Under the shadows of his confinement, Bai Qingyue's little fox snout twisted into a sneer.
This could definitely be a true trial for ascension, he silently mused. Only a day had passed, and he'd already experienced tribulations worse than any he had come across in the thousands of years of his life. His large, almond eyes gazed down helplessly at his snowy front paws. The pair of jade bangles still shackled them, sealing in his powers. They would not have affected him in his true form, but the fall still left him greatly weakened.
It seemed there was no other way than to trick his way out of this predicament, thought the Fox God. Wasting no time, he rose up on all fours and glowered dangerously at the monks surrounding him.
"You dare think of absorbing my life essence?!" Bai Qingyue growled, righteously thumping the center of his chest with a white paw.
The Head Abbot rushed to the cage with the assistance of another priest who guided his balance. He stopped inches away from the cage, meeting the strange beast's glare with a suspicious gaze.
"You speak now, I see. Does this mean you have grown tired of pretending to be dead? Don't think I won't get rid of you! I can sense your aura and know that you are weak. You best tell me exactly who and what you are and then, perhaps, we might reconsider our decision," the Head Abbot threatened. He knew he wouldn't truly change his mind. This trickster was far too dangerous to keep alive, but curiosity got the better of him. He had to know where this strange fox came from.
Averting his gaze, the corners of Bai Qingyue's mouth tilted upwards into a smirk. "You can only sense what I am willing to show you, old fool. Don't pick a fight with someone so out of your league. You had better release me soon before my benevolence runs out and I choose to destroy this entire monastery, you, and each of your disciples included."
For a moment, the Head Abbot simply stood staring at the small fox in apparent disbelief.
It was, after all, just a fluffy little thing trapped inside a locked cage. Any magical powers it may have had were blocked by the enchanted power sealing bangles around its feet. And yet the way he spoke, threatening the Abbot's entire monastery, sent involuntary shivers down his spine.
Quietly, the fellow priests murmured amongst themselves. Some were alarmed by the threat, but others found it laughable, rolling their eyes at the preposterousness of the little fox's claims.
"No matter how you look at it, it's just a harmless little monster sealed inside a cage. And still, it dares to talk like that. It's obviously bluffing," one of the priests grumbled. Others nodded along in assurance. In fact, the priest in question was quite right. Bai Qingyue was not able to do much at that moment; however, their hesitation was all he could've asked for.
The Head Abbot frowned. His feelings were mixed. Unsure of what to do, he decided to postpone the execution. For now, at least. He was aware that one wrong move could very well ignite this potentially dangerous fox's anger and unleash his full wrath upon them all. The Abbot decided then to observe the creature for a while. If he saw no significant changes, it would then be safe to do as he pleased.
Shifting his demeanor to that of a friendly old man with a croaky voice and a winning smile, the Head Abbot addressed the fox once more.
"Fox Beast, we truly apologize for our conduct. We are but a humble monastery. We merely handle demons in order to better protect society from harm. We take care in only to capturing those who have done harm to our kind. But clearly, you come from a distinguished background. Therefore, we have no quarrel with you personally. If you would care to tell me where you are from, we might be able to return you to your origins," the Abbot suggested, trying to sound helpful.
'Harmful creatures?' Bai questioned suspiciously in his head. 'These little demons in the cages around me are deemed "harmful"?' Bai Qingyue almost laughed at the monastery's ignorant assumptions. He also noticed the sudden change in the old man's behavior and noted it as interesting.
The foolish Head Abbot's lies and attempts to obtain more information were anything but subtle.
'Alright,' Bai thought in amusement, 'I shall play along... for now.'
Bai Qingyue's eight tails swished back and forth hypnotically. Occasionally, one of them thumped against the walls of the wooden cage. He looked rather adorable with his snout wrinkled up in a foxy sneer as he reproached the Head Abbot condescendingly.
"Why should I tell you where I'm from? I'm locked in this cage, held by these shackles, and all of a sudden, you want to act like we're good friends. Are you trying to deceive me?" He squinted his golden eyes at the Abbot.
The surrounding priests watched the conversation between the two curiously. They had never seen the Head Abbot talk to any non-humans before, much less be nice to them. Was this fox really something to be afraid of after all?
The Head Abbot raised a hand in dismissal. "No no no, how could I? A monk vows never to harm the innocent and always fights for righteousness."
Naturally, non-human entities were not included when it came to defining 'the innocent'.
Bai Qingyue pointed a little claw through the cage at him. "Your sincerity does not sound very convincing to me. How about you show me an act of good faith... like releasing me from this dreadful prison. Perhaps then I may be swayed to reconsider my course of action. I may even let you know where I came from..." He raised a provocative eyebrow at his last words, perceiving that this was the information the Abbot was searching for.
The Head Abbot blinked a few times, obviously confused.
'Did this fox really expect me to unlock this cage, unseal his powers and just let him waltz free as a show of good faith?' The Abbot frowned in his head. Sometimes, having this kind of authority wasn't worth the burden it brought. 'What a headache!'