Cultivation starts with picking up attributes
Chapter 99: Ch-99: Pet Trouble

Chapter 99: Ch-99: Pet Trouble

The calm silence of the new courtyard was shattered a moment later by a series of rustling noises, followed by something—or someone—barreling toward them with the speed and subtlety of a drunken tornado.

A flash of red, a blur of fluff, and then—

"Master!"

Tian Shen didn’t even get the chance to dodge before a crimson blur launched into his chest.

He staggered backward as a small but incredibly warm creature buried itself into his robes, nuzzling with such ferocity it could’ve drilled holes.

Feng Yin sidestepped gracefully, letting the chaos unfold without so much as blinking.

"Little Mei," Tian Shen groaned, cradling the hyper Blood Fox in his arms. "You were supposed to be resting in our old home."

The fox looked up with glowing eyes and quivering ears.

"I got here by sensing you through our spiritual Connection."

She sniffed dramatically, ears drooping.

"All because you left me behind!"

Before he could respond, a loud thud echoed behind them.

Tian Shen turned in time to see a plump chicken—not just any chicken, but a goddess chicken with eyes too intelligent for comfort—land atop a nearby fence post like some avian guardian deity.

Feng Yin squinted.

"...Drowsy?"

The Chicken Empress blinked slowly. Then let out a single, disdainful cluck.

"Cluck~"

It was a sound that screamed: "Fools. I was watching all along."

"Great," Tian Shen sighed, setting Little Mei down. "The whole squad’s here. Did I forget to put a ’do not disturb’ sign on the mountain?"

"You did," Feng Yin said helpfully.

"Traitor," he muttered.

Little Mei’s tail swished. "So! This is our new home? It’s pretty and smells like you!"

Tian Shen raised an eyebrow.

"What were you sniffing before this?"

Feng Yin coughed, covering a giggle with her hand.

Little Mei pranced around the courtyard like a happy puppy in a fox’s body.

She ran past the waterfall, circled the lotus pond, then leapt onto the roof, balanced there a moment, and declared.

"I love it! This is now my territory!"

Drowsy gave another cluck.

Tian Shen translated.

"She disagrees."

Feng Yin folded her arms, amused. "How are you going to handle both a bloodthirsty fox and a narcissistic chicken under one roof?"

"With dignity and patience."

Splash

Little Mei cannonballed into the pond.

"Okay," Tian Shen amended. "With no dignity and zero patience."

...

By afternoon, the courtyard had gone from tranquil retreat to chaotic beast sanctuary.

Feng Yin had conjured some simple formations to keep Little Mei from accidentally setting the curtains on fire (again), while Drowsy had claimed the roof as her private throne.

Tian Shen finally sat on the veranda, sipping tea that Feng Yin brewed with surprising care.

The fragrance of osmanthus petals drifted up from the cup, reminding him faintly of spring nights in the old residence. Not that he’d ever admit that out loud.

Feng Yin sat beside him, legs folded neatly, sipping her own cup in silence.

"You’re oddly calm," he said.

She didn’t look at him.

"You’re oddly dramatic."

Tian Shen chuckled.

"Touché."

She added.

"It’s not bad. Having them here."

"I know."

Feng Yin glanced toward the roof where Drowsy watched them like a silent sentinel.

"Even now I can’t believe you contracted that... chicken."

"She chose me," Tian Shen defended. "Apparently my aura’s imperial-grade."

Feng Yin’s lips twitched.

"Or she saw an easy meal ticket."

"Or maybe she saw destiny."

"Keep telling yourself that."

...

Night fell, casting shadows across the courtyard as moonlight painted the pond in silver.

Tian Shen stood beneath the plum tree near the edge, practicing his breathing technique.

Feng Yin sat by the veranda, arms wrapped around her knees, watching the ripples in the water.

Her hair glowed faintly under the moonlight, like threads of silk dyed with starlight.

Little Mei slept curled beside her, her ears flicking now and then in dreamlike twitching.

Drowsy? Still on the roof, unmoving.

"You’re getting better," Feng Yin said.

Tian Shen opened one eye.

"You always watch me while I cultivate?"

"Someone has to make sure you don’t explode."

"Not Comforting Enough."

She tilted her head.

"Why are you still worried?"

He didn’t respond immediately.

Eventually, he exhaled.

Feng Yin stood and walked toward him.

"Remember, we are in this together.."

They stood in silence.

The wind stirred gently.

Then—

CRASH!

They both turned.

Little Mei had rolled off the veranda in her sleep and tumbled into the pond.

Splash

"NOT AGAIN!" Tian Shen groaned, rushing over.

Feng Yin burst into laughter.

...

Later that night, when the courtyard had calmed again, Tian Shen sat inside his room, cross-legged, eyes closed.

Outside, the moonlight shifted. Feng Yin stood just beyond his door, hand resting on the wood, as if sensing his growth.

She smiled softly.

Then whispered to herself.

"You really are... A whole pack of trouble."

And she didn’t sound worried.

She sounded intrigued.

...

Next Morning.

Morning came too soon—the courtyard seemed to whisper, drenched in soft mist and birdsong.

The lotus pond gleamed under the early rays, as though trying to pretend it hadn’t been used as a crash pad by a certain fox-girl.

Tian Shen rubbed the bridge of his nose as he walked out of his room, stretching.

"Nothing like waking up to the sound of a fox snoring and a chicken giving judgmental clucks," he muttered.

Little Mei was sprawled out on a pillow near the veranda, sleeping with her legs in the air like a pup who’d just fought an army of ducks.

Drowsy, perched on the railing like a holy artifact, stared into the sunrise as if calculating which world she would conquer next.

Feng Yin had already woken up. Of course she had.

She sat on a rock near the waterfall, one leg dangling as she meditated beneath the cascade of water.

Her robes clung lightly to her form, her hair a soaked curtain down her back, yet there was nothing fragile in her posture.

She looked like a woman who would walk barefoot through a battlefield and not blink.

"Beautiful and terrifying," Tian Shen thought. "Just My wife."

She opened one eye, sensing him.

"You’re up late."

"Morning after a chaotic fox invasion. Forgive me if I needed to snooze," he said, walking over to the veranda.

Tian Shen sighed. "One day without chaos. Just one. Is that too much to ask?"

Apparently, yes.

From the roof above, came a single, imperial-sounding—

"Cluck~."

He looked up in despair.

"Please don’t poop on the tiles again."

No response.

Just regal silence.

He swore Drowsy’s disdain could curdle spiritual milk.

Moments later, another disruption—a small scratching at the doorway. He already knew who it was.

"Little Mei," he called. "If you soaked yourself again, I’m not drying your tail this time."

The door creaked open slowly.

A very wet, very fluffy fox peeked inside, tail drooping like a soaked mop. Her ears twitched with unrepentant shame.

"I was sleepwalking!" she said defensively.

"And the pond ambushed me."

Tian Shen sighed and held out a towel with practiced efficiency.

"You’ve got ambushed regularly, don’t you?"

"Well... it’s a very aggressive pond."

She trotted in, flopping onto the floor beside him, dripping all over the meditation mat.

Tian Shen didn’t even argue. At this point, his resistance to fox-induced chaos had been worn down to a smooth pebble.

Little Mei curled up beside him, her tail wrapped tight.

He looked at her—those bright crimson eyes blinking up at him, not mischievous for once but genuinely curious.

Little Mei’s nose twitched.

"You smell sweeter now."

"I hope that’s a compliment."

"It’s not," she said. "It just means if you keep growing, I’ll have to work harder to stay cute enough to get snacks."

He laughed again, a real one this time.

Outside, the wind picked up briefly, rustling the trees around the courtyard.

Moonlight dappled across the floor through the half-open screen, and the scent of night-blooming flowers filtered in—soft, fragrant, ancient.

A voice floated through the air.

"Don’t let her fool you," Feng Yin called from her side of the courtyard. "She’s already the strongest when it comes to manipulating you."

"Hey!"

Little Mei shouted.

"She’s right, though."

Tian Shen said.

The fox pouted, but then nestled closer.

The three of them were... unconventional. A misfit cultivator, a quiet ice beauty, and a fox with attitude issues.

Not to mention a chicken goddess whose life philosophy was 80% nap and 20% scorn.

But right now?

It felt like home.

"Hey," he said softly, eyes closing again.

"Yeah?" Little Mei murmured, already halfway asleep.

"Glad you came back."

She didn’t answer with words, but her tail thumped once against his leg.

A subtle "you’re welcome."

Up on the roof, Drowsy blinked once more, her feathers rustling in the night air as she looked down upon them like a queen satisfied with her court.

The stars were clear.

The silence settled once more.

And Tian Shen, surrounded by chaos and warmth alike, drifted into deep cultivation with the faintest smile on his lips.