A Warm Welcome

On the way up the mountain, Tushan Lingyi introduced Tushan to the others as they walked:

"Tushan is one of the four great fox clans of antiquity. But as you know, back then, a certain God King in the heavens colluded with... Never mind."

"In short, after a tremendous calamity, it became what you see now."

"You should have seen by now that the reason our king's power has nine colors is that the royal family of Tushan has nine kinds of foxes."

"In the end, the powers of all nine kinds of foxes converge, forming the pure white power our king possesses."

Cen Yu listened with keen interest from the side. "So your king isn't chosen by hereditary succession, but selected?"

"If a fox can cultivate nine tails and earn the recognition of all the foxes, will it become the new Nine-Tailed Sky Fox?"

Tushan Lingyi nodded. "Yes and no."

"Our fox clan has a very long lifespan, and as a result, most foxes need an extremely long time to cultivate each tail."

"Even if someone cultivates nine tails, they still have no chance as long as the Fox King hasn't passed away or willingly handed over the throne."

As she spoke, she glanced at Cen Yu and added, "The Fox King's bloodline suppresses all foxes. No fox can harbor rebellious thoughts."

"Even if one did, it wouldn't be able to use even a shred of power against a Fox King who was gravely wounded and on the verge of death."

"Our current king inherited the throne only after the previous king fell while saving Tushan. She became the last Nine-Tailed Sky Fox in the world."

"Oh... No, that's not entirely accurate. She should be the last one in this part of the world. We can't sense where the other three clans are, much less know their current situation."

After climbing the mountain, the five of them continued on for quite some distance. Along the way, they encountered countless foxes in human form.

Guang Ling asked in confusion, "Ceremonial Official Lingyi, why does your fox clan live in human form?"

By rights, Soul Beasts should prefer their original forms and look down on the bodies of humans, shouldn't they?

At his question, before Tushan Lingyi could answer, Tushan Jinci gave him a puzzled look.

"What's so strange about that? Humans are the darlings of heaven and earth. Outside of battle, human form is naturally more convenient than beast form for everyday life."

"I only took beast form when I first met you because I hadn't been back to Tushan in a long time."

"Uh..." Guang Ling smiled awkwardly. "All right, I hadn't thought of that."

After arranging lodgings for Cen Yu and the others, Tushan Lingyi gave the nearby foxes some instructions, then took Tushan Jinci to report back to Tushan Zhaoli.

The scene shifted.

"..."

The three of them stared at the sofas, big bed, quilts, and all the other things in the cave dwelling, exchanging bewildered looks.

Guang Ling's mouth twitched. "They've been trapped here, yet they're pretty fashionable. They even have sofas."

"But... why is everything made of fox fur? Don't they feel bad about plucking their own fur?"

As expected of a bunch of old fossils who'd lived for ages. When they got ruthless, they didn't even spare themselves.

At his words, Cen Yu and Azure Luan looked at him in confusion.

"What's with you two?"

Seeing his expression, Azure Luan covered his face in exasperation. "I told you ages ago to read more. Sigh..."

How embarrassing. Their group had an illiterate in it, someone who didn't even know basic common sense.

Just as Guang Ling stood there, baffled, Cen Yu said quietly, "Fifth Priest... Creatures like cats and foxes shed a lot of fur every year when the seasons change."

"You can tell just from the fields we passed on the way here. They only grow crops there."

"With so many foxes in Tushan, just imagine how much fur they shed each year. Better to use it than let it go to waste, right?"

Azure Luan nodded and added, "Even if you've never raised a small animal, you should know that much from reading a book."

Sigh...

Hearing the two of them, Guang Ling said unhappily, "Hey, hey, hey! How old do you think I am? And you expect me to read?"

"Who in all of Douluo Continent doesn't respectfully call me Guangling Douluo when they see me? Isn't that enough?"

"..."

The other two fell silent.

Just then, Guang Ling continued, "Besides, with my talent, I'll probably only reach Level 98 in this lifetime. Level 99 is probably out of reach."

"Going by history, even if they don't die in battle, Peak Douluo at Level 98 can live at most two hundred years because of all kinds of hidden injuries."

"So why should I study? It'd just be a waste of time."

And besides, if he was illiterate, wouldn't the three guys under him be even more illiterate?

At that, Cen Yu looked at Guang Ling with deep disapproval. "That's not how you should look at it. As the saying goes, you're never too old to learn."

"Besides, how are you old, as far as Titled Douluo go?"

"Even if you look at my talent or Senior Sister Xue'er's, whichever of us becomes a god could take you all along to the Divine Realm. Why be so pessimistic?"

"Knock—knock—knock—"

Just then, someone knocked on the cave's door.

The three of them fell silent and looked toward the entrance.

Azure Luan walked over and opened the door, asking in confusion, "Hello, may I ask..."

Before he could finish, a group of foxes in human form filed in, orderly and composed.

Then, under the bewildered gazes of Cen Yu and the others, several foxes carried in a broad, long table.

The rest stepped forward and placed the exquisite dishes in their hands on the table one after another.

Once everything was set out, the fox at the head of the group smiled and said, "Sorry to intrude, honored guests from afar. The Ceremonial Official gave us special instructions."

"Since you've only just arrived in Tushan, we thought you probably hadn't eaten yet, so we hurriedly prepared a few dishes. They're simple fare, so please forgive us."

Hearing that, Azure Luan came back to his senses and quickly replied, "They're not simple at all. You've been very thoughtful. Please thank Ceremonial Official Lingyi for treating us."

After they left, the three of them stared at the table's "exquisite delicacies," exchanging looks.

Well... they really were exquisite delicacies.

Clear chicken soup, roast whole chicken, braised chicken wings, chicken stew, cold shredded chicken.

Shiitake chicken soup, steamed chicken, braised chicken legs, spicy chicken, numbing pepper chicken, bamboo fungus chicken soup.

Red-braised whole chicken, braised chicken gizzards, chicken stir-fried with bamboo shoots, crispy fried chicken chunks, nourishing chicken soup, smoked chicken???

Poached chicken, kung pao chicken, pan-fried chicken breast, chicken mousse soup, crispy-skinned chicken, chicken braised with chestnuts, stir-fried chicken giblets, honey-glazed chicken drumsticks, tea-scented chicken...

Cen Yu stared at the mountain of chicken dishes, utterly baffled. "What, does Tushan only have chicken? Why is every dish made with chicken?"

"Couldn't they have served at least one vegetable dish? If I eat all this, I'm afraid I'll dream about chickens tonight."

Hearing that, Azure Luan sighed. "Aren't chickens a fox's favorite food? These dishes... seem perfectly normal to me."

"I just didn't expect them to never get tired of eating it. And I definitely didn't expect Tushan to have such a huge stock of Tushan Chicken..."

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Tushan Lingyi said confidently to Tushan Zhaoli, "Please rest assured, my lord. I had them prepare our fox clan's favorite dishes. They're sure to be satisfied!"