Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

"Who are you?" Aiko asked even before Jun could act. She was curious about the noise she heard.

"Sensitive aren't we?" The grandpa chuckled. "How about a cup of tea?"

Aiko jumped down and circled him. She was looking for the thing that made the sound.

"What are you doing?" Mei chuckled while Jun looked completely petrified.

The grandpa slightly widened his eyes. He didn't expect to see her here.

"I'm looking for that noise." Aiko wanted to know what that noise meant, so she could add it to her noise library.

"I have never seen such a sensitive 'little' Fox." He gazed towards Mei.

"She is out there with her 'uniqueness'." Mei chuckled back.

"Don't badmouth me." Aiko immediately hugged Mei, pouting.

"So how about the tea?" The grandpa asked again.

"Sure." Mei chuckled. "But don't regret it later." She warned him gently.

"I will be fine." It would not be his first rodeo with Mei and her abnormal entourage.

Aiko was more and more curious about him. She could not feel his presence, it felt like he was completely a Mortal.

It kind of reminded her of that grandpa in that city that was selling clothes.

She wondered if they were related in any way. 'That would be really cool.' Aiko nodded gently.

The grandpa suddenly slashed the space and a rift appeared in that place.

"That's the noise!" Aiko immediately yelped.

The grandpa was more and more interested in this strange group.

"You can also follow us, little Lion." The grandpa said gently.

Jun was unwilling as he was too scared to go with them, but he had no other option left, since he didn't have any plausible excuse.

"Y-yes." Jun stuttered. He didn't expect to meet the Mahayana Cultivator so soon... 'Please don't mess this up, please don't mess this up.' He prayed to the Heavens that Aiko would not try her usual antics.

"How old are you?" Aiko was curious about many things, but she would start with the basics.

"Too old." He laughed before gesturing for them to enter.

Mei walked through the portal without issue or suspicion. She didn't expect one of her old friends to be the manager of this place.

She left him in the Mortal World, since his Cultivation could not manage to reach the Peak of Cultivation, where he would be able to shatter the Heavens and Ascend to the Immortal World.

The group followed with suspicion, but they kept silent for now.

Jun was the last one and then the Grandpa stepped inside.

...

They appeared in a foreign room. It was very nicely decorated and it felt like a drawing room.

"Your taste didn't change at all." Mei immediately commented.

The room had simple decorations.

A few fur pelts here and there and quite a few paintings. There was also a large ornament table with a few chairs.

The colour of the wood was very light, making the whole room brighter and more homely looking.

"Thank you." He chuckled.

"Should I still call you Old Ming?" Mei narrowed her eyes.

"Grandpa Ming is fine, I have already retired." Grandpa Ming shook his head.

"Oho." Mei chuckled. "You don't seem like someone who retired."

"I'm just trying to maintain my dignity." Grandpa Ming shook his head again.

"Do you know each other?" Aiko was surprised that Mei knew so many people. "Aren't you a shut-i- Auauauau." Her cheeks were pulled by Mei for that unnecessary comment.

Grandpa Ming narrowed his eyes. "Tea?"

"En." Mei nodded. She was looking forward to some nice tea.

Grandpa Ming went to prepare the tea, while Aiko was being pinched by Mei.

"Bully." Once Mei stopped, Aiko immediately accused her of bullying.

"Then you shouldn't badmouth me." Mei flicked Aiko's forehead, unlike the Human-form Mei, this wild Mei hurt way more!

"You are abusing your Cultivation." Aiko accused her again.

"Didn't you do the same?" Mei narrowed her eyes.

"Hmpf." Aiko huffed in annoyance.

"Have some." Grandpa Ming brought tea with him and offered it to everyone.

"You can also feel at ease, nobody will be able to peer into this place." He nudged the whole group.

"How did you figure that out?" Mei chuckled.

"She is pretty much brimming with energy, I would have to be completely blind not to know this is not her true form." He rolled his eyes.

"You can change back, Aiko." Mei chuckled.

Aiko tilted her head. "But how did he figure it out?" She immediately swapped to her big form while still sitting on Mei. She added a smug smile as she wrapped her hands around Mei.

Jun stared at the adult not-so-little Fox and spilt his tea. "Ack! Hot!" He spilt it on his pants, which burned his fur. He was too shocked by this sudden change.

Mei gracefully dropped Aiko on the floor, since she was not in the mood to be groped by Aiko.

"Why?!" Aiko immediately cried out.

"How have you been, Old Ming?" Mei smiled, ignoring Aiko.

"I have been quite nice, it's been very relaxing once I dropped the race to the Immortal World." Grandpa Ming smiled gently.

Aiko glared at both of them. As revenge, she would sneak inside Mei's skirt and tease her!

But unfortunately, Mei was quicker and picked up Aiko with her Divine Sense, before placing her onto a chair.

Aiko pouted even more and her ears snipped here and there.

"Have you completely given up hope or are you willing to go at it again?" She narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not sure. It's been quite relaxing, so I'm not sure if I want to join that slaughter again." Grandpa Ming shook his head.

Aiko stood up. She was being ignored, so she would just explore this place.

"How about trying it again, but with a different goal in mind?" Mei was looking for more servants and the more powerful the better it would be.

"I'm not sure if I'm interested..." Grandpa Ming was now too old for those kinds of adventures.

"Not even as my servant?" Mei narrowed her eyes. She knew that he wouldn't be able to completely reject this.

"What will you offer me for babysitting you?" Grandpa Ming sipped tea calmly.

"How about improving your Cultivation over time?" Mei proposed the bare minimum and would go from there.

"Fine." Grandpa Ming agreed immediately.

His agreement was so quick that Mei choked on her tea. She didn't expect that kind of reaction at all!

"What?" She felt like she heard something wrong.

"What?" Grandpa Ming tilted his head.

"Why would you agree with such bad terms?" Mei couldn't gauge his intentions.

Grandpa Ming opened and closed his mouth, but the only thing that came out of it was... "You have changed."

Mei was already used to hearing that, so it didn't startle her that much, but she still felt strange.

"Have I?" Mei tilted her head. "There are quite a few who have already told me that."

"You have never treated others as equals, there was always an underlying arrogance in your behaviour and attitude. You would quickly scorn others and distance yourself from them once you realised there was not much to gain from them-" Grandpa Ming shot arrow after arrow at Mei.

"Stop, stop!" Mei had to stop him since she felt embarrassed.

"You are a lot nicer now. The group or team with you also doesn't seem like they are following you as slaves, but as individual beings. That not-so-little Fox has pretty much your smell all over-"

"Ahhhhhh!" Mei yelled loudly. She couldn't believe that this bastard would embarrass her like that. "If you keep going like that I will tell Xiuying that you stole her favourite ribbon!"

"She already knows." Grandpa Ming smugly gazed at Mei. "I'm her partner now."

Mei could see his smug smile from a mile away and she also felt like his nose was getting longer with each passing second.

"Then I will also tell her that you stole her precious stockings and that you-" Mei was immediately silenced by a tasty piece of meat.

"Shush! Not a word about that!" Grandpa Ming coughed cautiously. He was worried that Xiuying would hear this.

"Hmpf." Mei snorted unhappily, but still enjoyed that delicious meat.

Old Ming was pretty much praised as the Immortal of Cooking. All his dishes would turn into Spiritual Food that could raise your Cultivation and cleanse your Meridians!

That is also why he experienced so much bloodshed, since everyone was trying to get him on their side, even if it meant killing everyone around him.

Aiko found a curious little vase and tried to pick it up, but that vase suddenly floated a little higher.

Aiko furrowed her eyebrow and tried to catch it with a jump, but that vase kept floating higher and higher.

Soon she got upset and transformed into a small Fox, climbing the wall by sticking her claws into it.

Grandpa Ming gently sipped his tea as he spotted the very little Fox climbing the wall.

"You have a... unique taste." Grandpa Ming didn't know how to be polite.

"What do you mean?" Mei tilted her head.

Grandpa Ming almost coughed up his tea when he saw the little Fox chasing a vase on the ceiling.

"N-nothing." Grandpa Ming sweated. His partner told him that if he didn't have anything nice to say, he should not say anything.

Mei felt suspicious, so she turned around, but at that time the ceiling climbing Aiko was behind a wall, so Mei couldn't spot her.

Just as she turned around, Aiko chased the vase on the ceiling once again.

*Pftt*

Grandpa Ming choked on his tea. He couldn't believe that Xiuying would mess with Mei's partner.

"I'm sorry." Grandpa Ming immediately apologised to Mei.

"About what?" Mei couldn't understand his behaviour, so she turned around again.

Behind her was nothing out of the ordinary, so she turned back. And once again at that moment Aiko zipped past the room, bolted to the ceiling, trying to chase that strange vase.

Grandpa Ming spat out his tea, his partner was too much!

He laughed loudly, and Mei turned again abruptly. She saw Aiko chasing a vase on the ceiling and immediately turned red.

"Aiko! What are you doing?!" Mei felt so embarrassed by her antics!

Aiko flinched and jumped in place, but since she was on the ceiling, that jump made her come crashing down.

Hands caught her before she could crash down and Aiko jumped again, wrapping herself with shadows before disappearing.

The young-looking girl blinked innocently as she looked around.

"Where did that cute Fox go?" Ming Xiuying looked around, trying to find that cute little Fox.

"Xiuying-!" Grandpa Ming groaned unhappily. "You can't mess with other’s partners!"

"But she was so cute!" Ming Xiuying pouted.

"You are still beautiful Xiuying." Mei chuckled. Aiko appeared on her lap and stared suspiciously at the girl.