Chapter 58: Ungrateful Heartless Immortal Venerable

Hu Wu was somewhat stunned.

Kissing could indeed exchange demon power and cultivation—it was a very shallow form of dual cultivation… but the effects were nowhere near as potent as with blood.

Unless they switched to the real thing…

At that thought, Zhou Si planted another warm kiss on him. Hu Wu’s eyelashes fluttered, and his face turned bright red.

Logically speaking, a fox should be more than willing to dual cultivate. After all, demons had no real sense of morality or propriety—free cultivation on offer wasn’t something to turn down.

Yet at this moment, Hu Wu hesitated once more. He couldn’t fully set aside the mission for even a second.

How had things turned out like this again…?

He had been so careful, never steering things in this direction.

Last time, Hu Wu could chalk it up to an accident, his own mistake. But now…

As he closed his eyes and kissed Zhou Si, that eerie sense of familiarity washed over him again, sending a shiver through his heart.

The sensation of the kiss, the embrace, the way Zhou Si’s touches made him feel—it all left him deeply puzzled and utterly confused.

Zhou Si opened his eyes and caught the fox staring at him. Those beautiful, innocent eyes now swirled with complex emotions.

Sensing Little Fox’s reluctance, Zhou Si’s Adam’s apple bobbed as embarrassment flooded him.

Normally, the fox was the one initiating, tail wagging as he leaned in for a kiss. So why the sudden change in expression?

A moment’s reflection made it clear.

They were in a broken temple beside a campfire, with no door to shut—practically outdoors. Zhou Si glanced up and spotted a dilapidated, tilted god statue, its lifeless eyes seeming to judge him silently.

And there he was, holding a male demon in his arms, their breaths ragged as they kissed.

It was utterly indecent.

But Zhou Si couldn’t bring himself to stop.

Outside, the sky hung dim and gray, pierced by the steady patter of icy rain.

The two of them clung tightly together, the points of contact burning scorching hot.

Perhaps it was the forbidden thrill of what they shouldn’t be doing. Perhaps it was the memory of how Hu Wu had clung to him earlier, refusing to let go—a sight Zhou Si found irresistibly endearing. Or maybe he simply wanted to test the depth of the fox’s feelings for him…

Zhou Si lost control of his breathing. He freed the fox’s cock and pressed it against his own.

To feel this aroused by another male…

Zhou Si feared he was losing his mind.

Yet Hu Wu shuddered visibly, his eyes going wide.

“Zhou Si, this…” The influx of cultivation hit like a tidal wave.

Hu Wu paused, his face flushing crimson as he changed tack. “I… I like it. I like you so much. I like this…”

Zhou Si’s mind went blank with a buzz, all thoughts scattering. By the time he came back to himself, he was kissing Hu Wu fiercely.

Little Fox kept gasping “Oh my god, oh my god,” his reactions explosive.

Zhou Si’s heart thundered in his chest. As he gazed at the fox, he couldn’t help thinking: So cute.

But the next instant, Hu Wu pinned him down.

Who would have thought this Clumsy Fox—who could barely walk without being carried—packed such surprising strength?

Zhou Si looked up at him. Hu Wu’s ears drooped low, but his eyes gleamed with a feral glow, the pupils narrowing into something wild and dangerous.

Zhou Si’s pulse quickened. The fox had seized control of the rhythm, leaving him boneless and utterly compliant.

Then Hu Wu scooped up his legs, positioning them as if Zhou Si were some receptive female.

Zhou Si’s eyes bulged. The bizarre sensations flushed his face beet red, sparking a flicker of anger.

How dare this fox treat him like a vixen?

Yet he couldn’t budge—not his legs, and not when Hu Wu’s hips ground against his ass. The swift, canine motions brought a wild loss of control… and it felt incredible.

“Zhou Si… Zhou Si…”

Hu Wu moaned his name, gripping his waist tight.

Zhou Si had never imagined himself in such a position. His whole body trembled, caught between fury and… the edge of oblivion.

The fox’s cock even swelled at the base into a bulging knot, just like a dog’s. Zhou Si stared in shock. “What… what is that?”

Blushing furiously, the fox explained, “It’s because it feels too good…”

“Foxes… foxes are just like that…”

Zhou Si’s heart hammered. The reality of fooling around with a demon crashed over him.

Damn it.

If that thing ended up inside him, he’d be locked in place like a bitch in heat, tied to this idiot.

No—what was he even thinking? As if it could go inside him. He was a man; there was no way he’d get on all fours for a fox… too humiliating.

Zhou Si’s ears burned scarlet. He clamped his thighs together, but the deeper the shame, the stronger his arousal surged—until he came without warning.

That set Hu Wu off, who promptly bit down on his neck…

Leaving Zhou Si a sticky mess.

“S-Sorry…” Hu Wu pulled away in a panic, his own heart racing.

The speed of this dual cultivation was beyond anything he could have imagined. He was just a lowly little demon, equivalent to a human in the Qi Condensation Stage. A Nascent Soul powerhouse was worlds above him—far too exalted for direct discipleship.

Yet here they were, joined as one, with Hu Wu along for the ride.

It was downright frightening.

Could he really siphon away so much cultivation from someone else?

He had started out feeling like a sly, wicked big demon, smug with delight. But now his inherently kind nature left Hu Wu wracked with inexplicable guilt.

Hu Wu abruptly pulled away and retreated. The sudden chill beside him left Zhou Si oddly uncomfortable. He had to grab something to wipe the sticky mess from his belly.

Night fell, and the temperature in the broken temple plummeted. Cold drafts seeped through the cracks, making the firelight dance and flicker uneasily.

To fend off the chill, Hu Wu shifted back to his true fox form—a warm, fluffy ball that he curled up against Zhou Si’s side, sharing his body heat.

But seeing him like that didn’t seem to please Zhou Si.

The next day, Hu Wu realized Zhou Si was upset.

He packed their belongings in silence, then strode off ahead without a backward glance at the fox trailing behind.

“Zhou Si?” Hu Wu called out in bewilderment.

Just yesterday, Zhou Si had carried him in a back basket.

He hurried after him, testing the waters with another call.

The rain-slicked path was a muddy morass pocked with puddles.

Hu Wu’s legs weren’t fully healed yet. In his haste to catch up, he failed to watch his step—slipping and crashing down hard, splattered with mud.

Pain and grievance welled up instantly, turning his eyes red-rimmed.

Hearing the commotion, Zhou Si whipped around. The sight of Hu Wu sprawled wretchedly in the dirt twisted his heart with clear distress. He rushed back and hauled him to his feet.

But Hu Wu’s temper flared. He jerked his hand free and demanded, “Why are you mad at me? You kissed me first last night! You started it!”

He grew more aggrieved as he spoke. “Is it just because in the end… in the end, I was the one on top? So only it’s okay if you top me?”

“Just because I’m a fox demon?”

He tilted his head back. “Did you pick up some nonsense from those trashy storybooks and decide I ought to be a girl who has to obey your every word?”

“Or… do you just despise me for being a fox? Think my cock isn’t good-looking…!”

Zhou Si’s cheeks flushed red. “What? Of course not…”

Hu Wu was right. He was a man too.

He couldn’t just turn cold and act like he was going to abandon him simply because things hadn’t gone as expected.

Truth be told, he wasn’t even that angry about the final part from yesterday. No, it was more that the fox’s attitude toward him hadn’t seemed all that enthusiastic—from the very beginning right up until the end.

But when he thought it through…

He hadn’t given the little fox any promises whatsoever. It had all been an impulsive crossing of the line in a broken temple deep in the wild mountains, driven purely by instinct.

For Hu Wu to hesitate and feel uneasy after that? That was the most natural reaction in the world.

If anything, Zhou Si was the one in the wrong. Instead of showing any understanding, he’d let some vague, petty awkwardness get to him. He’d given the fox the cold shoulder first thing that morning, trudged ahead alone on the slippery path, and even gotten him to take a tumble.

No wonder… no wonder the little fox had looked so terrified last night when he’d heard about leaving for a few days. Zhou Si hadn’t given him any sense of security.

A few words from Hu Wu had Zhou Si turning all those thoughts over in his head—and feeling guilty all over again.

“Sorry. That was on me.”

“Want me to carry you the rest of the way?”

The fox huffed and puffed in anger for the longest time, but Zhou Si eventually coaxed him into the back basket and carried him home properly.

~~~

Once they got back, Hu Wu started pestering Zhou Si for kisses all the time to replenish his cultivation. But Zhou Si grew busy instead.

He headed out early and came back late, hunting in the mountain woods like he was frantically scraping together travel funds.

The two of them still cuddled up and kissed every night, but Zhou Si never took the initiative to pick up where that one evening had left off.

Hu Wu began to grow uneasy. He kept getting the feeling Zhou Si planned to leave and never return.

That day, when he saw Zhou Si getting ready to head to town again, Hu Wu hurried over and stuck close, insisting he wanted to go along.

Zhou Si just kept packing up in a rush, his tone hurried. “I’m just gonna go quick and get back quick. Sell some hides, grab a few necessities. The mountain paths are rough—you don’t need to wear yourself out following me.”

The fox soured immediately, his ears drooping. “You clearly said before that you’d take me to town someday! Now you’re calling me a burden? My legs are way better. I can walk on my own!”

Ji Huai, standing nearby, overheard for the first time that Zhou Si actually planned to take the fox to live in town long-term. His heart jolted in shock.

Ji Huai had been an abandoned infant picked up by an old couple. Ever since they’d passed, he’d lived alone.

Truth be told, he’d long grown sick of the loneliness.

He’d once imagined that he’d hate to see Ji Huai go. But after just a few short months, the one he truly couldn’t bear to lose anymore was the fox.

Why take Hu Wu to town? Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the latest immortal realm gossip or the imperial court’s attitudes knew demons were in dire straits—public enemy number one, with everyone out for their blood. Staying hidden near the mountains made way more sense, no matter how you sliced it.

The village was safe enough…

As he watched Zhou Si’s figure vanish through the village gate, the little fox wilted completely. He squatted at the courtyard entrance, utterly listless.

Ji Huai watched his dejected look, hesitating over and over before finally working up the nerve. He pulled Hu Wu aside.

“05, you said before that you came here because you wanted to be with me… Were those words true?”

Hu Wu looked up. “Of course they were.”

Ji Huai always had that pure, gentle spiritual energy gathered around him. He treated Hu Wu so well, too. Naturally, Hu Wu liked being with him.

Ji Huai’s cheeks tinted pink at the response. His expression grew even more tense.

He drew a deep breath and pressed on. “But you want to be with Zhou Si too, don’t you?”

The fox blinked in surprise. He lowered his head, thought it over, then nodded honestly once more.

Ji Huai let out a soft sigh. He knew the fox still didn’t grasp the tangled rules of the human world.

He met Hu Wu’s eyes with utter seriousness, his voice earnest. “05, you don’t get it. For us mortals, true lifelong companionship means choosing just one person.

I know… you might like Zhou Si a little. But I need you to hear this:

Deep down, he’s cold and unyielding. He’s used to reading the room, weighing every pro and con, only committing to whatever path benefits him most.

Back then, he teamed up with me because I was the best option available to him at the time. Now he’s picked you? It’s probably mostly to cure that weird condition of his.

A man with his kind of mindset? He’ll have fresh ambitions soon enough. He might not stick around to protect you forever.

But me…”

His face burned redder with every word.

“That time you told Auntie you were my wife… that’s when I realized I… I actually wanted it to be more than a joke.

If you’re willing, I can promise you right now. Now and always, I only want to be with you.”

“I just hope… you won’t go with him.”

Hu Wu froze.

He hadn’t expected Mr. Ji to be quite so good to him.

He did feel a twinge of guilt over constantly tricking Zhou Si and siphoning his cultivation like that. And the stable life Ji Huai was offering? It seemed perfect for a low-powered little demon like him.

Stay in the village. Keep company with the gentle Ji Huai. Cultivate nice and slow. Maybe that really was the better path?

Hu Wu found himself hesitating.

They had no idea that Zhou Si hadn’t gone far past the village gate before the little fox’s earlier pitiful, downcast look kept flashing through his mind. His heart went soft. In the end, he just couldn’t do it.

He turned right around. Fine, he’d bring the little troublemaker along. Worst case, he’d work twice as hard carrying a full-grown fox.

He pushed through the door—and caught Ji Huai’s words right as they landed.

Zhou Si’s brows furrowed. He ducked behind the wall for the moment, eager to hear the fox’s reply. But there he was, still dithering!

Zhou Si’s temper flared. He stormed out, seized Hu Wu’s wrist, and yanked him to his side.

“Zhou Si?” Hu Wu and Ji Huai both jumped.

“What the hell’s with the hesitation?” Zhou Si snapped. “Didn’t you already agree to come to town with me?”

“I… I wasn’t hesitating,” Hu Wu stammered, spooked. He rushed to prove his loyalty. “I want to be with you!”

Even with Hu Wu saying that, Zhou Si stayed mad.

He’d already been fretting that a few days away would let Ji Huai “steal” the fox out from under him.

Now that Ji Huai had laid his cards on the table? Zhou Si wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

No more delays. He marched back inside, grabbed Hu Wu’s meager belongings in a flash, and hauled him out of there.

He’d only meant to pop into town for a quick sale. Instead, the whole thing dragged on all day—and Zhou Si ended up renting a quiet little courtyard on the outskirts.

The courtyard lay in a remote corner of town, somewhat dilapidated but peaceful, free from nosy neighbors.

“You just wait here in town for me to come back.”

They’d make do for now. Once he returned, he could find the fox a better place to live.

Such were Zhou Si’s thoughts.

After hurriedly settling the fox in, Zhou Si headed out again.

Hu Wu waited alone in the unfamiliar courtyard for a long while, growing increasingly uneasy, until at last he heard the gate creak open.

Zhou Si returned, travel-worn and dusty, cradling several items in his arms.

The fox peered over curiously. Zhou Si first pulled out a pair of red candles from his bundle, then a small jar of wine sealed with red paper, followed by a neatly folded set of brand-new scarlet robes.

Night had fully fallen, and the room was lit only by the faint moonlight filtering through the window. In silence, Zhou Si placed the red candles on the table and carefully lit them with a fire starter.

Orange flames sprang to life, flickering gently and banishing the room’s shadows in an instant. Their silhouettes danced on the walls.

“You asked me before…” Zhou Si began, “…if I would marry you.”

Hu Wu’s eyes widened slightly as he gazed up at him. Those beautiful fox eyes, bathed in the warm, dancing candlelight, seemed filled with starlight, clearer and brighter than ever.

“Truth be told… I don’t know if this counts as a proper rite with a fox like you.” Zhou Si’s ears flushed redder with every word.

“We have no parents to witness, no guests to fill the seats.”

He paused, then met Hu Wu’s gaze, his own eyes growing resolute. “But it doesn’t matter. Let heaven and earth bear witness. If you and I share this cup, it shall count.”

He handed over the scarlet robes. “Put these on first.”

Hu Wu took them and changed into the clothes as instructed.

“If this simple ceremony leaves you unsatisfied, I’ll make it up to you properly someday. But after tonight…”

“You can’t…” His brows furrowed, anger flickering once more. “…keep hesitating like that! Saying you have no husband.”

With that, he looked up.

The fox had finished changing. The vivid crimson brought out the pallor of his skin, accentuating the natural allure of his features. The festive hue made him all the more striking—breathtaking, even.

Zhou Si’s heart pounded fiercely, drumming against his ribs.

He knew exactly what he was doing. He, Zhou Si, was defying the natural order, binding himself for life to a demon—a man, no less.

Nervousness dizzied him, yet his heart steadied all the same. He picked up the strip of red cloth he had prepared and moved to drape it over Hu Wu’s head.

But the fox deftly intercepted it, turning the tables by gently covering Zhou Si’s head instead.

Zhou Si’s world blurred to red haze. He froze, his cheeks burning. “You… that’s meant for you…”

Before he could finish, a slender hand lifted the fabric away.

Candlelight flooded back in—but brighter still was Hu Wu’s face, inches from his own. That impossibly beautiful countenance, aglow in the leaping flames, struck straight to Zhou Si’s core, stealing his breath and his words.

Then Hu Wu leaned in of his own accord. Warm, soft lips, tasting faintly of sweet wine, pressed against his.