Chapter 10

After eating the specially crafted, spiritually rich food, the long-lost Eating Melon System finally made a sound again.

[Hehehehehe.]

As soon as Ning Xu heard the system’s laughter, she knew it was still eating melons.

She took a bite of a juicy radish and asked, “Not going to speak? What’s so exciting?”

Everyone else was silently nodding in agreement, eager to know too.

It had been teasing them for half an hour, surely it was time to reveal something!

This time, the Eating Melon System didn’t drag it out and directly said, [Your scumbag ex was punished by the Sect Master to the Thinking Cliff, but over the years, many disciples have been punished there. Hehehehehe.]

The Thinking Cliff, all the disciples present knew, was a place used to punish disciples. It was covered in snow all year round, with harsh, cold weather. For a Qi Refining stage disciple, staying there was no different from enduring torture.

Usually, disciples sent to the Thinking Cliff had to stay there for at least half a year.

Those who committed serious violations might even be punished for several years.

Thus, there were many punished disciples at the Thinking Cliff.

As for the fact that Xu Shixing was sent there, Ning Xu didn’t feel much. She just asked, “And then?”

[And then, among the group of disciples punished at the Thinking Cliff, there is a thousand-year-old fox demon.]

Ning Xu, “Huh?”

The other food cultivators couldn’t help but be shocked as well.

A fox demon?

How could there be a thousand-year-old fox demon in the sect?

The Wenxin Sect was a traditional sect that only took in human disciples.

In recent years, relations between humans and demons had been quite delicate—neither truly friends nor enemies.

Hundreds of years ago, a war erupted between humans and demons, a battle that shook the heavens. In the end, the demon race suffered heavy casualties, sought peace, and voluntarily signed a celestial oath, agreeing not to invade the human realm for the next five hundred years.

Since that battle, humans and demons had maintained a dynamic peace.

However…

The five-hundred-year agreement was nearing its end.

The demon race was beginning to stir.

The Eating Melon System laughed mischievously, [This fox demon has been hiding in the sect for many years. Last year, it deliberately caused trouble and was punished to the Thinking Cliff, beginning a life of indulgence. This time, when Xu Shixing went to the Thinking Cliff, the fox demon took a liking to him.]

[Your scumbag ex-fiancé, ignoring his character, is quite handsome. Moreover, his Yang Essence is still intact, which is a great supplement for demon-kind.]

[Also, fox demons are beautiful. The more powerful a demon is, the more stunning their appearance becomes.]

[The fox demon who infiltrated the Wenxin Sect had to be at least in the Core Formation stage to avoid being noticed by the elders.]

[Even with my discerning eye, I have to admit that this fox demon is one of the top beauties in the demon race.]

[So… it only took a glance, and Xu Shixing was hooked.]

[This human and demon pair are like thunder calling fire, uncontrollable…]

Ning Xu realized something, “Wait, wait, you said the fox demon caused trouble on purpose?”

[Yes, in front of many elders and masters, it couldn’t do anything, but at the Thinking Cliff, it was different. The only time someone visits there is when they send the disciples punished there a batch of detoxification pills each month. No one else goes there. It’s a place far from the sect’s watchful eyes. What happens there, the high-ups of the sect are unaware of.]

Generally speaking, who would pay attention to that place?

The fox demon took advantage of this.

Ning Xu: Could it really be like this?

“And then?” She asked, posing the question everyone else was eager to know.

[Then, of course, the human and demon hit it off, and then, then Xu Shixing realized… this is actually a male fox demon!! Hahahaha!] The Eating Melon System was clearly enjoying itself.

A male fox demon!

After Xu Shixing became confused, he couldn’t even tell male from female. How dazed must he have been?

Ning Xu: ???

Other cultivators: ???

Elders listening nearby: ???

Ning Xu, “No, wait, this…”

No wonder the Eating Melon System said it was exciting!

Who wouldn’t be confused?

She had always thought it was a female fox demon, but it turned out to be a male!

She had misjudged the situation!

[The fox demon is beautiful, and this one is even more so, so much so that it’s hard to tell male from female. Just one look, and Xu Shixing was captivated.]

Ning Xu sighed, “And then?”

The Eating Melon System clicked its tongue twice, [And then? There’s no ‘then.’]

Ning Xu, “Huh?”

“Wait, didn’t you say Xu Shixing realized it was a male fox demon? Didn’t he get angry, scold it, or panic?”

[Nope, he quickly accepted it.]

Ning Xu: …

Other disciples listening: …

Ning Xu was stunned.

Ning Xu was confused.

Ning Xu couldn’t believe it.

“He… can really be so flexible?”

The Eating Melon System was nonchalant, [What else? You should know, this fox demon is at least in the Core Formation stage. What’s Xu Shixing? Just a Qi Refining disciple who has been in the inner sect for less than two years. Does he dare challenge a fox demon?]

[Let’s put it bluntly, this fox demon could crush him with a finger.]

[And let’s not forget, this fox demon’s appearance is really unbeatable. There’s nothing to criticize. Xu Shixing is very satisfied.]

[The only thing he’s not satisfied with is…]

Ning Xu took the chance to ask, “What’s he not satisfied with?”

The Eating Melon System went silent.

After saying that, it didn’t speak again.

How could it be so good at teasing?

Ning Xu had finished eating. The spiritual energy she absorbed was all used up.

No wonder the Eating Melon System had gone silent again.

She was eager to improve her cultivation.

After eating, she told the food cultivators and returned to her grass hut.

As a new outer disciple, she didn’t have the right to own a personal cave. When she returned, she immediately sat down cross-legged on the grass mat to meditate.

To advance quickly, she took out a high-grade spiritual stone to absorb its energy.

She only had ten high-grade spiritual stones, so using one meant one less.

But when it came to spiritual stones, the old must go for the new to come. She had to use it when it was time!

Now was the time!

Sure enough, as soon as Ning Xu had enough spiritual energy, the Eating Melon System reappeared.

Ning Xu: …

“Does it really have to be so realistic?”

[It’s not about realism, host. Without spiritual energy, I can’t move, and even speaking is exhausting.]

“Didn’t you still speak intermittently when you didn’t have enough energy before?”

The Eating Melon System replied, [But I found that it also uses up spiritual energy. It’s better to just shut up.]

Ning Xu: …

Alright.

She didn’t dwell on it too much.

After all, spiritual energy was something you could get if you worked hard. For now, eating melons was the most important thing.

She continued, “What were you about to say? What is he not satisfied with?”

The Eating Melon System casually said, [Most of the disciples punished at the Thinking Cliff are the fox demon’s underlings. Xu Shixing is either jealous or on the path to jealousy, so of course, he’s not happy.]

[You don’t know, a whole bunch of people are just up there creating a mess. Tsk tsk tsk.]

Ning Xu, “Huh?”

But she quickly calmed down after just a second of shock.

This made sense now.

No wonder the fox demon intentionally caused trouble to get sent to the Thinking Cliff. Once no one was paying attention, it started to go wild.

The fox demons… were really too much.

Just…

“Still, there’s one disciple who hasn’t been tempted?”

The Eating Melon System replied, [Hmm.]

Ning Xu sighed, “Then they’re pretty good.”

The Eating Melon System clicked its tongue, dismissing it.

[There are only about twenty disciples at the Thinking Cliff.]

[One percent means two people.]

[One was injured and the fox demon wasn’t interested.]

[The other one is ugly and also not to the fox demon’s taste.]

[So, only these two didn’t become the fox demon’s underlings.]

Ning Xu: …

Well then. The remaining two weren’t resistant to the fox demon’s charm—they were just ignored.

So, this fox demon’s allure was really that strong?

The Eating Melon System was unconvinced, [It’s just a charm technique. It’s not that impressive.]

[To be honest, it’s much stronger than that female cultivator from the He Huan Sect.]

[That female cultivator relied on her high cultivation to do as she pleased.]

[This male fox demon? Seven parts relies on his looks, three parts on charm.]

[Still, he does have some real skill.]

—

Meanwhile.

The elders, who had been listening to all of this, could no longer keep quiet.

At first, when they heard that the fox demon had seduced Xu Shixing, they didn’t have much of a reaction.

It was fate, they thought.

They could only blame Xu Shixing for his difficult path and for enduring all of this.

They thought they would deal with the fox demon later.

But hearing this, they suddenly realized that nearly all of the twenty or so disciples punished at the Thinking Cliff had been seduced!

The two who hadn’t been seduced were just not to the fox demon’s taste!

How could they tolerate this?

They absolutely couldn’t!

This fox demon had turned their Wenxin Sect into what? A place for demon playthings?!

No wonder some disciples, even after their punishment period ended, didn’t want to leave.

They claimed they still felt guilty and wanted to continue self-punishing.

When the Law Enforcement Hall Master heard this explanation, he was pleased, thinking it was a sign that the sect’s teachings were effective.

But now, it all seemed like lies!

They were enjoying themselves at the Thinking Cliff, unwilling to leave! This wasn’t genuine repentance!

If they let this fox demon continue wreaking havoc, the consequences would be unimaginable!

The sect leader’s face darkened. “Lan Chen, take people to the Thinking Cliff and capture this… fox demon who is disrupting our sect!”

Lan Chen, the Law Enforcement Hall Master, bowed and accepted the order.

After issuing the command, the sect leader turned to the other elders.

“A demon has infiltrated our sect, and it was only now, after a reminder, that we discovered it.”

“I suspect there’s more than one demon infiltrator.”

“Send people down to thoroughly investigate the identities of all disciples.”

“If any demons or evil cultivators are found, imprison them and interrogate them later.”

The elders all cupped their hands and accepted the order.

—

Ning Xu had no idea that the melon she casually ate had helped the sect discover a crisis early.

At this moment, she was still immersed in the gossip about her scumbag ex-fiancé.

At this very moment, she asked a soul-piercing question.

“So, does he like men or women?”

“And, between him and the fox demon, who’s 1 and who’s 0?”

—

Note:

“1” and “0” refer to a common slang used to discuss someone’s sexual preferences, often in the context of BL (Boys’ Love) or similar genres.

“1” typically refers to the active or dominant role in a sexual relationship.

“0” refers to the passive or submissive role.

So when the character asks, “he and the fox demon, who is 1 and who is 0?” they are humorously questioning who plays the dominant and submissive roles in the relationship between the characters, likely with a playful or curious tone.