“Shuang Hua! You are all right!” The old fox was very happy to see the siblings.
Mo Tianliao frowned slightly, he had forgotten that those belonging to Shuang Ren’s clan had a much more sensitive soul than ordinary Demonic Beasts, that’s why he could relieve headaches just by being used as a pillow. Given that they were so close by, these foxes could naturally sense Mo Xiaozhao. Just like when Shuang Ren ran to the brothel without hesitation, the aura of a Great Ancient Beast was impossible to hide from the Frost Soothing Foxes.
However, this did not mean that Mo Tianliao was willing to let them meet Qingtong. These were all wild demonic beasts, they could one day be caught and forced to make a blood pact. Once under the blood pact’s influence, they could be made to disclose any information.
“What’s all this racket?” The distant voice was like a piece of jade from the Kunlun Mountains, so clear and moving. Before Mo Tianliao could stop him, Qingtong, wearing his snow-coloured mermaid silk shawl, walked slowly down the stairs.
The fox Elder, looking excited, hastily took a few steps. Mo Tianliao grabbed him. Don’t think that I’ll let you get away with anything just by pretending to be overcome with emotion. As the owner of this cat house, Mo Tianliao had not agreed to let these furballs in yet!
Realizing his rudeness, the old fox quickly returned to the door and he and his people prostrated themselves. “We respectfully greet the Great Beast!”
Mo Tianliao’s expression promptly darkened. Just stand at the door and shout why don’t you? What, are you afraid that the people on the other side of the world won’t realize where we are?
Qingtong did not really care, he allowed all the foxes to come inside. On learning that it was Qingtong who had saved the siblings, the foxes prostrated themselves once more in thanks. They talked for a long time, it seemed like they had no intentions to leave. According to the fox Elder, it was very cold these days, and the clan’s charcoal fires were not enough to keep them warm.
Mo Tianliao looked at the pack of foxes dozing off on the carpet in the hall and could not help scowling. These guys, they said they came to pay their respects but in actuality they are just here to mooch off of us, aren’t they?
“Shuang Ren made a blood pact, he won’t tell anyone about our sect.” Qingtong, like Mo Tianliao, rubbed his head and squinted at the fluffy foxes. It had been a bit cold these past few days, how lucky, he could use some rugs and blankets.
Thus, the next time Mo Tianliao came back from hunting, he was greeted by a mound of white fluff in the hall. He sneered, trying to figure out how to get rid of the lot of them. Although he liked furry little things very much, he and Qingtong were “newlyweds” now, the Shuang duo was already a nuisance, and now the pests had multiplied.
He was about to go upstairs when he suddenly noticed that there was something off about the pile of fluff. Upon careful examination, all the foxes were lying completely motionless, and on top of them was a sprawling, sleeping kitten. Because their fur colour was so similar, he had not noticed him at first glance.
Mo Tianliao walked quickly towards them and picked the kitten up.
“Meow?” The slumbering kitten opened his eyes, yawned, and patted his face with his sleep-warm toe beans.
When the foxes on the ground saw that the cat had been picked up, they stood up quickly, huddled together and shivered. They had lived on these snowy mountains for generations, they had never seen the outside world. When they had sensed the Great Ancient Beast, they had decided to come mostly for the novelty factor. When the place they had found had turned out to be warm, they had decided to stay for a few days. They had not realized, however, that the pure-blooded Demonic Beast would have such a strong dominance effect over them. Whenever the kitten approached, they could not control their shaking, they always got the impression that they were about to be devoured.
This along with the fact that his cultivation was several levels higher than theirs, meant that whenever the cat wanted to sleep on their heads, they could only let him.
Mo Tianliao buried his nose in the cat’s hair and sniffed it, he was covered in the smell of fox. He became even more unhappy, so he took the cat to the bathroom and gave him a bath. Then, holding Qingtong, who was back in human form, he laid down in bed and covered him with his own smell both inside and out, only then was he satisfied.
“Since when did you become a dog?” Qingtong gasped and pushed away Mo Tianliao who was still rubbing him all over. Despite being a piece of wood, he left his smell everywhere like a dog marking his territory.
That evening, the old fox and his people decided to depart.
Mo Tianliao, without saying one word to try to make them stay, joyfully ushered them out. Shuang Ren wanted the Elder to take his sister with them so Mo Tianliao seized the chance to speak, “Shidi, it’s been a long time since you’ve gone back home, why don’t you go back to your clan for a visit?”
Shuang Ren stared at his second shixiong. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Once I’m gone, you’ll be free to do whatever you want with Master since he’s still weak and injured.
Eventually, the reluctant fox siblings were dragged away by the Elder.
The falling snowflakes kept growing bigger, now they looked just like goose feathers. Qingtong stood in front of the transparent wall and quietly looked outside. Mo Tianliao came over and put an outer garment on him. “Do you want to go to the top floor and sit in the rocking chair?”
On the top floor’s terrace, there was an exquisitely carved rocking chair over which Mo Tianliao had draped the elk pelt. The terrace had a barrier to repel the wind and snow, so it was neat and warm. Mo Tianliao went to lie down first but he still felt a little cold, so he patted his chest and motioned Qingtong to come and lie down. Qingtong sneered, walked over, and lay down on him with a thump. His waist was immediately encircled by a pair of gentle arms and at the same time, he was wrapped in a warm quilt.
The mountains stretched towards the horizon, blanketed by frozen snow, the heavy snowflakes fluttered, seemingly endless. Everything was quiet, as if in the whole world only they existed, leaning close and keeping each other warm.
Qingtong pressed his face to Mo Tianliao’s chest and gently rubbed against it.
It made Mo Tianliao itch to do something, so he stretched out his hand and slowly caressed his hair. This life where they only lived for each other was so wonderful, he had been idle for half a month, but he did not feel bored at all. He just wanted to go on like this forever.
The past few days had been decadent, thanks to the endless vitality of the Everlasting Tree they had not only completely cured Qingtong’s internal injuries, but Mo Tianliao’s own cultivation had grown by leaps and bounds. Finally, yesterday, he had advanced from Golden Core to Nascent Soul. Strangely, he did not form a human-shaped Nascent Soul, instead, a small bud had grown inside his Dantian.
“The Nascent Soul can be considered the root of the self, so there is nothing unusual about it.” Qingtong was not worried about it, even if he became a Half-Immortal, his Nascent Soul would still be there.
When it had formed, the two men were practicing double cultivation and their bodies were still entangled. Qingtong had curiously let out his kitten-like Nascent Soul and scratched the green bud that had just emerged. The tiny bud had shaken, then slowly coiled around the cat’s paw.
“In fact, you are now in a state between Nascent Soul and Half-Immortal.” Qingtong felt a little cold and shrank further into the quilt.
Mo Tianliao nodded slightly. This was because he not only had a Nascent Soul, but also a divine soul. His divine soul was that of a Half-Immortal, but his Nascent Soul was still fragile. Only those who possessed someone in order to come back to life would be in such an astonishing situation.
Just then, there came a long and clear whistling noise from the sky, a snow eagle flew over the snowfield, coming straight towards them. It hit the protective barrier of the Crystal Palace with a bang.
Mo Tianliao quickly opened the barrier and let it fly in.
A few days ago, Qingtong had caught a snow eagle and sent it with a letter to Woyun Sect because he was afraid that the Sect Leader would be worried. He had not expected a reply so soon.
After untying the jade slips from the eagle’s leg, Qingtong swept over them with a finger. The message in the jade slips appeared in the air in small golden characters, “The Mo Palace will open soon, when are you coming home? By the way, Big fatty got caught.”
Big fatty got caught? Mo Tianliao was stunned, only then did he remember da-shixiong who had accompanied them to Liuyun Sect while acting as the Master’s spiritual pet. It obviously made no sense for the owner to go missing without taking his spiritual pet…
Cultivator A: Unexpectedly there is no pact between Qingtong Zhenren and his Spirit Beast.
Cultivator B: But the tiger is a eunuch, he’s useless
Cultivator C: Wrong, we have a tiger penis
Cultivator A&B&C: Take him to breed
Big wet chest: QAQ Master, save me!
Unedited, please point out any mistakes