Volume Three: Rising Fame Chapter Forty-Five: Nighttime Operation

White foxes.

Within the valley, a few evergreen trees still stood, though little of their green could be seen, buried beneath the fallen snow.

In this small grove, white fox cubs were often seen frolicking and playing, their forms flickering in and out of view.

“Is that what you were looking for?” Partridge Frost asked softly.

“No,” Li Yu replied without looking away. “But what I’m after is tied to them by a symbiotic bond.”

The Snow Fox Demon Vine favored growing beside great trees, adapting itself to its surroundings.

And for the white fox clan that lived in the snow, even migrating across the frozen wastes, it likewise conformed to the bloodline of the snow fox.

Both of these points could be verified to a degree. What remained was to find a way inside and inspect the place in person, to see whether this white fox clan, carrying snow fox blood, could in fact sustain the growth of a Snow Fox Demon Vine.

“The setting is so perfect. If only this were truly a snow fox clan, then there would definitely be a Snow Fox Demon Vine here,” Li Yu said with some regret.

Though the target he had sought for so long was right before his eyes, he did not lose his judgment because of it and strode straight in.

“There are white fox guards in all four directions.”

The valley appeared empty at first glance, but when Li Yu channeled spiritual power into his eyes, he discovered the anomaly within. On every small rise that offered a clear view, snow had settled thickly, but upon closer inspection, parts of it were actually white fur.

Because the color was so close to the snow, it was difficult to detect.

Li Yu held his breath. “Inside the grove, some of the white foxes appear to be playing with the cubs, but in truth they have a watch duty.”

When the cubs played, they darted wildly through the entire forest. Some adult white foxes seemed to join in, but they never left a very small fixed area.

Clearly, this was the white foxes’ scheme. If anyone tried to strike from within, the infiltration would be easily exposed by overlooking these foxes.

“Is it that troublesome?” Partridge Frost had only now realized how much lay behind it.

She looked at Li Yu’s face, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

“These white foxes aren’t the problem...” Li Yu turned his head. “What’s troublesome is the meaning behind all this.”

If there were not a highly intelligent lead fox, or even a white fox king, directing them, these white foxes could never behave in such a way. Only under restraint and orders could they display this kind of discipline.

And a white fox capable of this would certainly be no weakling.

These adult white foxes were likely all around the late seventh rank. As for the lead fox, what level might it be?

If a Snow Fox Demon Vine truly existed in the grove, then taking it would be no different from digging up someone else’s ancestral grave.

That white fox king would probably pursue him until death.

“And yet I must obtain it,” Li Yu said with a resolute expression.

He would rather the worst-case scenario be true, because that would mean there really was a Snow Fox Demon Vine here, and the poison plaguing Qing Anqi would finally have a cure!

“Then do we go in now?”

Partridge Frost said no more. She was unbound now; with a secret realm this vast, where could she not go?

If it were truly dangerous, she could simply burrow through the earth. There was no chance of her being caught.

“Not yet. Wait a little longer.”

Li Yu’s gaze grew deep. After staring hard at the grove for a long while, he buried himself in the snow.

Partridge Frost copied him exactly.

“What are we doing here?”

Her voice was muffled and unclear.

Li Yu sighed helplessly, then released a bit of spiritual power, opening up a space for her side.

“What are you doing?” Li Yu blinked, noticing that Partridge Frost had stuffed her mouth full of snow.

She chewed and swallowed a few mouthfuls. “It got pressed into my mouth when I came in just now!”

Li Yu: ...

“We’ll wait here until nightfall. The white foxes are not exactly bright, and at night they’ll surely relax their guard. Then we sneak in, find the Snow Fox Demon Vine, and slip away.”

“Snow fox... demon vine, demon vine?” Partridge Frost murmured, then shook her head. For some reason, it sounded oddly familiar to her.

Li Yu did not notice the abnormality in the spirit treasure. He had already closed his eyes and adjusted his condition.

...

“Where are they?”

Ying Yongge stood on a hilltop. This place happened to border Li Yu’s location, but it was even higher, with a broader view.

“Your Highness, over there!” Shan Zhizhuan pointed confidently. “There are no signs of anyone descending into the valley. And look, there are two mounds over there; they should be hiding inside.”

What he pointed to was precisely where Li Yu and Partridge Frost were concealed. He had noticed the slight rise in the snow.

“They must be preparing a night raid on the white foxes,” Ying Yongge said, sweeping his gaze across the valley. He too saw the white foxes playing in the grove, and a faint smile touched his lips. “When the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind. Everyone, rest for a while. Once he makes his move, we’ll strike unexpectedly and catch him off guard!”

The royal household kept secret records on all factions throughout the realm, adding to them and compiling them into volumes every day.

Ying Yongge held no low position, so he naturally had access to most of that material. For this expedition into the secret realm, he had specifically reviewed much of the information on the clan participants.

One must know that the others entered to win benefits for their clans, but the royal family was never so simple. Among the three royal contestants, there were three separate factions. Every performance was another step built toward the throne.

“Qing Heng’s only daughter is poisoned and desperately needs an antidote... The Snow Fox Demon Vine is Li Yu’s target,” Ying Yongge mused. “Qing Yuan and the duke’s lineage have never been on good terms. He certainly won’t help this time. As for Qing Xiumin, being neutral, perhaps Li Yu tempted him with some profit and got him to lend a hand?”

A clan might send out three competitors, yet they were a team in name only, each with a different force maneuvering behind the scenes.

“A method that cuts off both arms!”

Ying Yongge sneered. The Qing clan had carved out a territory and ruled a prefecture like kings. If he could strike and kill all three, it would be an enormous merit indeed.

...

Farther away, the young man wrapped from head to toe let a flash of spiritual light surface in his eyes. It seemed to be some kind of ocular technique, allowing him to see the scene above the valley.

“A bunch of bumpkins...”

He sat cross-legged and calculated. “When the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind. If I’m patient until nightfall, my harvest may be even greater.”

“By then that spirit can’t run, and I can even haul the fox king back with me...”

When he touched the ground, the snow melted away into a large hollow. The young man fell into it, and then, under a bizarre force, the snow on both sides shifted and covered him.

If anyone passed by now, they would never guess someone was hiding there.

...

Night deepened.

Li Yu and Partridge Frost quietly emerged from the snow. Squinting, Li Yu studied the scene below.

“As expected, no matter the race, everyone grows lax at night.”

The white fox guards remained in place on all sides, but compared with daytime, the foxes now had half their bodies pushed out of the snow, twitching as though they were feeding.

Near the edge of the grove, one fox cub had even fallen asleep from exhaustion after playing too hard during the day...

“Can you see clearly?” Li Yu asked in a low voice.

Partridge Frost nodded at once.

“Good.” Li Yu looked up at the sky. A cloud had covered the moon, and the valley instantly plunged into utter darkness, so black that one could not see a hand before one’s face.

“Now!”

Li Yu moved first, slipping furtively into the valley.