At the Grand Narukami Shrine, inside a quiet room—
Xia Zhi had already finished refining a batch of Transformation Pills.
Because he'd tempered them with True Sunfire, all the pills shimmered with a brilliant golden glow.
But he still wasn't sure what kind of True Sunfire-related effect they might have. They'd only know once Urakusai ate one.
Xia Zhi put the pills away and stopped his refining work.
He'd already used up all the spiritual herbs he'd bought from the Shop, leaving only a few scraps he'd set aside on purpose.
They weren't enough to make pills, but they were still useful.
He stepped out of the room, found Xia Le, handed her the leftover herb bits, and had her store them inside the Seed Dispensary. Moments later, they successfully obtained seeds from them. [Changed Seed-Converting box to Seed Dispensary]
Then Xia Zhi planted the seeds inside the Serenitea Pot and watered them with a bit of Essence of Sun and Moon. The seeds immediately began to grow with incredible vigor.
At this rate, he'd have an entire harvest of top-quality spiritual herbs in just a few days.
Then he could refine more pills again.
No need to buy ingredients from the Shop ever again.
Zero cost. Fully self-sustaining.
Satisfied, Xia Zhi stepped out of the Serenitea Pot and wandered around the shrine—then spotted Urakusai.
The great fox was lying in the courtyard with his eyes half-closed, sunbathing lazily.
Even though his power had dropped, leaving him at the gold rank, his memories were intact. With a bit of effort, he could still hide his presence effortlessly.
But when Xia Zhi checked his progress bar, he paused.
What the hell?
I haven't even started grinding yet.
Why is his progress already at 78%?
He remembered clearly—right after reviving Urakusai, they'd only exchanged a few words.
Then Urakusai left the Sacred Sakura Tree with Yae Miko. At that time, the progress bar was at 1%.
After that, Xia Zhi had been busy with the Transformation Pills. He hadn't interacted with Urakusai at all.
So how did it suddenly jump by 77%?
Confused, Xia Zhi walked over.
Urakusai immediately sensed him, opened his eyes, and dipped his head politely. "Lord Xia."
Xia Zhi smiled. "No need for that. Just call me Mr. Xia."
Urakusai corrected himself. "Mr. Xia."
Xia Zhi stood beside him. "How do you feel now?"
Urakusai let out a long, nostalgic sigh. "Thanks to you, this old one feels reborn."
Xia Zhi nodded, but didn't ask about the past. For Urakusai, the events of five hundred years ago were wounds best left undisturbed.
Casually, he asked, "So after you left earlier, you've just been sunbathing here?"
Urakusai clicked his tongue in satisfaction. "Not exactly. I hadn't eaten in so long, I was craving real food. The shrine maiden took me to the kitchen for a proper meal. That little girl Diona makes truly excellent wine. And the fried tofu… I've never had fried tofu that delicious. Lady Miko said those were made by you, Mr. Xia?"
"I did make them," Xia Zhi said, and something clicked in his mind. His expression shifted. "So… how much fried tofu did you eat?"
Urakusai froze, his tone suddenly guilty. "I got carried away… and ate all of it."
Mystery solved.
So that's why his progress bar skyrocketed.
Of course. No fox spirit in existence could resist fried tofu.
Xia Zhi laughed. "It's fine. It's just fried tofu. You can eat as much as you want. I'll make more tonight."
Urakusai swallowed reflexively.
Xia Zhi added, "I'll make extra."
Urakusai looked embarrassed. "Forgive this old one for losing composure."
"It's fine," Xia Zhi said with a laugh. "It's natural to enjoy what you enjoy."
The shrine was still bustling with visitors. People came and went, but none of them noticed the man and fox nearby.
Urakusai squinted at the scenery, nostalgia filling his voice. "After all these centuries, that girl who loved to laze on others' shoulders has really grown up. I can't believe she's managing such a huge shrine all on her own."
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Miko might be a menace sometimes, but she's definitely competent."
Urakusai laughed. "That girl even said she wants me to write light novels for her Yae Publishing House. Mr. Xia, do you know what light novels are?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "Yeah. I actually have a novel signed with Yae Publishing House. It's about to be released."
Urakusai blinked, then smiled. "Then I'll make sure to buy one. I should support you properly."
Xia Zhi gave a small smile.
Urakusai lowered his gaze, something stirring in his mind.
He hadn't expected Mr. Xia to like light novels.
Maybe… he should try his hand at writing one too.
---
Talking just couldn't compare to feeding or physical touch. The progress bar crawled forward at a sluggish pace.
Xia Zhi stood beside Urakusai and chatted with him patiently for a while.
Urakusai was sharp-tongued, witty, and surprisingly well connected. For a fox who'd lived five hundred years, he had plenty of stories, and Xia Zhi ended up hearing all sorts of interesting tales from Inazuma's past.
After some time, a familiar system chime sounded in Xia Zhi's mind.
"Progress bar has reached 100%. Golden chest reward obtained."
Keeping his expression perfectly natural, Xia Zhi continued chatting a bit longer before politely taking his leave.
Urakusai narrowed his eyes as he watched Xia Zhi walk away. This unfamiliar deity… actually felt pretty friendly.
He glanced up at the sun hanging high above the sky.
There were still a few hours until sunset.
As much as he wanted to hurry and rebuild his cultivation, take on a human form again, and help Baal regain her former glory, sunlight was too harsh.
Even a great youkai like him could only cultivate under the moonlight.
The huge fox lowered his head again and closed his eyes to rest.
---
Although Xia Zhi had finished refining the Transformation Pills, he hadn't given them to Urakusai yet.
Something like this was better delivered through his cousin. She could hand it over, increase her employee loyalty, and have a better excuse to slack off and keep following him on trips to other nations.
After wandering around the shrine a little more, Xia Zhi reached the entrance and spotted Mona.
She was sitting on a stone, staring blankly at the ocean far below the mountain.
Xia Zhi thought for a moment, then walked over. "Why are you out here alone, Mona?"
Mona blinked back to reality and turned her head. "Oh, Mr. Xia. I'm just… enjoying the view."
Xia Zhi stood in front of her. "Are you feeling homesick?"
Mona shook her head immediately. "Not at all!"
Xia Zhi raised a brow. "You've been away for almost half a year. You're sure?"
Mona's expression turned awkward. "My home only has my… cough… my master there. There's nothing to miss."
"Are you not close to your master?" Xia Zhi asked.
"It's not that…" she muttered.
Since she didn't seem eager to continue that topic, Xia Zhi changed direction. "Didn't you say you came out this time to retrieve something for your master? Something left with Alice?"
Mona let out a sigh for reasons unknown. "Yeah. I already got it."
"You're not rushing to bring it back to her?"
Mona's face twisted strangely. "It's… not that important, really."
Xia Zhi laughed. "If you don't want to go back, Komaniya Express is pretty reliable. You could have them deliver it instead."
Mona thought for a second. "I'll wait for Kirara to come back first."
Kirara spammed the group chat every day, claiming she was already on the ship back to Inazuma, and a famous fashion designer was returning with her. Some Inazuman woman named Chiori.
Mona honestly felt like those diaries from her master were a ticking time bomb. One wrong move and the old witch might personally show up to reclaim all that ancient blackmail material.
She definitely didn't want to deliver it herself. Having Kirara do it instead was much safer.
Not because she feared her master, of course. Worst case, she'd get scolded for an hour. The real issue was that she wasn't willing to give up free room, free food, free travel, and an effortless vacation lifestyle. Following her stingy master again would mean going back to chewing dry rations.
That had been her original plan, anyway.
But after witnessing Charlotte transform into a magical girl last night… Mona's thoughts changed dramatically.
If she became a magical girl too, maybe she wouldn't have to be afraid of her master anymore.
Sure, she'd still lose in a one-on-one fight, but she could always call for backup.
Qiqi. Fischl. Charlotte. Yaoyao. Klee.
And of course, Mr. Xia.
Unlike Charlotte, who was just an enthusiastic reporter, Mona had grown up with deep occult knowledge. As an astrologist, she knew far more about gods.
Based on Charlotte's description of her Contract ceremony with Mr. Xia, Mona sharply noticed that the "magical girl system" resembled the concept of a divine envoy.
Before, she would've suspected Mr. Xia wasn't a normal person at all.
But now they were in Inazuma, and Xia Zhen had already revealed her identity as the previous Electro Archon. If Mr. Xia was her cousin, then it wasn't hard for Mona to conclude the truth.
He had to be a god as well.
When she first realized that, she had been terrified.
But she had spent almost half a year with him already. They met every night for her massage sessions. They were close. The fear faded fast.
And once it faded, a new thought bloomed.
Why not cling to his thigh?
A god who cooked delicious meals, gave massages, and explained astrology with endless patience. Compared to that cranky old witch of hers… he was a dream.
Of course she never said any of this out loud.
As an astrologist, she preferred to trust her predictions over her gut instincts.
So last night, while Charlotte slept, Mona secretly took out her crystal ball and performed a divination.
She wanted to know whether she had the potential to become a magical girl.
And the result…
Mona shook her head lightly as she remembered the vision she'd seen inside the crystal ball. Her cheeks warmed.
----
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