The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 81

Chapter 81

They searched for a while with no luck when they suddenly heard a huge explosion in the sky.

A brilliant burst of fireworks lit up the sky, forming a beautiful, moving Taiji pattern.

These lights lingered, visible from afar, like a clear guide.

Cang Ran was surprised, “Why are there fireworks here?”

Tan Qingxuan withdrew her gaze, “It seems Elder Qu came prepared. This Taiji pattern corresponds to the character ‘Xuan’ of the Grand Mystic Sect. All disciples outside must head to this pattern immediately upon seeing it. Let’s go and regroup first.”

Cang Ran inwardly praised Elder Qu. Worthy of being a seasoned veteran! When the communication jade token failed, he had a backup plan with communication fireworks.

They hurried over together and soon saw Elder Qu standing beneath the fireworks. With his straight, long legs and flowing long hair, he leaned against a tree, drinking from his wine gourd.

Seeing them arrive so quickly, a look of surprise flashed in Elder Qu’s eyes, and he smiled broadly, “Qingxuan and the little fox arrived the fastest.”

Standing together, one was as elegant as a begonia, and the other as brilliant as a peony. Walking side by side, they were truly a match made in heaven and a delight to the eyes.

Cang Ran smiled, “We saw it and came right over, of course we’re fast. Did Elder Qu transmit directly to the forest?”

Elder Qu, “I’ve been searching here for a while. I suddenly remembered I had some communication fireworks in my storage artifact, so I set them off to make some noise.”

Cang Ran, “Thank goodness Elder Qu brought the fireworks, or we wouldn’t have found the meeting point. Wait a little longer, and the others should all arrive.”

Elder Qu laughed heartily at the compliment, “I’ve been in the game for many years now. What would I do without this backup plan?”

Cang Ran asked curiously, “Elder Qu, have you found the ten-thousand-year-old Divine Wood?”

Elder Qu shook his head, “Not yet. It seems to rain often here, and the tree trunks are all wet, making it difficult to find. Let’s wait a bit and see if the sun comes out. That will make the search easier.”

Cang Ran looked up at the clouds beginning to gather in the sky again. It seemed quite difficult to wait for the sun in this weather.

They didn’t wait long before seeing the other three people approaching from a distance. Leading the way were Shen Yunyan and Shui Shaoyi, who looked like they had rolled through mud, followed by Lin Mingyue, who was also covered in mud and sand.

Shui Shaoyi was weaving a grass basket and had many bundled medicinal herbs strapped to her back. The mud on her made her three-parts clear beauty look like an old farmer from the fields.

Shen Yunyan was carrying a large stack of dusty stones, resembling a bricklayer from the village who was building a house. She constantly used her shoulder to push away Shui Shaoyi’s sticky body. The skin where the mud rubbed off was flushed red, making it hard to tell if it was from anger or exhaustion.

Lin Mingyue followed behind them, also carrying a lot of gathered items—medicinal herbs, spiritual plants, and stone blocks. She looked like she had come from scavenging.

Cang Ran was shocked, “Did you three roll around in the mud? Why are you in such a state?”

Shen Yunyan put down the large pile of stone blocks and said irritably, “Senior, Shui Shaoyi insisted on jumping in with me, and she grabbed my hand halfway. I wouldn’t have fallen into the mud, but the moment she grabbed me, the scene before me changed, and I plunged straight into the mud pit.”

Shui Shaoyi continued weaving her basket and said gently, “I just wanted to be with you. I originally wanted to push you away, but you didn’t want to be pushed and insisted on being intimate with me in the mud. I even kindly wove a basket for you to put your stones in.”

Shen Yunyan was speechless with anger, “Who wanted to be intimate with you? Save that basket for your herbs! I told you they weren’t stones, they are treasures! These are Phoenix Stones, they’re very valuable, you ignorant, black-hearted medical cultivator!”

Seeing them so lively and dirty like little mud people, Cang Ran couldn’t help but chuckle and ask, “Why didn’t you put them in your storage space?”

Shen Yunyan explained, “We can’t use spiritual energy here, and the storage artifacts we brought require spiritual energy to open.”

Cang Ran touched the necklace on her chest. Her necklace was given to her by Tan Qingxuan and could be opened without spiritual energy. It seemed to be better than everyone else’s.

Elder Qu, being a master artifact refiner, probably knew they might encounter this kind of secret realm and also had a backup plan. His storage artifact was also usable.

Cang Ran kindly offered, “You can put your things in my necklace first. It’ll be lighter.”

Shen Yunyan’s eyes lit up, “Senior’s necklace looks so beautiful! And it can be used without spiritual energy!”

Cang Ran curved her lips, “Yes, the Venerable gave it to me.”

Shen Yunyan voiced her envy and immediately asked Cang Ran to help her temporarily store the Phoenix Stones.

Shui Shaoyi quietly said from the side, “I can buy you one next time.”

Shen Yunyan stomped her foot and retorted, “Who wants anything from a black-hearted medical cultivator like you?”

The two started their verbal sparring again. Meanwhile, Lin Mingyue was pulled aside by Elder Qu and Tan Qingxuan and asked about her well-being for a while.

When Cang Ran approached, she overheard Lin Mingyue telling them that she had met Shen Yunyan and Shui Shaoyi on the road. When she heard Shui Shaoyi say the medicinal herbs were good, she listened to Shui Shaoyi and gathered some therapeutic spiritual plants, thinking of bringing them back for her Master to nourish her body.

As expected, she is a good child of their sect, always thinking of bringing good things home even when scavenging.

Elder Qu helped brush the mud and sand off Lin Mingyue’s body, then gave her a rinse, and asked Lin Mingyue to call Shui Shaoyi and Shen Yunyan over.

When Shui Shaoyi saw Elder Qu pick up the wine gourd and prepare to pour something onto them, she quickly stepped back, “Elder Qu, I can’t drink! Soaking in wine might make me pass out, and it would be too wasteful.”

Elder Qu shook his wine gourd and glared, “Who said it was wine? It’s water in here! My wine gourd isn’t like other wine gourds that can only hold wine. If I want it to be water, it’s water. If I want it to be wine, it can turn into wine.”

Cang Ran thought of her own wine gourd. It seemed Elder Qu’s gourd was the advanced version, and hers was the basic model. She’d have to ask Elder Qu to upgrade hers next time.

Elder Qu casually tossed the wine gourd to Lin Mingyue and took out a few sets of clothes from his storage artifact, hanging them on a higher tree branch.

“Mingyue, go pour some water for the two of them. Give them a good wash. They look like mud monkeys. I also put three sets of clothes over there. You can all find a place to change later, don’t catch a cold.”

Lin Mingyue had never used Elder Qu’s wine gourd. With a slight tilt, the spout of the wine gourd sprayed water jets in all directions like a fountain. Elder Qu, who had just managed to relax, was instantly soaked.

If Cang Ran hadn’t quickly shielded Tan Qingxuan, she would have been splashed by Lin Mingyue’s water too. Her sleeve, which had just dried, got wet again while protecting Tan Qingxuan.

Lin Mingyue’s face was flushed, and she was flustered. She hadn’t expected to mess up the first task Elder Qu assigned her like this.

Elder Qu walked over and taught Lin Mingyue not to grip the wine gourd so tightly. A simple, gentle tilt would suffice.

Then Lin Mingyue accidentally held the gourd upside down again. A large bucket of water gushed out in reverse, pouring entirely over Elder Qu and herself.

Lin Mingyue was stunned by the water she poured on herself, while the two mud-covered people opposite, whose mud had already caked, didn’t receive a single drop of water.

Elder Qu wiped his face. Water was dripping all over him in tiny rain showers. His entire appearance, including the loose-flowing hair that symbolized his dashing temperament, was completely ruined.

He took the wine gourd from Lin Mingyue’s hand and sighed, “Alright, little girl, run along and play. I’ll pour the water to rinse them off. Now, go change into your new robes quickly.”

Lin Mingyue, feeling she had performed poorly, didn’t leave and quietly watched Elder Qu to learn. Once she learned how, she took the robes to change.

By the time Elder Qu had rinsed the mud off the two, Tan Qingxuan still hadn’t seen Yun Muyu arrive and asked Cang Ran to inquire with Shen Yunyan.

Cang Ran asked, “Did you encounter Muyu on your way here?”

Shen Yunyan and Shui Shaoyi both shook their heads, “We didn’t see her. We searched around there for a while too, but then we saw the fireworks Elder Qu set off and thought we should come and check. We thought it might be Yun Muyu, but she hasn’t arrived yet. How about we go look for her again now?”

Cang Ran frowned slightly, “It’s alright. You two go change your clothes first. Muyu might be on her way. Let’s wait a bit longer. If she still hasn’t arrived, we’ll go look for her directly.”

She returned and informed Tan Qingxuan and Elder Qu of the situation. After all, if they waited another quarter of an hour, the fireworks’ effect would completely dissipate. If Yun Muyu arrived here and found everyone gone, it would be troublesome for her to search around.

Tan Qingxuan and Elder Qu agreed. A quarter of an hour passed, and no sound other than their own came from the dense forest.

The fireworks in the sky transformed into long, trailing light streams, slowly falling from the horizon and vanishing into nothingness.

Just as Cang Ran decided it was time to leave and search, she suddenly saw a wisp of black smoke where the fireworks had vanished. It was very far from them, but Cang Ran could still smell the burnt odor in the air.

The forest here was deep and frequently rained upon. The trees were damp, so it was impossible for a fire to start due to excessive dryness. Therefore, there was only one possibility: it was man-made.

Could Yun Muyu be calling for help? Or is a monster spirit making a fire to roast Yun Muyu?

Cang Ran immediately told Tan Qingxuan about her discovery. Tan Qingxuan looked at the billowing smoke and said, “Let’s go. Let’s follow the direction of the smoke and quickly go find Muyu.”

The group immediately moved together, crossing mountains and valleys. The closer they got, the more acrid the black smoke became. It was shrouded in black mist and faint flames, making it seem like a monster was about to roast and eat Yun Muyu on the spot.

Although the flesh of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator was not as nourishing for a demon cultivator as that of a Golden Core stage cultivator, a mosquito, no matter how small, is still meat. Yun Muyu had been well-fed and nurtured since coming to the Grand Mystic Sect. Even if she was a little thin, she was still palatable.

It was conceivable that a passing demon who had lost its mind might try to eat Yun Muyu.

Cang Ran gripped her divine sword and asked Tan Qingxuan to wait outside to avoid being affected by the black smoke, which could harm her body and the child. She was the first to rush into the black mist.

Her eyes were stinging from the smoke, turning red, and tears streamed down. She searched around but couldn’t find Yun Muyu or any demon.

The others also followed her into the black smoke. Their eyes quickly turned red as well, and they began searching everywhere.

After a while, they finally found Yun Muyu beside a fire pit, fanning the flames. Her face was blackened like a small piece of coal.

When she saw the crowd, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face, and she quickly put down the cattail fan and walked toward them.

When she realized everyone was looking at her with teary eyes, Yun Muyu quickly explained, “Why did you all come here, and why are you crying? I’m fine! I just wanted to tell you that I found that spiritual spring that runs on its own!”

Everyone nodded while rubbing their eyes more vigorously.

Yun Muyu saw them crying more profusely. She hugged each person and showed her only clean, white teeth, “I’m really fine. I fell in, found a cave, and ate some sweet fruits! When I came out, I found the spiritual spring.

The spring keeps moving, so I had to stay close to it and wait for you all to come. I thought of lighting a fire to guide you over. The Profound Ice Spirit Marrow that Master needs should be inside that spring. Shimu, hurry and take it.”

Cang Ran’s eyes were streaming with tears from the smoke. She was almost a “smoked fox.” She had to push away the hugging Yun Muyu, “Let’s bury the fire first, and then go find the spiritual spring, or we’ll all be smoked to death by the fire you started!”

Yun Muyu quickly fetched a large bucket of water from the spiritual spring behind her and poured it onto the furiously burning pile of firewood.

The fire was finally extinguished. Cang Ran picked up the large cattail fan and waved the black smoke outward. The others also grabbed branches full of leaves and fanned the air, finally dispersing the suffocating black smoke.

However, the spiritual spring that had been behind Yun Muyu had already moved about ten feet away. Cang Ran and the others quickly chased after it.

The shape of this spring resembled a coiled dragon. Water sprayed from the dragon’s mouth. The entire spiritual spring shimmered with golden light. In the sunlight, spiritual energy mist spewed out, making anyone who approached feel comfortable in body and mind.

Elder Qu took out a special spiritual artifact and handed it to Tan Qingxuan. He said to everyone, “This spiritual spring is also called the Divine Dragon Spring. It’s different from other springs. Legend says a Divine Ice Dragon fell from the nine heavens, its body turning into the spring water, its eyes becoming the spring’s source, and its marrow transforming into the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow we need to retrieve.”

Lin Mingyue realized, “No wonder it can run! Its predecessor was a dragon!”

Elder Qu chuckled, “That’s just a legend from the ancient texts, not to be taken as absolute truth. This spiritual spring was formed by the creation of heaven and earth. It takes ten thousand years to condense one Profound Ice Spirit Marrow. It’s only with the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow that it can move. After we take the spiritual marrow, we must put some spirit stones back into it. We need to leave something for those who come after us, or it won’t be able to condense the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow again for another ten thousand years.”

Everyone nodded upon hearing Elder Qu’s words. If the person who found the spiritual spring before them had also “drained the pond to catch the fish,” the next person who truly needed the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow would find nothing. If everyone only thought of self-interest, the legacy of the secret realm would have been cut off long ago.

Tan Qingxuan spun the spiritual artifacts in her palm and fiercely hammered them into the four corners of the spiritual spring with inner strength. The spiritual spring was instantly immobilized. A violent dragon roar erupted from the bottom of the spring.

The residual power of the dragon roar sent chills down their spines. Shen Yunyan and the others, whose cultivation was lower, turned pale, showing signs of internal bleeding in their organs. They quickly swallowed the injury-healing elixirs they carried.

Elder Qu, seeing this, told them to keep their distance. He said to Tan Qingxuan, “The formation is complete. The spiritual spring won’t run away for a short time. The ancient texts say the spring water is extremely cold, and staying too long can easily cause cold poisoning. I should be the one to go down and retrieve the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow.”

Cang Ran immediately stopped him. Elder Qu had passed out from exhaustion during the last sword forging, “I’ll go! I have fox fur, and I have a fire spirit root. I should be fine. I’ll retrieve it.”

Tan Qingxuan looked at Cang Ran with some worry. The spiritual spring was bone-chillingly cold, and it wouldn’t be easy for anyone below the Void Integration stage to retrieve the marrow. However, Cang Ran was the most suitable candidate right now.

Tan Qingxuan could only nod, “Alright, be careful. Elder Qu, find an Immortal Binding Rope and tie it around Cang Ran’s waist. If she doesn’t come up after a while, we’ll pull her out.”

Elder Qu followed Tan Qingxuan’s instructions, tightly binding the Immortal Binding Rope around Cang Ran’s waist. After confirming several times that the rope wouldn’t slip, he let Cang Ran go down.

Cang Ran transformed into a flexible little fox and immediately jumped into the spiritual spring. It was indeed bone-chillingly cold. She held her breath and swam a few strokes. Her body was already stiffening, and her four paws felt covered in frost.

As she dived deeper, the numbing sensation from the icy spring water became more pronounced in her limbs. She swam slowly and steadily downwards until she reached the very bottom and saw the shimmering Profound Ice Spirit Marrow.

She kicked the water hard with her hind legs, swimming vigorously forward, when she suddenly felt her waist tighten. Elder Qu must have been pulling her up from above.

She didn’t know how long she had been down there. Her consciousness was already weak. Vaguely, she heard someone continuously calling her name. If she went up now, she wasn’t sure if she could immediately dive back down again.

Cang Ran raised her hand and untied the rope once. She reached for the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow again until her claw tip completely hooked the marrow.

She used one paw to shield the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow in her embrace. It wasn’t as cold as she had imagined. The Profound Ice Spirit Marrow felt like a warm, flowing jade substance inside.

The rope tightened again, pulling her with greater force than before. Cang Ran’s entire body was frozen stiff and she could barely swim. She quickly wrapped the rope around herself once more, holding the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow with both fox paws, and was yanked out of the deep, cold spring water.

The moment she emerged from the spring water, Tan Qingxuan immediately embraced her. Cang Ran was about to say she was icy cold, but Tan Qingxuan harshly slapped her butt. Unfortunately, she was so frozen that she didn’t feel the slap.

Tan Qingxuan looked at Cang Ran’s frozen, blue face. Her fox body was stiff. Her red eyes were full of reproach and distress, “Why didn’t you come up when I told you to just now?”

Cang Ran showed a brilliant smile, holding the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow out for Tan Qingxuan to see, “I got it! Our little fox cub is saved! It can wake up now!”

Tan Qingxuan held her tightly, as if trying to merge her into her own flesh and blood, “You silly fox! I don’t want the little fox cub anymore, I only want you!”

Cang Ran raised her stiff paws and patted Tan Qingxuan’s back, “I’m really fine! Didn’t I come up safely? This small ice spring is a piece of cake! I could even swim another round trip!”

Her butt was slapped several more times by Tan Qingxuan until she had to concede defeat. Fortunately, everyone else had discreetly left and couldn’t see them, or the Fox Great King would have lost face.

After spending some time together, Cang Ran finally managed to soothe Tan Qingxuan and immediately asked Shui Shaoyi to refine the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow. She was genuinely worried that Tan Qingxuan would actually say she didn’t want the baby and mean it.

Shui Shaoyi successfully refined the Profound Ice Spirit Marrow using a special technique. After Tan Qingxuan consumed it, she drew spiritual energy from spirit stones to check on the little fox cub’s condition. She found that the little fox cub was finally active again.

Cang Ran immediately used the same method to check on the little fox cub. She discovered that the tiny fox cub in its mother’s womb finally started responding to her spiritual energy. Even though it was only twice, Cang Ran was so moved that tears nearly streamed down her face.

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