The Nine-tailed Fox is sold

Wu Yun looks up at Lan Tian in shock. They don't even know what effect the antidote will have on them, or what to expect when they have their powers back. He doesn't know if it's a good idea to make promises they don't know if they can keep.

Xin Liqin, however, is delighted by the idea. "Can you? That would be really something, me marching on towards my garrison with a dragon at my beck and call."

Lan Tian frowns. "He won't be at your beck and call."

Xin Liqin is savvy enough to notice the change in his mood. "Right, of course. I was just thinking it would do wonders for morale."

Wu Yun scoffs. "I thought that was what your guqin playing and poetry were for."

"When do you think the dragon, will, uh...be able to join and assist our efforts to end the drought in Nanpei?"

"Can your army wait two months?" Lan Tian asks, measuring his words carefully.

He might have made a rash decision, but Wu Yun is relieved to see that he decided to stop it at one. He's unused to not being the one plunging them into trouble.

"I will see what I can do, but the situation down in Nanpei is really dire, I don't know if we'll be able to hold out much longer than that."

Lan Tian's amber eyes shine with determination, as he says. "You won't need to."

"Oh, and tell all other generals not to do any business with sect leader Lian either, she's a charlatan, she doesn't really have beast organs, she's using dried up human body parts she's stealing from tombs." Wu Yun says, throwing a conspiratorial arm over Xin Liqin's shoulder.

Xin Liqin visibly pales. "What? But, the ancestors..."

Wu Yun nods solemnly. "Exactly, there have been several hauntings around her sects' grounds. Would you do us a favour and spread that around? Maybe write a poem about it." 

---

Xin Liqin leaves the pleasure boat when it next moors, to allow yet more guests to climb in, with the promise of meeting them in Nanpei in two months time.

As soon as his back his turned Wu Yun slaps Lan Tian's shoulder with as much strength as he as. "Why did you do that? Do you even know if a Dragon can end a drought? What if you're not powerful enough."

"We can't let Lian Feng continue to do this. You were right to worry about the qilin bladders, she won't stop. What if she decides she wants fox tails next? What if she comes for you?"

Lan Tian's eyes burrow into Wu Yun with so much earnestness and concern that he has to look away.

He feels suddenly guilty for having slapped him, and rubs his shoulder with gentle passes of his palm. "Did I hurt you?"

Lan Tian smiles, a small smile to himself, and then a teasing smirk that he turns to Wu Yun. "I barely felt it."

"I can always try again," Wu Yun says, raising to his bait.

Lan Tian takes his hand and squeezes his wrist. "Later, now we need to find a way to get that other nine-tailed fox out of here."

Wu Yun's smirk widens. "I've been thinking about that, and I have a great idea."

---

Lan Tian thinks this is a horrible idea. He's sitting down among the other patrons watching the nine-tailed fox girl's performance, hiding half of his face with a folding fan Wu Yun stole from an unsuspecting man. 

The conversations around him are teeth-grinding. 

"Sect leader Lian was very generous to bring this female nine-tailed fox to the auction today," A man with triangular eyes and arched eyebrows says, taking a loud a sip from his tea.

The man in the small table next to his nods enthusiastically, holding back his wide sleeve while sipping his tea. "I've heard that practicing dual cultivation with a nine-tailed fox can increase your cultivation up to three levels."

The man with the triangular eyes snorts. "That's three levels more than I'll ever have. I'm buying this fox just to try the nine-tailed fox's famed prowess. I've grown up hearing tales of them using their wiles and beauty to seduce humans out of their food, money, and qi. I want to turn the tables on her."

Lan Tian's finger's tighten on his cup, and he takes a small deliberate sip just to avoid throwing it at the man's face.

He really wishes Wu Yun wasn't doing what he's about to do.

As if on queue, Wu Yun climbs up on the stage, next to the dancing girl, and starts trying to awkwardly mimic her rhythm. He cut off part of his thinner inner robe, and is using it as a makeshift veil to cover half his face. 

He doesn't make a very convincing dancer in Lan Tian's opinion, but the other patrons are ecstatic, judging by their reaction.

"What's this? Another nine-tailed fox? Where are his ears and tail?" A rail-thin man asks, standing up on a walking stick to have a better look at the stage. "Sect leader Lian is really generous."

A woman peeling oranges with a look of superior boredom, offers, "Maybe he's another type of Beast? Who knows?" 

"Hey boy! Take off the veil, we want to see your face." A man shouts, his demand echoed by other patrons.

Wu Yun ignores them with gritted teeth and turns to the fox, whispering beneath his veil. "I'm going to take you out of here, just do as I say."

The girl has no reaction, as if she can barely hear him, and continues twisting to the music. 

"I'm a nine-tailed fox like you, you can trust me."

Again no reply from the girl. He tries to touch her arm, but she moves away.

That's when he notices that her mouth is shaping words, even if no sounds come out.

He focuses on reading her lips, and can make out the words, "Help me." 

"Can you understand me? Just follow my lead and I'll get you out of this boat."

Her red lips stretch around the word "yes", with great effort.

At that moment Lian Feng walks into the secluded room like a graceful hostess, smiling beatifically at all the sitting guests.

Her smiles slips when she notices Wu Yun on the stage, even though she gives no sign of having recognized him. "Who is that? Get him out of there."

The rail-thin man is quick to voice his dissatisfaction. "No let him stay! I like him too, I'm going to buy both of them."

There are similar shouts from the crowd, all sharing the same sentiment.

Lian Feng is unsure of how to proceed in order not to displease her wealthy patrons. 

Lan Tian doesn't want to give her time to make a decision. "I'll buy both of them for 100 gold taels." 

That starts a screaming match as everyone starts talking over each other.

The thin man raises his stick in the air and glares at Lan Tian while saying,"I'll buy them for 110."

The man with the triangle eyes, snorts. "That's nothing, I'll pay 150 taels!"

Lian Feng knows she's losing control of the situation. Her wide sleeves flutter behind her as she goes from table to table trying to get everyone to sit back down. "Please, honored guest, the auction hasn't started. If you just wait a little longer..."

"200 gold taels," Lan Tian says, fanning himself gently, the picture of restraint.

The woman peeling oranges scoffs, and swipes the peels on the floor. "You're all children, 300 gold taels, and I want to sample the goods first."

She gets up from her pillow and starts walking towards the stage, her eyes glued to the fox girl. 

"400 gold taels." Lan Tian doesn't need to raise his voice to make himself heard above the din of the screaming patrons.

The woman stops, and turns towards him with a vicious smirk. "You dare challenge, Zhao Yi? The Great Scourge of the Wild Plains, and First of Her name?"

Lan Tian doesn't even lift his eyes to meet hers. "If I knew who she was, I certainly would."

Zhao Yi snarls, and Lan Tian takes advantage of the silence her anger elicits, to say, "450 gold taels."

Zhao Yi storms towards him with furious steps and plants the sole of her booted foot on his table. "500 gold taels."

She glares into his amber eyes over the rim of the fan, but Lan Tian's gaze remains measured and calm. "550 gold taels."

She slams her foot down harder on the table, making the tea and dainty pastries spill over. "600 gold taels, and I'll make you watch while I fuck both of them."

That gets a clench of Lan Tian's jaw. He looks up into Zhao Yi's eyes, and enunciating every word carefully says. "700 gold taels, and I let them both watch while I stab you with your own sword."

Wu Yun thinks things are about to get out of hand. They should leave while every eye is glued to the the contest of egos between Lan Tian and Zhao Yi. "They're distracted now, follow me."

The fox girl has no reaction, but she lets herself be led as Wu Yun pulls her quietly outside of the stage, her tails are still coiling around her as if she were dancing, but her steps are careful and silent on the wood, trying not to draw any attention to their escape.

Lan Tian notices Wu Yun and the girl leaving the stage from the corner of his eye, and decides to buy them more time. "I tire of this pointless back and forth. 1000 gold taels is as far as I'll go."

Lian Feng is looking between him and Zhao Yi with curiosity, her eyes narrow when he speaks, as if trying to place his voice.

Zhao Yi smirks, and waves two fingers, calling forth two men waiting at the far wall next to a heavy wooden chest.

The stone-faced men carry the chest to Zhao Yi. She gestures again and they carry the chest towards Lian Feng dumping it at her feet. The bottom of her robes is showered in a sea of sparkling gold.

Zhao Yi beats her slim chest with her closed fist, and turns to the gathered guests, as if they are a captive audience who came to watch her perform. "2500 gold taels, and I can throw in a few rare weapons if sect leader doesn't find the payment sufficient."

Lian Feng's eyes light up with the amount of gold at her feet. She turns her most charming smile on Zhao Yi, "The payment is sufficient, The Great Scourge of the Wild Plains is just as formidable as the legends say."

Zhao Yi smirks and runs her thumb over Lian Feng's bottom lip, making her startle. "The legends don't tell the half of it, sect leader."

Filled with pride at her victory she turns to the stage. "I'm going to claim my prize and put them to good use!"

Her boastful smile falls as soon as she sees her prize is nowhere to be seen.

"What's the meaning of this?" she asks, turning to Lian Feng.

Lian Feng stammers for an answer and looks down at the table where the odd looking man with the amber eyes and the fan was sitting, but he's gone too.

---

Lan Tian spots Wu Yun and the fox girl walking through the crowd of the lower deck, trying to mingle with the other patrons. At some point Wu Yun gave the girl his outer robe, while he himself remains only on his inner robe.

Now they're attracting attention for a different reason.

Lan Tian bumps into him and pulls him by the arm, "What are you doing? We need to leave, now!

"She was cold, you saw what she wasn't wearing. And I couldn't find my cape again, so I had to improvise."

At that moment, Lian Feng appears at the railing of the upper deck, clutching Wu Yun's discarded cape in her fist. "There they are! Stop them! Don't let them leave the boat!"

The boat is a few zheng away from the canal wall, but Wu Yun guesses if they made a leaping jump from the bow of the boat they might just make it.

He notices Immortal sect disciples coming straight at them, from their sentry positions when something hits him in the back of the head.

His warning words die on his lips as the world goes dark around him.

---

A.N.: I'm not pulling the human beliefs regarding nine-tailed foxes out of my ass. Many chinese myths depict both male and female foxes as seductive creatures who make humans fall in love with them to either steal their goods or their life energy until they die. They are a recurrent topic of raunchy books. I managed to find a not so terrible one from the 17th century about a guy who fell in love with a nine-tailed fox guy, who actually liked him back. They both die in the end tho, but for a while there they were happy. This novel supports nine-tailed fox rights!