Gazing at her daughter's innocent golden eyes, Zhi Yi's heart stirred slightly.
She suddenly raised her head and looked at Ling Jue, who was almost fuming in anger. She coldly said, "You go out and close the door. I need to talk to my daughter."
Furious as Ling Jue was, he dared not vent his anger at Zhi Yi. Besides, he was planning to settle the score with that stinking brat Pei Chiyao anyway.
With that thought, he said nothing and left directly, gently closing the door behind him.
Seeing Ling Jue's departure, Zhi Yao finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Mother, is that man really my father? He's so fierce, I'm so scared."
Zhi Yao had been so frightened by Ling Jue's stern presence that her fox tail emerged and was now drooping on the floor.
Zhi Yi gently stroked Zhi Yao's ears, "Don't be afraid, mother is here. He wouldn't dare to harm a single hair of your fox fur."
After reassuring her daughter, Zhi Yi prepared to examine the seal she had placed within Zhi Yao, "Yao, close your eyes."
Although unsure of what her mother intended, Zhi Yao obediently closed her eyes.
Zhi Yi raised her hand and gently stroked Zhi Yao's brow. Her previously stern expression suddenly relaxed.
Thank goodness, the seal remained intact.
Which meant... Pei Chiyao had not done anything to Zhi Yao.
"Alright, open your eyes now." She withdrew her hand.
The entire process had taken no more than a few dozen seconds and Zhi Yao had felt nothing.
Zhi Yao tilted her head, looking at Zhi Yi curiously, "Mother, what did you just do?"
Zhi Yi casually brushed it off, "Nothing, I just wanted to take a good look at you."
Is that so?
Before the young girl could process this, Zhi Yi changed the subject, patting the bed and saying, "Bring your tail over here."
Tail?
Zhi Yao suddenly realized and happily extended her tail onto the bed.
Mother was going to groom her tail fur!
This was Zhi Yao's favorite thing! As a young fox, she couldn't groom her own fur properly. She often went out to play and rolled in mud, or got her fur dirty from who knows where, leaving her tail a mess.
At times like this, Zhi Yi would help groom Zhi Yao's fur.
Zhi Yi had a special brush for grooming. The brushing always felt extremely comfortable.
Zhi Yao would often end up purring contently, rolling onto her back in Zhi Yi's embrace to be spoiled.
She transformed back into her small fox form, exposing her soft belly as she lay in Zhi Yi's arms, all four paws pointing innocently towards the ceiling without moving an inch.
This sight melted Zhi Yi's heart.
Her Yao was just too adorable.
...
As the grooming was so comfortable, Zhi Yao soon fell asleep.
Zhi Yi carefully placed the little fox on the bed and gently covered her with a blanket before swiftly leaving.
When she went outside, she saw the furious Ling Jue, whose face had turned an iron-gray, as well as the calm Pei Chiyao.
Seeing Zhi Yi emerge without Zhi Yao, Pei Chiyao was about to speak when Zhi Yi cut him off, "She's asleep inside. You can take her back to the Ling residence later."
So this was her way of accepting him?
Pei Chiyao raised his brow slightly, "Thank you, mother."
"Don't call me mother just yet," Zhi Yi interrupted Pei Chiyao. "Yao likes you and depends on you because she is inexperienced and hasn't met others, be it from the Fox Clan or the Wolf Tribe. There are many who are far superior to you. More importantly... they can stay by Yao's side forever, but you cannot."
No matter what, the issue of differing lifespans loomed heavily between Pei Chiyao and Zhi Yao.
The reason she agreed to let Pei Chiyao move into the Ling residence was that she knew he could only live for a few decades. A few decades meant nothing to a fox.
Once Pei Chiyao died, she would find a way to make Yao forget him.
After all, he was merely a human. Since Yao liked him, she would let him stay by her side as a plaything.
"If you ever make Yao sad, I'll ensure you have no resting place after death." Zhi Yi's voice was soft, yet a chilling murderous intent assailed Pei Chiyao.
For a fox with thousands of years of cultivation, killing a human was an absolute trifle.
Ling Jue chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! Let me tell you, you'll soon be dead anyway. To Yao, you're nothing but a plaything. Humph!"
Upon hearing this, Pei Chiyao not only showed no displeasure, he actually let out a scornful laugh.
"Since you have said your piece, I have nothing more to add. I'll go check on Yao now."
With that, he turned and entered the sickroom.
Ling Jue felt like he had punched cotton! He had hoped that with his wife present, he could regain some face in front of that brat Pei Chiyao. But unexpectedly, Pei Chiyao completely ignored him!
It infuriated him!
As he fumed, Zhi Yi spoke again, "Ling Jue, let's talk."
No need for elaboration, Ling Jue knew what Zhi Yi wanted to discuss.
His expression instantly hardened, the aura of a Wolf King returning, "No talking. If you want to leave me, either you die, or I die."
...
Zhi Yao slept deeply. When she woke again, she found herself in Pei Chiyao's embrace.
The young girl instinctively nuzzled Pei Chiyao's neck and said softly, "Pei Chiyao, what time is it?"
She was in her small fox form, her nuzzling tickling Pei Chiyao's neck.
Pei Chiyao playfully pinched her ear, "Morning, baby."
The next day already?
Zhi Yao suddenly struggled free, "Mother? Mother!"
She had just remembered finding her mother.
"Don't worry, your mother is next door."
Next door?!
Zhi Yao opened her eyes wide, only then noticing that she seemed to be in an entirely unfamiliar place.
This was...
"The Ling residence," Pei Chiyao saw her confusion and answered for her.
Before her eyes was a sea of pink.
A pink princess bed, pink vanity, pink door, pink curtains.
All sorts of lace trimmings, plush carpets - it was like a Barbie dream castle!
Zhi Yao was stunned.
She looked at Pei Chiyao, feeling his presence here was completely out of place.
"Pei Chiyao, are we really going to live here?"
Actually, she didn't want to live at the Ling residence. She wanted to bring her mother to Pei Chiyao's place.
But thinking of Ling Jue... Zhi Yao didn't have the courage.
Before Pei Chiyao could respond, a series of knocks sounded from outside the door.
An overly dramatic voice rang out, "Knock knock, good little fox, open the door, quickly open it, I want to come in."
Zhi Yao: "?"
She hurriedly scrambled from Pei Chiyao's embrace onto the bed, telling him, "I need to change clothes!"
Pei Chiyao nodded and stepped out first.
He estimated the time it would take Zhi Yao to finish changing before opening the door.
Ling Si, with a pair of wolf ears exposed, instantly froze upon seeing Pei Chiyao, "Damn it, when did you sneak into my sister's room again?!"
