He was very close to the little fox, and I saw that the little fox was quite dazed. If he had actually hit it, I think its leg bones would have been shattered.
I stopped him, "Lou Xiyue, wait a moment."
He hesitated for a moment, but then he saw the little fox stand up, paw forward, and obediently walk to Lou Xiyue's feet. It stuck out its tongue and licked his boots, then curled up next to him, raising its neck and looking at him with a mischievous grin.
I coughed softly. "It likes you."
Lou Xiyue bent down to catch it, but it climbed into his arms, its claws gripping his collar and clinging to his chest, refusing to let go.
I laughed, "This little fox has indeed taken a liking to you. She's so soft and fragrant, throwing herself into my arms. Young Master Lou, you really don't discriminate between the cold and the hot, and you can't resist either humans or animals."
Lou Xiyue looked at it with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, reaching out to stroke its fur, but the little fox grabbed his hand in a very affectionate manner.
At this moment, the nine-tailed fox lazily curled up in Louxi Yuehuai's arms.
I said, “Let’s call it Xiao Jiu. Maybe it was because you shot it with an arrow that it was reminded of the hunter from back then, and that’s how it transferred its affections to you.”
I wanted to reach out and touch it, but it suddenly shuddered, let out a cry, and snuggled closer to Lou Xiyue.
This was the first time I had ever heard a fox call, and it was quite different from what I had imagined. I had thought it would be a seductive, tingling sound, but in fact, it sounded more like a rooster's crow.
I was both surprised and disillusioned, and I told Lou Xiyue about it.
He pondered for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "Foxes have been stealing chickens for generations; it's an ancestral practice."
I said, "..."
I poked Xiao Jiu with my finger and muttered, "Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu, if you're a fox demon, conjure up a roast chicken so I can see."
It did not respond.
I added kindly, "Or, braised pork would also be fine."
It ignores me.
I was heartbroken. "If I hadn't pleaded for your life, you would have been killed by your lover. My heart is completely broken."
Lou Xiyue glanced at me, then looked at the little fox in his arms. He put it on the ground, tilted his head, and said flippantly, "You think it's taking up your space? Then I'll hold you."
As he spoke, he leisurely got up and lifted me from the bed back into his arms.
My face flushed, and I didn't have the strength to break free, so I blurted out, "I was just thinking very seriously, if Xiao Jiu were to cultivate and attain enlightenment one day and transform into that beautiful girl, then..."
He chuckled. "What?"
I asked, puzzled, "Was she naked, or was she wearing clothes?"
Lou Xiyue paused for a moment, then said, "..."
I spent the night in the mountains, and when I woke up the next day, Lou Xiyue brewed another dose of medicine for me to take.
In just one night, Xiao Jiu became very obedient to Lou Xiyue. It licked my wound, and the red spots gradually faded.
After making some preparations, we took Xiao Jiu and prepared to go down the mountain.
Before leaving, I noticed that Xiao Jiu was extremely attached to that arrow, holding it in its mouth and unwilling to let go. I hurriedly took the arrow with me down the mountain to prevent it from always carrying Lou Xiyue's collar in its mouth, making it look like he had a shocking white tuft on his chest.
Xiao Jiu's bite drew all the cold air out of my body. So Lou Xiyue wisely wrapped me in every strip of cloth she could find in the shed. In the end, I was able to curl up into a perfectly round ball and roll down the mountain.
On the way down the mountain, Lou Xiyue and I encountered a burly hunter wearing a cloak.
I was a little curious, so I asked him where Xiao Jiu's former lover had gone.
After hearing my description, he suddenly realized, "Miss, are you talking about Wang Sheng? He used to live in Sifeng Mountain. Later, he fell seriously ill. I heard that his soul was stolen by a fox demon in the mountain."
I asked, "And then?"
He replied, "Wang Sheng had a brush with death and barely escaped with his life, so he gave up hunting and went down the mountain to find another way to make a living."
I expressed my dissatisfaction, "Huh?"
The man thought for a moment, then continued, “However, Wang Sheng often came back to stay in this hut in the mountains. Many years ago, I went up the mountain once and encountered heavy snow, so I asked him for a place to stay for the night. He said he was waiting for his wife in the mountains, and after so many years, he still hadn’t seen her return. I saw him once a few years ago, when he said his mother was seriously ill and he was going to take her south to find a good doctor. After that, I never saw him again; I suppose he moved elsewhere.”
He looked at Xiao Jiu in Lou Xiyue's arms and said with some surprise, "Heh, I saw a fox like this in his room back then, it was snow-white."
I asked again, "Didn't he know that this little fox was the wife he was waiting for?"
The man seemed to be taken aback for a moment, and looked me up and down with a puzzled expression.
There's really nothing to look at about me, because from the neck down I'm as elegant and luxurious as a cloth ball.
He remained silent for a while, then asked, "Miss, you just said that this little fox is Wang Sheng's wife?"
His voice trembled slightly, perhaps because of the cold weather.
I nodded solemnly. "Yes, yes, it was because our Xiao Jiu cut out his own heart and fed it to him that he was able to escape death. Xiao Jiu also left him a letter back then, did he not see it?"
The hunter stared at me with wide eyes and let out a scream, "Aa ...
Then, it roared and sped away through the forest.
His shout startled many birds, causing them to scatter and fly away.
The mountains were desolate, and the echoes reverberated again and again: "Female ghost... female ghost... ghost... ghost... ah..."
I turned around and asked Lou Xiyue, "Where do I look like a ghost?"
He suppressed a laugh and said seriously, "It's similar everywhere."