Chapter 25 – Aiko is missing?!
In the morning the Queen's lips twitched. 'This rascal...' She was staring at Aiko who was sleeping on her tail. 'She just can't sleep without me...'
She sighed quietly, she didn't mind it as much, it was a nice feeling to be 'needed', although this kind of need was strange. 'Does she like soft things so much?' She asked in her mind, but she already knew her answer.
'I will wait a bit and go hunting.' The Queen thought quietly. 'She was very cute and obedient so let's reward her with good meat. That way I can keep her nice and obedient.' She nodded to herself.
...
The Queen went hunting, leaving Aiko alone. Aiko might've been bored since the pond no longer shined, however the stinky Fox promised her good meat and more Beast Cores. She wouldn't move from this place even if it killed her, all of those things were yummy and it would be difficult to acquire with her aching Beast Core.
...
"Oi!" Hunter1 slapped Hunter2.
"Oi!" Hunter2 kicked Hunter1.
"Bastard!" Hunter1 scoffed. "You said that place was close!"
"It IS close." Hunter2 snorted. "Compared to how far Sects are."
"Fuck," Hunter1 cursed. "Couldn't you say that sooner?!"
"I did say it!" Hunter2 looked at his comrade like a dumb animal.
"Asshole!" Hunter1 kicked at Hunter2 but missed since this time Hunter2 dodged.
"Save your energy! We need to claim that Qi pond!" Hunter2 shook his head, watching this dumb bastard still trying to kill him.
They both were Loose Cultivators, and as such resources were incredibly limited. They had to learn different crafts to survive in this world, but it was difficult to even reach Foundation Establishment as Loose Cultivators. They would have to impress the Sects to get inside since they already passed the age requirement for brainwashing and didn't have the necessary talent to even start in the most outer part of a Sect. Sect cleaners.
Those would clean the steps and other challenge sites so they are squeaky clean. This would allow the Sect to boost their prestige as everything looked like out of this world, untouched by dirt and dust. Many praised the Immortals for how heavenly they looked. They never saw dust or impurities on their clothing. Their faces were a beautiful pale colour with long hair envied by many. The longer the hair the higher the status. The cleaner their clothes the wider their prestige. Some Cultivators even bragged that they could fight while keeping their clothes clean, unfortunately, most of those fools were killed by jealous female Cultivators. They treasure their beauty much more than men, as they have much less opportunities to shine. Sure they could go for Alchemy or such, which they were really good at, but who wouldn't want to fly high in the sky on a sword while throwing technique upon technique at their enemies!
That was the reason why these Loose Cultivators were so desperate. Prestige and Jade Beauties. The longer their lifespan was the higher the chances of obtaining one. Then they could spend the rest of their days just rolling around enjoying them.
"Well..." Hunter1 looked at Hunter2.
""Fox Beauties are not that bad either."" They both laughed speeding up.
...
The Queen was on a hunt, it was not as difficult as she expected, since it seemed like this part of the Forest was untouched by Humans. As such there was a high concentration of animals that she could hunt for her little Servant.
She nodded at the pile of corpses she hunted and stored all of them in her ring. She also kept Aiko's rings and pouches since that lazy little Beast kept forgetting them, or whenever she slept she would drop them in her sleep.
'She is too defenceless...' The Queen sighed, even her boy toy wasn't so defenceless... at least she was cuter. She reminded herself of what she was supposed to be doing and slowly returned to Aiko.
...
Aiko... wasn't there. The pond also disappeared. Sure it took her a few days to hunt those birds for her, but for things to change so drastically.
She swallowed her heart, fearing the worst. "Pipsqueak?!" She tried to call Aiko, but nobody answered. Her mind was heavy and dull. 'Sleeping powder.' She growled terribly. 'THOSE SHITTY BASTARDS!' Her energy flared everywhere, trying to fight those bastards, unfortunately, she was not in her right mind and couldn't spot that strange energy that was running away from her.
"I WILL MURDER ALL OF YOU!!!" She roared at the top of her lungs.
She then dashed towards the direction where those steps headed, but unfortunately, those were bait from the Hunters, so that they could escape safely...
...
'SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!' Both Hunters were cursing in their minds. They were extremely fortunate to find what looked like an abandoned Fox, since they sell exceptionally well, especially to the old bastards. Unfortunately, there was not the Pond they knew about, but fortunately, they would make much more money from this Fox, than they would make from that Pond.
The Pond was great don't get me wrong, but it couldn't match the allure of a Beast that could turn into a gorgeous female, which could help you Cultivate at unimaginable speed!
'W-W-WE ARE FUCKING RICH!' They screamed in their mind as they carried the sack with sleeping Aiko. 'This is fucking amazing!' They grinned at each other speeding up and ignoring their fatigue.
They were able to arrive at the City quite quickly and were immediately allowed to the underground market.
"Hey, Boss." They both grinned like silly children.
"What's up, you bastards? Do you have that 'mysterious' Pond?" He teased them as they were bragging about that Pond from morning to night.
"Unfortunately no." They shook their heads. "But we found this!"
They showed the sack with Aiko inside and the merchant's eyes shrunk. "That's a Fox, you bastards! And a cub at that!" He was sweating. He was sweating buckets from this.
"Chill Boss, it was abandoned." Hunter1 grinned, only to stop when the shopkeeper threw a jab at him hitting him straight.
"YOU INSANE?! DO YOU WANT TO KILL ME?!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "HAVE YOU OBSERVED THIS CUB FOR A WEEK OR DID YOU JUST STEAL IT UNDER HER MOTHER'S NOSE?!" He noticed the well-groomed fur without much dust on it. His heart quivered as he hoped they would answer no.
"What? No, why would we do that?" They asked like the dumb duo they were.
The shopkeeper almost fainted and kicked them out of their establishment. He has reached Golden Core already and was from a nearby Sect. It was a shady Sect, but it had many resources, so that's why he joined them and there was only one rule imposed on them. 'If you ever hunt for Fox cubs, make sure they are abandoned.' was the rule, and the rule of thumb would be the week he mentioned. Most mothers wouldn't leave their cubs for more than a few days unless they died, as such the mother might be already coming towards this place. If that mother was weak that would be fine, but when he saw the high-quality fur which you can get only from hunting much higher Cultivation beasts... his heart nearly stopped.
...
'Luckily I'm quick and got everything important in my Storage Pouch, now I need to get out of here before she comes-' His heart stopped the moment he couldn't hear any outside noises.
*BANG*
The doors which were inscribed with numerous protections shattered like wooden sticks. A terrifying Fox entered his establishment, covered in blood. Staring straight at his soul.
"I did not buy your cub!" He immediately kowtowed. "All I wanted was that Pond, I did not know the sky and disturbed your territory!" She banged his head on the ground until it bled.
"Where..." The Fox growled, fortunately, this merchant was quick-witted.
"They live in an Inn nearby!" He showed her a gem that shined and displayed their faces clearly. He always kept check on his customers, just in case something like this happened.
"If you want to keep your life you will pack everything you have and give it to me once I return." The Fox growled, with a strange feeling. 'Humans got smarter over time...' She realized this and was in a hurry.
She went to that Inn, but couldn't find Aiko. She used her illusions to torture those two guys. They sold it to a Cultivator.
She vanished from that place and appeared in front of the merchant. He immediately kowtowed with all his wealth between his hands. 2 high Grade [Storage Rings].
He didn't see anything and she growled. "Do you know him?" She showed him the visage of a Cultivator.
The merchant glanced at it and immediately answered. "He is a Senior Martial Brother from my Sect, he runs auctions a few cities away, but always carries a movement scroll just in case he finds something interesting that he wants to sell immediately. He is probably already at his Auction House." He shivered. 'Shitty Senior! I hope you die.'
The Queen grabbed those rings and sped off, she noticed he had protective gear, but those rings were the only ones around, so at least he was somewhat sincere. She didn't have time to deal with his protective gear. She could always return to kill him, but if Aiko was sold to one of the old bastards, tracking her would become difficult for the upcoming years...
...
"Let's make this Auction a grand one!" The Senior Martial Brother smiled from ear to ear when he watched his Junior Sisters look at his loot with twinkling eyes.
"Senior Brother." One girl said seductively. "How much would it be for the beast?" She revealed even more cleavage, making the Senior Martial Brother burn with passion. Fortunately, he was already used to the normal seduction techniques so he only got a boner. "Unfortunately she would be only sold in Auction, Junior Sister." He shook his head.
...
The Queen felt like she was breaking as she sped through the Forest and Plains. She still felt the imprint on Aiko from far away, but she would take at least 7 days at top speed before she could arrive at that place. She was already panting, her crude usage of [Lightness Technique] was draining her. This was the second time in her life she felt so miserable. Her mind was in turmoil and she couldn't make heads or tails from this. She just wanted her little cutie to be safe...
