Chapter 16: The Fox-Girl’s Language Barrier and a Master’s Lesson

‘Xixi-xixi… Xixi… Xi… Bu si xixi-xixi…’

In a wooden two-story dormitory during the early morning, a small fox-girl, her clothes disheveled, was urgently explaining herself.

She sounded as though her tail had been stepped on, her words an eager denial that she was a lecherous fox.

However, having only just transformed into human form yesterday, her long-accustomed ‘fox-speak’ hadn’t quite translated into ‘human speech’.

Consequently, the flustered girl’s attempts to articulate her thoughts merely emerged as a series of ‘Xixi’ sounds.

The girl’s voice, much like her delicate appearance, was incredibly soft and sweet.

Though her hurried state had caused her to speak faster, losing some of her characteristic ‘Xixi’ suffixes, it was a minor regret.

Nevertheless, seeing Xiao Xixi before her, a blush staining her small face, frantically explaining herself like a startled cat, Su Mei, the esteemed Master of the peak, found it utterly delightful.

Especially now, witnessing her so flustered that she even managed to blurt out “bu si” in human speech, beyond her usual “Xixi.”

It made Su Mei realize the ‘little fox’ truly held immense potential; after all, she had only transformed yesterday.

And yet, the little one had already picked up a few human words!

Su Mei watched Xiao Xixi, whose small face was flushed, as she gesticulated wildly, attempting to explain.

Despite the language barrier, the little one’s dramatically exaggerated movements allowed Su Mei to largely decipher her meaning.

The little fox seemed to be saying that she had felt an itch, suspecting a bug had gotten into her clothes, and had merely opened her robe to search for it.

The little one had, with exaggerated gestures and ‘Xixi’ sounds, vividly recounted the “incident” three times.

Su Mei, who had been standing by the door watching the entire “live broadcast” since the little one first reached out, found it all immensely amusing.

Su Mei found it amusing for several reasons.

Firstly, Xiao Xixi’s current display of feigned composure, laced with palpable nervousness, was genuinely entertaining. Su Mei even felt an unprecedented urge to playfully tease her.

Secondly, the little fox, Xiao Xixi, had approached her own body with an almost overly cautious air. Su Mei, however, understood this; after all, foxes and humans were different, and a degree of prudence was only natural.

Yet, remembering the little one’s flushed cheeks and trembling hands, a picture of guilt, Su Mei’s lips subtly curved upward once more.

The final point, however, was what Su Mei found most intriguing of all.

From the moment she had interacted with Xiao Xixi, the little fox had, at certain times, given her a peculiar sense of incongruity.

This sense of incongruity didn’t stem from any suspicion that Xiao Xixi’s displayed emotions were disingenuous.

Rather, Su Mei felt that the little one’s self-perception might be subtly flawed.

From her bristling reaction when referred to as ‘female’, to her current flushed face and desperate claims that she wasn’t a ‘lecherous fox’, Su Mei couldn’t help but sense a distinct ‘boyish’ quality about her.

However, Su Mei quickly came to understand the underlying circumstances.

Earlier, when Xiao Changgu had sought her out, he had not only described the magically manifested ‘treasure pearl’ but also applied for a dormitory for Xiao Xixi.

During their conversation, he naturally recounted aspects of their shared past.

Considering that the little fox, Xiao Xixi, had spent eighteen years constantly by Xiao Changgu’s side, it was understandable that she might still perceive herself as male in her behavior.

However, now that she was here, on Su Mei’s Purple Haze Peak, it was time for her to embrace being a ‘girl’ and act like one!

As these thoughts formed, Su Mei’s deep, peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly, as if a new idea had sparked within her.

She then gazed at the girl before her, whose face was flushed with bashful shyness, whether from her vigorous movements or inner shame, Su Mei couldn’t tell.

To confirm her suspicions, Su Mei’s fair, delicate hand gently lifted. The next instant, the room filled with the scent of orchids, and two sets of garments materialized on Su Mei’s arm.

One was a fresh, floral summer dress adorned with orchids, designed to highlight a girl’s inherent charm.

The other was a plain male training uniform, utterly devoid of distinguishing features, its fabric noticeably coarse.

Holding the two garments, one in each hand, Su Mei slowly addressed the panting Xiao Xixi.

“Little one, stop explaining for now. Your clothes are far too big. Come over here and choose a new outfit!”

Hearing Su Mei’s words, Xiao Xixi felt a wave of exasperation.

She distinctly sensed, from the phrase “stop explaining,” that her Master had apparently not understood her frantic justifications.

The thought that her beloved Master, whom she saw as an ‘older sister next door’, might mistakenly believe her to be ‘lecherous’ and subsequently distance herself, spurred Xiao Xixi to resolve to salvage the situation at all costs.

However, she now understood that without the ‘bridge of communication’ that language provided, mere body language would surely be insufficient to convince her Master.

Thus, Xiao Xixi reluctantly shifted her attention to the two sets of clothes before her.

Her decade-plus of life experience instinctively led her to reach out a small hand towards the male attire, which was noticeably smaller than her current robe.

Before her hand could even touch the garment, her tender, pale fingers were summarily smacked away.

The slap wasn’t painful.

Nevertheless, Xiao Xixi instinctively withdrew her hand, then looked towards the ‘culprit’: her own Master.

Just as she wondered why Master Su Mei had struck her hand, she felt her body lighten, and the next moment, she found herself enveloped in a familiar, soft embrace.

In this brief test, Su Mei had once again confirmed her inner suspicions regarding Xiao Xixi’s perception of gender.

To help the little fox, Xiao Xixi, cultivate proper ‘girl’ values, Su Mei had administered a minor corrective action.

However, looking at the little one in her arms, blinking a pair of adorable, wide eyes, still utterly oblivious to her transgression, Su Mei pondered.

After a moment of thought, she conceived a brilliant solution.

As her left index finger gently swept through the air, the wide-open door, which had been ajar moments before, silently closed with an inexplicable gust of wind.

Upon seeing the door close, Xiao Xixi’s heart was immediately seized by an ominous premonition.

This foreboding feeling was swiftly confirmed.

The next moment, Xiao Xixi found her vision obscured by a pair of soft, gentle hands, followed by a voice from behind her, both tender and incredibly enchanting.

“Xixi, your Master saw your clothes were too big, so I specially went to find a beautiful dress for you this morning. But as a ‘girl,’ why would you choose ‘male attire’?”

Su Mei’s words were perfectly calm, yet for some reason, Xiao Xixi suddenly felt the same guilty dread as a student caught by their teacher without their homework.

However, intelligent as she was, she quickly devised a strategy to handle her Master.

Truth be told, the method Xiao Xixi conceived wasn’t a good one; it was more akin to exploiting a system bug.

She reasoned that their language systems were one-way: she could understand Master Su Mei, but her Master couldn’t comprehend her ‘fox-speak’.

Considering this, the path to resolving the misunderstanding became remarkably simple.

The next moment, Xiao Xixi, her eyes still covered, turned her small head and addressed Master Su Mei: “Xixi… Xixi-xixi-xixi. [No, Master, don’t misunderstand!]”

Unlike before, this time Xiao Xixi was genuinely speaking in pure fox-gibberish.

She herself had no idea what her continuous ‘Xixi’ sounds were actually meant to convey.

However, she was certain that her expression at this moment should appear deeply aggrieved.

Following a series of melodious ‘Xixi’ sounds, the entire dormitory gradually settled into a profound silence.

With her eyes covered, Xiao Xixi, still spouting fox-gibberish, sensed the quietude of the room.

Unable to see her Master’s expression, her heart churned with anxiety.

Fortunately, her venerable Master soon broke the silence, though the content of her words utterly stunned Xiao Xixi.

“Little Xixi, what you just expressed means you don’t want to wear girl’s clothes because you feel girls are too troublesome, isn’t that right?”

Hearing her Master’s sweeping generalization, Xiao Xixi instinctively wanted to shake her head in denial.

After all, this ‘blame’ was far too immense; she felt that if she didn’t deny it, uncontrollable consequences might easily arise.

However, just as she attempted to shake her head, she unexpectedly discovered that her head, held firmly by a warm, soft, and smooth hand, was utterly unable to move.

However, being unable to move did not mean Xiao Xixi would simply sit idly by and accept her fate.

Swiftly, she parted her cherry-like lips and spoke, attempting to salvage the situation.

“Xixi… Xixi-xixi-xixi [No, Master, don’t misunderstand!]”

This time, Xiao Xixi’s voice, unlike her earlier jumble, was distinctly more modulated and rhythmic.

Hearing this flustered explanation, a faint smile played upon Su Mei’s charming and gentle face, unseen by Xiao Xixi.

Indeed, Su Mei had already realized that the little girl intended to use the language barrier to evade her. But even if she couldn’t understand the words, could she not discern the inflections and pauses?

Observing the little girl, who was only now beginning to panic, Su Mei decided to teach her a valuable lesson and help her learn human language more quickly.

With that, Su Mei once again brought her fiery crimson lips close to Xiao Xixi’s delicate earlobe, and, ‘turning the tables’ on her, spoke.

“Oh, Xixi, so you hold such a view. You are far too biased towards males! To correct your distorted perspective, your Master shall give you a thorough lesson today, allowing you to truly experience the wonders of being a girl!”

Upon hearing her Master’s ‘explanation’, Xiao Xixi was utterly stunned, even forgetting to ‘Xixi’ in protest.

At this moment, only one thought consumed her mind.

‘I must learn human language as quickly as possible. After all, a fox who can’t speak human words truly has no human rights!!!’

‘And the wonders of being a girl?’

‘What could that be?’

‘It wouldn’t be what I’m thinking, would it?’