The Sect Leader Raised a Fox to His Own Detriment - Chapter 5

In the depths of the Celestial Pond, behind a strangely shaped rock covered in white snow, A-Yin was meditating with his eyes closed.

Because he was Yue Xichen’s closed-door disciple, he was permitted to soak in the pond for the duration of one incense stick. In previous years, A-Yin had soaked here many times; while others found the pond water which absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon to be a catalyst for rapid progress, for him, it felt no different from taking a hot bath in a public bathhouse.

“Why is it still not working!”

Opening his eyes, A-Yin stared at his own reflection swaying in the water and let out a disappointed sigh. He had been vomiting out the peach blossom cakes lately, so logically, he should have been able to cultivate properly. However, no matter how much essence he absorbed from the pond, it failed to condense into true qi within his body, and his cultivation refused to budge.

“What exactly is going on? Is it possible my stagnant cultivation has nothing to do with the cakes Master gives me?”

A-Yin murmured to himself. Just as the words left his mouth, he suddenly noticed something strange about his reflection.

“My… ears…?”

A-Yin raised his hands high and, as if looking into a mirror, touched the top of his head. A furry sensation met his palms. Looking at the reflection in the water, his eyes grew wider and wider. On top of his head, a pair of animal ears had actually sprouted?!

A-Yin felt around his head frantically, confirming it again and again—his original ears were truly gone, replaced by two furry animal ears.

By the edge of the Celestial Pond, Yue Xichen, South Peak Master Su Muzhi, North Peak Master Li Yan, and the five great inner elders were observing the disciples’ cultivation. Su Muzhi stood with two of the elders, while Li Yan stayed with the remaining three. Only Yue Xichen stood alone, his plain white robes blending with the mountaintop snow, equally cold.

“Aaaah!”

Suddenly, a scream erupted from the depths of the pond, startling everyone.

“What happened?” “Who’s screaming!”

The disciples whispered among themselves, utterly confused. Su Muzhi, Li Yan, and the five elders exchanged looks. Just as they turned in unison to seek instructions from the Sect Leader, Yue Xichen who had been standing with his hands behind his back was nowhere to be found.

In the depths of the pond, behind the strange rock, A-Yin was panicking and tugging at his animal ears when a flash of snow-white passed by. The next second, he was pulled into a warm, fragrant embrace.

A-Yin’s eyes went round in shock. The other person held him with a measured grip, a wide sleeve covering his head. With his vision blocked, he focused all his attention on the white sleeve right before his eyes. The light, flowing fabric had been dampened by the pond water, becoming slightly transparent, making the embroidered peach blossom patterns more visible.

“Is it… Master?”

Before he could finish, a finger as delicate as a scallion root lightly tapped his parted lips. A-Yin’s heart skipped a beat.

A few disciples who were soaking nearby rushed over toward the source of the scream. What they saw was Yue Xichen standing abruptly in the pond, his habitually meticulous white clothes now drenched, and his hair spreading slowly like a black waterfall in the water. The misty steam blurred Yue Xichen’s sharp features, appearing to dispel some of the coldness while adding a touch of tenderness and celestial grace.

Held in the embrace, A-Yin looked up and saw a few crystal-clear water droplets hanging from Yue Xichen’s Adam’s apple. They looked like crystals embedded in jade-like skin, so dazzling he couldn’t look away.

“Sect, Sect Leader!” The disciples hadn’t expected Yue Xichen to appear here and hurriedly paid their respects.

“A-Yin is unwell. I am taking him back first.”

Yue Xichen spoke coldly. He casually grabbed the clothes sitting on the rock, picked up A-Yin, and rose into the air. He used the Yinyue Sword to fly away from the Celestial Pond, vanishing from the disciples’ sight in the blink of an eye. The disciples looked at each other; in truth, they hadn’t even seen who Yue Xichen was holding.

Heading down the mountain, A-Yin stood on the Yinyue Sword while still being encircled in Yue Xichen’s arms. The elegant and pleasant scent of peach blossoms rushed over him. He didn’t understand why Yue Xichen had bothered to explain; he was covered so tightly that no one could have seen him anyway. Normally, Yue Xichen would have left without a word—no one dared stop the Sect Leader but just now, he had acted out of character. A-Yin frowned and secretly touched the furry ears on his head again.

He had mistakenly thought he was experiencing a cultivation deviation from the pond. Now it seemed Yue Xichen knew something about these ears; otherwise, he wouldn’t have arrived so quickly and acted so tense. People only talk more than usual when they are nervous.

A-Yin expected to be flown straight back to the sect, but Yue Xichen stopped halfway, bringing him into an inconspicuous cave beneath the Lingyun Mountain cliffs. Once certain they were alone, Yue Xichen finally released him and stood with his hands behind his back.

The cave was small, and a cold breeze drifted in. A-Yin clutched his bare upper body, goosebumps appearing on his skin. Yue Xichen stood opposite him, cold as frost, his gaze like a torch. Instinct told A-Yin that his Master was angry.

However, the pressure Yue Xichen exerted now wasn’t as strong as usual. He didn’t look much better than A-Yin; he was soaked to the bone, his white robes losing their usual flowing grace and sticking to his skin.

“Master…”

A-Yin wanted to ask for his clothes, but before he could, Yue Xichen threw them to him.

“You didn’t eat the peach blossom cake?” The deep, icy interrogation reached the depths of A-Yin’s heart. Just as he finished dressing, he couldn’t help but shiver.

“Master, I… I…” A-Yin didn’t know how to explain. He lowered his head and muttered softly, “I just… want to become strong…”

Is it wrong to want to be strong?

He clenched his fists, which trembled slightly. He suddenly looked up, eyes wide, and questioned Yue Xichen loudly: “Master, why am I the only one in the entire sect who can’t cultivate? If my talent is really that bad, why did you take me as your closed-door disciple? Is it because we have a grudge? You took me as a disciple but won’t teach me, letting me be mocked by everyone else… do you hate me that much?!”