Chapter 164
Raising a Fox Spirit in My Home-Chapter 164 The Little Fox’s Training
“Whoa, whoa, whoa… Slow down, princess,” Li Yundong said . “What happened?” He opened the sliding door and stepped outside .
Su Chan was still crying on the phone . “Have you r-replaced me already?”
“Replace—” Li Yundong didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry . “What are you even talking about, princess?”
Su Chan cried even harder . “You’ve abandoned me for someone else, haven’t you? You were with some… some other women . ”
Li Yundong sighed . “Don’t be silly, princess . Of course I haven’t abandoned you . That’s not even possible, for God’s sake . In fact, I missed you like crazy!” And let’s not forget broke down in tears in front of Zi Yuan because I remembered something I told you . Not that he would ever tell Su Chan that .
Su Chan’s sobs turned into snivels . “B-But women flock to you, Yundong . Y-You’re basically surrounded by beautiful women! What if you become attracted to one of them a-and…”
Li Yundong laughed out loud, relieved to learn the cause of Su Chan’s emotional breakdown—unfounded jealousy .
“Never thought I’d see my little princess so jealous…” he said in between laughs .
Su Chan sniffed and then made some kind of whiny sound . “Meanie, meanie, meanie! Stop laughing and answer the question!”
Li Yundong smiled even though he knew Su Chan couldn’t see him . “Don’t be silly, princess . I told you I only have eyes for you . ”
“But—”
“Yes, it’s true that I’m surrounded by beautiful women . But…” Li Yundong paused for a few seconds . He couldn’t hear Su Chan’s breathing over the phone, so he knew she was probably waiting with bated breath for what he was about to say . Li Yundong smiled again . “But none of them were you . ”
There was a long silence .
“Princess?”
“But why?”
Li Yundong frowned . “Why what?”
“Why aren’t you falling for those women? They’re beautiful… and nice… kind… And I…”
Li Yundong gripped the phone tighter . “You what?”
Su Chan sniffed and blew her nose . “I’m just a cheap monk . ”
There was a brief pause, after which Li Yundong burst into laughter .
Su Chan made that whiny noise again—something between a grumble and a sob .
Li Yundong stopped laughing . “Why do you keep comparing yourself to other women? I mean, come on . You win hands down . My princess is the best—”
“At least they’re human…”
Li Yundong’s heart stopped for a second .
“And I…” Su Chan sniffed . “I’m just a fox spirit…”
Li Yundong’s gripped the railing with one hand . Moments later, he sighed . “I don’t know how to convince you, Su Chan . ”
Su Chan’s persistent sniffs could be heard on the other end of the line .
“You asked me why I chose you,” Li Yundong said, then chuckled . “Well, the answer really isn’t that complicated . ” Li Yundong released his grip on the railing and ran his hand through his hair . “I chose you because you chose me first . ” Li Yundong paused to let his words sink in . “You never abandoned me from the start, even when I was just a useless nobody . So I would never“—He injected as much vehemence as possible into his voice—”ever abandon you . You got that?”
“Mmm…” Su Chan said . “Okay…”
Li Yundong sighed in relief . “So are we good?”
“Mmm!”
“Um… Can I ask what brought this on?”
A brief silence passed before Su Chan spoke in a grumpy tone .
“I called earlier, but someone else picked up . ” Another pause . “A woman . ”
Li Yundong frowned . “What?! But…” The penny dropped . He turned away from the railing and stared into the apartment through the sliding door . Ruan Hongling was staring back at him from the dining table, but then quickly averted her gaze when she saw him watching her .
That little… Li Yundong clenched his jaw tightly .
“I went out to get some groceries earlier,” he said, glaring in Ruan Hongling’s direction . “And I didn’t bring my phone with me . ”
“But some woman picked up!” Su Chan grumbled .
Li Yundong wondered if she was pouting . She definitely sounded like she was pouting .
“Uh-huh… What did she say?” Li Yundong said, still glaring at Ruan Hongling .
“She didn’t say anything . Just laughed . ”
Anger rose inside Li Yundong . I’ll deal with her later…
“You have nothing to worry about, princess . I wasn’t even there when my phone rang . Someone else picked up my phone . And I think I know who it is . ”
“Who?” Su Chan sounded puzzled, though he could still detect a hint of wariness in her voice .
“It was probably Ruan Hongling,” Li Yundong said, then chuckled . “I think you totally got pranked, princess . ”
“Oh . ” There was a long pause . “Wait! You said you went out to get groceries . ”
“Yep . I did . ” Where was she going with this?
“Then… You cooked something for Zi Yuan and Ruan Hongling, didn’t you?”
Realization washed over Li Yundong, and he laughed . “Bravo! My princess is so clever! Yep! You’ve guessed right . ”
“Hmph! I… I wanna taste your cooking too! I’m soooo hungry!”
Yep . That little chipmunk was definitely pouting .
Li Yundong chuckled . “Don’t worry, princess . I’ll cook for you every day once all this is over, okay?”
“Really, really, really? Promise?”
Li Yundong smiled . “Yep! I promise . ”
“Pinky!!!”
Li Yundong laughed out loud . “What?”
“Pinky, pinky!!!” Su Chan whined . “Hold out your pinky! Let’s make a pinky promise . ”
Li Yundong gripped the railing with one hand and laughed even harder .
“Grr!!! Meanie! Stop laughing and hold out your pinky!”
Li Yundong grinned and held out his pinky in front of him .
“There . Done . ”
God, this was stupid . And yet it felt so right .
***
Ao Wushuang leaned her back against the wall beside Chan’er’s door . Seconds later, Chan’er’s giggles sounded through the closed door . Ao Wushuang shook her head wryly . She’d had her suspicions for days . Today, she decided to confirm her suspicions by sneaking in without Chan’er knowing it .
“Fineee… I trust you, Yundong…” Chan’er whined . “Oooh, by the way, you should learn all you can from Zi Yuan… Mmhmm! Mmhmm! Master has a lot of good things to say about her… Yep! Yep! Well, she comes from a prominent Cultivation school, so she can teach you better than I ever could…”
Chan’er giggled again . “Hehehe… But I feel like all I did was cause you more trouble…”
“Well… You got that right,” Ao Wushuang muttered under her breath .
“Yundong… I miss you…”
Alright . Enough of that . Ao Wushuang rolled her eyes and pushed herself away the wall . Then, she begun to make a bunch random noises around the hotel suite .
Chan’er’s squeak sounded from inside the room .
“Uh-oh! Master’s back! Master’s back! I have to go, Yundong . ”
Ao Wushuang rolled her eyes and rapped the door’s surface with her knuckles .
“Chan’er?! I’m coming in!”
Ao Wushuang pushed the door open and entered the room .
Chan’er was sitting on the bed, staring back at her with round, innocent eyes . Amusement crept into Ao Wushuang . How stupid does this girl think I am?
Ao Wushuang headed straight towards the bed, then stopped in front of Chan’er .
Chan’er beamed at Ao Wushuang as though she was happy to see her . “Yay!!! Master!!! You’re back!” She even threw her hands in the air .
Ao Wushuang smirked and ignored Chan’er’s feigned excitement . Instead, she held out her hand with her palm facing upwards .
Chan’er stared up at her quizzically . “Master?”
Uh-huh… Keep pretending, Chan’er…
“Mm-hmm…” Ao Wushuang jerked her palm .
Chan’er tilted her head sideways, then blinked her eyes innocently . “What?”
“Hand it over…” Ao Wushuang jerked her palm again .
Chan’er flinched . “H-Hand what over…?”
“Stop playing dumb, Chan’er,” Ao Wushuang said harshly . “The phone! Now!”
A huge pout formed on Chan’er’s lips as she crawled from the edge of the bed towards a pillow . Then, from under the pillow, Chan’er removed a sleek, black phone . Where did she even get that thing? Must have gotten it from Li Yundong .
Ao Wushuang snatched the phone from Chan’er’s hand . “Not bad,” she grumbled . “A few months in the mortal world, and you can even use a cell phone now . ”
Chan’er lowered her gaze guiltily and began toying with an invisible lint on her sleeve .
Ao Wushuang sighed . “Sometime I wonder if you love him at all, Chan’er…”
Chan’er’s head shot up . “What! How could you say that, Master? Of course I love him!”
“Then why do you keep doing things to sabotage his training?” Ao Wushuang snapped . “Do you know what you’re doing right now, Chan’er? You’re putting his life at risk! No more contact with him . I mean it!”
Chan’er lowered her head again .
“T- Then… When am I allowed to contact him again, Master?”
Ao Wushuang sighed . “At least wait until he survived the divine punishment, okay? If he’s as good as you claimed, then it shouldn’t take long . ”
“Oh . ” Chan’er lowered her head again . After a while, Ao Wushuang felt a tug on her hand . She glanced down and met Chan’er’s piteous eyes .
“But… Master… How am I gonna know that he’s survived the punishment if I don’t contact him?”
Ao Wushuang felt an urge to pull her own hair . “Oh, for God’s sake, Chan’er! You’re a three-tailed fox spirit! Why are you acting like some…” Ao Wushuang’s face twisted in distaste . “…some clueless newbie Cultivator who asks a bunch of silly questions? Don’t you think that everyone in the Cultivation world will know when the divine punishment comes? Honestly, Chan’er . Have you forgotten everything I taught you?”
Chan’er opened her mouth, but Ao Wushuang immediately silenced her with a glare .
“S-Sorry, Master . ”
For minutes, Ao Wushuang stared at Chan’er and studied her behavior . One thing did strike Ao Wushuang as odd: the way Chan’er’s eyes moved about in her sockets like she was thinking hard about something .
Ao Wushuang narrowed her eyes . What are you up to, Chan’er…
After a while, Chan’er seemed to have noticed Ao Wushuang’s gaze on her . She looked up and smiled at Ao Wushuang innocently . “What is it, Master?”
Ao Wushuang shook her head . I’ll have to keep a closer eye on her to make sure she doesn’t do anything silly .
Ao Wushuang produced the train ticket she’d purchased at the station earlier . “Come on, let’s go . ”
Chan’er took the ticket obediently, then glanced at it .
“Hmm?” Chan’er looked up from the ticket and stared quizzically at Ao Wushuang . “Why are we going to Dongwu City, Master?”
Ao Wushuang resisted the urge to smack Chan’er upside her head . “Don’t you have any desire for self-improvement at all?” Ao Wushuang released a sigh of frustration . Oh, Heavens help me with this child…
Chan’er had the decency to look sheepish . “Hehehe…”
Ao Wushuang rolled her eyes . “How on earth did the Fox Zen School produce a disciple like you?” Ao Wushuang glared at her disciple . “Gosh . You’re like the black sheep of our school!”
Chan’er blushed adorably . “S-Sorry, Master…”
Ao Wushuang arched her brows . “Are you going to sit back and watch your lover grow as a Cultivator and abandon your own training? Is that it?” Ao Wushuang shook a finger in front of Chan’er’s face . “You mark my words, Chan’er . With your current abilities?” Ao Wushuang snorted . “You’re just going to end up as a burden to your lover in the future . ”
Apparently, that did the trick as Chan’er’s head suddenly shot up .
“When do we leave! When do we leave!”
“Tsk! Just check the ticket, dummy!”
“Oh . ” Chan’er blushed and glanced down at the ticket .
Ao Wushuang chuckled wryly . Love really does make you stupid…
“But why Dongwu City, Master?”
Ao Wushuang sighed . “Well, it’s an ancient city with thousands of years of history . And it’s got a beautiful view with clear waters and impressive mountain ranges… It’s a peaceful place . All in all a good place to Cultivate . ”
“But why not go back to the mountains…”
Ao Wushuang snorted, then gave Chan’er a dry look . “Yeah . Like that’s going to benefit your training . ”
Chan’er seemed puzzled . “But why not? I’ve been training inside the mountains since I was young!”
“Uh-huh… But you didn’t have a lover back then, did you? If I take you back to the mountains now, you’ll just end up moping around and crying like a baby because you miss your beloved too much . ”
Chan’er blushed .
“Might as well take you to Dongwu City, where it’s peaceful and quiet . You can rest easy knowing that your beloved isn’t too far from you . That way you can focus on your training . ”
“Mmm! You’re so wise, Master!” Chan’er paused . “But… Can I… umm…”
Ao Wushuang rolled her eyes . “Out with it! Geez . ”
“Can I… tell Yundong where we’re going?”
This insolent little… Ao Wushuang glared at Chan’er . However, her anger dissipated instantly when she saw the hopeful look in Chan’er’s teary eyes .
Ao Wushuang sighed and rubbed her temples . “Don’t worry about that, okay? He’ll know where we are once he survived the Heavenly Thunder . I promise . ”
“Master…”
Ao Wushuang suppressed a groan . She stopped rubbing her temples and stared into Chan’er’s puzzled eyes . “What is it this time?”
“W-Why are we using a train… C- Can’t we just fly?”
Ao Wushuang pointed out the window towards the sky, where heavy storm clouds swirled . “Are you an idiot? You want to fly in this kind of weather? Do you want to be struck by lightning?”
Chan’er smiled sheepishly, then mumbled, “Hehehe… Right… I forgot…”
Ao Wushuang glared at her for a moment .
“You know what? I’m starting to think that you’re trying to piss me off on purpose and then run off to your beloved when I kick you out . ”
A solid weight rammed into Ao Wushuang’s chest as Chan’er threw her arms around her . “Mmmm… Master… Chan’er wouldn’t dare…” Chan’er rubbed her face against Ao Wushuang’s chest . “Master is the nicest! I’m staying with you!”
Ao Wushuang’s heart melted right then and there . She patted Chan’er’s head affectionately and felt every ounce of her annoyance melt away . After a while, she sighed and smacked Chan’er’s shoulder . “Start packing or we’re going to miss the train . ”
“Yes, Master!” Chan’er leaped off the bed and began scrambling around the room for her things . Suddenly, Chan’er stopped and turned around to face her . “Master… I’m hungry . ”
Ao Wushuang burst into laughter and walked out of the room . Moments later, Ao Wushuang tossed a plastic bag at Chan’er . “Here . Have some of this . ”
Chan’er opened the bag and peered inside . Seconds later, Chan’er looked up from the bag . “Shaobing?” Chan’er looked utterly crestfallen . “But they’re cold…”
That insolent and ungrateful little…
“Hey! I made that for you!” Ao Wushuang snapped .
The crestfallen look never left Chan’er’s face as she kept peering into the bag . She looked like someone who’d been expecting to see diamond but got a bunch of dull pebbles instead .
“Fine!” Ao Wushuang growled . “Give it back then…”
Ao Wushuang reached for the bag, but Chan’er hugged the bag to her chest like it was some kind of prized possession .
Ao Wushuang snorted and lowered her hand . “Now you want it,” she muttered .
Chan’er reached into the bag and took out a piece of Shaobing . Then, she took a huge bite .
Ao Wushuang winced when she caught Chan’er rubbing her cheeks as though she had a toothache . In hindsight, she should’ve warmed up the damn thing . At least that would soften if up a little—
“Yundong’s cooking still tastes better…” Chan’er said around a mouthful of Shaobing .
Argh! That does it!
Ao Wushuang growled and reached for the bag . “Stupid, ungrateful disciple!”