The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 75

Chapter 75

When Tan Qingxuan woke up, she saw a message from Song Zhen saying that the personnel for the journey had all been arranged. Cang Ran had also packed everything they needed, saving Tan Qingxuan the trouble, and had even told the little hedgehog that she was going on a long trip.

The little hedgehog’s eyes were watery, “Great King, can I come with you? I can shrink myself and just fit into a bag.”

Cang Ran bent down and rubbed her head, “Your Master and Senior Sisters are in the sect. You are already a big hedgehog now, so stay here and learn skills. Great King will be back soon.”

The little hedgehog still couldn’t bear to part with Cang Ran, clinging to the Great King’s calf, “But Great King, I’ve only known my Master and Senior Sisters for a few days. I still like the Great King the most.”

Cang Ran comforted her, “You can play with Little Xin! Didn’t you often invite her to be a guest in the side hall before? You can play together then, and she’ll bring you dried meat. What a great friend.”

The little hedgehog was still very sad and sobbed, “I don’t want Little Xin, I want the Great King!”

Cang Ran peeled her off her leg, picked her up with one hand, and handed the little hedgehog a jade slip, “This is the homework the Great King left for you. The Great King will check it when I return. These are all things the little fox cub needs. If you behave well, the Great King will let the little fox cub call you ‘Aunt Hedgehog’ first.”

The little hedgehog hugged the thick jade slip. She was sad moments before, but upon hearing the Great King say the little fox cub would call her ‘Aunt’ first, she was instantly coaxed.

The sweet-sounding little fox cub must be as beautiful as the Great King, and she’ll call me Aunt Hedgehog. I will be the happiest little hedgehog in the world.

The little hedgehog opened the jade slip and was dumbfounded. It was so long! She could roll over it ten times. Looking at the things the Great King had drawn on it, they were all things she had never seen before.

The little hedgehog was a bit stunned, saying blankly, “Great King, this is a lot of homework!”

Cang Ran smiled, “It’s not much. Take your time doing it. If you encounter anything you don’t understand, you can ask your Master and Senior Sisters for help, or you can study it with Little Xin.”

The little hedgehog nodded, “Great King, I will definitely find a way to make the things the little fox cub needs!”

Cang Ran patted the little hedgehog’s chubby bottom, “Work hard. If the Great King finds anything interesting on the trip, I’ll bring some back for you to play with.”

The little hedgehog’s eyes were full of expectation, completely soothed by Cang Ran’s few words.

Lin Mingyue arrived, piloting the Cloud-Piercing Boat (Chuān Yún Zhōu). On board was a woman wearing a dark green magical robe, whose unrestrained and heroic demeanor made her impossible to ignore even standing alone. A dark black, Dao-inscribed wine gourd, tied with a red thread, was fastened to her waist.

Cang Ran didn’t immediately recognize who it was until Lin Mingyue called out “Elder Qu,” which snapped her back to attention. When did Elder Qu become so young? She looks completely like a different person!

Elder Qu took a (xiāosa) swig of wine and chuckled, “I told them I didn’t want to travel with you young people, but Song Zhen asked me to protect you. On this trip, you are all young, and I don’t want to act like your elder. Doesn’t this make me more sociable?”

Oh, she’s definitely sociable. In her previous world, Elder Qu would absolutely be a tall, glamorous “big sister” type, with every strand of hair radiating unrestrained vigor. She was truly too stylish.

Cang Ran looked around. Shui Shaoyi, Lin Mingyue, and Yun Muyu were all ready. She took Tan Qingxuan’s hand, and they boarded the Cloud-Piercing Boat together. Lin Mingyue and Shui Shaoyi, being of higher cultivation, could take turns steering the ship.

The four of them sat in the cabin, which was decorated with understated luxury, no different from Fuyue Palace. Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan sat together, Elder Qu sat across from them, still leisurely sipping her wine.

Yun Muyu, dressed in simple white, was the youngest and least experienced among them. She took on the task of brewing tea and burning incense. While serving her Master and the other elders, she proactively brought tea to the two senior sisters piloting the Cloud-Piercing Boat, earning considerable goodwill.

It took three days to fly to Cloud Sea City (Yún Hǎi Chéng), the city closest to Quick-sand Island. This city was far from the spirit veins, so there weren’t many cultivators. Most inhabitants were ordinary cultivators who had given up hope of the Immortal Path, wearing ordinary magical robes. The moment their group disembarked from the Cloud-Piercing Boat, they attracted many gazes.

It was already twilight. Since none of them concealed their cultivation, their aura was powerful. The onlookers dared not stare for long and scattered like startled birds and beasts.

Elder Qu took Lin Mingyue to find local information about the magical artifacts needed to travel to Quick-sand Island and any necessary precautions. Cang Ran, meanwhile, led the others to find an inn to stay in, waiting for them to regroup.

They settled into a large inn that looked quiet and comfortable overall. Cang Ran was about to book five rooms—one for herself and Tan Qingxuan, and one for each of the others.

The innkeeper apologized, “I’m terribly sorry, honored guest. Business is good today, and we only have four rooms left. Would you mind squeezing in a bit?”

Cang Ran could only turn to the others and say, “I checked the nearby inns, and only this one is decent. It’s better for everyone to stay together. We’re going to Quick-sand Island tomorrow, so we’ll just make do with one night’s stay here. The Venerable and I can share a room.”

Yun Muyu gently offered, “I’ll do as Shimu says. I’ll share with Senior Sister Shui. Elder Qu and Senior Sister Lin have worked hard on their outing, so they should each have a room. Senior Sister Shui, I’m a very sound sleeper and won’t disturb you.”

Shui Shaoyi’s eyes slightly changed, and she politely refused, “That won’t do. You should stay with Senior Sister Lin instead. I have a physical ailment and am accustomed to sleeping alone.”

Yun Muyu was puzzled, “What ailment do you have, Senior Sister Shui? I used to massage my mother when I was young. It’s normal to feel tired after piloting an artifact for so long. If you’re unwell, I can come to your room to help.”

Shui Shaoyi, carrying a qin (a zither-like instrument), rubbed her forehead, “No need. It’s a natural affliction with no cure. Thank you for your concern, Junior Sister Yun.”

Cang Ran observed Shui Shaoyi. This person is really interesting, and she’s a natural bent person with a double entendre.

Cang Ran cleared her throat to ease the tension, “Muyu, you stay with Senior Sister Lin. There’s no need to disturb Shui Shaoyi.”

Tan Qingxuan also spoke up, “Let’s go upstairs first. We’ve lingered here long enough.”

Yun Muyu had no choice but to put away her confusion. Shui Shaoyi’s complexion was rosy; she didn’t look like she had an incurable disease at all.

The four of them went up to the second floor of the inn together. Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan stayed in the innermost room, adjacent to Yun Muyu and Lin Mingyue, and then Shui Shaoyi and Elder Qu each had a room.

After Cang Ran replaced all the inn’s bedding with her own, she had Tan Qingxuan rest on the bed. Since they were staying overnight outside, she planned to stand guard, intending to watch over Tan Qingxuan from the outer side of the bed.

It was autumn, and the air outside the window was chilly. The waiter delivered several pots of hot water. Cang Ran ordered some dishes from the waiter and had some sent to the other rooms as well.

Elder Qu was expected to return late. She needed to wait for her, and if any assistance was required, she could join them to help out.

Cang Ran took out the tea leaves she brought, poured a cup of hot tea, and handed it to Tan Qingxuan, “Before we left, I saw you frequently drinking this spirit tea, so I brought it along. Is it the flavor you like?”

Tan Qingxuan took the hot tea and gently took a sip. It was the slightly bitter yet sweet aftertaste she usually enjoyed. She hadn’t expected Cang Ran, who seemed careless, to be so meticulous and thoughtful.

She drank two sips and nodded slightly, “Mm, it’s the tea flavor I enjoy daily. The late night is cold, you should drink some too.”

Cang Ran didn’t particularly enjoy bitter, clear tea. She preferred the ice-sweet spirit wine she brewed. She took a couple of sips to quench her thirst, then pulled out two plates of fried sour plums from her storage artifact, “I can make these plums too. I made some the day before yesterday. If you like them, I’ll make them for you from now on.”

Tan Qingxuan recalled when Cang Ran had come to find her and then left. Was she jealous when she saw Yun Muyu giving her plums, making her remember them for so long that she brought the fruit with her on this trip?

Her morning sickness had lessened these days. Seeing Cang Ran clearly jealous but pretending not to care, she picked one up and put it in her mouth.

The plums, which both had their pits removed, were a little sweeter than the ones Yun Muyu made, and the sugar coating was finer.

Tan Qingxuan smiled slightly, “It’s very sweet.”

Cang Ran’s version was sweet and sour. Hearing Tan Qingxuan say it was very sweet, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had added too much sugar, “Is it really that sweet?”

Tan Qingxuan’s eyes sparkled. She picked up a plum and offered it to Cang Ran’s mouth.

Cang Ran chewed a couple of times. The taste was pleasantly sweet and sour, but she didn’t feel it was overly sweet.

Perhaps Tan Qingxuan’s taste buds were different now that she was pregnant with the cub. She remembered that pregnant women liked sour and spicy flavors, so making it very sweet was definitely not right.

“When I get back, I’ll find hawthorn trees and make you some sour bīng táng húlu (candied fruit skewers). I definitely didn’t do a good job this time.”

Tan Qingxuan shook her head and said, “There’s no need to go to so much trouble. I like this very much.”

Cang Ran was about to tell her more about how bīng táng húlu was much tastier than sour plums and promised to make more for Tan Qingxuan when they got back, when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

“Honored guest, you ordered food just now. We are here to deliver it.”

Cang Ran listened to the voice; it sounded slightly different from the previous waiter, but it might just be a helper.

She was too lazy to walk over, so she directly used a spell to open the door, “Come in.”

As soon as the door opened, several strange odors rushed in. Cang Ran’s nose was very sensitive, and she immediately detected that the ones delivering the food were demons.

The visitors were three demon cultivators. Their demonic aura was well concealed, likely through the use of a Hundred Flower Pill, but demon cultivators always leave some trace.

There was also a demonic energy about them. Cang Ran had absorbed a lot of demonic energy when healing Tan Qingxuan before, which allowed her to immediately distinguish the weirdness of the Demon-Accepting Dew (Chéng Yāo Lù) at the time. She now felt a similar sense of déjà vu.

These few Form Transformation stage demons must have used the Demon-Accepting Dew and had now returned for revenge.

The visitors meant trouble. They had just arrived at the inn and temporarily rested here, only to be targeted. This was too bizarre.

Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan exchanged a look and nodded slightly.

As soon as the food was put down, the few demons immediately pulled out large, hidden sabers and simultaneously launched a sneak attack on Cang Ran and Tan Qingxuan.

The sabers were wielded with ferocious power, carrying a layer of black, malevolent energy. The fierce wind was aimed directly at their faces. Cang Ran was already prepared. She quickly drew Eighty and met the attack with a single sword slash. The divine sword’s might was utterly fierce and powerful. The cold, gleaming blade collided with the saber, and the sharp saber was instantly cleaved into two pieces by the sword’s edge.

Before the demon could react, Cang Ran suddenly raised her foot and delivered a fierce kick to its chest, directly sending the demon crashing into the stone pillar. The pillar shook violently, and the demon was deeply embedded in the stone pillar, unable to immediately escape despite struggling desperately.

The remaining two demons glanced at the pinned demon, bared their fangs, and let out a fierce roar, once again attacking Tan Qingxuan.

One demon was instantly pierced through the chest by Washing Moon, which had suddenly unsheathed itself, and then flew back into Tan Qingxuan’s hand. Meanwhile, Cang Ran turned and stabbed the other demon from behind. She twisted her wrist, violently churning the sword edge inside, shattering the demon’s heart. The demon cried out in pain, and a large amount of blood streamed down the sword’s edge.

The gruesome deaths of the two demons terrified the one stuck in the pillar. His face was pale with fear. As he tried to escape from the pillar, he was slapped back by the transformed Cang Ran (now in her fox form). His head slammed against a sharp protrusion on the stone pillar, and his entire face was immediately covered in blood.

Cang Ran’s sharp fox claws pressed against the demon’s neck, like a steel knife. Her pupils transformed into sharp vertical slits, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression, “Who sent you?”

The demon’s face was full of terror. He shivered all over and bit his tongue until blood emerged. Cang Ran saw his attempt to commit suicide by biting his tongue. Just as she was about to stop him, a mass of black energy suddenly erupted from his eyes.

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