Zhi Yao's hands trembled uncontrollably as she looked at the fur and scent before her - there was no way she could be more familiar with them!
It was Mother!
If she had been deceived by the Red Fox last time due to her concern and confusion, this time Zhi Yao knew without a doubt that she was not mistaken.
"You!" Her voice quivered as she grabbed onto Xie Qinzhou's sleeve, unable to control herself. "Where did you get this thing from?"
The eyes behind Xie Qinzhou's golden glasses narrowed slightly. His voice softened, and his expression grew gentler, like a beautiful yet dangerous opium flower in the night.
"Do you really want to know?"
Zhi Yao nodded. "This... this thing is really important to me. Can you tell me, please?"
Her gaze was earnest and pleading.
Xie Qinzhou gazed into Zhi Yao's eyes, silently marveling at their beauty.
He extended his hand towards Zhi Yao. "Come with me, and I'll show you."
Zhi Yao did not take his hand, lowering her head. "Sorry, Pei Chiyao doesn't like me having physical contact with others."
Xie Qinzhou didn't seem to mind, merely smiling and withdrawing his hand smoothly without any awkwardness.
"Then follow me."
Zhi Yao trailed behind Xie Qinzhou, walking slowly and cautiously.
Xie Qinzhou's pace was relaxed. "Don't worry, I won't do anything to you here," he said as he walked.
He scoffed lightly. "If I really did do something to you, Pei Chiyao probably wouldn't let me leave here alive."
Zhi Yao remained silent.
He suddenly paused, stopping in front of a rest room. "We're here."
Zhi Yao was still puzzled, but then she froze.
"Mother?!"
She could smell Mother's scent, so strong and unmistakable.
Her trembling hand reached for the door, but Xie Qinzhou stopped her. "Not yet."
He pulled Zhi Yao into the adjacent room, just as footsteps sounded outside, followed by the sound of a door opening.
The two rest rooms were connected, with only a partition separating them, so the sound insulation was poor.
Zhi Yao was confused, but then an unfamiliar male voice came from the other side. "Yi, I know you don't like it here. We'll go back soon, okay?"
The voice sounded exceptionally gentle, yet for some reason, it sent chills down Zhi Yao's spine.
She looked at Xie Qinzhou, perplexed, but he calmly sat down on one of the rest room chairs, putting a finger to his lips to signal her to keep quiet and listen.
Then, Zhi Yao heard the voice she had longed for day and night, the voice that haunted her dreams.
"Get lost."
Though only a single cold word, she recognized it instantly.
Her blood boiled with excitement.
It was Mother! It was Mother!
Before she knew it, tears streamed down Zhi Yao's face. She could no longer hold back and started to rush out, but Xie Qinzhou grabbed her arm, restraining her in the chair. "You can't go now."
He gently took a tissue and wiped away her tears. "Not yet."
Zhi Yao resisted his proximity, snatching her hand back and wiping her tears haphazardly. "Why? I've been looking for my Mother for so long! She's right there! I need to go back to her side!"
Xie Qinzhou continued smiling. "Zhi Yao, you know who I am, don't you?"
He suddenly spoke an unrelated sentence.
Zhi Yao froze.
"Those of the same kind can sense each other, can't they?"
He gazed deeply into Zhi Yao's eyes, his pupils seeming like whirlpools that might swallow her whole.
Zhi Yao clenched her fists. "You... You really are..."
She had felt an inexplicable affinity for Xie Qinzhou before, sensing a connection between beings of the same kind, but she couldn't be sure.
She never expected Xie Qinzhou to admit it so openly.
Xie Qinzhou placed one hand on Zhi Yao's shoulder, pinning her firmly to the chair, while using the other to continue wiping her tears. "Do you know why you couldn't find your Mother?"
Zhi Yao's eyes shone brightly, washed by her tears.
She remained silent.
Xie Qinzhou's voice suddenly turned cold. "Because she was kidnapped by the Wolf Tribe."
The Wolf Tribe...
Zhi Yao was shocked.
Those savage beasts had kidnapped her Mother? Why?!
"You... You mean the person talking earlier was from the Wolf Tribe?"
"Yes." Xie Qinzhou admitted openly. "Do you know what would have happened if I hadn't stopped you from going in there?"
His tone became ominous. "He would have torn you apart!"
"He wouldn't let anyone take your Mother away."
Zhi Yao was stunned. "Why... Why would he kidnap my Mother?"
Her Mother had no dealings with the Wolf Tribe. Why would they do this to her?!
And why did Xie Qinzhou seem to know so much about all this?!
Zhi Yao grew suspicious. "How do you know all this?"
"Don't forget, I came here long before you did," Xie Qinzhou patiently wiped the tears from her face before withdrawing his hand.
"Zhi Yao, over the years, the best way we've found to evade human hunting and persecution is to hide among their kind and become human ourselves."
As he spoke, Xie Qinzhou revealed his ears and tail - he was a Red Fox too, but a much older and wiser one than Zhi Yao.
"It's been so long since I've seen my true form. I hate having to put on this human disguise and deal with their deceptions!" His gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a grim and fierce expression.
"I witnessed your Mother being taken away, and to save the last of our Nine-Tailed Red Foxes, I followed them secretly. But I never expected that human to hand your Mother over to a Wolf."
He found the whole situation baffling.
"The Wolf Tribe is even more cunning than us. They've been breeding among humans for a long time, establishing a massive family - the Ling Family."
Zhi Yao listened, utterly confused. If the Wolf Tribe wanted to integrate into human society, what did that have to do with her Mother?
From the voice she had heard, it didn't seem like the person meant any harm to Mother, despite the overwhelming pressure in his tone that frightened her. But that tone... Zhi Yao was all too familiar with it.
It was the same way Pei Chiyao spoke to her.
