"You're too polite, Mr. Ban. If you eat too much greasy food, drinking tea will help cleanse the palate."
Mingyun said with a warm smile, taking the teapot from the corner and pouring tea for both Ren Kai and the pink fox, Yae Miko.
"Young Master Mingyun is truly thoughtful. Yae, hurry and thank him."
Ren Kai had just been about to exchange polite words with Mingyun when the little fox began blowing on her tea again.
Not a trace of manners.
It seemed this fox needed proper guidance from a young age—otherwise she would definitely grow into the same mischievous fox she became later.
"Oh, right. Thank you, Young Master Mingyun."
The pink fox remembered that whenever Ren Kai thanked someone, he clasped his hands politely.
So she tried to imitate him.
Squatting down, she brought her two front paws together in an awkward little bow.
"Pfft… Immortal Yae, there's no need to be so polite. Please enjoy your tea."
Both Mingyun and Ren Kai burst out laughing at the sight.
"Oh?"
Seeing them laugh, the fox quietly memorized the gesture.
If doing this made people happy, maybe she would get even more fried tofu and skewers in the future.
With that thought, she returned to blowing on the tea.
Once it cooled down enough, she carefully licked it with her tongue.
"Hehe… I think I figured something out."
The oily taste from the skewers mixed with the tea as it slid into her stomach.
Feeling completely satisfied, she happily continued eating the fried tofu and skewers from her bowl.
Whenever the taste became too rich, she simply licked a bit of tea to balance it.
"I'm full…"
"Hic… hic…"
By the end, the pink fox's belly had become round and swollen.
After considerable effort, she managed to climb back onto Ren Kai's shoulder.
Meanwhile, both Ren Kai and Mingyun found themselves in good spirits simply watching her.
After finishing another round of tea—
"It's getting late. I'll take Yae back to rest."
"Thank you for the hospitality, Young Master Mingyun."
Ren Kai said with a smile.
"You're too kind, Mr. Ban. Please take care."
Mingyun stood up politely and personally escorted him to the door.
Ren Kai then returned to his cabin with the pink fox.
"Remember."
"No more talking nonsense outside, understand?"
He still felt uneasy.
When Yae Miko was in this fox form, she tended to get carried away easily.
This was something that had to be repeated many times.
Important rules had to be said a hundred times if necessary.
"Mhm… hic… mhm."
The fox nodded seriously, though she kept hiccupping from drinking too much tea.
Still, she carefully stored the rule in her personal "survival handbook."
After canceling his transformation, Ren Kai placed the fox gently on the bed and poured a cup of water onto the bedside table.
"How old are you this year?"
He asked curiously.
Yae Miko's age in Genshin lore had always been rather vague.
"How old?"
The fox stared at him blankly.
"I mean your age. How many years since you were born?"
Ren Kai sighed inwardly.
Just what exactly had Yae Miko been doing during her childhood?
"Oh, let me count."
The fox raised both paws.
Each paw had four little toes.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…"
"Five…"
"Eight…"
"Ten…"
"Thirteen!"
"Yae is thirteen years old this year."
She counted by touching the toes of one paw with the other.
"I see."
"So what have you learned all these years?"
Ren Kai became curious.
The fox clan excelled in spiritual arts, and Yae Miko would one day become the Guuji.
"Um…"
"I'm… not very smart."
"I only just finished learning how to read."
"I've memorized a few spells…"
"But my spiritual power isn't strong enough to actually use them yet."
The fox recalled Kitsune Saiguu's lessons.
Every time, her teacher would patiently guide her while also calling her a little fool.
"That's already quite good."
"Just keep working hard, Yae."
Looking at the fox's innocent expression, Ren Kai couldn't help smiling warmly.
When Yae Miko saw that expression—so similar to the ones Raiden and Kitsune Saiguu gave her when they doted on her—she happily ran into Ren Kai's arms and lay down.
Ren Kai instinctively began stroking her head.
Well…
More like petting a fox.
"Ah… mmm… this feels so nice."
"Yae loves head massages the most."
The fox sighed happily.
She suddenly felt that Lord Rexas in front of her was just as kind as Lady Kitsune Saiguu and the Raiden Shogun.
Before long, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Ren Kai continued gently petting her for a while.
Stroking a fox's fur was surprisingly relaxing.
Once she was fully asleep, he carefully placed her on the pillow and tucked the blanket around her.
Then he sat cross-legged on the bed.
He couldn't rely solely on role-playing progress to grow stronger.
He needed to cultivate chakra as well.
As Ren Kai began extracting chakra, the elemental energy of the world—normally invisible to the naked eye—quietly flowed into his body.
The night passed peacefully.
Ren Kai remained seated in meditation the entire night, continuously refining chakra.
"Whew…"
"The energy contained in this body is terrifying."
After an entire night of cultivation, he discovered that his chakra had increased by nearly one-tenth.
Not only that, the quality of this chakra was far superior to normal chakra.
In fact, all the chakra in his body had now transformed into this higher-quality form.
Even his physical strength had grown stronger—though it was difficult to measure exactly how much.
His chakra reserves now probably equaled that of one hundred Kakashis.
Opening the interface again, he checked his status.
[Uchiha Madara]
Role-playing Progress: 16%
Strength: Early Super Kage Level
Dojutsu Power: Mangekyo Sharingan
Ren Kai began thinking seriously.
This body belonged to the War God Rexas.
Even though the system had assigned the identity, Rexas's original power had surpassed even Six Paths Madara.
That meant one thing—
He needed to extract chakra every day.
Fortunately, the stronger his body became, the less fatigue he felt.
"Hm?"
Ren Kai glanced at the sleeping pink fox beside him.
Then he noticed sunlight slipping through the crack in the door.
He walked over and opened the door wider, letting the sunlight flood into the room.
The warmth touched the fox's face.
She turned over instinctively, burying her head deeper into the pillow and continuing to sleep.
"Oh?"
"You're still not getting up?"
"You're this young and already sleeping in?"
"What will you do when you grow up?"
Ren Kai refused to let her develop such bad habits.
He walked over and lifted the blanket.
Immediately—
The fox crawled under the pillow like a sleepwalker.
She showed absolutely no intention of waking up.
"…."
Ren Kai was completely stunned.
What kind of move was that?
"Lady Kitsune Saiguu is here to catch you."
"Wake up!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
The fox shot upright instantly.
She jumped off the bed, shook her head, and forced herself awake.
"I wasn't sleeping!"
"I was already reading!"
Her movements were smooth and practiced.
Her excuses came out just as naturally.