“Sword guiding… how do I do that?”
Su Mumu stared blankly at the small hairpin in her palm.
To be honest, she had never tried it before. Although she had often watched short instructional videos and the like, her practical experience was zero.
For safety’s sake, she decided it was better to go practice outside in the yard! She didn’t want to accidentally tear the house down.
Su Mumu got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and hurried out of the room. At the same time, Tangyuan slipped out as well. It felt like the little guy was becoming more and more clingy…
The night was enchanting, but the wind was cold and desolate. The snow had stopped sometime after midnight. It was very quiet, with no one else around.
Su Mumu’s residence happened to be in the most remote neighborhood, and within that neighborhood, she was in the most secluded spot. As long as she didn’t make too much noise, no one would notice her.
‘Okay, let’s start by restoring the accompanying sword to its original form!’
This part was quite simple. She only needed to focus her attention on the sword and use her imagination to enlarge it.
Then, the sword would return to its normal size. The difficulty of this skill was roughly equivalent to learning how to ride a bicycle.
First, restore it to its original form, then try to see if she could control it.
Su Mumu closed her eyes. She began to try and establish a connection with the accompanying sword.
Above her, snowmelt dripped from the banyan tree from time to time, tapping against the ground near her feet or hitting her on the head. The temperature was a bit chilly.
Gradually, Su Mumu’s patience wore thin, and her brow furrowed.
‘This isn’t right…’
‘Why can’t I even get it to return to its original form…?’
Just as she was about to gain control over the sword, she was immediately rejected.
It was hard to describe. It was like stepping onto the pedals and moving the bicycle a short distance, only for the wheels to suddenly and mysteriously slip…
It was eerie. Extremely eerie…
The expression on Su Mumu’s face gradually grew solemn. She opened her eyes, feeling a bit frustrated.
She stared at the accompanying sword in her palm. It was tiny and cute, glowing with a faint, silver-white light.
The sword wasn’t the problem.
‘I’m the problem.’
‘I can’t use it. I can’t even get it to return to its original form…’
She had been rejected.
Above her, the snow-covered banyan tree blocked out most of the view, leaving only a small patch of the dark sky where a crescent moon shone enchantingly.
Su Mumu sighed deeply and looked up at the moon. She murmured to herself, sounding very melancholic.
“No way…”
‘Am I really a fox demon?’
“But why?”
The cold wind blew wildly. The branches rustled as they swayed, and Su Mumu’s hair fluttered in the breeze. She suddenly shivered.
It was freezing. Time to go back inside.
Inside the house, the candle flame flickered. Tangyuan was curled up on the bedding, squinting its eyes as it dozed off. Su Mumu, on the other hand, had a miserable expression, looking completely lost.
Her mind was a mess.
Thinking carefully, the three points written in the encyclopedia all seemed to have come true… she just didn’t want to admit it.
First, her appearance was changing, becoming more like a “foxy” face. Second, her tastes had changed. Third, she couldn’t even use her accompanying sword…
“Aaaaahhh!!! This is so annoying, so annoying, so annoying…!” Su Mumu felt like she was going crazy as she ruffled her hair.
After a moment, a few strands of dark hair floated through the air.
‘Why? What kind of ridiculous plot is this!’
‘What am I supposed to do…?’
Suddenly, a wave of cold swept over her, and Su Mumu couldn’t help but shiver again. This was bad. Was she… about to turn into a fox demon again? Why did the medicine wear off so quickly?
A mysterious sense of crisis filled her heart, and Su Mumu remembered a term—**drug resistance**!
That’s right, there was a basic piece of knowledge in the world of pills: drug resistance!
If you took too much of the same pill, the effect would get worse and worse until you eventually became completely immune to its power.
Because of this, there were very few people in this world with actual cultivation, and even fewer who could master swordsmanship.
One had to rely on their own comprehension and talent to unlock sword cultivator skills! Relying on pills wouldn’t work.
*Crackle.*
By the stove, Su Mumu was moving quickly. She poured all the remaining monster-suppressing pills into the pill furnace and then added some more medicinal ingredients.
She had to refine a monster-suppressing pill with even greater potency! Otherwise, there was no telling when she might transform into a fox demon.
It would be disastrous if she transformed while she was with Xin Xin… or if she transformed in public at school…
Just thinking about it gave Su Mumu goosebumps. She would either be caught and executed, or she would have to face Jiang Mengxin’s wrath after her friend turned dark…
“No, I have to increase the dosage!”
Su Mumu used her chopsticks to shove the medicinal ingredients into the pill furnace. She only closed the lid when she literally couldn’t fit anything else inside.
The dosage was quite large this time. She estimated it would take at least half an hour to cook.
In that case, should she take a hot bath to warm up first? Su Mumu was truly afraid that the aftereffects would hit her later, leaving her cold, sleepy, and potentially falling asleep for no reason.
‘Right, a bath should wake me up.’
With that thought, Su Mumu grabbed her nightgown and entered the bathroom.
*Clang.*
The door closed.
At the same time, Tangyuan, who had been lying on the bedding, opened its eyes. It hopped off the bed and scurried onto the stove. Using its small paws, it pried open the lid of the pill furnace.
Then, it bit off a few fragments of its own claws and dropped them into the furnace. It closed the lid again.
The entire sequence of movements was smooth and fluid, without making a single unnecessary sound. It didn’t catch Su Mumu’s attention at all.
The bath felt wonderful to Su Mumu. She found that the hot water effectively delayed the cold and sleepiness inside her. When she figured enough time had passed, she left the bathroom.
After a relaxing wash, Su Mumu’s mental state was much better. Her nightgown was thin, faintly revealing the pinkish hue of her skin.
The lid of the pill furnace was rattling continuously. It was about time; she could open it now. Su Mumu was very satisfied with the result this time.
The original monster-suppressing pills had merged with the new ingredients, forming one giant pill.
Su Mumu found a bowl and chopsticks to set it out. Looking at the monster-suppressing pill that was as big as a steamed bun, her lips couldn’t help but twitch.
‘Whatever, let’s do this!’
Safety measures were more important than anything else.
And so, for the rest of the night, Su Mumu pulled up a picture of fried chicken on her phone and stared at it while painfully chewing through the bun-sized pill.
Tangyuan, curled up on the bed, peeked its eyes open. After watching Su Mumu for a while, it closed its eyes as if satisfied and went back to dozing.
***
The next day.
the pigeons on the banyan tree began to sing again. Today’s temperature had risen slightly, and the snow on the ground had begun to melt.
The phone on the nightstand was about to explode with notifications. Calls and messages came one after another.
Su Mumu reflexively silenced it, pulled the covers over her head, and went back to sleep.
A moment later, the sound of the door handle unlocking echoed—the door swung open.
Jiang Mengxin, carrying a small bag, walked in gracefully and stopped by the bed.
“Mumu, oversleeping again.”
*Zzzzz.* Su Mumu remained tucked under the covers, cutting herself off from the world.
Soon, the other end of the blanket was lifted, exposing a pair of fair feet to the air. A slender finger lightly tickled them.
In an instant, Su Mumu reacted like a startled cat. She bolted upright, her face full of shock.
“Xin-Xin-Xin?!”
“I’ve discovered another of Mumu’s weaknesses,” Jiang Mengxin said with a happy smile.
“You’re here so early…” Su Mumu’s sleepiness hadn’t fully faded. She realized there was still one hour left before school started.
“Well…” Jiang Mengxin placed the breakfast on the nightstand. “I was thinking that Mumu might not know how to use her accompanying sword, so I came early to teach her.”
“Uh…” Su Mumu’s sleepiness vanished instantly.