Huh? You Say Princess Ranyue Was…?!

Sacred Cherry Blossom Grove, Elder Council Chamber.

Late that night, dozens of Fox Clan elders gathered, their faces grim. They were deep in discussion, debating critical matters that would shape the entire future of the Fox Clan.

Due to the war and the threat to their very existence, the Fox Clan was currently fractured internally. They were primarily divided into two major factions based on their support for the two Nine-Tailed bloodline sisters:

1. The Saintess Faction: Comprised of loyal elders staunchly devoted to the Fox Saintess, Xia Zhiyue.
2. The Princess Faction: Believed the now-crippled Xia Zhiyue was a lost cause. For the good of the clan, they argued, Xia Zhiyue should be married off to the renowned Dragon Dynasty general, while future efforts should focus on nurturing the other Nine-Tailed princess, Xia Ranyue.

Within these two factions, extreme viewpoints festered.

Some elders in the Saintess Faction proposed a drastic solution: “Use Xia Ranyue as a sacrifice!” They wanted to offer the younger sister’s Source Power and life force to the elder sister. This, they claimed, would not only help Xia Zhiyue recover her cultivation but might even propel her past the Deity Transformation realm bottleneck, straight into the coveted Void Refining realm.

The Princess Faction elders, while not particularly loyal to Xia Ranyue personally, vehemently opposed such a radical and risky move. Are you CRAZY?! After all, if the sacrifice failed, the Fox Clan would lose another of its only two precious Nine-Tailed bloodlines.

Then, Xia Zhiyue would be the sole remaining Nine-Tails, but still crippled, and likely married off to the Dragon Dynasty anyway, leaving the Fox Clan with no future Nine-Tailed prospects at all… T-That’s… way too risky!

Their counter-proposal: Marry Xia Zhiyue off to Ye Qingchuan first, securing the Dragon Dynasty’s full protection. Then, perhaps, they could cultivate Xia Ranyue in the future, giving the Fox Clan a chance to regain its standing.

So, the critical question hung heavy in the air:

Save the Saintess sister?
Or save the Princess sister?

The debate raged. The two factions of Fox elders were at each other’s throats. The Saintess Faction consisted almost entirely of Xia Zhiyue’s close confidants and loyalists. If Xia Zhiyue were forced into a political marriage, her life ruined, what meaning would their lives hold? How could they live with themselves?!

Conversely, the Princess Faction viewed the others as delusional fanatics. Seriously?? As Fox Clan elders, the clan’s overall interests had to come first. Saintesses could be cultivated again, but if the clan was destroyed, everything was lost!

This clash of ideologies deepened the internal rift daily, pushing the clan towards open conflict.

Taking decisive action, the Saintess Faction had already secretly imprisoned Xia Ranyue in the dungeon, preparing to sacrifice the sister at any moment to save their Saintess.

Meanwhile, the Princess Faction was busy conspiring with Ye Qingchuan, trying to arrange the marriage swiftly. Their goal: marry off Xia Zhiyue ASAP, use the Dragon Dynasty’s influence to rescue Princess Ranyue, and completely crush the Saintess loyalists’ desperate hopes…

Normally, elders from these two warring factions wouldn’t even be able to sit at the same table.

But yesterday, the arrival of two outsiders had shaken both factions.

The Fox elders heard that the visitors were inspectors sent by the Dragon Empress herself, tasked with investigating potential misconduct by the Dragon Dynasty attendants stationed in their territory.

The arrival of these two Dragon Dynasty envoys sparked hope within the Princess Faction elders, while simultaneously fraying the already sensitive nerves of the Saintess Faction elders.

“Hmph! Envoys sent by the Dragon Dynasty… none of them can be trusted!” one Saintess Faction elder grumbled at the end of the meeting, arms crossed tightly. They despised not only the demonic sects but also the Dragon Dynasty. Not only was the Dynasty consuming their resources, but that shameless Dragon General Ye Qingchuan even dared to covet their beloved Saintess!

Across the table, however, a Princess Faction elder frowned, expressing a more favorable view of the newcomers. “They’re just here to inspect, aren’t they? They haven’t been acting like the other generals, indulging in nightly feasts and drunken revelry…” They began openly defending He Ange and An Luo Yi.

The reason was simple: Xia Ranyue had been secretly imprisoned by the Saintess Faction elders, her whereabouts unknown. With the demonic sects at their doorstep, the Fox Clan desperately needed unity. The Princess Faction couldn’t risk starting an internal war right now, leaving them feeling helpless and anxious. What can we DO?!

Now, with Dragon Dynasty envoys present, the Princess Faction saw a glimmer of hope. Perhaps these two could intervene.

Because, according to the little fox maids serving the envoys, Those two Dragon Dynasty visitors seem completely trustworthy! If that young master takes action, Princess Ranyue can definitely be saved!

If Dragon Dynasty envoys could rescue Xia Ranyue on their behalf… well, as a reward, offering Saintess Xia Zhiyue in marriage wouldn’t be entirely out of the question… Heh heh… Perfect, isn’t it?

Then, the Dragon Dynasty envoy and General Ye Qingchuan could both be “engaged” to Xia Zhiyue. They might even fight amongst themselves over who gets her! Let them fight! That would actually benefit the Fox Clan!

Thinking this, the Princess Faction elders started to see a path forward.

Slam! The leading elder slapped the table, snorting coldly, seemingly done wasting breath on the ‘Saintess fanatics’ across from him. He stood and led his faction out.

“Psst… Head Elder,” one whispered halfway out, “should we go talk to that Dragon Dynasty envoy? Ask him to rescue Princess Ranyue…?”

The Head Elder nodded subtly in agreement. But, ever the old fox, he added with a sly smirk, “Tell that Dragon Dynasty envoy… if he truly rescues Princess Ranyue, the Fox Clan is willing to offer Saintess Zhiyue’s hand to him…”

“B-But… didn’t we already promise Saintess Zhiyue to Ye Qingchuan?” a few followers asked, hesitant and confused.

The Head Elder just gave a cold smile. “So what? Letting those Dragon Dynasty men fight like dogs amongst themselves… isn’t that better for us?”

“Ah! What a brilliant scheme! Head Elder, you’re truly wise!”

As the Princess Faction elders departed…

Inside the hall, the remaining Saintess Faction elders still wore grave expressions. Although Xia Zhiyue was nearly crippled, their loyalty remained unshaken. To restore her cultivation, they wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice her sister.

Right now, their biggest worry was that the Princess Faction would try to leverage those two new Dragon Dynasty envoys. If they team up… we’re in trouble.

“The optimal time for the sacrifice during the Winter Moon is still three to five days away… Before then, we absolutely cannot let those old fools snatch Xia Ranyue back…” The Head Elder of this faction clasped his hands on the table, speaking gravely. To them, Xia Ranyue wasn’t kin; she was merely the offering needed to save Xia Zhiyue.

“B-But… if those two Dragon Dynasty envoys decide to interfere… just us old, weak foxes… I fear we won’t stand a chance…”
“Indeed… They’re likely the Empress’s trusted agents. We can’t afford to provoke them.” Several elders voiced their concerns nervously.

“We can’t afford to provoke them, hmmph, but what about Ye Qingchuan and his Dragon Dynasty generals?” The Head Elder snorted coldly, crossing his arms dismissively. Despite their internal feud, both factions generally detested the demonic sects and the Dragon Dynasty.

So, while they couldn’t directly challenge the Dragon Dynasty special envoys, what if they leaked information about them… to Ye Qingchuan? What if they told Ye Qingchuan that this newcomer was trying to steal his claim to Xia Zhiyue…?

Heh heh… Then, the Saintess Faction wouldn’t even need to lift a finger. Ye Qingchuan and his attendants would never let those two special envoys succeed. Watching the Dragon Dynasty dogs fight each other? Perfect!

“Go! Fetch a pen! Write a letter to Ye Qingchuan! Tell him everything about the inspectors sent by the Empress!” The Head Elder ordered sternly, sitting before the round table.

Back with He Ange…

The internal strife among the Fox Clan elders had reached a boiling point.

Meanwhile, He Ange, through a night of petting, cuddling, and careful questioning, had extracted a significant amount of truthful intelligence from the little foxes.

First, some external rumors were wrong. While it was said two demonic sects invaded, the Ghost Controlling Sect was the main force actually deploying troops. The mysterious Blood Refining Sect Saintess, after snatching Xia Zhiyue’s Source Power, had rarely been seen. Even when the Ghost Controlling Sect amassed millions of corpse puppets for invasions, the Blood Saintess reportedly just sat on a mountaintop watching, seldom intervening directly.

From this, He Ange could make an educated guess about the demonic sects’ ‘cooperation’. The Ghost Controlling Sect’s goal is simple slaughter, harvesting bodies for their vile arts using the Fox Clan as a testing ground… The Blood Refining Sect’s goal, likely, was solely targeting Fox Saintess Xia Zhiyue. Now that the Blood Sect’s objective was achieved, they probably felt awkward just bailing on their allies. So, they stuck around, keeping up appearances by helping the Ghost Sect maintain the siege.

As for the Dragon Dynasty… they were playing dirty too. The Dragon generals knew how terrifying the demonic sects were – forbidden arts, suicide attacks, etc. Fighting them head-on? Winnable, yes, but costly. And these generals weren’t Fox Clan members; why should they risk their lives so desperately for another race?

So, the Dragon Dynasty generals got clever. They dragged out the conflict, maintained a defensive posture, and only made symbolic ‘efforts’ to clear out some corpse puppets. This way, they avoided casualties, got to live like kings within the Fox Clan territory, and still enjoyed the respect and worship of the Fox populace. Way better than actually fighting, right?

Over time, the stalemate dragged on, creating a bizarre, unspoken understanding between the Dragon Dynasty and the demonic sects. The Ghost Sect gets an endless supply of corpses from their regular attacks, using the Fox Clan to refine their techniques and deplete their resources. The Dragon Dynasty uses the threat of the Ghost Sect to justify their presence, openly collecting ‘protection fees’ and bleeding the Fox Clan dry, effectively carving up the spoils with the demonic invaders.

Thinking it through, He Ange pretty much understood the whole grim picture.

And knowing the Empress… He Ange wouldn’t be surprised if the Dragon Dynasty had pre-arranged this whole thing with the Ghost and Blood Sects. Cripple the prominent Xia Zhiyue, then carve up the Fox Clan from both inside and out. From a purely profit-driven perspective, the conspiracy theory fit perfectly. The Ghost Sect wants bodies, the Dragon Empress wants territory and control. Though supposedly mortal enemies, their goals could weirdly align!

Of course, this was just He Ange’s cynical speculation. Technically, the Dragon Dynasty did offer aid. No matter how badly the stationed generals behaved, it was still a life-saving grace for the Fox Clan. Morally condemning the entire Dynasty for it wasn’t entirely fair.

“Aigh… The Fox Clan really has it rough…” He Ange sighed, feeding the last bear-shaped cookie to the little fox girl nestled in his lap, then dusting the crumbs off his hands.

He glanced over at An Luo Yi, who was now playfully waving a feather wand for a group of captivated little foxes across the dimly lit palace chamber. She sat sideways on the bed, an ethereal beauty, her black-stockinged legs catching the pale moonlight filtering through the window, looking dangerously alluring.

Outside, the wind howled— whoooosh —under a sickly yellow moon, carrying the faint, persistent scent of blood.

It’s getting late. Many of the little fox girls were starting to nod off.

Zzzzz…

Earlier, when they recounted the tragic events befalling their clan, their voices trembled with sadness and choked sobs. Sniffle… Wuwuwu… Recalling the horrific scenes of the invasion clearly re-traumatized their young minds.

Xia Zhiyue’s prestige within the Fox Clan was undeniable; for the common folk, she was like a cherished national idol. Her fall had shattered their hopes, casting a pall of sorrow and despair over the entire clan.

“So,” He Ange asked again, his voice quiet but firm, just before the little ones drifted off completely, “you still won’t tell me where Princess Ranyue is?”

Earlier that afternoon, upon learning Xia Zhiyue had been attacked and crippled, his first question had been about Xia Ranyue. But mentioning her name made the little foxes go pale

shrinking back as if threatened, refusing to say more.

Seeing their fear, He Ange hadn’t pushed the children, instead focusing on gathering other intel. He wasn’t overly panicked. Thanks to the Abyss Mark on Xia Ranyue, he knew she was currently a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and, crucially, not in immediate danger. In fact, he hadn’t sensed any significant spiritual energy fluctuations from her recently, suggesting she hadn’t even been fighting… That girl… living quite the peaceful life while her home is under siege? Didn’t even step up to protect her clan? Weird. He Ange had raised an eyebrow at that.

“Y-Young Master He…” Finally, one little fox, the one snuggled closest to him, mustered her courage. Despite the risk of severe punishment from the elders, she decided to reveal the truth. She lowered her head, her expression pained, and whispered, “Actually… P-Princess Ranyue… she was t-taken away… by the elders who support the Saintess…”

“Hah?! Taken away?!” He Ange’s brow furrowed instantly, his expression turning ice-cold. By her own elders?!

But before the little fox could explain further, a drunken, boisterous voice bellowed from the main courtyard outside the chambers:

“HEY!!! SOMEBODY!!!”

“This lord is TIRED! Hic! Bring me some little fox demons! Come serve this lord in bed! NOW!!!”