"We have defended this land before Cloud Recesses had even been built," Qiaolian argues, her expression calm as Lan Qiren seems nearly hypnotized by her hundreds of foxtails.
"Can you please put them away?" Lan Qiren requests angrily, pointing a hand at the masses of tails.
"I will not Lord Qiren. They are a symbol of my age and power among my clan. Much like the swords, you carry that have often killed my own kind. The one you bare at your side, I know, has caused numerous harm to members of my wife's distant family in the past. Did I ask you to remove it from my sight? Respect goes both ways. In the rules carved into the stone of your walls, I could seek restitution in blood, but I will not."
Lord Qiren's face is quite red, "You are a fox spirit and a pestilence!"
The lamps in the room all flicker, casting shadows of the fox spirit's tails menacingly across the wall, "The reason I have not breached the rules of hospitality is because of the leader of the Gusu clan. Remember, Lord Qiren, I am your elder and should be treated as such. I was born hundreds of years before your great grandparents were even conceived," Qiaolian nods respectfully to Lan Xichen, "If the clan leader will allow me to offer what could be a profitable treaty between the two of us."
Lan Xichen swallows hard. The fox spirit before him is elegant and mischievous in equal measure. Her eyes were the same emerald green as her sister's. The intricate fine red silk the kitsune wore had to be the finest he had ever seen. His eyes were drawn to the familiar golden claws tapping impatiently across the table.
"I wish to hear what you propose," Lan Xichen remarks finally.
"You are brave, clan leader," Qiaolian remarks, her tails swishing before him experimentally, tempting him, "You do not wear a sword or spiritual device before me."
"The Golden Phoenix does not have a reputation of slaying the innocent," Lan Xichen smiles widely at the delighted expression on the fox spirit's face.
"That was many years ago," Qiaolian lays a hand on the longbow that she had respectfully put on the floor. The longbow that Lan Xichen had immediately recognized from his studies as a boy.
"I am sure it would delight many of our young cultivators to hear of your travails. Your adventures are still quite popular in our library. In fact, that is how I recognized your bow," Lan Xichen says, hoping to correct the injury of pride his uncle had inflicted.
"Perhaps, if an agreement can be reached between our two clans," Qiaolian murmurs, tails flicking multiple times.
"What do you wish?" Lan Xichen asks curiously as his uncle glowers from the side.
"The same as you," Qiaolian says casually, "The land is besieged by nag. My wife, her clan, and I have fought side by side to expel these creatures from these mountains. But they regroup near the waters on your territory. The barriers make it difficult to expel them for good."
"Nonsense," Lan Qiren cried from his seat, "Nag must live in the caves near the mountains!"
"You are right and wrong, Lord Qiren."
Qiaolian corrects tiredly, "It is true, the nag manage to escape into the tunnel systems, but these tunnels are connected by the rivers and interconnecting lakes on your territory line, making it impossible for my clan to destroy them all. I believe it was the water demon poisoning the water supply. That is undoubtedly the root cause of the nag's strange behavior, the lack of wildlife and illness amongst humans."
"How do you know this?" Lan Xichen remarks.
"My wife's clan lives in the interconnected cave systems of the mountains. The numbers are great and have long since driven the nag out," smiling at the clan leader Qiaolian plucks a large document out of the air and spreads it across the table.
"This is an old map of the tunnel system below Cloud Recesses. It is quite amazing they have not taken better advantage."
Lan Xichen sucks in a breath at the sight of the possible sprawling tunnels below their feet. If it were true, the chances of attack within the grounds had gone up exponentially.
"Of course, this map is almost a hundred years old, but I am confident it is still accurate. I watched your founder draw it himself. You may keep the map for the time being if you wish to test its authenticity. I would not venture down into these caves without a guide. Or at least a member of my wife's clan."
"We have barriers set up around Cloud Recesses," Lan Xichen watches the fox spirit, torn between the Lady Shen's strange kin and his uncle.
"The nag have been circumventing these barriers, haven't they?" the fox spirit smirks mischievously.
"How dare you," Lord Qiren growls, but the clan leader put up his hand to stop him.
"What do you know of this?" the clan leader had repaired the barriers multiple times as had, he suspected the Lady Shen, so why were the nag still breaking in?
"Because," the fox spirit pokes at the map with a long finger, "They are already within the barrier. I think the individual protections that my sister has put on the different Cloud Recesses structures have been preventing more attacks. But it is only a small damn against the great flood."
"We could attack the nag on our own land without your help," Lan Qiren grunts, unable to take his eyes away from the twisting colors on the map.
"You could very well try, my lord, and I would wish you luck, but your numbers are small. I do not doubt the power of your disciples or yourselves, but when you have the opportunity to decrease the number of lives taken, would it not be feasible to consult a mongoose on the butchering of a cobra?"
"We will consult our own charts on the authenticity of the map for now," Lan Xichen murmurs, already eager to delve into the library to check the map.
Yet something occurs to him suddenly, "You claim that your clan has been fighting these creatures for a decade. Why offer a treaty now?"
The fox spirit nods solemnly and rises from her seat. She is easily taller than Lord Qiren.
"I will be honest, clan leader. My kind is wary of cultivators," Qiaolian glances askance at Lord Qiren, "We choose to remain on the sidelines in mortal affairs."
Growling angrily and staring down her nose at Lord Qiren, "The more civilized of my kind know that to bother with humans invite more strife than necessary. But. . ." Qiaolian turns kindly to Lan Xichen, "My sisters like you and more importantly, my wife thinks quite highly of you. I have not been able to persuade my sisters to leave Cloud Recesses. So, I offer a treaty."
Lan Xichen contemplates this. He had seen Lady Shen's terrifying power on multiple occasions. It would be more than practical to establish a close connection with this fox spirit.
"I am ready to hear your terms," Lan Xichen beckons for the fox spirit to proceed as he stands next to his uncle.
Qiaolian sighs and pushes her long white hair back and away from her face, "It has come to my attention recently that you intend to take my sister as your wife."
A blush begins to form around Lan Xichen's ears and neck, "Yes. I have proposed already, and she has accepted."
"I can triple the size of the dowry," Qiaolian interrupts before Lan Xichen can continue, "I will be adopting my sisters directly into my clan. She would take on the name Feng, which is also an old family name of great status, connected with that of the Golden Phoenix and that of the Black Jade."
Lan Xichen raises an eyebrow at the name of the Black Jade. It was a name every cultivator was taught to fear at a young age. The clan leader is merely intrigued. Wondering how many legends were hidden in Lady Shen's family tree.
"Deception among thieves then?" Lord Qiren spits, pacing behind Lan Xichen.
A low growl burst from the fox spirit, but she did not attack despite the growing fox fire around her tails.
"Lord Qiren, dear uncle, I would like you to retire for the evening," Lan Xichen said, his voice brooking no argument.
"As the previous clan leader and elder of this clan, I do not suggest this wise," Lord Qiren groused.
"As the current clan leader, I am ordering you to rest. You have repeatedly embarrassed our clan tonight in front of the leader of a neighboring clan and potential ally. We will discuss this in the morning," Lan Xichen stares his uncle down, and after a few moments, the former clan leader departs the room in a huff.
Lan Xichen stands and bows humbly to the fox spirit, "I apologize for the many transgressions my uncle has made against you and your clan tonight."
"It will not be the last," Qiaolian waves her tails from side to side, enjoying this time figuring out the clan leader without her wife or sisters present.
"Lady Shen has made it clear to me that she will join your clan. I will not dispute this. Her wish and mine are that the young ones have as much of their family around as possible. I respect your sister and would, of course, agree to a relationship between our two clans," Lan Xichen smiles, "I have wished to meet you and your wife since Lady Shen mentioned your presence."
"You have a truly kind soul, clan leader," Qiaolian says approvingly, catching the endearing look on the clan leader's face as he mentions her sister, "I do not hold the grudges of the old against the youth. You will do well in the furthering of your clan's ambitions."
"Thank you, Master Golden Phoenix, Clan leader Feng is also kind."
Qiaolian waves a hand dismissively, and a rolled-up document appears, floating towards Lan Xichen, "These are the terms of the truce. It is late, and I worry about my sister's health. Review them at your leisure and let me know your thoughts."
"Yes, of course," Lan Xichen carefully put the document into a pocket of his sleeve, "please allow me to escort you back to my quarters. You are more than welcome to stay in my residence for the duration of your stay. A residence beside mine is currently being cleaned for your use."
"It is my wish for my wife and I to stay by her side for tonight. She will need to receive energy from a member of her clan to heal quicker. Would you mind terribly if I shifted? It is terribly drafty tonight."
"Of course. Be welcome," Lan Xichen is curious about the nature of fox spirit transformations. Would this be what the Lady Shen looked like when she shifts?
"You may look upon me if you wish, clan leader. If it is your wish to marry my sister, you will need to be accustomed to it."
Moving towards the door, Lan Xichen murmurs, "I will look if it does not perturb you, Master Golden Phoenix."
A laugh that resembles a bark echoes from Qiaolian and Lan Xichen is reminded of all the times the Lady Shen has laughed in his presence.
"Of course, don't look directly into the foxfire. Men have been driven mad by the sight," Qiaolian folds herself in half. A large number of tails cover her body as a bright burst of foxfire explodes in front of Lan Xichen.
Instead of the woman stood a regal white fox, nearly the same height as himself. The fox spirit glows with an unearthly light as if she had stolen the moon and feasted on its heavenly rays. The many hundreds of tails that gently twisted behind her move with their own life.
Lan Xichen opens the door for the beautiful animal and respectfully follows her out.
"You have never seen a fox spirit before."
The low voice of the Golden Phoenix echoes serenely in his mind. It was a statement of fact, not a question.
"I have not had the pleasure before," Lan Xichen spoke out loud, and the fox gives him a toothy grin.
"I do not believe this. You have known of my sisters' pedigrees before this and have not found fault in them. That is another reason for my presence."
"Forgive me, but yes, I have known of your sister's heritage for a while now. She hid it well, but an accident led me to discover her tails," Lan Xichen feels the burn of the elder fox spirit's gaze upon him, "I respected her too much and did not want to force a confession. I also didn't want to scare the children."
"If I may ask," Lan Xichen is eager to learn more of the fabled Golden Phoenix, "As the Golden Phoenix, the rumors of your heritage and gender have never been confirmed."
"History is written by men. They could not believe that the Golden Phoenix was a powerful fox spirit female that did not fit their mold as a charming courtesan or temptress."
"They said you died trying to receive the loom of fate from the Black Jade," Lan Xichen says curiously. He had loved reading the tales of the Golden Phoenix as a youth.
Knowing his books' hero is standing next to him is nearly too much for him to comprehend. The fox laughs, her tails curling around her happily.
"In a way, I did, I suppose."
"What happened?" Lan Xichen says, barely able to conceal his curiosity.
"At that point, I had fought every creature imaginable, been everywhere, had done every deed, killed spirit and cultivator alike. I had lived many lifetimes and did not know what more life had to offer. I grew bored with my life. I thought that there must be more to life than the next daring adventure. I wanted something to change the world. To control fate itself. I wanted to explore new worlds. I had heard rumors of a dangerous oracle in the Caves of Orabek by the name of Black Jade, which possessed the loom of fate. She was rumored to be a large jorogumo that preyed on anyone that got close to her cave. Extremely dangerous. Her venom was rumored to have been linked to the melting face plague that killed thousands."
There is a pause in the story as if the fox spirit is lost in her memories.
"Did you find the dangerous oracle?" Lan Xichen asks eagerly, seeing his residence up ahead and wanting to hear the end of the story before they got there.
The fox barks with laughter, her tongue lolling to the side, "There was no oracle. She did not have what I sought. So I married her."
Dumbfounded, Lan Xichen holds the door open for the kitsune before entering himself. The fox dances into the room and immediately sticks her head into the lap of the petite woman sitting by her sister's bedside with Chen. The tails wag similar to an excited dog.
"Hello, mongrel," Daiyu says affectionately, before spotting Lan Xichen.
"Clan leader," the woman stands and bows.
Lan Xichen bows low to the woman, feeling unnerved that this is undoubtedly the jorogumo of legend.