The Wary Little Fox

After understanding the Concentric Life and Death Tribulation, Li Jiusheng knew its advantages and disadvantages.

It was invented to witness the most beautiful emotions in the world, but later it was discovered that truly loving people couldn't be bound by the Concentric Life and Death Tribulation. For those who didn't love each other, even ten Concentric Life and Death Tribulations wouldn't stop their desire to harm the other.

Li Jiusheng thought the later modifications were quite good. For exploring secret realms or communicating Dao techniques, signing this would make them feel like close family for a short time, without worrying about the other party holding back or secretly attacking.

Late at night, in the forest, a gentle breeze rustled through the trees, their shadows swaying and rustling.

Li Jiusheng held the sleeping Little Fox in his arms, stroking her tenderly. "Poor little thing," he said. "From now on, you'll live with me."

Then, Li Jiusheng carried the Little Fox back to the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

He prepared rice porridge and warm bedding for the Little Fox. After everything was ready, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Having lived alone for so long, Li Jiusheng truly had no experience caring for an infant.

He had cared for Li Qingshan and Yu Chaoyang when they were children, but they were already four or five years old then and could largely take care of themselves.

Now, taking care of a newborn Little Fox was quite a challenge for him.

The Little Fox slept soundly, as if her birth had exhausted all her strength. She lay quietly in the swaddling clothes, her body a pure white without a single impurity, a translucent, crystal-like white.

Li Jiusheng gently stroked her, and saw the Little Fox's eyelids tremble, as if she were about to wake up.

Li Jiusheng watched with anticipation. He would be the first person she saw after her birth. What would her reaction be?

A few moments later, the Little Fox opened her eyes and saw Li Jiusheng.

Her pupils, initially filled with confusion, clarity, and purity, quickly turned to terror. In an instant, she bristled, her body like lightning as she broke free from the swaddling clothes, screaming and frantically looking around for an escape.

Li Jiusheng frowned slightly, knowing this was the Little Fox's stress response. He remained still, softening his aura to be like a gentle spring breeze, letting the Little Fox know he meant no harm and to reduce her stress.

The Little Fox seemed to calm down a bit, but her nose twitched, sniffing the air as if searching for something. After a moment, she seemed to have found her target, let out a cry, and ran out of the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

Li Jiusheng's expression changed. Worried that the Little Fox might encounter danger, he immediately used his movement technique, misty and illusory, and followed her.

The Little Fox fled the Scripture Repository Pavilion, her nose constantly sniffing. She first arrived at the waterfall cliff, where she whimpered softly, crying with tears like pearls. She had just been born, small in size, her tiny paws reaching out in the air as if trying to grasp something.

Li Jiusheng's heart ached. He knew the Little Fox had smelled the lingering trace of the Thousand-Year Sword God of the Old Land's aura. This might be the only chance she would ever have to connect with her father.

As time passed, the aura would grow fainter and fainter until it disappeared.

If the Little Fox hadn't been infused with her father's aura by her mother for hundreds of years, she wouldn't have recognized it. Fortunately, she had managed to grasp the last wisp of his aura.

The Little Fox was heartbroken, tears streaming down her face as she cried. She cried from the cliff waterfall all the way into the forest, feeling the profound and vast aura of her mother's ascension and dispersal. Her grief intensified, and she wailed, scratching frantically at trees, the air, and stones with her tiny paws.

She knew her mother was gone. She had inherited the memories of a Nine-tailed Demonic Fox from birth. The Little Fox knew both her parents were gone.

She was deeply saddened.

Crying, the Little Fox, overcome by exhaustion, collapsed to the ground and fainted.

Li Jiusheng immediately rushed over, picked up the Little Fox, and infused her with his True Qi to warm her body. He then quickly returned to the Scripture Repository Pavilion and fed the Little Fox the thick rice porridge.

Only then did the Little Fox begin to feel a little better and fall into a deep sleep.

Li Jiusheng sighed, looking at the Little Fox with tear streaks still on her face. He felt pity and heartache. He gently cleaned her face before placing her back in the swaddling clothes. Then, he moved a distance away and watched her silently.

"Although this Little Fox is newly born, she spent hundreds of years in her mother's womb and was already conscious. Facing the hellish Demon Refining Tower, she naturally distrusts humans. Now that she's born and senses her parents are gone, she probably won't trust me at all," Li Jiusheng thought with a bitter smile. He truly pitied the Little Fox but was also troubled about how he would care for her in the future.

Lost in thought, Li Jiusheng shook his head helplessly. "Forget it. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If she truly hates humans forever, I'll confine her to this mountain forest to grow up. Once she has the ability to protect herself, I'll consider letting her go."

Of course, that would be a last resort.

After waking up, the Little Fox had another stress response. Upon seeing Li Jiusheng, she screamed, terrified, and fled the Scripture Repository Pavilion in a panic, returning to the forest where her mother had ascended and dispersed.

Here, she felt a natural sense of comfort.

Li Jiusheng watched from a distance. The Little Fox didn't do much after escaping the Scripture Repository Pavilion. She simply curled up in a ball at the spot where her mother had ascended and dispersed, feeling a faint warmth.

The little creature was only about two hands long, and curled up, she was no bigger than a palm. She looked both pitiful and adorable, making Li Jiusheng shake his head helplessly. He could only cultivate silently from a distance, observing her. If the Little Fox made any move, he would immediately notice.

The day passed like this. The Little Fox remained curled up all day, neither eating nor drinking. By the end, she was so weak that Li Jiusheng couldn't bear to watch anymore. He used his True Qi to remotely control the rice porridge and some health pills, sending them to the Little Fox's side.

The Little Fox was startled at first and instinctively wanted to flee. But she stopped because there was only food, and no one appeared.

She cautiously observed for twenty minutes, but no one showed up.

She moved step by step, approaching the rice porridge and pills.

Smelling the aroma of the rice porridge and the fragrance of the pills, the Little Fox's stomach rumbled. She looked around in confusion. Her subconscious told her that this was something she could drink, something she had drunk before.

But when had she drunk it?

The Little Fox had no memory of it.

Could it be inherited memory?

But that was supposed to unlock gradually as one's cultivation increased. Newborns didn't have much in their inherited memories, only biological instincts.

Finally, unable to resist hunger, the Little Fox quickly stuck out her pink tongue and licked the rice porridge. Then she ran to the side, watching nervously, afraid that the bad guy, Li Jiusheng, would appear and capture her.

Fortunately, Li Jiusheng didn't appear.

Only then did the Little Fox cautiously approach and drink the rice porridge with peace of mind.

Perhaps because she was so hungry, she quickly finished a large bowl of rice porridge. The Little Fox gently nibbled on the pills, taking small bites, while warily watching, afraid Li Jiusheng would appear.

Five hundred meters away, on a large blue stone, Li Jiusheng bathed in the morning sun, meditating cross-legged. Spiritual Energy surged and enveloped him.

Silently, a smile touched his lips, and he continued to cultivate.

One person and one fox, coexisting without interference.