Her Period
Cold Pool, Frozen Peach Haven.
Yan Jue lay lazily on the bed, her four tails flicking back and forth. Every now and then, too comfortable to stay quiet, she let out a few soft whimpers.
No, five tails.
Just now, after Yan Jue returned to her room and changed back into her red fox form, she discovered that another fluffy tail had somehow grown behind her.
She had five tails now.
Even someone as slow to react as Yan Jue could tell something was wrong after seeing that tail.
Why were her tails growing more and more…
Yan Jue had read the original novel. She knew the original host was a member of the Red Fox Clan from Ghost Mansion Mountain, with an exceptionally strong bloodline.
But she really had no idea whether the original host was a nine-tailed fox.
Her head was spinning badly, and she couldn’t sleep even sprawled on her back with all four paws in the air, so she came to Cold Pool, Frozen Peach Haven.
Yan Jue lay on Qi Xianqing’s bed, her fox body stretched out like a fox-shaped cushion, her narrow phoenix eyes half-lidded.
Qi Xianqing frowned slightly, her fingertips stroking the little fox’s fifth tail as she slowly smoothed down the fur.
The little fox’s back was very sensitive; even a light touch made the flesh there twitch faintly.
Qi Xianqing found it amusing, so her fingers traced the sinews along Yan Jue’s back. Yan Jue twitched harder and rolled over, lying on her back with all four paws in the air. She squinted, kicked her legs, burrowed into Qi Xianqing’s arms, opened her mouth to lightly gnaw on Qi Xianqing’s finger, and slowly suckled on it.
For some reason, she seemed especially clingy today.
Yan Jue was already exhausted and only wanted to fall asleep quickly.
But Qi Xianqing wouldn’t let her.
Holding the little fox’s soft body half against her, she rubbed its tail for a while, then its ears for a while. She even lifted the little fox’s two pitch-black paws.
Yan Jue was so comfortable she felt like she could die; a low rumble rose from her throat, and she bared her teeth at Qi Xianqing in a fierce little snarl.
She wanted to sleep.
Qi Xianqing took the ball she used for cuju from the chest under the bed and tapped the little fox’s wet nose. “Let’s play, all right?”
The moment she finished speaking, Yan Jue immediately sat up, so excited that all the fur on her body stood on end.
Then Yan Jue yawned.
“…”
Just now, when she had suddenly sat up, it had been nothing more than a reflex.
Qi Xianqing tossed the ball out, and Yan Jue darted after it on all fours.
She was already very in sync with Qi Xianqing now.
With every movement Qi Xianqing made, she knew what Qi Xianqing wanted to do next.
The cuju ball flew outward, tracing an arc through the air. Yan Jue pushed off hard with her hind legs and leapt into the air, clamping down on the ball.
Qi Xianqing suddenly noticed something and froze slightly.
Along the path the little fox had crossed, it looked as if something had dripped onto the floor.
Yan Jue turned her head and saw Qi Xianqing frowning at something.
She followed Qi Xianqing’s gaze, and her brain went buzzing.
Several drops of blood had fallen onto the floor at some point.
Yan Jue went completely numb. Qi Xianqing hurriedly said, “It’s nothing.”
She stood up, took out a clean handkerchief, and wiped away the marks on the floor.
After tossing the handkerchief into the waste basket, Qi Xianqing subconsciously looked up at the little fox sitting neatly there.
The red fox had an elegant build; its five fluffy tails were like flames, and the fur on its belly was pure white.
Those amber eyes, shimmering with luster, were fixed on her without blinking; they seemed softer than usual.
Qi Xianqing was stunned for a long while, then a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
So that was why the little fox had been so clingy today. In the past few days, it had grown very quickly and was no longer the tiny fox it had been when they first met. More accurately, it should now count as an adult fox.
There were different kinds of spirit foxes; the more tails a fox had, the more humanlike it became, and its physical condition would gradually come to resemble a human’s.
Yan Jue’s heart pounded erratically. After looking at Qi Xianqing for a while, she immediately spat out the ball and ran to hide under the desk on the other side.
What the hell—hadn’t there been nothing wrong just now? This had clearly happened all of a sudden.
Qi Xianqing cleaned up the floor, then walked over and lifted Yan Jue by her two front paws, holding her up. “It’s all right. Don’t be afraid.”
Yan Jue’s cheeks burned. Luckily, the thick fur covered her, so Qi Xianqing couldn’t see anything strange.
If she had known this would happen today, she wouldn’t have come.
This was probably something every spirit fox had to go through; much less so for the original host, whose bloodline was pure, making her period especially severe. Yan Jue bared her teeth in refusal, but Qi Xianqing still placed a cushion around the base of her tail.
Yan Jue collapsed onto the ground, her whole fox body looking utterly dejected.
Qi Xianqing sat at the table flipping through a book and frowned. “I hadn’t looked into this before. Once a spirit fox grows its fifth tail, it means its body has fully matured. Then it will begin showing signs of heat; the precursor is often bleeding.”
Yan Jue: “……”
Enough, enough; stop talking.
No wonder her emotions had been so hard to control today; it turned out her period had come.
No wonder she had felt so wildly unrestrained while walking outside just now.
Qi Xianqing crouched down and said softly, “You shouldn’t go out for the next few days, all right? It’s dangerous to be outside alone.”
Little fox: “……”
Qi Xianqing rubbed its icy little belly, then stood up. “I’ll go make you some red date and ginger soup.”
Yan Jue opened her mouth and let out a pitiful little howl at her. With one flick of her five big tails, she quickly leapt out the window and fled.
“…”
-
Maybe it was because Yun Zhen had helped heal her injuries after the competition, and Yun Zhen’s spiritual energy had been too powerful for Yan Jue’s body to bear.
Or maybe it was because of the damned setup in this novel: spirit foxes with more than five tails had especially long periods.
As soon as Yan Jue got back, she developed a slight fever and felt terribly miserable.
Since she had already been eliminated, she couldn’t be bothered to go to Five Dragons Square to watch the matches, so she stayed in the dormitory to recover.
At first, Yan Jue had even worried that Yun Zhen would make her change dormitories. Later, a flying crane from Yun Zhen arrived with word that Yun Zhen had already spoken with Watercloud Sect’s Sect Master, Yan Yue, and had arranged for Yan Jue to be transferred under her.
Yun Zhen’s letter said that if Yan Jue really liked the Watercloud Sect environment, she could still continue living there.
Only then did Yan Jue finally breathe a sigh of relief.
That afternoon, the sunlight was perfect.
Yan Jue lay in bed, opened the latest issue of The Five Dragons Encyclopedia, and read it.
The Five Dragons Encyclopedia gave a detailed account of how Qi Xianqing had, in the next match, instantly defeated her opponent within the time it took to drink half a cup of tea.
In the final match, Qi Xianqing had fought Jiang Mengchu, a disciple of the Muyin Sect.
Jiang Mengchu was considered one of the rising talents; she was a formidable opponent.
Qi Xianqing used the immortal sword Zhuying to violently shatter the other side’s protective barrier and send her flying.
The whole process took less than half a cup of tea.
Yan Jue couldn’t help thinking again of the promise Qi Xianqing had made to her that night.
She really had never imagined that Qi Xianqing would actually promise her such a thing.
A better immortal sword. As far as Yan Jue could think, the only thing Qi Xianqing might possibly give her besides the immortal sword Drifting Ice was… what else could there be?
Every time she thought about it, Yan Jue felt strangely unsettled. The blood that had already been surging wildly in her body flowed even more violently, and a strange restlessness rose involuntarily within her.
Yan Jue put down the paper and slept for a while longer on the bed. When she woke up, it was already afternoon.
Yan Jue closed the room door and went to the back mountain.
She came to the empty patch of ground where she had previously planted the spirit lantern fruit.
Because this land had been struck by lightning when she endured her tribulation, the spiritual energy here was abundant.
The spirit lantern fruit was growing well; the few that had been replanted before had now even sprouted tiny new shoots.
Yan Jue casually sprinkled the soil with Spirit-Nourishing Marrow and watched the tiny sprouts on the ground grow little by little until they gradually became spirit lantern trees laden with spirit lantern fruit.
She picked one plump, bright-red spirit lantern fruit after another and put them into her Qiankun bag.
When Yan Jue returned to her dormitory at Watercloud Sect, she saw Du Ying running over from a distance with excitement. “Yan Jue! The results are out.”
Yan Jue’s heart gave a thump. “Hm?”
Du Ying: “A total of six hundred people participated in this competition; the top one hundred outer sect disciples earned the qualification to enter the inner sect! And the highest-ranked disciples in this competition will be sent by Sect Master Uncle to carry out a mission. That’s a huge honor; disciples sent out by Five Dragons Sect to handle matters outside can be said to be the face of the sect for the new generation.”
Yan Jue frowned slightly. “What were the rankings this time? How are the rewards distributed?”
At first, Yan Jue had not planned to participate in this competition.
If not for the generous rewards, she would never have put herself through this.
Du Ying grinned. “Here’s the good news~”
“In this competition, Senior Sister still, just like last year, took first place! Her reward was the matching male sword to her immortal sword Zhuying, Drifting Ice!”
Yan Jue looked at Du Ying, her eyes bright. “What about me? What about me? What was my ranking?”
Du Ying rolled her eyes at her. “Listen to me first. This time, first place was Senior Sister, second place was Jiang Mengchu of the Muyin Sect, and third place was… you!”
Yan Jue only cared about the reward. “What was the reward for third place?”
Du Ying: “…All you care about is the reward. Aren’t you even a little disappointed that you only missed second place by one step?”
“The second-place reward was the magic treasure Grand-Origin Shield; the third-place reward was one thousand top-grade Spirit Stones, and you also got the award for bold combat. You can also receive one gourd containing sixty Spirit-Collecting Pills!”
After Yan Jue heard her finish, she couldn’t help showing a satisfied smile.
Perfect! Just right—Bai Ying’s Spirit-Collecting Pills were almost used up, and this gourd would be enough for her to use for another month.
But from another angle, the sect’s rewards for outstanding disciples this time could be said to be very generous.
It showed that the higher-ups of Five Dragons Sect had also put in a great deal of effort to raise the sect’s standing among the six great immortal sects.
-
In the Qiuli Pavilion of Thunderflame Sect, the courtyard was deep, and white clouds drifted around it.
Qi Xianqing had already heard two days earlier that Yun Zhen had taken Yan Jue under her wing.
She didn’t quite know how to feel about it.
Her master was still the same as ever; she really did things so unpredictably.
Wasn’t this blatant poaching?
But given her master’s casual temperament, she usually only provided resources and protection to the disciples under her; it was rare for her to personally instruct them in divine arts or spells.
Even if Yan Jue entered Thunderflame Sect, she could cultivate as she pleased, even if she had ice spiritual roots.
Immortal Yun Zhen had never lacked resources.
Qi Xianqing stood in the courtyard, lost in thought, when she heard Yun Zhen laugh and say, “Now that the Five-Dragon Summit has ended, the immortal sword Drifting Ice is once again ours, from Thunderflame Sect.”
Qi Xianqing asked, “I wonder whether Drifting Ice is still in the sword tomb, or…”
For a thousand years, Drifting Ice had slept in Sword Tomb Valley of Five Dragons Sect. By rights, if a disciple wanted Drifting Ice, they would still have to go to the sword tomb in person to request it.
Drifting Ice was an immortal sword with a sword spirit.
Only if it was willing to follow you could you take it away.
Yun Zhen: “Five Dragons Sect has already opened the sword tomb entrance. Why don’t you hurry up and form a bond with Drifting Ice?”
Qi Xianqing: “I want to give Drifting Ice to someone.”
Yun Zhen was stunned. “Who?”
Drifting Ice and Zhuying were originally a matched male and female sword pair. If Qi Xianqing bonded with Drifting Ice, then from then on she would be cultivating with a dual-sword setup, which was very common in the cultivation world.
Zhuying, with its thunder attribute, would serve as the main sword; Drifting Ice, with its ice attribute, would act as support, and this could greatly enhance a cultivator’s power.
Because Zhuying and Drifting Ice were so closely matched, they might even greatly benefit Qi Xianqing’s cultivation.
Qi Xianqing: “Yan Jue.”
“She’s cultivating ice-type divine arts, and she still doesn’t have her own sword.”
Yun Zhen asked with interest, “But I already gave her a sword last time, didn’t I? And now you want to give her another one?”
It would have been one thing if Yun Zhen hadn’t said it; once she did, Qi Xianqing couldn’t help grumbling inwardly. Was that really what counted as giving someone a sword, the way her master did it? She brought people into the loft and had them choose for themselves; how was a normal person supposed to choose?
If they picked something too expensive, it would be awkward for a first meeting; they could only choose something ordinary.
But how could an ordinary sword possibly be any good?
Qi Xianqing: “Yes.”
Yun Zhen: “Fine. Since you want to make it up to your little junior sister, I won’t steal your credit.”
Something like this had happened before.
For example, an outstanding disciple might win a magical artifact in a competition, but because they already had a natal artifact and didn’t want to spend the effort cultivating dual artifacts, they would transfer it to a junior brother or sister they were closer to in the sect.
After the two finished speaking, the hall fell quiet.
Yun Zhen suddenly remembered something. “Last time, you told me that there were people from the demonic faction mixed in among Five Dragons Sect’s higher-ups. I’ve already sent people to investigate.”
Qi Xianqing’s brow twitched, and she hurriedly bowed low. “May I ask what the results of Master’s investigation were?”
Yun Zhen: “There are no results for now.”
“If the person from the Demonic Cult is really at a high level now, then this will be especially troublesome.” Yun Zhen fell silent in thought; her usually easygoing face rarely carried a serious expression.
Although she had thought it sounded absurd when Qi Xianqing first told her about it, as her master, she was still willing to believe her most outstanding disciple.
After all, far too many bizarre things had happened within the sect recently.
All of it might be related to the Demonic Cult’s resurgence.
Qi Xianqing frowned slightly. “Disciple has a conjecture; I wonder whether I may share it with Master.”
Yun Zhen: “Go ahead.”
Qi Xianqing: “Since coming out of seclusion, Sect Master Uncle has been very strange.”
Before she could finish, Yun Zhen immediately reached out and struck her on the shoulder, saying in a low voice, “That’s not something you should say here.”
-
Qi Xianqing walked into the main hall where the Five Dragons Sect Master lived, at Mystic Escape Sect, under the setting sun.
Mu Zhongzi sat in the very center of the hall, eyes closed in meditation.
But Mu Zhongzi’s heart was far from as calm as he looked.
A few days ago, Chu Fu had gone mad without saying a word to him beforehand. Every time Demon Lord thought of it, his chest tightened with frustration.
Originally, Chu Fu had been a very useful chess piece in his hands; but now, the situation was more like a chess piece slipping out of control.
And the Evil God Demonic Seal was still in that bastard’s hands…
This was not good.
Mu Zhongzi was meditating on the surface, but in reality his mind was in complete chaos.
Hearing footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes. “Xianqing.”
“The Five-Dragon Summit has already ended; why haven’t you gone to the sword tomb to claim Drifting Ice yet?”
Qi Xianqing knelt before Mu Zhongzi. “Uncle-Master, disciple has a request.”
Mu Zhongzi: “What is it?”
Qi Xianqing: “I want to give the reward I won from this Five-Dragon Summit, the immortal sword Drifting Ice, to inner sect disciple Yan Jue.”
By rights, after this immortal sword was won by Qi Xianqing, it belonged to her. She could gift it to anyone she wanted.
But the biggest organizer of this Five-Dragon Summit was still Five Dragons Sect’s Mu Zhongzi; the Sect Master had always looked after Qi Xianqing a great deal, and since the immortal sword Drifting Ice was one of Five Dragons Sect’s famous swords passed down through the ages, any decision Qi Xianqing made about this sword still had to be reported to Sect Master Mu Zhongzi.
After Qi Xianqing finished speaking, she lowered her eyes.
Mu Zhongzi was silent for a long time, then slowly said, “That’s not easy to say.”
“Drifting Ice is an immortal sword; it’s one of the very few immortal swords in the world with a sword spirit. Even if you want to give it away, you still have to see whether Drifting Ice is willing.”
“Moreover, the Yan Jue you mentioned, though she was lucky enough to come in third this time, is still somewhat mediocre in aptitude compared with the other disciples.”
“This is not easy to say.”
Qi Xianqing bowed low. “Disciple has already decided to give away the sword I won. As long as Yan Jue can go to the sword tomb and pull out the immortal sword Drifting Ice, will that satisfy Uncle-Master’s wishes?”
Mu Zhongzi was choked into silence.
Don’t let Xianqing look dull and taciturn on the surface; in truth, she was sharper-tongued than anyone else. To twist his meaning like that…
A trace of anger flashed in Mu Zhongzi’s eyes. “Even if I permit it, Drifting Ice still has to permit it. You might as well have that disciple go to the sword tomb to retrieve it.”
Mu Zhongzi: “Since you can give Drifting Ice away so casually, then as the organizer of this Five-Dragon Summit, I can naturally also bestow Drifting Ice on someone else. If Yan Jue cannot successfully conquer Drifting Ice this time, then I will give Drifting Ice to someone I deem appropriate!”
His tone was already very heavy; it could even be called a reprimand.
Qi Xianqing lowered her gaze and listened silently.
“Besides, you already have the immortal sword Zhuying now; you don’t need a second sword.”
-
Yan Jue slept soundly on the bed, even dreaming of counting Spirit Stones.
When she woke up, the sky was already dusk.
Yan Jue suddenly heard a knock at the door.
She lazily stretched, slipped on her shoes, and went to open the door; there stood Qi Xianqing outside.
The sun was setting, and the girl’s skin was as white as snow, her features elegant and refined.
Yan Jue’s whole body stiffened instinctively. She tugged at the corners of her lips. “What are you doing here?”
Why had she been coming over here so often lately?
Qi Xianqing: “I’ve already reported it to Sect Master Uncle; the immortal sword Drifting Ice is yours. Think of it as compensation.”
Yan Jue: “……”
Yan Jue subconsciously glanced behind her at the plain, unremarkable iron sword leaning against the wall. Her heart began pounding violently. “How could I possibly accept that?”
“That’s way too valuable.”
Qi Xianqing looked at her quietly. “I said that since I broke your sword, I would make it up to you.”
“Junior Sister Yan, do you want me to owe you something?”
Cultivators fighting on the martial platform really should not destroy other people’s magic artifacts.
Because for cultivators, a magic artifact might well be a cultivator’s life.
Qi Xianqing had shattered her sword and wanted to make up for it by giving her another one; there was nothing strange about that.
Yan Jue had indeed always wanted a good sword, and Drifting Ice was very valuable. Qi Xianqing had mentioned before that she would give it to her, and over the past few days Yan Jue had been building herself up mentally in the dormitory.
She really was tempted.
Yan Jue suddenly remembered something and took the Qiankun bag from her waist.
“The other day I wandered around Five Dragons Market and saw that the best swords there were probably worth five hundred top-grade Spirit Stones.” Yan Jue hesitated. “The immortal sword Drifting Ice is definitely much more valuable than that, so how about I use eight thousand top-grade Spirit Stones to exchange for Drifting Ice?”
Qi Xianqing didn’t want to owe Yan Jue anything; Yan Jue didn’t want to owe anything either, and immediately wanted to make up the difference with Spirit Stones.
Eight thousand top-grade Spirit Stones was roughly equivalent to several million in modern currency; a sword like Drifting Ice should… probably be around that price.
Seeing Qi Xianqing say nothing, Yan Jue tried cautiously, “Ten thousand top-grade Spirit Stones?”
Anyway, this time at the Five-Dragon Summit, she had earned quite a bit too.
For some reason, a burst of irritation suddenly welled up in Qi Xianqing’s heart.
Qi Xianqing lifted her eyelids and said slowly, “The immortal sword Drifting Ice is a famous sword that has been passed down for a thousand years; it is worth far more than that.”
Yan Jue: “Then name your price!”
Qi Xianqing: “One million top-grade Spirit Stones.”
Yan Jue: “……”
Although she had earned a lot from this Five-Dragon Summit, she still didn’t have enough money to say anything. She immediately rolled her eyes at Qi Xianqing. “Then I don’t have it.”
Qi Xianqing: “Junior Sister Yan, are you really so tempted?”
Yan Jue: “Naturally.”
But she absolutely would not take it for free; she could only exchange something for it.
Qi Xianqing took out a sheet of paper from her Qiankun bag.
Qi Xianqing: “This is a promissory note; you can borrow it from me for the time being.”
Yan Jue: “……”
Yan Jue: “What if I can’t pay it back?”
Qi Xianqing: “If you can’t pay it back, what do you think?”
The girl’s gaze felt almost tangible, and Yan Jue’s heart jumped. She instinctively stepped back. “I’ll definitely be able to pay it back!”
Qi Xianqing looked at Yan Jue and couldn’t help but smile.
Qi Xianqing: “There’s one more thing.”
Yan Jue instantly became wary again. “Hm?”
Qi Xianqing looked toward the window. “Drifting Ice is still sleeping in Sword Tomb Valley right now. If a disciple wants to obtain Drifting Ice, they must personally go to Sword Tomb Valley to request the sword.”
“To obtain the immortal sword Drifting Ice more easily, Zhuying needs to draw a talisman on junior sister’s hand.”
Yan Jue frowned. “Draw a talisman?”
“The immortal sword Drifting Ice is a male sword; it is naturally difficult to tame. But if Zhuying communicates with it, then it will be very easy to open its heart.”
Yan Jue blinked. “How do you draw it? Draw what?”
Qi Xianqing: “Naturally, something that Drifting Ice can understand at a glance.”
Then Qi Xianqing slowly drew the immortal sword Zhuying from behind her.
Zhuying bloomed with cyan light in the sky. Qi Xianqing took Yan Jue’s hand.
Yan Jue subconsciously tried to pull back, but Qi Xianqing held her more tightly.
This should be the second time the two of them had held hands; Qi Xianqing’s hand was soft and cool.
Yan Jue felt half her body go numb, and the strength left her arm as well. A trace of amusement flashed through Qi Xianqing’s eyes; holding Zhuying, she slowly traced patterns across the back of Yan Jue’s hand.
The back of Yan Jue’s hand was snow-white, her fingers slender, with faint blue veins visible beneath the skin. As Zhuying’s cyan light flickered, a very faint cyan talisman pattern appeared in Yan Jue’s palm.
Qi Xianqing quickly finished drawing the talisman. “Even so, the immortal sword Drifting Ice has its own pride. This talisman can only increase your chances a little; it can’t fully guarantee that it will be persuaded.”
“The rest will depend on you.”
Yan Jue knew this was equivalent to a recommendation letter; Qi Xianqing was recommending her to the immortal sword Drifting Ice.
Yan Jue tugged at the corners of her lips, her voice lowering. “Thank you, Senior Sister.”
Qi Xianqing answered very quickly, her voice unexpectedly soft. “No need to thank me.”
“I’m only returning your sword.”