The communication channel between humans and the demon race has been established for many years. The annual inter-realm teleportation array has been thriving, with many people traveling with their families to live or vacation in the other realm. Some have even settled down and taken on significant roles in the demon lands.
For example, Xiao Qi initially intended to observe the demon clans and develop a sword technique. However, after years of observation, he ended up becoming a sword instructor among the fox clan and was highly revered by the demons. His Two-Inch Sword School attracts hordes of demons from distant lands during each enrollment period, overwhelming fox parents who then have to queue overnight to secure spots for their children.
“Senior Zhao, aren’t you coming to the Fox Clan this Xiaonian?”
“Oh, visiting home often is good. Perfect timing—we can spar.”
“Junior Lin, light an incense stick. When will you return to the fox clan?”
“Brother Meng, it’s time to inspect your rental property.”
“Brother Zhou…”
“Junior Zhao…”
Xiao Qi was never one to stay idle. The teleportation arrays in the cultivation world were incredibly convenient, allowing round trips in just a day. Not to mention, after everyone reached the Tribulation Transcendence stage, they could shrink the earth to an inch. He often called his friends from the list on the communication jade, one by one, always finding different excuses to arrange gatherings.
“Coming to the east? No, I can’t leave. So many kids are waiting to learn sword techniques. I accepted three more yesterday.”
“They trust me, how can I keep taking days off, letting the classroom run wild every day?”
Xiao Qi made a fair point.
Out of ten times, there were always two or three occasions when everyone was willing to form a group and come to the Fox Clan for fun. Not to mention, Xiaonian, the time for family reunions.
After reaching the Tribulation Transcendence stage, Zhao Mingsheng became a sect elder and often went into seclusion for cultivation during his free time. During several weekend excursions, he even developed a relationship with a Tribulation Transcendence elder from the Fox Clan who came for an exchange visit. When Xiao Qi called him, he seized the opportunity to accompany his partner to visit her parents.
As for Lin Shuang and Huangfu Hong, there was no need to elaborate further; returning to the Fox Clan felt like coming home to a second family. With only each other left, along with the Qing Shui Sect and the Fox Clan, they had both their greater and smaller families to rely on.
“Fortunately, I was well-prepared, leaving the period from Xiaonian to Yuanxiao free.”
Zhao Keran specially organized everyone to reunite at the Dong He location in front of the Zhen Chuan Gate of Qing Shui Sect, nostalgically going together to take the teleportation array between the two places.
Being together made even the boring teleportation array more interesting than staying at the sect.
While checking her work schedule, she said, “I just need to work remotely for half an hour later. Senior sisters, how about you?”
Lin Shuang was trying hard to persuade the tall man beside her to nostalgically transform into a cute little puppy for her to hold.
But he refused, and she was puffing her cheeks in disappointment.
Hearing her junior sister’s question, Lin Shuang scratched her nose, “I don’t have anything going on.”
For most of the year, she stayed at Qing Shui Sect.
But during certain festivals, she would accompany Huangfu Yuan back to the demon realm. He also needed to return to manage demon affairs.
Thirteen years ago, she found it amusing and since her talisman shop had enough stock, it didn’t hinder her from going out.
Compared to her busy junior sister, as an advisory elder of the sect, Lin Shuang spent her free time drawing and selling self-created talismans (freelancing), living a casual life.
In recent years, she had fully experienced the beauty of flexibility and relaxation.
“The affairs I had in the Dong Hua Realm were settled last month.”
Huangfu Hong disagreed with Lin Shuang’s preference for a cute little puppy, compromising by transforming into a large wolfhound.
The Yao clan now had an office in the Donghua Realm, with growing exchanges, trade, and cultivation cooperation between the two realms, keeping him increasingly occupied in the Donghua Realm.
He only stayed with the Fox clan for a short period each year.
Sometimes Lin Shuang might not accompany him back, depending entirely on her mood and schedule.
They had been together for a long time now, but every separation still felt as sweet as newlyweds, so they still enjoyed their brief periods of solitude together.
Lin Shuang was stroking the big gray wolf at her feet while changing into a little red riding hood outfit to match him.
Huangfu Yuan: “…”
He understood that hint.
“Aima.”
Meng Zi glanced at them and felt blinded.
He immediately turned to Zhao Heran, Zhou Xuanwu, and Zhao Ming.
“Junior brother Meng, have you handed over the affairs at Nie Ming Pavilion?” Zhao Ming casually slung his arm over Meng Zi’s shoulder.
Upon hearing this, Meng Zi puffed out his chest proudly.
“Yeah.”
He was now a cultivator assassin at the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
But soon he touched his face, “Don’t let my identity be discovered; that’s just my side job.”
His main job now…
After entering the Seven Star teleportation array in Liu Xian Town, Meng Zi flipped through a jade slip.
“This time, I’ll collect the rent from the thirteen fox properties.”
“In a few days, I’ll also collect rent from the thirty-six Sea Clan properties. I should call Xiaobai…”
He muttered to himself, and even Zhao Ming gave him an envious look.
Lin Shuang covered her forehead with her hand.
Meng Zi had become a big landlord.
He earned spirit stones but never spent them, saving every penny to buy property.
Even Xiao Qi’s sword school was in a building owned by Meng Zi.
Lin Shuang had to admit Meng Zi was amazing with money, stingy yet wealthy, never changing a bit over the years.
She shifted her gaze to the quiet and fierce-looking Zhou Xuanwu nearby, who was meditating with two elders from the Wan Seng Sect.
He remained unchanged as always.
However, Zhao Ming grew increasingly uneasy as they approached the fox territory.
“Junior Lin, is it true that the Fox Clan has trials for external spouses during Xiaonian?”
Zhao Ming’s partner was a genuine fox spirit at the Tribulation Crossing stage.
His nervousness was visible.
Lin Shuang looked perplexed, and even Huangfu Hong lifted the wolf head she had been holding down?
“Senior Zhao, have you never gone back to the Fox Clan with Lady Wanhuo during the Little New Year in previous years?”
Zhao Ming blushed, “Yeah, I was busy last year and the year before.”
Zhao Keran leaned in and said, “The elders at the sect have to take turns on duty during the tribulation.”
Zhao Ming rubbed his hands together.
Lin Shuang’s expression became even more peculiar, and Huangfu Yuan closed his eyes.
Zhao Ming: “…”
Was he doomed?
The fox clan had trials for external spouses. Every Xiaonian, these trials were held with great fanfare, and neighboring foxes and relatives would come to watch.
This trial wasn’t set up because the previous ninth fox king was betrayed by a human cultivator and thus distrusted human cultivators.
It was due to the abundance of tales in *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*, stories of love between humans and spirits, of scholars and fox maidens… Many foxes ultimately met with betrayal.
This resulted in generations of foxes developing unique rituals for their mates, particularly those from other clans.
Originally starting from suspicion, these trials have now gradually become a festive tradition. Similar to a celebration, akin to when the groom comes to fetch the bride, with everyone teasing and making it lively, but without any malice.
Not only human cultivators, but even major clans or wolf tribes seeking an alliance with the fox clan would face such trials during Xiaonian—carrying the bride, matching couplets, blindfolded fruit guessing, and various playful challenges.
The difficulty of the annual events varied.
Following local customs, Zhao Ming was extremely anxious at this moment.
He secretly asked Lin Shuang, but she gave him a meaningful smile, and Huangfu Hong seemed to pat his shoulder in sympathy, making Zhao Ming even more nervous.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be with you! We’ll give you courage. What challenges could we not solve with so many of us?”
Meng Zi patted his chest confidently.
Zhou Xuanwu and the elders from the Wan Seng Sect, who were meditating, raised their heads and nodded in agreement.
Zhao Keran was also confident, “Yes, let’s call Senior Xiao Qi too. We’ll brainstorm together～”
Zhao Ming felt a bit reassured.
Especially seeing the Fox Clan leader, Huangfu Yuan, standing beside him, along with Lin Shuang, who had popularized games, novels, and special talismans and was deeply revered by the demons.
He immediately felt fearless.
…
In recent years, the territory of the Fox Clan has gradually become more prosperous.
Different buildings are nestled in the deep mountains, some extremely similar to Qing Shui Sect.
The buildings and caves are situated on a mountain. If one wishes to connect with nature, they can lie in the forest on the mountainside. If they prefer to enjoy human life, they can return to the caves.
Zhao Ming’s partner, the fox clan elder Wanhuo, lived near the residence of Lin Shuang and Huangfu Lin, separated only by three mountains.
Zhao Ming felt even more reassured.
But as soon as they approached the nearby mountain range, their group was stopped.
Twelve identical red foxes appeared before Zhao Ming.
Her laughter echoed continuously.
“Guess who is who～”
“There are Wanhuo’s eighth sister, seventh sister, sixth sister… second aunt, mother…”
“You must guess more than half correctly to pass～”
Zhao Ming: “…”
Meng Zi: “…”
Zhao Keran, who was very confident before arriving: “…”
Xiao Qi, who was called in at the last minute: “…”
They immediately turned to the local expert, Huangfu Yuan, for help, only to find that Lin Shuang and Huangfu Lin, who had been following them all the way, had mysteriously disappeared.
“!”
“…!”
Zhao Ming was heartbroken and looked perplexed, “Could it be that Junior Lin is also participating in the Fox Clan’s Xiaonian trial?”
Zhao Keran rested her chin in her hand, “Although, there is only one nine-tailed fox in the world.”
Zhao Ming: “…!”
He looked at the twelve red foxes with almost identical fur colors in front of him, nearly on the verge of tears!
Huangfu Yuan had a special cave dwelling in the Fox Clan, occupying an entire mountain.
This was not a forbidden area.
Many little foxes came and went.
Since Lin Shuang possessed so many peculiar talismans—things like road signs and miniature train charms… she had practically turned the Fox Clan’s backyard into a small amusement park, where children from every household would line up eagerly to play.
“Prince, please accept the annual celebration of Xiaonian～”
As soon as Huangfu Yuan returned to the mountain, he was smilingly stopped by several fox aunts and uncles.
His forehead twitched violently.
From the foot of the mountain where their dwelling cave was located, all the way up the steps and sky path, the eye could see densely packed white and fiery red clusters of fox cubs.
They were even of very similar sizes and shapes, fluffy and chubby, coiled up with their heads and tails together, to the point where even their own parents couldn’t recognize them.
“Please, Prince, tell us which cub was touched by Lin Sister just now?”
The little cubs asked in unison, their voices crisp and clear.
“You must choose correctly one cub to take a step forward～”
Huangfu Yuan: “…”
He looked up at the sky.
Yes, upon arriving here, the test had changed from testing her to testing him!
Because she released the game “From Qi Gathering Onward,” which dismantled the tiger clan’s rule!
Because of her, many talented human cultivators came to the Fox Clan to assist in its development. Now, many young foxes have embarked on the righteous path of cultivation, no longer merely absorbing moonlight and sunlight indiscriminately.
She also invented non-eye-irritating bubble baths, fur-grooming charms, head-scratching charms for dogs, and fox-paw rain boots… significantly enhancing the quality of life for the yao creatures.
The fox children, aunties, uncles, and grandpas all adored her.
He was like someone picked up by accident.
“Prince,” the fox auntie who was joining in the fun, with a beaming smile, said, “Last year you relied on transforming into your original form and sniffing out the answer.”
The cub touched by Lin Sister naturally had her scent.
“You can’t use the same method this year～”
Huangfu Yuan looked at the endless red fox cubs, almost stacked on top of each other.
Round and chubby, too many to take in at once.
He took a deep breath.
With a wave of his hand, he sent all these little ones flying into the sky.
“Adults don’t do multiple choice questions.”
“If she can touch them all, would she really choose?”
The aunt was stunned but soon smiled.
Far away on the fox mountain peak, a red-clothed figure fluttered in the wind.
“That’s correct.”
Lin Shuang’s light and cheerful laughter, like silver bells, soon came.
Her figure quickly became a shadow, splitting into one hundred and eight.
But before the fox aunt nearby could speak, nine mighty fox tails wildly expanded, sweeping her one hundred and eight shadows from left to right, mixing them all together.
“They’re all you.”
“Every single one.”
He wrapped her up and floated into the cave dwelling at the mountain peak.
With a bang, the cave door closed heavily.
“Wow, is that your senior sister’s one hundred and eight soul projections at the Tribulation Transcendence stage?”
Xiao Qi squatted on the nearby mountain, watching through a telescope talisman.
“Awesome,” Meng Zi quickly snatched the telescope, “one hundred and eight… Is Senior Huangfu up to it? Won’t he be drained?”
Zhou Xuanwu, with two elders from the Wan Seng Sect who were hitting wooden fish, quickly grabbed the telescope talisman and placed it in front of his eyes.
The sound of the wooden fish was steadily struck beside him.
“Let me take a look.”
“Damn, why did the door close—Senior Lin is too exclusive, let us take a peek!”
“One hundred and eight against nine tails, how do they even double cultivate…”
Zhou Xuanwu kept talking, then fell silent.
A hush fell over the Zhou area.
He slowly turned his head and saw Meng Zi with a shocked expression, Xiao Qi with a surprised look, and Zhao junior watching the show.
Zhou Xuanwu gradually blushed and coughed to clear his throat.
“Just now I was translating the wooden fish sounds for you from the Wan Seng Sect. No need to thank me.”
“Damn! You’re trying to trick us again!”
Meng Zi slapped him with his palm.
Xiao Qi couldn’t help but strike him with a cloth-wrapped sword scabbard, “Old Zhou, what are you doing! The Wan Seng elders at the Tribulation Crossing no longer need to practice silence, and here you are translating for them!”
Zhao Keran looked complicated and suddenly enlightened, “So, Senior Zhou, you weren’t really translating at all. Back then and now, you were just expressing your own thoughts. No wonder I wondered back then in the tiger clan, how Zhou Senior could read minds after just a few days of being with the Wan Seng Sect.”
Zhou Xuanwu: “…”
The two Tribulation Transcendence elders from the Wansheng Sect, who had once accompanied Zhou Xuanwu to rescue missing disciples from the underground of the Ke Clan, joined their palms in reverence.
One struck the wooden fish, then tearfully felt moved.
“Amitabha.”
“You finally understand.”
Translation? It doesn’t exist!
Those roars and curses were all Zhou Xuanwu’s fault.
It wasn’t us from the Wan Seng Sect!
We were bound by the vow of silence back then and couldn’t speak!
Zhou Xuanwu:
He immediately sat in meditation on the spot.
He was mortified.
Many years later.
The drizzle fell from the sky, filling the fox clan with the fragrance of fresh grass.
As the sun was about to set, Zhao Ming finally arrived at the high mountain where Zhao Heran and others were watching the “fight” between Lin Shuang and Huangfu Hong, exhausted and having endured the “question and answer ordeal.”
Zhao Ming was immediately excited and picked up the telescope, “Let me see, did Senior Lin pass?”
He had used twelve lifelines to get help from the outside just to pass the checkpoint set by his partner’s neighbors!
It was all tears to talk about.
“I have some experience now, does Senior Lin want me to teach her?”
Zhao Keran and others were silent.
“No, she passed.”
“But it wasn’t my senior sister; it was Senior Huangfu who passed.”
Zhao Keran kindly explained.
“But,” Meng Zi interrupted her with a strange expression, “he might be undergoing another new test.”
Like the one hundred and eight ways to…
Cough cough.
Zhao Ming was instantly stunned.
He looked even more eagerly through the telescope talisman.
This telescope talisman in the cultivation world was especially good, able to see through walls and clouds.
It could enhance the viewer’s vision by two stages.
In other words, Zhao Ming, at the initial stage of the Tribulation Transcendence, could perceive the cultivation level of someone at the late stage of Tribulation Transcendence.
With one look, he saw inside Lin Shuang’s house.
One hundred and eight… red, pink, white…
Grass.
They were serious about it.
But soon Zhao Ming wanted to retreat when he saw the one hundred and eight Lin Shuangs quickly merge into one under the embrace of the nine tails.
“!”
His face changed dramatically, “She successfully merged!”
Previously, Lin Shuang endured the agony of being able to split but not merge her dantian, initially believing she wouldn’t be able to resolve it until the heavenly thunder.
Now she had resolved the issue of splitting the dantian and divine consciousness ahead of schedule—a problem that even a group of elders couldn’t solve.
Zhao Keran blinked, “When Senior Lin is intimate, she can merge effortlessly and painlessly.”
“…”
“…………”
“Who would want to rest at a time like this?” Zhao Keran guessed.
When there’s fun to be had, who wants to rest?
Sleep? No way!
Everyone would get up immediately to party and have fun!
So during this special intimate moment, the one hundred and eight consciousnesses didn’t argue or go on strike, willingly merging into one.
Of course, this was just Zhao Keran’s own guess.
She hadn’t actually asked Lin Shuang about it.
“Oh, I forgot, last year I also had an A-grade match with little Yuan and received a new book suitable for the southern sky from the Hehuan Sect. I should give it to Senior Sister!”
Zhao Keran stood up immediately.
“!”
“…!”
In the hot spring pool inside the house, Lin Shuang, already flushed and with seductive eyes, heard the conversation between Zhao Keran and others ten miles away.
She grabbed a fluffy red fox tail with both hands and couldn’t help but moan softly.
Her head was spinning, her whole body feeling light and airy.
Now on the bookshelf in her Fox Clan residence, there were eighteen secret manuals from the Hehuan Sect, covering sunny days, outdoors, grasslands, wardrobes…
Little A ran still had some she hadn’t read yet… how close they were.
If she let her junior sister in to deliver the book, could she try out the new moves?
But the man who was holding her wrists, pressing both of her hands to the pillow beside her, and then flipping her over to pin her hands behind her back had dark, deep eyes, with what seemed like a flame burning in the center of his pupils.
“Senior sister, it’s raining. At a time like this, the manual says it’s suitable for page 18’s physical…”
Zhao Keran knocked on the door outside.
Lin Shuang opened her mouth but was silenced by a dominant scent of grass that filled her lips, swallowing her voice.
“I’ll leave it at the door… ow!”
Before she could finish, Zhao Keran was instantly bound and pulled back by Meng Zi, Xiao Qi, and Zhou Xuanwu using a hundred-mile-long rope thrown from afar!
Lin Shuang exhaled in relief, her whole body already drenched in sweat.
…
The next morning, Zhao Keran searched the whole sky for her senior sister.
But she saw the gate of the Huangfu cave dwelling tightly closed, with a jade plaque hanging on the door.
—Zhao Keran, and the little fox, must not come within ten miles.
“…!”
[Little Love No.1 (Lin): Junior sister, wait a moment, I’m just taking a break and will come to open the door for you.]
Zhao Keran: “…”
The fastest to learn, combining work and rest, everywhere!
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage