I'm afraid it won't calm down anytime soon.

(Edited)

Su Ji subconsciously looked down and took a glance.

That place... how is she supposed to hide there?

Su Jiu's clear fox-like eyes reflected Su Ji's movements.

A deep sense of grievance immediately welled up within them.

"What's with that expression?"

"Do you think I want to do this?"

Hearing this, Su Ji looked up and saw Su Jiu looking as if she were about to cry.

He wanted to laugh, but felt it would be a bit inappropriate.

In the end, a thousand words were swallowed down, leaving only a dry sentence.

"No... Junior Sister, are you serious?"

"What else?"

Su Jiu stomped her foot heavily.

"This is the only method I can think of that can completely hide from a Soul Formation cultivator's detection!"

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and began to explain.

"That half drop of lifeblood essence is inherently a part of my soul's origin, completely blending with my aura."

"As long as I conceal my entire soul and true body within it, and then use a bloodline secret art to isolate the inside from the outside, it will be equivalent to entering a state of absolute dormancy."

"Unless it is a mighty figure whose cultivation far exceeds the Soul Formation realm and who is proficient in the secret arts of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox clan, no one will be able to discover my presence."

Listening to her professional explanation, Su Ji blinked.

It sounded... quite reasonable.

But he still felt something was off.

"So..."

Su Ji stroked his chin and began his deduction.

"You mean, you are going to live inside my body?"

Su Jiu braced herself and nodded.

"You can understand it that way."

"And then?"

Su Ji's expression turned weird.

"When I walk, will you feel it's very bumpy?"

Su Jiu: "..."

Her modest chest heaved violently, and she ground her silver teeth.

"I said it! I will enter a state of dormancy! My soul's perception of the outside world will be cut off!"

"Only you will be able to contact me directly."

"Oh..."

Su Ji dragged out the syllable, putting on an I-get-it look.

Su Jiu completely lost the desire to talk to him.

Seeing her puffed-up, angry look, Su Ji finally stopped teasing her.

He coughed dryly twice, pulling the topic back on track.

"Alright, this plan sounds... indeed feasible."

He paused, then spoke again in a negotiating tone.

"But Junior Sister, let's make a deal."

"Hmm?"

Su Jiu looked at him warily.

"It's fine if you move in, but shouldn't you pay some rent?"

Su Jiu: "..."

She fell silent for a moment.

Sticking out a slender, jade-like finger, she pointed outside the waterfall.

"Get lost."

Su Ji curled his lips, not minding at all.

"Fine then, considering how well we know each other, I'll waive your rent."

Su Ji put on an I-am-very-generous appearance.

Knowing when to stop, he quickly waved his hands.

"Just joking, to liven up the atmosphere."

He walked up to the distorted void, and the expression on his face finally turned serious.

"Since it's decided."

He turned around and looked at Su Jiu.

"Then when do we start?"

Looking at his rarely serious face, the little bit of anger in Su Jiu's heart also dissipated.

She was silent for a moment, and then spoke in a barely audible voice.

"R-right now is fine."

"Okay."

Su Ji nodded, and then, as if thinking of something, asked another question.

"Um... how exactly do we do this?"

"Do I need to make any preparations? Like... bathing, burning incense, washing...?"

Su Jiu's face instantly turned thoroughly red again.

She glared fiercely at Su Ji, the meaning in her eyes obvious: Can you be serious for a second!

Su Ji gave a dry laugh.

Su Jiu ignored him.

Her hands began to rapidly form hand seals.

A strange fluctuation spread outwards with her at the center.

Su Ji could feel that the half drop of long-dormant lifeblood essence at his spiritual root seemed to be awakened at this moment, beginning to grow slightly hot.

Su Jiu's figure began to turn illusory and transparent.

Her body shrank bit by bit.

From a lively and beautiful woman, she gradually transformed into a mini phantom about the size of a palm, emitting a faint pink glow.

The phantom's appearance finally turned into a chibi version of Su Jiu with two solid and one illusory, totaling two and a half, fluffy long tails.

She was only about the size of a hand.

After doing all this, the mini version of Su Jiu seemed to have expended a great deal of mental energy. The phantom looked somewhat unstable, flickering on and off.

She looked up at Su Ji, who now seemed like a giant in front of her. Her voice had become childish and soft, carrying a hint of barely concealable shyness.

"Done."

"Senior Brother, you can continue what you were doing..."

Su Ji stared straight at the mini little fox floating in mid-air before him.

"Holy... crap..."

He couldn't help but curse.

This was way... way too cute!

Mini Su Jiu felt a bit uncomfortable being stared at by him like he had never seen the world, and those two and a half small tails swayed even more vigorously.

"D-don't look at me like that."

Her voice was so soft and sweet that it sounded like she was acting spoiled.

Su Ji felt his heart melting from the cuteness.

He reached out, unable to resist the urge to poke that fluffy little tail.

Zap!

A tiny bolt of lightning accurately struck his fingertip, bringing a slight numbing sensation.

Mini Su Jiu puffed up in anger, her small face filled with a warning that said, Do not touch me.

Su Ji resentfully withdrew his hand.

He cleared his throat, forcibly suppressing his restless heart.

He began to continue his previously unfinished actions, preparing to bear it all.

"So, what's next?"

"Are you just going to... fly in?"

Hearing this, Mini Su Jiu's puffed-up little face turned red again.

She fidgeted for a long time before speaking in a voice as quiet as a mosquito.

"You... you have to... relax..."

Su Ji froze.

She extended a tiny finger and tremblingly pointed at Su Ji's...

Su Jiu also seemed to realize the inappropriateness of her action. Her small face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple.

She quickly withdrew her hand, hiding it behind her back, while her two and a half fluffy little tails swayed uneasily.

"U-um..."

She stammered for a long time before explaining in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.

"Senior Brother, your... your vitality and blood are too vigorous right now. I... I can't get in."

Su Ji blinked, not reacting for a moment.

"You can't get in?"

"Mhm." Mini Su Jiu's voice grew even smaller as she lowered her head. "I need to open up a small space to inhabit within that half drop of your lifeblood essence."

"Right now... in your current state, your spiritual energy is surging endlessly and is too vigorous. The space I create would be highly unstable."

She paused, seemingly organizing her words.

"It's... it's like building a house in a raging river. The foundation wouldn't be stable, and it could be washed away at any moment."

"Only... only when your spiritual energy is restrained and returns to a dormant state can I build a stable cave dwelling."

Listening to this explanation that was half cultivation terminology and half metaphor, Su Ji finally understood.

He looked down at himself, then looked up at the criminally cute miniature fox hovering in mid-air right in front of him.

A helpless expression appeared on his face as he threw his hands up in resignation.

"So what do we do now?"