Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

Mei glared at a certain part of her, but Aiko could only pout back.

”You are just jealous.” Aiko glared at Mei. ”But you know...” She narrowed her eyes. ”They are still plenty soft~” She hummed happily.

”Wha-!” Mei was shocked by that sentence.

”You know it’s not good to have such heavy things on you.” Aiko cupped them. ”They are bothersome and take too much space. How are you supposed to run around with them?! I would lose all of my teeth just after a few bounces!”

Mei still glared at Aiko. ’It’s upsetting how they bounce, but what she says makes too much sense and I can’t get angry at Aiko.’ She sighed in her mind. She didn’t need to solve these kinds of problems back in the Immortal World.

”So, we are back to training the Divine Sense and Alchemy?” Aiko asked.

”We will go for Alchemy.” Mei nodded. ”We will also be returning to the business since Dai Lu will leave, once again.” She added.

Aiko nodded. ”I can clean Herbs and set them up, so what is the next step?”

Seeing Aiko’s eagerness, Mei’s apprehension towards ’her’ lessened.

”The next step would be to properly review the Pill Recipe again.” Mei said gently.

”Which one?” Aiko tilted her head. She did get a lot of ingredient knowledge, but not so much for Pills.

”Heart Cleansing Pill.” Mei said. ”There are two versions. One that clears poison that might’ve reached your heart, while the other just strengthens your heart. It does slightly alleviate poison symptoms, but it can’t be compared to the first one as that’s a Grade 5 Pill.”

Aiko nodded. ”I will go and prepare.” She was ready for this trouble! The only danger was the Pill Furnace blowing up, but with Mei around; she didn’t need to worry at all!

There were only 3 Herbs for this Pill as it was just a Grade 1 Pill. They were very easy and gentle Herbs, so any kind of novice would be able to do this...

”Don’t do it like that! We already went through this before!”

”No! You will ruin the Herb! Do it properly!

”Aiko!-”

Aiko massaged her head, this was really painful. Why was she so bad at it?

”Aiko...” Mei sighed, hugging the crestfallen big Fox. ”You need to understand that Alchemy is not like Inscriptions.”

Mei petted Aiko’s head. ”You can’t be stiff when it comes to Alchemy, as all Herbs have defects. You need to adjust the cut or how you rip the Herbs apart depending on their condition- Why are you looking at me like you found some kind of galaxy?!” Mei was shocked when she saw Aiko’s empty, yet admiring gaze.

”Hehehe~” Aiko’s head didn’t want to compute it, so it just giggled.

Mei massaged her temples. It seems like Aiko became too stiff from inscribing. This was not good, but fortunately, she conned enough Spirit Stones that Aiko could fool around with Herbs.

”Alright. I will guide you this time, but you will be alone the next time.” Mei sighed, unaware of what she was doing.

Mei’s hands travelled down to Aiko’s hands, where she gently cupped them.

”First, you need to relax your hands.” Mei gently massaged them before intertwining her fingers with Aiko’s.

Aiko was startled. She was enjoying Mei’s silky-smooth hands, their softness was likewise impeccable, before Mei resumed her straightforward assault.

This was much different to when Aiko teased others, since they would always keep their distance from Aiko. This was a bit too personal for the mischievous big Fox.

”Your hands are quite cold...” Mei whispered. This was not good as it affected Aiko’s performance. She took Aiko’s hands and placed them between Aiko’s thighs.

A yelp escaped Aiko’s lips. Her eyes were spinning.

”If you are cold, you should place them like this, so that they warm up quickly.” Mei explained, but Aiko was dead silent.

Mei pouted, believing that Aiko was ignoring her, so she turned towards her face.

’Her face is completely red?! Why?!’ Mei’s mind paused, for a long time. She withdrew her hands with an awkward cough.

Mei would always teach like this, as it allowed her to explain everything closely, but she didn’t think it would have such an effect on Aiko.

Aiko nodded like a broken toy.

A smile appeared on Mei’s lips. This way, she could tease Aiko whenever she teased her!

Mei hummed before hugging Aiko again. This would be her first of many revenge against Aiko, especially for that dress!

Mei nodded like she was a genius and cupped Aiko’s hands again. They were incredibly hot, which pleased Mei.

Aiko could not focus properly because she was not used to the fact that Mei was so close. Mei would always keep a certain distance from every one, no matter who it was.

”Good, you are doing good. I know that you might dislike this since it’s not perfectly and cleanly ripped, but that’s how Herbs are. None of them are perfect, so you need to adapt.” Mei praised Aiko and explained the reasoning.

Aiko nodded hurriedly. She wished that Mei would return to her place, a step away from Aiko.

”Now that we have revised the basics. What is the next step?” Mei took a step back, since she knew for a fact that Aiko would not be able to answer if she kept hugging her. ’Hmpf. I will pardon you this time, since you are soft, but the next time you try to smother me with those hateful things I will rip them off!’ Mei snorted inside her mind.

Aiko calmed down after a few minutes. It seems like direct contact like this was a no-go for her. She either would have to avoid everyone or get used to it.

But getting used to it was not an option, since Aiko didn’t want to ruin more Herbs. She would have to postpone her learning for later.

”Sort them out by the order that we place them inside the Pill Cauldron.” Aiko answered Mei.

”Correct.” Mei nodded happily. It seems like Aiko did learn from her and was not ignorant. That was the most important fact for Mei, as long as she was not too big of a clutz, it was fine if she ruined a few Herbs.

”But how do we get the flame for the Cauldron?” Aiko asked Mei with curiosity.

”There is an elaborate Array that can bring forth a flame. There is also an Inscription- No, you can’t use either of those.” Mei quickly extinguished that shining flame inside Aiko’s eyes.

”Tch.” Aiko clicked her tongue.

”Did you say anything?” Mei narrowed her eyes.

”No, ma’am.” Aiko replied like a soldier.

Mei’s eyebrow twitched, but she didn’t comment on it.

”We will be using this.” Mei pulled out the very familiar Fire Shard.

”Snac- Auch.” Aiko almost drooled at the shiny crystal, but Mei stopped her.

”This is not food!” Mei glared at Aiko.

Aiko pouted. ”But I already ate one. You said it yourself!” She pouted even more.

”That was during- No, never mind. This is not food, don’t even think about biting into it!” Mei harshly reprimanded Aiko.

”Booo- Awawawa.” Aiko’s cheeks were pulled by Mei.

Aiko glared at Mei, freeing herself from her grasp.

”Smothering Attack!” Aiko shouted her ’technique’ as she jumped at her burrowing Mei’s head in her bosom.

It was super effective since Mei didn’t know what to do, but she quickly snapped out of it.

”A-ahahahahahahaha, please haha stop, hahahaha.” Aiko was tickled by Mei and since Aiko was never touched, it was extremely effective!

”Will you surrender to this Queen and stop your mischief?!” Mei proclaimed.

”Ahahaha, yes, hahahaha.” Aiko was having a rough time as Mei easily subdued her on her back. The sensation was too ticklish and Aiko could only squirm under Mei...

Mei soon released Aiko. Aiko was completely red, pouting, while Mei was blushing with a light smile on her lips.

”Just for today.” Murmuring Aiko added, but was caught by Mei.

”Did you say anything~?” Mei wriggled her fingers, like she was ready for a second round of tickling.

Aiko shivered and recoiled. ”N-no?”

”You little Fox~” Mei smiled, ready to tickle Aiko, but it just so happened...

*Poof*

Aiko turned small.

Mei was slightly speechless by this, once again, perfect timing.

Aiko was likewise startled, but then she smirked.

*Whoosh*

Aiko immediately broke into a mad dash with her double-jump, leaving dust behind!

Mei blinked a few times, not understanding what Aiko wanted to achieve. After all, Aiko would have to return to Mei eventually…

”Will you stop hiding?” Mei glared towards the doors, since Aiko went out through the window.

”Hehe~” The Grandmaster laughed awkwardly. ”I was caught.” She stuck out her tongue.

”You-” Mei sighed. Aiko was already a handful, but this was another pile of walking troubles.

Mei massaged her head.

”It’s nice.” Dai Lu suddenly said.

”What?” Mei didn’t understand.

”You were able to let your guard down and enjoy the present time.” Dai Lu smiled gently, no longer laughing.

Mei flinched. Her face distorted and she glared at Dai Lu.

”I’m just saying that it’s not a bad idea to sometimes let loose.” Dai Lu raised her hands. She had no intention of belittling Mei. She was just happy that Mei was able to rest for a moment.

Mei kept her distorted face for quite some time before she commanded. ”Leave.”

She was shaken by what she had just done. The last time she let her guard down her boy toy betrayed her... She can’t repeat that misfortune again. This was definitely the work of the Karmic Relationship!

But no matter how much Mei’s face distorted, she could not change it...

One impulsive thought led to another and she ended up with this relationship with Aiko. She should take a step back and observe her for a few dozens of years before committing further. That way, she would not be hurt again.

”Don’t overthink it too much.” Dai Lu’s voice drifted into the room. Fortunately, she was not inside otherwise Mei would absolutely start throwing dangerous Pills at her!

Mei could only sigh. The emptiness was squeezing her, but it was better than to be stabbed again...

...

Dai Lu went around to find Aiko. She wanted to explain to Aiko that Mei didn’t mean it. Unfortunately, Aiko was really quick on her feet and Dai Lu didn’t want to use her Divine Sense. She didn’t believe that she couldn’t ding Aiko without using it!

That’s how a new game was created and it became quite famous between Scouting Foxes and Shadow Foxes...