Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

”It’s dangerous to stay in the Nightmare Forest.” Mei crossed her arms.

”I know.” Moon Aiko nodded her head.

”So you shouldn’t go there for a prolonged time.” Mei felt like she was talking to a wall.

”I will just visit them, don’t worry.” Moon Aiko’s smile reached her ears.

”Serious...” Mei felt her head throb. ”Why are you so difficult to work with?”

”What’s so difficult? I’m just helping some Beasts.” Moon Aiko tilted her head.

”I’m coming with you.” Mei crossed her arms.

”?” Moon Aiko tilted her head. How did it come to this?

”Why?” Moon Aiko couldn’t help but ask her, since she knew that Mei was quite the shut-in.

”Well, I can’t immediately, but I think it would help you if I came with you.” Mei narrowed her eyes.

”Are you familiar with them?” Moon Aiko immediately stabbed Mei with the age-old question.

”N-no? I don’t think so?” Mei seriously paused to think about it. ”I did have a few Elders who liked me and took care of me, but I don’t think they would let themselves be held under a Contract...” She seriously frowned, thinking about them.

”Is that so?” Moon Aiko sipped the nearby tea.

”That’s mine...” Mei sighed at her.

”It’s mine now.” Moon Aiko happily drank that tea.

”I have a few issues that I’m unable to solve.” Moon Aiko handed over a special talisman.

”You ran out?” Mei believed that Aiko ran out of the Talismans, making her want to pull out more and give them to her.

”I... never really used talismans...” Moon Aiko sheepishly scratched her cheeks.

A beautiful, but scary, vein appeared on Mei’s forehead.

”Aiko~” Mei immediately pinched Aiko’s cheeks.

”...” Moon Aiko gave up resistance.

”What did I tell you about bullying her?” Mai popped her head through the window.

”Why are you here?!” Mei was startled.

”Teach her properly, or I will watch you even during sex...” Mai’s voice faded as she returned to her Demonic Disc.

Mei sighed softly. ”What do you have a problem with...”

”I’m unable to create any space-related Inscriptions.” Moon Aiko handed over the Storage Pouch that she made.

”Hm?” Mei tilted her head. ”But this is not bad for your first try.” She nodded her head, impressed.

Moon Aiko felt stabbed, but she didn’t say that this was not her first product. Instead, she pulled a prototype to show to Mei.

”This is my usual craft.” Moon Aiko handed over the Treasure.

”...” Mei speechlessly glanced between the prototype and the Storage Pouch.

”... I understand what you mean...” Mei scratched her head. If she were to compare the two objects, it would be like someone completely different made each of them.

The difference was so huge that it could be said that one was created by an amateur and the other by an expert.

”The Inscription is fine and everything, so why is the space so strangely distorted...” Mei couldn’t understand it. Sure, she was an Inscription King, but that didn’t mean that she knew everything.

’I know that I don’t have as polished Inscriptions, but I could easily make Storage Pouches at this stage- No, let’s not mention Storage Pouches, even Storage Rings would be possible!’ Mei couldn’t wrap her head around it.

”Let’s refine some Pills.” Mei narrowed her eyes. She was much better with Herbs, so she could guide Aiko with a space-related Pill and see what was wrong.

”Will that help?” Moon Aiko tilted her head.

”Yes, first I will make a new Jade Slip which you will look through while I prepare the ingredients.” Mei nodded her head slowly as she gently lifted the Jade Slip.

’... System...?’ Mei really hoped she would be able to cheat it like Aiko.

[Would you like to copy onto the Jade Slip: Basics of Herbs (Space)]

[y/n]

Mei thought about ’yes’ and waited. The Jade Slip gently shone before settling down.

’Surely not?’ Mei didn’t believe that it actually worked.

She slowly checked through the Jade Slip as her body started to shake.

”FUCK YEAH!” Mei was overjoyed that it actually worked, since this would save days of work and constant checking. The main issue with making copies on the Jade Slip is the actual consistency.

It’s not as simple as writing on paper, since if you lose control just for a brief moment, that would cause some words to get smudged or distorted, causing the knowledge to be incomplete or downright incorrect.

This, in turn, would cause massive damage if one tried to follow it.

But not only did it copy perfectly, but the Jade Slip structure was even reinforced, making it harder to decay over time.

This was pretty much the perfect way to record information into Jade!

”Come here, you little biscuit.” Mei immediately hugged Aiko from her joy, lifted her up and spun her around.

”Wa-” Moon Aiko was shocked, both with her crude language and overjoyed expression.

The spinning also didn’t help to settle her mind and just made her dizzier.

”The world is spinning.” Moon Aiko suddenly proclaimed.

Even when Mei stopped spinning, Moon Aiko’s head kept spinning and spinning, creating quite the funny sight.

Mei placed Aiko onto the bed before darting over to the Jade Slips.

’If I can perfectly copy my knowledge, I can issue the full Cultivation Manuals and Techniques over to others!’ Mei held off teaching most things to others, since the delivery of information was important.

Not everyone was like Aiko, who was like an insatiable ravine.

However, she also couldn’t transport that information through thought, since it was unlikely they would be able to remember all of that.

That’s why only some Techniques were allowed to be given through thoughts, as they wouldn’t decay through the process of settling one’s mind.

While Moon Aiko was recovering from the spinning. Mei was hard at work with sinister laughter...

...

Moon Aiko recovered, looking around. Mei was nowhere to be seen, but that might’ve been a good thing.

”I won’t get scolded.” Moon Aiko smiled happily.

”Who won’t get scolded?” Mei’s head popped through the window.

”Kya!” Moon Aiko jumped, since she didn’t expect Mei to be so close.

’Why couldn’t I feel her?’ Moon Aiko was concerned about her skills. ’Hm?’

Moon Aiko noticed Mei’s expression. ”You don’t look so good.”

Mei’s energy was very faint, and Aiko was not used to spotting those kinds of energies, so she easily missed Mei’s presence.

”I copied too many Jade Slips inside, making my head hurt. It’s much nicer outside, but I’m running out of mental capacity...” Mei sighed softly.

Moon Aiko came outside.

Sure enough, Mei was sitting on a nice fur pelt, with stacks and stacks of Jade Slips.

Moon Aiko walked over and behind Mei.

”What are you planning?” Mei was still upset about the previous events, so she wouldn’t let Aiko get away, wi-

”Ah~” Mei softly moaned as Aiko’s fingers pressed against her back.

”That’s nice~” Mei immediately assumed a lying position and let Aiko do her magic.

”Where did you learn this?” Mei was curious as Aiko kneaded her back.

”I didn’t, well, I do have some skills, but I’m mostly using [#### Needle Technique] and [Heavenly Fingers] to make this work.” Moon Aiko knew she also had that Title, but most of her skills came from these two.

”How much more outrageous will you get?” Mei noticed that strange word that Aiko tried to vocalise, but she was more interested in how she was able to get [Heavenly Fingers].

”I will keep going for a while, so if it hurts too much, tell me.” Moon Aiko didn’t answer Mei’s questions since she thought Mei would scold her.

”You can do this aaaall day~” Mei hummed happily, the tension in her arms was quickly released.

With higher Cultivation Stages, it was increasingly more difficult for one to release that tension and rest properly. Most Cultivators believe that’s the fruits of one’s labour, but it just slows you down more than anything else.

Thanks to that, you are in more danger than before, and your opponents, especially the young ones, have a higher chance of killing you.

”The idea of Massage Chairs is incredible, but they still can’t match the hands of a professional.” Mei lamented that she missed such joy in her life.

”Oh, right, how are Massage Chairs doing?” Moon Aiko was curious if they lasted or if they were destroyed.

Mei moaned softly as she replied to Aiko. ”One is barely functional, the others just won’t do.”

”How were they destroyed?” Moon Aiko was curious why they didn’t last all that long.

”It’s because of the Muscle Foxes, those muscles obsessive bulging muscles heads started to train like they lost all senses and always came to our business to relieve the tension. I dare to say that the Muscle Peak became the strongest Peak in the entire Fox Village, all thanks to one silly Fox that made a strange contraption.” Mei giggled as she enjoyed the massage.

”I’m not sure if you are trying to praise me or scold me.” Moon Aiko sighed, but that also meant that they had a lot of Spirit Stones, right?

”That’s obviously praise, since the Muscle Foxes are on our side thanks to you.” Mei chuckled darkly. ”Which will help us when we are cleaning this place.”

”Shouldn’t we change the Protective Array to hold everyone inside before we do anything?” Moon Aiko tilted her head.

”Only the Rune Saint or Rune Cultivator or what he is calling himself now can do that.” Mei sighed. ”Right, how did the negotiations go?” She suddenly asked Aiko, who stiffened.

”That’s what the Talisman was all about.” Moon Aiko suddenly nodded her head, concealing that she was flustered.

”You forgot to ask him, right?” Mei suddenly sharpened her wits and called out to Aiko.

”N-no?” Moon Aiko worked on Mei’s back even more, so that she wouldn’t get scolded.

Mei only briefly shook her head. ”Your new job is giving me a massage every day!”

”Yes, yes.” Moon Aiko agreed immediately, since angry Mei was scary Mei.

”She likes your massage, so she found an excuse to do it again.” Mai’s head popped nearby again, translating the words her sister just uttered.

”Mai!” Mei yelped at her.

”But she could just ask...?” Moon Aiko felt more and more confused.

”That’s where her pride comes in...” Mai shrugged before going back to her Demonic Disc.

”Ugh...” Mei’s ears and part of her back were completely red from shame.

”I will give you massages every day~” Moon Aiko hummed happily.