The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Cang Ran could not detect any anomaly. Except for the bird demon’s appearance being different from what she had imagined, the temple was quite ordinary, and the bird demon’s demands were also very normal.

In some ways, this bird demon didn’t eat human hearts or flesh and could grant wishes. To the local people, she was a true, great benevolent demon.

Cang Ran was about to leave with the little hedgehog when she passed a woman who had come to pray.

The woman carried an old hen and knelt down piously on the prayer mat before the stone bird demon statue, bowing her head with every step.

“Great Immortal Bird, please bless my daughter to be selected by the Tianjian Sect. I will offer a large hen to the Great Immortal daily.”

The old hen flapped its wings, its head held down by the woman onto the prayer mat, kowtowing to the Great Immortal Bird along with her.

“Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!” The old hen struggled, letting out an unyielding protest.

“Great Immortal Bird, and my useless son wants to marry the village chief’s daughter. Can you see if their marriage is suitable?”

The woman bowed down piously again. She mumbled, unable to utter any words for a moment, kneeling and contemplating other wishes.

Cang Ran almost burst out laughing. Asking for multiple wishes with one chicken. These villagers knew how to pray. She wondered how this powerful bird demon helped them achieve their wishes?

The old hen took the opportunity, flapped its wings, flew out of the woman’s arms, and clucked around the area.

At that moment, the woman remembered, and she quickly bowed: “Great Immortal Bird, my husband has been secretly hiding money from me lately. Can you secretly tell me where he hid the money?”

The next moment, Cang Ran saw a blue spiritual energy lift the chicken that was wandering around on the ground, savagely wring its neck, and pluck all its feathers clean.

The chicken was thrown out of the hall, and the woman was also ruthlessly thrown out.

The two temple doors slammed shut. The bird demon coldly and mercilessly refused the business.

The woman was overjoyed. She thumped her thigh and exclaimed: “I understand! Great Immortal, that chicken soaring into the air just now means my daughter will surely be selected by the Tianjian Sect this time. The chicken being plucked means my son won’t be able to marry the village belle, but I already knew he was useless, so that’s fine. The dead chicken’s beak pecking at the ground means my husband is hiding money under the floor tiles!

It matches! It matches! The Great Immortal is truly powerful. I’ll go back and look for it. Thank you, Great Immortal!”

The woman’s steps were lighter. She walked towards her home, ecstatic.

Cang Ran looked at the dead chicken left on the ground. That works too? She finally understood the reason for the bird demon’s great powers and wide range of business!

However, it seemed the bird demon was nearby. She hadn’t noticed it when she was standing there, which meant the bird demon’s cultivation was high. Was the bird demon observing her in secret by not taking action against her?

Cang Ran was pondering this question when she suddenly felt something falling onto her head.

She quickly pulled the little hedgehog demon away to dodge. A camellia flower dropped down. She looked up and saw a round little white bird watching her from the rooftop.

The little white bird was petite and delicate. The color of the feathers on its head was grape-brown. Its body was round, and its tail was longer than its body. It looked very much like the silver-throated long-tailed tit that Cang Ran had seen online before.

“Are you a fire fox?” The little tit spoke human language, its voice clear and pleasant, like the tinkling of a mountain spring.

Cang Ran had concealed her fox ears and tail, yet this little tit recognized her true form instantly, which was very impressive.

Cang Ran was exposed and nodded in acknowledgment: “My true form is a red fox.”

The little tit chirped a couple of times, flew down from the treetop, and transformed into a human. She was petite and graceful, wearing a light green qixiong ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). Her diagonally-fastened shirt was woven with silver flowers. She wore a camellia hairpin in her hair, which was braided into two strands hanging over her chest.

The little tit spread her arms, as if stretching her fluffy feathers, and said to Cang Ran and the little hedgehog: “What are your names? My name is Hua Chao. My true form is a titmouse. You can call me Huahua, or Chaochao, either is fine.”

Hua Chao’s voice sounded like singing, and she looked lively and very cute.

Cang Ran asked curiously: “Hua Chao, a very pleasant name. Were you born on the Flower Dynasty Festival? My name is Cang Ran. The little hedgehog doesn’t have a name yet. She hasn’t reached the Transformation stage.”

Hua Chao’s eyes curved when she heard Cang Ran praise her: “No, I just like this vibrant name. Cang Ran, your name is also very pleasant, and you are very beautiful. Which mountain range are you demons from?”

Cang Ran asked: “We are from the Canglan Mountain Range. Which mountain range are you from?”

Hua Chao spun around in front of the two demons, her silver-white thin silk sash lightly dancing: “I am a demon from the Penglai Mountain Range. We have nothing but beautiful little bird demons there~”

The little hedgehog asked curiously: “The Penglai Mountain Range, that sounds very far from the Canglan Mountain Range.”

Hua Chao said confidently: “It’s not that far. It’s still in the Demon Realm. If you knew my name… But ignorance is bliss. You’re lucky to have met me.”

The little hedgehog was momentarily stunned by Hua Chao’s bluffing: “What kind of luck?”

Hua Chao took out three small bottles from her storage artifact. She gave one bottle to the little hedgehog and handed the other to Cang Ran: “Delicious. This is our Penglai Mountain Range’s specialty, Chengyao Dew. It’s a spiritual wine liquid brewed from the first drop of morning dew collected from a hundred flowers. This is a gift for our first meeting.”

Cang Ran took the Chengyao Dew, sniffed it at the tip of her nose, and had a feeling of inexplicable familiarity. The wine scent was extremely sweet and mellow, like bayberry wine.

Hua Chao opened her bottle and said to them: “Here’s to our meeting. Cheers.”

The little hedgehog held the wine bottle with her two claws, smelled it intoxicatedly, and happily clinked bottles with Hua Chao.

Just as she was about to drink, her fat butt was suddenly kicked.

The bottle slipped from her claws and shattered on the ground. The light green wine liquid splashed far away. The little hedgehog fell to the ground, and a circle of dust was kicked up around her.

Cang Ran took the opportunity to drop her own wine bottle on the ground as well. She quickly went to help the little hedgehog: “How could you be so careless? Are you okay? I’ll be worried if you hurt yourself.”

The little hedgehog was initially wondering who kicked her. Just as she was about to ask, she was so cared for by the Great King that she was overwhelmed: “Great King, I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt at all. I’ll get up right away.”

Cang Ran pinched her little paw, squatted down, and said: “Let me dust you off. The fur on your belly is all dirty.”

The little hedgehog met Cang Ran’s eyes, and their wavelengths instantly aligned: “Thank you, Great King.”

Seeing that both demons’ wine had spilled, Hua Chao quickly took out two new bottles of wine and asked with concern: “Did you get hurt? Come, have a glass of wine to calm your nerves.”

Cang Ran took out her own wine gourd: “That’s too embarrassing. We spilled your wine just now. Come, have some of mine. This is spiritual wine I brewed from bayberries picked from a thousand-year-old tree. It’s been aged for hundreds of years.”

She took out an exquisite wine cup, poured two cups of wine, and handed them to Hua Chao and the little hedgehog.

The little hedgehog quickly took the wine poured by the Great King, praising Hua Chao: “The wine the Great King brews is the best!”

Hua Chao took the wine cup, sniffed it at the tip of her nose, and curved her eyes: “Thank you, it smells very fragrant.”

Cang Ran held the wine gourd and asked curiously: “Why would a demon from the Penglai Mountain Range come here? This place is very desolate and has nothing.”

Hua Chao slowly blinked: “I came with a mission, of course. I was just delayed by some matters. When we demons from the Penglai Mountain Range meet a demon we like, we must have a drink together first. I haven’t asked you why you came here?”

Cang Ran clinked cups with her: “I heard there’s a big secret realm here and wanted to search for treasures. I wonder if I can find it.”

Hua Chao was surprised for a second: “So you came to find the secret realm. I’ve been here for so long and haven’t heard of any secret realm here.”

Cang Ran didn’t believe Hua Chao didn’t know. The other party’s cultivation was above hers. It was impossible for her to stay here just for the meat offerings.

Cang Ran took a small sip of wine: “Now you know, don’t you? Meeting means friendship, Hua Chao. I think we can look for it together.”

Hua Chao finished her drink after seeing Cang Ran finish hers. She gave a playful and harmless smile: “Fine, I’ll tell you. I was commissioned by our Great Demon King to handle some matters. I passed by here and found an unactivated secret realm, so I waited for a while. It should open in the next few days.

But you are quite bold. You told me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll seriously injure you so you can’t go to the secret realm?”

Cang Ran said casually: “That secret realm wasn’t opened by your family. Even if you block me, one demon, you can’t block others. Someone will always find a way to enter through various means. Entering the secret realm is based on individual fortune. If you can defeat me in the secret realm, I wouldn’t mind yielding.”

Hua Chao smiled faintly: “The strong don’t need allies, Cang Ran. We just met today. Why should I trust you, and why should you trust me?”

Cang Ran said indifferently: “Who said I trust you? Don’t you also find it boring being alone?”

Hua Chao was surprised for a moment and sighed: “It is indeed boring. Let’s go to the town together and have some fun. I just want to sleep in the tree, but these mortals keep disturbing my peace.”

Cang Ran only wanted to finish her business early and reunite with Tan Qingxuan: “You take me to see where the secret realm is first. If it opens in a few days, I’ll accompany you.”

Hua Chao had been bored waiting these days. Seeing that Cang Ran was willing to go out and play with her, her joy was clearly visible: “Then let’s go. I’ll take you to see it. I won’t lie to you. We demons from the Penglai Mountain Range are all top-notch good demons. Meeting me means you’ve met a good bird.”

Hua Chao transformed into a silver-throated long-tailed tit. Her two wings flapped continuously, dragging her round body as she flew high in the sky, shooting forward like an arrow.

Cang Ran in human form couldn’t keep up with her speed, so she also transformed into her beast form. The fiery red little fox chased after her, her five red fox tails swaying in the wind. The little hedgehog curled into a ball, keeping close to the Great King.

They quickly reached the location of the secret realm at the top of the mountain. The volcanic vent was still continuously erupting magma, and heat waves swept over them.

Hua Chao flapped her wings, pointing towards Cang Ran: “This is the entrance to the secret realm. You are a natural fire fox. This mundane fire won’t pose a threat to you. When you absorb all this intense fire-attributed spiritual energy and cut through the fire waves, we can enter together.”

Cang Ran looked out. Golden light shimmered faintly within the endlessly surging magma. She cast a spell and threw it over. The spell penetrated the layers of fire waves, like a drop of cold water dripping in.

The tongues of fire continuously devoured and melted it. Before the drop of water was completely swallowed, she saw the oscillating entrance of the faint blue secret realm. Hua Chao was right. The secret realm looked like it would open in the next few days.

A breath later, the secret realm entrance was once again enveloped by the fierce fire and could no longer be seen. This intense fire-attributed spiritual energy would be extremely easy for a fire spiritual root fox to handle. At that time, she only needed to use fire to overcome fire and split it open with a blade of fire.

Cang Ran stood at the volcano crater for this short while. A large amount of pure fire spiritual energy surged towards her. She instantly broke out in a sweat. All the dense fox fur on her body was soaked with sweat and turned into wisps.

Even if the spiritual energy here was easy to absorb, Cang Ran couldn’t stand the heat. She would be roasted into dried fox meat.

“Okay, let’s go down first. It’s too hot here. We’ll come back when it opens.”

The group of demons went down from the volcano vent and immediately found a small stream to rinse themselves. The cold stream water completely dispelled the heat. Cang Ran sat on the grass, her fox paws immersed in the stream to dissipate heat, air-drying her wet fox fur.

The little hedgehog soaked in the stream, reluctant to come out. Hua Chao was also nearby, constantly wetting the feathers on her body with the cold stream water.

The weather was really too hot now. Not long after the heat dissipated from Cang Ran’s paw pads, the fox fur on her body was dried by the hot wind even in the shade.

She took out her wine gourd, drank several large gulps of the cold beverage, and then passed it to the little hedgehog and Hua Chao: “It’s too hot. You should both drink some. It can quench your thirst.”

The little hedgehog raised the wine gourd, drank many sips, and felt much better: “Thank you, Great King!”

The little hedgehog passed it to Hua Chao. Hua Chao examined the runes on the wine gourd, the golden light flashing in the sun, and narrowed her eyes: “Cang Ran, is your wine gourd a spiritual artifact from the Immortal Sect? The people who can draw such smooth strokes and powerful effective talismans are few. Is that person a Mahayana stage cultivator?”

Cang Ran held the straw hat she had been using for shade and fanned herself: “Are you going to drink it or not? Give it back if you’re not.”

Hua Chao smiled and took a few sips: “Cold spiritual wine. That person is quite good to you. Which Immortal Sect cultivator is so considerate?”

Cang Ran ignored Hua Chao. She hadn’t written to Tan Qingxuan yet today.

The weather was so hot that it made her miss Tan Qingxuan even more. Tan Qingxuan was always cool. Burying herself in Tan Qingxuan’s arms would surely be a perfect way to cool down.

Cang Ran turned around, activated the communication jade bracelet, used her divine sense to outline the terrain of the mountain in front of her, drew a hedgehog and a fox next to the stream, and a little bird holding a wine cup with a mischievous smile. Then she wrote beneath the map:

“Qingqing, I almost starved to death today. The little hedgehog and I ate twenty bowls of noodles together. They were all plain, with no meat at all, wū wū wū. The spiritual cuisine hall in the sect is still the best for delicious and filling food.

I asked the proprietress and learned that they worship a bird demon here. All the meat is eaten by the bird demon. This bird demon offered me and the little hedgehog wine as soon as we met. I suspect it wasn’t proper wine, so we didn’t drink it.

Hurry up and praise me. I’m so smart. I already extracted the secret realm entrance from the little bird demon today. I can go treasure hunting in a few days. I will find a gift for you.

Qingqing, don’t worry too much about me. You take good care of yourself in the sect. When I get the materials to repair Bashi, I’ll return to the sect to find you. I miss you so much.”

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