The Lay Flat Life: My Wife's Cultivation Makes Me Stronger - Chapter 19

Seeing the little fox struggling, Jiang Surou immediately raised her hand, sending out a wave of spiritual energy that gently lifted the fox and brought it through the window, setting it on her lap.

Her heart nearly melted at the sight of the fox’s adorably panicked expression.

As she gently stroked its soft white fur, feeling the fluffiness under her palm, Jiang Surou smiled. “Don’t be afraid, little fox. Falling from the second floor wouldn’t hurt you.”

“But it would hurt my bottom! Falling on my bum would hurt a lot!” The little fox looked up with a serious expression, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Jiang Surou chuckled at the fox’s innocence, her laugh as soft as a breeze. “You’re so cute. Did you come here just to visit me?”

Jiang Surou almost never smiled at anyone. She was known for her cold demeanor, distant and indifferent to everyone. But for this adorable little fox, she couldn’t help but show her warmest smile.

“Big sister, your smile is so beautiful. You should smile more often. I bet anyone who sees you smile would be so happy.”

“Big sister isn’t here to sell smiles,” Jiang Surou teased softly. “But you, little one, are truly too charming.”

The fox grinned cheekily and jumped onto the tea table in front of Jiang Surou. Standing on its hind legs, it waved its little paws dramatically and said, “I came to see you today for two reasons.”

Jiang Surou, resting her chin on one hand, looked at the fox with an amused smile. “Go ahead, what’s the first reason?”

“The first reason is that I missed you, big sister. I wanted to see you, get close to you, and have a nice cuddle.”

“Such a sweet little mouth.” Jiang Surou chuckled and reached out to ruffle the fox’s head.

“And the second reason?” she asked.

Seeing Jiang Surou’s delighted expression, the little fox felt extremely pleased with itself. It thought to itself that Han Feng, that clueless fool, should learn from it. This was how you make a woman happy. How did he expect to win over a goddess like this by acting so awkward and shy?

“The second reason is that I’ve brought a gift for you.”

The fox patted the storage pouch hanging from its collar, and in an instant, a pale blue flying sword appeared on the table.

“A sword? Why are you giving me a sword?” Jiang Surou picked up the sword, channeling spiritual energy into it to assess its quality. Her beautiful eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“This is a spirit treasure. From the feel of it, I’d say it’s a low-grade spirit treasure. Quite valuable. Where did this come from?”

Spirit treasures were indeed precious. Some Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t even afford spirit treasures and would have to make do with spirit weapons instead.

Only well-off families like Jiang Surou’s could afford spirit treasures, which were considered staple weapons for mid-level cultivators within the Yin-Yang Sect.

As for magic treasures, those were astronomically expensive. Even within the entire sect, only a few existed, most of them in the hands of elders—each one a priceless treasure.

Even Jiang Surou didn’t have a magic treasure. Her own weapon was a mid-grade spirit treasure. So, seeing a low-grade spirit treasure being given to her now was quite unexpected.

The little fox explained, “This was bought by Han Feng last night. He asked me to deliver it to you.”

“Han Feng bought it? A low-grade spirit treasure like this is worth at least 2,000 spirit stones. How could a mere servant disciple like him afford something like this?” Jiang Surou said, clearly skeptical.

“It wasn’t 2,000, it was 1,800! He got it from the Treasures Pavilion in town. I went with him, so it’s true. You have to believe me, big sister!” the fox said, puffing its cheeks in indignation.

“I’m not doubting you,” Jiang Surou said gently, “but I’m just curious. Han Feng has been a servant for years without any cultivation. Where did he get the money to buy such an expensive treasure?”

Jiang Surou put the sword down and picked up the little fox.

The fox’s voice became serious as it continued, “Han Feng told me that over the past five years, he received some reward seeds and secretly grew medicinal herbs on the mountain. He sold those herbs for spirit stones.

Since he couldn’t cultivate before, he never traded the herbs for money. But last night, he went to sell them all, and after haggling for half the night, he managed to buy this sword for 1,800 spirit stones.”

Hearing this, Jiang Surou’s expression softened slightly. She raised an eyebrow and said, “1,800 spirit stones is no small sum, even for me. For him to have saved up that much, it must’ve been quite difficult. But if that’s the case, I can’t accept this sword.

It’s the result of five years of his hard work. It’s his blood, sweat, and tears. I don’t owe him anything, and he doesn’t owe me either. I can’t take something from him without reason. You should take it back.”

The little fox quickly intervened, “No, no, no! He spent a lot of time choosing this gift just for you. He told me that since he’s only a lowly servant disciple, he’s lucky to have caught your attention and become your Dao partner. He hasn’t had the chance to give you anything yet, so this was meant as a gift—a token of gratitude. Please, big sister, accept it with a smile.”

These were not words Han Feng had instructed the fox to say. The witty little fox had come up with them all on its own.

“But I’ve only known him for three days,” Jiang Surou mused. “On the first day, he gave me a low-grade spirit weapon. On the second day, he gave me a Thirty-Five-Year Three-Needle Flower. Now, on the third day, he’s giving me a low-grade spirit treasure. How can you say he hasn’t given me anything?”

“But you’ve returned the favor with so many things as well,” the fox countered.

“But I’m still curious,” Jiang Surou said thoughtfully. “He’s just a servant disciple with no cultivation. How can he keep giving me such valuable gifts? When we first met, he said he didn’t have anything at all.”

Jiang Surou continued stroking the fox’s fur as she pondered these thoughts.

The fox’s eyes darted back and forth as it quickly thought of something clever. “You know he’s just a servant disciple without any cultivation, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, think about it, big sister. A servant disciple like him, owning such a valuable spirit treasure—if people found out, wouldn’t they try to take it from him?”

“A man without guilt, yet bearing a treasure,” the fox quoted. “And now he’s offended the Ye family. If they found out he had this sword, wouldn’t they be even more determined to kill him and take it? He doesn’t have the strength to make full use of this treasure. Right now, it’s not a blessing for him, but a burden and a curse.

So, big sister… why don’t you help him hold onto it for now?”

Hearing this, Jiang Surou hesitated. She looked at the sword, wondering if it truly might bring harm to Han Feng.

Wait, why am I even worried about that little servant?

Seeing that Jiang Surou was wavering, the fox doubled down with a pitiful expression. Its eyes grew wide, and its voice became soft and pleading.

“This was an important task he gave me. If you don’t take the sword, I’ll have failed my mission. If that happens, Han Feng will punish me, he’ll spank my poor little bottom, and worst of all, he’ll cut back on my food. He’s so cruel…”

“What? He dares to hit you?”

Jiang Surou’s eyes narrowed, and a sudden flash of killing intent filled her gaze.

Wait—did I take this too far? the little fox thought. I’m supposed to be helping him woo his goddess, not ruining his image!