A Fox Spirit Between Her Thighs - Chapter 2

“Would you be willing to cultivate with me?”

Purple eyes gleamed with a strange light and looked straight into her dark pupils. A gentle voice lingered by her ear, repeating again and again.

She could not hear the chirping of cicadas that should have been present, nor could she see the forest that had once surrounded her. All around her was a blank whiteness. In that vast white void, only the bewitching face remained visible, along with that single question.

“Would you be willing to cultivate with me?”

The voice rang in her ears again. Each word softly pierced through her skull, mesmerizing her thoughts.

“Alright.”

She did not understand what cultivation meant, yet she nodded and agreed as if driven by unseen forces.

She could not clearly see the figure’s appearance. She could not even determine if it had a human form. There was a vague human shape, shifting and unclear, but it carried both an intense allure and a divine presence. It was not frightening. On the contrary, she had the urge to reach out and touch it to see what it truly was.

She agreed. The figure seemed to curve its lips into a slight smile.

Immediately after, a sharp pain pierced her fingertip. Her soft and tender finger felt as though a steel needle had suddenly driven through it. The pain shot straight to her heart, as though even her lungs had been stabbed through.

“Mm!” Li Yao jolted upright with a gasp, eyes wide as she looked around.

Su Ya, who had been attending her at the bedside, quickly stepped forward upon hearing the noise. She asked with concern, “Did the princess have another nightmare?”

Li Yao looked frightened and dazed for several moments. Once she recognized that she was on her bed and saw her personal maid before her, her tense body slowly relaxed.

It was that same dream again. For the past ten years, it had always been the same dream. Recently, it had become more frequent, occurring almost every three days.

She lifted her hand and stared in a daze at her pale fingertip. There was no wound or trace of injury, yet a faint stinging sensation remained. It felt as if she truly had been pricked.

Seeing her fall into a daze again, Su Ya asked kindly, “Princess, would you like some water?”

Li Yao returned to her senses and subconsciously licked her lips. Her mouth indeed felt dry.

Without waiting for instruction, Su Ya turned to the table and began steeping rose tea.

In the Mu Nan Royal Residence, even the smallest of daily needs rivaled the standards of the imperial palace. Even this pot of flower tea was made using rosebuds picked from southern Shu at the ideal half-bloom stage. These were considered the finest. Once brewed into tea, the fragrance was sweet and rich, and the taste mellow and pleasant. It also helped ease the mood and regulate energy. This was the princess’s favorite tea.

Thinking of her mistress, Su Ya felt a wave of sorrow and could not help letting out a quiet sigh.

The princess had fair skin, a beautiful face, and a noble bearing. Her demeanor was always graceful. It was a pity that she had this lingering illness. At her age, she should be at the ideal stage for marriage. There had been no shortage of noble families coming to the Mu Nan Residence to propose. The threshold had practically been worn down from all the visitors. However, Princess Consort Mu could not bear to see her daughter marry into another family. Outsiders could never care for her like her own kin would. If something were to happen to her, it would mean a mother burying her own child. No matter what, she would not allow the princess to marry.

Li Yao waited for a long time and began to grow irritated. She called out, “Su Ya, is it ready yet?” Su Ya was usually quick with her hands. Why was she so slow today?

Ever since the strange illness struck her ten years ago, Li Yao’s body had become rather frail. Even though the Mu Nan Residence spared no expense in hiring renowned physicians and gathering rare and precious medicines from across the land, her body still appeared as delicate as a wind-blown willow. Many renowned scholars and doctors had predicted she would not live past her coming-of-age ceremony.

Yet strangely, despite appearances, she had lived peacefully to the age of eighteen. She did not suffer from serious illnesses and was much like any ordinary person, occasionally experiencing a headache or fever.

If there was anything unusual, it was that on the night of each full moon, her blood would surge wildly, and her body would burn hot enough to cook a raw egg. On those nights, she would become lively and vigorous, completely different from her usual listless state. By the time morning came, she would return to her usual frailty. At first, her mother had worried about this strange condition. As time passed and she remained unharmed, her mother gradually became less concerned.

“Coming, coming. Princess, be careful, it is hot.” Su Ya brought over a tea tray. Steam still rose from the teacup.

This flower tea required boiling water to bring out its full flavor.

Li Yao saw that the tea was still hot and told her to set it on the low table first. She then asked, “What time is it now?”

“To answer the princess, it is already the hour of the ox.”

Li Yao nodded. As she lifted her gaze, she caught sight of the dark circles under Su Ya’s eyes. She figured the maid must be exhausted and said, “You may go rest now. I have already woken from the nightmare. There is nothing to worry about.”