The Little Fox Spirit Doesn't Want to Carry a Cub - Chapter 15

“Jiang Shen, what’s wrong with you?”

Li Ruan naturally saw that trace of blood and immediately ran toward him.

Jiang Shen covered his nose and mouth, turning his gaze away, not daring to look at him. “It’s nothing, I just—”

Before he could finish, the youth raised a hand and tapped the empty air.

As if a gentle breeze had brushed past, Jiang Shen froze and released his hand. The bleeding had stopped; moreover, not a single drop of blood could be seen on his hand or sleeve.

Turning back, the youth was looking at him with a beaming smile, the tips of his ears cocked high in pride. “My spiritual power has also recovered a tiny bit.”

“You…” Jiang Shen only felt his throat go dry.

He cleared his throat and said seriously, “It’s likely just a side effect of the medicine. The Yang… the Yang energy is a bit too peaked.”

“Oh.” Li Ruan didn’t suspect a thing. “Then tonight I’ll absorb a bit more to help take it all out for you.”

He heard such words often, but now that the little fox had transformed into a human, hearing them sounded strange no matter how one looked at it. Jiang Shen’s eyes darted around; catching a glimpse of the little fox still standing naked before him, he for a moment didn’t even know where to put his hands.

He was about to speak when he saw the little fox suddenly crouch down.

The youth didn’t actually have a very scrawny build; on the contrary, he was quite well-proportioned, but his frame was small—standing, he only reached Jiang Shen’s shoulder. Crouching down, he appeared even smaller, not even reaching Jiang Shen’s waist, as if a single arm could encircle him.

He reached out his hands and, through the clothing, pressed his palms against the old injury on Jiang Shen’s right leg.

This time lasted much longer. It felt as though a warm current was flowing from his palms into Jiang Shen’s body—mildly hot and very gentle.

After a moment, he released his hands and exhaled. “It should be healed. Want to try?”

Over two months had passed, and Jiang Shen’s leg injury had actually mostly recovered; one could barely see any trace of the injury while he walked. However, high-intensity movements like sprinting or practicing martial arts were still a bit taxing.

The little fox had always been muttering about treating him completely once his spiritual power returned.

He was always a man of his word.

Jiang Shen didn’t move. Li Ruan reached out directly, wanting to pull at his trousers to see if the scar was gone. Jiang Shen reached his limit and quickly pulled him up.

He had been in human form for some time and hadn’t put on any clothes; the skin exposed to the outside was covered in snowflakes and felt icy cold.

In contrast, Jiang Shen’s hands were alarmingly hot.

Li Ruan was startled by the heat, and Jiang Shen abruptly withdrew his hands.

“You… put some clothes on first,” Jiang Shen said with difficulty. “Can’t you conjure clothes?”

Li Ruan said, “Of course I can.”

He cast another spell.

Li Ruan conjured a set of red robes for himself. The garment was very light and thin, with wide sleeves and a narrow waist, embroidered with gold thread in the shape of clouds.

He looked like a vivid little fox.

His long hair was unfastened, and the red robes made his skin look snow-white.

Jiang Shen watched him for a while, then his gaze moved down. “Where are your shoes?”

“I don’t like wearing shoes.” The hem of the robe wasn’t long, only reaching his ankles; below were a pair of feet as white as jade. Li Ruan stood barefoot on the ground and wiggled his toes upon hearing the question. “Shoes are uncomfortable to wear.”

Jiang Shen asked, “Then aren’t you cold?”

Li Ruan gave an “um.” “…Maybe a little.”

When he was a fox, he had thick fur and pads on his paws to keep warm, but he had no such thing after transforming into a human.

Jiang Shen wanted to say more, but Li Ruan suddenly gave a light leap and jumped onto his back.

He hooked his arms around Jiang Shen, his tail wagging happily behind him. “Can’t you just carry me back?”

He had always been like this; when going out with Jiang Shen, if he was too lazy to walk, he would hang off Jiang Shen’s neck and make the man carry him.

Relying on being a tiny thing, he had never once considered that Jiang Shen’s leg injury hadn’t fully healed.

Jiang Shen’s body went slightly rigid. “Little fox, you’re a human now.”

Li Ruan: “But I shouldn’t have become very heavy, right?”

He certainly wasn’t heavy; in fact, the weight made Jiang Shen wonder where everything this little fox usually ate actually went.

“You’re so much taller than me; you can do it.” Li Ruan rubbed against the side of his neck. “And I just healed your leg; you should repay me.”

The little fox’s exterior had transformed into a human, but his behavior hadn’t changed to that of a human at all; he still acted like a fox.

Jiang Shen felt itchy from the rubbing and said quickly, “I—I know. I’ll carry you… just don’t rub against me.”

“Going home!”

Jiang Shen carried the little fox back.

“By the way, why did you come looking for me suddenly?”

“The capital sent some yuanxiao over. I came to get you back to eat them.”

“What is yuanxiao?”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t.”

“It’s something eaten in the mortal realm during the New Year.”

“Oh, oh…”

“Then what is the New Year?”

Returning to the cave, Jiang Shen placed Li Ruan by the fire.

The snow was falling heavily by the time they returned. Li Ruan’s hair and body were covered in snow, and he was indeed a bit cold. Returning to the warmth, he immediately stretched his toes toward the fire to warm them.

Jiang Shen rummaged through the items piled deep in the cave and pulled out a few clay pots.

Before Jiang Shen’s arrival, Li Ruan didn’t have these utensils in his cave; he rarely even built a fire for warmth, let alone this.

These clay pots were things they had found while searching for food in the mountains recently; they were somewhat damaged, but once washed clean, they could be used to boil food or heat water.

Other bowls and chopsticks were things Jiang Shen had carved himself from wood and bamboo in his spare time.

Jiang Shen first washed a clay pot and set it over the fire with fresh water. Once the water boiled, he dropped the yuanxiao in. Before long, steam began to rise.

While waiting for the yuanxiao to cook, Li Ruan asked again, “So did another letter come from the capital today? What did it say?”

Lately, Li Ruan had been focused entirely on his cultivation to establish his Foundation and hadn’t paid attention to news from the capital for a long time.

Of course, so-called “paying attention” was merely the mindset of someone listening to a story.

Jiang Shen said, “The Governor of Huguang intentionally tried to assassinate the Crown Prince and has been captured. He will likely be escorted back to the capital once spring arrives.”

“Ah?” Li Ruan’s eyes widened in surprise.

He hadn’t paid attention for less than a month; how did things turn out like this?

He felt as though he had missed a lot.

Li Ruan’s brain couldn’t quite process it for a moment. He asked, “So was it really him who wanted to kill you before? How was he caught?”

“It wasn’t the incident at Mount Changming.”

Li Ruan was even more confused.

Jiang Shen asked, “A month ago, the Governor of Huguang was preparing to go south and wrote a letter asking to meet me. Do you remember?”

“I remember.” Li Ruan nodded. “You said he was trying to test you.”

“En,” Jiang Shen said. “He insisted on meeting me, so I granted his wish. I sent someone to pose as me and meet him.”

“It was shortly after that meeting that he sent people to attempt an assassination on ‘me,’ and was caught on the spot.”

Li Ruan was still puzzled. “But didn’t you say before that the killer wouldn’t be so stupid as to try and kill you a second time?”

Jiang Shen: “The killer indeed wouldn’t, but for the Governor of Huguang, this was the first time.”

Li Ruan: “Aren’t they the same group?”

“Even if they truly belong to the same camp, they would each have their own schemes. Furthermore…” Jiang Shen said, “He had no other choice.”

Li Ruan blinked, clearly not understanding.

“If the mastermind failed to assassinate me and wanted to send someone to test me, what kind of person do you think he would arrange?”

“Um… someone he trusts?”

“No, he would send a sacrificial pawn.”

The factions in the current court are clearly divided. On the surface, that Governor of Huguang never belonged to any faction. If Jiang Shen hadn’t discovered beforehand that he was close to the Third Prince’s line, he wouldn’t have known either.

The Crown Prince had just been targeted for assassination; sending someone to test him at this time would certainly arouse his suspicion.

Choosing someone like this—someone who appeared clean and hadn’t joined any faction—was the best choice.

But conversely, this person was also effectively abandoned by the faction.

Because once he became implicated, his masters would absolutely not offer a helping hand.

Li Ruan realized, “So that’s how it is.”

As they spoke, the yuanxiao were gradually done.

Jiang Shen served a bowl to Li Ruan before continuing, “The things I can think of, the Governor of Huguang can naturally understand as well, so he would find a way to protect himself.”

“To report the truth of the Mount Changming ambush to me, or to kill me to prove his value to his faction.”

This wasn’t just a simple power struggle or a choice of survival; it was a matter of which side he would take in the struggle for imperial power.

“I deliberately had my decoy act as though his injuries were not yet healed and his guards were sparse. In such a situation, it was advantageous whether he chose to come and inform me or to come and assassinate me.”

Jiang Shen shrugged. “Unfortunately, he chose the latter.”

“That is indeed a pity.” Li Ruan held the soup bowl, nodding with half-understanding.

Jiang Shen looked at the little fox’s cute expression and smiled, not finishing the rest of the story.

In truth, he had long guessed the Governor wouldn’t choose the former because he never allowed anyone potentially disloyal to remain by his side. Since the Governor was implicated in the Mount Changming ambush, even if he truly defected, Jiang Shen wouldn’t have kept him for long.

There seemed to be two paths, but in reality, there was only one.

If the assassination failed, it was death.

“But this is good news, right?” Li Ruan said. “At least you’ve caught someone; it should be easier to find the killer now, right?”

“It is good news, but…” Jiang Shen paused and said, “It won’t be that easy to find the mastermind.”

Whether it was the assassins from the start or the spies who snuck into Mount Changming later, none of them carried any valuable clues.

It was evident the mastermind was someone who acted with extreme care.

Without evidence or clues, searching was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Jiang Shen sighed and said, “It’s a pity I burned that forged secret letter; otherwise, there would have been a way to find a clue.”

Such letters are usually burned after reading. At the time, Jiang Shen saw the Emperor’s secret seal on the letter and didn’t suspect anything, burning the item after reading it.

Who knew this would happen.

“Um… it was burned?” Li Ruan became thoughtful.

Jiang Shen asked him, “What do you want to say?”

Li Ruan said, “If you still remember the general content of the letter and the situation when you received it, I might be able to help you find it.”

It was a type of memory-regression spell that could enter scenes from another person’s memory. The clearer the memory, the more realistic the reconstruction of the scene. As long as Li Ruan could enter, he could mimic the letter and create an identical one to bring back to reality.

Jiang Shen’s eyes lit up. “Is that possible?”

“Not yet…” Li Ruan rubbed his nose. “My spiritual power hasn’t fully recovered. This spell is very difficult; I’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

“Good.” Jiang Shen didn’t feel any regret; having a chance to retrieve the item was already an unexpected surprise. He wasn’t in a hurry.

He added, “Let’s not talk about this for now. Hurry and eat; it’ll get cold in a bit.”

Li Ruan nodded. “En!”

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Li Ruan lay on Jiang Shen’s bed, groaning softly.

“I’m so stuffed…”

“It’s your own fault. You clearly couldn’t eat any more, yet you insisted on having that last bowl.” Jiang Shen washed the dishes and put the clay pot back in its place before returning to the bedside. “Feeling the discomfort now?”

“But it was really delicious.” Li Ruan rubbed his belly. “How are there so many delicious things in the mortal realm? I really envy you.”

Jiang Shen’s movements paused.

“There are many more delicious and fun things in the mortal realm. You…” He glanced at the youth on the bed and asked tentatively, “If you want to see them, I can take you.”

“I’d rather not.” Li Ruan didn’t take the offer to heart, his answer coming almost without thought. “Although there are many good things in the mortal realm, it’s crowded and full of ‘turbid air,’ making it very unsuitable for cultivation. I still have to ascend; I don’t have time to play.”

Jiang Shen’s brow furrowed slightly.

Ascension again.

But he said nothing. On the contrary, Li Ruan suddenly seemed to remember something, quickly scrambling up and digging out the medicine bottle by the bed. “It’s time for your medicine!”

Jiang Shen: “…”

Jiang Shen: “Do I still have to take it today?”

Li Ruan knelt on the bed, holding the celadon bottle high. “Why wouldn’t you?”

Jiang Shen: “Haven’t you already established your Foundation?”

“It’s just the Foundation; I’m still far from finished.” Li Ruan said, “At my current rate, it might take another few decades to break through to the next level. I can wait, but can you? Don’t you want to find that letter?”

The youth’s expression was extremely serious, as if this were just another ordinary practice session like before, and not…

No, it originally didn’t have any other meaning.

Jiang Shen closed his eyes.

“…Fine,” Jiang Shen said. “I’ll take it.”

The medicine took effect very quickly today. Li Ruan lay over Jiang Shen as usual, pressing against the side of his neck and taking a deep breath first.

Jiang Shen’s body was rigid, sitting on the bed without moving.

“Why don’t you pet me anymore?” Li Ruan asked him displeasedly. “You usually pet me.”

He could no longer lie across Jiang Shen’s chest as before; he had to settle for a compromise, kneeling with his legs apart and leaning forward to press against Jiang Shen.

His tail wagged behind him as he spoke, occasionally brushing against Jiang Shen’s calf.

Jiang Shen gritted his teeth and urged, “Hurry up.”

Li Ruan was like a diner who ate for free yet was still picky, complaining one moment that Jiang Shen didn’t pet him and the next that Jiang Shen’s body was rigid and not as comfortable to nuzzle as before.

Jiang Shen was nearly driven mad by him.

After a while, Li Ruan suddenly sighed. “Why isn’t it finished yet? I’m tired.”

Jiang Shen said incredulously, “You’re asking me?”

“But your essence is truly abundant today; this place hasn’t receded at all.” Li Ruan was puzzled. “I’ve already absorbed so much.”

Jiang Shen: “…”

Li Ruan continued to ask, “Why isn’t it going down? Is it also because of the medicine?”

Jiang Shen ground his teeth.

He was likely truly driven to lose his reason by this little fox today. Jiang Shen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“En, it’s because of the medicine.”

Jiang Shen’s voice was low and hoarse as he said softly, “How about… you touch it. Perhaps it will be faster.”