Chapter 46: The Curious Escape

The initial foray into any endeavor is invariably imbued with an insatiable curiosity and a profound sense of the new.

For children, with new experiences unfolding daily, each moment feels fresh and leaves a lasting impression.

Yet, a certain little fox-girl, having already reached the age of eighteen and matured in both body and mind, no longer belonged among the ranks of children.

Despite this, at this very moment, she was as fraught with tension and novelty as any child.

And the reason for this unexpected childlike state?

It was simple: the little fox-girl, Xiao Xixi, on the inaugural day of her ‘Cultivation’ course, had barely received her first assignments before impulsively orchestrating a rather thrilling escape from class.

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Having departed the immense ‘Cultivation Hall,’ Xiao Xixi followed the path she had taken with her master.

Her primary objective in skipping class was to acquire the ‘Ring of Fortune’ belonging to the protagonist, Ye Chen, to settle her villainous brother’s debts.

Thus, after exiting the ‘Cultivation Hall,’ Xiao Xixi headed towards the mountain behind the ‘Male Dormitory’—the very place where the protagonist, Ye Chen, had cultivated that fateful night in the original story.

As she made her way to the male dorms, Xiao Xixi felt immensely grateful that she had visited them the previous day. Had she not known the way, she believed that in her current guise as a young girl, asking for directions would surely have aroused suspicion.

Moments later, after politely declining several senior disciples’ ‘enthusiastic offers of help’ and repeatedly assuring them she ‘wasn’t lost,’ Xiao Xixi finally arrived alone at her destination.

This was the Jingluo Forest, located behind the outer sect disciples’ dormitory, where the original protagonist, Ye Chen, had accidentally discovered a storage ring while chasing a ‘lark.’

Xiao Xixi had naively believed that, having read the original novel, she would quickly locate the ring using the clues provided.

However, upon seeing the vast, densely forested expanse before her, a crucial realization suddenly dawned on her.

How was she supposed to find that tiny ring within such an enormous forest?

She recalled the novel’s description: the protagonist, Ye Chen, had ventured out to cultivate late at night due to anxiety over his upcoming spar with Xiao Changgu. During this session, he encountered a lark and, ‘while giving chase,’ stumbled over a tree branch, only to find the ring upon standing up.

Now, gazing at the lush, sprawling forest, Xiao Xixi lamented the author’s lack of precise detail.

The phrase ‘while giving chase’ left Xiao Xixi utterly devoid of any concrete leads.

After all, who could possibly know how Ye Chen had pursued the bird, or exactly where he had fallen?

Though Xiao Xixi possessed no other clues beyond the knowledge that ‘a ring was hidden in this forest,’ she hesitated.

To simply give up without trying—ordinarily, she might have. Yet, considering she had already ‘skipped class,’ returning empty-handed felt like a regrettable waste.

After much deliberation, Xiao Xixi ultimately decided that since she had ‘already come all this way,’ she would press on.

With unwavering resolve, she set her small, pale legs into motion, pattering deeper into the forest.

The Jingluo Forest, situated adjacent to the outer sect disciples’ cultivation grounds, was regularly swept by high-level inner sect cultivators from the Azure Luan Sect to prevent low-level cultivators from being attacked by wild animals.

Xiao Xixi had been aware of this information yesterday, knowing that the Jingluo Forest contained no ferocious beasts.

However, perhaps due to her transformation into a girl, not long after entering the forest, a subtle shift occurred.

The rustling of leaves and the incessant chirping of summer cicadas filled her ears. Coupled with the absence of any other ‘people’ nearby, Xiao Xixi slowly began to feel… that this forest seemed rather eerie.

Realizing her own cowardice, and with no one else around to worry about appearances, she quickly made a decision.

After searching for a long time without finding a single clue about the ‘ring,’ Xiao Xixi resolved to return.

However, when she turned around and saw the forest scenery before her, almost identical to what she had just traversed, a wave of despair washed over her.

It was then that Xiao Xixi, on the verge of tears, realized… she seemed to be lost.

‘Was I coming from this direction earlier?’

‘Hmm, I think I’ve seen that tree. And that one looks familiar too.’

‘Ugh, I feel a little dizzy.’

After walking for an unknown duration, utterly disoriented and lost, Xiao Xixi finally grasped a critical truth.

The habit of ‘making marks’ mentioned in many books was genuinely useful.

However, realizing the value of this ‘habit’ only after becoming thoroughly lost was, evidently, quite belated.

Having wandered aimlessly like a headless fly for what felt like an eternity, Xiao Xixi distinctly felt her small, pale legs aching.

Feeling weary, she instinctively found a random rock and sat down.

As she rested, her objective silently shifted from finding the ring to simply escaping the forest. While pondering how to exit, she suddenly noticed two small, white figures silently observing her from behind a distant tree.

As Xiao Xixi’s gaze met the two tiny creatures, a dialogue appeared in her mind.

“(Meow meow meow) Mama, this human smells so friendly, and I think she’s a good person, meow~”

“(Meow meow meow) Little Mi, humans can be good or bad; we shouldn’t get too close, meow~”

Hearing this ‘meow-speak,’ Xiao Xixi paused for a moment.

She then remembered the ‘Beast-Speech Bell’ ornament she wore. Recalling that the bell allowed simple communication with animals, Xiao Xixi quickly tried to speak.

“(Xixi xixi) Don’t be afraid, I’m a good person, a fox!”

Her words seemed to have an effect, as Xiao Xixi soon heard confused responses from the two small cats.

Their bewildered thoughts were, roughly, ‘Huh, why is this human speaking fox-tongue? Strange, when did we cats learn to understand fox-tongue? Huh, huh~’

Listening to the two cats’ ‘huh-huh’ conversation, Xiao Xixi found it utterly amusing.

Soon after, the fox and the two cats began a friendly exchange. Perhaps due to the ‘Soul-Charming Pearl’ she wore, which enhanced her affinity, the trio grew closer with each passing moment of their chat.

Before long, Little Mi, with her naturally abundant curiosity, bounded into Xiao Xixi’s arms.

Xiao Xixi stroked the small, snow-white head of the kitten in her embrace, feeling the warmth emanating from its tiny body.

In that instant, she finally understood why her master and senior sister always loved to hold her.

Wasn’t this feeling simply wonderful?

As Xiao Xixi continued to pet the cat, Little Mi, clearly brimming with excitement from her first interaction with a human, relentlessly ‘meowed’ questions.

Upon hearing Xiao Xixi explain that her purpose in the forest was to find a ring, and after describing its shape, the mother cat, who had been silently listening nearby, finally spoke.

“I think I’ve seen that ring somewhere before, but I’ve forgotten the exact location. Since you can speak with us, how about I take you to ask the other animals?”

Hearing the mother cat’s suggestion, Xiao Xixi, who had already given up on finding the ring, felt her eyes light up.

Searching for the ring herself was akin to finding a needle in a haystack, but with the help of small, nimble animals, there might actually be a chance to locate it!

The mere possibility reignited her determination.

Soon, the little fox-girl, Xiao Xixi, was once again brimming with energy.

With renewed conviction, she followed the cat mother deeper into the Jingluo Forest.

Before long, the fox and the two cats vanished into the depths of the forest.