"The leader of the Green Fox Clan is my mother, but she has been in seclusion to recuperate recently, so she couldn't come to greet you two. Please forgive her," Ye Susu said apologetically when she saw that Han Li was a little lost in thought.
"That's alright. We've come to Qing Hu City, so we should pay our master a visit. Since she's in seclusion, we won't disturb her.
The scenery in Qing Hu City is quite unique; may I trouble you to show us around, Fellow Daoist Ye? "Han Li asked after snapping back to his senses.
"Of course."
Ye Susu agreed happily and told Ye Ping and the others to leave while she flew towards the city with Han Li and Ye Ping.
Qing Hu City covered an area of thousands of kilometers. Although the terrain was basically flat, there were a few rivers and some short mountains. Besides, there were plenty of trees here, so the scenery was quite good.
Before they knew it, the sky had already darkened.
Ye Susu brought Han Li and Ye Susu to the center of the city, where a tall palace stood.
This palace covered an area of about two to three hundred acres. It was also built with wooden materials. Apart from its majesty, it also gave off a sense of exquisiteness.
In front of the palace, there was a statue of a giant green fox roaring at the sky. The statue was carved from a type of green jade, and it was thousands of feet tall. It had nine long fox tails behind it, and it looked extremely majestic.
"This palace is called the Heavenly Fox Palace. It used to be the residence of the leader of the Green Fox Clan," Ye Susu introduced.
"Heavenly Fox Palace?
Your clan is called the Green Fox Clan, why isn't it called the Green Fox Palace? "Han Li asked.
"The name of the palace was decided by our ancestors, so I'm not very sure," Ye Susu said while shaking her head.
Han Li nodded and didn't pursue the matter any further.
"There are a few quiet courtyards beside the Heavenly Fox Palace that are used to entertain esteemed guests. It's getting late, so please rest here, Senior Han and Fellow Daoist Weeping Soul. I'll visit you again tomorrow," Ye Susu said as she brought the two of them to a quiet courtyard nearby.
"Thank you," Han Li thanked her.
Ye Susu summoned two servants of the Cyan Fox Clan and had them guard the courtyard before leaving.
Han Li's eyes flashed as he watched the woman leave. He then entered the courtyard with the Weeping Soul Beast.
The courtyard was paved with green bricks, with a flower garden on the left and a cluster of green bamboos on the right. As the night breeze blew, the flowers and bamboos swayed gently, emitting a faint fragrance. It was very peaceful.
Han Li nodded in satisfaction. He sat down in the main hall and pondered.
"Master, are you planning to stay in seclusion in Qing Hu City?" The Weeping Soul Beast asked.
"Why do you think so?" Han Li raised his eyebrows and asked noncommittally.
"If that wasn't the case, with your style of doing things, you would have saved Ye Susu. You wouldn't have used your Essence Qi to help her cultivate, and you wouldn't have followed her here.
Also, didn't you ask Ye Susu to show us around just to investigate the situation in this city? "The Weeping Soul Beast blinked its large eyes with a sly smile.
"The Cyan Fox Tribe is a small tribe in the Golden Origin Mountain Ranges, and it's located in a very secluded area, making it a very good place to hide.
I've just carefully investigated the entire city, and I didn't discover any dangers, "Han Li replied with a hint of approval in his eyes.
"That's great! But how are we going to make them stay?
The Cyan Fox Tribe seems to be quite averse to outsiders.
Of course, as long as you display some of your power, you'll be able to easily make them stay. That's a little different, "the Weeping Soul Beast said with furrowed brows.
The two of them had already discovered that the Cyan Fox Tribe members were looking at them with hostility. If it weren't for the fact that Ye Susu was by their side, they most likely would've gotten into a fight already.
"Don't worry about that, I have my own plans," Han Li said with a smile as he cast his gaze toward the east of Qing Hu City.
…
Late at night, gentle moonlight shone down from the sky, illuminating Qing Hu City.
Everyone in the city had already gone to bed, and the entire city was deathly silent.
An azure humanoid figure flew out from within the city before landing in front of a lush forest in the eastern part of the city. It was none other than Ye Susu.
At this moment, she had changed into a set of lavish azure palatial robes with an azure jade crown on her head, giving her a more dignified appearance.
There was also a statue of an azure fox standing in front of the forest. However, this statue was only half as tall as a grown man, and it was very dilapidated and devoid of any spiritual nature. It appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary stone statue.
However, Ye Susu wore a solemn expression as she put her palms together and extended a respectful bow toward the statue. She then slit her finger and dripped a drop of blood onto the statue.
Two streaks of fluctuating azure light abruptly erupted from the statue's eyes before disappearing into the air up ahead.
The forest up ahead immediately began to tremor and ripples began to appear.
Ye Susu's palm also began to glow with bright azure light, and she extended her hand forward before disappearing into the forest before pulling gently.
A loud tearing sound rang out as a rift around 10 feet tall was torn open in the air up ahead.
Ye Susu quickly looked around, and after making sure that there were no abnormalities in her surroundings, she stepped into the rift. The spatial rift immediately mended itself, and the spatial ripples also disappeared.
At this moment, an extremely faint shadow appeared and flew into the spatial crack in a flash before it closed up.
Ye Susu's vision blurred, and a basin that was several tens of kilometers in size appeared before her.
There weren't many buildings within the basin, but there were large spirit fields that seemed to be planted with many spirit herbs and spirit medicines.
However, there were light barriers restrictions set up around these spirit fields that concealed what was happening within. Bursts of medicinal aroma wafted through the light barriers, giving one a sense of invigoration.
Ye Susu paid no heed to the spirit fields as she continued onward.
The space behind her flashed, and the shadow reappeared with Han Li's face within it. He looked around at the spirit fields with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Han Li was extremely familiar with all kinds of spirit herbs and spirit medicines. Just by smelling the medicinal aroma, he could tell that the spirit herbs and spirit medicines planted in these fields were extraordinary, and they weren't inferior to the herb garden in his branch space. He couldn't help but feel shocked.
One had to know that the herb garden had taken him a lot of effort, and with the help of the Sky Bottle, it was able to reach its current scale. The Green Fox Clan wasn't very powerful, but they were able to cultivate a herb garden that was comparable to his own.
His figure flashed, and he flew toward the spirit fields below.
…
Ye Susu flew forward, and she soon arrived at the depths of the basin.
A green pond appeared on the ground, and the water rippled as it emitted a gentle light.
There were a few large azure stones beside the pond, and she lightly patted one of them.
The large stone immediately sank downwards, revealing a dark cave entrance, and a long flight of stairs that led deep into the ground.
Ye Susu stepped into the cave, and she soon reached the end.
A rather large stone room appeared in front of her, and the ceiling of the stone room was inlaid with a few white pearls the size of a fist, illuminating the room in a milky white color. The four walls were flashing with starlight, and it looked quite beautiful. Obviously, there was an enchantment cast on it.
There was a white jade bed in the stone room, and a young woman in a green robe was lying on it. What was surprising was that the lower half of the woman's body was sealed by a ten feet tall blue ice mountain.
The ice mountain emitted a bone-piercing cold air, and the temperature of the entire stone room was extremely low. Faintly, icicles appeared in the air, as if they were also sealed in ice.
The young woman's face was pale, and she clenched her teeth tightly. Blue veins could be seen on her forehead, and it was obvious that she was enduring extreme pain.
Bean-sized beads of sweat fell from her forehead, and as soon as they fell, they were immediately frozen into ice beads.
A woman in a white dress stood at the head of the bed, and both her hands were placed on the young woman's shoulders. Her hands emitted bright green light, and it continuously flowed into the young woman's body.
The woman in the white dress had a powerful aura, and she was clearly an early-stage golden immortal.
"Young master, you're back."
When the woman heard the footsteps, she raised her head and saw Ye Susu. She stopped and bowed to her.
The young woman on the bed also opened her eyes and looked at Ye Susu.
"Susu, you're back." The young woman's lips moved, and a smile appeared on her face, but her eyes were full of tenderness.
"Mother!" Ye Susu quickly walked to the side of the bed, and held the young woman's hand. Her eyes were red.
"Good child, mother … I'm fine. It's just that the cold air has been corroding my body recently, but with Elder Qiu's help, I can withstand it.
You, on the other hand, went out on your own again, and for such a long time. Where did you go this time?
Did you encounter any danger? "The young woman in a green dress asked softly.
"I went to the Golden Rhino City, and traded some things with them. On my way back, I encountered a few people from the Golden Horse Sect, and it was a little dangerous. Fortunately, I was saved by the two elders …" Ye Susu hid most of the truth, and simply recounted what had happened.
In order not to let her mother know that something was wrong, she told her in detail about Han Li and the Weeping Soul.
"What?!
Young Master, you invited a human cultivator into Qing Hu City?
The others in the clan may not know, but don't tell me you don't know that the clan leader's current state is due to those human cultivators! "The white-robed woman's expression immediately turned frosty upon hearing this.
"Elder Qiu, it's true that the person who hurt mother is a human, but we can't treat all human cultivators as enemies just because of that.
The Golden Essence Celestial Realm is the domain of the human race, and if the Green Fox Clan wants to develop, we have to deal with them.
As the leaders of the Green Fox Clan, we have to put aside our personal grievances and think for the sake of the clan. "A hint of hatred flashed through Ye Susu's eyes, but she immediately repressed it and sighed.
A blurry figure stood silently in the shadows of the passageway outside the hall. It was none other than Han Li.
A hint of approval flashed through his eyes upon hearing Ye Susu's words.
The woman in the white dress furrowed her brows upon hearing this, and she was just about to say something when the young woman in the green dress cut her off with a wave of her hand.
"Elder Qiu, let's do as Susu says. Those two cultivators are both Golden Immortals, and befriending them will be very beneficial to the development of our Green Fox Clan in the future.
You don't have to pay too much attention to my injuries. "
The woman in the white dress paused momentarily before replying, "In that case, we'll do as you say."
"Thank you, Mother!" Ye Susu was elated to hear this.