The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 21.2

Chapter 21.2

It seemed that the body tempering of demon cultivators was indeed more robust than that of human cultivators, and more like that of physical cultivators.

The little fox carried the jade pillow, put it away in the cabinet to prevent it from gathering dust if left outside for too long, and then fetched her own pillow and placed it beside Tan Qingxuan.

The two pillows placed side by side looked like a couple who had shared a bed for a long time.

Cang Ran knew in her heart that this was a luxury she yearned for, but she wouldn’t suddenly treat Tan Qingxuan poorly just because she was a human cultivator.

Because, in itself, this was actually a good thing for Tan Qingxuan. In the dog-eat-dog cultivation world, only cultivators could protect themselves. She couldn’t keep Tan Qingxuan under her wing forever.

But there was no reason why cultivating should mean you couldn’t fall in love, right? Tan Qingxuan didn’t seem like someone who cultivated the heartless path. Those who cultivated the heartless path should be cold and aloof, but Tan Qingxuan’s fundamental nature was gentle, and she occasionally smiled. When she smiled, she was so beautiful.

Maybe if she tried a little harder, Tan Qingxuan would like her more. After thinking this for a while, Cang Ran quickly comforted herself.

She stacked the two pillows together and placed them both behind Tan Qingxuan: “That demon cultivator yesterday was very powerful. I don’t know how long the Thousand-Year Death Vine can stop her, but don’t worry for now. We are currently in the westernmost part of the Canglan Mountains. Coming here will alarm many great demons, so she won’t have an easy journey.”

Tan Qingxuan leaned against the soft pillows, feeling as if she had sunk into a cloud. The fox fur carried Cang Ran’s scent, and her body felt very comfortable, enveloped in the seductive, peach-blossom fragrance.

Her brow relaxed, and she said softly, “Yes, Cang Ran. Ultimately, I dragged you into this this time. Next time—”

Cang Ran raised a paw and pressed its soft pad against Tan Qingxuan’s lips, saying firmly, “There is no next time! Next time, you can’t leave me. Do you know how worried I was when you went missing? You must be safe and sound!”

Cang Ran still felt a little angry recalling the scene. Tan Qingxuan had walked so far alone, and there were so many demons in Luofeng City. She almost sniffed her nose raw trying to find out where Tan Qingxuan had gone.

When encountering danger, she only knew to shoulder it alone. At least they should figure out a solution together. Tan Qingxuan was so smart, yet so stubborn.

The little fox’s paw pad was soft and springy, giving off a sweet fragrance like honey, exuding a heartwarming cuteness.

Tan Qingxuan was slightly taken aback. This was the first time anyone had said such words to her. Tan Qingxuan was not omnipotent. She was also someone who could be worried about and whose safe return was anticipated.

The warm breath falling on the paw pad felt ticklish. Tan Qingxuan’s lips were indeed as soft as she imagined. If only she could give it a kiss.

Cang Ran glanced at Tan Qingxuan’s beautiful, rosy lips, her ear tips secretly warming up. She very demurely retracted her paw: “I’m going to fetch you some water now. You, my little human, are under my care now. You must listen to me, the Fox King, from now on.”

Tan Qingxuan’s eyes showed a hint of indulgence that she herself hadn’t noticed, a smile playing on her lips: “Alright.”

Cang Ran in her little fox form was a bit more clumsy than usual. As she was about to leave, Tan Qingxuan saw the wound on her beast leg.

The flesh had mostly healed, but a large patch of fur was missing. The pink skin was exposed to the air, looking very pitiful.

The fingers she hid in her sleeve tightened. She couldn’t help but call out softly to Cang Ran: “Wait a moment, Cang Ran.”

Cang Ran looked back and saw Tan Qingxuan suddenly asking warmly, “Does your leg still hurt? Do you need bandaging?”

Cang Ran lifted the corners of her mouth, revealing a brilliant smile, her eyes shining: “It doesn’t hurt. I’m a demon cultivator, and my recovery speed is very fast. No problem at all, hehe.”

As the little fox spoke, she bounced several times on the spot. Her three fox tails also bounced up and down, looking very joyful. Little did she know that in Tan Qingxuan’s eyes, she looked even more pitiable.

Like a dusty little fox, clearly injured, yet trying hard to make others think she was happy.

Such a silly little clumsy fox.

Cang Ran’s beast leg actually still hurt a little. She couldn’t jump for long; the demonic energy would churn and rush around inside her body.

She needed to let her know that she was strong and could protect her, otherwise Tan Qingxuan would definitely hide things from her next time.

She turned around and headed to the entrance of the cave dwelling, easily pushing aside the huge boulder blocking the entrance.

After transforming into a demon, her strength was immense. Moving a rock several hundred times her weight was effortless.

Cang Ran looked around twice and sniffed the air, confirming that the smells were familiar and there was no danger. Only then did she go to the Fox Fox Mountain waterfall to wash herself clean.

Her fox fur was covered in dried blood, matted and stuck together. Cang Ran remembered the thorny clumps that were stuck to her fur yesterday.

She didn’t know why, but when she searched through her thick, soft fox fur today, she couldn’t find any. It was as if someone had secretly helped her pull them out.

Cang Ran couldn’t help but recall Tan Qingxuan’s actions today. She hadn’t seen Tan Qingxuan expose her hands. Could it really have been Tan Qingxuan who helped her pull out the thorns?

That must have been so painful! She was a demon, her body tempered and bones refined. Her sharp claws could deal with those thorns easily, but Tan Qingxuan used her bare hands. Fingers were linked to the heart, and she wasn’t made of iron. How could she be so kind to her?

She knew Tan Qingxuan had always been able to endure pain, but she didn’t know she could go to such lengths. Was it just to repay a debt, or did she like her?

Could she truly like her? She was only a Three-Tailed Fox, not one of those Nine-Tailed Spirit Foxes favored by the Heavenly Dao from birth.

Her red fox fur wasn’t even pure; she had a large patch of white fur from her neck to her belly. Everyone preferred white foxes.

And now her fox fur wasn’t even beautiful. It was bald in several places. Tan Qingxuan hadn’t been intimate with her even when she groomed it normally. Could Tan Qingxuan actually like the battle-damaged version of her?

Qingqing wouldn’t fall for her. She would push her away again and again. Perhaps it was because she had saved Qingqing again, and Qingqing wanted to pay her back this way.

A dull ache rose in Cang Ran’s heart. How much further did she have to go to reach Tan Qingxuan’s heart?

Cang Ran’s fox ears drooped. She groomed her fur listlessly. She didn’t wash for too long in the pool beneath the waterfall, worried about Tan Qingxuan being alone in the cave dwelling.

Tan Qingxuan had been traveling hard all day, and her body must be as tired as hers. A bath would be relaxing.

It was also a good chance for Tan Qingxuan to change out of her clothes so she could secretly take them to wash and destroy the evidence.

Thinking of this, Cang Ran quickly dried the water from her fox fur, used a demon spell to chop down a huge tree, hollowed out a wooden bathtub, smoothed out all the edges, filled it with water, and put it back into her storage bag.

This was the advantage of being a demon: she could be self-sufficient to a certain extent. She had to thank the gifts of nature for this.

Generally, demon cultivators would buy specialized bath products, but Cang Ran had only transmigrated for half a year and was truly short on funds. The only thing she could do was wash her fox fur herself every day, which could achieve a certain level of maintenance.

Using the cleaning spell was an option, but it was like a quick wash. Using it long-term was damaging to her fur, and having poorly maintained fur was embarrassing in front of other great demons.

She had earned some money yesterday and could have bought more daily necessities, but plans changed faster than anticipated. She would just have to ask the little hedgehog demon to go shopping for her later.

Since her fox fur was bald in a few places, Cang Ran planned to go into seclusion for a while to let it grow back before going out again.

Cang Ran suppressed these thoughts. She wasn’t sure if human cultivators added anything to their bath water, so she picked a basket of small petals and carried them into the cave dwelling.

Tan Qingxuan thought Cang Ran would fetch water in a basin, as before, but she was surprised to see her bring a large bathtub herself.

The little fox wasn’t as tall as the bathtub. After carrying the tub over, she had to move a higher stone stool to reach the rim. The little fox’s paws clung to the edge of the tub. After heating the water with her strange fire, she carried a small bamboo basket, sprinkling petals like a celestial maiden showering flowers.

Her freshly groomed, fiery red fox fur was very fluffy, looking like a soft, glutinous dumpling in the light. The warm sunlight was reluctant to pass her by, outlining her with a beautiful golden edge.

Tan Qingxuan got out of bed, intending to help Cang Ran, but Cang Ran skillfully leaped off the stool. Her little paw pads landed lightly and steadily on the ground, her three fluffy, adorable tails swaying back and forth.

Cang Ran blinked and said, “Go ahead and bathe. I’ll put up a curtain for you. Put your clothes on this stone stool later, and I’ll take them to wash.”

Tan Qingxuan’s heart inexplicably softened a little. She nodded slightly: “The cleaning spell is fine.”

Cang Ran put up the curtain. She agreed very obediently, and Tan Qingxuan accordingly removed her clothes.

Halfway through undressing, she suddenly noticed several claw prints on the collar. They must have been left by the little fox. Her long fingers couldn’t help but lightly rub the spot.

The little fox was not very obedient, yet she had a certain cuteness about her. Even her paw prints were delicate.

Tan Qingxuan folded her clothes. Separated by the curtain, as soon as she placed them on the stone stool, two fuzzy fox paws immediately scooped up the clothing.

The three large tails lingered for a moment, swaying. The little fox’s head seemed to be contemplating something. After a while, the pat-pat-pat sound of the little fox’s footsteps returned.

The fox paws placed a set of brand-new clothes back in their original spot, draped with two soft cloths for drying her body and hair, folded as neatly as bean curd cubes.

The little fox had been thinking for so long, and it turned out she was thinking about the things Tan Qingxuan needed. She was indeed very thoughtful.

Tan Qingxuan’s eyes shimmered. She stepped her jade-like long legs into the tub, sinking her body into the water. Using the cleaning spell every day was convenient, but soaking in warm water was much more relaxing.

The wooden tub was clearly newly made. It smelled of a fresh fruity wood. She wondered which tree the little fox had harmed this time.

The nearby peach trees must be nearly bald, constantly plucked by the little fox to give her peaches. Even this tub was sprinkled with peach blossoms. Her intentions were practically laid bare.

Just like the sweet, seductive fragrance on the little fox’s body, living in the little fox’s cave dwelling for so long would surely make her body carry the little fox’s scent.

Tan Qingxuan closed her eyes, yet she recalled the little fox falling into her arms in her human form, finding that her thoughts were increasingly focused on the little fox.

She was about to pull her thoughts back when she heard the sound of the little fox running out again, scurrying off in a hurry.

Tan Qingxuan couldn’t help but frown slightly, splitting a thread of divine consciousness to follow Cang Ran, lest the clumsy little fox get hurt again.

Cang Ran actually didn’t go very far. She wandered around Fox Fox Mountain, looking for the soapberry tree she remembered. In early spring February, some soapberry trees had bloomed early due to the warm sunlight.

The soapberry flowers had a faint fragrance, but Cang Ran wasn’t sure if the flowers could be used, so she summoned the little squirrel demon whose cave dwelling was nearby.

The squirrel demon hadn’t been able to fully transform yet and had only recently gained a bit of sentience. It was originally a small demon left behind by the mountain’s previous demon king. Since it wasn’t powerful, the previous demon king hadn’t taken it along.

Cang Ran didn’t want to bother them, so she hadn’t trained demon soldiers like the other great demons; she was fine fighting solo as one fox.

Under her protection, these small animals still lived in their original cave dwellings, cultivating when they should and sleeping when they should.

Occasionally, these little demons would “pay tribute” with small gifts in front of her cave dwelling—pine nuts, chestnuts, fruits, and melons, all common items from the mountains. She would nibble on them when bored; they were the fox’s exclusive little snacks.

Cang Ran knocked twice on the wooden cave door. Seeing the squirrel demon’s body, which was fat like a ball, squeeze out of the narrow cave entrance, her pupils nearly bulged.

This was completely fat as two pigs!

Half a year ago, when she moved here, the squirrel demon didn’t look like this. It was as skinny as a stick. It really must be eating too well.

The squirrel demon was proactive and hardworking, and it also admired the Fox King. Normally, the hedgehog demon monopolized the King’s side, so it couldn’t get close at all.

As soon as it heard Cang Ran calling it, it immediately rushed out of the cave dwelling, despite being in the middle of a nap, after grooming its fur twice.

Facing the chubby squirrel demon’s sparkling gaze, Cang Ran rubbed her fox head with her paw, feeling a little vexed.

Sure enough, her subordinates were a bunch of useless soldiers. There was not a single one who could fight. She still had to rely on herself.

“My King, is there anything you need?”

“Bring out the food you’ve stored in your cave. I need to look for something.”

“Yes, My King.”

The squirrel demon immediately wobbled and squeezed back into the cave dwelling. Its dwelling was inside the trunk of a giant tree. When it emerged clutching its stored food, the tree clearly shook as if it was about to be uprooted.

It looked like, before long, there might be new raw wood at the entrance of her fox cave, a gift from the squirrel demon’s “demolition.”

The squirrel demon’s chubby paws released their grip, and a large pile of assorted nuts tumbled down with a whoosh, like a shower of nuts, hitting the ground and making the dead leaves thud.

Some nuts didn’t roll off its fluffy, fat belly. It patted them twice with its thick paws, shaking all the nuts down. Its squirrel tail very consciously rounded up the nuts that had rolled away, so the Fox King could choose the best ones.

From this huge pile of nuts, Cang Ran used a branch to pick and choose, finally finding some dried soapberries that had accidentally gotten mixed in. There were quite a few of them.

The squirrel demon was a little anxious when it saw the King only picking up some leaves and not taking any nuts.

These were all big fruits that it had carefully selected, the best of the best! Why didn’t the King want any of them?

The squirrel demon saw Cang Ran turning to leave and quickly called out: “My King!”

Cang Ran turned her head in confusion: “What?”

The squirrel demon’s eyes were full of anticipation as it pitched: “My King, don’t you want any nuts? They are all delicious.”

Was she the kind of King who usually exploited her subordinates, or who took a hair from every goose that flew by?

These little demons kept giving her these things. She already had more in her storage bag than she could eat in years.

Cang Ran waved her fox paw: “No need. Take them back. Next time your house falls apart again, chop it into firewood and give it to me. Don’t drag the whole log over again.”

The squirrel demon whimpered mournfully: “Understood, My King.”

With the soapberries, she could crush them to release their fresh fragrance, which would cover the scent of her claw prints on Tan Qingxuan’s collar.

Hehe, Qingqing definitely didn’t notice just now. As long as she put her mind to it, she was incredibly resourceful.

Cang Ran carried the clothes Tan Qingxuan had taken off to the crescent-shaped pool below the Fox Fox Mountain waterfall. She first used the cleaning spell to remove the dust, and then began to rub the soapberries.

As she rubbed with her little paws, Cang Ran felt emotional. If Tan Qingxuan knew how good she was, wouldn’t she give her a kiss?

As Cang Ran was vigorously washing the clothes, her fox ears twitched, and she suddenly heard familiar footsteps.

“My King, what are you doing?” The little hedgehog demon’s voice came from behind her, its head poking out.

Cang Ran didn’t stop rubbing: “What? Haven’t you seen a fox wash clothes?”

The little hedgehog sniffed and smelled the human scent again, asking doubtfully: “My King, why haven’t you succeeded yet?”

Cang Ran was silent: “This is just part of my plan.”

The little hedgehog squatted beside her and offered a suggestion: “Why not just force it, My King? That’s what they all write in the tales.”

Where did all this provocative talk come from?

Cang Ran’s paws were numb from rubbing. She switched to the other paw and pushed the little hedgehog away: “Go away. Don’t interfere with my laundry.”

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