Volume 1, Chapter 38 – The Innate Defect of Fox Demons

“Her Majesty fell asleep?”

At first glance, the young woman’s sleeping face was very sweet.

As if she were having some beautiful dream, even in sleep, the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly.

Her sweet and adorable little face also carried a faint rosy glow.

Even though the two fox demon attendants had accompanied the Fox Monarch for a long time, observing the Fox Monarch’s universally captivating face at such close distance, they still marveled at her appearance.

But very quickly, Hu Xian’er noticed something amiss.

The breathing pattern was wrong.

A cultivator’s internal breathing should be long and deep.

But Lu Zhuxin’s breathing at this moment appeared very short.

While one couldn’t say there was anything wrong with it, this clearly wasn’t a state that should appear in an Eighth Realm powerhouse.

Moreover… how could an absolute powerhouse of the Eighth Realm fall into such deep, unguarded sleep in a fox demon attendant’s arms?

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty?” Hu Xian’er called out softly twice.

“Mm…” Lu Zhuxin made a muffled nasal sound but didn’t wake up.

She appeared to be sleeping very soundly.

The two fox demons exchanged glances, both seeing confusion, bewilderment, and a trace of worry in each other’s eyes.

The Fox Monarch was far too important to the entire fox clan. Nothing could go wrong.

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“Place Her Majesty on the bed. I’ll take her pulse.”

Hu Xian’er followed Hu Mei’er into the Fox Palace bedchamber.

Hu Mei’er gently placed Lu Zhuxin on the bed, thoughtfully covering her with the quilt.

“Mm…” Lu Zhuxin kicked the blanket off in dissatisfaction.

She really did look like she had simply fallen asleep normally.

But both fox demons knew that while sleeping was normal for ordinary people, for an Eighth Realm powerhouse, it was an incredibly unusual occurrence.

However, because they didn’t know what had actually happened, neither fox demon dared to wake Lu Zhuxin carelessly.

“Your Majesty, pardon the offense.” Hu Xian’er said softly. She reached out to roll up Lu Zhuxin’s sleeve, gently grasping her wrist and beginning to take her pulse.

A moment later, Hu Xian’er furrowed her brow.

“What is it? Sister Xian’er, did you discover something?” Hu Mei’er asked slowly.

“Her Majesty is fine.” Hu Xian’er’s expression shifted for a while before she slowly said, “Her pulse is generally normal. She’s just ordinarily asleep.”

“That’s all?” Hu Mei’er asked.

“There’s one more thing…” Hu Xian’er looked at Lu Zhuxin’s sleeping face, which carried a slight rosy glow.

“In Her Majesty’s pulse, there are signs that her heat period is coming early.”

“…” Hu Mei’er was first astonished, then suddenly became serious. “Sister Xian’er, are you certain?”

“This is not a matter for joking about.”

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Hu Xian’er’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t directly answer Hu Mei’er’s question, but instead asked, “Do you remember when Her Majesty’s last heat period was?”

Hu Mei’er thought for a moment. “It was eighty years ago.”

The cycle interval of a fox demon’s heat period would lengthen as the fox demon’s power grew.

For instance, Hu Xian’er and Hu Mei’er. One was a six-tailed fox demon, the other a seven-tailed fox demon.

Hu Xian’er’s heat period interval was about five years, lasting approximately half a month.

While Hu Mei’er’s heat period interval was about ten years, lasting approximately one month.

Of course, this duration could also differ due to individual fox demons’ constitutions and qualities.

For a ninth-tailed fox demon of the Eighth Realm, both the interval and duration of heat periods would be stretched very long.

The heat period was when a fox demon was at their weakest and also most dangerous.

If the Fox Monarch’s heat period truly came early, then the entire Fox Palace would need to prepare for it.

As the only nine-tailed fox demon of the entire fox clan, the timing of the Fox Monarch’s heat period had always been the fox clan’s greatest secret.

This was to prevent the Fox Monarch from being taken advantage of by powerful enemies during her weakest time.

“So much time has already passed. Even if it came a bit earlier, it would still be within the normal range.” Hu Xian’er said.

Seeing that Hu Mei’er’s face still showed worry, she continued, “Don’t overthink it. Just take good care of Her Majesty. The rest can be arranged according to past precedent.”

“Be careful, and nothing will go wrong.”

Only then did the worry between Hu Mei’er’s brows dissipate somewhat. She nodded. “I’ll leave the arrangements for the Fox Palace to you this time as well.”

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Such major matters involving the safety of the entire fox clan had always been handled by Hu Xian’er.

Hu Mei’er wasn’t skilled at these things.

Hu Xian’er nodded slightly. “I still have some things to investigate right now. I’m leaving Her Majesty’s care to you. I’ll come see Her Majesty again tomorrow.”

“Mm.”

…

After leaving Lu Zhuxin’s bedchamber, the expression on Hu Xian’er’s face gradually grew grave.

Was it really that simple?

No! The situation was even worse than imagined.

Most of what she had just said was merely to comfort Hu Mei’er.

Letting Hu Mei’er know too much would only add to her worries. Hu Mei’er only needed to accompany Her Majesty properly.

Earlier, when Hu Xian’er had sensed something wrong with Lu Zhuxin’s pulse, she had separated a thread of demonic power and sent it probing into Lu Zhuxin’s body.

This was an extremely dangerous move. How terrifying was an Eighth Realm fox demon’s demonic power? If Hu Xian’er rashly sent her demonic power into the Fox Monarch’s body and made the slightest mistake, triggering a backlash from the Fox Monarch’s demonic power, she could be severely injured on the spot.

However, it was precisely this risky move that allowed her to discover some clues.

For some unknown reason, the foundation of the demonic power within the Fox Monarch’s body had become incredibly unstable.

Her powerful demonic energy kept fluctuating, sometimes expanding, sometimes dissipating.

There were even several moments when Hu Xian’er felt that before her stood not an Eighth Realm powerhouse, but a mortal with no cultivation whatsoever.

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Hu Xian’er had never heard of such a situation.

“Could this be the side effect brought by an Eighth Realm fox demon’s heat period…” Hu Xian’er raised her hand to press her forehead.

She felt cold sweat seeping out from her body.

In the past, when the Fox Monarch’s heat period was approaching, she never let anyone get close.

Therefore, Hu Xian’er had never known that the side effects of the Fox Monarch’s heat period were actually this terrifying.

“A state of power dispersion, where all demonic cultivation completely dissipates… equivalent to a mortal without even the strength to truss a chicken.”

“Is this also a joke the Creator played on the fox demon clan?”

Hu Xian’er murmured in a low voice, as if questioning the lofty being above.

After human women matured, they had their “monthly courses.” After fox clan disciples transformed, they similarly had their “heat periods.”

Only, human women’s “monthly courses” were merely physical discomfort.

But the fox clan disciples’ “heat periods” were more like the omnipotent Creator deliberately leaving an incomparably awkward, enormous defect for the fox clan, who were otherwise heaven and earth’s favored children.

And this enormous defect would become increasingly dangerous the more advanced a fox clan member’s cultivation.

“It’s almost as if a handle was deliberately left behind for outsiders to manipulate the fox clan at will.”

…

And at this moment, a certain unscrupulous Creator, Lu Zhuxin, was lying in the warm embrace of the fox beauty, sleeping sweetly.