"Choo, choo." Little Nine, who had nearly been bitten to pieces by Lián Jǐngyà earlier, sneezed twice inside Lián Mùxiū's tent. Her eyes, watery and bleary, looked up at him.
Lián Mùxiū, hearing her sneezes, asked with a hint of hesitation, "Little Nine, are you... catching a cold?" He was puzzled—how could a little fox, with fur, catch a cold like a human?
Little Nine turned her head to the side, clearly uninterested in replying to the man who was always teasing her at every opportunity.
Noticing her sulking, Lián Mùxiū murmured to himself, "I was going to ask if Little Nine wants to sleep on the bed tonight, but since she’s upset, I suppose I shouldn't bother her."
Little Nine, hearing his words, found herself in a mental dilemma. If she kept her pride as a fox, she shouldn’t sleep on the soft bed, but if she took the bed, she feared that her future would be filled with the constant teasing of this man. What should she do?
Lián Mùxiū suddenly continued, "Ah, I was hoping to sleep early, but since I have to return to the palace tomorrow and have much to take care of..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a flash of white shot onto the bed. Lián Mùxiū, grinning internally, knew that this lazy fox would choose the soft bed.
Having already sprawled out on the bed, Little Nine tapped her own head with her little paw. Upon hearing Lián Mùxiū mention sleep, her body had already chosen the soft, plush bed before her mind could react. She felt so embarrassed—no, she felt embarrassed for her fox pride.
Flustered, Little Nine refused to open her eyes, pretending to have already fallen asleep.
Lián Mùxiū removed his outer robe and, in his inner garments, gently placed Little Nine into the blanket, covering her up as he slowly settled down to sleep.
Little Nine, feeling the man beside her fall asleep, cracked her eyes open just a tiny bit. Seeing that Lián Mùxiū had already fallen asleep, she felt that maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
Lián Mùxiū, noticing she had opened her eyes only to close them again, smiled and looked at her. "This little fox," he thought, then drifted back to sleep.
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The next day, just as dawn broke, Little Nine was awakened by the sounds outside.
Opening her eyes, she found that Lián Mùxiū had already left.
As she was about to climb out of bed to find him, the tent flap was suddenly lifted, and Lián Mùxiū stepped inside.
"You're awake?"
Although it was early, Lián Mùxiū looked completely refreshed, with no sign of fatigue. His gaze, filled with warmth, rested on Little Nine.
"Choo?" Little Nine wondered. Why is it so early?
She had barely slept at all. Since being struck by that thunderbolt, she had been constantly fearful, and whenever she slept, she was too anxious to fall into a deep sleep. But last night, with Lián Mùxiū by her side, she had finally gotten a good night’s rest. Now she was woken up again.
"His Majesty ordered a return to the palace last night. Our tent is the last to be packed, so once I take you out, they’ll be packing it up."
Lián Mùxiū had deliberately kept his tent for last so Little Nine could sleep a little longer.
Upon hearing the words return to the palace, Little Nine immediately woke up, her eyes bright.
"Choo choo choo." She had heard so much about the grandeur of human palaces, but had never seen one with her own eyes. Finally, she would get to see the palace for herself. How exciting!
Lián Mùxiū, noticing that Little Nine had fully awakened, lightly tapped her little head and rubbed it, smiling as he said, "You’re so excited."
Little Nine nodded eagerly, hopping into Lián Mùxiū's arms and curling up in a comfortable position. She pointed toward the door, eager to leave.
Lián Mùxiū laughed and said, "You really know how to enjoy yourself."
Carrying Little Nine, Lián Mùxiū left the tent and boarded the carriage, blocking all curious gazes from the outside.
Inside the carriage, Little Nine looked around, observing how comfortable it was. Lián Mùxiū had specially prepared a small nest for her inside, making sure she would be comfortable.
As the carriage started moving, the eunuch outside announced, "The Emperor is leaving."
Little Nine, thinking about visiting the fabled royal palace, could hardly sleep from excitement.
However, after just a quarter of an hour, Little Nine began to feel dizzy.
She didn’t know how other foxes might handle traveling by carriage, but she could only focus on her own swirling head. It felt like her brain was a mess of porridge.
Lián Mùxiū hadn’t expected Little Nine to get motion sickness. Not knowing how to help her feel better, he simply held her in his arms and gently stroked her fur, hoping it would soothe her.
Little Nine, eyes closed, nestled into Lián Mùxiū’s chest. As she inhaled the pleasant minty scent on him, she slowly started feeling better. But her mind began to wander again.
Lián Mùxiū was so handsome, and he smelled so nice. He was also so considerate and appeared to hold a high status. Would he have a wife? Would his wife be jealous of the way he treated her? What if his wife didn’t allow him to keep her around? Would she be abandoned?
Her heart sank. She had just found a safe place to sleep, but now it seemed like she might lose it all.
Lián Mùxiū noticed Little Nine’s expression shift from joy to sorrow. What was going on with her?
Little Nine’s thoughts were truly hard to guess!