How to Catch a Celestial Fox

“What do you mean we aren’t getting paid!?!”

 

Mu Yi’s shrieking made Huo Huli’s already sore head pound even more. He held the strings of wen in his hand, which he had been distributing to the men and women who helped. Mu Yi had come up and demanded his share, which was a preposterous notion to Huo Huli.

 

He took a deep breath before answering, “I told everyone from the start that these funds were for the villagers.”

 

“We worked our asses off and you made us climb that hill eight times!” Mu Yi growled, looking like a dog frothing at the mouth. He stepped closer to him, but Huo Huli would not be intimidated. He stood his ground and clenched the strings tighter in his palms.

 

“You said you were strong enough to carry, and to leave the wood to you. It appears you have trouble listening, and also do not think before you speak,” Huo Huli knew he was poking at a rabid beast, but he was annoyed and wanted nothing more than a bath after five hours of sweating under the sun. “If I had known you expected to be paid, I would have declined your offer.”

 

Mu Yi flung an arm out, gesturing to the barn. Fan Su also came up to stand beside his sect brother, watching the exchange with narrowed eyes. “Why the fuck else would I want to do any of this? Of course it was to get paid!”

 

“We are disciples, and are to be of service.”

 

“Ha!” Fan Su laughed without any mirth. “Not all of us are stupid little monks in robes, Daozhang.”

 

The way he said the title dripped with sarcasm. Villagers were watching, so he knew that he had to be mindful of what he would say. The men and women were confused, some also just as annoyed as he was, but a few also appeared frightened, which concerned Huo Huli the most. He didn’t want anyone to be afraid of them, because they were there to help them as cultivators.

 

“I will apologize for the confusion,” he spoke very slowly and chose his words carefully, “however, this money is not for any of us. It is to compensate the villagers. I will part on good terms if you head back to the inn now and get some rest.”

 

Mu Yi’s jaw clenched and he reached for him, and he stepped out of reach. His own frustration flared because while he could be a patient man, as well as a very sympathetic one, the one thing he would not tolerate was being touched.

 

“You are not allowed to touch me.” He glared at Mu Yi. From the corner of his eye, he saw Zhang Yong and Huo Cheng weave themselves through the crowd to get closer. “I will apologize again, and ask that you go get some much deserved rest.”

 

“Seven Star sect,” Mu Yi spoke through clenched teeth as he inched close enough that Huo Huli felt the spittle hit his face from his words. “Doesn’t do anything for free. Everything has a price. Now pay up.”

 

“I advise you to get your sect brother.” He spoke to Fan Su without taking his eyes off of Mu Yi, staring up at him without so much as a blink. “You two need some rest.”

 

Huo Huli’s aura began to leak out on its own volition. He was still struggling to manage the pent up energy he had since the jiangshi, and perhaps this meant he was prepared for a breakthrough, but now would not be the time to try it. His presence magnified, and he felt his qi bump against Mu Yi’s energy with a firm shove. Mu Yi blinked and broke their staring contest.

 

Fan Su, perhaps sensing all this despite their low cultivation, reached for Mu Yi’s arm and clasped his hand around the elbow.

 

“Let’s go, Shixiong, it’s not worth--”

 

“It is worth it!” Mu Yi glared at Fan Su over his shoulder then turned his snarl back onto him. “We have a code, and I’m not going to let some omega with a fancy title think he can do what he wants.”

 

Again Mu Yi reached for him and he elegantly spun on his heel to avoid Mu Yi’s hand with a ninety degree turn. Mu Yi stumbled forward from his own momentum, arms flailing. Zhou Rong rushed up at the same time Huo Huli moved and caught Mu Yi by the arm before he could land face first on the ground. He quickly hoisted Mu Yi up and Fan Su joined his other sect brothers’ side.

 

Huo Cheng walked over and stood between him and the three Seven Star disciples. By now there was murmuring amongst the villagers, so he took a few deep breaths to pull himself together and suppressed his aura. He turned his back to the men and spoke over his shoulder, keeping his tone as polite as he could manage while putting the lid on his simmering energy.

 

“Thank you for the work, and I apologize for the confusion.”

 

Mu Yi cursed and muttered under his breath, and Huo Huli didn’t dare look over until he heard them walking away. He twisted his body to watch their retreat and his eyes fell on Zhou Rong’s naked torso. His cheeks and stomach went hot and he quickly turned back around. He bit his lip to focus on the pain rather than the slight arousal that reignited upon seeing his form again. His cock twitched to life, and he could not blame the slick feeling between his thighs on sweating. 

 

Stop being so easy, he internally scolded his groin. He felt a touch on his shoulder that immediately dumped a cold bucket of water on his feelings and he whirled around. Huo Cheng gently caught his arm that he lashed out instinctively. Sighing in relief, he stood at ease and apologized to his cousin.

 

“I’m sorry,” he let Huo Cheng give him a soft hug as he took yet another deep breath to cool himself down. A flush radiated over his entire body, but it didn’t feel like his heat. He was intimately aware of his body and how it reacted to his heat, which wasn’t due for a few more weeks. If anything it was probably an overabundance of yang energy that built up since the scare at the mine, but thinking of heats brought him to thoughts of his brother.

 

“Cheng’er, would you be willing to distribute the rest of the money?” He held up the strings of wen to his cousin. “I am going to find Xiao Huo and freshen up.”

 

“Would you like an escort?” Zhang Yong had joined them. He peered at Huo Huli over the rim of his lenses with concern. He was touched that the beta offered his protection even though he sometimes looked afraid of Huo Huli.

 

A very fine gentleman. Huo Huli smiled genuinely and shook his head. “There is no need, but thank you. I will leave first. If you two can take care of securing everything for work tomorrow, I would appreciate it.”

 

He bowed to Zhang Yong and then he went to the villagers who he’d become friendly with during their work. After thanking each of them, he cupped his hands in farewell in order to leave on a positive note. Seeing their smiling faces refreshed him enough to take the sting out of the exchange with Mu Yi. 

 

On his way back into the village, he caught Huo Ningjing sitting outside of Aunty Li’s restaurant, surprisingly without food in his hand. The family that offered to house him and his brother was Aunty Li’s eldest son, who conveniently lived next door. It was only convenient in that Huo Ningjing had an endless supply of Aunty Li’s buns when they were hot and fresh out of the oven. He’d have to give her some more money for her patience.

 

“Li’er!” Huo Ningjing clapped his hands together upon seeing him. He scrunched his nose when Huo Huli got closer and waved a hand in front of his face. “Phew. You look and smell like you need a bath.”

 

“That is what I intend to do, but I wanted to check on you first.” He hadn’t missed some of the looks Huo Ningjing had been receiving. 

 

“Oh! I have a wonderful idea!” Huo Ningjing hopped up from his chair, “Wait here a moment!”

 

Huo Huli did what his brother asked while he went into the house they were staying in. He spotted Aunty Li diligently working in the restaurant and he waved at her through the window, smiling politely. She gave an enthusiastic wave in return, making his smile widen. Huo Ningjing’s footsteps pounded as he came running back, skidding to a stop in front of him. In his hand was a small basket with a sheet of cloth and a fresh change of clothes.

 

“There is a cold spring if you follow the southern river up the hill. It is very pretty!” Huo Ningjing held up the basket to him, which he took reluctantly.

 

“How did you learn of this spring?” He frowned at Huo Ningjing. He himself had yet to explore much of the paths in the area, only the eastern stream which led to the waterfall where he meditated.

 

“On the map that the Elders gave the Heavenly Lake disciples.” Huo Ningjing’s cheeks dimpled from his big grin. “I was just going to suggest we both go, but Aunty Li said there are some women who have items to donate. You have worked so hard today, you go enjoy it!”

 

 A cold spring did sound like a pleasant idea. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his sleeve, reminded again how hot it was. “Alright. Thank you Xiao Huo, but please behave while I am gone? Cheng’er is still down at the barn.”

 

“I won’t leave the restaurant or the home while you are away.” Huo Ningjing shoo’ed at him with both hands, urging him to go. “Have fuuuuuun!”

 

Huo Huli turned and made his way south. Is it just me, or was he acting strange? It was hard to determine what, if anything, was going on, but Huo Huli’s twin intuition was tingling. At the river, he followed it towards the forest. The path here was not on a hill, so the walk was easy, and he did not have to travel far. When the river curved, the water turned to a beautiful looking spring.

 

There was a very high waterfall that came from a jagged rock wall that broke off half the area into a steep climb, while the bottom he stood on was relatively flat with multiple pools that were fed by the waterfall. He peered around, knowing it was foolish to check and make sure he was alone. He could only sense a few woodland animals in the nearby area, but he wanted to stay vigilant since the feeling from yesterday.

 

Seeing with his own eyes that he was indeed alone, he set down the basket with his sword and stripped out of his clothes. He untucked his pants from his tall boots and removed them first, freeing his feet so he could wiggle his toes. His pants and robes went next, and he took the time to carefully fold them before putting them on the ground.

 

He poked his foot into the nearest pool, testing it. The cool water soothed his aching foot immediately, luring him in, and he stepped into the waist deep water with a sigh. The welcome chill seeped into his muscles and cooled his skin until there were little goosebumps along them. He sat down close to the edge, leaving his shoulders and head above the water. 

 

Try as he might to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, his mind kept replaying the argument over in his head. He tilted his head back and looked up at the sky and wondered if he should have handled things differently. Mu Yi was proving to be troublesome. Is it even possible to work with him?

 

Then his mind rebelled more by sneaking in memories of Zhou Rong’s chest. He was a perfect specimen of an alpha from the top of his broad shoulders, down his smooth chest and over the rocky planes of his abdomen. His golden skin was aglow from the sun and sweat which highlighted the details of his body. His waist dipped down to his pants where he could just make out the outline of--

 

“Ah!” He splashed his face with the cold water, stinging his flushed cheeks. His body betrayed him now, flushing hot once again and miraculously managed to get partially erect despite the temperature of the pool.

 

Even behind his tightly shut eyes, he could see the image clearly of Zhou Lieren’s throat working as he drank down his gulp of water. Even that looked muscular, which was a ridiculous sentiment. This warm sensation in his body refused to disappear, but it wasn’t his heat.

 

“I thought I would have worked off all that energy by now…” He hoped that the several hours of manual labor would help expel any excess energy, but it appeared that his body stubbornly refused. He hesitantly touched his own stomach, startling himself even with the faintest touch. He sighed at how pathetic he was behaving.

 

“Has it really been that long?” He muttered to himself as he tried to think back to when was the last time he had played with himself, which was apparently too long ago. Even during his heat last month, he stubbornly suffered through the three days. As if to protest its neglect, his cock sprang further to life and pointed towards his navel. 

 

With his knowledge of dual cultivation and energy, he knew that water and sex was yin energy, and until he could dedicate some time to work on a breakthrough, perhaps the best way to get some relief was to do this. With no other alternative, Huo Huli grasped his own cock and hissed at the contact. Through his blushing embarrassment, he moved his hand slowly up and down the shaft. It really had been a long time but his hand instinctively knew what he liked as it squeezed with just the right enough pressure. He gasped at the almost foreign sensation.

 

It...it really has been too long...

 

A long forgotten surge of pleasure tickled up his spine, chasing after the full body flush he experienced. The cold water lapped at his chest and teased his nipples into stiff little peaks. He was so ashamed of his body’s reactions that he bit his lip to try and suppress the lewd sounds that threatened to escape his throat. Not to be outdone by his cock, his hole also ached, urging him with a deep seated instinct to part his legs.

 

He couldn’t ignore it, no matter how hard he tried to just focus his attention on the prick in his hand. With a defeated whimper, he scooted back to get into a better position and laid his head down on the edge of the pool. Bending one knee, he parted his thighs just enough to slip his hand between them, touching himself underneath his sack. He pushed one finger inside of himself experimentally and a moan gurgled out before he could trap it by clenching his teeth. 

 

Though wet from his fantasy of Zhou Rong’s beautiful chest, he was still too tight and could only work with one finger for now. He rubbed the inside of himself, searching for one of the sources for his internal burning. Electricity coiled in his stomach as he probed deeper and desperately spread his legs wider in search of a better angle. The hand on his cock stuttered, his body confused as to which needed to be satisfied first.

 

“Come on...come on…” He sobbed in frustration and his breath hitched. It shouldn’t be this hard to jerk off!

 

The sound of a twig snapping yanked him from whatever possible enjoyment he could have. He pulled his finger out and let go of himself and headed to the deeper center as he turned around and hit the air with a palm strike. Any of that excess energy that he’d been desperately trying to release surged out of the heel of his palm. A white hot fire shot out towards the direction of the noise and struck a tree that turned instantly into ash and crumpled to the ground. The fire disappeared, but he could still sense whatever was there.

 

“Reveal yourself right now, or I will not be so lenient with my next shot!” He did not want to reveal that he actually missed. With such a surge and being so disoriented, he could not direct the blast as neatly as he normally could by focusing it into an arrow. His sword wasn’t vibrating, so it didn’t sense any otherworldly danger, which meant it was a living being. Worried even more now, sunk his body into the water up to his neck but kept his arm raised, ready to send another shot. Then a gruff, tentative voice called out left of the spot he struck.

 

“A-ah...Tianshanghuo-jun, I am sorry to have startled you.” It was Zhou Rong’s voice, and Huo Huli’s heart skipped a beat.

 

He could not see Zhou Rong and he was too frazzled to hone his senses to reach out and find him. He hid himself well, not that he could blame the man after what he did. “D-do not come any closer, disciple Zhou Rong.”

 

He could hear the soft sigh and imagined the rough lips that it came from. “I understand if you are wary of my presence, but I did not come here to cause trouble - I want to apologize.”

 

“...Apologize?” Some rustling of leaves pointed Huo Huli in the direction Zhou Rong was in and he yelled, “Don’t come closer!”

 

“TIanshanghuo-jun, I would like to apologize properly. I truthfully mean you know harm.”

 

Zhou Rong had shown himself to be a polite man, though a little distant. He did not want him to think he was frightened by him, because his fear of alphas was a possible weakness that someone could exploit. He cleared his throat and dropped his arm down to help cover himself under the water.

 

He went with a little bit of truth in his explanation, “I am undressed.”

 

“I assumed as much when your brother told me you were here…is that really a problem?”

 

Xiao Huo told you I was here?! His cheeks burned once again. “Then you are mistaking my brother’s intentions for telling you that I am here. No one is allowed to see me naked.”

 

“...” Zhou Rong coughed, “...I have no need to see you naked.”

 

For some reason, Zhou Rong’s words made his stomach hurt. He dipped his head down and looked at his reflection in the water. Staring back at him were his harsh eyes and sharp features that held nothing that resembled the soft, pretty features of an omega. His damp hair clung to his forehead and cheeks, looking even curlier in this state. Why would he want to look at you? The slap of rejection reminded him when he caught Zhou Rong and Huo Ningjing talking back at the barn. An alpha like him...wouldn’t give you the time of day. Zhou Rong was the type of man who sought out people like his brother, not him. He had nothing worth looking at.

 

Ah! He smacked his cheeks. What am I thinking? I don’t want an alpha to look at me! He blamed his cursed fantasy and arousal from earlier for confusing his body and muddling his brain even more.

 

“...Tianshanghuo-jun?”

 

“Yes? Yes! I’m...I’m sorry, I was distracted for a moment.” The heat died down to the point that it wasn’t even a simmer and now he could settle down. “You said you came here to apologize. What for?”

 

“I wanted to extend an apology on behalf of my sect brother,” Zhou Rong gave another sigh, this one more frustration than the one before.

 

“There’s...there’s no need. It was all a misunderstanding.” He tucked his wet hair behind his ears and hunched his shoulders forward. He wanted the exchange to end quickly.

 

“...You are a very patient person, Huo Laoda. Truthfully, you are very blessed.”

 

Am I? He didn’t feel very blessed at the moment. Sure, he could blow a tree into smithereens, but he was cowering inside a cold spring afraid of a man - an alpha - seeing him naked. On top of that, he was somehow upset that he was rejected because he wasn’t attractive enough to try and be seen naked. Thinking of nudity and attraction reminded him of an earlier thought and jolted him out of his confusing state of emotions.

 

“I thank you for your kind words, Zhou Rong. You do not need to speak for your sect brother, but your manners are appreciated. However,” he steeled his voice to sink his words in like a blade. “I would advise you and your sect to think twice about going near my brother.”

 

There was a long pause before Zhou Rong answered, “I understand, Tianshanghuo-jun. I am sorry to have disturbed you.”

 

As Zhou Rong’s footsteps receded, Huo Huli sighed and dipped his head under the water. This is going to be a long three months.

Author’s Note:

This feels like a good spot to discuss Cultivation Levels in my book. Perhaps this is also your first cultivation novel, and it’s important to note that authors have a pretty loose rule system about it. There are themes similar in many of the novels but it’s really a world people can play with.

 

Levels are basically ranks as a cultivator progresses their study/cultivation. It takes a “breakthrough” to progress to the next rank. Cultivators do this by meditating, training, buying or concocting dangerous complex elixirs, or in a demonic cultivation way, suck up spiritual energy to breakthrough.

 

The levels or ranks are as such, and inspired by other cultivation novels and general fantasy RPG elements: Novice, Adept, Spiritual Refinement, Intermediate, Mid-Tier Golden Core, Upper-Tier Golden Core, Master, Ascension/Immortality (rumored, never been witnessed within these ten generations, and comes with a heavenly tribulation)

 

At the time of this story, the disciples in the trial are at the Spiritual Refinement stage. They have their golden cores and talent. The trial isn’t a method to go into Intermediate, but rather to show they have what it takes in the real world and eventually be mentors and early teachers in their sects. The earlier comment about disciples not returning is that there is always a chance of death or something going wrong, or perhaps the disciple simply runs away/doesn’t want to do it anymore. Success is therefore determined by what they could successfully do and also their individual cultivation development.

 

Huo Huli thinks his symptoms are evidence that he’s close to a breakthrough - what do you think?