Inside the study, a little snow fox circled the room as he chased an all-powerful fox god.
The fox god in question had tried to reason with his vigorous son, but every time he stopped in his tracks, the ruthless boy would catch hold of him and bite him!
Eventually, Bai Zhang lost the last of his patience.
"Would you wait just one second?!"
Bai Qingyue caught hold of Bai Zhang again, and crunched down hard on his backside.
"Ow!"
He may only be a small fox, but the murderous intent was still there. Bai Zhang's poor bottom was probably purpled with bruises by now.
Bai Zhang groaned in despair, but let his son vent his anger.
Upon feeling the cub's jaw slackening, he lifted him by the nape and brought him to eye level.
Bai Qingyue's ears dropped as he sulked – there was only so much he could do to avenge Li Meirong when he was trapped as a powerless fox cub.
"I hope you'll be content with that! I'm certainly going to be left with marks for weeks!"
That knowledge did make Bai Qingyue feel a little better, but it was not nearly enough.
"You almost killed my wife!" he boomed, swinging his paws in Bai Zhang's direction. Sadly, he could not do any harm, because he was still being held at arm's length.
Bai Zhang sighed; after a mere single day with his son, and he had already concluded that parenthood was not easy at all. He held up a hand to offer a truce, but his palm was scratched the moment it came within Bai Qingyue's range.
"What matters is that she is alive and well," Bai Zhang said, as his blood dripped onto the marble floor. "I will make amends, both as her father-in-law and as her Grandmaster."
He couldn't care less about common mortals, but Li Meirong was his son's intended, and so he had to change his attitude towards her accordingly.
"Hmph," Bai Qingyue snorted in contempt, small furry arms folding together. "You will have to put in a lot of effort. I have a list."
Sweat trickled down Bai Zhang's spine. He knew, all too well, to never negotiate with foxes. They always had the upper hand in any bargain.
But Bai Qingyue had relaxed some, and so Bai Zhang dropped him back onto his chair. The cut on his hand had already healed, vanished as if never there.
The two awkward family members sat in front of each other once again, and Bai Qingyue listed his demands.
"First," Bai Qingyue began, paw held up and a single claw raised imperiously, "you must always side with my wife, and must provide her with any and every comfort she desires whilst she vacations in your sect."
Bai Zhang raised a single eyebrow. Did his son consider this sect a… a temporary trip away from home?
"Alright."
"You must give my wife the best position possible during her stay."
Bai Zhang covered his forehead with a hand, holding in a sigh. This would take a while… Bai Qingyue was asking him to breach protocols that he himself had created!
"Li Meirong was taken in as an outer sect disciple," he attempted to explain. "With your powers merged within her, naturally she would be of the necessary skill level to become an inner sect disciple. However, I already have a cultivator in the position of my successor, which is the highest rank available in my division, other than my own. My successor is the disciple whose face you mauled."
"All the more reason to make some changes," Bai Qingyue huffed, still feeling that his reasons were justified. "You are harbouring such vile humans in this sect. eradicate that tramp and put my wife in her position."
"It is not possible to make such a drastic change," Bai Zhang attempted to reason. "Liang Rou Yan has remained loyally by my side since she was a young girl. It would be too much to remove her without cause or reason." Seeing his son about to argue, Bai Zhang quickly added," But I can take Li Meirong on as a secondary disciple. She is my daughter-in-law; I will treat her well."
Bai Qingyue glared at Bai Zhang, as if to say 'you better!' without words.
The Grandmaster just stared back at his shameless, arrogant son, and shook his head helplessly.
"I descended to the earthly plane due to a lightning-strike tribulation," the fox cub continued, "Since then, a large chunk of my accumulated energy has been drained. The remaining strength I had was transferred to my wife, so I will need you to let me borrow some of your accumulated cultivation."'Indefinitely.'
Bai Zhang was no fool – he could easily discern what his son meant by 'borrow'– but it did not matter to him. This was his son, and it was the least he could do. But there were many loopholes in his story, and there was much Bai Zhang had yet to learn about his offspring.
"I have not yet heard your name…" said Bai Zhang, purposefully avoiding Bai Qingyue's demand for the moment.
"Bai Qingyue," the cub answered curtly. Bai Zhang nodded, pleased.
He had been afraid, for a moment, that the Sovereign Lord of his clan had actually been named 'Snowball'.
"A favourable name; Overturning the Moon. Our clan has always kept close ties with Chang'e, the Moon Goddess," Bai Zhang said appreciatively. He held his hand to his chin, and added, "I originally assumed you were keeping your status hidden from your wife, but seeing as you have already married, she is obviously aware of your position as Fox God. It is good everything went smoothly between the two of you, very good! Certain humans do not take well to having relationships with non-humans; they would rather have a spouse who is like themselves."
Bai Qingyue's golden eyes darted about the room; his tail swished from side to side.
He spoke at length, avoiding his father's direct gaze. "She does not know yet. She believes I am a spirit beast named Snowball."
"…" Bai Zhang was left speechless. 'How did they even marry?!'
Bai Qingyue cleared his throat.
"Well, are you going to transfer me your energy? I must prepare for my ascension," he said, changing the subject. "We will stay a short while, but I cannot be gone from the clan for too long, and Li Meirong will be required to become acquainted with her new position as Sovereign Lady."
Bai Qingyue could not wait to be in a human-like form again. He wanted to hold his wife in his arms and tell her who he was. He wanted them to settle down together, and he had been withholding his identity from her with the sole purpose of reintroducing himself at his finest.
There could be no accidents; she had to fall for him in order for his plans to proceed smoothly.
Bai Zhang hated to be the bearer of bad news, but as his son spoke, he had come to the realization that the boy lacked a fair amount of knowledge regarding a mortal's cultivation, and even more so about relationships between couples.
Bai Qingyue had given Li Meirong his godly aura, yet he did not seem aware that would not be enough for her to ascend. There were no shortcuts to becoming an immortal.
Unlike Bai Zhang, his son had not researched about fated partners. Bai Qingyue had been far too engrossed with the clan's tasks and management, and was left unaware of the many steps required, should an immortal join in matrimony with a mortal.
"I will give you half my lifespan's cultivation. You are the blood of my blood, and the Sovereign Lord; it is only right for me to provide for you," Bai Zhang began. "However, Li Meirong would not be able to join you in the Celestial Realm at this stage."
"The reason?" Bai Qingyue narrowed his almond eyes.
"By gifting her with your power, the human girl has already passed through many levels of cultivation she would not have been able to with her own physique," Bai Zhang explained. "For a mortal to become an immortal, however, they must struggle to ascend with their own merit. Immortality cannot be handed to Li Meirong, and it is impossible for her to ascend to the Celestial Realm without an immortal soul."
Bai Qingyue bristled, and his father quickly continued, in an attempt to provide comfort.
"It does not mean it is impossible, but it will not be easy. An immortal's soul is built with a foundation that mortals simply do not possess. Humans, animals, and any form of enlightened consciousness have to strive for enlightenment; they must have both the willpower and mindset to ascend. There is a reason why only one mortal amongst hundreds of thousands cultivates to immortality. Most humans are simply not able to partake in such difficulty; nor do they wish to."
As he listened, Bai Qingyue's entire face became shrouded in darkness. If he could not bring Li Meirong with him, it would mean he had to ensure she would cultivate to become an immortal.
And, having already been acquainted with her laidback disposition, Bai Qingyue knew such a journey would be almost impossible.
'She lacks any sort of drive!'