sometimes send letters to Cang Ran. One of them became a divine doctor healing people in the mortal world, and the other became a Grand National Master ($Daguoshi$) spreading charming lies.

The mortal world was more severely affected by the erosion of the False Heavenly Dao. In the little bird demon’s words, Song Zhen’s healing could at most cure the people of one city, but she was different. She firmly believed in her little bird theory: only by supporting more women to become empresses could the chaotic nations and corrupt rule be fundamentally rectified, preventing more suffering.

Grand National Master Huazhao was doing very well. Relying on her flowery words and her ability to establish an intelligence network using little birds, she never failed. Sometimes, Song Zhen would mention in her letters that Huazhao had helped her a lot, and the relationship between the two had eased considerably.

One year, they returned to the Grand Profound Sect together for the New Year. It was a cause for celebration that the little bird demon was finally allowed to eat at the table.

The little hedgehog was also close to transforming. Yun Muyu’s talent was outstanding, and she had become the new generation’s elite. She and Lin Mingyue could now lead their junior sisters in outdoor training. Just like Tan Qingxuan and Song Zhen back then, the two worked side-by-side, slaying evil demonic cultivators and rescuing many low-level cultivators and ordinary mortals.

After Song Zhen left, Cang Ran also helped deal with some sect affairs to lessen Tan Qingxuan’s burden. She gradually assigned some simple sect tasks to Yun Muyu and a few younger disciples for practice.

Yun Muyu was still young. Her early seeking-of-the-Dao experiences had matured her. She handled matters better than her fellow disciples. The other senior and junior sisters were convinced by her ability, believing that it wouldn’t be many years before she could take over the Grand Profound Sect and become the next Sect Leader.

By then, Tan Qingxuan could be promoted to Grand Elder and step down from worldly duties. Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan could then take the little fox cub out to travel and visit Song Zhen and Huazhao who were out in the world.

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