Three months passed, then a year, and I was now seventeen. The new year brought me no joy. Finally, I heard that Shang had been released, safe and sound; my heart was at ease. Xiao Chen Yue and I were to marry in March, and as the wedding day approached, Ling Yan still had no progress.
I gazed into the distance, lost in thought when Ling Shuang’s voice rang out. He ran up to me, catching his breath. “There’s… hope!” I opened my eyes in disbelief. After catching his breath, Ling Shuang continued, “Yang Zi Ru has started contacting other sects to come to the rescue. They plan to attack the Demon Cult on the wedding day and take you and the antidote away.”
“Really?!”
I laughed happily, the first time I’d laughed so genuinely in three months. Ling Shuang smiled and nodded. I took his hand, “Thank you, Brother Ling Shuang.” He embraced me, “Promise me you’ll be happy.” I nodded, “I will…”
Ling Shuang’s good news lifted my gloomy mood, and I returned to my lively self who loved to laugh and use crude language.
“Master…” the leading ‘Sugar Master’ uncle hesitated, “There’s no ‘but’, the Master orders you to go back!” Xiao Chen Yue’s gaze became sharp, extinguishing my enthusiasm.
I left Ling Shuang and Ling Yan behind, and the four of us wandered through the snowy mountains. Ling Yan and Ling Shuang carried heavy luggage, with Ling Shuang smiling and Ling Yan maintaining a poker face. I said, “Big brother, would it kill you to be happy? We’ve come all this way, is this necessary?”
As night fell, we set up our tent. With dry rations running low, Ling Shuang went to find water, Ling Yan went to find food, and after Xiao Chen Yue fed me some pills, I sent him to gather dry firewood.
But they seemed to have walked to Mars, as they hadn’t returned after an hour. “When are they going to come back to Earth?” I grumpily looked at Grandma Moon, my throat parched and dry. Shaking the empty water bag, I sighed, “I’ll go find water.”
With no sense of direction, I ran around aimlessly. When I found a hot spring, filled my water bag, and had my fill of water, I prepared to return. “Uh… where am I?”
After much deliberation, I reached a very bad conclusion – I was lost. “T^T Why am I so unlucky~ It’s the moon’s fault!” (Moon: “What are you dragging me into?! (╰_╯)”)
“Awoooo~~ I’m lost~!!” I howled miserably on the mountain.
I clutched my water bag, wandering through the snowy mountain. Such a large mountain, with no signs of inhabitants and no paths – how could anyone walk here?
Didn’t Jade Emperor Daddy consider putting up road signs when creating this massive snow mountain? I’m suffering from hunger and cold…
“Awoooo~” I howled desolately, “Awoooo~”
“Huh?” I tilted my head and listened carefully. The previous cry sounded sharp, like a wolf’s howl, but more like – a pet dog? “Woo…” Following the sound, I saw a white mass curled up in the distance, with fresh blood staining its snow-white fur.
My maternal instincts kicked in. I sprinted over, shouting, “Doggy~ Doggy~~” The ‘doggy’ looked my way, and I was stunned, “Oh, it’s a snow fox…” I quickly ran forward. The fox dragged its injured leg, leaving a trail of blood, seemingly trying to avoid me.
I ran after it, “Snow fox~ Wait for me! Why are you running? I’m not going to eat you~! Hey!” I caught up and carefully held it in my arms, “Don’t move, be good.” I tore a strip from my clothing, dampened it with the water I’d collected, and gently treated its wound, then used a dry cloth to bandage it.
I held it in my hands, “(^__^) Hehe… Mission accomplished!” I looked at my ‘masterpiece’, “Alright, we’re both unlucky today, might as well accept it. We’re buddies now! Stick with me, and I promise good food and sleep! From now on, I’m your master! ~(≧▽≦)/~”
Somehow, I thought I saw the snow fox give me an exasperated and helpless look.
I carried it for a long time without seeing any tent， exhausted, I sat down under a tree without lighting a fire. The fox blinked its beautiful eyes at me, and I stroked its soft, snow-white fur.
“Little snow fox, do you bathe every day? You’re so clean!” I asked, admiring its pure white coat. “Oh, are you male or female?” I answered myself, “I knew you’re female! Haha~ You can be my daughter; I don’t mind.”
After talking to myself for a while, I noticed a strange golden magical mark on the snow fox’s head. I pointed at the mark and asked, “Is this your headpiece? But foxes don’t usually wear those, right? Or are you special?”
The snow fox gave me a ‘you’re so boring’ look, which I ignored, and then we both fell into a deep sleep.
After some time, I heard voices:
“Hanr~ Hanr~”
“Daughter~ Daughter~”
“Treasure~ Treasure~”
I thought I was dreaming until the little thing in my arms moved, waking me up. I opened my eyes to see Xiao Chen Yue. She tightly hugged me, exclaiming, “Treasure! I thought something happened to you!… Ah, it hurts!”
I realized the snow fox had disappeared, and Xiao Chen Yue’s hand now had a bloody claw mark.
Xiao Chen Yue frowned, looking at the fox beside him with a hostile gaze. “Where did this little thing come from? Why is it so fierce?”
I rushed over to hold the snow fox in my arms. “Don’t touch it! It’s my pet! My daughter!” The statement drew confused looks from everyone. “Well, it’s the one I raised! No one is allowed to harm it!”
“Oh, okay, I’ll listen to you!” Xiao Chen Yue replied with a smile, and I breathed a sigh of relief, stroking the little thing in my arms. The little fox snuggled closer and fell asleep.
Since the incident when I got lost, they had never spent the night on the snow mountain again. After I was found, Xiao Chen Yue took us to a small town near the snow mountain and we stayed in an inn, waiting for the Demon Cult members to take us back.
“Tch~ You’re all so boring! We’ve only played for a day!” I pouted unhappily. “Little sweetie, we look down on them~” I shook the snow fox in my arms, prompting raised eyebrows from everyone. Ling Yan asked, “Ling girl, you don’t really treat this fox as a daughter, do you?”
“Of course!” I nodded decisively.
Ling Shuang pressed her temples, looking troubled, “But this snow fox is… male…”
“What do you know? If my baby says it’s female, then it’s female!” Xiao Chen Yue stood with hands on hips, speaking childishly.
I was speechless. How different was Xiao Chen Yue’s image in front of the Demon Cult members compared to now?
After tossing about for most of the day, it was finally night. After taking the pill given by Xiao Chen Yue, I was ready to sleep.
“Baby~ I want to sleep with you~~” Xiao Chen Yue whined while shaking my arm. I felt disgusted and wanted to throw up. “I’m telling you, big brother, please go out, or I’ll hit you.”
Xiao Chen Yue pouted, pointing at the snow fox sleeping in my arms, “Why can it sleep with you, but I can’t?” “It’s female… -_-!” “It’s clearly male!” he insisted.
“But didn’t you say it was female this afternoon?” I asked, exasperated. Xiao Chen Yue rolled on the ground, “I don’t agree~ I don’t agree~ It’s male!”
“Fine, fine~ It’s male, now go back and sleep!” I said, and he immediately smiled and ran away.
I sighed, “Forget it, time to sleep.” I burrowed into the quilt and slept.
I casually glanced and discovered that the golden demon mark on the snow fox’s head sleeping beside me was glowing green! My first reaction was – is this demon mark sticker luminescent?
Sweating at my thought, I carefully reached out my paw and tore off the ‘demon mark sticker’. A burst of light was so bright I couldn’t open my eyes.
When I opened my eyes again, sleeping beside me was no longer the small, cute snow fox, but a stunningly beautiful man. His silver-white long hair half-covered his pale face, cherry-red lips, and high nose bridge, with enchanting closed eyes and long eyelashes like butterfly wings.
