Chapter 18: Seeking New Affections

The little fox scratched at her ear, staring at the imperial physician with a look of confusion. Hadn't she been injured by her master? How could she possibly be perfectly fine? Just moments ago, she had felt as though her very organs were burning with pain. Could this doctor be a total quack?

Bristling with indignation, the little fox let out a series of sharp, agitated squeaks, "Squeak, squeak, squeak! Check me again! How can I be fine? If I am, then I’ve wronged my master! Oh, heavens, have I made a terrible mistake again? What do I do? What do I do? Will he throw me away now?"

The physician recoiled, cold sweat pouring down his face. Since when had foxes become this fierce? She was practically on par with the spirit beasts of the Endless Forest. Though she looked adorable and harmless, she clearly had a temper to be reckoned with.

"Guard Lieyan, since the little fox is unharmed, this old official will take his leave." The physician shouldered his wooden medical box, channeled his profound energy, and fled in a panic. With a "whoosh," he vanished from the room. He decided that the wisest thing he had ever done in his life was never giving up on cultivating his vital energy; otherwise, how could he have run so fast?

The little fox stared at the room in stunned silence. Were all elderly people this capable these days? He was faster than an Olympic sprinter! He could have swept the world championships in long-distance and short-distance running combined!

The little fox pridefully groomed her tiny paws. Should she go apologize to her master? Did she need to take three steps, bow once, and repeat the process nine times to show her remorse? Would that look too desperate or undignified?

"His Highness will forgive you." Lieyan naturally understood what the little fox was fretting about. He had sensed his master's mood earlier—a profound, lonely sorrow that made one instinctively ache with sadness. As Xuan Yuan Yu’s shadow guards, they all knew the heavy burdens he carried.

"Squeak, squeak?" Really? The little fox looked up at Lieyan, her purple eyes shimmering with a faint light. Her pathetic, slightly aggrieved expression was enough to make anyone’s heart melt.

"He will," Lieyan said, gently stroking the little fox's snowy fur to soothe her.

The little fox leaped happily into Lieyan's arms, forgetting her previous gloom and bouncing around with glee. When she finally settled down, she couldn't help but push at him with her tiny paws.

*Sigh*, her master’s embrace was still the best; that cool, refreshing sensation was far superior to this warm one. Suddenly, the little fox felt weighed down by guilt. She ate his food and lived under his roof, yet she had dared to blame him—how could she be so ungrateful?

*Awoo, Master, I was wrong!*

Nevertheless, she still found Lieyan’s embrace rather distasteful... If Han Bing found out, she would surely scold her for not being a fox at all, but an ungrateful little ingrate who only knew how to stir up trouble and deserved a good spanking.

Lieyan carried the little fox to the outer court. Smelling the familiar scent of Xuan Yuan Yu, the little fox darted into the council hall.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak! Master, I’m here! I’ve come to apologize!"

Xuan Yuan Yu looked at the little fox with a hint of surprise, then offered a faint smile before returning his attention to the memorials. He must be seeing things, he thought. The little fox had been severely injured at Shuihua Palace; how could she possibly be here? And she didn't even know the way. It must be a hallucination.

The little fox took a sharp, panicked breath. He was ignoring her! It was over; he was truly angry. That smile just now had been as gentle as a spring breeze, yet she felt a chilling sense of unease in her heart. Had her master abandoned her? Had he decided to seek a new love—or rather, a new pet?