Kitsune in Teyvat Chapter 23 (Patreon)

'Ahhhh I fucking pranked myself! What do I do!? I am a humble kitsune, I can't be tied down to a mountain to cultivate for millennia!' I mentally screamed.

It didn't take me long after Cloud Retainer seemingly announced to all of Liyue my upcoming... Nuptials that I realized I was fucking not going to live inside of a cave atop a mountain for the rest of Shenhe's likely very unnatural lifespan.

So that left me with one option... Operation Kitsune Escape 2 Electric Boogaloo. 

This time I was fleeing from Liyue from a native instead of fleeing from the Fatui... But as to where I should go?

I had two thoughts. First, I wanted to check out the Chasm which touched upon the Abyss in the southern parts of Liyue which was supposedly where Lumine was right now.

Secondly, I think... I needed a good drink, and where was better to get some drinks than Mondstadt where the lands god was a notorious alcoholic who wouldn't rat me out for running away for 'freedom'

That or I wanted to go back to Sumeru. It would be nice if I could help Nahida with her issues with the nation rotting due to the cursed knowledge seeping from the Abyss. 

'So... Should I go see Lumine and get tied up with her troubles first?' I mused internally as I put Shenhe into a deep sleep with my illusions and give her what she thought were good dreams via my kitsune magic.

And after a long moment of thought I decided that getting wrapped up in issues was the worst idea for me right now. No... I shouldn't even go back to Mondstadt with how Lisa and Shenhe apparently knew each other slightly.

 I was left with two options... Go back to Inazuma where dommy mommy Ei the Raiden Shogun was going to wring my neck for basically eating the gnosis and growing up instantly. Or...

"Well, time to go get some Ratatouille." I muttered as my soft paws gently jumped through the exit of Shenhe's cave and past the magical ward that kept bugs out of her cave.

From there, I covered my body in magical energy to change my primary white and purple streaked fur to burnt orange and black, and then I leaped down the mountain. My feet made no noise as I scaled down the mountain as I headed north toward Fontaine through the Chenyu Mountains.

I certainly wasn't going to go south all the way to Sumeru to actually catch a ship way back north through the ocean-sized lake that separated Liyue, Sumeru, and Fontainne.

-

Cloud Retainer was humming a nice little song to herself as she gently landed in front of Kurama and Shenhe's cave abode with her pausing as she turned off the ward for her to pass through.

"Oh? Has little Kurama left to go get Shenhe breakfast? Hmm, he will need to get used to the aesthetic lifestyle of minimal meals." Cloud Retainer mused aloud as she turned her voice up to speak louder.

"Shenhe! One has come to visit on this lovely morning to speak of one's arrangments for your upcoming union!"

Silence...

Cloud Retainer's eye twitched as never before had Shenhe slept in and she knew she was still in the cave as she could feel her disciples qi resting in a deep slumber that only happened when Cloud Retainer brought her to a large encampment of Abyssal monsters for Shenhe to deal with.

Cloud Retainer stepped deeper into the cave and as she came into the main room she blinked as laying upon the stone bed was her disciple Shenhe in a... Very deep sleep as she was holding a doll that was spotted with Kurama's loose fur and obviously bearing his scent.

"Tis good my disciple's partner is so caring... But Shenhe, One requests you to wake up!" Cloud Retainer spoke firmly as she gave Shenhe a swift shake with her wing.

And with practised ease Cloud Retainer swatted aside the summoned spear from Shenhe that thrust for her throat, and heart, and then a swipe that she casually stepped over. 

There was a moment of silence before Shenhe's glazed eyes blinked away the sleep and she spoke calmly. "Ah... My apologizes master I was in a deep sleep"

And then Shenhe froze as she pulled the doll in her arm that she held tightly even as she had attempted to kill her master at being abruptly awoken.

"Yes my disciple, One would assume that your betrothed Kurama has likely gone to break his fast. As One has noticed that Kurama very clearly carries the feeling of the mortal world upon his shoulders." Cloud Retainer spoke calmly as Shenhe frowned before she buried her nose into the doll and smelled it.

And then Shenhe pulled her face from the doll and spoke with her head tilted to the side as her face became still. "He has been gone for hours..."

But then a heavy rumble rang out from outside the mountains with sharp golden light flickering against the walls of the cave as a loud voice spoke calmly via supernatural power. 

"Adepti of Liyue. I would have words with you about what one of your new members has stolen from the Tsaritsa." 

Shenhe's hands shattered her stone bed as she stood up with her hair taking on bloody red streaks and it all made sense now.

She remembered all too clearly the reason why Kurama had fled Inazuma, he had fled from the retaliation of the Fatui when the Electro Archon didn't believe she could protect her adopted son...

 And she had told her mother much the same story in their private time the previous night when Kurama was busy playing with her master's pocket dimension teapot.

"Kurama knew the Fatui would follow him here..." Shenhe spoke as she strode out of her cave abode with Cloud Retainer giving a hum of agreement.

But moments later the two women have traveled down to the visiting section of Jueyan Karst and their gaze hardened as they laid eyes upon what was nothing but a clear invasion.

Shenhe had spoken to Kurama at great length and she quickly recognized her foes.

"Four Harbingers of the Fatui... The Balladeer, Childe, Signora, and Dottore." Shenhe spoke coldly and she could feel Cloud Retainer flaring her Adepti energy with all the Adepti in the surrounding mountains leaving their deep slumber and meditations to enter the world to see who dared to invade Liyue's spiritual land.