It was clearly supposed to be November before Su Xuan’s mating season arrived. Sang Dai had been trying hard to like Su Xuan a little more. This year, she might not refuse Su Xuan during his mating season. Things were no longer the same as before; in Sang Dai’s heart, she couldn’t bear to see Su Xuan sad.
She couldn’t stand seeing him aggrieved and didn’t want him to endure the pain through his mating season.
The little fox kissed her collarbone. Sang Dai tilted her head slightly to avoid him while struggling to converse with Liu Lixue.
“But he’s in a lot of pain right now, and his consciousness is already unclear.”
On Liu Lixue’s side, he could hear the muffled groans of his lord and was too shocked to process the fact that Su Xuan could even have such a side. At the moment, his heart was filled only with worry.
As he teleported toward the Ghost Market, he continued speaking to Sang Dai.
“Miss Sang, why don’t you just knock him out first?”
Sang Dai: “…”
She glanced at the little fox, who had already started tugging at her clothes. One hand clutched her sash to stop him from succeeding as she said, “…Is there no other way?”
“Knock him out and take him out of there.”
The little fox had already pulled down her collar and started kissing downward. Sang Dai finally couldn’t take it anymore and struck the back of Su Xuan’s neck with her palm.
His head slumped onto her shoulder, and Sang Dai quickly got up to hold him.
“Young Master Liu, I’ve knocked him out.”
“Good, I’m at the edge of the Ghost Market now.”
“Then I’ll bring him out first.”
“Thank you for your trouble, Miss Sang.”
After Liu Lixue hung up the communication jade, Sang Dai looked down at the little fox leaning against her waist, her brow twitching in pain.
She touched his face, which was burning hot and red, his forehead drenched in fine sweat.
After tidying up her disheveled clothing, Sang Dai glanced again at the little fox leaning against her waist.
Even after fainting, he didn’t revert to his little fox form. Sang Dai could only call out softly.
“Master Tan Huai.”
The door was quietly pushed open a crack, and a smooth bald head cautiously peeked in.
With his eyes closed, only the top of his head stuck in. “What is it, Miss Sang?”
Sang Dai said, “Could I trouble you to carry Su Xuan on your back? We need to leave the Ghost Market now.”
Tan Huai cautiously opened one eye. He saw that Sang Dai’s clothes were intact and that the little rogue fox had his head resting on her waist, eyes closed, apparently unconscious.
He let out a sigh of relief, stood up straight, and entered the room. After wiping his sweat, he said, “Alright, this humble monk will carry the Beast King.”
“Young Master Liu is waiting outside the Ghost Market to receive us. Let’s go first.”
“Alright.”
Tan Huai hesitated for a moment. “Then… the Chunying Sword…”
Sang Dai was silent for a moment before speaking, “Take care of Su Xuan first. He cannot be allowed to have any accidents. Once he’s settled, I’ll come back to investigate.”
Tan Huai nodded awkwardly. “Alright.”
As he bent down, just about to carry Su Xuan on his back, the fox suddenly shrank in size, becoming as small as a fox cub.
Although Tan Huai might have been overthinking, the timing of the transformation seemed so coincidental that he couldn’t help but feel Su Xuan was deliberately refusing to let him carry him.
Both of them: “…”
Sang Dai bent down, pulled out a fresh set of clothes, and wrapped the little fox in them, cradling him in her arms with his small fox head resting against her chest, his body carefully concealed beneath the clothes.
“I’ll carry him. Let’s go.”
“…Alright.”
The door opened, and Sang Dai, holding the little fox, walked ahead, with Tan Huai following behind her.
The auctions in the other rooms hadn’t ended yet. Their room was one of the earliest to finish, and since the Manxiang Pavilion restricted foot traffic, the corridors were empty at this time.
As they descended the stairs and were about to leave, a soft, melodic voice called from behind.
“Miss, please wait.”
Sang Dai turned her head to look.
A woman descended slowly from the second floor, her dress exceptionally ornate, with layer upon layer spreading out behind her, trailing elegantly as she walked.
Her figure was slender, her features strikingly beautiful, and her age indiscernible.
However, judging by her attire, both Sang Dai and Tan Huai could immediately discern her identity. Someone who could afford to wear garments made of cloud silk and still roam freely in the Manxiang Pavilion at this hour was most likely the Pavilion’s matron.
Sang Dai remained silent. Since this person had called out to them, she would naturally speak up first.
The woman stopped three steps away from them, leaned against the railing, and chuckled lightly.
“I am Hua Ling, the proprietress of the Manxiang Pavilion. I merely wish to ask, miss, what is your relationship with Immortal Lord Ying Heng?”
Sang Dai replied flatly, “Just acquaintances.”
“Oh? Then how could you tell the Chunying Sword is a fake?”
“I’ve already explained why it’s fake. Anyone meticulous enough should understand.”
“Are you not afraid of being hunted by the Four Realms for trying to purchase Immortal Lord Ying Heng’s Chunying Sword?”
Sang Dai chuckled softly. “If you dare to sell it, why wouldn’t I dare to buy it?”
The woman walked down, speaking as she descended, “Since you know this Chunying Sword is fake, I suppose you must be curious about where the real sword is?”
Sang Dai asked back, “Do you know?”
Hua Ling smiled. “Hmm, I don’t know, but aren’t you curious about who gave me this fake sword and why I dared to sell it?”
She raised her hand, holding out the fake Chunying Sword.
Sang Dai didn’t take the sword. Holding the little fox in her arms, she had no free hand to accept it.
Hua Ling chuckled softly and unsheathed the sword.
This sword is fake; it doesn’t even have a sword spirit, though its blade closely resembles that of the real Chunying Sword.
Hua Ling said, “The one who gave me this sword promised me a favor…”
Sang Dai looked at the sword, its blade reflecting both her face and Hua Ling’s. She didn’t ask Hua Ling what the favor was.
Hua Ling continued to smile, the amusement in her eyes growing deeper as the corners of her lips curved slightly upward.
“Miss, if you dare to come to the Manxiang Pavilion tomorrow night, I’ll tell you.”
She sheathed the sword and handed Sang Dai a jade token.
“Tomorrow night at midnight, I’ll wait for you. Don’t stand me up… Oh, and only you may come.”
Sang Dai lifted her gaze and met Hua Ling’s eyes. “What if I don’t come?”
Hua Ling’s smile remained, but it was now shallow, hovering on the surface. “Then you’ll never find the real Chunying Sword.”
Sang Dai narrowed her eyes slightly and took the jade token.
Hua Ling’s gaze fell on the small fox wrapped in clothing and cradled in Sang Dai’s arms.
“That must be that gentleman, right? He doesn’t look well. The miasma in the Ghost Market is generated by the Jiexin Grass. For demonkind, Jiexin Grass has an aphrodisiac effect. Miss, you’d better take care of him first.”
Sang Dai turned and walked away, with Tan Huai following behind her.
The two of them leapt onto the rooftops and teleported away. In the Ghost Market, people only saw a few fleeting shadows on the roofs, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Hua Ling stepped out of the Manxiang Pavilion, tilting her chin slightly as she gazed at the now-vanished figures in the distance.
Her red lips curled into a smile, and she said softly, “End the auction and spread the word. Starting today, the Manxiang Pavilion will suspend auctions for seven days.”
The guard behind her hesitated. “Madam, this might result in significant financial loss.”
Hua Ling turned and walked back inside. “It doesn’t matter. Distinguished guests are far more valuable than money.”
The guard bowed respectfully. “Understood.”
The Ghost Market, though vast, was still just a marketplace. While it had taken them two hours to stroll leisurely through it on their way in, it took less than a quarter of an hour to teleport out.
As soon as Sang Dai reached the Ghost Market’s entrance, she saw Liu Lixue waiting outside with his hands behind his back.
The miasma had aphrodisiac effects on demonkind, and without taking a special pill in advance, anyone entering would inevitably be affected. Liu Lixue, being a demon himself, also lacked the antidote for Jiexin Grass and naturally dared not go in.
When he saw the three of them emerge, he quickly came forward.
“Lord!”
He pulled aside the clothing. The small fox lay unconscious within the swordswoman’s fresh garments, wrapped securely as she cradled him in her arms, both fox and clothing.
His body was burning hot, the golden divine imprint on his forehead flashing brightly on and off, and his breath carried faint traces of Hellfire.
Grasping the little fox’s paw, Liu Lixue probed his meridians, his expression growing darker by the moment.
Sang Dai’s heart tightened, and she asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Liu Lixue replied, “The lord has suppressed his mating season for too long. Previously, within a hundred miles of the Beast Palace, I didn’t dare let anyone plant Jiexin Grass. Its effects on demonkind are too potent. And the lord… he’s a nine-tailed fox. Nine-tailed foxes have naturally hot blood and are extremely susceptible to this immortal grass. This type of grass is usually only burned when nine-tailed foxes are reproducing.”
Sang Dai held the little fox tightly, and even through the clothing and his thick fur, she could feel his burning heat.
She asked softly, “Is his mating season about to begin?”
Liu Lixue said sternly, “Not yet, but that’s exactly the concern. Suppressing his heat for too long could trigger his mating season. The mating season for the nine-tailed fox clan lasts a full month, and once it begins, it cannot be interrupted. During this time, an entire barrier would be placed around the cave dwelling. If it’s interrupted, the lightest consequence would be a significant drop in cultivation; the worst, death and complete annihilation.”
Both Sang Dai and Tan Huai now understood why Liu Lixue was so afraid.
Currently, they were in Linglong Town, and the mysteries behind everything happening here had yet to be uncovered. If Su Xuan truly entered his mating season, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn’t use the opportunity to assassinate them during that month. This wasn’t the Beast Palace, and there was no absolute safety here.
The true culprit behind the disappearance of rogue cultivators remained unidentified, and the black-clothed individuals who didn’t belong to the Four Realms were still lurking in the shadows. Ying Heng also hadn’t been found.
There were too many unresolved issues, any one of which could interrupt Su Xuan’s mating season.
Sang Dai’s voice trembled. “Can… can it be suppressed?”
Liu Lixue turned around. “Let’s head back first. This isn’t the place to talk.”
Sang Dai adjusted the clothing, wrapping it securely around the little fox, and followed Liu Lixue, with Tan Huai closely trailing behind. The group used their spiritual power to teleport back to the inn.
Liu Lixue pushed open the door, and Sang Dai carried the little fox inside.
“Put him on the bed first.”
Sang Dai unwrapped the clothing and gently placed the unconscious little fox on the bed.
Liu Lixue formed a seal with his hands, and the little fox transformed back into his human form.
“His heat is unbearable, which is why he can’t maintain his human form.”
Sang Dai became even more anxious. “Is there an antidote?”
Liu Lixue shook his head. “I don’t have any antidote for Jiexin Grass on me. Besides, Jiexin Grass isn’t cultivated in the main city of the Beast Realm, and refining the antidote is troublesome—it takes a long time.”
Tan Huai offered, “Would reciting the Clear Heart Sutra help?”
Liu Lixue rejected him decisively. “The Clear Heart Sutra only calms the mind, but that’s not the issue here.”
Su Xuan’s condition was purely because he had suppressed his heat for too long. Prolonged suppression of a mating season already made him prone to losing control, and he had stayed in the Ghost Market for so long on top of that.
Sang Dai couldn’t steady herself, panicking as she said, “Young Master Liu, let’s return to the Beast Realm now.”
Both Liu Lixue and Tan Huai looked at Sang Dai.
She had clearly lost her composure, stepping forward to try and carry Su Xuan, her eyes reddening. “I can’t let anything happen to him. He came to Linglong Town with me, and he’s done so much for me.”