As the moon set and the sun rose, three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Since that night, Chen Ye seemed even more "detached from desires." Apart from necessary classes, he locked himself in his room to cultivate, rarely even supervising Jin’er’s Foundation Establishment.
And Zhang Chuxi seemed like a completely different person too.
Especially when being punished by Chen Ye, her eyes always showed something peculiar.
"Hey, do you think she got hit dumb?"
Qing Jun leaned against the window, watching Zhang Chuxi being instructed on swordsmanship by Chen Ye in the distance, and whispered.
"I don’t know. Why do you ask that? Hasn’t Senior Sister Zhang always been like this?"
Zhao Yuanyuan was organizing some scripts and replied without raising her head.
Qing Jun pursed her lips, "It’s a girl’s intuition! I suspect she’s up to some mischief inside!"
"Mischief?"
Zhao Yuanyuan stopped what she was doing and looked where Qing Jun was gazing.
There, in the center of the martial arts field, Chen Ye was expressionlessly correcting Zhang Chuxi’s sword posture, holding a ruler.
Though it was too far to hear the conversation clearly, it was visible that Zhang Chuxi’s small hands were clenched tightly, as if restraining something.
"Ignore her!"
Qing Jun snorted, withdrawing her gaze,
"With Master here, she can’t stir up much trouble. I’d better go check on my guard fox!"
"Hmm!? That adorable little fox? Can I come over later to see it?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up.
Earlier.
When she visited Senior Sister Zhang’s house, she accidentally discovered that Instructor Chen lived next door!
And at Chen Ye’s doorstep, there was an adorable little fox on guard!
"Stare——"
The little girl looked at the girl in front of her,
"If it’s just to see the little fox, then it’s not impossible..."
...
At the entrance of Cangli Courtyard.
The autumn wind whisked up a few fallen leaves, drifting past the crooked wooden sign that read [Beware of Evil Fox].
Unknowingly, another winter had arrived.
Underneath the sign, a little white fox lay on the ground, void of any enthusiasm.
During this time, it had tasted all of life’s fickleness.
Not only did it have to endure the pranks of that silver-haired demoness, but also the looks some disciples gave it, as if it were a pet.
"Sigh..."
The little white fox sighed, shifting its position to lie back down.
Suddenly, light footsteps approached.
The little white fox twitched its ears and lifted its head warily.
If it were that silver-haired demoness, it would have to quickly pretend to sleep or face more torment.
However, what appeared was a simple white dress.
The little white fox’s eyes shone with a bit of brightness.
In this household, only this dark-haired girl was somewhat gentle to it, occasionally feeding it good food, unlike Qing Jun who found joy in bullying it.
"Squeak~ (Help~)"
The little white fox immediately put on a pitiful appearance, its front paws pawing at the ground, its big, watery eyes looking at Zhiwei, trying to evoke her sympathy.
Zhiwei walked up to it and squatted down.
She wasn’t carrying any food, but held a pile of wooden boards, dry hay, and some soft fabrics.
"The wind has been strong these days, and it’s chilly at night."
Zhiwei spoke softly, gently stroking the little white fox’s head,
"Master asked you to guard the door, but didn’t say you should freeze. Let me make a nest for you."
The little white fox was taken aback, then a warm feeling surged in its heart.
What a kind child!
This was definitely the only kind person in this den of demons!
It stared at Zhiwei expectantly.
Zhiwei skillfully assembled the wooden boards into a delicate little wooden house; though small, it was just big enough to fit it and kept out the wind and rain.
She meticulously lined it with thick, dry hay and topped it with a layer of soft cotton cloth.
Just like that, a cozy and comfortable "fox nest" was made.
"Want to try it out?"
Zhiwei said, smiling at it.
The little white fox was so moved that tears almost came out.
It crawled into the little wooden house, rolling on the fluffy cushion, comfortably narrowing its eyes.
Then, it popped its head out again, looking at Zhiwei full of hope, gesturing to the rope around its neck with its paw.
"Chirp chirp?"
The little white fox gave a pleading look.
Since you’re this nice to me, you surely can’t bear to see me tied up, right?
If you just help me untie it, once I restore my cultivation, I’ll definitely take you as a disciple and help you ascend!
Zhiwei understood its meaning.
She looked at the little white fox’s pitiful eyes, feeling a bit soft-hearted.
This little fox was so intelligent, and cute, being tied like this was indeed pitiful.
But.
If she wanted to unbind it, she would have done it long ago.
After all, Master had specifically entrusted her with looking after the little white fox.
However... even though she liked the little fox, it couldn’t compare to Master and her junior sister in importance.
If Master wanted it bound, Zhiwei wouldn’t want to upset her Master.
And this.
Was beyond Chen Ye’s expectations; he originally intended to let the little white fox free, yet Zhiwei insisted on keeping it bound.
"No can do."
Zhiwei gently shook her head, instead of untying the rope, she tightened the knot a bit more.
The little white fox: "???"
"Little White, I know you want to run away."
Zhiwei said seriously as she tied the rope, explaining to the dumbfounded fox,
"I really like you, and I don’t want to see you suffer. But... you’re always trying to leave us..."
"Clearly... I treat you so well, why do you always want to find others?"
"So, to prevent you from leaving me, Zhiwei had no choice but to tie you up. This way, you can’t run away anymore, right?"
She slightly lowered her eyes, the black and white pupils showing a stubbornness the little fox couldn’t comprehend.