The Little Fox Spirit Doesn't Want to Carry a Cub - Chapter 19.1

Li Ruan quickly discovered that dual cultivation was completely different from what he had imagined.

It was also different from what was written in the books.

He had never experienced such a strange and difficult method of cultivation. Forget silently reciting mantras while practicing; even trying to control his breathing to keep it steady and stop his tears from falling proved to be an immense challenge.

He was pressed onto the reef by Jiang Shen, then tossed into the hot spring water. Every time Jiang Shen touched him, he would let out a small sob.

Toward the end, Jiang Shen even began to doubt himself. “Am I doing a poor job?”

That wasn’t entirely the reason.

Fox demons are born with “charming bones,” making them the most suitable for dual cultivation techniques. Because of this, the bodies of the fox tribe are mostly hyper-sensitive. Usually, it isn’t noticeable, but at the height of passion, even a touch at the base of the tail could make them tremble all over.

To say nothing of anything else.

But Jiang Shen didn’t know this.

Before this, he had been influenced by certain folk storybooks and assumed that the endurance of the demon race was very strong. Additionally, he had been suppressed quite severely these past few months and teased quite relentlessly, so he was a bit… out of control.

In short, by the time Jiang Shen’s first time ended, Li Ruan was crying so hard he couldn’t see straight.

The moment Jiang Shen released him, he transformed back into a little fox with a poof. Ignoring his soaked fur, he dragged his aching limbs and swam to the other end of the pool.

He stayed far away from him.

He was still hiccuping and dropping tears.

Jiang Shen, young and vigorous and having just tasted “meat” for the first time, still had a fire burning inside him. But the little fox’s crying made his heart ache, so he could only soften his voice. “Don’t hide. Let me see—did I hurt you?”

“N-No,” the little fox replied between sobs.

Jiang Shen: “Then is it uncomfortable? Did I cause you pain?”

The little fox: “It… it doesn’t hurt either.”

He wasn’t injured and it didn’t hurt, yet he was crying so uncontrollably.

Mist swirled over the hot spring. That tiny bundle of bright red huddled in a corner of the pool, his form unclear; only his quiet sobs could be heard.

It was as if Jiang Shen had committed some heinous crime of bullying.

Jiang Shen felt helpless and asked again, “Then… do you want to go again?”

The little fox went silent.

After a moment, he seemed to calm down gradually, and his voice no longer trembled. “I want to try cultivating first, then… then I’ll consider whether to continue.”

Jiang Shen, used as a human furnace, had no choice but to say “Alright.”

The process didn’t last long. After a while, Jiang Shen felt the water ripple as a little fox swam over hesitantly.

He transformed into human form beside him.

Jiang Shen reached out to catch him.

The youth looked like he had been bullied quite severely just now; the rims of his eyes and the tip of his nose were red, like a little puppy soaked by the rain.

He was still sensitive to touch; Jiang Shen could feel him trembling when he supported his shoulders, as if he wanted to dodge. But he endured it and whispered, “I’ve finished refining. This technique is very effective.”

“…Let’s do it again.”

Jiang Shen felt he was truly a qualified furnace. Even though he had calmed down during that short break, the youth’s single sentence started it all over again.

Available at all times—where could one find a better furnace than him?

But he was still wary. “Continue now? Do you want to rest a bit longer?”

“No.” The little fox’s attitude was resolute. “You don’t have much time left. I can’t delay your return to the capital.”

“Very well…” Jiang Shen said reluctantly. “I’ll be gentler and slower this time.”

Li Ruan: “Mm.”

Jiang Shen leaned down to kiss him, but Li Ruan remembered something. “Also, this time, can you… can you help me press it down?”

He frowned worriedly. “The true qi all leaked out.”

Jiang Shen: “…”

Jiang Shen said patiently, “Pressing it down will make you feel more miserable.”

“It’s fine.” Li Ruan’s eyes were red, and he sniffled. “For the sake of your early return to the capital, I can do it.”

Jiang Shen suddenly understood why there were so many kings in history who loved beauties more than their empires.

Forget going back to see his Imperial Father—he suddenly didn’t even want the throne that much.

Of course, Jiang Shen hadn’t lost his reason to that extent.

Therefore, he simply followed the little fox’s wishes.

During the second time, Jiang Shen truly was much gentler, as he had promised. Light and slow, he used a lifetime’s worth of patience.

But the little fox cried even harder than the first time.

By the end, he couldn’t even cry anymore and fell fast asleep in Jiang Shen’s arms.

It was Jiang Shen who carried him back to the cave dwelling.

In fact, before dual cultivating with the little fox, Jiang Shen had truly worried about whether he would be up to the task.

He was a normal man, yes, but the little fox was a demon. The physical strength and energy of the demon race were much more vigorous than that of mortals. If he were the one who couldn’t hold out during dual cultivation, wouldn’t that be quite embarrassing?

Therefore, during this time, Jiang Shen had been secretly practicing martial arts to regain his stamina.

He didn’t expect that the little fox would be the one who couldn’t hold out first.

When he couldn’t take it, he didn’t call for a stop or resist; he just bit his lip and trembled with soft whimpers. If the touch was too intense, he would drop tears, making one want to bully him even more.

But most of the time, Jiang Shen considered himself to have acted like a decent human, not using many cruel tricks to bully him.

…After all, he hadn’t fully won him over yet. If he didn’t serve him well and the little fox refused to deal with him after recovering his cultivation, his loss would outweigh his gain.

However, the little fox was the type to forget the pain once the wound healed. Every time he cried hard during cultivation, he felt he was capable again as soon as he finished refining.

He would pester Jiang Shen for more.

In reality, his limbs were still weak.

“…No.” Jiang Shen pressed him back onto the bed, his attitude firm. “Twice today already. Your body won’t be able to take any more. Rest well.”

“One last time.” Li Ruan clutched Jiang Shen’s sleeve tightly. “Just one last time. I’ll sleep right after I’m done cultivating.”

“No,” Jiang Shen said. “There are still several days before I have to enter the capital. If it really comes down to it, I can find an excuse to stall for a while. There’s no need to be in such a hurry.”

“But…” Li Ruan pursed his lips.

It wasn’t actually because of that.

At the beginning, Li Ruan was indeed both afraid of and in love with this cultivation method. But after so many days, he had gradually tasted a different kind of flavor from it.

He liked it.

He wanted to do it more.

Little demons had no pretentious sense of shame. Seeing that Jiang Shen refused to agree, he reached out and yanked him onto the bed, rolling over to pin him down.

“I want it. Let’s do it again.” Li Ruan rubbed against his cheek. “…Husband… Hubby… Your Highness.”

Jiang Shen’s breath hitched.

Li Ruan felt the change and looked up in surprise. “You agree?”

Jiang Shen pressed his temples. “What are you shouting so recklessly?”

The first two were terms Li Ruan had learned from storybooks. The last one was something Jiang Shen had coaxed him to say during a moment of whim on a previous occasion. However, back then, Li Ruan was gasping for breath and couldn’t manage to say it.

He didn’t expect this little fox to have taken it to heart and used it here to deal with him.

And it was actually very effective.

Li Ruan obviously realized the address worked; he leaned into his ear and called out repeatedly, his voice soft and tender.

He called until Jiang Shen’s heart felt like it was melting.

But he endured it, trying to reason with Li Ruan: “During the last time, you were crying and saying you didn’t want any more today. Did you forget so quickly?”

“That was just now…”

“But—”

“Oh, I see.” Li Ruan made a look of sudden realization. “Is your body not capable anymore?”

He propped himself on Jiang Shen’s chest, his gaze clear. “Is it because we did it too many times these past few days and you can’t take it? There’s a lot of the medicine A-Xue gave you last time left. Do you want to take one? Or maybe two?”

Jiang Shen ground his teeth.

A cunning light flickered in Li Ruan’s eyes; he was clearly doing it on purpose. Yet he maintained a look of deep concern, rolling over to get the medicine for Jiang Shen.

He was forcefully pulled back by Jiang Shen.

“You’ve learned to be bad.”

Li Ruan put on a sincere look. “Not at all. I’m truly worried about you. The Crown Prince has to go back to the capital to be the Emperor; what would happen if his body wasn’t up to it?”

Jiang Shen was so angry he laughed. “Fine. Then I’ll let you see for yourself if I’m capable.”

The cultivation lasted for a total of ten days.

During these ten days, Jiang Shen did nothing else, truly experiencing what the dissolute and debauched life of a royal was like.

On the eleventh day, when Jiang Shen woke up in the morning, he couldn’t even open his eyes before his hand began feeling around for the person beside him.

These past few nights, the little fox had slept in his arms.

The two of them had cultivated once more before bed last night. The little fox was so tired he didn’t even put on clothes, falling asleep as soon as his head hit Jiang Shen’s chest. Jiang Shen’s palm slid up the other’s bare arm, habitually rubbing the back of his neck, intending to feel those fox ears again.

But he didn’t find them.

With his eyes closed, Jiang Shen searched around the other’s head for a while. The latter seemed to be disturbed from his sleep and rubbed against his neck. “Don’t be noisy…”

The voice was still clear, but lower than usual.

Jiang Shen opened his eyes and felt something was wrong.

The little fox’s original stature was much smaller than his; he only needed one arm to completely encircle him. But now, he could only half-embrace him. Furthermore, the weight on his arm seemed to have grown heavier.

Jiang Shen looked down.

The one sleeping in his arms was indeed still his little fox, yet a subtle change had occurred.

His stature had grown significantly taller, making his curled-up sleeping position in Jiang Shen’s arms appear somewhat uncomfortable; his brows were slightly furrowed. His facial features had become more defined, as if the greenness of youth had faded overnight, and even his aura had become much more steady.

This appearance truly had the look of a “great demon.”

After living and eating with a demon for so long, nothing that happened to the little fox would surprise Jiang Shen. He candidly admired the young adult form of his little fox for a while until the other sensed his gaze and woke up in a daze.

When the little fox woke, his expression was still a bit blank. He rubbed his eyes, his gaze appearing stunned.

No matter how much his outer form changed, this silliness remained exactly the same.

Jiang Shen smiled and pinched the other’s face. “Finally awake?”

Li Ruan looked up at Jiang Shen, finally realizing what change had occurred in his body.

“I—I—I—”

He suddenly tried to sit up and nearly rolled off the edge of the bed.

This small bed made of hay was originally prepared for Jiang Shen alone; it was already a squeeze for two people. Now that Li Ruan had transformed into a young man, his body much taller, the small bed became even more cramped.

Jiang Shen quickly pulled him back.

“I know, don’t get excited.” He pressed the other’s head into his shoulder, soothingly rubbing the back of his neck. “Your magical powers have fully recovered?”

Li Ruan gave a soft “Mm.”

Li Ruan said, “Before I was struck back to my original form by the heavenly lightning, I looked exactly like this.”

“Very good-looking,” Jiang Shen said.

His little fox was good-looking no matter what he looked like.

He was just as comfortable to hold, too.

Jiang Shen held the little fox and lay there for a while, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of his head. The little fox looked up, and he naturally kissed his forehead. Then, bit by bit, he moved down—the space between his brows, his eyes, the bridge of his nose. He was about to kiss his lips when he stopped.

Not receiving the familiar kiss, the little fox blinked in confusion.

Jiang Shen laughed, appearing a bit vexed but more like he was teasing him. “Now that your magical powers have recovered, we don’t need to cultivate anymore. It seems I no longer have a reason to take advantage of you, do I?”

Li Ruan said, “But you said that in the mortal world, people who like each other do this too.”

Jiang Shen’s gaze flickered. “So… do you like me?”

“Mm…”

Li Ruan was still a bit uncertain.

Over these ten days, he felt he understood Jiang Shen a bit better. Because of this, he also discovered that the “liking” Jiang Shen spoke of seemed different from his own understanding. He certainly liked Jiang Shen, but he wasn’t sure which kind of liking his was, or if it was the same as the one Jiang Shen meant.

A simple question from Jiang Shen sent Li Ruan into deep thought again.

Whenever he thought, he would slightly furrow his brows with a very serious expression, yet he still looked a bit silly.

“Forget it.”

Jiang Shen pinched the back of his neck, lowered his head, and completed the kiss from before.

“I have to return to the capital soon anyway. Think about it slowly and tell me the next time we meet, alright?”

The kiss ended, and Jiang Shen rested his forehead against his, a gentle smile shining in his eyes.

Li Ruan gazed at him for a long moment before nodding very slowly. “Alright.”

Before Jiang Shen returned to the capital, they still had one thing to do.

Li Ruan had previously promised to help him recover the contents of the burned secret letter from his memory.

This was not a simple spell; even though Li Ruan’s magic had recovered, he wasn’t completely confident. Before performing the technique, he specifically set up a barrier outside the cave to prevent anyone from disturbing them. He even explained the precautions to Jiang Shen two or three times.

“Don’t be so nervous.” Jiang Shen squeezed Li Ruan’s hand and said warmly, “Recall all the details of receiving that secret letter. Do not resist me; accept me into your memory completely. I’ve remembered it all.”

Li Ruan sat cross-legged in front of Jiang Shen and pursed his lips. “Then… I’ll begin?”