Chapter 10 - Baby Steps Part 2

Shen Xia was overcome with a pain that almost made her faint. But she bit her lips to the point of drawing blood as she tried to endure. Right now, she felt like her veins were being ripped out of her body. The 'fuzzy wuzzy' energy seemed to be slamming against a blockage near her abdomen. With each attempt to break through that blockage, pain shot through her body, causing her to cry out.

Zi Shu locked herself in her room. She had already called her husband and was told to leave Shen Xia alone while she was going through the first phase of her cultivation. One minor misstep could cause her to fail and could leave her crippled or die. Hear this, Zi Shu could only lock herself in her room and put a pair of headphones on and try to drown out the agonizing screams coming from her granddaughter's room. She was using every ounce of her being to not run into the other room and stop Shen Xia from cultivating. She knew her granddaughter had to do this alone, but it was still hard to hear.

One thing no one noticed was that Kable had appeared in the corner of Shen Xia's room. He saw Shen Xia's furrowed brow and pain stricken face and felt a strange tinge in his cold dead heart. He walked slowly over to Shen Xia and placed his hand on her head, patting her soft black hair. He then reached down and placed his hand on her abdomen, sending a strange red energy into her body. Shen Xia let out a whimper of pain through her gritted teeth, but at the same time, she heard a booming sound go off in her head as the blockage that she was unable to break through suddenly broke open, letting the 'fuzzy wuzzy' energy pass through and circulate around her abdomen before creating a small drop of liquified 'fuzzy wuzzy' energy and then circulating back around her body.

As Kable leaned down and kissed the top of Shen Xia's head, a faint smile forming on his lips as he watched the furrowed brow slowly smooth out. "With this, Fluff Fluff, you should be able to grow in strength. I will come and officially meet you sometime in the future..." Leaving these words, Kable's body suddenly burst into millions of black bats and flew out the open window. He reappeared on top of a building that overlooked Shen Xia's small house. "Shade..."

"Yes, Master?" Shade appeared out of the shadows once again.

"You did well this time in notifying me. I will reward you soon. Keep a good eye on her and do not let those of the Shen family or other clans touch her. No one is allowed to touch my Fluff Fluff..." Kable took one more glance at Shen Xia's house before disappearing once again. Shade stood there staring at the roof of the run down house and decided he better make sure nothing happens to his new missus. Otherwise, the consequences would be something he could not handle.

Shen Xia sat in a euphoric state as she felt the 'fuzzy wuzzy' energy cleaning her entire body. There was no longer any pain like she felt before. Just a warm feeling every time the 'fuzzy wuzzy' energy circulated through her body.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with a foul smell and a sticky feeling all over her body. She looked down and almost lost her stomach when she saw the black film on her skin. She quickly ran to the bathroom and jumped in the shower.

Beads of water dripped down over Shen Xia's modest breasts. Her already fair skin was much softer and even fairer than before. She scrubbed the black film off her body and then began to wash her tail. It was only then that she noticed the tip had turned a pure white compared to the fully black fox tail she had before. She finished washing up and wrapped a towel around herself, and went back to her room. She found a long shirt and put it on before sitting down on her bed and getting out her hair dryer. She slowly began to brush and blow dry her tail, making sure it was nice and soft.

"This softness is just… Amazing... " Shen Xia smiled for the first time today when it came to her new appearance. She rubbed the soft fluffy tail against her cheek and felt it to be an amazing sensation.

"Xiaxia?" Zi Shu called out as she saw Shen Xia's door open and slowly entered. "Are you okay?"

"Mmm… Sorry, Grandma, you must have been worried, right? It's fine now. You won't hear me screaming like that anymore." Shen Xia knew she had cried out a few times due to the pain. Just hearing this and not being able to do anything must have worried her grandma greatly.

"That's good, Xiaxia!" Zi Shu ran over and hugged Shen Xia. She reached and started scratching Shen Xia's ears. Shen Xia did not say anything about her grandmother treating her as a pet. "What about your animal instincts? Your grandpa told me you should have better control over them after your first period of cultivation."

"Mmm… Let me try..." Shen Xia concentrated on trying to feel her animal nature. As she did, her canine teeth grew longer, and her eyes began to turn yellow. Zi Shu stared at the sudden change and thought she was seeing things, but it was there her granddaughter's eyes, and teeth had changed. "Seems this is as much as I can do at this time. As for how it will be when I am around people, I am not sure. I still do not know what I should do about my current appearance... "

Shen Xia's ears sagged as she thought about her current appearance was going to make going to school much harder for her. Zi Shu patted her head and stood up. "Your grandfather has already helped deal with some of these issues. The two of us will be going to school tomorrow morning together. Take it one step at a time. Baby steps are slow and steady. But once they get the hang of things, they are able to run and play like all the other kids."

"I will keep your words in my heart, Grandma." Shen Xia knew her grandmother was right.. She had to take things one step at a time just like how a baby learns to walk.