Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

Both Mei and Mai were shocked by how heavy their bodies felt.

”That’s some good stuff.” Mai smirked. She was impressed that Aiko was able to combine so many Treasures together without them collapsing or just straight up not working.

”En~” Moon Aiko hummed. Having her work acknowledged was the sweetest thing that could happen to her.

”You will concede, and you will go outside.” Mai knew that Mei would not be convinced so quickly, so she would take her time.

”There are Demonic Foxes waiting inside caves, so you can check them.” Mei suddenly said.

”Okay~” Moon Aiko hummed as she left.

-----

”Not something you have considered, huh?” Mai giggled.

”I still can’t believe it.” Mei shook her head. This whole time, she thought that her sister was gone.

”I feel ya. If I didn’t become a Demonic Fox, I would be gone.” Mai shrugged.

”How does that even work? And are you alright?” Mei was concerned, since most, if not all, Demonic Foxes were easily agitated and very aggressive.

”We were in Sacred Realm, so there were no voices, not to mention following your mate meant that those voices didn’t even dare to return.” Mai laughed happily. ”As for how I healed... I honestly have no idea.” She shook her head gently. ”At one point, I really thought that I was undead or something like that.”

”You certainly aren’t, since this room would turn you upside down.” Mei shrugged, but deep down she was very happy.

”Come here.” Mai spread her arms for a hug.

”Does it hurt a lot?” Mei hugged her sister tightly.

”It doesn’t hurt as long as I’m on this disc, as for when I’m outside... You already saw my face.” Mai gently caressed Mei’s head.

”I missed you...” Mei cried out softly.

”I missed you, too.” Mai reciprocated those feelings, since those were her honest thoughts.

”...” Mei didn’t speak for a while, just enjoying the soft caress.

”Can-”

”Should-”

They tried to speak over each other, but it didn’t quite work.

Giggling softly, Mai caressed her head again. ”Go, go.”

”Can you comb my tails?” Mei didn’t look her in the eyes, since the last time Mai tried to comb her tails, Mei was... quite- no, very mean to her.

”You don’t have to ask.” Mai giggled and pulled out her brushes.

”Thank you...” Mei really wanted to ask why she pulled out so many brushes, but she would get a soft combing, so she wouldn’t ask for now.

”Not every Fox can use the same comb, so I’m keeping a few.” Mai narrowed her eyes. It felt like she was reading Mei’s thoughts.

Mei opened her mouth to complain, but Mai was faster.

”You didn’t really miss this, huh?” Mai giggled.

”Can you not read my expression and body language after such a long time? I just want to enjoy the moment...” Mei complained.

”That’s my bad. I was negotiating quite often, so I picked up some bad habits.” Mai shrugged.

”You were cuter before.” Mei pouted.

”I could say the same. You never treated your partner like this.” Mai rolled her eyes.

”But she-” Mei wanted to complain, but her sister stopped her.

”Have you ever had a proper talk with her?” Mai narrowed her eyes.

”Yes.” Mei nodded her head.

”About relationships and what you want from her?” Mai tilted her head.

”I just want her for myself...” Mei complained.

”That’s impossible.” Mai immediately stopped her. ”One of you will have more partners, and that is inevitable and looking at the power play, it would definitely be Aiko.” She nodded her head slowly.

”But I never needed more partners!” Mei pouted her lips.

”Because you never had sex, or, well, went all the way with your partner.” Mai shrugged. ”And before you try to protest, I watched you, so don’t even try lying.” Mai pinched her cheek gently.

”Why are you not taking my side?” Mei sulked, leaning against her sister.

”There is a time and place for everything. I will naturally talk with Aiko later to smooth the differences between you.” Mai nodded her head slowly. She didn’t mind having a piece of pie for herself, but it was important that Mei get it first.

”You can’t have her.” Mei pinched her thigh.

”Auchie.” Mai giggled. ”And who is reading one’s mind now?”

”You started this! And I don’t approve of more partners!” Mei pouted again.

”Very well.” Mai readily agreed, startling Mei. ”However...” She licked her lips gently. ”If you can’t satisfy her, you will have to acknowledge her other partners.”

”No way!” Mei protested.

”You think you can match her energy?” Mai rolled her eyes. ”Keep in mind that one can get quite abusive when they are pent-up. They can be the mildest person, but everyone has a certain boiling point.” She warned her sister, since she didn’t want her to go through the same ’events’.

”Fine, but Danji is off the table!” Mei protested again.

”That is impossible, since she was there first.” Mai shook her head. Her sister was still foolish, cute, but foolish.

”Tsk.” Mei clicked her tongue.

”Rivalry is nice, but if you disturb the harmony, you might find yourself kicked out.” Mai sighed softly.

”That won’t happen!” Mei shook her head.

”Life is full of surprises.” Mai chuckled. She was a prime example of that.

Mei rolled her eyes. ”But I get to choose future partners...?” She was unsure if that was even allowed, but she would push for it!

”Obviously, but keep in mind that other partners can bring in too if none of you can get on the same page.” Mai warned about that.

”...” Mei sighed. ”This is too complicated. Why can’t I have just one partner?”

”You were always a shut-in, so it’s better to get some social skills.” Mai nodded her head.

”Who are you calling shut-in?!” Mei felt like she was betrayed.

”You always watched me making Pills, so what are you if you’re not a shut-in?” Mai rolled her eyes.

”...” Mei’s lips twitched. She was always fascinated by her sister’s ability to make Heavenly Grade Pills without breaking a sweat.

”I’m sorry...” Mei was crestfallen that she could not match her sister’s prowess.

”Why are you apologising?” Mai giggled softly. She didn’t mind that her sister was not skilled in Pill-making. What mattered was that she was alright.

”I still can’t guarantee Heavenly Graded Pills...” Mei whined softly. Her sister would always hear her out and comfort her.

”Then how many Pills can you refine at once?” Mai gently caressed Mei’s back, while her other hand combed her tails.

”Only 11...” Mei also wanted to shock her sister, so she didn’t hold back.

*cough*

Mai coughed a bit of blood, shocking Mei.

”A-are you alright?” Mei didn’t expect that and panicked.

”I’m alright...” Mai wiped that blood, but it was obvious that she looked exhausted. ”I can’t believe I spent my whole life and only managed to get 7 at once.”

Mei could see Mai’s Soul leaving her body and panicked more.

”Immortal World has quite many Refining Manuals, so you will be able to get them too!” Mei tried to soothe her sister.

”That’s not the problem. In theory, you can only reach 10 Pills since you are not precise enough with heat to do more...” Mai shook her head.

”We had a breakthrough when it came to that.” Mei pursed her lips. ”Well, it was mostly Aiko and her strange system...” She smiled bittersweetly.

”So you love her.” Mai nodded her head. ”You will be happy when she is happy, and she will be happy when you are happy.”

”What does that mean???” Mei wanted to complain about the first sentence, but the second one confused her so much that she gave up thinking about it.

”You will understand once you get to that point.” Mai nodded her head slowly. She was once there, but now she believed that all the Demonic Foxes should be happy.

She more or less succeeded. They might be a rowdy bunch, but they are always happy, spreading their sweetness all around and infecting others.

That also meant that any negative emotions were kicked out of the window, and the amount of injuries and other unsavoury things dropped to near zero.

Of course, there are always some Demonic Foxes that take it far, but a moment of foolishness should not destroy the whole structure, since the whole structure is already sturdy and prepared for that kind of impact!

”You always sound smarter than you actually are.” Mei rolled her eyes, and Mai immediately caught her cheeks.

”Stop it!” Mei whined, but Mai kept kneading her cheeks.

”Say that again, and I will spank you!” Mai snorted unhappily. Even her own sister was sassy now!

”This is so unfair!” Mei pouted at her.

”You deserve that for being so sassy!” Mai rolled her eyes, kneading her cheeks some more.

”It’s not my fault that Aiko infected me!” Mei defended herself against this injustice.

”That’s-” Mai suddenly pursed her lips. ”Actually, a valid excuse...” She nodded her head slowly. Aiko had that kind of effect, so it was possible that her sister became a victim of that.

”Alright, alright.” Mai sighed, letting Mei go.

”Do you remember the person who gave me this name?” Mai suddenly leaned back and asked such a strange question.

”You mean the strange individual without a body, giving you a name that can’t be translated into a common language?” Mei summed it up.

”Sharp, aren’t you?” Mai clicked her tongue. ”Then do you remember her last words?”

”...” Mei shook her head.

”You are Foxes, so just do something fun and be happy.” Mai recited those words.

”Where are you going with this...?” Mei tilted her head.

”Danji already pursued her happiness, so what’s holding YOU back?” Mai pursed her lips.

”I...” Mei retold her story about the Immortal World, drawing a long silence from both of them.

”I see...” Mai nodded her head and hugged Mei again. ”You had it rough.” She gently caressed her sister’s back.

”Hm.” Mei just weakly replied.

”... Do you believe Aiko is the same...?” Mai suddenly asked an important question.

”... She is oddie.” Mei replied weakly.

”What does that mean?” Mai laughed.

”She is a strange one. Doesn’t abide by rules and is... free. To her detriment.” Mei sighed.

”Do you fear that strangeness?” Mai narrowed her eyes, trying to soothe her just a bit more.

”Yeah...” Mei nodded her head weakly. ”She... is too unpredictable.”

”Life is unpredictable. Once you come to terms with that, you will see how beautiful the world can be.” Mai said those words slowly as she kept nuzzling her sister until she felt better...