226: Chapter 224 Protector

"Yun Ming, I have decided to disperse my cultivation and start over. My Charm Technique has been cultivated for hundreds of years, but I have only gained a bunch of useless skills. I do not want to go on like this anymore. I have sealed my memories, and I will remember everything once I recover to the Nascent Soul stage. During this time, my true form is a Frost Brilliance Fox, with no cultivation, no intelligence, and only instinct. Please act as my Protector. I trust you. Xue Ji."

Yun Ming put down the letter and rubbed his brow.

He did not understand why she would do this.

Dispersing cultivation to start over, from the Early Nascent Soul Stage down to the Early Golden Core Stage, and then cultivating back up. If this was not madness, what was it?

She was no longer that Early Nascent Soul Stage Transformed Great Demon.

She was an ordinary Frost Brilliance Fox. No cultivation, no intelligence, only instinct. A fox. A fluffy, snow-white, nine-tailed fox that understood nothing.

In this situation, how was he supposed to act as a Protector?

Her cultivation was all gone, and she had turned into a Frost Brilliance Fox; he could not even communicate with her. How was he supposed to make her Cultivate?

He knew nothing about the fox tribe's Cultivation Techniques, and even less about the Frost Brilliance Fox's innate divine abilities.

And most importantly, did he even have the Frost Brilliance Fox's innate Cultivation Technique? Had the Princess Royal come too late?

Fortunately, she now showed a natural affinity for things with Spiritual Qi.

Yun Ming took out a High-Grade Spirit Stone from the map of mountains and rivers and placed it in his palm.

The fox's nose twitched, and it opened its eyes, its amber gaze fixed on the Spirit Stone. It watched for a few breaths, then extended a paw and pressed it onto the Spirit Stone. Its paw was tiny, with pink pads and claws retracted into the flesh. Pressing against the Spirit Stone and feeling the Spiritual Qi, it squinted and let out a satisfied, low hum.

Yun Ming took out a few more Spirit Stones, arranged them in a circle, and placed the fox in the middle.

The fox rolled around in the pile of Spirit Stones, then lay there with its eyes closed, beginning to absorb Spiritual Qi. The speed was slow, but steady.

Yun Ming watched for a while, and after confirming there was no problem, he went to attend to his own business.

He sent a voice transmission to Shen Yizhi, asking him to tell the Princess Royal that something had happened to Xue Ji and that she should return.

When the Princess Royal received the transmission, the Phoenix Sedan had just flown less than a hundred li out of Qingyao City. She had originally intended to find the Third Prince and recuperate there for a few days. Hearing the words "something happened to Xue Ji," she immediately ordered the Phoenix Sedan to turn around and head straight for Qingyao City.

When the Phoenix Sedan landed at the entrance of Yun Ming's small courtyard, the Princess Royal did not even wait for the palace maid to lift the curtain; she lifted it herself and jumped down.

Holding the Treasure-Spitting Mouse, she walked quickly into the courtyard.

Yun Ming was sitting on a bamboo chair drinking tea, with a white fox lying in his lap. Its nine tails hung down, swaying slightly. Its fur was snow-white, without a single stray color, shimmering with a silver-white luster in the sunlight.

The Princess Royal's eyes lit up.

She walked to Yun Ming in a few quick steps and bent down to look at the fox. Her eyes shone like two stars, and the corners of her mouth rose involuntarily. She reached out, wanting to stroke the fox's head.

Just as her fingers touched the fox's fur, the fox suddenly opened its eyes, bared its teeth, and let out a low, threatening sound. Its ears flattened against its head, its tails stood up, and the entire fox puffed up into a ball of fur.

The Princess Royal's hand froze in mid-air.

"Is this Xue Ji?! How did she become like this? Where is her cultivation?"

Yun Ming handed her the letter.

The Princess Royal took the letter and read it from beginning to end, her brow furrowed tightly. After finishing, she returned the letter to Yun Ming and remained silent for a moment.

"Why disperse her cultivation to start over? Although the Cold Moon Mysterious Fox Record is the Frost Brilliance Fox's innate Cultivation Technique, starting over does not require dispersing all cultivation. She could have kept her Nascent Soul and slowly converted her spiritual power; at most, it would take a few hundred years to change her Foundation. Directly dispersing cultivation is too risky."

Yun Ming did not speak. He did not know why Xue Ji would do this either.

Perhaps she did not want to wait, perhaps she felt that starting over after dispersing her cultivation was more thorough, or perhaps she had developed a loathing for her own Charm Technique and did not want to keep it for another moment.

He did not want to guess.

Looking at the fox in his lap, the Princess Royal finally could not resist and reached out again. This time she did not go directly for the head but took a Spirit Fruit from her sleeve and offered it to the fox.

The Spirit Fruit was of the fourth rank, emerald green all over, emitting a rich Spiritual Qi and a sweet fragrance.

The fox's nose twitched, and it opened its eyes, looking at the Spirit Fruit and then at the Princess Royal. It hesitated for a moment, then reached out a paw, pulled the Spirit Fruit in front of itself, and lowered its head to take a bite.

Juice splashed out, staining its white fur, but it did not care. It finished the Spirit Fruit in a few bites, then licked its paw and squinted its eyes, looking very much like it was enjoying itself.

The Princess Royal smiled. While the fox was eating, she reached out and stroked its back. The fox's back arched slightly, but it did not dodge. The Princess Royal's hand gently stroked its back, from the top of its head to the base of its tail; her technique was excellent, much better than Yun Ming's.

The fox felt so comfortable being stroked that it let out low hums and even rolled over, exposing its belly.

The Princess Royal smiled and rubbed its belly. The fox's belly was very soft and white, feeling wonderful to the touch.

Watching this scene, Yun Ming's mouth twitched. "Your Highness, could you please tell me first, what should be done now?"

The Princess Royal reluctantly withdrew her hand and cleared her throat. "Her cultivation is all gone, so she is now just an ordinary Frost Brilliance Fox. However, her Foundation is still there, and her instincts are still there. What you need to do is keep her well-fed, let her sleep well, and have her absorb more Spiritual Qi. Once her Foundation is stable, she will naturally be able to re-Cultivate the Cold Moon Mysterious Fox Record."

Yun Ming frowned. "Is it that simple?"

The Princess Royal looked at him. "You think raising a spirit pet is simple?"

Yun Ming was silent for a moment. "Then what should be done?"

The Princess Royal sat down at the stone table and began to lecture Yun Ming.

Starting from daily life and diet. The Frost Brilliance Fox is a Spirit Beast of the Far North Ice Plains; it likes cold and dislikes heat, fears noise and chaos, and needs a quiet environment. Usually, feed it more Spirit Fruits, spiritual spring water, and Spirit Stones. Occasionally, you can feed it some high-quality Spirit Beast Meat, but not too much, as eating too much will cause indigestion.

Regarding daily care, you must groom its fur every day, regularly clean its ears and teeth, and keep its body clean. If she gets sick, use gentle Spirit Medicine for treatment; you cannot use Medicinal Pills recklessly, and certainly cannot force-feed her medicine.

In terms of cultivation guidance, you must not be in a hurry. She has no intelligence now, only instinct; if you force her to Cultivate, she will instead resist. You should let her stay in a pile of Spirit Stones and absorb Spiritual Qi on her own. Once her Foundation is stable, her intelligence will naturally recover slowly. When she can understand your words, then take her to see the Cold Moon Mysterious Fox Record. It contains the Frost Brilliance Fox's cultivation methods; she will naturally understand once she sees it.

The Princess Royal spoke in great detail, covering every aspect. From how to feed to how to groom, from how to judge if she was sick to how to handle common minor ailments, from how to set up her nest to how to interact with her.

Yun Ming listened very seriously and even took out a blank Jade Slip from the map of mountains and rivers to record everything the Princess Royal said.

One can never have too many skills. He did not know if he would encounter such a thing again in the future, but it was never wrong to learn more.

The Princess Royal finished speaking and looked at him with a hint of scrutiny in her gaze.

"Have you learned it?"

Yun Ming nodded. "Roughly."

The Princess Royal glanced at him again, then stood up, took a Storage Pouch from her sleeve, and placed it on the table. "Inside are cultivation resources for the Cold Moon Mysterious Fox Record: Spirit Fruits, Spirit Stones, and Medicinal Pills. It is enough for her to use for a while." She paused, "This Princess is not helping you; I am helping her."

Yun Ming put the Storage Pouch into the map of mountains and rivers. "Thank you, Your Highness."

The Princess Royal picked up the Treasure-Spitting Mouse and turned to leave. After walking two steps, she stopped and looked back at him.

"Take good care of her. If you let her suffer any grievances, this Princess will not let you off."

Yun Ming nodded.

The Princess Royal left. The Phoenix Sedan rose into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.

The courtyard became quiet.

Yun Ming looked down at the fox in his lap and sighed.

"Look at you, why did you have to go through all this trouble when things were fine?"

The fox lay on his lap with its eyes closed, its breathing very light. It was unclear if it understood or not.