Green Hills, Fox Mountain.
Inside a bedchamber inlaid with gold and jade.
Incense burned in a censer, smoke curling into the air.
It drifted through layer upon layer of bed curtains and brushed past the nose of the man lying on the bed.
For the first time, it drew a slight frown from him.
Then his eyelashes fluttered.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Jiu Yuan had only just regained consciousness and was not yet fully awake, but the scent already irritated him. He called out impatiently.
"A You, which thoughtless fool lit sandalwood incense? Don't they know I hate that smell more than anything?"
Bang-
The doors to the hall burst open.
A You and A Li, who had both grown into handsome men, rushed in together.
Their foxlike eyes filled with excitement and shock as they looked at Jiu Yuan, even reddening slightly.
"Fox Lord! You're finally awake!"
Jiu Yuan covered his nose and slowly sat up. His thin robes slipped down, making him look utterly languid.
He raised a hand, and the bed curtains parted on their own.
"Since you're here, hurry up and put out that sandalwood incense... huh? Who are you? Where are my A You and A Li?"
"We are A You and A Li!"
The slightly taller man pointed at himself. "Fox Lord, I'm A You."
The other pointed at himself as well. "I'm A Li."
"...?! How did you both get so big?" Jiu Yuan was thoroughly bewildered. "How long have I been asleep?"
A You and A Li exchanged a glance before answering, "Fox Lord, you've been asleep for ten thousand years."
"..."
At that number, Jiu Yuan's expression darkened.
He asked the two beside his bed, "Where is your Holy Son now?"
In the Sword Sect's dungeon, Ning Ke gripped