Chapter 863: The Kidnapping Plot
Elder Luo let out a long sigh. "Look. Even his siblings are playing over there." He pointed a bony finger toward the east gate, where several cubs were running around. But the little nine-tailed fox prince was nowhere to be found.
All three elders instantly slumped in deep depression. "We lost him again..."
Elder Hu suddenly turned and glared at Elder Luo. "It is all your fault!"
Elder Luo immediately looked offended. "Why is it my fault?!"
"Why did you have to speak so blithely in front of him?!" Elder Hu whispered angrily. "Now he’s run away again! How are we supposed to complete our plan?!"
Elder Luo lowered his head, looking utterly miserable. "I didn’t even say anything! The little prince only saw my face... and the moment he saw me, he looked as if he had seen a demon and bolted!"
Elder Hu’s mouth twitched violently. "That is definitely your problem!" He pointed straight at Elder Luo’s wrinkled face. "Who asked you to come here with such an ugly face?!"
Elder Luo’s expression instantly turned thunderous. "What did you just say?!"
"I said you have an ugly face!"
"YOU!" Elder Luo grew furious. "If I am ugly, then you are a toad!"
Elder Hu’s eyes widened in outrage. "Who are you calling a toad?!"
"YOU!"
"You senile old fox!"
"You old toad!"
The two elders immediately began squabbling like children, their hushed voices getting louder and louder.
In the bushes, Stove’s little leaves trembled with annoyance, while Little Hua clamped her vine over her mouth, desperately trying not to laugh out loud.
Fortunately, the third elder, Elder Shen, finally lost his patience. He stepped between them and shoved both old foxes apart. "ENOUGH!" He glared at them sharply. "Stop talking nonsense and figure out how we’re going to bring Prince Ciao Ciao back to Fox Beast City!"
The two arguing elders instantly shut their mouths.
Elder Shen lowered his voice, his tone turning grave. "If we cannot bring the little prince back, the clan elders will hold us accountable. And don’t forget... that bastard is already eyeing the position of clan leader."
Elder Luo’s expression darkened. "How could he ever become our clan leader?! He’s only a five-tailed fox!"
Elder Hu also looked deeply annoyed. "Exactly! Just because he is the son of the previous clan leader, he thinks he can act arrogantly in front of us!"
Elder Luo snorted in disdain. "He isn’t even a true nine-tailed fox!"
In the bushes, Stove’s eyes widened. Ooh! So there’s internal drama! Another fox is trying to steal the clan leader position!
The elders continued whispering among themselves.
"Don’t worry," Elder Hu said with a cold smirk. "That bastard hasn’t even met Prince Rong Ye, and he certainly doesn’t know that Prince Rong Ye has a son even more talented than him!"
Elder Luo’s eyes brightened with wicked delight. "Exactly! If the clan members knew about Prince Ciao Ciao’s incredible talent, they would immediately shut that bastard’s mouth! He is merely a mixed-blood fox, yet he dares to dream about becoming clan leader!"
Elder Hu sighed heavily. "But there is still one major problem."
"What?"
"A large portion of the clan members are actually supporting him."
The three elders fell into a grim silence.
"Have they all lost their minds?!" Elder Luo gritted his teeth.
"Have they forgotten the sacred law of our nine-tailed fox clan? Only the strongest survive! Even I, despite not inheriting the secret techniques of our clan, can easily defeat that bastard!"
Elder Hu rolled his eyes. "Enough boasting."
"I am stating facts!" Elder Luo hissed back.
Elder Shen rubbed his temples in frustration. These two could literally argue about anything.
Stove listened intently. So these old men really were Rong Ye’s relatives. He hadn’t expected to overhear such juicy gossip just by hiding in the dirt.
At first, Stove thought they were just complaining about family politics, deciding it was none of his business. He was just about to quietly signal Little Hua to retreat when...
Elder Shen suddenly spoke up in a cold voice. "Since the little prince refuses to return with us willingly..."
The stove froze.
"...we will just have to take him by force."
Stove’s tiny leaves stiffened completely.
Elder Luo nodded in agreement. "Precisely. If we take the little prince away for just a month to establish his right and then return him afterward, there shouldn’t be any real problem."
Little Hua’s eyes widened in horror.
Elder Hu hesitated slightly. "Are you serious? What if Prince Rong Ye’s female master finds out?"
The moment "the female master" was mentioned, all three elders instantly went dead silent.
Everyone knew about Su Qinglan. She was legendary for giving birth to countless cubs but even more famous for being terrifyingly, ruthlessly protective of them.
Elder Luo swallowed hard, his voice dropping to a fearful whisper. "That female... she is truly terrifying."
Elder Hu nodded in deep agreement. "I have never seen a female who can make the proud Prince Rong Ye behave so obediently."
Elder Shen let out a heavy sigh. "She has so many cubs; of course she has the right to be arrogant. Even Prince Rong Ye doesn’t dare go against her."
The three elders exchanged nervous looks before Elder Shen tried to reassure them. "It’s fine! We aren’t going to harm Prince Ciao. Ciao. We’ll only borrow him for a single month and then bring him right back."
Elder Hu still looked uneasy. "But what if she catches us in the act?"
Elder Luo waved his hand dismissively. "It’s fine, it’s fine! We aren’t hurting her cub. Besides, once he’s safely in Fox Beast City, everything will be set in stone. Just wait... we’ll make our move very soon!"
In the bushes, Stove’s tiny body went completely rigid. His expression slowly shifted from shock to pure, malicious glee!
That demon fox Rong Ye! Stove had always found Rong Ye incredibly annoying, but he never expected Rong Ye’s own clan members to be this stupid and troublesome.
They were actually plotting to kidnap Su Qinglan’s precious cub right under her nose! And Rong Ye didn’t even know!
Stove’s tiny eyes sparkled with wicked excitement. He had to tell his master! Immediately!
His master, Su Qinglan, was going to be absolutely, wildly furious! And when she found out that Rong Ye’s family was trying to steal her baby... Rong Ye might finally get kicked out of the house forever!
Thinking about that glorious possibility, Stove nearly burst out laughing! He grabbed Little Hua’s arm urgently. "Go!"
Little Hua nodded rapidly, and the two little spiritual plants began slipping away through the underbrush. But in his extreme excitement, Stove’s tiny root accidentally stepped on a dry branch.
CRACK!
The three fox elders instantly snapped their heads around! "Who’s there?!"
They rushed over to the bushes, parting the leaves violently. But there was nothing there...only ordinary wild grass, colorful flowers, and the gentle breeze.
Elder Hu narrowed his eyes, scanning the dirt. "Did you see anything?"
"No," Elder Luo carefully sniffed the air. "There is no beast aura." He sniffed again. "Not even a hint of a beastman."
Elder Shen looked around suspiciously. "There isn’t even a small animal nearby... only wild plants."
The three elders exchanged confused looks before finally relaxing. "It must have just been the wind snapping a twig."
"Yes, let’s be careful."
They returned to their hushed conversation, completely unaware that two ordinary-looking plants near the edge of the clearing had completely vanished.