The junior disciples had finally stopped bowing every time Xiaolong crossed the practice courtyard, though Chen still performed an elaborate salute that involved far too many hand gestures for simple morning greetings.

Progress came in small increments.

Xiaolong observed from the edge of the training ground, watching two dozen students work through water circulation exercises under the supervision of a teaching elder.

Her new position—Guardian Elder, formally acknowledged three days ago—came with a jade pin that marked her rank without requiring full ceremonial regalia for everyday activities. The pin sat on her collar, catching morning light in ways that announced authority to anyone familiar with sect hierarchy.

Most disciples had adapted quickly. Senior students who'd grown used to seeing Xiaolong around the compound treated her status change like any other promotion, congratulating her politely and continuing about their business. Junior disciples initially struggled, caught between excitement and the social awkwardness that came from suddenly having to treat a familiar face with extreme formal respect.

But Azure Waters was a sect that valued flexibility and adaptation, even for its youngest members. The awkwardness faded.

A girl whose name Xiaolong had learned was Ping struggled with the third circulation pattern, her spiritual energy stuttering through meridians that hadn't yet developed smooth flow. The teaching elder moved to correct her, but Xiaolong stepped forward first.

"Your breathing is out of sync with your energy movement," she said, keeping her voice low enough not to disrupt the other students. "Try inhaling on the upward flow, exhaling on the return. Let the breath guide the energy rather than forcing the pattern."

Ping blinked at her, then tried the adjustment. Her energy flow smoothed immediately, the stuttering replaced by something approaching harmony.

"Better," Xiaolong confirmed. "Keep practicing that rhythm until it feels natural."

"Thank you, Guardian Elder." The title still sounded strange in Ping's voice, but at least the girl had stopped adding elaborate honorifics.

Xiaolong returned to her observation position, pleased with the minor intervention.

Teaching came more naturally now, small corrections offered without the weight of being someone's formal master. Guardian Elder gave her authority without imprisoning her in constant instructional duty.

A commotion erupted at the courtyard's eastern edge.

Several students turned toward the sound—rustling bushes, distinctive spiritual energy signature approaching, and what might have been theatrical humming. The teaching elder raised a hand for silence, spiritual awareness extending to assess potential threat.

Xiaolong recognized the signature before the source emerged.

Six tails appeared first, flowing behind their owner like ceremonial banners as Hui Yun bounded into the courtyard. The fox spirit landed on a decorative rock with the sort of dramatic flourish that suggested long practice at making entrances. Morning light caught prismatic patterns in its fur, creating a display that pulled every eye toward the newcomer.

The fox's gaze swept across the assembled students, past the teaching elder, and locked onto Xiaolong with unmistakable delight.

"Well, well, WELL!" Hui Yun's voice carried across the suddenly silent courtyard. "Look who's finally stopped pretending!"

The fox spirit leaped down from its perch and circled Xiaolong, examining the horns with the theatrical interest of an art critic discovering previously unknown masterwork. "I spent WEEKS dropping the most elegant hints. The subtlety! The artistry! The careful metaphorical constructions! And now you just... display them openly? Like some sort of honest person?"

"The sect knows what I am." Xiaolong kept her voice level despite the attention now focused on their exchange. "Your hints are no longer necessary."

"My hints were NEVER necessary, they were stylistically appropriate!" Hui Yun completed another circle, tails swishing with animated emphasis. "There's a difference between necessity and aesthetic excellence. Though I suppose now that you've embraced visible draconic features, my carefully crafted insinuations do seem somewhat... redundant."

"Extremely redundant." Xiaolong watched the fox spirit settle on its haunches in front of her, apparently undeterred by her flat-voiced reply.

"I shall adjust. Adaptability is a vital trait among fox spirits, and I consider myself exceptionally flexible."

"So, you really were deliberately trying to reveal me." She cracked her knuckles, a slow gesture intended to convey menace. "Should I be angry or impressed at your audacity?"

"B-But but but!" Hui Yun held up both forepaws, backpedaling in frantic arcs. "I only nudged a little! Just giving encouragement! It's all still your path, your choice! Even foxes can't make dragons change their minds..."

Around them, disciples exchanged glances ranging from amusement to bewilderment. The teaching elder watched Xiaolong, assessing whether intervention might be required against this flamboyant creature disrupting class. But Hui Yun's spiritual signature carried no hostility, only the energetic inquisitiveness of a six-tailed fox whose sense of personal space was closer to "overlapping" than "respected".

Xiaolong let her hands fall, threat dissolving. There seemed little point in intimidation given the fox spirit's unassailable good cheer. She had questions about Hui Yun's intentions, but they could wait for more private circumstances.

The teaching elder's attention returned to his disciples, directing them back to formation exercises. Spiritual energy circulated, water flowed. Practice continued with barely a ripple.

Hui Yun followed Xiaolong's gaze across the courtyard, taking in the ongoing training, then looked back at her.

"They accept you." It wasn't quite a question, the words pitched low without theatrical inflection. "Even knowing...?"

"Knowing I'm a dragon? Yes." A small, genuine miracle. She hadn't anticipated how profound that would feel. "It's surprisingly uncomplicated."

"I knew it all along." Hui Yun puffed out its chest, an expression of dramatic self-satisfaction writ across narrow fox features. "Never doubted it for a moment. Always knew these humans would see your nature and still accept your company."

"Did you? Or did you suspect this would be complicated and came to observe the chaos firsthand?"

"Me? Come here for such crassly voyeuristic reasons? You wound me! I have only the deepest respect for—"

"You were bored," Xiaolong said. "Admit it."

The fox paused. Tails curled behind, brushing against Xiaolong's leg with a touch of misdirection. "I was bored," it agreed. "But your drama is far more entertaining than any in the forest. I may be distractible, but it takes a very special thing to lure me away from endless napping. So perhaps I am a curious creature. An appreciator of aesthetic displays, a connoisseur of rare experiences."

"An inveterate meddler?"

"That too."

The training continued. Ping's energy circulation approached something like competence. Other disciples practiced formations they'd repeat tomorrow and every day until they became unconscious reflex, elemental responses woven into physical instinct.

Hui Yun's head tilted. "So... "Guardian Elder. Formal position, binding commitment, actual responsibilities. The forest spirits are going to talk about this for decades. 'Remember when the prismatic dragon chose to belong somewhere? Revolutionary.'"

"You've discussed me with forest spirits?"

"Great prismatic one, everyone discusses you. You're fascinating. Unprecedented! An ancient immortal becoming suddenly invested in ephemeral things." Hui Yun's tails settled into more relaxed positions. "You've always seen us from above, watching. Now you see from beside, experiencing."

"Observation is incomplete understanding."

"Exactly! It's like... You could watch raindrops fall for a thousand years and never understand why people sing in them. But when you're soaked to the skin and laughing..." The fox spirit trailed off. "Well, that's the sort of thing that takes on meaning only in context."

"I'll ask again. Is there a purpose to this visit," Xiaolong asked, "or did you simply want to comment on my horns?"

"Can't a magnificent six-tailed fox spirit visit friends without requiring ulterior motivation? I'm wounded." Hui Yun pressed one paw against its chest in mock offense, then abandoned the pretense. "Though I did bring news. Yinlong sends regards. Also, there's a minor situation developing that might benefit from your attention."

"What situation?"

Before Hui Yun could answer, Ming Lian's voice called from across the courtyard. "The magnificent fox returns! Have you come to critique our garden arrangements again?"

"Only if they've improved since my last visit." Hui Yun turned toward Ming Lian's approach. "Which, knowing human aesthetics, they haven't. Too much symmetry, not enough natural chaos. Gardens should feel like controlled wilderness, not geometric exercises."

Ming Lian reached them, his grin carrying the easy warmth of someone encountering a friend rather than powerful spirit beast. "We'll pass your concerns along to Elder Zhen. I'm sure he'll appreciate feedback on two hundred years of cultivation work."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you nearly as well as you think."

"Neither does modesty suit you, yet here we both are." Ming Lian bowed toward Xiaolong. "Guardian Elder. Enjoying your morning constitutional with visiting dignitaries?"

"The fox was just mentioning a situation requiring attention."

"Oh, good. I was worried today might pass without incident." Ming Lian's tone suggested he found this prospect genuinely disappointing. "What calamity has befallen us?"

Hui Yun opened its mouth to respond, but a distant shout interrupted—Elder Zhen's voice carrying panic that suggested botanical emergency rather than actual danger.

"Or we could investigate that," the fox said. "Follow me."

They crossed the compound at speed, Hui Yun leading them toward the herb garden with the confident navigation of someone familiar with sect layout. More shouting emerged as they approached, Elder Zhen's voice mixing alarm with what sounded like frustrated pleading.

The scene that greeted them in the garden explained the panic.

A cloud serpent—juvenile, perhaps one zhang of sinuous scaled body—had coiled itself around the ancient ginseng that served as the garden's centerpiece. The serpent's pale blue scales shimmered with spiritual essence, its small horned head turning toward them with eyes that radiated distress rather than aggression.

Elder Zhen stood at a safe distance, his robes disheveled and his expression carrying the particular strain of someone who'd been attempting plant negotiation with limited success.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"It appeared an hour ago! I've tried everything! Spiritual techniques, herbal remediation, polite requests! It just stares at the building where Guardian Elder Xiaolong's quarters are and refuses to leave!"

The serpent's gaze fixed on Xiaolong. It made a sound—high-pitched chirping that didn't match its size, the sort of noise that spoke to youth and confusion rather than threat.

"Ah," Hui Yun said with satisfaction. "Yes. This is what I came to mention."

"You knew about this?" Ming Lian asked.

"Sensed it approaching the sect boundaries this morning. Thought it might cause interesting complications." The fox circled the situation, examining the serpent with professional interest. "Classic case of lost juvenile. Probably about fifty years old—still basically a baby."

"That's a baby?" Elder Zhen's voice climbed toward pitches usually reserved for actual emergencies.

"Cloud serpents don't reach full size until their second century." Hui Yun sat back, tails arranging themselves in comfortable positions. "This one got separated from its parent during last night's storm. It's scared, disoriented, and imprinted on the nearest strong draconic signature for comfort."

The pieces arranged themselves into unfortunate clarity. Xiaolong's visible horns, her draconic spiritual pressure no longer carefully suppressed, the juvenile serpent seeking safety from someone it recognized as kin—or at least powerful enough to provide protection.

"It thinks I'm its parent," Xiaolong said flatly.

"Or at least someone who can help find its parent." Hui Yun's expression suggested this was all eminently reasonable and not a problem worth fretting over. "The actual parent is probably searching frantically. But until we reunite them, you have acquired a very large, very clingy temporary dependent."

As if to emphasize the point, the serpent chirped again and tightened its coils around the ginseng. The ancient plant radiated spiritual distress through channels Xiaolong's enhanced senses picked up clearly.

"My ginseng," Elder Zhen said weakly. "It's stressed. If this continues, it might enter hibernation for the next decade."

"So we need to calm the serpent and locate its parent." Ming Lian looked between Xiaolong and Hui Yun. "Quickly. Before Elder Zhen has a cultivation deviation from plant anxiety."

"I can contact the spirit realm," Hui Yun offered. "Locate the parent serpent through cooperative search. But someone needs to keep the juvenile calm while we wait. And by someone, I mean the person it's already decided is trustworthy."

All attention turned toward Xiaolong.

"I am not prepared for parenthood," she said.

"Think of it as advanced Guardian Elder training." Ming Lian's grin widened. "Protecting the sect includes managing wayward wildlife, doesn't it?"

"Wildlife isn't supposed to mistake me for family."

"Yet here we are." Hui Yun's tails swished in a satisfied dance. "Life takes unexpected paths! Enjoy the adventure, o mighty prismatic one."

Xiaolong approached the coiled serpent slowly, keeping her movements non-threatening. The juvenile watched her with eyes that held more intelligence than typical animals but less than fully mature spirit beasts. It chirped again—a questioning sound that carried obvious hope.

"I'm not your mother," Xiaolong said quietly, addressing the serpent directly through spiritual channels. "But I can help you find her."

The serpent's response came as emotional impressions rather than words: fear, loneliness, desperate need for safety. Storm-driven separation, searching through unfamiliar territory, finding this place that smelled like dragon and therefore might offer protection.

Xiaolong extended one hand toward the serpent's snout. It leaned forward cautiously, then pressed against her palm with the tentative trust of something young and frightened finding unexpected kindness.

"You're doing wonderfully," Hui Yun called, "for someone who's spent five thousand years alone."

"Your commentary isn't helping."

"My commentary is always helping. You simply lack appreciation for unsolicited guidance."

The serpent, apparently deciding Xiaolong represented adequate surrogate safety, uncoiled from the ginseng and wrapped itself around her instead. Fifteen feet of cloud serpent weighed considerably more than appearances suggested, and the creature's desire for contact resulted in Xiaolong being thoroughly encircled by concerned juvenile.

"Should we fetch you some warm milk?" Ming Lian asked. "Perhaps a lullaby?"

"Perhaps you could make yourself useful instead of documenting this for future mockery."

"I can do both. Multitasking is one of my many gifts."

The serpent settled against Xiaolong with a contented rumble, its head resting on her shoulder while the rest of its body arranged itself in loose coils around her torso—like a very heavy, very scaly shawl made of confused baby cloud spirit beast.

The position was undignified, uncomfortable, and completely impossible to escape without distressing the creature further.

Elder Zhen rushed to check his ginseng, relief evident as he assessed the plant's condition. "Recovering. Thank you, Xiaolong. Both for intervention and for becoming an alternative perching surface."

"Your gratitude is noted," Xiaolong said with as much dignity as someone being used as living architecture could muster.

Hui Yun had already moved to the garden's edge, sitting in meditation posture with tails arranged in a specific pattern. Spiritual energy flowed outward in pulses—the fox's method of contacting whatever spirit communication it utilized to stay abreast of current events.

"This will take perhaps an hour," Hui Yun said without opening its eyes. "I need to reach spirits in the mountain range, determine which cloud serpent is searching, and guide it here."

"An hour," Xiaolong repeated.

"Unless you'd prefer I rush the process and potentially contact the wrong parent? Cloud serpents are territorial. Reuniting a juvenile with someone else's parent creates diplomatic incidents."

"Take the time required."

Ming Lian had produced paper and brush from somewhere, sketching what Xiaolong suspected was her current predicament for permanent record. "Wait until Li Feng hears about this."

"You will tell him nothing."

"I will tell him EVERYTHING. This is exactly the sort of story that deserves wide distribution." Ming Lian added detail to his sketch with quick, confident strokes. "Guardian Elder Xiaolong, Protector of Lost Serpents. It has a certain ring to it."

The serpent chose that moment to nuzzle against Xiaolong's neck, making small, happy sounds that suggested it had found an acceptable substitute parent. She stood very still, maintaining the position that kept the creature calm while mentally cataloging all the ways this situation violated draconic dignity.

Dragons did not babysit. Dragons did not allow themselves to be climbed like convenient trees. Dragons especially did not stand in herb gardens being sketched by irreverent disciples while spirit foxes contacted parental serpents through mystical communication networks.

Yet here she was.

"Comfortable?" Ming Lian asked.

"Extremely."

"Your tone suggests otherwise."

"My tone is perfectly neutral."

"Your tone suggests you're reconsidering life choices." He added another line to his sketch. "Perhaps wondering if Guardian Elder responsibilities might have been clearly explained before acceptance."

The serpent shifted slightly, adjusting its coils to more thoroughly encompass Xiaolong's shoulders. Its scales carried warmth—not uncomfortable, but enough to make prolonged contact notable. The creature's spiritual essence resonated with storm energy and high-altitude winds, characteristics of cloud serpents' natural cultivation.

"It likes you," Elder Zhen observed, having completed his plant assessment and apparently deciding this situation warranted observation. "Cloud serpents are excellent judges of character. Very discerning about who they trust."

"Wonderful. I've earned a serpent's approval."

"Don't discount it. Their parent will appreciate that you treated the juvenile with care rather than hostility." Elder Zhen moved closer, studying the creature with scholarly interest. "Beautiful specimen. The scale patterns suggest mountain range origin—probably the northern peaks where storms are most active."

Time passed with the particular slowness that accompanied waiting while being thoroughly entangled with a worried spirit beast. Hui Yun remained motionless, spiritual energy flowing outward in steady pulses. Ming Lian completed his sketch and began another from a different angle. Elder Zhen settled into explaining cloud serpent developmental stages with the enthusiasm of someone who'd found a captive audience.

Xiaolong endured it all with what she hoped was reasonable composure.

When spiritual pressure announced an incoming arrival, it came as relief rather than concern.

A presence broke cloud cover, streaking across the sky like lightning seeking home. Serpentine form shimmered pale azure against gray, descending in a graceful arc that traced elemental harmony through space.

Adult cloud serpents were formidable beings. Three zhang long, with slender dragon-like bodies and cloud-spirit qualities, their kind represented a rare branch of spirit beasts that approached immortals in status. The air around the approaching serpent crackled with storm essence—rain and lightning and high-altitude chill condensed into a spirit signature both ancient and fierce.

The young serpent chirped excitedly, releasing Xiaolong to bound toward its parent with the joyous energy of reunion. The adult serpent coiled around its offspring, performing complex loops that shielded the smaller being while assessing possible threats.

Then the adult's gaze shifted to Xiaolong.

Gratitude, the serpent communicated directly through spiritual channels. My child was lost. You provided safety when you were not obligated. This kindness honors your lineage.

The acknowledgment of her draconic nature came without demand or threat—simple recognition between powerful beings who understood hierarchies beyond human cultivation.

Your child found me, Xiaolong replied through the same channels. I simply provided temporary comfort until you could arrive.

Many would have driven a lost juvenile away. Fewer still would tolerate being used as climbing surface. The serpent's spiritual voice carried warmth that transcended words. If you require assistance, my territory extends through the northern peaks. Call, and I will answer.

The offer represented a significant commitment from the territorial spirit beast. Xiaolong inclined her head in acknowledgment, accepting the potential alliance without requiring formal oaths.

The serpents departed skyward, the adult carrying its offspring with careful movements as they vanished into clouds. Their spiritual signatures faded gradually, distance and altitude removing them from immediate perception.

Silence held the garden for several heartbeats.

"Well," Ming Lian said eventually. "That was significantly more dramatic than my usual morning training sessions."

"Your ginseng appears unharmed," Xiaolong told Elder Zhen, who immediately rushed to conduct a more thorough examination.

Hui Yun stretched, meditation stance dissolving into a more casual posture. "Excellent outcome. The parent serpent now owes you favor, which may prove useful. Cloud serpents have excellent memories and honorable temperaments."

"I wasn't seeking political alliances."

"No, you were being climbed by a baby spirit beast. The alliance is simply bonus compensation for your suffering." The fox's tails swished with satisfaction. "I should mention—you looked remarkably patient for someone encumbered by an unwanted juvenile. Motherhood becomes you."

"Your commentary continues to be unnecessary."

"And yet I provide it anyway. Such generosity."

They walked back toward the main compound, leaving Elder Zhen to his botanical recovery. The morning sun had climbed higher, painting courtyard stones and tiled roofs with golden warmth that belied winter's approach.

Xiaolong's shoulders ached slightly from maintaining an awkward position for an extended period.

"Food?" Ming Lian suggested. "The kitchen should have a midday meal prepared by now."

"I could eat," Hui Yun agreed. "Your sect does excellent work with roasted roots and those crunchy things made from grains. Very respectable for humans."

They settled in the dining hall, claiming a table near windows that overlooked the Azure Pool. Li Feng found them there, drawn by news that spread through sect grounds with the efficiency of cultivated gossip networks.

"I heard about the serpent," he said, sitting beside Xiaolong with expression that suggested careful control over amusement. "The reports were... vivid."

"Ming Lian's artistic interpretation, I assume?"

"Several disciples witnessed Guardian Elder being thoroughly wrapped by baby spirit beast. The sketches are supplementary documentation." Li Feng's lips twitched. "I'm sorry I missed it. The image is rather... endearing."

"Choose your next words carefully."

"Endearing," he repeated, committing to the assessment. "You looked after something that needed help despite the inconvenience. That's honorable. Adorable, but honorable."

The observation was accurate enough to dismiss arguments. Xiaolong had indeed prioritized the serpent's wellbeing over her own comfort—something her draconic self from a year ago would have considered beneath notice.

"I am many things. Adorable is not among them." She sipped tea from one of the cups provided, the ceramic surface showing faint steam curl against the chill that crept from outdoor gardens.

Hui Yun sat on an adjacent seat, a portion of the midday meal spread around on plates that accommodated vulpine consumption.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, great prismatic one," it said, chewing a slice of carrot between sentences. "And your mate is correct—your protective posture over the juvenile was quite aesthetically pleasing. A very comfortable-looking dragon-tree hybrid creature."

The simultaneous clattering of chopsticks and near-sprayed mouthful of tea from nearly every disciple in earshot marked another point where Xiaolong reconsidered her leniency toward fox spirits in general and Hui Yun in specific.

"Excuse me," Li Feng managed, recovering from the full-body cough that suggested near-inhaling of tea. "Her... what?"

"Ah. My apologies. Have you not formalized the bond yet? The scent markers are rather prominent." Hui Yun sniffed the air between them theatrically. "Mortal culture varies so widely, it's difficult keeping track! For some beings, it's simply bite-and-claim, but you have... poetry and fine clothing and all that."

A dozen pairs of eyes, most of which were attached to disciples trying very hard to look nonchalant, watched the exchange.

Xiaolong regarded Hui Yun across a table that carried far too many vegetables and not nearly enough incineration.

"I see I need to review with you what qualifies as appropriate commentary and what qualifies as reason for immediate immolation."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.