Chapter 57: Ungrateful Heartless Immortal Venerable

Zhou Si finished preparing the meal, but Hu Wu showed no signs of getting up.

He frowned and had no choice but to head into the inner room. There, the little red furball was still curled up in the bedding, sleeping soundly.

Zhou Si leaned down and scooped him up—blanket and all—his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry. “Why have you been sleeping so deeply lately? Hasn’t your injury healed yet?”

Hu Wu nuzzled against him groggily in his arms and mumbled, “It’s healed…”

He was actually focused on digesting the substantial cultivation he’d recently gained, which naturally made him drowsy.

Unaware of this, Zhou Si couldn’t help feeling concerned. “Get up already. Time to eat.”

The table was laden with dishes, especially meats—far more lavish than usual.

Hu Wu’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected breakfast to be so abundant today.

He eagerly picked up a piece of braised meat and popped it into his mouth. After chewing twice, he paused slightly and blinked suspiciously. “Mr. Ji, has your cooking… gotten worse?”

Ji Huai sat across from him, saying nothing.

Zhou Si shot back irritably, “Where’s it worse? Eat already.”

Hu Wu hadn’t expected him to snap at him just to defend Ji Huai. He immediately pouted in grievance and muttered under his breath, “It just tastes different, that’s all…”

After the meal, as Ji Huai cleared the dishes, he said softly, “From now on, I’ll handle the cooking.”

Zhou Si’s face remained taut, and he didn’t respond.

Over the next few days, Zhou Si stubbornly tried his hand at cooking several more times.

Finally, Hu Wu caught on that it was him doing the cooking.

The sweet-talking fox immediately wagged his fluffy tail and squeezed into the kitchen to shower him with praise.

“It’s actually really tasty. You’ve improved so much.”

He even leaned in to kiss Zhou Si. “And you’re tasty too…”

“Shut up…” Zhou Si’s ears turned faintly red as he tried to push him away—but without any real force.

“Zhou Si…”

In the end, the two of them pressed together amid the lingering haze of cooking smoke in the kitchen, their lips meeting.

Zhou Si’s breathing grew ragged. He reached out and pinched the fox’s cheek, gazing at his long, drooping lashes. He was so bewitched that he nearly leaned in for another kiss.

But just then, the kitchen door creaked open.

Ji Huai stood in the doorway and cleared his throat twice.

Zhou Si and Ji Huai’s gazes met in the air, each seeing a flicker of displeasure in the other’s eyes.

~~~

A few days later, Zhou Si suggested taking Hu Wu into town for a stroll.

Hu Wu had never seen a human town before and was naturally thrilled.

However, the town was crowded and none too friendly toward demon races. Zhou Si had planned to have the fox keep his head wrapped in a scarf to hide his ears, but Hu Wu proudly shook his head.

“My cultivation has advanced a lot now!”

The recent “kissing sessions” had produced remarkable results—his ears could now retract and extend at will.

He hadn’t bothered hiding them these past few days, partly out of habit and partly because he’d noticed Zhou Si seemed to enjoy stroking his fox ears.

Ji Huai liked his fox form too.

The fox felt smug. He’d always taken meticulous care of his fur—not out of vanity, but for tactical reasons, clearly!

He demonstrated: without the fox ears, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes stood out even more, giving him the air of a dashing, unbound young nobleman.

Zhou Si stared, momentarily stunned.

Growing even bolder, Hu Wu conjured a fan and twirled around him playfully.

But seeing him act like some flirtatious heartthrob only made Zhou Si more uneasy. He was practically worried some young lady would spot him on the street and fall for him on the spot.

In the end, he forced Hu Wu back into fox form and stuffed him into a back basket lined with soft cloth, planning to let him out once they were inside the town.

“Ying~”

Once they set off, Hu Wu kept fidgeting restlessly in the basket.

Zhou Si coaxed him. “Behave yourself. Once we’re in town, if you see anything you want to eat or have, just squeak, and I’ll buy it for you.”

Lately, Zhou Si had felt much lighter on his feet himself—he’d almost forgotten about his strange illness.

He suspected it wasn’t just the blood… Kissing the fox seemed to work just as well.

This “medicine” was almost too miraculous. He naturally had to find a way to keep him close… Yeah, that was perfectly normal.

The journey dragged on, and the fox finally quieted down. He must have fallen asleep.

But the moment they entered the bustling market, the tantalizing aromas of roasted meats, the sugary sweetness of pastries, and all sorts of novel trinkets set Hu Wu buzzing with excitement. He wanted this, he wanted that.

He kept yipping nonstop from inside the basket.

A nearby auntie couldn’t help asking, “Young man, what’s that you’ve got in your basket?”

Zhou Si felt a wave of embarrassment. He reached in and precisely pinched the fox’s pointed muzzle shut.

“Are you a pig or something? Quiet down.”

“Ying!”

The fox shot him an accusing look with his eyes. Big liar. Zhou Si was speechless. In the end, he bought several snacks as promised.

Then he found a quiet, deserted alley and let Hu Wu out.

Hu Wu shifted to human form at once and ate with utter delight.

“Wow, Zhou Si, this one’s so fragrant, and this one’s so sweet. You try some too.”

That was, until he bit into a flatbread slathered in spicy sauce. The unfamiliar burning sensation stung his tongue, bringing tears to his eyes in an instant.

“Zhou Si… something’s biting my tongue!”

Zhou Si: “…”

“Wahhh, Zhou Si, save me.”

The fox’s mouth was all red now.

Zhou Si’s expression was one of distaste, yet he leaned down anyway, gently pressing his lips to Hu Wu’s and kissing him several times.

“Better now?”

Hu Wu froze.

Only after the kisses did Zhou Si realize what he’d done, his own face flushing red.

“Ahem,” he tried to change the subject.

“I need to go sell the hides now. You stay put and don’t cause trouble.”

“I didn’t cause any trouble…” Hu Wu muttered softly, looking all aggrieved—but he hadn’t forgotten to keep eating.

Zhou Si watched him for a moment before asking in a low voice, “If… we could settle down in town someday, would you be okay with that?”

Hu Wu blinked in surprise, then nodded vigorously, like a cat easily bought off with a bit of dried fish.

Zhou Si let out a breath of relief.

Sure, his cooking wasn’t great—no problem, he could just buy food.

Truth be told, Zhou Si had been quietly observing the town’s trades along the way. His prized hunting skills wouldn’t translate well here. Manual labor wouldn’t pay much, and escort work was too dangerous—he couldn’t safely bring along this little troublemaker that way.

He hadn’t figured out a long-term plan yet. For now, he just needed to sell the spirit-rich deer hide and other pelts he had, to make some silver.

Hu Wu perked up at once and leaned in eagerly, like he was offering a treasure. “I can turn into a rich young gentleman! And turn a stone into gold, pretend I’m super interested in your goods and offer a high price! The boss will definitely scramble to buy from you then!”

Zhou Si chuckled helplessly. “How long can your spells last? What if someone tracks down that ‘young gentleman’ later?”

“Then I’ll just find some spoiled playboy I really hate and turn into him before heading out!” Little Fox boasted smugly, flaunting his ever-improving illusion spells. But his face suddenly paled.

“There’s cultivator aura nearby…” It seemed there were even demon-slaying formations around.

The Human-Demon War had ended not long ago, and hatred for the Demon Clan was at its peak in the Cultivation World. Cultivators often struck down any demon they saw without asking questions first.

A little demon like Little Fox… stood no chance against them.

Zhou Si’s expression grew grave as well.

He turned around at once, leading Little Fox to a secluded post station. He settled the fox alone in a room and carefully checked the doors and windows.

“You stay right here. Lock the door and don’t open it no matter who knocks. I’ll be back as soon as I sell the goods.”

Little Fox had always known Zhou Si must have been a cultivator in the past. The thought that he was still secretly siphoning human cultivation base made him feel guilty.

He didn’t dare meet Zhou Si’s eyes but nodded anyway.

Seeing him like that, Zhou Si assumed he was just scared.

Zhou Si hadn’t been gone long when he returned. Little Fox was thrilled to see him back so soon, figuring he must have sold everything quickly.

But Zhou Si was carrying several snacks that Little Fox had been eyeing longingly earlier—ones he hadn’t bought because he complained the fox ate too much.

“Be good and wait here. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Zhou Si stuffed the food into his paws and cooed, “Don’t be afraid.”

Little Fox clutched the pile of still-warm treats, staring at Zhou Si’s hurriedly departing figure in a daze once more.

Was it because his memories hadn’t returned yet?

Right now, Zhou Si didn’t seem to hate the Demon Clan so much…

05 knew full well that these cultivators had likely shown up because Zhou Si’s sect was frantically searching for him.

But it was still too soon to send Zhou Si back. The Demon Power Mark inside him was still too faint and might not hold for long.

Who could have guessed? He’d been planning to head into the mountains before, but now he suddenly wanted to settle down in this town. Still… they probably wouldn’t find him so quickly, right?

While 05 mulled over the mission and waited for Zhou Si to return, he found himself alone with no need to keep up his act. On instinct, he connected to the System’s backstage and pulled up the status logs for his previous two mission worlds.

This was strictly against the rules. He wasn’t allowed to return to completed mission worlds or contact those targets again. But 05 checked their status markers anyway.

The results left him stunned.

Shen Yanzhi’s status had turned gray.

What did gray mean?

05 was dumbfounded.

Normally, people in the worlds he repaired stayed green for decades.

What did gray mean?

He checked Ji Xingci’s next.

Gray as well.

05’s face drained of color.

He queried the Main God, but received no reply. Anxiety gnawed at him as he paced the room. Had something happened to them? But that made no sense—the worlds were stable, and the protagonists were blessed with extraordinary luck.

Desperation drove him to ping that supreme consciousness again and again.

Finally, a blinding light slowly unfolded deep in his mind.

“05, you’ve broken the rules.”

“Punish me however you see fit, but please tell me—what does a gray marker mean?”

That supreme existence fell silent for a long moment.

“I thought you only cared about the missions.”

05 sensed something off in the Main God’s tone. He pressed for ages, but the Main God refused to explain or even mention punishment. Instead, he turned the question back: why did 05 care?

Ridiculous. 05 huffed in his mind and stopped responding. Why did he care? How could he not?

He had completed countless missions. But these last two worlds had felt… different somehow.

The mission targets had left an impression on him that was… unique. And oddly similar?

05 halted in his tracks.

What about this world, then?

When Zhou Si returned from selling his wares to pick up Little Fox, he found the fox’s complexion off.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Si asked.

“Ah, nothing…” Little Fox mumbled.

He had never let anything outside a mission distract him before. But today, 05’s thoughts were a tangled mess.

Little Fox’s unusual quietness prompted Zhou Si to feel his forehead, worried he might be coming down with something.

On the journey back, Zhou Si carried him piggyback the entire way.

Unfortunately, they ran into a downpour.

The official road turned into a muddy quagmire in no time, and the few passing carriages were packed to the brim.

Someone even screamed at the sight of the fox in Zhou Si’s back basket. The drivers waved them off frantically, refusing to give them a lift.

Speechless, Zhou Si ducked into a nearby abandoned temple for shelter.

The structure was crumbling and draped in cobwebs, but it at least kept out the wind and rain.

Luckily, Zhou Si was resourceful. He soon gathered dry firewood from a sheltered corner and kindled a cozy campfire with practiced ease.

He stripped off his drenched outer robe and hung it over a broken pillar by the flames. Little Fox hopped out of the basket and shook out his fur vigorously.

Rain hammered outside amid darkening skies like nightfall. Inside, firelight danced, illuminating the handsome man and the fluffy red fox huddled close together. A quiet warmth of shared hardship settled over them.

Zhou Si pulled out their dry rations and shared some jerky with Little Fox. “On my way to sell the goods, I heard about a bounty poster in the city. They’re looking for someone with freakish strength—someone who can lift an ancient cauldron. The reward is massive.”

05 froze, instantly realizing this must be Zhou Si’s sect’s ploy to track him down.

Portraits couldn’t capture a face precisely these days, and few had seen Zhou Si’s true appearance.

So they must have deployed some spiritual artifact attuned to a cultivator’s spiritual power. The cauldron only looked heavy; it was forged from special materials that only those bearing spiritual energy could budge.

By posting bounties far and wide like this, they could search the world without raising alarms—and pinpoint their target efficiently.

This town was too out of the way for anyone to guard it, though. If Zhou Si wanted in on it, he’d have to risk heading into the city.

He paused, glancing at Little Fox. “You stay in the village and wait for me to get back.”

He’d heard the cauldron wasn’t even that big, yet plenty of people couldn’t lift it. Zhou Si suspected it involved some mystical trick.

If it was a cultivator’s tool, it might hurt the fox.

Little Fox’s brows furrowed at his words.

“I don’t want you to go!”

05 knew exactly what this meant: Zhou Si would be discovered by his sect the moment he went, and that would be the end of it.

Even Little Fox’s instincts rebelled, terrified of losing his precious meal ticket.

A rare urgency colored his voice. “I’ll miss you… I’ll worry about you.”

With that, he shifted into human form and flung himself into Zhou Si’s arms. “And what about your illness? What if you have an episode while I’m not there to help?”

Zhou Si froze at the sudden embrace.

“It’s only a few days…”

“I don’t want you to leave.” Little Fox wheedled desperately, clinging even tighter.

“Why do you have to go? Is it because we need money to stay in town? Then forget staying in town. I’ll listen to you—we’ll just live on the mountain. And I won’t eat so much meat anymore…”

To his surprise, the Fox’s fur was soaked through. When he shifted back to human form, his clothes were drenched too, clinging tightly to his body.

Zhou Si held him close, his cheeks flushing red against his will.

He had been worried that while he was gone these past few days, the Fox would turn right around and get cozy with Ji Huai.

But he never imagined this Clumsy Fox would depend on him so much—unable to bear being apart, always wanting to stick to him every waking moment, forever thinking of him.

Zhou Si’s heart pounded faster and faster, heat spreading through his entire body.

Hu Wu had something else on his mind, though. “If you really have to go, then… then drink a little more of my blood over the next few days.”

At least that way, he could heal his lame leg…

Zhou Si frowned at once.

“No. You’ve been sleeping all the time lately, and your face is so pale today. It’s clear your body hasn’t recovered.

On top of that, you just got caught in the rain. We can’t take any more blood.”

“I’m fine,” Hu Wu said hurriedly. “What if you have an attack because you didn’t drink any?”

The Fox was still acting coquettish when Zhou Si suddenly hugged him tighter and pressed a blushing kiss to his slightly cool cheek.

“Actually, I think just kissing you might ease it too.”

The Fox blinked.

Zhou Si’s face burned even redder after the kiss. With no one else around in the Broken Temple, he found himself reacting to the Fox’s nearness right then and there.