12: Chapter 12 Dishonest

The stone chamber was deathly silent.

The Gray Fox's smile froze completely. A flicker of imperceptible heartache flashed through its small eyes, but it was quickly masked by even deeper sycophancy.

"It's only right, it's only right! Before the Old Ancestor left, he said that he felt like he had known you forever, that you were brothers. Since you've come to take over the Old Ancestor's belongings, how would I dare to hide anything?"

Wu Li looked at the Gray Fox with interest upon hearing this.

"You're quite interesting."

"Lead the way."

The Gray Fox turned and trotted deep into the cave, its four paws barely touching the ground, tail held high—looking exactly like a lackey leading the way.

The Green Fox followed behind, expressionless and silent.

Wu Li followed the two foxes at a leisurely pace, his bean-sized black pupils scanning the dim cave.

The Thousand Fox Den was larger than he had imagined. The tunnels twisted and turned with many forks; if not for the foxes leading the way, he might not have been able to find the Old Fox Demon's Immortal Cave on his own.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Gray Fox stopped in front of a stone door. The stone door was not large, about half a person's height. Its surface was polished quite smoothly, and simple patterns were carved on both sides—not a Formation, just pure decoration.

"My Lord, this is it."

The Gray Fox bowed, smiled obsequiously, then braced its head against the stone door and pushed hard.

"Rumble~"

The stone door opened in response, and a musty smell rushed out to meet them.

Wu Li flapped his wings and flew in, landing on a stone platform, a flicker of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

The Old Fox Demon had saved up for decades, and this was it?

Against the wall of the stone chamber, there were several piles of messy items stacked up.

The most numerous were grayish-white stones, about the size of a fist, with rough surfaces, emitting faint Spiritual Qi.

Wu Li scratched at them with his claw and recognized them as raw Spirit Stone ores. They hadn't been polished or refined, and the Spiritual Qi contained within was pitifully small.

"These things... maybe a dozen or so."

Wu Li estimated in his heart that even if they were all refined, it probably wouldn't be enough for him to Cultivate for three days.

In another corner of the stone chamber, some dried herbs were piled up.

Wu Li leaned over to sniff them and frowned.

Most of these herbs were common goods—hemostatic grass, heart-clearing flowers, calming leaves—all things used by Qi Ling Realm Essence Spirits. To his current First Stage Mid-level cultivation, they were no different from roadside weeds.

"At most, they've been around for a while..."

Wu Li pushed aside the herbs with his claw and discovered a few shriveled fruits pressed underneath.

He picked one up in his beak and took a bite; it was bitter and astringent, and the Spiritual Qi was pitifully thin.

"What kind of trash is this..."

Wu Li spat out the fruit and continued searching.

In the deepest part of the stone chamber, there was a raised blue stone covered with hay and animal skins; this must have been where the Old Fox Demon slept.

Next to the blue stone was a small box chiseled out of stone, half a foot square, with the lid tightly closed.

Wu Li's eyes brightened.

He hopped onto the blue stone and lifted the lid with his claw.

The things in the box were better than those outside.

A few Spirit Stones of decent quality, thumb-sized, crystal clear, and rich in Spiritual Qi.

Wu Li counted them—five in total, all Low-Grade Spirit Stones, but in a place like the Thousand Fox Den, these were already considered good items.

Apart from that, there was nothing else in the box.

Wu Li squatted on the blue stone, looking at the room full of junk, his mouth twitching.

"Just this?"

He had thought that since the Old Fox Demon had saved for decades, there would at least be something decent.

The Gray Fox stood at the doorway, stealing glances at Wu Li's expression. Seeing that he didn't seem satisfied, it hurriedly approached and said obsequiously:

"My Lord, the Old Ancestor... he didn't have it easy. Over these years, the Vulture King has demanded more and more tribute. For the Old Ancestor to have saved even this much, he really had to scrimp and save."

Wu Li didn't speak, and his aura suddenly turned cold.

That eerie Demon Power surged from Wu Li's body again, but this time, it wasn't to release pressure, but carried a tangible killing intent.

The Gray Fox's smile froze on its face, its whole body tensing up violently, like a chicken being strangled.

"M-My Lord?"

The Gray Fox's voice trembled, and cold sweat from its forehead trickled down its grayish-white fur.

Wu Li tilted his head, his bean-sized black pupils staring at the Gray Fox. There was no anger in his gaze, only a hair-raising calmness.

"You... are not being honest."

The hoarse voice was unhurried, yet it felt like a cold blade pressed against the Gray Fox's neck.

The Gray Fox's body shuddered violently, and it hurriedly waved its hands, its voice shrill and urgent: "My Lord, please see the truth! How would I dare to be dishonest! The Old Ancestor's belongings are all here. I swear to the heavens, I haven't hidden a single Spirit Stone!"

The more the Gray Fox spoke, the more agitated it became, its tail standing up. "My Lord, just think about it, the Old Ancestor has had to provide tribute to the Vulture King all these years, and support this whole family. To have saved this much is already..."

"Still these same excuses?"

Wu Li interrupted it, then continued slowly.

"The day that Old Fox Demon brought out the Vermilion Fruits... I was the one who snatched those two fruits away."

The Gray Fox's pupils constricted violently.

"Those two Vermilion Fruits, in both color and Spiritual Qi, had clearly just been picked."

Wu Li raised his head, his bean-sized black pupils staring at the Gray Fox, his gaze like two cold awls.

"Don't tell me that Old Fox Demon just happened to pick them up on the road?"

The air in the stone chamber seemed to congeal.

The Gray Fox's face turned completely white; even its sleek, oily fur couldn't hide the terror beneath. Its mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, like a fish thrown onto the shore.

"M-My Lord... this... we didn't..."

The Gray Fox's voice was intermittent and incoherent.

Wu Li did not give it a chance to speak.

"Whoosh!!"

Wu Li suddenly spread his right wing and flapped it with all his might!

A sharp, fierce gust of wind rose from the ground, carrying his First Stage Mid-level Demon Power like an invisible giant palm, slamming hard into the Gray Fox!

"Bang!"

The Gray Fox's fat body flew backward like a kicked ball, slamming heavily against the stone wall with a dull, loud thud. Debris from the wall fell down, raining upon it.

"Pfft!"

The Gray Fox spat out a mouthful of blood and lay on the ground, trembling all over, unable to even crawl up.

Wu Li retracted his wing and turned his gaze to the Green Fox.

"What about you? Do you have anything to say?"

The Green Fox stood at the doorway of the stone chamber, not moving an inch.

Its face lacked the sycophancy or terror of the Gray Fox; there was only a near-numb calmness.

The moment Wu Li's voice fell.

The Green Fox moved.

It didn't run away, but suddenly accelerated. Its four paws moved like the wind, its figure turning into a green afterimage as it charged straight toward the Old Fox Demon's bed.

"Hmm?"

Wu Li's pupils constricted violently.

The Green Fox's speed was astonishingly fast. In the blink of an eye, it reached the blue stone. It didn't go for the things in the box, but instead whipped its tail fiercely, striking a spot beneath the blue stone!