Lantern Festival
At first, Nan Yi only felt something soft and slightly damp fall on his forehead, but when he realized what it was, his heart began to pound, and the heat in his heart spread rapidly throughout his body at an unparalleled speed.
If his fur wasn't fiery red, he would probably be completely stained red by that restless energy.
Somewhat drowsy, he leaned back on Chu Li's shoulder, waiting for his senior sister's cultivation time to begin. Once that time arrived, he would have to go out again.
But this time, he waited and waited until another day was about to pass, but his senior sister still didn't speak.
When he woke up again, it was already dark outside. When he turned his head, his senior sister was sitting in her usual spot, cultivating.
"Junior brother, now that you're awake, go to the small room next door."
Chu Li kept her eyes closed. While her junior brother was asleep today, she used her spiritual power to rebuild a room next to her own, connecting it to her own room.
She waited a long time for a reply, then opened her eyes again and urged, "Junior brother."
Then she saw Nan Yi's eyes light up like stars, and before he could say anything more, he hurriedly ran to the next room.
As if she might break her promise at any moment, Chu Li gave a light snort. She never changed her word, but soon, a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
With another person in the room, it's likely to get even noisier.
Several months passed quickly. Chu Li emerged from her cultivation state, stretched, and felt refreshed. After these months of cultivation, she had finally improved her cultivation level by one small level.
Then, as if she had thought of something, she called out to the next room, and soon a fox emerged from the house and pounced straight at Chu Li.
The extremely practiced movements showed that he had been doing this a lot over the past few months, but this time, Nan Yi did not manage to jump into Chu Li's arms smoothly; his forehead was pressed against a finger.
When he looked up, he saw his senior sister narrow her eyes, and a bad premonition instantly rose in his heart—
"Junior brother, haven't you advanced in a long time?"
Chu Li looked Nan Yi up and down a few times. How come she remembered that her junior brother had the same cultivation level when he first arrived? Several years have passed, and he still hasn't advanced?
But she could tell that Nan Yi was very intelligent and had a talent for cultivation.
Since it's not due to congenital reasons, could it be that he himself doesn't want to advance?
Nan Yi patted Chu Li's fingers with his somewhat soft paw and coughed lightly: "Our fox clan is a little different. Not only do we have to cultivate like humans, but we also need to grow tails to break through..."
As he said this, he felt a little guilty. Their tails actually followed their cultivation level and did not require any additional cultivation.
However, it's true that his tail can't grow back now.
Chu Li nodded thoughtfully, lowered her fingertips that had been resting on his forehead, and instead ruffled the fox fur on his head.
"Since you can't advance in the short term, why don't you go out for a stroll?"
For the past few months, they have been so focused on their cultivation that they have hardly left the room. Only occasionally, during a break, Nan Yi would come over and lie down beside her.
Upon hearing this, Nan Yi's previously listless expression immediately brightened, but he quickly asked cautiously, "Just the two of us?"
Chu Li nodded. "It's in a small town nearby. They're holding a five-day lantern festival there, and today is the first day."
The small town was called Mingkai City. If one were to ride the Azure Lotus, it would take about half an hour to get there. Chu Li would occasionally go there to participate in the annual lantern festival in the past. So when she came out of seclusion today and found out it was the day of the lantern festival, she thought it would be a good time to invite her junior brother along.
That lantern festival was not just a simple lantern festival, but a lantern festival that, according to legend, brought enlightenment and opportunity. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago, someone had an epiphany while releasing lanterns.
It was after that that many cultivators flocked to the temple, but very few were truly able to comprehend its teachings; perhaps only one would emerge every few decades.
But this can also be seen as an opportunity to learn something, and who knows, maybe next time it will be my turn to be lucky?
Therefore, many monks would go there every year as long as they had nothing else to do.
Chu Li used to visit this place occasionally because it was close to the sect. In her experience, the first day is when the most cultivators arrive, which means that if they go today, they will be able to catch the most bustling moment.
Myeongkai City, which is close to Wanshangzong, was bustling with activity today, with crowds filling almost all the streets.
Most of them were cultivators, but even they dared not use their spiritual power in the crowd. The reason was simple: Mingkai City had long stipulated that during the Lantern Festival, it was forbidden to use spiritual power to harm people in the city; otherwise, they would not be received.
The cultivators who came here were all there for the lantern festival, so why would they rush to break the rules?
When Chu Li came down from the lotus, she deliberately chose a less crowded spot. She looked around and sighed, "This year's seems to be even more lively than in previous years."
"Does Senior Sister come here often?"
Nan Yi landed with Chu Li. He had specially chosen a robe with some deep red patterns today, which made his face even more beautiful.
He brazenly revealed his true appearance, attracting the attention of many passersby—his face was already extremely handsome, and today, because he was going out with his senior sister, he had made sure to make his face even more exquisite.
After noticing his appearance, some people then noticed the face of the woman beside him—the two of them standing together were a perfect match.
However, the woman's appearance was in no way inferior to the man's, so why hadn't he noticed such a beautiful face before?
Chu Li, expressionless, reached out and forcefully patted Nan Yi's head, touching his soft hair: "Didn't I tell you to keep a low profile?"
Before landing, she covered her face, and unless someone was paying special attention, they would not be able to tell what she looked like.
But now that Nan Yi is so high-profile, it seems her efforts have been in vain.
Nan Yi's lips curled into a smile. It was rare for him to go out with his senior sister—and today it was his senior sister who took the initiative to invite him. Why couldn't he be happy?
He prepared this especially for today; how could he not show it to others?
However, no one else was on his mind; his main concern was his senior sister. Would she notice that he had dressed up specially for today?
Chu Li's gaze swept across his face. She didn't really want to blame her junior brother, so she quickly changed the subject: "Let's hurry up and buy two lanterns so we can put them out after dark."
The two arrived at a small stall on the street. Chu Li casually picked out a simple lantern, but Nan Yi was different. He picked out a blank lantern, then picked up a pen that the stall owner had put aside and started drawing on his own.
However, when he was drawing, he deliberately turned his back. Chu Li was taken aback at first, but then she thought to herself, "Junior brother doesn't want her to see what he drew."
She almost laughed out of anger. Would she really go out of her way to see what her junior brother had painted? She wasn't that curious.
Besides, if he's going to cover it up, he should cover it up more thoroughly. If she wants to see him like this, she can still see him.
Nan Yi, however, was unaware of what her senior sister was thinking at that moment, and was simply focused on drawing the picture at hand.
With just a few strokes, he sketched a woman in a long robe with familiar features. If someone were to look at the painting now, they would surely recognize it as the portrait of the woman beside him.
The resemblance was about 70%, and Nan Yi frowned as he examined it, but in the end, he still couldn't capture his senior sister's temperament with his brush.
When he finished drawing and turned around, he found that Chu Li seemed to have already left. He felt a sudden panic, but soon he spotted that familiar figure in the crowd. He then picked up the lantern and walked over quickly.
Chu Li was buying food at a stall when Nan Yi squeezed through and said to the stall owner, "Give me one of the same thing too."
The stall owner was grinning from ear to ear. One customer had just come and given him a mid-grade spirit stone, and now another companion had arrived. He opened his hand, ready to receive another spirit stone.
But the handsome young man before him looked completely innocent: "Didn't my senior sister just give it to me? Or is it that each pancake here costs a mid-grade spirit stone?"
The stall owner's expression immediately changed, and he said with an embarrassed smile, "I made a mistake. So you two are together..."
Chu Li held the freshly baked pancake and ate it bit by bit. She rarely ate such ordinary things, only occasionally having a little with everyone when the atmosphere was nice.
"Senior sister, would you like something else to eat?"
Nan Yi stood beside her, also holding a pancake in his hand. His slender yet powerful hand seemed somewhat out of place with the fragile pancake.
Chu Li raised her head. Since it was her junior brother who took the initiative, she wouldn't stand on ceremony.
She ordered several of the day's special dishes, which she had heard other cultivators mention when she first came to this city.
Most of them are spiritual foods, which can increase one's spiritual power slightly. There are even one or two special foods that are said to increase the chances of enlightenment.
Chu Li simply didn't believe the legends of this place, which is why she didn't specifically look for these foods.
Nan Yi noted them down one by one before turning around and leaving to search for them.
He could easily buy the first few items of food by spending a little time, but the last one—following the directions of the person who gave him the directions, he made several detours and finally arrived at a quiet alley with few people.
At the end of the alley stood a shop, but the signboard was somewhat dilapidated, making it seem nothing like a place that sold popular food.
Upon closer inspection, all that could be seen was a young boy sitting by the door, idly fanning himself.
The boy seemed to hear footsteps, but without looking up, he said indifferently, "We're sold out for today. Please come back another day."
"Do you know what I want to buy?"
"Whatever it was, it's all gone."
The boy was getting impatient. He didn't know how many customers he had turned down today. If they said they were sold out, they meant they were sold out. If they really wanted to buy, they should have come earlier. By the time they had dawdled like this, there was nothing left.
He looked up, instinctively wanting to shoo the other person away, but froze for a moment when he looked up.
At this moment, another gentle voice came from inside the shop: "Please forgive the rude boy, young master. I apologize on his behalf. But if I may be so bold as to ask, are you from the fox clan?"
Nan Yi lazily lifted his eyelids and saw a middle-aged man of about thirty slowly walk out.
"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?"
Nan Yi wasn't surprised that the other party recognized him. Anyone who had spent enough time with the fox clan could recognize a fox in human form based on certain characteristics.
Moreover, he didn't pretend at all this time.
"Here's the thing, I have a small request. If you can do it, I'll make another batch of green jujubes. How about that deal?"
Upon hearing this, the boy hurriedly stood up: "Master! You can't! You've forgotten your body..."
The middle-aged man raised his hand to stop the child from calling out and gestured for him to go inside first. The child had no choice but to glare at Nan Yi before reluctantly entering the house.
"What does the young master think?"
Nan Yi: "Let me tell you your request first."
The middle-aged man led Nan Yi into the house. Only after entering the house did they discover that it was a completely different world inside. The house was four or five times larger than the facade, and it was bright, clean and tidy.
After walking through a series of corridors, the middle-aged man stopped in front of a door and pushed it open to go inside.
There weren't many things inside the door, except for a screen standing in the center of the door, blocking the view of those entering.
"Please wait a moment, young master."
The middle-aged man walked around the screen, fiddled with something behind it, and then put the unfolded screen away.
Nan Yi then noticed that behind the screen was a large bed made of purple wood, and a young woman was lying on the bed.
The middle-aged man introduced her to him: "The one lying on the bed is my younger sister. About a few years ago, she was seduced by the fox clan's bewitching arts, and her mind has been completely controlled by the fox clan. I had no choice but to put her into a temporary sleep."
"As for the fox clan's magic, I've consulted many cultivators over the years, but they all say that it's best for the fox clan itself to decipher it..."
“But…” His eyes suddenly dimmed for a moment, “I can’t go to the fox clan for help. In fact, as soon as I get close to the fox clan’s territory, she will struggle to wake up. So I can only look for kind fox clan members who pass by outside.”
Nan Yi keenly sensed that his mood was somewhat off when he mentioned the kind fox clan, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that the fox clan didn't have any good intentions towards strangers. It was already good enough that he hadn't gone to the fox clan to report the news; most of the time, it was none of his business, so he didn't care.
Unless the other party can offer a very high reward, but judging from his appearance, the other party doesn't seem to have enough wealth.
Nan Yi also frankly admitted, "I'm not sure I can save her."
After all, he himself is only at the Foundation Establishment stage and cannot break higher spells.
"Here's what I'll do. I'll give you a token. Go find the Great Elder of the Fox Clan yourself, and he'll help you save her."
The middle-aged man accepted the token and choked up for a moment. He was certain that the fox in front of him was no ordinary fox, as it could even get the Great Elder of the Fox Clan to help him.
He thought of many things in a moment, including his sister's continued coma and the disdain the fox he had previously sought out...
When he came to his senses, he found Nan Yi looking down at him. Then he suddenly remembered something, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said, "This time I will definitely make the biggest green jujube for you, young master."
Nan Yi nodded in satisfaction. He was never a kind-hearted fox; everything he did was simply because the other party had paid him the corresponding reward.
When Chu Li saw him again, she was a little surprised that he could still buy green jujubes at this time.
The things she mentioned earlier were not without the intention of making things difficult for him, but to her surprise, her junior brother actually bought everything she had mentioned.
Suddenly, a strange emotion welled up in Chu Li's heart, but before she could figure it out, the feeling vanished in an instant.
She wasn't the type to dwell on things, and her attention quickly returned to the location where the lanterns were to be released that day.
With such a large number of people today, they will probably need to find a suitable location.
As Chu Li was speaking, she suddenly noticed that Nan Yi hadn't replied for a long time, so she touched his arm curiously.
Nan Yi suddenly came to her senses: "Okay, senior sister, we'll put the lanterns wherever you like..."
Chu Li interrupted him somewhat helplessly: "What were you thinking about just now? I haven't decided on a location yet."
Nan Yi felt a lump in his throat and cautiously glanced at Chu Li. What he had just been thinking was something he couldn't possibly tell his senior sister—
"Then why don't we go and see each place? Whichever place you like the most, that's where we'll go."
Chu Li smiled and nodded, then thought to herself that her junior brother's way of changing the subject was too clumsy and could be seen through at a glance.
In the time that followed, Nan Yi dared not think about anything else, for fear that his senior sister would see through his thoughts.
He was actually thinking that while their fox clan's bewitching arts were renowned throughout the world, what outsiders didn't know was that they had another treasure with a similar function.
This item can affect all living beings, and its power is extremely strong. Anyone with a cultivation level below the Tribulation Transcending stage will be bewitched, and even cultivators at the Tribulation Transcending stage have a certain probability of being bewitched.
If he really wanted to, he could borrow it from the clan for a period of time.
This was something he only remembered when he saw the woman's condition.
If he could... then he could truly have what he desires most.
"Junior brother!" The woman waved to him, her light blue robe billowing in the wind. It was clearly not a bright color, but he found it to be extremely eye-catching.
He strode away, seemingly impatient, and transformed into a fox in the middle of the road, rushing towards his senior sister.
His senior sister caught him as always.
As for what he was thinking just now? What nonsense! Senior Sister is Senior Sister, this is the real her.
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