“Tian Hao!”

Lin Mei was standing there, her eyes wide with disbelief, her clothes disheveled, her expression a combination of relief and anger. There were smudges of dirt on her cheeks, and her hair, usually neatly braided, had come loose, framing her face in a way that made her look both vulnerable and wildly beautiful.

For the day or so that Tian Hao had been gone, Lin Mei had barely slept. She had paced the clearing endlessly, debating whether she should wait or go back to the outpost for help. The fear of what might have happened gnawed at her, keeping her on edge. Every sound in the forest seemed to mock her worry, each rustle of leaves reminding her how alone she was without Tian Hao. With him back so suddenly, her pent up emotion could finally be released.

She rushed over, throwing her arms around his body in a fierce embrace, almost knocking Jiuwei from her perch. “Where have you been?! I thought you’d… I thought you might not come back,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion, each word trembling as if she feared they might shatter.

Tian Hao hugged her back, the warmth of her embrace a welcome anchor in the still slightly disorienting reality. He gave her a tired smile, shrugging slightly, the casual movement stirring a dull ache in his muscles. “Got a bit… sidetracked,” he said, as casually as he could manage, the words echoing his exhaustion. He could feel the weight of the past day in his bones, the weariness that seemed to have seeped into every part of him.

Lin Mei pulled back slightly, her gaze intense, her eyes searching his.

“Sidetracked?” she echoed, a hint of disbelief in her voice. For a moment, Lin Mei felt her frustration flare, mixed with a pang of deep relief. She had been terrified—terrified that he was lost forever, and now here he was, brushing it off like it was nothing. Was she more annoyed, scared, or just grateful? She couldn't decide. Perhaps all three.

Tian Hao felt a pang of guilt—he could see the worry etched in her features, and he knew his casual response wasn't enough.

Still, beneath the guilt, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of amusement. How could he possibly explain the strange journey he'd just had, the fox on his shoulder, and the bizarre pocket dimension?

He forced a weak smile, trying to mask his exhaustion with a nonchalant shrug, even as his mind scrambled for a way to make sense of it all.

She eyed him skeptically, her expression shifting from relief to annoyance.

“Sidetracked? How can you vanish into thin air and simply say 'sidetracked'? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?” Her voice cracked slightly, betraying the depth of her concern.

He gestured to Jiuwei, who was still perched on his shoulder, her tiny form puffing up indignantly.

Lin Mei blinked, her gaze shifting to the little fox, her earlier frustration forgotten in the face of this new, unexpected strangeness. “Wha…what is that?”

Jiuwei puffed herself up, her silver fur bristling in indignation, though the gesture felt slightly off—her now far-less-impressive appearance making her look more like a diminutive, comically puffy creature than the majestic guardian she believed herself to be.

She glared at Lin Mei, eyes narrowing with an intensity that didn't quite match her size. "That? How dare you!" she exclaimed, her tiny voice vibrating with indignation. "I am the great Jiuwei, guardian of realms, the celestial spirit whose power rivals the stars themselves!"

She paused dramatically, her tail twitching as if daring anyone to doubt her. The grand words hung in the air, her chest puffed out as much as her small frame could manage.

"You should consider yourself honored to even be in my presence, mortal!" she continued, her voice dripping with exaggerated grandeur. It was almost as if she had rehearsed this speech countless times. But given her fluffy, pint-sized form, the haughtiness bordered on absurdity, a stark contrast to the weight of her declarations.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Lin Mei struggled to suppress a smile, her skepticism turning into barely contained amusement. The great Jiuwei indeed.

Lin Mei, though clearly weary from the stress of worrying about Tian Hao, looked skeptical. Her gaze shifted from Tian Hao to the small fox nestled comfortably on his shoulder.

"This cute thing?" she asked, her tone laced with disbelief.

Then, with an amused smile, she leaned closer to Jiuwei and cooed, "But aren't you just the cutest little celestial guardian? Look at that fluffy tail!"

She reached out as if to scratch behind Jiuwei's ears, her expression one of mock adoration. "I bet you're all-powerful, aren't you?"

Jiuwei, her ears flattening in indignation, puffed herself up even more, though the gesture looked more comical than threatening. "Enough of this nonsense!" she snapped, her small voice trembling with irritation. “I am the great Jiuwei—not some house pet for your amusement! My current form may be... diminished, but my power is still unmatched.”

Tian Hao sighed, sensing the tension between the two. He raised a hand in a placating gesture. “Alright, alright. Let's all just get along, shall we? We're all on the same side here.

Jiuwei huffed but remained silent, her tail wrapping around her small body as if trying to regain some semblance of dignity.

She shot a questioning look at Tian Hao, who just shrugged with a resigned expression, as if to say, ‘You’ll get used to it eventually.’

Despite the absurdity of it all, Lin Mei decided to humor the little fox, though her skepticism lingered.

She couldn't quite shake the feeling that Tian Hao was in over his head, entangled with forces far beyond their comprehension. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, Hao?" she thought, her eyes narrowing slightly. "A celestial guardian? Really?"

But then she looked at him, really looked. She could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the lines of weariness etched on his face. His shoulders sagged under an invisible weight, and despite the smile he gave her, there was a fragility there that made her heart clench.

Perhaps humoring Jiuwei was her way of giving Tian Hao a chance to recover, a brief respite from the madness of this journey. She sighed inwardly. "This situation is already so insane," she rationalized. "A talking fox who claims to be a celestial guardian? Why not just roll with it?"

After all, the whole day had been a cavalcade of bizarre events. Accepting a cute, diminutive celestial guardian somehow didn’t seem like the most ridiculous thing to happen today.

She sighed again, her thoughts a mix of worry and reluctant acceptance. If this strange little fox could help them navigate whatever lay ahead, then maybe humoring her was the least of their concerns.

Still, Lin Mei wasn’t ready to completely drop her guard. "You’ll need to prove yourself, little fox," she thought, glancing at Jiuwei. "Let’s see if you’re really as powerful as you claim."

“And look at you!” Lin Mei exclaimed, her eyes narrowing as she took in Tian Hao's disheveled appearance. “You're all scratched up, your robes are torn and blood-stained.” She reached out, her hands brushing over his unoccupied shoulder, trying to pat down the worst of the grime. “Honestly, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time?”

Tian Hao gave a sheepish grin, trying to play it off. “Oh, you know, just a little stroll through a demonic prison realm. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Lin Mei frowned, her eyes filled with concern as she examined a particularly nasty slash wound on his arm. “You really need to take better care of yourself. You're not invincible, you know.”

Tian Hao chuckled softly, wincing slightly as she fussed over him. “I don’t know, Mei. I think I’m getting pretty good at surviving terrible decisions. Maybe it’s my new technique.”

Lin Mei rolled her eyes, but the hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “Idiot,” she muttered, her tone softening. “Let’s just make sure you don’t have to use that ‘technique’ again anytime soon.”

Tian Hao looked at Lin Mei, his eyes pleading. “For now, can we please head back?” he asked. “I’m in desperate need of a bath, a hot meal, and maybe a week of sleep.” His shoulders sagged as he spoke, the weight of his time in the hidden realm finally settling upon him, and the prospect of rest seeming like an unreachable paradise.

Lin Mei let out a sigh, shaking her head, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips. “You really are something else, Tian Hao,” she said. She glanced at Jiuwei, her gaze softening slightly. “Alright, let’s get you back. But you’re going to explain everything once you’ve rested, understood?”

With that, she turned to lead the way back to the Jade Serpent Outpost.

Jiuwei still perched precariously on Tian Hao’s shoulder, her tiny form a constant reminder of the strange, unexpected turn his exile had taken.

His thoughts, usually scattered, now focused on the simple pleasures that awaited him—a hot bath, a decent meal, and the comfort of a soft bed.

Each step forward seemed to promise something better—a small return to normalcy in the face of the overwhelming strangeness that had become his life. He let out a long breath, a mixture of relief and hope, as they walked.

“Lin Mei,” he began, glancing at her, hesitating for a moment. He took a deep breath, weighing whether to speak at all. “I think you deserve to hear about all of it. From the talking fox to the demonic realm. But I warn you, it’s going to sound ridiculous.”

She smiled, shaking her head. “I’m ready to listen, Tian Hao. I think I’ve earned a little ridiculousness.”