Chapter 8

Li Zhixing was greeted by a woman at the gates. She definitely was not a human, that he was certain of. With white-ish fur and pointy ears, she was a fox girl in the flesh. Unfortunately, there was no maid outfit in sight. Her traditional white dress was appealing no less.

Well, “traditional” would not be the right term, since everyone was wearing them.

She said demurely, “The Young Master has been expecting you, honoured guest. Please follow me.”

He listened and did as was told. The woman slowed her steps slightly so that neither person was ahead of another.

What captured his attention was something else entirely: her two fluffy tails. Their movement mesmerized him, his eyes physically unable to look away.

He could feel the drool coming down his mouth as he wondered how soft they would feel.

“Honoured guest, you can touch it if you’re interested. It’s not the first time someone has requested it, so I don’t mind.”

He blinked, very much surprised. “Wait, what are you?”

“I and my many sisters are from a lower realm. I must apologize for not telling you the name. We are born there, bred there, and trained there to be the optimal servants for the Long Family. The best of the best, like myself,” she puffed up her chest with a hint of pride, “are allowed to serve the most respected members of the family.”

He smiled wryly. “Good to know. But I was more so wondering what your role was. With your jewellery and choice of clothing, I assumed you had a… higher status, no offence. So, your offer surprised me, that’s all.”

“It is simply the reward of diligence and exceptional effort. Also, the young master treats his household very well. My sisters have outfits of similar style and value, though I claim the most expensive jewellery.”

And she was absolutely correct. The other servants also dressed alike, with some variations in accessories and clothing patterns. The average beauty “level” was quite high, too.

More noticeably, they share the same mannerisms, walking gait, and posture. He supposed this was just the norm for household servants.

Taking her words into consideration, he speculated that her kind was tailored towards the needs of the Long Family. The word “bred” suggested some deliberate breeding practices, possibly aimed at preferred traits – not unlike the situation at Earth’s farms.

Something to note was that in the novel, a nine-tailed fox woman did appear, claiming descent from some fox monster. Back then, he thought little of the matter, since nine-tailed foxes were nothing new to cultivation stories.

However, this maid made him think about the matter of genetics in this world. Prominent families such as the Long or the Bai often bore characteristics from magical creatures. One aspect was their emphasis on the purity of the bloodline – not to the point of incest but just plain xenophobia and classic arrogance.

They had some basis for their line of thinking, though. This was a world where blood and genetics were of actual consequence, the wet dream of ancient aristocrats. Usually, the union between two old-blooded individuals would produce greater descendants. In contrast, if a dirty commoner like himself had a child with a true noble like Ruxue, then the child would be… prone to death. This was not a hard rule or anything, but it was true more often than not.

He did not mean that Ruxue bore Zhixing’s son, that would be too much drama. From what he remembered, most of these old families had strict laws that made bearing half-breed children physically impossible.

Ironic, considering they themselves were little more than half-breeds between man and beasts. Even if they try to claim otherwise.

Just thinking about this incurred his wrath. Some of it was not his own, but the deep-seated resentment the original held towards how the world worked. Yet, he could not help but empathize, and appreciate how things were back home.

Some consider cultivation a great equalizer, but that was not the whole truth. There was a reason this world’s belief systems did not see cultivation as a way to “go against the heavens”. If anything, they viewed it as a natural embracement of the heavens and one’s fate.

The pair had finally the main hall.

Looking around, Li Zhixing noticed another aspect of the household.

It was opulent, as was natural. There were figures of emerald jade, depicting scenes from various mythological events – events he knew nothing about. There were rivers of wine – surprisingly not rice wine – which carried beautifully-crafted gourds and bowls of succulent food, the smell alone making his mouth water. There were statues of molten gold, their eyes gems and their robes royal silk – unmoving, lifeless statues that dressed better than him.

It was a bit overdone as if overcompensating for something else. And no, he doubted it was the size of Long Hao’s dick.

That something else was the sense of emptiness pervading the entire mansion. There was no life and little joy in the place, which the various statues, paintings, and strange plants could never make up for. The food only floated endlessly, with not a single soul enjoying the fruits of hard labour.

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The only movement he saw was that of the maids, who were carrying out their different assignments. Yet, they remained silent, barely bothering to meet each other’s eyes.

That was not to say he heard no chatter or gossip. There was, but he had to strain his ears to even hear anything. Suffice it to say, they were far, far away from his presence. He assumed that the same situation played out whenever Long Hao showed up.

Whatever the case, it all appeared performative and, to put it bluntly, pointless.

“You can eat anything you fancy, honoured guest. Or,” she said with a lovely smile, her large eyes looking into his own, “do you fancy me?”

His heart beat sped up and he unwillingly blushed. Then, as a natural reaction, he suppressed his urges and pushed back against her seductive powers. That was one aspect of Li Zhixing’s Path he should take note of, the ability to defend against mental attacks.

“Thanks for the offer, but no. Let’s continue.” He then waved at the surroundings. “Maybe you can tell me a little about this place? Satisfy your ignorant guest’s curiosity, will you.”

She said apologetically, “I will be in big trouble if I tell you, sir.”

“No problem,” he replied. It was safe to assume that other things, such as the regularity of outside visitors, were also not for her to reveal. Thus, he just followed her to their destination, with little speech but a lot of deliberation.

There were three basic parameters for the upcoming discussion.

First, he needed to secure his own life. What did he mean by that? In the story, Li Zhixing had relied heavily on his link with Bai Ruxue, to the point of overconfidence. For some context, the link allowed him to control Ruxue’s life and death. Additionally, his life was also her life.

However, the protagonist had prepared an artefact that severed the link, which he found in some random tomb many chapters ago. Very convenient. The only reason Li Zhixing would survive longer, apart from punishment, was to return the stolen constitution.

This issue was his primary concern. If they could not find an adequate solution, the only option would be to strengthen his defence. Against a protagonist, calling it a hopeless dream would be an understatement.

Sure, if he could gain steadfast support from the elders, as his original plan had been, he would not be too worried. While Long Yonglin showed some sympathy, it was a bit too ambivalent for his liking. He was certain that some additional resources might be made available – perhaps some weapons or some goons – but nothing too big. Definitely not the direct help of an elder.

With the added information on internal family dynamics, he knew little good would come from relying heavily on Yonglin. The silver lining was that Long Tian and Long Hao’s safety was basically secured since it was unlikely that fatal damage was allowed, not that he was ever worried about either of them dying.

The same expectations could not be applied to the outsider that was himself, and to some extent, Bai Ruxue. His death would be collateral at best, and preferable at worst.

In a perfect world, he could still play bait without being personally present. Logically, only Bai Ruxue needed to be there. However, he had to ensure that things go semi-properly. Of special importance was the return of Long Tian’s spear and the hostage.

Bai Ruxue needed to escape with Long Tian. In the short term, her rescue was not too relevant to the plot, since she would spend most of the time recuperating. The more important thing was improving the relationship between the protagonist and Ruxue. This would pay dividends in the long run, considering the importance of her family.

It might be nigh-suicidal to send her back to the Bai, alive.

They would come at him regardless. It would only be a matter of time before the information spread. This was a reason old Li Zhixing had intended to hug the fat thighs of the Long Family, at least temporarily. Preferably, he would be stationed on some small realm until he digested his gains and built up his strength.

That was why the Heavenly Constitution had been so vital. It was his “reward” after taking on huge risks, after deliberately choosing the most dangerous target out of Long Tian’s ever-expanding unrealized harem.

The other thing was that her family was not overly concerned with her. It was not so much them not caring about her, as it was their faith in her ability.

At least, that was the case with her sisters. Her illustrious mother? Not so much.

If she cared, then Bai Ruxue would not be so free in the middle of a rival clan. He could not fully disregard them simply being ignorant, however. After all, many distant relations exist within these sprawling bloodlines as Long Yonglin had alluded to from before.

Li Zhixing had to ensure that her position was accessible, which basically meant ensuring that Long Tian had a way to break her out. He could just follow the original plot on this by having Long Hao hold the keys, which gave him incentive to actually fight Long Hao.

Long Tian needed to defeat Long Hao. The former had to become the rightful heir. It was not going to happen anytime soon, but it had to happen eventually. The resources this family had to offer were too important to ignore. Not to mention the secret trials that served to strengthen his bloodline and overall power.

The first step was this duel. The first step out of many.

Still, he had to provide Long Hao with some information – nothing critical, but things that were still useful. This was because Li Zhixing was weaker than before, meaning Long Hao needed to make the protagonist sweat a little. It was one way to buy some time and reduce the risks.

A lovely voice broke him out of his thoughts. “Honoured guest, we are at our destination. You are to enter the place alone. Follow the river. It was a pleasure to serve, no matter how brief.”

With that, the maid was gone. Li Zhixing now stood at the entrance of a forest. Judging by the sounds, this place was not small. To think they would build an entire forest within a courtyard. Though, compared to the other things, this was relatively mundane.

The trees were simple and mundane. So too was the clear river by his feet.

As he followed the trail, Li Zhixing saw various wooden statues along the riverbank, too many to count. These showed differing scenes, seeking to invoke different emotions. Yet, they all had one thing in common: the main character was always the same man.

A perfect human specimen, with ideal bodily proportions and radiant facial features. There was some sense of familiarity. Indeed, this person felt oddly similar to Long Hao, down to certain minute details.

Was this the idealized image Long Hao had of himself, a sure sign of pride and self-confidence? He had a feeling that was not the case.

Even though these should be nothing more than lifeless figures, he felt a surge of pure awe. This awe was twofold. There was Li Zhixing's awe towards the artisan's craft. There was also the artisan's own awe towards the person being depicted.

The former was tied to the latter, and Li Zhixing found a new-found appreciation for art in this new world.

Li Zhixing continued on, now walking more slowly as he admired the pieces of art that dotted the pathway. All good things must come to an end eventually, and he found himself in the presence of one arrogant young master.

By the riverside, Long Hao was working on a large freshly cut log of oak. He was creating a small figurine with an assortment of wooden tools. Simultaneously, he was managing several fishing rods. Judging by the fullness of his buckets, the heir was quite the fisherman.

Long Hao glanced at him, immediately waved away everything, and then sat down at a table – the trunk of a large tree. He lightly gestured at Li Zhixing.

With a deep breath, Li Zhixing came to his seat, eye-to-eye with this multi-talented heir.