Chapter 42: The Little Fox is Flabbergasted

The little fox leaped onto the table laden with food, her eyes sparkling brightly at the sight of so many delicious treats. Heavens! There was even her favorite chicken. At the mere thought, the little fox's paws had already latched onto a roasted chicken larger than herself, and she began to devour it with gusto. Her pristine white fur became matted and stained with the chicken's grease. Left with no other choice, Xuanyuan Yu picked up the little fox, who was still locked in a fierce battle with the chicken.

However, the little fox clung tightly to the poultry, looking up at Xuanyuan Yu with an aggrieved expression, as if his refusal to let her eat were the most heinous crime imaginable. Helplessly, Xuanyuan Yu silently released his grip, resolving to toss the little fox into the Glazed Pond later that evening to wash away all the greasy mess.

It was only then that the assembled courtiers noticed the small fox perched on the Snow Emperor’s table. Furthermore, the Snow Emperor appeared to dote on the creature immensely; otherwise, he would never have tolerated such boorish and impudent behavior right on his dining table.

"Your Majesty, it was precisely this wretched little beast that scratched Yueqi's cousin! Why haven't you had it captured and punished yet?" Mu Yueqi said, glaring at Xuanyuan Yu while cradling the unconscious woman in his arms. The moment he spotted the little fox waging war on the table, he instantly deduced the source of his cousin's injuries, as the distinctive claw marks were a dead giveaway.

Hearing someone curse her as a "wretched little beast" once again, the little fox flew into a rage. She lifted her grease-smeared little mouth and squeaked indignantly, "Squeak, squeak, squeak! You're the beast! Your entire family is a bunch of beasts! Nothing decent ever comes out of a dirty mouth. Where else could you possibly find a fox as gorgeous, generous, and spiritually gifted as me?" Even while hurling insults at Mu Yueqi, the little fox never forgot to sing her own praises.

"Is that little beast cursing me?" Mu Yueqi had no idea what the fox was actually squeaking, but the fierce glint in her eyes and her obvious fury made it abundantly clear that she was saying nothing pleasant.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak! Pah! You're the beast! You get to hurl insults at me, but I'm not allowed to talk back? Well, I'm going to curse you anyway! I'll have my master execute you right now!"

"Your Majesty, why won't you seize this little fox? Can't you see that this vile creature dares to show such utter disrespect to her superiors?" Driven half-mad by the fox yet completely oblivious to her actual words, Mu Yueqi felt a stifling wave of frustration that inadvertently crept into his tone, rendering it urgent and tinged with a commanding edge.

"Are you giving orders to Me? Crown Prince of the Mu Kingdom?" A faint trace of anger already laced Xuanyuan Yu's voice. The deliberate emphasis on his title as the Crown Prince of the Mu Kingdom made everyone in the grand hall shiver involuntarily.

The gazes directed at Mu Yueqi by the surrounding nobles were filled with profound pity. To have offended the Snow Emperor in such a baffling and senseless manner was truly absurd. Yet, more than pity, there was a palpable sense of schadenfreude. He had tried to curry favor by offering a woman to the Snow Emperor, only to end up offending the Emperor because of that very woman—what a disastrous loss that outweighed any potential gain!

"Yueqi did not mean it that way. I was merely overwhelmed with anxiety upon seeing my cousin injured, which caused me to lose my composure. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."

Xuanyuan Yu fixed his gaze on Mu Yueqi standing in the hall. "If that is not what you meant, then pray tell, what did you mean?" His icy gaze, intertwined with a palpable yet elusive aura of killing intent, pierced straight through Mu Yueqi, though the latter remained entirely oblivious to it.

"Yueqi meant that because this audacious little fox dared to scratch Cousin Qingge, I acted in a moment of rash panic and thus offended Your Majesty's sacred presence. Therefore, Yueqi earnestly implores Your Majesty to capture this little beast and execute it." Mu Yueqi kept his head bowed, entirely missing Xuanyuan Yu's chilling glare and failing to notice the gloating expressions worn by everyone else.

The little fox suddenly widened her eyes, staring at Mu Yueqi in sheer disbelief. "Squeak, squeak, squeak! Is there something wrong with your brain? You actually asked my master to execute me! Are you entirely out of your mind?"

Seeing the little fox's dumbfounded expression, Mu Yueqi broke into a sinister smirk. So she finally realized how formidable he was! To think she had dared to insult him—she truly possessed the audacity of the heavens.