Blushing Means Shyness

--Judging from your expressions, you probably already know, right? The fruit worked on the little fox cubs, but it didn't work on me.

The red and white foxes seemed about to say something, but the old fox raised a paw to stop them. He pointed with his chin at the red berries placed on a clean leaf and said, "Mmm."

--You two eat the rest.

The red and white foxes wanted to refuse, but the old fox was adamant, so they had no choice but to comply.

They quickly ate the half-eaten hawthorn berry in two.

It has a sweet aroma, tender flesh, and is very juicy. Even after sitting overnight, the taste seems to be completely unaffected.

Less than half a minute after finishing the fruit, the two foxes experienced the warmth the cubs had described, starting from their bellies and spreading to every inch of their flesh and every hair—a truly tangible feeling.

Even the anxiety and fatigue from not sleeping well last night seemed to be suddenly banished from the body, leaving the fox feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Just by looking at their reactions, the old fox understood.

These fruits are also useful to them.

After their initial surprise, the Red Fox and White Fox were overwhelmed by an even stronger sense of sorrow and despair.

Even those of them who weren't sick had such obvious reactions after eating it, but for the sick old fox, it was just an ordinary, delicious fruit.

The Red Fox could not accept it.

"Mmm..."

"No way! Something must be wrong. I'll go find Snow Bird; he'll definitely have a solution. Old Chieftain, wait for me."

This was the first time the Red Fox had been so reckless, and the first time he had disobeyed the old clan chief. Even when the old clan chief told him to come back, he ran out without stopping.

The old clan chief sighed and said to the White Fox, "Mmm..."

Go ahead and keep an eye on him; don't let him cause trouble for the Snow Bird.

The White Fox held back its tears, nodded, and followed the Red Fox away.

On his way out of the forest, the Red Fox had regained some composure; he couldn't let the other foxes know the truth for the time being.

The White Fox caught up with the Red Fox before leaving the forest. Seeing the Red Fox's eyes regain their composure, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief and said nothing more.

The other foxes had already prepared their prey, and there really was a pheasant that Tao Qiu wanted.

Pheasants and other prey are quite large; those two fruits are more than enough.

The foxes asked the old chieftain if he felt any better after eating the red fruit. The Red Fox nodded vaguely, and to prevent the foxes from asking more questions, he urged them to hurry up and take the prey to the Snow Bird.

Tao Qiu stayed up all night with the children last night, and this morning she planned to sleep in a little longer, but she was still asleep when she was woken up by that strange fragrance.

"I'm really fed up with these foxes. Don't they ever sleep?" Tao Qiu got up, scratching his messy hair, and coaxed his equally awakened cubs back to sleep before flying off to the valley entrance, still grumpy from being woken up.

His resentful gaze instantly transformed into joy upon spotting the rooster among his prey.

"Chirp chirp!"

--You really have chickens on your mountain!

One of the foxes carrying the prey said, "Mmm-mmm?"

--You like playing PUBG too?

Tao Qiu: "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp."

--I want to eat meat, and I want to eat eggs too. Next time you bring me eggs, I'll give you a few more fruits.

The foxes already knew about the fruit's miraculous effects this morning, and upon hearing this, they immediately agreed happily.

Seeing that the Snow Bird were satisfied with their prey, the foxes breathed a sigh of relief and were also very happy, knowing they could exchange for more fruit in the future.

The Red Fox stepped forward and whispered to Tao Qiu, "Hmm?"

--Snow Bird, I'd like to ask you a few questions. Would it be convenient for us to sit down and talk?

Tao Qiu's heart clenched. They had to talk again, but judging from the foxes' reactions, the fruit seemed to be fine.

Seemingly sensing what Tao Qiu was thinking, the Red Fox said, "Mmm."

--I'm not trying to cause you any trouble.

"Chirp..."

--That's good.

The Red Fox and White Fox exchanged a reassuring look before the red fox and Tao Qiu walked to the side.

Once the other foxes were sure they couldn't hear their conversation, the Red Fox immediately asked impatiently, "Hmm?"

--Did you grow the fruit?

Tao Qiu nodded.

The Red Fox asked again, "Ugh, ugh, ugh?"

Do you know what diseases your fruit can cure and what diseases it cannot cure?

Tao Qiu shook her head and mumbled everything she could say.

--I don't know, but I personally felt it was good for my health, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Later, a Green Python found the fruit and gave it to her baby Little Snake. After eating it, the Little Snake slowly recovered from its weakness, and that's when I realized the fruit had a therapeutic effect on young snakes with congenital deficiencies.

"What? You ask that? Does it mean my fruit has no effect on your Fox Clan?"

Chapter 47 Blushing is shyness

Tao Qiu's words were only half true, so Red Fox didn't notice anything amiss in his eyes.

Red Fox didn't answer Tao Qiu's question, but instead asked him, "Hmm?"

--Did the Green Python eat the fruit? Did the fruit have any effect on her?

As soon as he asked the question, Tao Qiu vaguely understood something. He said, "Chirp, chirp, chirp?"

--You gave the fruit not only to the fox cubs, but also to the other foxes, but it didn't have any effect on them, right?

Now that things have come to this, even the Red Fox no longer hides it. "Mmm..."

--Is this the old patriarch of our Fox Clan? You should know how Green Python's mother died. Our old patriarch has the same illness as her. After an attack, he loses his mind and cannot distinguish friend from foe. It's been like this for many years. Back then, Green Python finally died suddenly after going mad. Our old patriarch is almost at that stage too.

Tao Qiu paused for a few seconds after hearing this before absorbing the information the Red Fox had given him. However, he was a little confused. "Chirp, chirp?"

--The one who's sick is the Green Python's mother, not the Green Python. Why are you asking her if eating the fruit had any effect?

"Mmm..."

--I just wanted to see which groups the fruit was effective for. Currently, it's confirmed to be effective for naturally weak cubs. The White Fox, you, and I can smell the fruit's aroma, and we can feel changes in our bodies after eating it. That's why I wanted to know about the Green Python; maybe that will help me identify another group.

After saying that, the Red Fox suddenly seemed to remember something, and looked at Tao Qiu with a suspicious gaze. "Hmm?"

--You don't have that disease, do you? I remember you had a fit of madness last year.

Tao Qiu said, "... Chirp chirp."

--I was just... in a bad mood.

"Hmm?"

--real?

Tao Qiu nodded. "Chirp chirp."

--certainly.

Red Fox was skeptical, but still didn't press the matter, fearing it would displease Snow Bird.

"Mmm?"

So do you know if eating the fruit has any effect on the Green Python?

This time, Tao Qiu was telling the whole truth, because he also wanted to know the answer to the question that Red Fox was curious about.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--Green Python had previously mentioned that she could smell the aroma, but didn't experience any particular sensation after eating it.

The Red Fox was surprised. It resembled the old clan chief, but there were differences. The old clan chief was completely different; he couldn't even smell the special fragrance.

Looking into the Red Fox's eyes, Tao Qiu knew something was amiss.

"Chirp chirp?"

--Are you thinking that the Green Python also has that disease?

The Red Fox's tone was somewhat grave. "Ugh... ugh..."

--I don't know. Our old patriarch can't even smell the fragrance anymore, and I've never heard of the Green Python getting sick.

Tao Qiu also chirped, "Chirp, chirp."

--At least the Green Python I've encountered don't look like they have that disease.

The Red Fox said, "Mmm."

--I'll visit Green Python later.

Tao Qiu nodded, without saying anything more.

Red Fox, however, stared at Tao Qiu, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Tao Qiu: "Chirp chirp."

Say what you want to say.

Red Fox: "Hmm?"

--Are you? Or not? You've grown more than just this one kind of fruit? I can smell the fragrance of other fruits.

Tao Qiu understood what he meant. "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--Is it more than one kind of fruit, but apart from the different tastes, the effects of each fruit are the same?

The Red Fox said somewhat awkwardly, "Mmm..."

--I'm not questioning whether you're lying, I just want to try, just in case a miracle happens.

Judging from Red Fox's attitude, if Tao Qiu doesn't agree, he'll probably keep pressing her for an answer.

"Chirp, chirp chirp." Tao Qiu sighed helplessly.

--Okay, then wait a moment.

With that, Tao Qiu flew back into the valley.

Fortunately, a batch of crops has recently ripened, which is enough to supply the Red Fox.

Tao Qiu didn't give them whole; apart from the berries, the other larger crops were all cut into pieces, which was enough for experimentation.

Wrapped the item in leaves, Tao Qiu handed it to the Red Fox and watched them leave before turning back to the cave.

The Red Fox did indeed go to find the Green Python, because the Green Python had come to Tao Qiu's place that afternoon.

The two parents told the Little Snake and baby birds to go play nearby, and then they whispered something to each other.

Green Python: "Hiss... hiss..."

--That's what I, Red Fox, and you all said. I didn't have my mother's illness. I remember my mother first experienced inexplicable stabbing pains all over her body. At first, she could bear it, but later the pain became more and more severe, and it turned into a mental illness where she would lose her mind after an attack.

--During her last episode, before losing consciousness, she sternly demanded that I hide in the underground cave and not come out no matter what I heard, and then she ran away from home.

--I was very obedient and hid inside for three days until I heard a mutated monster outside say that she was dead, then I crawled out.