Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

"This soup is quite nice." Aiko licked her lips.

"It's not quite soup, but something in between." The Blood Fox was surprised by the soft and mouthwatering taste.

"Huh? But there is so much water?" Aiko tilted her head.

"It's broth, or something similar to it. Without it, the noodles wouldn't taste nearly as good." The Blood Fox chuckled.

"You have picked a good place." It was rare for Mei to praise someone, so much so, that even Ming Xiuying was shocked.

"Yeah. It's very tasty." Aiko gave a thumbs up.

"Since when did you learn to praise others?" Ming Xiuying was speechless and Ming Qian nodded with her.

Mei rolled her eyes and turned back towards her food.

Aiko blinked before eating more.

...

"It was delicious, thank you." Aiko thanked the cook under the small stall.

He chuckled. "I'm happy for the advertisement, I will be able to pay out the taxes thanks to you lovely ladies eating here." He had a line of people waiting for their own noodles.

"Then we won't hold you any longer." The Blood Fox smiled and the cook blushed. "I hope that you won't be sold out, since we might come back later."

He scratched his cheek with a flushed face. "I will do my best to save a portion for you, lovely ladies."

The Blood Fox cupped her hands before leaving.

"Seductress." Aiko pouted.

"But now we can have more noodles later." The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes.

Aiko turned away, not liking this kind of Blood Fox.

"You will understand this later on." The Blood Fox chuckled.

"Maybe, but by then we will be strong enough to not need this, after all, we have a chef with us." Aiko immediately turned towards Old Ming.

Ming Qian chuckled. "I will stockpile food for you." He never saw such an enthusiastic Fox... Well, at least not for food.

"I appreciate it." Aiko smiled.

Ming Qian smiled from ear to ear. He really liked this kind of stoic Fox.

"Where is our next destination?" Aiko turned towards Ming Xiuying.

Ming Xiuying paused. "Clothing was the main attraction... How about Treasures?"

"Do we have anything to sell?" Aiko asked her team.

"It's unwise to sell here." The Blood Fox shook her head.

"I agree with her." Mei nodded.

"Then we don't need Treasures." Aiko shook her head at Ming Xiuying.

"Huh..." Ming Xiuying blinked with shock. "That's the first time I heard someone reject Treasures."

"They are a bad crutch that can break at any moment." Aiko shook her head again.

"And the real reason?" Mei chuckled.

"We have too many Treasures, so it's useless to get more." Aiko replied flatly.

Ming Xiuying laughed. "There is no such thing as too many Treasures." She then added. "You can have a Treasure that gathers Qi!"

The group blinked at her and she paused.

She coughed awkwardly. "W-well, it will be useful once you reach the Human Stage." Ming Xiuying blushed.

"It's alright wifey, they understand." Ming Qian chuckled.

"We can solve that issue once it becomes one. There is no need to buy things now and make targets from us." Aiko shook her head.

"Aiko is right. If Beast bought Qi Gathering Treasure, then it would be assumed that the Beast would be undergoing that Evolution and would be observed and hunted down." Mei explained to Ming Xiuying.

"I'm sorry." Ming Xiuying felt a bit bitter about this.

"It's fine. There are just certain things that we can't do that are natural for Humans." Mei shrugged.

"Next?" Aiko butted in to shatter that strange atmosphere.

"Tea house." The Blood fox narrowed her eyes at Mei.

"That is fine." Mei nodded, even if Aiko caused issues, she was already scolded enough that it should not be too big.

"Are you fine with it?" The Blood Fox turned to others, and especially towards Aiko, since she was the head of this group.

"If no one minds, then we should go." Aiko approved of this plan.

"How about a hot spring later?" Ming Xiuying suggested.

"That is not a bad idea, but it depends on how well it's maintained." Mei nodded, but still glanced at Aiko.

"There shouldn't be problems...?" Ming Xiuying was not sure how well it would hold against Aiko's scrutiny.

"First tea, we can talk about this later." Aiko proclaimed and guided everyone towards the tea house.

"Not this one Aiko, the next one to it." The Blood Fox suddenly said.

Aiko perked her ears. "Why not this one?"

"Because you are going by the smell." The Blood Fox saw right through Aiko.

"..." Aiko looked away. She was used to using her nose so much that it could lead her into a trap...

"Why this one then?" Aiko nudged the Blood Fox.

"Because the scent is not overpowering. That means they care more about the tea and overall enjoyment than just attracting Beasts." The Blood Fox explained.

"Huh? How does that work?" Aiko blinked innocently.

"Because Beasts have sensitive noses, they are more likely to go where the scent is strong. This is used by Humans to attract Beast to business, but the quality often doesn't match with the smell." The Blood Fox explained.

Aiko rolled her eyes. "Why is everything so complicated..." She sighed gently.

"Do I have to show you your Massage Chair blueprints?" Mei narrowed her eyes.

"..." Aiko glared back. "Everything in there is needed for the best experience!"

"That's what a con man would say." Mei shot back.

"Urk." Aiko glared back. "You can't just appreciate what I have created!" She pouted.

"And that's what they would say to defend themselves." Mei teased more.

Aiko felt a tinge of irritation, which was quite impressive considering her Moon Forms lack of emotions.

*Slap*

Aiko slapped Mei's well-shaped butt before running away.

"Aiko!" Mei blushed and glared at her.

Ming Xiuying chuckled at their exchanges.

"Aiko, it's the second floor." The Blood Fox had already booked the room while they were bickering.

This commotion attracted attention, but everyone who looked towards the group felt that murderous pressure, and they immediately looked down in fear of angering that woman.

"Which room?" Aiko shouted from the upper floor.

"Number 4." The Blood Fox chuckled.

"Got it." Aiko ran throughout the tea house.

The lower floor was not that impressive. It pretty much looked like any other older building with tables and chairs, but the first floor was vastly different.

It was well furnished with pelts, and low tables. Incense holders and other captivating things.

The second floor was even more different. The floor was made from lustrous wood, instead of an old and creaky one. The furniture was from black shiny wood, but not too black that you wouldn't see the texture.

The low tables were surrounded by fluffy pelts and expensive-looking incense holders.

There were also sitting pillows, for Cultivators to rest on.

Aiko trotted towards the 4th room.

As expected it was open and empty and the view was really nice, overlooking everything outside the mountain.

"The only thing missing are clouds." Aiko marvelled at the beautiful sight.

She sat down and waited for the group to come.

"I wonder if someone will cause trouble." Aiko tapped the low table. Unlike the lower floors, in this place, you would sit on the meditating mats and drink tea.

"The culture changes each floor." Aiko didn't quite like the sudden changes, but she understood that it would be difficult to separate it any better.

Mei entered ready to scold Aiko, but that sight immediately 'warmed' her up.

Aiko was sitting near the window enjoying the sight while the wind blew her hair gently.

A picturesque beauty enjoying picturesque mountains and plains.

"Ugh." Mei pinched her nose. 'Why am I so weak against Moon Aiko.'

"Fufu~" Ming Xiuying giggled. She understood why Mei would be so mellow with Aiko.

"Should we book another room?" Ming Xiuying smiled from ear to ear.

The Blood Fox narrowed her eyes. "There is no need. We can enjoy the tea together." She smiled gently, but it was obvious that there was more than one Fox after Aiko.

Ming Xiuying's eyes sparkled. She was looking towards this love triangle. 'No, would this be considered harem?' She glanced at the Twins who were also enjoying the sight. 'Things will get quite messy...' She narrowed her eyes.

Gently nudging Mei, she whispered. "Can you make a Youth Revitalizing Pill?"

"I don't have the materials and if he is too old it won't return him that much." Mei stopped her intentions in track.

"What do I have to do to obtain a few of them?" Ming Xiuying was after Ming Qian's young and vigorous body, especially now that she had more energy.

"You can start with Herbs, we can discuss the price later." Mei said with a mean smirk.

"Don't rip me off too much, okay?" Ming Xiuying pouted. "And give me the list of Herbs, since I have no idea what I should look for." She added.

"Later-" Mei wanted to curse at the Blood Fox. She was so occupied with Ming Xiuying that she didn't notice that the Blood Fox stole a spot next to Aiko.

Mei took the other spot and everyone could see those sparks flying between them.

'This will be more amusing than I thought.' Ming Xiuying's eyes sparkled even more. She was really looking towards this!

Meanwhile, Old Ming sat down in the corner so that he wouldn't bother their little female outing. He wouldn't be able to join their conversation even if he wanted, so the best he could do was to enjoy their company from the sidelines.

Naturally, he would later 'kidnap' Ming Xiuying for some time alone. He was still worried that she was pushing herself too much, so he would cook for her and everything.

Soon the tray with different mixtures and tea sets arrived.

"Why are there so many tea sets?" Aiko asked curiously.

"Some believe that if they use different teas in the same set, it would affect its taste." The Blood Fox explained quicker than Mei could.

"But that is just a myth." Mei added.

"Not quite, low-quality tea sets do affect the taste of the tea, so that's where that 'myth' came from." The Blood Fox smirked.

Mei's lips twitched. In the Immortal World, everything was of high quality, so there were no issues like these. 'It seems like the Blood Fox will use her knowledge to keep me in check.' Mei glared at her.