Chapter 2. Encountering the cultivators

The wind chimes rang several times from the outside, waking Hong Mei, who had long been unconscious; a large fairy pearl hung in the middle of the room that lit up the entire dark room from the night.

Hong Mei slowly opened her eyes.

The sudden attack that she had earlier caused her spiritual veins to be damaged and her inner strength leaked out, which caused her physical body to weaken for a while before her veins recovered. As a result, Hong Mei was very weak and could not even move her head to look around.

She could not transform into a human because her inner strength was exhausted, She could only return to her original form, a one-tailed red fox, and slowly recover her strength.

Fortunately, she was now in a room with an open window and she was placed on a long chair that could fit her body on it.

Her fox body was medium-sized, the size of a Chihuahua dog, but slightly larger than that, with a vermilion color all over its body and white on the tip of its tail and feet.

The sound of footsteps was heard from the outside of the room, more than one person entered this room after the door sprung open.

'driiieettt'

Hong Mei couldn't move her body because she was still weak and she saw a young man walking in front of her followed by another young man who was also assessing her presence in this room.

The black-haired young man with his deep onyx eyes color stared at her with a flat face and the blonde-haired young man with blue eyes stared at her enthusiastically.

They were young men who looked very handsome and stunning with jade-white skin and an elegant and sharp appearance that radiated from their aura, the blonde-haired young man, apart from the two temperaments above looked friendlier than the black-haired man and seemed easier to approach.

The long black-haired man with onyx eyes colored stared at her sharply and was curious about the fox that he had accidentally caught while testing his agility with his friend next to him.

 He was surprised by this red fox, because when she was hit by his blue electric fire magic this fox did not die, but her body could withstand his attack and there were no other serious injuries that he saw on the fox's body both physically or mentally.

And He wondered if this fox was a demon fox that was often rumored to be a scourge and troublemaker who liked to eat human hearts if the human was successfully lured and the problem was that he didn't feel any spiritual aura from this fox so he just thought that this ordinary fox was just lucky because it managed to survive his magic.

"What do you want to do with this little fox Bingyue?" Xiao Yang asked while stroking the head of Hong Mei in her fox's form who liked the touch on her head without realizing that her ears dropping on both sides of her face.

"Eh, look... she likes it" When he realized that Hong Mei liked his touch, Xiao Yang scratched Hong Mei's head even more and also rubbed her neck.

Lan Bingyue narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms while thinking.

"It's Looks like I'll sell her after she recovers," Lan Bingyue said calmly.

Hong Mei who heard it felt scared, her drooping ears stood up straight, and looked at Lan Bingyue with a pitiful look.

"Look she's scared" Xiao Yang moved his hand.

"Is it possible for this fox to understand what we are talking about?" Xiao Yang looked suspiciously at Hong Mei who pretended to be asleep by closing her eyes.

"How is that possible, unless she's a fox demon, but that's just a rumor" Lan Bingyue's hand released healing magic with a greenish light which he placed on the fox's body that slowly began to repair its leaking spiritual veins. After feeling enough, Lan Bingyue then moved the fox who had regained consciousness into the dog cage in the corner of his room, not forgetting to put a pillow first so that the fox would feel comfortable.

"You don't want to keep it? Look at how beautiful and cute it is"

"No, I'm not good at taking care of wild animals, do you want to buy it? I am selling it for 50,000 spiritual stones"

"What? 50,000 spiritual stones? I don't have that much money, and that much money can buy a house near the Sect, who would be crazy to want to buy a fox that costs the price of a house? my pocket money is only 5 spiritual stones every month"

"If you can't afford it, don't buy it, the rich people in the city can pay more than 50,000 spiritual stones for one of these foxes because this fox is rare" Lan Bingyue grinned, his face exactly looked like the human traders that scattered throughout the city.

"Bingyue ah Bingyue!..." Xiao Yang just shook his head slowly, if only the magic that caught this red fox was his magic, he would have owned this fox now but what else could he do when fortune was not on his side?

"I think this fox will recover in a week, before it recovers I will take care of it first then after that, I will sell it, you can help me find a buyer later and I will give you a little of the profit," Lan Bingyue said.

"How much ?"

"I take 80% and you 20%"

"Eh, just a little? I want 40% of it"

"30%...it's final"

"hhh...okay" Xiao Yang rolled his eyes.

Then Lan Bingyue and Xiao Yang began to take care of Hong Mei diligently, because Hong Mei was in Lan Bingyue's room Hong Mei met Lan Bingyue more often and paid attention to all her behavior.

One day had passed in the human world and Hong Mei felt her inner energy starting to gather little by little. When Lan Bingyue offered her to eat raw meat, Hong Mei refused vehemently and threw the meat until it fell off the tray.

Lan Bingyue guessed she didn't like it and then started to give her fruits, Hong Mei started to eat them but only a little, because even though she liked fruit, she couldn't eat a lot. She also missed the cooked meat and peach blossom wine.

Hong Mei snorted sadly and looked at Lan Bingyue with her pleading eyes.

"Kaing…kaing…kaing"

Lan Bingyue who was having lunch in the room glanced at the fox in the cage and he saw the fox staring at his food with a pitiful face.

"Do you want to eat this chicken thigh?" he said as he approached the cage. Hong Mei looked at her with wide eyes and a rumbling stomach.

"Are you still hungry? Didn't I give you some fruits?"

"Kaing…kaing…" (that's not enough, I'm still hungry)

"You greedy fox"

"Kaing…kaing…" (I'm not greedy, you're the greedy one, your whole family is greedy!) Hong Mei did not accept Lan Bingyue's words but Lan Bingyue did not understand fox language.

Lan Bingyue raised his eyebrows in surprise, why did he feel like this fox understood everything that he said?

Then Lan Bingyue put the fried chicken thigh into the cage and Hong Mei immediately devoured it well.

"I gave you raw meat you don't want it, but you want to eat fried chicken, are you a fox or a human?" Lan Bingyue's suspicions began to arise again, then after Hong Mei finished eating and drinking she felt that she had the energy to stand and walk.

However, because Lan Bingyue had left her room she could not ask Lan Bingyue to release her from the cage, Hong Mei also tried to change back to her human form but her internal energy was not enough so she was still trapped in her one-tailed fox form. So she refocused her mind and began to meditate to gather the internal energy in her veins again.

Lan Bingyue and Xiao Yang were listening to the elders' lectures in the main courtyard, they were the successor disciples of their respective teachers in the Fire Leaf Sect.

The Fire Leaf Sect is a school of cultivators who seek the path of immortality. Only two people from the entire generation of the Fire Leaf School have ascended to the immortal realm, the rest have run out of time at a certain level of cultivation so that from the past until now, many have wanted to try their luck again to reach the immortal realm.

Lan Bingyue is the child of a famous family in the city of Fire Leaf, he is 175 years old this year and his appearance is that of a young man in his early 20s, the Lan family is a noble who controls the western region which is also included in the Fire Leaf region. Their family is also responsible for the security of the city so when they find out that Lan Bingyue, who is a descendant of the Lan family's core, has dual spiritual veins. The entire clan was very happy and also fully supported Lan Bingyue's journey to immortality.

As for Xiao Yang, he is the youngest son of the Xiao clan, the ruler of the city of Whirlwind which is far from the city of Fire Leaf, and also the Fire Leaf Sect which is far above the mountains that are almost close to the sky. He is 150 years old but his appearance is that of an 18-year-old young man, he also has a far relative named Xiao Hong who has reached the Yinyang cultivation level and is almost reaching the initial level of ascension, just one more step to ascend the immortal realm.

"I feel that fox is a bit strange" Lan Bingyue whispered to Xiao Yang who was writing on the parchment beside him.

"I feel the same way too, but I don't know what it is" Xiao Yang confirmed but he didn't take his eyes off the parchment on his desk, writing down whatever the sect elder said.

"Hhh… I feel hesitant to sell it, but with that money, I can have a good time to go on the razzle" Lan Bingyue whispered lightly to herself. Xiao Yang immediately turned his face to look at Lan Bingyue's face.

"You should sell it, we have agreed to share the profits." In order to say that, Xiao Yang stopped writing, he had already imagined buying a lot of wine and drinking it secretly in his room.

"Yes, yes I know" Then with that last statement, their conversation come to an end.

After the various lessons and training sessions were finished in the afternoon, Lan Bingyue and Xiao Yang returned to Hong Mei who was in the cage to check on her condition. When they saw that the fox was still asleep, Lan Bingyue again focusing his inner energy to cast healing magic and restore Hong Mei condition who was still asleep.

After feeling enough, the two young men then decided to play chess in Lan Bingyue's yard while enjoying the calming chamomile tea and after Lan Bingyue lost to Xiao Yang, not long after that Lan Bingyue flipped the chessboard because he was annoyed.

Xiao Yang laughed lightly then he immediately returned to his room, the moon had risen and night had enveloped the sky, Lan Bingyue decided to check on the fox in the cage and at the same time give it food after he slaughtered a rabbit and cooked the meat first.

The hungry Hong Mei woke up from her deep sleep and she saw Lan Bingyue carrying a plate of fried rabbit meat into her cage.

Hong Mei looked at the young man with her unblinking eyes and felt that the young man who was going to sell her could also be kind to her, she wondered if she transformed now and the young man realized that she was a fox spirit would he release her and canceling to sell her?

So when Lan Bingyue left the cage open so that Hong Mei could eat freely, Hong Mei came out of her cage, she sniffed the fried rabbit meat and ate some before sitting quietly outside the cage and looking at Lan Bingyue who was looking at her with curious eyes.

"You? What are you looking at? I have already given you your food ration, is that not enough for you?"

"Kaing...Kaing..." (I'm full, thank you)

The fox's smiling face made Lan Bingyue a little interested in petting it, but because he was eating, he quickly finished his food and started to approach the tame-looking fox.

He stroked the soft vermilion fur and then cast a magic cleaning spell to clean its dull fur.

After that, Lan Bingyue lifted the little fox with both hands and sat on the edge of the bed and then carried the fox onto his thigh.

"Little fox you are so cute" Lan Bingyue said excitedly while rubbing Hong Mei's stomach, Hong Mei who felt embarrassed wanted to bite Lan Bingyue's hand which was still stroking her stomach but Lan Bingyue held her face so that Hong Mei would not bite his hand.

"Ouch it hurts..." Lan Bingyue groaned pretending to be in pain, Hong Mei stopped her action and saw Lan Bingyue's hand become red because she bit him then because she feel pity for him Hong Mei in fox form licked Lan Bingyue's reddish hand.

"Ouch you are so cute" then Lan Bingyue rubbed Hong Mei's stomach again which made Hong Mei laugh because Lan Bingyue tickled her this time. "Hehehe hehehe" The human-like fox's laughter stopped Lan Bingyue's tickling activity, then Hong Mei who felt she had been treated unfairly gathered her inner strength and pink smoke surrounded her and Lan Bingyue who was near her.

"What is this?" Lan Bingyue who was confused became shocked when his hand felt the thick fox fur in his hand change into a different texture, it felt like someone's skin and when the smoke had cleared, Lan Bingyue found a beautiful girl with a beautiful body sitting on his thighs and his hands were holding her soft and white like tofu waist without being covered by clothes because the clothes Hong Mei was wearing now were a chest cover and also a chiffon skirt that floated with her red scarf that contrasted with her clean white skin, her long pink hair also looked very beautiful and felt right on her.

Hong Mei's green eyes blinked at Lan Bingyue who was holding her. Slowly Lan Bingyue's ears and face turned red when he realized what he was doing.

Lan Bingyue immediately stood up in surprise, and she dropped Hong Mei who was sitting on his thighs to the floor of the room.

"Wha.. w-who are you?" he said in surprise and prepared to draw the sword he hung on the wall near his bed.

Hong Mei blinked her beautiful emerald eyes and stared innocently and in surprise at Lan Bingyue.

"I... I'm a fox" she said innocently, slowly a beautiful and seductive smile spread across her lips.

"You're a fox demon?" Lan Bingyue said slowly realizing the fox she brought home was not an ordinary fox, but the fox demon who is rumored to be able to charm its prey and then eat its heart.

"I'm not a fox demon...I'm a fox spirit". said Hong Mei in a disapproving tone.

To be continue...