Chapter 5: Little Fox Spirit, Luo Luo

The little girl was still dressed in those tattered clothes, her small, dirty face carrying a hint of fear, as if she were worried that Chen Yin might attack her at any moment.

"S-senior…"

"Who are you?" Chen Yin asked coldly, masking his voice. "Are you also one of the demonic factions?"

"No… I'm not with the demonic factions."

The girl's voice trembled, and she took a small step back.

She was so overwhelmed by fear that her body instinctively began to react.

Her ears gradually grew pointed and furry, and a white, fluffy tail swayed gently behind her.

—A fox?

Chen Yin asked in surprise, "You're a spirit? A fox spirit?"

The little girl nodded pitifully.

At that moment, her shock far surpassed Chen Yin's.

—That was Hei Ran he'd just defeated!

One of the top elders in the demonic factions.

And the person before her had effortlessly defeated that terrifying Hei Ran with a single swing, leaving nothing behind, not even ashes.

What kind of transcendent power was this? He must at least be an immortal cultivator of the Great Purity Realm!

"Why are you here?" Chen Yin asked, frowning slightly. "The demonic factions shouldn't get along well with the spirit clans."

"I… I came to seek revenge."

The little girl hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "The previous leader here was a terrible person. He killed so many of my friends."

"I couldn't defeat him, so I just kept an eye on him while training hard."

"That way, when I'm strong enough, I can avenge them!"

"But… recently, that person left, and Elder Hei Ran took his place here."

The little fox spirit lowered her head slightly. "Hei Ran is very powerful, so I was too scared to get close. I could only stay far away and watch from a distance."

"Until just now…"

After she finished, she looked at Chen Yin with wide eyes.

Chen Yin remained silent for a moment before asking, "You're able to hide your form and aura, even escaping my and Hei Ran's detection. Is that a natural talent of your kind?"

The little fox spirit nodded vigorously.

"Concealing in the void is a talent of our branch of fox spirits. If we're good enough at hiding, even Great Purity Realm immortals may not notice us."

"Earlier, I was just so frightened that I accidentally exposed my aura…"

After speaking, her little eyes drooped in disappointment.

Chen Yin pondered for a moment.

Truthfully, he didn't know much about the spirit clans.

But he could tell that this little girl was, to put it kindly, endearingly naive—or to put it less kindly, a bit dim.

Her cultivation was only at the early Cloud Realm. Who knew how many years it would take her to reach a level where she could fight an elder of the demonic factions like Hei Ran.

However, her ability to conceal herself in the void did spark some interest in Chen Yin.

After a moment, he suddenly spoke in a colder tone, raising his sword:

"Hmph. No matter who you are."

"Since you've seen my secrets, I can't let you live."

He made a show of lifting his sword to strike.

The little fox spirit immediately curled up into a ball, her fluffy tail and ears trembling in fright.

"Ahh!! Don't kill me!"

"I-I-I'm still young, I don't want to die! I still have so many dried fish to eat, so many dumplings to enjoy…"

Chen Yin: "…"

Watching the little fox spirit's pitiful expression, Chen Yin almost broke his stern demeanor from how adorable she looked.

But he managed to hold it together, clearing his throat and pretending to be serious:

"Not kill you?"

"If I don't kill you, what if you go and tell others I killed Hei Ran, bringing demonic factions assassins after me?"

"I…"

The little fox pouted, fiddling with her fingers, and after a moment, she carefully said,

"I… can make a pinky promise to keep it a secret. Is that okay?"

Chen Yin: "…"

He began to seriously wonder if taking her under his wing would be more of a burden than a benefit.

This girl was probably a bit simple.

"Hmph! Stop playing dumb, or I won't hesitate to strike!"

Seeing Chen Yin about to swing his sword again, the little fox spirit quickly said, "S-Senior! I-I have another way!"

"I… I can recognize you as my master, alright?" She said, her voice tearful.

Finally, he heard what he wanted.

A small smile crept up under Chen Yin's mask.

The spirit clans differed from other clans. Each spirit had one chance in their life to inscribe someone's mark into their life essence, which was equivalent to recognizing a master.

After recognizing a master, they could no longer disobey their commands. Removing the mark would come at an enormous cost.

Under the threat of Chen Yin's sword, the little fox spirit had no choice but to reluctantly condense a drop of her life essence and offer it to him.

Chen Yin infused it with his spiritual energy, and a strange bond blossomed between them, almost as if a single thought from him was now enough to make her yield.

Meanwhile, the little fox spirit looked utterly dejected, her ears drooping as she muttered miserably,

"Ugh…my first time is gone just like that…"

Chen Yin: "?"

Couldn't you phrase that differently?

It makes me sound like a villain picking on a helpless girl.

"Ahem."

Clearing his throat, he watched as the little fox spirit, now harmless, continued looking miserable, her eyes a little red.

"Enough. Stop crying."

"Now that you've accepted me as your master, I won't mistreat you."

The little fox spirit didn't seem to hear, her eyes still red with sadness.

"…Like this."

Chen Yin thought back to how he used to comfort Xiang'er on the mountain and said:

"When we head out later, I'll buy you some dried fish and steamed dumplings. How about that?"

Hearing this, the little fox spirit finally stopped crying, blinking cautiously.

"Really?"

"Of course." Chen Yin nodded sincerely. "Anytime you want them, I'll buy them for you."

"Great!" The little fox spirit immediately broke into a smile, happily grabbing Chen Yin's hand. "Then, Master, I'd also like some candied hawthorn, jujube cake, and honeyed peaches…"

Watching her excitement, Chen Yin couldn't help but question his decision again.

…This girl could be swayed by a few dumplings. Could she really be trusted?

<+>

Half an hour later, in a residence in Liuyun City.

"—You'll stay here for now," Chen Yin instructed, "and use your void concealment ability daily to keep an eye on the demonic factions division nearby."

"When I come to find you, report what you've observed. Understand?"

The little fox spirit mumbled a few dismissive affirmations, her eyes darting around the place.

"Master, are all human cultivators this wealthy? Buying a whole residence just like that?"

"Money isn't much use to cultivators; we deal in spirit stones."

"Oh, I see," the fox spirit replied thoughtfully. "I thought spirit stones weren't valuable."

"You've reached the early Cloud Realm, yet you have no spirit stones?" Chen Yin asked, intrigued.

"I do," she said, blinking. "But I spent it all on candied hawthorn."

"How much did you spend?"

"Ten skewers!" She said, puffing out her chest with pride.

…You were completely swindled, weren't you?

Chen Yin pinched the bridge of his nose before asking, "So, were you selling shell necklaces on the street to get money for snacks?"

"Yes!" she replied happily. "I noticed humans seem to love those useless trinkets. Whenever I picked some up by the seaside and sold them, a lot of big brothers and sisters would buy them and even say I was cute!"

"Master, isn't that clever of me?"

"…I think they weren't interested in the shell necklaces," Chen Yin said, a bit embarrassed.

They probably just found you adorable and pitiable, that's all.

This was essentially "I'm cute; please give me money."

Chen Yin sighed. "Also, didn't I tell you not to call me 'Master'? Just call me 'Young Master.'"

"If anyone asks, say you're the servant of the owner here."

The little fox spirit nodded and sweetly called out, "Young Master~"

Chen Yin nodded in satisfaction.

—Honestly, she seemed young, fourteen or fifteen at most, with the typical delicate beauty of her fox lineage.

Her skin was pale as snow, her large fox-like eyes sparkled with charm and mischief, and her furry ears and tail made her irresistibly endearing—especially for someone like Chen Yin, who had adored cats and dogs in his previous life.

"You can stay here, but be frugal with your spending. Don't use it all up on snacks before I return."

The little fox spirit nodded eagerly, though the eager glint in her eyes suggested she could barely wait to go on a shopping spree.

Chen Yin decided to leave her to it; now that she was bound to him, he didn't need to worry about betrayal.

"One last thing," he said. "What's your name?"

The little fox spirit blinked, then gave a sweet smile.

"My name is Luo Luo."

<+>

It was nearing sunset when Chen Yin returned to the mountain.

Xiang'er had been waiting for a while by the cabin, and when she saw Chen Yin, she quickly ran over.

"Senior brother! Where did you go? You weren't here at all!"

Seeing her mix of concern and playfulness, Chen Yin couldn't resist teasing her.

"Ah, I met some young gentlemen down the mountain, and we hit it off. They told me there's an excellent brothel in Liuyun City and even offered to treat me."

"And wouldn't you know it," Chen Yin said with a look of nostalgia, "the charm of those lovely ladies… Ah, they were—"

He didn't finish his sentence, as Xiang'er's face was quickly darkening.

"Senior. Brother."

"…Actually, I just went to the nearby town to get a jug of wine for our master."

Xiang'er huffed and turned her head, refusing to look at him.

Chen Yin carefully sidled up to her. "What's this? Is my dear Xiang'er jealous?"

"Not at all! Why would I be jealous of you, you awful senior brother?"

Hands on her hips, Xiang'er pouted in frustration. "I'm not your wife or partner. Why would I care where you go?"

"If you want to spend every day drinking and carousing with pretty girls in brothels, I won't stop you!"

"Ahem." Chen Yin cleared his throat and said with a serious face, "Well, if Xiang'er wants, becoming my wife and partner is still an option—"

"Not! Happening!"

Bang. The cabin door slammed shut.

Chen Yin sighed helplessly.

It looked like Xiang'er wouldn't be forgiving him anytime soon.