On Mount Huqi lived a group of foxes, among them a five-tailed fox named Xueya. Orphaned and unable to afford Fox Academy, he had no choice but to spend his days mingling with ordinary foxes that had no magic powers.
One day, as Xueya, who hadn’t stored enough food for the winter, went out in search of food, he caught the scent of meat coming from Fox Academy. He followed the smell and arrived at the academy. Instead of entering through the main gate, he leapt up by the wall, crouching at the top to secretly peer inside.
It turned out the young foxes of the academy were hosting an autumn feast, grilling meat that sizzled enticingly. Even though it was already deep winter, these foxes had no worries about winter provisions, all thanks to their wealthy families and parents.
Jealousy filled Xueya’s heart, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He stretched his neck to look inside, unconsciously opening his mouth as drool dripped down the wall.
Unfortunately, it dripped right onto the head of a fox below.
That fox looked up and immediately cried out, “Ah! There’s a fox spying on us!”
“It’s that wild fox!” another fox recognized him.
Realizing he had been spotted, Xueya tried to jump down from the wall, but a spell struck him first, knocking him down. He hit the ground hard, rolling in pain.
Before he could recover, a group of academy foxes emerged, led by an eight-tailed fox, who was the most talented among them.
“A wild fox dares to come here? You must have a death wish,” the eight-tailed fox sneered, circling around Xueya. Noticing his five tails, the fox ridiculed him further, “A five-tailed fox? How pitiful. When will you ever grow eight tails?”
“He won’t. Look at how pathetic he is, always hanging around those mindless foxes. He’ll die with just five tails, bringing shame to Mount Huqi.”
“I heard his mother was only a three-tailed fox. No wonder his father abandoned them.”
The group of young foxes mocked and laughed at Xueya, even bringing up his mother to insult him. Furious, Xueya’s fur bristled in anger. He pounced at the nearest fox with the fewest tails.
Though that fox had one more tail than Xueya, he wasn’t skilled in magic, and couldn’t win against him.
Claws flew as the two foxes fought, their fur sticking up like feather dusters.
The eight-tailed fox watched the chaos for a moment, then, noticing the meat was nearly done, leisurely transformed into human form and separated the two, grabbing each one by the scruff of their necks.
Defeated, both foxes fell silent, especially Xueya, whose tail curled tightly against his belly under the oppressive power of the eight-tailed fox. His ears flattened in fear.
The eight-tailed fox glanced at Xueya before throwing him aside. “Get lost.”
Xueya tumbled over ten times before he came to a stop. When he finally stood up, the group of academy foxes had already returned inside to feast. Humiliated, Xueya ran back to his den, crying in frustration. One of the mindless foxes came over to play, but Xueya kicked it away in anger, vowing to avenge himself.
But as the eight-tailed fox had said, it would take an unknown number of years for Xueya to grow eight tails. Unlike those foxes with wealthy parents who provided them with treasures, elixirs, and teachers to guide their magic, Xueya had no such help. By the time he grew eight tails on his own, that arrogant eight-tailed fox might have already ascended.
After much thought, Xueya finally decided to take a crooked path.
In these times, more and more humans were cultivating immortality, and many of them kept demon pets. Once, a human cultivator had come to Mount Huqi in search of a nine-tailed fox as a pet, but the fox elders had killed him. His books had been divided among the foxes, but Xueya hadn’t received any cultivation manuals—only a small tabloid.
The tabloid contained news of a certain elder whose demon pet had successfully passed a tribulation. The elder had hosted a ten-day feast at a famous restaurant to celebrate and welcome fellow cultivators.
An orphaned fox like him was despised by the other foxes, but as a human’s demon pet, he could live a good life. Although the foxes of Mount Huqi considered becoming a demon pet shameful, Xueya was more determined to seek revenge.
Once he found a powerful master, he would make them lift that arrogant eight-tailed fox and beat him, just like how he had been grabbed today.
With that, Xueya left Mount Huqi.
Before leaving, he packed up all his belongings, including that tabloid. His possessions weren’t much: a comb, a mirror, three sweet potatoes, two ears of corn, and a small bag of dried pork.
The tabloid mentioned that the rich elder belonged to Baohe Temple, so Xueya decided to head there to find a master—someone strong, preferably even wealthier and more powerful than the elder mentioned in the tabloid.
Carrying his bundle, Xueya set out, but he didn’t know where Baohe Temple was. Along the way, he encountered a weasel, a sly merchant. When the weasel learned that Xueya was headed to Baohe Temple, he offered to sell him a simple map in exchange for a small bag of dried pork and a sweet potato.
“You won’t trade? Fine, I’m leaving. Hmph, I’ve seen plenty of poor foxes, but none as poor as you,” the weasel scoffed, swishing his tail as he prepared to leave.
“Wait! I’ll trade, alright?” Xueya painfully handed over his food and finally obtained a very crude map.
“In simple terms, go north, then east, then north again, and then west…” The weasel went on, leaving Xueya completely confused. After talking in circles, the weasel slipped away.
Xueya, still unaware he had been deceived, followed the rough directions on the map, wandering aimlessly. But, by sheer luck, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, he actually found Baohe Temple.
Seeing the jade plaque of Baohe Temple floating mid-air, Xueya immediately rushed forward, only to be repelled by the barrier before he could even enter.
The barrier was incredibly strong, and the tip of one of Xueya’s tails turned black from the impact.
Sensitive to pain and obsessed with his appearance, Xueya clutched his tail and began crying loudly at the temple gates. Just then, a disciple of Baohe Temple happened to return. He saw a snow-white fox crying at the entrance and couldn’t help but approach. “What happened to you?” he asked.
“My… my tail… turned black,” Xueya sobbed.
The disciple noticed the small patch of blackened fur and, seeing how cute the fox looked, took out a bottle of medicine from his storage ring. “Don’t cry. There’s a barrier around our temple gates. No one but disciples can freely enter or leave. Don’t try to force your way in next time; there’s nothing fun inside. Take this bottle as compensation from our temple.”
Xueya had never eaten a single pill in his life, but this disciple had given him an entire bottle without even knowing him. Indeed, Baohe Temple was full of wealthy people—he had come to the right place.
Xueya quickly stored the bottle but said, “I’m not here to play; I came to find someone.”
“Who are you looking for?” the disciple asked.
Without thinking, Xueya replied, “The most powerful person in your temple. I want to become his demon pet.”
***
“Master, I’m back.”
Elder Leyi had already smelled the scent of a demon. He looked at his disciple with little patience. “Go on, what did you bring back this time? Last time, it was a goose—a fierce one at that. It bit everyone in the temple. Your uncle suffered the most; his butt was all bruised.”
“Master, you make it sound like I enjoy bringing things back. I’ve only done so about twenty times,” Wenfu replied with a mischievous grin.
“Twenty times? You’ve only left the temple about twenty times on missions. So, what kind of demon is it this time?” Elder Leyi said with exasperation.
Wenfu chuckled and took out a five-tailed fox from his demon-capturing bag. “It’s a fox, isn’t it cute?”
Elder Leyi gave the fox a once-over and reluctantly said, “It’s alright, I guess. Why did you bring it back? Doesn’t it have an owner?”
“It does, but you’ll never guess who it belongs to,” Wenfu said mysteriously.
Elder Leyi pricked up his ears but kept a nonchalant expression. “Who could it be? Your sixth uncle, right? He’s always raising demon beasts. Look at him—last time, a rat under his care successfully passed a tribulation, and he threw a ten-day feast. What happened? It was a complete joke! His giant rat couldn’t resist eating all the food. It was so embarrassing for our Baohe Temple.”
Wenfu shook his head. “Master, it’s not my sixth uncle. You’ll never guess who the owner is. When I found out, I was shocked—this person has never kept a demon pet before.”
Upon hearing this, Elder Leyi spilled a few drops of tea from his cup. “Don’t tell me it’s…”
“Yes! It’s the temple master!” Wenfu said proudly, giving the fox a big, deliberate stroke. “I’ll deliver this beloved fox of his to him right away.”
Elder Leyi was silent for a while before letting out a long sigh. He stretched out his hand to his disciple.
Seeing this, Wenfu handed over the five-tailed fox. After taking it, Elder Leyi carefully examined it, checking each paw thoroughly.
“Trim its nails before sending it over. We don’t want it scratching the master’s face. The Grand Assembly is coming up in a few days, and the master’s face is very important. Keep it intact, and we might be able to recruit some new disciples this year,” Elder Leyi said as he sneakily stroked the fox in his arms.
***
The temple master’s residence, known as Yunshang, was located at the peak of Baohe Temple, surrounded by clouds. There was a convenient way to reach Yunshang—a cloud elevator.
The cloud elevator was essentially a ride on a floating cloud. Earlier, when Xueya had ridden up on a flying sword, he had burrowed into Wenfu’s arms in fright. Now, sitting on a cloud, he buried his face into Wenfu’s chest again, only his fluffy white tail sticking out.
Wenfu had never seen a demon beast afraid of heights before. Amused by how cute the fox looked, he couldn’t resist petting it as he reassured him with a chuckle, “Don’t worry, this cloud is very smart. It won’t let you fall.”
But Xueya was in no mood to listen. His tail had curled up into a tight ball, and if he could, he would’ve hidden inside Wenfu’s clothes.
When they finally arrived at Yunshang, Xueya was still curled up. Wenfu, knowing he would soon have to hand the fox over to the temple master, decided to savor the moment and held onto Xueya until they reached the entrance of the temple master’s residence.
The master’s abode occupied a quarter of Yunshang, with an open entrance leading to a mist-covered lake, giving the place a celestial atmosphere.
Wenfu didn’t enter. Standing at the entrance, he called out, “Master, your disciple Wenfu is here to pay respects and return your demon pet.”
His voice echoed far but received no reply. Puzzled, he called out again, this time raising the fox as he said “demon pet.”
Hearing this, Xueya felt guilty and quietly hugged two of his tails, hiding his face behind them.
This time, a response finally came from inside.
“I don’t keep demon pets.”
The voice was cold and distant, like the autumn wind passing by.
Wenfu was stunned. “But this fox claims to be your demon pet. Master, look again, are you sure you’ve never raised it? Foxes are usually the least affectionate of demons. Oh, by the way, my master asked me to tell you that the Grand Assembly is approaching. If you bring this fox along, it might improve the outcome.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Wenfu felt a gust of wind blow past, and when he looked down, the fox in his hands was gone.
“I’ve received the fox. You may leave.”
***
Before Xueya could gather his thoughts, he found himself on the ground, still dazed. Then, that same cold voice from earlier spoke again.
“Why do you call yourself my demon pet?”
Xueya spun around in place, finally locating where the voice was coming from. The person speaking stood not far away, gazing down at him with lowered eyes.
He looked very young, dressed in loose, flowing green robes, with a face as handsome and radiant as a celestial being beneath his white jade crown. Xueya had never seen anyone so good-looking before and was momentarily stunned. The fox clan was naturally blessed with beauty. Even though Xueya had not yet mastered human transformation, he had seen many other foxes who had, all of them stunning beauties. But none of those beauties could compare to this cultivator.
Is this person’s stunning appearance the result of consuming countless medicinal pills? Thinking this, Xueya became even more determined to cling to this person’s leg.
He wanted to become a great beauty too!
How do most demon beasts find their masters?
Usually, the master makes the first move. But times have changed. Who says the master has to take the initiative? The demon beast can take the first step, too.
So, Xueya imitated the way unawakened foxes would try to seduce someone. He walked over to the Baohe Temple master’s feet, flopped down with a thud, and exposed his snow-white belly.
The master didn’t move.
Seeing this, Xueya stood up, circled the master’s legs, and flopped down again. This time, he not only showed his belly but also rolled around to attract attention.
After his persistent efforts, the master finally responded—but only to pull his foot out from under Xueya.
Seeing the master’s lack of reaction, Xueya’s ears drooped in disappointment. Oh well, there are plenty of cultivators in the world. If this one doesn’t work out, he’ll just move on to the next. He stood up, ready to leave, when the master’s voice stopped him.
“Do you have any other skills besides that? If you’re aiming to help with recruitment, this won’t cut it.”
Huh?
Xueya tilted his head, staring at the master in confusion. After a long pause, he straightened up, brought his front paws together, and stared at the master with wide, round eyes.
***
Xueya stayed, but the Baohe Temple master remained indifferent toward him, refusing to sign a demon contract. However, as the saying goes, a persistent demon pet will wear down even the best of masters. As long as he stayed dedicated, the master would surely be moved by his sincerity.
So, that very night, Xueya attempted to warm the master’s bed.
He leaped onto the foot of the bed and tried to make his way toward the pillow to sleep beside his master. Halfway there, a large hand pressed him down, making him unable to move. The hand patted him a few times before lifting him by the scruff of his neck and tossing him off the bed.
“You’re not allowed to sleep on my bed. There are plenty of empty rooms here. Go find one for yourself.”
Hearing this, Xueya realized the master wasn’t ready to let him share the bed and, with a pitiful whimper, left the room. The next day, after waking up, he went to find the master. After searching for a while, he found him by the lake. Xueya hurried over and gently pawed at the young man’s leg.
When the master looked at him, Xueya softly said, “Master, I’m hungry.”
At these words, the handsome young man’s brows furrowed slightly. “You haven’t learned how to go without food yet?”
Xueya honestly shook his head.
The young man fell silent for a moment, then took out a jade token and wrote a name on it. From the other side, a voice responded.
“What are your orders, Master?”
“Bring some food for the demon beast, and…” The master’s eyes scanned Xueya, “clothes.”
The person who delivered the items was a young cultivator, around the same age as Wenfu from the day before. After paying his respects to the master, he glanced at the five-tailed fox curled up beside him.
The young cultivator secretly sighed in relief. Fortunately, before coming, he had asked around to confirm what kind of demon beast the master had recently acquired, so he had quickly prepared a few sets of clothes for a young fox.
When Xueya saw the clothes, he realized they were meant for him and immediately tried to run away. But before he could take more than two steps, he was lifted by the scruff of his neck again.
“Not wearing clothes is improper and indecent,” the Baohe Temple master said.
Xueya protested, “But we foxes never wear clothes.”
The master replied coolly, “That’s why everyone calls you promiscuous foxes.”
Xueya: “?”
