Transmigrated as an Alpha, the Fox Spirit Lives on Pheromone - Chapter 11

It took Bai Muqin a while to digest the conclusion that Jiang Li fed on pheromones. Frowning, she finally spoke, “Apart from us and Doctor Zhou, don’t reveal this to anyone else to avoid unnecessary complications.”

She then turned to Jiang Li and instructed, “And you—learn to act normal in front of others. Do you know how to do that?”

Jiang Li thought for a moment and asked, “Does it mean pretending to eat in front of others and then secretly spitting it out?”

“Your little brain works pretty fast—I’ll give you an extra point for intelligence!” Qin Nian teased with a laugh.

Jiang Li shot Qin Nian a dissatisfied glance. She knew Qin Nian was calling her dumb, but since she really was slow, she couldn’t argue back. However, she had noticed that after consuming her master’s pheromones, her mind became much clearer. Things she couldn’t understand before now made sense with just a little explanation, and even her speech had become much smoother. She poked Bai Muqin’s arm and whispered, “Master, can I have more of your pheromones? I want to get smarter. If I’m smarter, can I be a spokesperson and help you?”

Though they hadn’t spent much time together, Bai Muqin realized Jiang Li’s thought process was no different from a child. She had doubted it several times but always dismissed the suspicion because Ah Li’s behavior felt entirely natural. Her physical differences from others only highlighted her uniqueness. Bai Muqin figured that as long as she was kind-hearted, being a little slow didn’t matter.

Out of habit, Bai Muqin reached out to ruffle Jiang Li’s hair but stopped when she remembered she had just done so earlier, leaving Ah Li’s hair a mess. She smoothed it down instead and replied, “Even if you’re not that smart, you can still be a spokesperson. Take these next few days to adjust—there’s no rush for the spokesperson role. As for pheromones, do you know how much you need to consume daily to feel full? Does eating more really make you smarter? You had a lot of last night, yet you were hungry again the next day. I don’t usually have that many pheromones to spare.” By the end, Bai Muqin’s cheeks were burning.

Jiang Li sniffled sheepishly and murmured, “That’s because I was starving before—so hungry I almost died. Thank you for saving me, Master.” By now, Jiang Li had completely forgotten the fear she felt when she was first brought here. The imagined butcher with a cleaver had transformed into an angel with a halo, while the faces of those who once smiled obsequiously at her now seemed grotesque in her memories.

She gestured with her thumb and forefinger, indicating a length of about ten centimeters, and said, “Today, Doctor Zhou gave me three tubes of pheromones—about this long. After three, I was full. That was lunch. Master, do you have that many pheromones?” Her tone was pitiful, though her eyes sparkled with hope. “If not, I can manage being a little hungry.”

“I do,” Bai Muqin replied awkwardly. So, did this mean she’d have to let Ah Li cling to her three times a day to feed? The thought sent a flush spreading to her earlobes, which she touched—they felt warm.

Hearing the affirmative answer, Jiang Li unconsciously licked her lips and swallowed, as if already looking forward to her next meal.

To Bai Muqin’s surprise, Jiang Li then tugged cautiously at her sleeve and asked, “Master, can I have dinner now?”

Qin Nian couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing, “Sis, with Ah Li eating like this, you definitely won’t suffer from pheromone disorders anymore—at most, you might just experience pheromone depletion…”

After receiving a sharp glare, Qin Nian quickly added, “I won’t disturb you two any longer. See you at home!” With that, she swiftly made her exit.

Bai Muqin chuckled lightly and looked up at Jiang Li. “Wait for me on the sofa. I’ll finish handling a few documents, and then we’ll go back together.” She then sat upright at her desk and began reviewing the files.

Jiang Li sat stiffly with her legs pressed together, stealing occasional glances at Bai Muqin. Her earlier question, “Master, can I have dinner now?” had gone unanswered, leaving her uneasy. She feared Qin Nian’s words might come true—that her master’s pheromones would indeed deplete.

After hesitating for a long while, she finally called out softly, “Master, I—”

Bai Muqin set down her pen and looked up at Jiang Li. She usually disliked interruptions during work, but the way Jiang Li called her “Master” sent a faint tremor through her heart, as if drawn by some irresistible magic.

“What is it?” Bai Muqin asked, only realizing afterward how unusually gentle her voice had sounded. She was surprised by her own change but couldn’t pinpoint the reason.

“I… I’ll try my best to get used to eating. I don’t want your pheromones to deplete.” Jiang Li seemed to have mustered great courage to say this. She would rather endure the nausea of eating than let Bai Muqin’s pheromones run dry. Hazily, she sensed that if someone’s pheromones were depleted, it meant they would die—and she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Bai Muqin.

“Come here,” Bai Muqin beckoned. She hadn’t expected Jiang Li to say such a thing, nor did she know how Jiang Li had interpreted the idea of pheromone depletion. She could sense Jiang Li’s inner conflict and unease, realizing the girl must have struggled greatly before speaking up. A warmth rose in her chest, and her gaze softened further.

As Jiang Li drew closer, she caught the distinctive scent unique to Bai Muqin. Through it, she perceived an unfamiliar emotion—one that seemed to urge her even nearer. She faintly recalled sensing something similar when absorbing pheromones before, but back then, her hunger had been too overwhelming to dwell on it.

The stronger the emotion grew, the bolder she became. Step by step, she closed the distance until, finding no chair to sit on, she ended up perching sideways on Bai Muqin’s lap.

Bai Muqin watched, wide-eyed, as Jiang Li inched closer with tentative curiosity. Far from stopping her, she even felt a flicker of anticipation—but she never imagined Ah Li would be so audacious as to sit right on her lap.

Soft, warm—the phrase “a gentle jade and fragrant warmth” suddenly surfaced in Bai Muqin’s mind. Struck speechless, she momentarily forgot why she’d called Jiang Li over in the first place. Frozen in place, she stared at Jiang Li’s face, now mere inches away, and swallowed hard. “You… why are you sitting on my lap?”

Jiang Li was afraid Bai Muqin would be angry, so she hastily stood up without thinking, apologizing like a child who had done something wrong: “I… I don’t know either. I felt like you wanted me to come closer, so I kept moving nearer. I’m sorry, Master.”

As Jiang Li stood up, Bai Muqin realized she actually felt a bit disappointed. She sighed and said, “It’s fine, sit back down.” She was worried Jiang Li might hear her irregular heartbeat if she got too close.

Jiang Li secretly berated herself for believing in such vague emotions, which had caused the distance between her and her master to revert to its original state.

Bai Muqin suddenly remembered what she had wanted to say earlier. Clearing her throat, she said, “Ah Li, what Qin Nian said earlier about pheromone depletion was just a joke. Don’t take it to heart.”

Jiang Li carefully recalled Qin Nian’s tone and suddenly understood. She blamed herself for being too flustered to notice at the time. She nodded obediently, “I understand.”

She then gave Bai Muqin a shy smile, hesitating as if she wanted to say more.

“We’ll talk about it at dinner when we get home,” Bai Muqin quickly lowered her head to deal with the documents, afraid that looking at Jiang Li any longer would make her relent and agree.

“Okay.” At the mention of dinner, Jiang Li perked up. Aside from stealing glances at Bai Muqin working, she began looking around the spacious office. What caught her attention the most was the row of solid wood bookshelves filled with all kinds of books.

Jiang Li remembered that the original owner of her body also had a bookshelf—though not as large—filled with interesting comic books.

Tiptoeing quietly toward the bookshelf, Jiang Li followed the principle that the highest shelf held the best books. She took down a book from the top shelf. Unlike the colorful comic books she had imagined, this one was black and white, densely packed with words. To her surprise, she recognized many of the characters. Coincidentally, the page she opened to mentioned “fox spirits.”

She glanced at the cover—the two large characters on it were unfamiliar—but she was intrigued by the mention of fox spirits in the book. Carrying it back to the sofa, she began flipping through the pages. After painstakingly reading the story about fox spirits, her fondness for the book grew even more, as she discovered it was filled with tales of supernatural beings and strange phenomena.

She read several stories in a row. Though she didn’t recognize some characters, she could guess their meanings well enough. What started as a struggle gradually became smoother, taking her about an hour to get through.

After finishing the documents on her desk, Bai Muqin rubbed her sore neck and stretched her shoulders. Glancing up, she noticed Jiang Li engrossed in reading. Curled up on the sofa, Jiang Li had the book resting on her lap, her fingertips lightly brushing the pages as her eyes followed each line. She was mouthing the words silently, completely absorbed.

With her head lowered, a few strands of hair had fallen across Jiang Li’s face. Bai Muqin had the urge to tuck them behind her ear but didn’t want to disturb her reading. So, she simply watched quietly, feeling as though time had slowed to a peaceful stillness.

The book inevitably contained some indescribable descriptions—bold, explicit, and utterly tantalizing. Jiang Li’s cheeks burned as she read, her mind involuntarily substituting Bai Muqin into the scenes. Recalling her mistress’s fiery passion from the previous night, she felt her throat grow dry with thirst. Though inexperienced in worldly matters, she was, after all, a fox spirit, and couldn’t help but yearn to taste the intoxicating pleasures described in the book. She stole a glance at Bai Muqin, only to meet her gaze directly. Flustered, Jiang Li snapped the book shut and sat up straight, her guilt as palpable as a little fox caught stealing fish.

Having already disrupted the serene moment, Bai Muqin rose and approached Jiang Li. “What are you reading?” she asked, deliberately ignoring Jiang Li’s flushed cheeks—after all, the girl blushed at the slightest provocation.

Jiang Li held up the cover for Bai Muqin to see, pointing at two characters. “I don’t know these two words,” she admitted.

Bai Muqin’s lips curled into a smile, her eyes glinting with amusement. “These characters are pronounced ‘Liao Zhai.’ This book is full of stories about spirits and monsters.”

Jiang Li grinned. “It’s good.”

“Are there any other words you don’t recognize?”

“Yes, here… and here.” Jiang Li flipped through the pages, picking out the most obscure characters she could find.

Bai Muqin patiently explained each one, then fetched a dictionary from the shelf and handed it to Jiang Li. “Do you understand pinyin and radicals? You can look up unfamiliar words here—it gives both the meaning and pronunciation.”

Jiang Li took the dictionary and tried searching for one of the unknown characters, quickly memorizing its meaning and pronunciation.

“Not bad. Very clever,” Bai Muqin praised. Based on Jiang Li’s literacy level, she estimated Ah Li’s knowledge to be roughly equivalent to an elementary school graduate—far better than the complete illiteracy she had expected. For a moment, Bai Muqin felt a flicker of pride.