Chapter 79: The Supplemental Consultation Fee

Yun Jiao took this formation-training project quite seriously. After all, education was no small matter—and if she taught well, it might just solve Qingyang Sect’s long-standing problem of “how to afford three meals a day.”

The problem was… she didn’t actually know what kind of “lost formations” Hall Master Xu was talking about. Her understanding of this world’s knowledge system was still painfully limited. As for the only one around who might know—the old man—he was an academic disaster who’d never studied formations in his life.

And as for the Grandmaster… forget it.

So, she simply asked the Heavenly Master Hall to compile a list of all known “lost formations.” She’d just teach them one by one according to the list.

Hall Master Xu’s people worked fast. In less than a day, a detailed formation list was delivered. When Yun Jiao skimmed it, her head hurt—there were over a hundred formations on it.

She did some quick mental math. The Heavenly Master Hall still needed time to distribute all the communication talismans and collect tuition fees—so while waiting for the money to roll in, she started preparing her lessons and materials.

This was, after all, the key step toward financial independence for Qingyang Sect.

But before the money arrived… someone else did.

A soft voice whispered from outside, “Chirp~ chirp~ Yun Doctor… Yun Doctor… over here!”

Yun Jiao’s forehead twitched. She turned toward the voice—and saw a small fox poking its head out from a burrow, furtively waving at her while scanning his surroundings like a thief ready to bolt at any second.

She sighed and asked, “Alright, which one of your friends is sick this time?”

The fox was clearly Little Fox. “And why are you hiding in a hole? Come out already.”

“N-no, no! I don’t dare!” the little fox squeaked, shaking his head frantically, eyes full of panic.

“What are you doing here, then? And sneaking around like that?”

“I came on the King’s orders,” he whispered even lower.

“The Demon King?” Yun Jiao blinked. “He’s been pulled out of the rock already?”

The fox nodded vigorously. “Mm-hmm! Yesterday! Took over a dozen high-ranked demons working together to dig him out. That intruder who broke into the Demon Realm that day was terrifying!”

“Oh.” Yun Jiao did a quick calculation. It had been more than a month since she left the Demon Realm. So the Grandmaster’s strike had kept him trapped that long, huh? Just how heavy-handed was that old man?

“By the way,” she suddenly remembered something. “That cat of yours—the princess. How is she? Did she wake up?”

“She did…” The little fox’s ears drooped instantly. His whole body seemed to deflate. “But…”

“But what?” Yun Jiao pressed, her doctor’s instinct kicking in.

He lowered his head, his tail drooping as well. “After she woke, she somehow angered the King. They quarreled… and then she disappeared. Prince Ji Chen went out to look for her missing inner core, but the King’s still furious, so no one’s been sent after her.”

Yun Jiao rubbed her temple. Two troublemakers, clearly. Still, she sighed and said, “If you find the inner core, bring her here for a follow-up treatment. I’ll help her reinsert it.”

The fox peeked nervously toward the tall pagoda nearby before nodding cautiously.

“Alright, then tell me—why exactly did the Demon King send you here?”

The little fox finally straightened up, looking serious. “The King asked me to deliver your consultation fee.”

“…Another consultation fee?” Yun Jiao’s eye twitched. She instantly thought of that marriage contract. “Don’t tell me it’s another one of those scrolls. Does he want to get stuffed back into a mountain again?”

“No, no!” The little fox waved his paws wildly. “The King said since the title of Queen didn’t suit your tastes, he’s sending another kind of payment to thank you for saving the Princess.”

“Another kind?” Yun Jiao, who’d just earned a fortune in tuition gold, raised a brow. “It’s not another contract, right?”

“Of course not.” The fox lifted the stone cover of his tunnel, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then smiled proudly. “This one, Doctor Yun, I promise you’ll like.”

“…Really?” Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up. Maybe her luck was finally turning around—business booming and all.

“Really!” he said confidently. “The King personally asked me what you liked and prepared accordingly.”

“…He asked you?” Yun Jiao suddenly had a bad feeling. “Wait—it’s not wild chickens again, is it?”

“Of course not!” the fox puffed up. “I know you love chicken, but you saved the Princess! How could we compare her case to a few wild birds?”

“So?”

“So…” He scrambled out of the hole, tugging something with both paws. “The King sent three chicken demons!”

Yun Jiao: “…”

…How is that any different?!

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Seriously, chicken demons were still… chickens!

Were these people in the Demon Realm that heartless—to just send their own kind to be cooked?!

The three chicken demons huddled together, trembling in fear but too terrified to flee. Tears streamed down their faces as they sobbed in unison.

“Waaah—I don’t wanna be eaten!”

“G-great immortal, please don’t eat us!”

“I… I wanna go home!”

The fox frowned impatiently. “No crying! This is the King’s order!”

“But… but we all have children still too young to fly,” one whimpered.

“That’s why the King chose you!” the fox replied solemnly. “Doctor Yun prefers old hens! And besides, didn’t you volunteer for this?”

At that, the three hens burst into even louder wails.

The fox sighed, trying to comfort them. “Stop crying already. Dying for the Demon Realm is an honor. The King will compensate your chicks generously.”

The hens fell silent at that, heads bowed in despair, their grief even heavier than before.

The fox turned back to Yun Jiao, completely serious. “Doctor Yun, are three enough? If not, the King said I can go fetch more from the Chicken Clan—don’t hold back.”

Yun Jiao: “…”

Who the hell could eat that with a straight face?!

She took a deep breath, ready to refuse—

—but a sudden cool breeze swept through the courtyard, and a calm, chilling voice spoke right beside her.

“Who are you talking to?”

The little fox instantly froze, eyes going wide in terror. Without another word, he bolted—diving back into the burrow and vanishing without a trace.

A white figure landed in the courtyard. It was Ye Yuan, his sharp eyes locking directly onto her.

“You were talking about chickens?”

Yun Jiao: “…”

…Out of everything he could’ve overheard, that was the word he caught?

Before she could explain, the crying in the yard abruptly stopped.

The three chicken demons, who had been weeping moments ago, all lifted their heads. Their sorrow vanished at once, replaced by bright, starry eyes as they stared at Ye Yuan’s cold, handsome face.

Their tears dried instantly.

“I’ve changed my mind, Great Immortal—please eat me! I’m plump!”

“Eat me instead! My bones are delicate!”

“Me too! Eat me, eat me—I’ve got extra juicy blood!”

Ye Yuan: “…”

Yun Jiao: “…”

MMP!!!

(End of Chapter)