After leaving Crescent Moon Mountain, Xiangniang made her way back along the road she had come, heading toward the small alley courtyard where she lived.
The whole way, she gripped her sleeve tightly, the Grand Elder's words from moments ago turning over and over in her mind.
Xiangniang understood perfectly clearly. For an ordinary fox like herself, if she truly managed to seduce Xiao Mo, she would not only gain entry to Crescent Moon Peak in one stroke and change the course of her life, receiving the Tushan clan's dedicated cultivation.
She would also gain a cultivation partner in Xiao Mo, someone exceptionally suited to dual practice.
From that point on, she could share pleasures with Xiao Mo night after night while simultaneously advancing her cultivation through their practice together. What could be better than that?
The problem was, exactly as she had told the Grand Elder.
Xiao Mo truly was a stone.
No. Not even that. He was harder than any stone.
If he were an actual stone, he would have dissolved into a puddle of spring water under the storm of her efforts by now.
Xiangniang turned those words over carefully with her fingers as she mulled over the Grand Elder's instruction but how was she supposed to go about that?
Xiao Mo's cultivation level was not lower than hers.
Even if she did try something direct, she was not certain she could overpower him then all at once, walking along the town road, Xiangniang caught sight of a shop, and an idea rose in her mind.
The sign over the shop's door had three characters written in bright, prominent script: Harmonious Joy Powder, catching the light of the sun in a particularly eye-catching way.
Shops of this kind were not uncommon in Tushan.
After all, quite a few of the fox clan's cultivators practiced dual cultivation methods.
And this Harmonious Joy Powder was not only able to enhance the pleasure of dual cultivation, making both parties more fully absorbed in the experience, but it could also be used to cloud a person's reason and muddy their judgment.
Xiangniang did not hesitate for a single moment. She walked straight into the shop.
The proprietress, seeing Xiangniang come through the door, curved the corners of her lips and said with a teasing smile, "Well, look who it is. It is Xiangniang. What is this, have you come for some Harmonious Joy Powder to add some interest to your bedroom affairs? But Xiangniang, are you not still untouched?"
"Do not remind me, Elder Sister Chen."
Xiangniang quickly waved a hand and let out an exasperated sigh.
"The man I brought home, his heart is as hard as a stone. He will not so much as look at me properly."
"Do you happen to have any Harmonious Joy Powder that would..."
Xiangniang did not finish the sentence, but gave the proprietress a look of eloquent implication, her eyes urgently conveying the rest.
The proprietress named Shaoyao gave a soft, confused laugh. "How is this possible? With a face like yours, and a figure like yours, there is actually a man who has not fallen for you? Could it be that he does not like women?"
"He definitely likes women, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with him in that department. I can personally guarantee that."
Xiangniang waved off the suggestion, a note of impatience in her voice.
"He is just... not like other men."
"All right, never mind all that, why am I telling you this? Quick, quick, do you have Harmonious Joy Powder suitable for a Golden Core cultivator? I am in a hurry."
"Of course I do." The proprietress reached unhurriedly into a drawer and drew out a small vial, setting it on the counter.
"This stuff, one drop in water is all you need. Forget a stone, even chaos black iron would turn to water at your feet. And it is colorless and odorless, nearly impossible to detect. Only five upper-grade spirit stones!"
"What? That expensive?" Xiangniang drew in a pained breath, but clenched her teeth and pulled five upper-grade spirit stones from her pouch and slapped them firmly on the counter. "Fine, fine, I will take it."
"My, my, you really are going all out." The proprietress laughed and patted her own chest. "Do not worry, I guarantee the effect. If it does not work, come back and I will give you a full refund."
"I will trust you this once, Elder Sister. I am going."
"Do come again."
The proprietress watched Xiangniang's retreating figure, and casually swept the five upper-grade spirit stones off the counter into the till.
And the very moment Xiangniang stepped out, another woman walked into the shop.
"Proprietress, I am thirsty. Might I beg a cup of tea?" That woman asked.
"Of course." The proprietress nodded with a warm smile. "Please follow me."
Shaoyao swayed her slender waist and led the young woman into the back courtyard, calling to her daughter to go mind the shop front as she went.
The moment the two of them stepped into the back courtyard, Shaoyao's expression changed entirely, becoming immediately serious.
She flicked a sleeve, and a formation to block all divine sense was activated.
"What brings you here today, without warning?" Shaoyao asked in a low voice.
"I have come to pass along some news." The other woman spoke slowly, keeping her voice pressed very low. "Tushan Jingci has returned to Tushan. It is being said that the old creature Tushan Meng intends to take Tushan Jingci as her disciple and install her as the Tushan Holy Woman."
The woman's voice was suppressed to its lowest possible register, and even with only the two of them in the courtyard, she seemed afraid of being overheard.
"But opinion within Tushan is divided. After all, everyone has their eye on that Holy Woman position, and Tushan Meng has long ruled Tushan with an iron hand, answering to no one."
"And so the other elders of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan have long harbored deep dissatisfaction with Tushan Meng. In particular, this time around, Tushan Meng wants to establish supremacy over the entire Demon Realm and bring it all under the Tushan name. Does she think that is something she can simply decide on her own?"
As she spoke, a cold laugh left the woman's lips, contempt plain in every line of her expression.
"Does that old thing Tushan Meng truly believe Tushan is a fortress with no cracks?"
Shaoyao was quiet for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "What instructions does the master have?"
"Naturally!"
The woman gave a firm nod, a sharp edge entering her eyes.
"According to the master's assessment, Tushan is currently beset by troubles within and without. This is precisely our most rare and precious opportunity."
"What of it if the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan has a noble bloodline? The Lord of the Four Seas was nothing more than an ordinary white serpent who underwent a bloodline reversion step by step until she became a true dragon."
"An ordinary horse clan member can also revert their bloodline to become a luscious deer."
"A common sparrow has the chance to transform into a phoenix."
"They have done nothing but claim everything that belongs to Tushan for themselves, monopolize the Moon Spirit Tree, and deny us the bloodline reversion and advancement we deserve, enslaving us generation after generation."
"On what basis can the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan remain forever above us all and enjoy all of this? On what basis?!"
The woman's voice grew more heated with every word, each syllable seeming to be ground out from between her teeth, her eyes burning with undisguised viciousness and resentment.
"Over the coming days, let us prepare carefully and hold ourselves in readiness, awaiting only the master's signal."
She drew a slow, deep breath, and a cold, sharp curve spread at the corners of her lips.
"Tushan is long overdue to change masters!"