Chapter 23: Transformed into a Fox

Xie Jue gripped his sword, ready to save someone, but he never expected such a turn of events.

The white light dissipated, and the slender figure vanished, replaced by a tiny creature.

It was covered in snow-white fur, with pointed ears and a pair of ice-blue round eyes, crystalline like frost. Its nose was pink, and behind it trailed a fluffy, long tail.

It was very small, only about the size of his palm, not much bigger than a newborn kitten.

At that moment, the beautiful little fox was terrified, letting out panicked, helpless squeaks as it tried to stand but kept falling. Its limbs seemed not its own, flailing clumsily until it flopped onto its belly, spreading out like a soft, white pancake.

It looked like it might start crying at any moment.

Xie Jue’s expression was subtle. He sheathed his sword, walked over, and crouched down. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and poked the fox.

The little fox flinched as if startled, the tips of its ears quivering.

Seeing this, Xie Jue couldn’t help but poke it again.

The little fox seemed provoked. It let out a fierce-sounding squeak, stood up shakily on its tiny paws, arched its back, flattened its ears, and glared warily.

It was clearly trying to look intimidating, baring its nonexistent fangs to scare off the enemy. But with its ridiculously cute face, it only looked like a snowball showing off.

Su Zhuozhi was indeed frantically trying to frighten Xie Jue.

Having suddenly turned into a ball of fluff, his mind was still foggy, and he acted purely on instinct. Timid as ever, any small movement made him jump, and he let out a series of “ow ow” sounds, as if seriously threatening, ‘Don’t come closer! I’m very fierce!’

Xie Jue wasn’t threatened in the slightest. Instead, he wanted to pinch its paws to see what they felt like.

But just as he reached out, Su Zhuozhi bit him with an “ow” sound.

A sharp pain shot through Xie Jue’s tiger’s mouth.

When Xie Jue lifted his hand, Su Zhuozhi didn’t let go, so his body was lifted along with it, dangling in the air.

Su Zhuozhi kicked his short legs, his long tail swinging left and right. Afraid of falling, he bit down harder without realizing it, and even clumsily raised his paws to try and grab onto Xie Jue’s hand.

“Eep, waa…” he made an indistinct sound.

Finally, he couldn’t hold on anymore. He reluctantly let go, his body falling downward, but was caught just in time by a large hand underneath, feeling no pain at all.

Su Zhuozhi shook his head and noticed the deep bite mark on Xie Jue’s left hand that was almost bleeding. Feeling a twinge of guilt, he lowered his head and licked the wound twice, then placed his paw on top, patting it comfortingly as if to cover it. ‘If I cover it, it’s like nothing happened. I didn’t do anything.’

‘Definitely not me who turned into a fluffy thing and bit someone.’

“Young Master?” Xie Jue called out tentatively.

“Eep eep eep.” Su Zhuozhi, sitting in his hand, tried to speak instinctively, but what came out were only tiny animal sounds.

Hearing himself, Su Zhuozhi froze in annoyance and didn’t want to talk anymore.

All his fur puffed up, and he tucked his paws in, almost turning into a cotton ball of anger.

Xie Jue suppressed a smile, placed his hand on the fox’s back, and gently stroked it. “Sorry, I can’t understand what you’re saying, Young Master. But you don’t need to worry too much; this is probably the effect of demonic energy. The important thing is you’re not hurt.”

Had he not mentioned it, Su Zhuozhi might have forgotten the culprit. He turned his head to look for the sapling, or more accurately, the tree demon.

Where the sapling had been planted, only a withered stump remained, the lush green leaves fallen and dead, as if all vitality had been drained.

Su Zhuozhi angrily jumped down, rushed to the sapling, scratched its trunk with his claws, lifted a leg to kick it, and scolded it vehemently. But because he was so small and cute, even his tantrum was adorable.

Suddenly, Xie Jue heard footsteps. He quickly scooped up the little furball and tucked it inside his clothes.

It was Qingping, who had come over after hearing the noise. Seeing only Xie Jue, he asked curiously, “Where’s the Young Master?”

Xie Jue lied without changing his expression. “He’s asleep.”

Qingping nodded. His gaze inadvertently swept past the sapling, and he cried out in shock. “How did it wither?! This was a tree bestowed by His Majesty! What do we do?!”

Xie Jue didn’t respond and turned to leave.

Inside his clothes, the little white fox was squirming, trying to peek out. He grabbed the fabric with his tiny paws and looked out.

Everything seemed so much larger, incredibly unfamiliar.

He felt a bit scared.

His ears twitched, and he quickly shrank back, using Xie Jue’s clothes to cover his eyes. Only his long tail hung out, becoming a unique fluffy pendant.

After his initial panic, Su Zhuozhi slowly calmed down. He hugged his paws and tried to think seriously.

Turning into a small animal is as absurd as a dream, but it happened. The most important thing now is how to turn back into human form.

‘Should I find a cultivator for help?’

‘There’s a sword cultivator in the palace, right? Is the palace even safe?’

‘Maybe I should tell my parents first… But how?’

‘Eep eep eep?’

Imagining that scene, Su Zhuozhi laid back in despair, a perfect picture of misery.

‘Wait, there’s still someone who can help explain it. Xie Jue, his lover, can tell his parents.’

So he once again struggled to climb out, hooking his claws on the fabric of Xie Jue’s chest, climbing up little by little until he reached Xie Jue’s shoulder, lying there to get a panoramic view.

He stretched out a paw, patted Xie Jue’s chin, then pointed in the direction of the main house, commanding him to go find someone.

But Xie Jue seemed not to understand. He asked back in confusion, “Does the Young Master want something to eat?”

Su Zhuozhi: “Eep eep eep!”

‘Eat what?! I just had a meal not long ago! It’s the main house!’

Xie Jue guessed again, “Want to sleep?”

Su Zhuozhi was so angry at his stupidity that he was speechless. He couldn’t help but slap Xie Jue’s face with his paw. It was fluffy and soft, with little pink pads, and didn’t hurt at all—in fact, it felt quite nice.

Xie Jue had never been liked by small animals since childhood, so this was his first time experiencing such contact. And since the little fox was actually the young master, it felt even more special.

He grabbed Su Zhuozhi’s tiny paw and gently squeezed it, as if kneading a glutinous rice ball—soft, chewy, and bouncy. He couldn’t stop squeezing it again and again.

Su Zhuozhi: ‘…’

If he were in human form right now, Xie Jue would be playing with his fingers. How dare he be so presumptuous with his master!

Su Zhuozhi huffed, pushed his face away with a paw, and said with defiance, “Eep.”

‘Stop squeezing! Do you even remember who the master is?!’

Sensing his anger, Xie Jue took him down from his shoulder, cradled him in his arms, and gently stroked his back to soothe him.

Su Zhuozhi wanted to keep throwing a tantrum, but the tingling sensation on his back, like tiny electric currents running through him, was too pleasurable to resist. He instantly succumbed, squinting his eyes in enjoyment and humming softly.

He quickly forgot about what had just happened and instead directed Xie Jue on where to pet for more comfort.

Even as a little fox, the Young Master’s nature remained unchanged; he was accustomed to meticulous service.

Xie Jue was happy to indulge him, stroking him again and again without any impatience.

The soft, fluffy fur slipping through his fingers, the warm, fragile body under his palm, made his heart skip a beat.

The result of all that petting was that Su Zhuozhi accidentally fell asleep.

He was a soft, limp ball, lying relaxed on Xie Jue’s arm, limbs sprawled out, sleeping without a care. Under his wet nose, his mouth was slightly open, revealing a tiny pink tongue.

Xie Jue reached out and touched the little fox’s tongue.

Su Zhuozhi wrinkled his face and let out a dissatisfied grunt. But when Xie Jue continued to pet him, he stopped grumbling and slept soundly.

Seeing him like this, even Xie Jue felt drowsy and wanted to lie down and rest for a while.

So he entered the bedroom, lay down on his small couch, and placed the little fox beside the pillow.

Not long after, Su Zhuozhi suddenly kicked his short legs and groggily remembered that he still had something to do.

‘Right, I need to tell my parents. Now is not the time to sleep.’

‘It’s very important…’

Su Zhuozhi closed his eyes, struggled to get up a little, and wriggled forward like a caterpillar cat.

Then he realized this method was too slow.

He used his short paws to support himself, barely managing to take a few steps forward, staggering as if drunk. Used to walking on two legs, he wasn’t accustomed to four paws and didn’t know how to coordinate them. Before he knew it, his left paw tripped over his right, and he rolled to the ground, tumbling a few times before landing face-first and staying there, not moving.

Xie Jue: ‘…’

He sighed, reached out, and picked him up, cradling him in his palm.

Stunned from the fall, Su Zhuozhi looked dazed, his round eyes wide open, unable to believe that he had just been too clumsy to walk.

Xie Jue enclosed his body, circling it in his hands. The pressure was not strong—Su Zhuozhi didn’t feel pain—but it was difficult to move. He said gently, “Where does the Young Master want to go? You’re very dangerous like this.”

His words were caring, but for some reason, the tone felt strange, as if he wanted to control him, to keep him from going anywhere.

Su Zhuozhi snorted. He could go wherever he wanted; no one could stop him.

He broke free from Xie Jue’s grip, lifted his chin, and took a step with a proud, spirited stride. But then, he flopped down again with a plop.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to walk; his four paws really needed more time to adjust.

He lay there dejectedly, and under Xie Jue’s persistent petting, he fell asleep again.

He was woken up by noise beside him.

Xie Jue was deeply immersed in a nightmare, his brow furrowed, his face pale, and his forehead covered in cold sweat, as if he were seeing something painful and terrifying.

Su Zhuozhi had quite a temper when woken up. Annoyed by the disruption, his fur puffed up in messy tufts. He couldn’t help but flick his tail, angrily slapping it toward the source of the sound.

His fluffy big tail landed with a smack right on Xie Jue’s face, covering his mouth and nose.

Xie Jue had trouble breathing. The next moment, he snapped his eyes open, his gaze full of vigilance and coldness, radiating undisguised murderous intent.

His appearance was strange and intimidating.

If Su Zhuozhi were fully awake, he would have been scared into trembling by this unfamiliar side of him.

But at that moment, Su Zhuozhi was still half-asleep. Dazed, he realized that the person who woke him up was also being aggressive toward him. Even more irritated, he climbed up, lay on Xie Jue’s chest, and stomped on his chin with his paw pads.

For a while, the room was silent.

The chill in Xie Jue’s eyes completely faded. He sat up, slowly removed the little paw from his face, looked around with some disbelief, and then turned his head, spitting out white fur from his mouth.

The little fox said matter-of-factly, “Eep!”

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