Young Master Bai — Chapter 2

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Chapter 2: You Never Know What the Younger Generation Will Do…

Bai Chen had no yao force left in his body. If not for the fact that the transformation was a bone-deep instinct of the Nine-tailed White Fox, he wouldn’t have been able to maintain a human form. In the past, all yao who recognized his identity had naturally assumed he had a great power and merely expertly concealed his aura, thus they dared not offend him. Now, five hundred years later, this generation of the yao race had long forgotten the scent of the Nine-tailed White Fox. The Bear Guard simply thought he was a mischievous little fox who’d gotten lost, questioned him a bit, and chased him away.

Being thrown out of the door of his own residence by his own guards — this experience was truly unique. Still, Bai Chen had mellowed a bit after dying once. In the past, he would’ve beaten these dumb brutes for sure.

He had walked down from the peak on his own. How could a newly transformed little yao possibly break through the Fox Immortal's restrictions and trespass on the highest summit? These stupid bears hadn’t grown any smarter in five hundred years. If Li Wuming hadn’t been guarding it, his corpse would likely have been stolen long ago, with not even a single fox hair left.

Just thinking of Li Wuming, that cheap Dao companion who suddenly declared their lifelong bond, made Bai Chen a bit dizzy. The buildings nearby were unfamiliar too. He simply followed the scent of foxes and, without much thought, wandered toward the guest reception area, Jade Spring.

Since the fall of the Yao King, the yao race had become a scattered mess. The clans still protected by powerful leaders had hidden themselves deep in the mountains, being cut off from each other. Only this stretch of snow-covered mountains, guarded by the descendants of the Yao King — the Bai family — had become a refuge for lesser yao.

Over the past millennium, countless lesser yao hunted by cultivators had come to rely on the Fox King. This mountain range thus became known as the largest yao settlement in the world. Because its peaks rose into the clouds and snow never melted year-round, cultivators named it the Great Snow Mountain.

During Bai Chen’s lifetime, his generation of the yao race had signed a non-interference treaty with the righteous Hidden Wisdom Sect, maintaining a relatively peaceful stance in relation to humans. The Fox Immortal had even ordered the lesser yao to prepare a hot spring specifically for visiting cultivators to rest, with the surrounding inns arranged to suit human preferences.

Humans and yao had long-standing grudges. Mutual wariness was the norm. In Bai Chen’s memory, aside from a few top cultivators with nerves of steel, no one dared explore the Great Snow Mountain. But today, he had already seen many human cultivators on his way — young, not very powerful, sipping tea and enjoying the snow leisurely. They didn’t seem to be here for serious business, making the place feel unusually lively.

Stranger still, the Great Snow Mountain had always revered the fox clan. Normally, when the young foxes went out, they were surrounded and escorted with care. Yet today, why had they all flocked to Jade Spring? And they were even exchanging flirtatious glances with the cultivators. What was that brat Bai Yunce up to now?

Before he died, Bai Chen had named his nephew Bai Yunce as successor to the Fox King position. But this nephew, though an Eight-tailed Black Fox on the outside, was a bear among bears on the inside. He had none of the fox clan’s cunning or cleverness, but was a master at wrecking homes and causing chaos. When Bai Chen woke and saw the Great Snow Mountain hadn’t yet been demolished and sold off by this nephew, he breathed a genuine sigh of relief.

Still harboring deep doubts about the new Fox King's nature, Bai Chen could already sense something strange in the air. Just as he was about to ask a cultivator for clarification, a group of little fox yao nearby caught wind of this unfamiliar scent from one of their kind. A flower yao stepped forward to invite him in.

Yao recognized each other by scent. No matter how flawlessly one appeared in human form, a simple sniff could tell their race apart. Bai Chen casually sniffed and immediately realized all the handsome men in the pavilion were yao. The one surrounded by others in red robes had the highest cultivation — likely a direct descendant of the Bai family.

The Bai family’s origins were mysterious. Their ancestor had been the Yao King from a thousand years ago. Even they themselves didn’t know the origin of the Nine-tailed White Fox. What was known, however, was that the Yao King’s direct line was always white foxes. The other-colored fox yao came from intermarriages between royal descendants and outside clans and rarely inherited ancestral powers.

Among the yao, a bloodline determined one's potential. Descendants of primordial beasts were respected wherever they went. That youth surrounded by lesser yao was no exception. With his striking features and crimson rouge painted like teardrops at the corners of his eyes, his entire appearance, though male, radiated the fox yao's eerie beauty. Lesser yao fawned over him — massaging, serving tea — none dared treat him as an equal.

At that moment, the red-robed youth lay lazily on a chair. When he saw Bai Chen approach with the flower yao, he asked languidly, “Which family are you from, little fox? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

Bai Chen had long been accustomed to the treatment of a pampered princeling. Now, technically an Ancestor in age, he found it amusing that words he used to speak were now addressed to him. So, he trotted out the same identity he’d used to fool the Bear Guard. “I’ve only recently transformed and got separated from my family.”

Unbothered, Bai Chen’s manner startled the guiding flower yao. Anxiously tugging his sleeve, it whispered, “Lord Chenzui is a Six-tailed Red Fox, a candidate for the next Fox King. Mind your manners — if you please him, you’ll be lucky.”

Bai Chen was a Nine-tailed Fox, Bai Yunce an Eight-tailed one, and now the most promising among the younger generation was a Six-tailed fox. It seemed the Fox Immortal’s fears were justified — the Nine-tailed bloodline was indeed thinning. Meanwhile, humans continued to thrive. The Great Snow Mountain’s future looked bleak.

Watching his clan decline generation by generation brought Bai Chen no joy. He looked slightly melancholic. Chenzui didn’t mind his silence and casually popped a peeled grape into his mouth. “You don’t look like an ordinary fox. You must come from somewhere significant.”

Yao didn’t understand human aesthetics. Their transformations merely drew from the subconscious ideals of human hearts, wrapping themselves in beautiful appearances. The stronger the yao, the deeper their ability to read minds — and the more striking their transformed forms. At the level of Wandering Immortal, their appearance could become the very pinnacle of human fantasy. Thus, fox yao often mingled with emperors, letting these men, who have seen all kinds of palace beauties, shape even more alluring appearances for them.

Bai Chen’s current form came from the heart of an old acquaintance in his childhood. Perhaps because that person had been too young to understand desire, the face Bai Chen wore was like a pristine snowy mountain untouched by the mortal world. In the past, it carried a lively charm. But now, older and sobered by death, it showed only the aloof elegance of someone born for high places.

Bai Chen had no desire to recall that person, nor did he like this face — likely once dreamed up by that person as their ideal lover. He answered simply, “Some ancient bloodline.”

The yao trusted their sense of smell. Though Chenzui felt the little fox’s attitude was odd, the scent was unmistakably that of the fox clan — and the faint snowy fragrance was distinctly of the Bai family. Though unfamiliar, Chenzui acknowledged the blood tie and extended an invitation. “Come sit. You seem inexperienced. Don’t get tricked by those cultivators.”

Each yao had a unique scent. The more noble the bloodline, the more pleasant the aroma. Bai family fox yao inherited the fragrance of the Yao King’s line — like the first snow’s melt. Humans couldn’t detect it, but among yao, it instantly confirmed identity.

Bai Chen needed to reacquaint himself with the world. He happily mingled among the youngsters, listening to their chatter. He had just sipped the rare snow-brewed tea of the Great Snow Mountain when a little yao grumbled, “I really don’t understand what the Fox King is thinking. Marriage between humans and yao is abnormal to begin with, and now he’s opened Jade Spring to let human cultivators come here to find Dao companions. He must be out of his mind.”

Bai Chen nearly dropped the teacup. He had expected Bai Yunce to be unpredictable, but to turn Jade Spring into a matchmaking venue for humans and yao? Could Li Wuming’s obsession with matchmaking really be contagious?

Clearly, not all yao were on board with such a bizarre idea. Even the little fox yao massaging Chenzui’s legs looked annoyed. “Exactly. The males in our clan are cursed — always born cut-sleeve and can’t bear offspring. The Great Snow Mountain now relies on the maternal line to continue. We treasure our female yao. Who’d want to give them to humans as Dao companions?”

This so-called cut-sleeve curse was indeed the white fox clan’s unspoken affliction. Bai Chen glanced around. Sure enough, even though the Fox King had ordered all single yao to come meet cultivators here, the groups still separated naturally: humans with humans, yao with yao. On the rare occasion a bold yao approached a cultivator, it was always a male — and the young human cultivators looked utterly uncomfortable.

Bai Yunce might be reckless, but he would never joke about the survival of the yao race. This had to be more than it appeared.

Certain that the matter was serious, Bai Chen was frowning in thought when Chenzui glanced at a young cultivator awkwardly dodging a male yao’s advances and let out a cold laugh. “The whole idea is laughable. Humans only ever love the beautiful forms we wear. Once we return to our original shape, who’d truly treat us cats and dogs as lifelong partners?”

His words were harsh but rang true. The little yao fell silent. Even those few curious enough to approach humans instinctively turned their eyes away. But boredom plagued them, living in this cold snowy place. Some still dreamed of the human world’s vibrant pleasures and murmured, “Not necessarily… Didn’t the son-in-law love Ancestor Bai Chen with all his heart?”

Chenzui, previously haughty, softened at the mention of the Nine-tailed White Fox. “You don’t understand. Ancestor Bai Chen was different. From the moment he took human form, suitors lined up beyond count. Not only from both righteous and demonic sects — even the Lord of the Underworld, born without emotion, longed for him. There is even a statue of the Ancestor at the Gates of Hell. A beauty like that — both mortals and immortals couldn't help but love him for a lifetime.”

Bai Chen had spent many years reading strange tales, both lewd and pure, and never imagined he would one day become their protagonist. He quietly reflected that, indeed, he hadn’t wanted to die as an lonely, forgotten little fox. It was true he once asked Li Wuming to help him find a fitting Dao companion. The problem was, although there were many handsome and charming men, none had ever stolen his heart at first sight.

Later, after spending so much time with Li Wuming, he began to feel something toward the man. But realizing he had little time left, he didn’t dare voice that budding affection — for fear of burdening Li Wuming’s life and future. After all, who would ever fall in love with the matchmaker instead of the match? Li Wuming should never have been on the candidate list.

In short, rumors of romantic entanglements between him and Li Wuming were understandable. After all, he’d rather leave behind a lonely grave than let Li Wuming suffer the grief of losing a Dao companion. There was certainly a genuine affection involved. But all those other flirtations — and this so-called Lord of the Underworld he’d never even heard of — how had they supposedly fallen so deeply in love with him?

Li Wuming had guarded his corpse for five hundred years, and he’d left behind a trail of lovers across both righteous and demonic sects? What kind of scoundrel did that make him?

This awakening had been full of shocks. Bai Chen hadn’t expected his legacy to be so… scandalous. He finally asked about tales he hadn't heard himself before: “So, what exactly made Ancestor Bai Chen so dazzling?”

~ Chapter End ~

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