Accidentally Married A Fox God - The sovereign lord spoils his wife

Chapter 8 - Trick His Way Out

Chapter 8 - Trick His Way Out

Bai Qingyue's little fox snout twisted into a sneer.

This could definitely be a true trial for ascension. Only a day had passed and he'd already experienced tribulations worse than any he had come across in the thousands of years of his life.

His large, doe-like eyes gazed down at his snowy front paws. The pair of jade bangles still sat on each of them, sealing in his powers. They would not have affected him in his true form, but the fall still left him greatly weakened.

It seemed there was no other way than to trick his way out of this ordeal. He rose up onto all fours and glowered dangerously at the monks surrounding him.

"You dare think of absorbing my life essence?!" Bai Qingyue growled, thumping the center of his chest with a righteous white paw.

The head abbot rushed to the cage, hobbling with the assistance of another priest who held him upright. He stopped inches away from it, meeting the strange beast's glare with a suspicious gaze.

"You speak now, I see. Does this mean you have grown tired of pretending to be dead? Don't think I won't get rid of you! I can sense your aura, and know that you are weak. You had best tell me exactly who and what you are and then, perhaps, we might reconsider our decision." The Head Abbot threatened. He knew he wouldn't truly change his mind. This trickster was far too dangerous to keep alive, but curiosity got the better of him. He just had to know, where did this strange fox spring from?

The fox averted his gaze as the corners of his mouth tilted upwards into a smirk. "You can only sense what I am willing to show you, old man. Don't pick a fight with someone so out of your league. You had better release me soon, before my benevolence runs out and I choose to destroy this entire monastery, you, and each of your disciples included."

For a moment, the Head Abbot simply stood frozen, staring at the small fox in apparent disbelief.

It was just a tiny, fluffy thing, trapped inside a locked cage. Any magical powers it may have had were being blocked by the enchanted power sealing bangles. And yet, the way he spoke, threatening the Abbot's entire monastery sent involuntary shivers down his spine. His fellow priests were murmuring quietly amongst themselves. Some were alarmed by the threat, but others found it laughable.

"No matter how you look at it, it's just a harmless little monster sealed inside the cage, yet still, it dares to talk like that. It's obviously pretending." One of the priests grumbled.

In fact, the priest in question was quite right. Bai Qingyue was not able to do much at that moment, however, their hesitation was all he really needed anyhow.

The Head Abbot frowned. His feelings were mixed. Unsure which of them to listen to, he decided to postpone the execution. For now at least, seeing as one wrong move could ignite this potentially dangerous fox's anger and unleash his full wrath upon them after all.

But if he were to observe him for a while and see no significant changes, it would then be safe to do with him as he pleased, the Head Abbot concluded.

Shifting his demeanour to that of a friendly old man, with a croaky voice and his best attempt at a winning smile, the Head Abbot addressed the fox once more.

"Fox Beast, we truly apologize for our conduct up until now. We are but a humble monastery. We merely handle demons in order to better protect society from harmful creatures, taking care only to capture those who have done harm to those around them.

"But clearly, you come from a distinguished background, and therefore we have no quarrel with you personally. If you would care to tell me where you are from, we might be able to return you to your origins." The Abbot suggested, trying to sound helpful.

'Harmful creatures'? Those little demons in the cages around him were deemed 'harmful'? Bai Qingyue almost laughed.

The sudden change in the old man's behaviour sure was interesting, and this stupid man's lies and attempts to obtain more information out of him were anything but subtle. 'But alright,' he thought in amus.e.m.e.nt, he would play along for now.

Bai Qingyue's eight tails swished back and forth, occasionally one of them thumping against the walls of the wooden cage. He looked rather adorable with his snout wrinkled up in a foxy sneer, as he reproached the Head Abbot condescendingly.

"Why should I tell you where I'm from? I'm locked in this cage, held at a fraction of my powers by these shackles you keep me in, and now you act like we're good friends. Are you trying to deceive me?" He squinted a pair of golden eyes at the Abbot.

The surrounding priests watched curiously as the two interacted. They had never seen the Head Abbot talk to any non-humans before, much less be nice to them. Was this fox really something to be afraid of after all?

"No no no, how could I? A monk vows never to harm the innocent, and always fights for righteousness." The Head Abbot raised a hand in dismissal.

Naturally, non-humans were not included when it came to defining 'the innocent' in their traditions. He mentally vowed to be rid of this menace soon enough.

Bai Qingyue pointed a little claw at him. "Your sincerity does not sound very convincing to me. How about you show me an act of good faith like releasing me from this dreadful prison, and then I may be swayed to reconsider my course of action? I may even let you know where I came from..." He suggested, raising a provocative eyebrow at his last words, perceiving that this was the information the Abbot was most curious about.

The Head Abbot blinked a few times, obviously confused. Did this fox really expect him to unlock the cage, unseal his powers and just let him waltz free as a show of good faith?

'What a headache!'