Starting My Cultivation With Time Management-Chapter 918 - 58: The Fox Borrows the Tiger’s Might
Chapter 918 -58: The Fox Borrows the Tiger’s Might
“There are so many mountains here.” Long Hu remarked casually.
“Yeah.” Long Long agreed.
The two of them sat atop a hill near their clan’s domain, gazing at the endless stretch of rugged peaks in the distance.
If the Southern State is a dense, flourishing tropic jungle, and the Eastern State a maze of interconnected wetlands and islands, then the Western State is a boundless expanse of mountains. The high-altitude regions here experience sparse rainfall, which results in patches of green interspersed with bare terrain, with vegetation growing sparsely.
The climate here resembled the lower-altitude regions of the Kunlun Mountain Range, a scene Long Long was already familiar with. But for Long Hu, who had never seen anything like this, the landscape captured her interest. She eagerly climbed from peak to peak, surveying the surroundings.
Long Long accompanied her on this venture. In the eyes of other Celestial Fox clan members, they appeared as nothing more than an odd duo—an ermine and a fox traveling together. Though uncommon, their unfamiliar faces didn’t garner undue attention, and no one bothered them.
For now, the Celestial Fox Clan remained at relative peace. However, due to the White Tiger Clan’s widespread conscription order, many families had already started mobilizing, heading to the Sacred Mountain to await their call.
The Sacred Mountain, the tallest peak in both the Western State and the entire Eastern Emperor Realm, had its upper half perpetually encased in thick, ancient ice that never melted. Most of the time, it endured fierce snowstorms, making its environment extremely inhospitable.
Long Hu wished to explore the Sacred Mountain’s summit, but the area was restricted family territory of the White Tiger Clan. Consequently, the duo could only admire it from afar on Qingqiu Mountain.
“Forget it, no point in looking anymore,” Long Hu said, standing up. “I want to visit the marketplace and look around.”
Long Long, having accumulated ample experience accompanying Miss Shi on her outings, readily agreed to her suggestion.
They descended Qingqiu Mountain and wandered through a nearby market. Long Hu mostly busied herself browsing and picking items, haggling with small Demon Race stall owners who hadn’t yet fully mastered their transformations.
Long Long handled the payments and stored the purchased goods into the Storage Bag.
As the pair shopped enthusiastically, a voice suddenly spoke nearby:
“An ermine and a Celestial Fox—why are they mingling together?”
Long Long raised his head and spotted a vividly dressed leopard demon accompanied by three or four underlings, looking at them with a provocative smirk.
This leopard demon’s appearance seemed familiar…
Searching his memory briefly, Long Long remembered:
It seemed during his earlier explorations of the Divine Dragon Island secret realm in the Eastern Emperor Realm, representing the Dragon Clan, he had crossed paths with this leopard demon from the Mustela Clan.
The leopard demon’s name? Oh yes, he recalled now. This demon was called “Bao Yi Nu.” Although originally from the Leopard Clan, he had been rejected for reasons unknown and had pledged allegiance to the White Tiger Clan as a subordinate. He willingly submitted to servitude, groveling to his superiors while mercilessly bullying those beneath him. As a result, his reputation was abysmal among the Demon Race. His real name had been forgotten, and people mocked him by calling him “Bao Yi,” signifying a tiger disguised in leopard skin.
If Long Long were in his True Body, he would undoubtedly have delivered dozens of hard slaps to Bao Yi Nu. But in their current state—a disguised ermine and fox with low cultivation levels—they couldn’t afford to provoke trouble.
Exchanging a glance with Long Hu, the two prepared to leave, only to find their path blocked by Bao Yi Nu’s underlings, who rushed forward in a few quick strides.
“Don’t leave so soon!” Bao Yi Nu said playfully, studying them. “Just asking—what’s your deal? An ermine and a fox together—is this some sort of crossbreed experiment, or what?”
Long Hu felt a surge of tension, immediately understanding that their true identities hadn’t been recognized. This meant the provocations were merely for amusement, seeking trouble.
Yet, exposing their disguised identities wasn’t an option. How should they respond?
As panic set in, Long Hu suddenly heard a mental message from Long Long:
“Don’t panic. He’s trying to bait us!”
Bait us? Long Hu, though no fool, had momentarily lost her composure. Upon Long Long’s reminder, she swiftly grasped the situation.
Though Bao Yi Nu derived pleasure from tormenting the weak, he possessed a sly cunning typical of minor figures.
Being close to Qingqiu Mountain, Bao Yi Nu wouldn’t dare offend a genuine Celestial Fox aristocrat, even under the protection of the White Tiger Clan.
His verbal affronts, accompanied by deliberate inaction, hinted at his attempt to ascertain whether Long Hu was indeed a noble from the Celestial Fox Clan.
If they were merely low-ranking tribespeople, Bao Yi Nu could easily take his pleasure in bullying them and leave without consequence. Would the Celestial Fox Clan go to war with the White Tiger Clan over mere commoners?
Of course not.
However, if they were relatives of a clan elder or leader, and their distinguished guardians sought retribution, not even the White Tiger Clan’s pride in their nobility could defend Bao Yi Nu.
Realizing this, Long Hu adopted a haughty air, sneering dismissively.
“Where does this servant come from? You dare meddle in my affairs?”
Long Long played along, grabbing one of Bao Yi Nu’s underlings by the collar and delivering a slap across his face.
Despite restraining his Physical Strength as a Dong Yuan cultivator, the strike left the subordinate with a swollen face, staggering to the ground in pain.
Being called a “servant,” coupled with his underling’s humiliation, made Bao Yi Nu’s face turn alternating shades of blue and white with rage.
But precisely because of his anger, he hesitated—this close to Qingqiu Mountain, what if the fox truly was a Celestial Fox noblewoman?
If the noble called for reinforcements, unleashing a horde of Crown Princes, Bao Yi Nu’s modest status would scarcely justify sparing him from utter subjugation.
With this in mind, Bao Yi Nu retreated without a word, fleeing with his subordinates into the crowd.
Long Hu finally exhaled, turning to Long Long with a grin.
“So? Did I play my role convincingly?”
“Play your role?” Long Long said, bemused. “You *are* a noblewoman. If he hadn’t backed off, I’d have dropped Hu Li Elder’s name myself.”
“Oh, right.” Long Hu nodded. “I forgot about my aunt.”
Forget about her? Clearly, their bond wasn’t very close.
Long Long silently expressed his condolences to the Celestial Fox elder before following Long Hu to resume their shopping excursion.
Meanwhile, Bao Yi Nu fled with his followers, his mind seething with frustration.
Generally, Fox Clan noblewomen wouldn’t associate with outsiders, let alone an ermine with a low Bloodline Rank, whom even servitude would be deemed unworthy.
Thus, he had instinctively judged them to be commoners from the Celestial Fox Clan.
Who would’ve guessed they could actually present themselves with such commanding arrogance, revealing enough high status to intimidate him…
Wait.
Suddenly Bao Yi Nu recalled the fox lady’s earlier demeanor—furrowed brows, palpable unease.
It was only after some time had passed that she exploded with fury and put him and his subordinates in check.
If she were truly accustomed to bossing others around as a noble, then why the initial hesitation?
Piecing it together, Bao Yi Nu arrived at an “epiphany”:
Damn it, they tricked me!
