Chapter Ten

Baozhu ate the meal like an ant on a hot pan.

My heart was burning with anxiety, but I had to pretend to be nonchalant.

Li Zhi's small courtyard seemed to be surrounded by an army of foxes. In the time it took to eat a meal, Baozhu heard seven or eight extremely unpleasant fox calls.

It's like someone is skinning a fox alive outside.

To make matters worse, Li Zhi added to her troubles by picking up a piece of firewood after serving the meal, saying he was going to drive away the wild foxes outside.

"The young lady should at least have a quiet meal."

Baozhu was so anxious that she grabbed Li Zhi's sleeve and wouldn't let go.

“That fox didn’t bother us, it just made a rather unpleasant noise. There’s no need to drive it away. I’m very kind-hearted and can’t stand seeing that kind of thing.”

Li Zhi said "Oh," looked down into Baozhu's eyes, and smiled, "I see. Then I'll listen to Miss."

Baozhu gave a perfunctory reply, forcibly dragged Li Zhi to finish the meal, and then got up to leave.

This time, it was Li Zhi who grabbed Baozhu's sleeve and asked, "With Aunt Wang in this situation, what are your plans for the future, Miss?"

Baozhu was taken aback, and her mood suddenly plummeted.

What were her plans? She planned never to see Li Zhi again in this life. He could pursue his studies and become a high-ranking official, while Baozhu only wanted to be a wild fox spirit.

Seeing that Baozhu remained silent, Li Zhi's heart sank, but his tone remained light: "Judging by the days, I have already finished my mourning period and will soon be going to Xiandu Prefecture to prepare for the autumn imperial examination. Aunt Wang is from Xiandu Prefecture. If Miss has any relatives there, she can accompany me."

Baozhu stammered, unable to bear refusing him directly to his face. She simply pulled her sleeve back and said vaguely, "I haven't decided yet. The village won't take back my aunt's house so quickly. I'll give you an answer in a few days."

After saying that, she quickly walked outside.

Li Zhi stood up and chased after them for a few steps, then stopped.

"Baozhu, I await your reply."

Upon hearing Li Zhi's soft voice, Baozhu dared not turn around and fled in a panic.

As soon as Baozhu stepped out of the courtyard, she was hit on the head by a red cloud that fell from the sky. The angry red fox laughed and started scratching her head and face with a strange, cacophony of laughter.

Despite being severely injured, Baozhu dared not utter a sound. She simply reached out and pinched the red fox's muzzle, causing its strange, hoarse voice to stop abruptly. Then, she picked it up and ran back up the mountain in a flash.

Back in the cave where they lived, Baozhu put down the red fox that had struggled all the way but finally gave up, and lay down on the ground, asking gently, "What's wrong, Miss?"

The red fox slumped to the ground, turned its head to the other side, and coldly pretended to be dead.

Baozhu had no choice but to climb to the other side to see it.

The red fox tried to turn its head, but Baozhu grabbed its mouth and flipped it back.

Baozhu's face contorted with rage: "That's enough."

The red fox slowly sat up, gave Baozhu a resentful look, and then suddenly tossed its head out of the cave.

Baozhu's eyes widened in surprise. "What?" she exclaimed.

The red fox had been pretending for a long time, but now it couldn't hold back any longer. It jumped up and buried itself in Baozhu's arms, whimpering as it tried to put its front paws into Baozhu's hands.

Baozhu hugged her sisters who had suffered so much injustice and looked down to examine the red fox's paws closely.

"Oh, you didn't even get a chance to fight? You actually got beaten up?"

The red fox cried even louder.

The unpleasant cries of foxes echoed in the cave, making Baozhu's head buzz. She sighed and said helplessly, "There must be something wrong this year, otherwise why would my sister and I both suffer such a love tribulation?"

It turns out that Baozhu used to always go out with the red fox, but this time she suddenly disappeared for a few days. The red fox was lonely and went crazy on the mountain, wandering around everywhere. Somehow, she suddenly took a fancy to a male fox.

But the male fox was handsome and powerful, so of course he wasn't the only female fox to be interested in him. The female foxes started fighting over him because of jealousy.

The red fox, protected by a precious pearl since birth and accustomed to a life of luxury, had never fought a battle without any support. Its paws were crippled by the female fox, and the male fox was taken away.

It was anxious and aggrieved, which is why the red fox wailed at Li Zhi's door.

Baozhu held the heavy, plump little sister in her arms and sighed sadly, "You can't even snatch a male fox. What kind of life did you live on the mountain after I left you in my previous life?"

The red fox tilted its head, blinking its eyes blankly, not understanding what Baozhu meant.

Baozhu felt a sudden pang of sadness in her heart.

After Wang Lanzhen's revenge for her daughter, Baozhu, a wild fox spirit who only cared about love and romance, seemed to have a hole punched in the window paper that had been pasted in her mind.

A feeling she had never experienced before quietly appeared in Baozhu's heart.

"How long can you live?" Baozhu hugged the red fox tightly and gently stroked its back. "No matter how long you live, with me here, I'll make sure you live a happy and fulfilling life."

Having said that, Baozhu put down the red fox, stretched her limbs slightly, and suddenly transformed into a fox.

The fox spirit Baozhu stormed out of the cave, followed by the arrogant red fox. The two sisters fought their way to the male fox's territory.

The male fox was playing with a female fox with mixed fur. The two foxes were licking each other affectionately, which made the red fox's eyes turn red. He was so angry that he wanted to rush out and drive the female fox away.

Baozhu stretched out her front paws and pressed down on her sister, giving her a look that said, "Take it easy."

Then, like a dragon entering the river, Baozhu leaped up and indiscriminately beat the two foxes.

The mother fox made a quick decision and fled with a scream. The male fox also tried to escape, but was caught and beaten repeatedly by the pearl.

Until a charming, plump, fiery red fox rushed up, shielding the male fox with its body, and barked wildly at the pearl.

With a soft moan, Baozhu, intimidated by the red fox's imposing presence, released the male fox and fled in panic.

The handsome male fox, with its bruised and swollen face, was instantly captivated by the red fox.

When Baozhu turned around, the two foxes were already licking each other.

"Tsk. It's so easy for a fox to fall in love," Baozhu said speechlessly.

The red fox probably won't be coming back today, so Baozhu strolled back to the cave.

In fact, she still feels unwell even now after consuming the silver poria flower.

In addition, she had gone out and fought with the foxes, and Baozhu was already quite exhausted.

She felt extremely tired, as if her brain was stuffed with cotton, and she had no energy to become human again. She curled up in her fox body and decided to get a good night's sleep.

In a state between sleep and wakefulness, her consciousness seemed to return to her previous life.

Around this time, Li Zhi, who was about to set off for Xiandu Prefecture, asked Baozhu if she had any relatives in Xiandu Prefecture. If so, they could travel together.

Baozhu was naturally unwilling, so she made up an excuse, saying that she was going to Xiandu Prefecture to find her relatives, and set off with Li Zhi.

The road to Xiandu Prefecture was not easy. Li Zhi first went to Qiling County, submitted a lot of materials, and obtained the county's recommendation before heading north to Xiandu Prefecture.

The province is mostly hilly and mountainous, making travel difficult. Along the way, they encountered some wild demons, and Baozhu had to put in a lot of effort to protect Li Zhi without revealing her own demon form.

In her daze, Baozhu thought that Li Zhi should walk his own path. She would do her best to tell him which dilapidated temples were haunted by demons and teach him to avoid them.

Baozhu slept for an unknown amount of time.

When she opened her eyes, the red fox had already gone home, lying sprawled on the ground, occasionally smacking its lips, looking completely satisfied.

Seeing that it was sleeping soundly, Baozhu's eyelids tingled, and she was about to go back to sleep for a while when she suddenly realized something, sat up abruptly, and shouted, "Oh no!"

She had been sleeping in the cave for who knows how long, and since she wasn't in the village, Li Zhi probably thought she was lost, and he was bound to worry.

Baozhu quickly transformed back into human form and ran down the mountain with the red fox looking at her with a confused and puzzled expression.

They had only gone halfway down the mountain when Baozhu began to despise herself. She had said she would part ways with Li Zhi, but in the end, she still went to great lengths for him.

"The world's number one cowardly fox, Dog Shit Pearl!"

As Baozhu cursed, her feet seemed to move on their own towards Li Zhi's house.

Before long, Li Zhi’s small courtyard came into Baozhu’s view.

It was already noon, but the courtyard was deserted, and no smoke was coming out of the chimney.

Baozhu had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, when she slipped into the room, she found that Li Zhi's house was even more spacious. The clothes she had worn were gone, and the trunks in the main room had also disappeared.

"Ouch!" Baozhu stomped her feet repeatedly, then turned and went to Wang Lanzhen's house.

The villagers of Fuxia Village did not seem to have any ill intentions towards Wang Lanzhen's house. The furnishings in the house were just as they were when the owner left, except that the geese had become even more listless because they had no food.

Baozhu absentmindedly scooped a spoonful of food for the goose, her eyes darting around.

Just as the goose was eating and squawking noisily, Baozhu slammed the spoon in her hand down on its head.

The goose looked up with starry eyes and saw that Baozhu had found a letter from somewhere, which she haphazardly tore open and glanced at.

The goose, seeing the most terrifying monster in the world, lowered its hands listlessly.

"Why did he leave so early?" Baozhu muttered to herself, puzzled. "In my previous life, he didn't leave at this time. Was it because of Wang Lanzhen and Li Qing?"

Li Zhi has already left. Should Baozhu follow him?

If Li Zhi were to walk that perilous path alone, given that he was merely a scholar, would he be able to escape alive from the clutches of the little demons?

In this life, will he die on his way to the imperial examination, more than twenty years earlier than expected?

Baozhu's fingers trembled slightly, the letter Li Zhi left for her quivering gently at her fingertips.

“Miss Baozhu, it has been two days since we last met. I do not know where you have gone and have not been able to explain to you in person. I have to go to the county to obtain a recommendation, which will take a long time. I am afraid that something may happen, so I will take my leave first. If fate allows, I look forward to meeting you again in Xiandu Prefecture. Li Zhi.”

Baozhu looked down again at Li Zhi's handwriting, which she recognized all too well.

A bitter smile crept onto the fox demon's face.

"Didn't you say you'd wait for my reply? Why did you just leave? You're such a liar."

As Baozhu was carefully reading the letter left by Li Zhi, the writer had already arrived in Qiling County by mule cart.

After getting off the carriage, Li Zhi gave the driver a few coins and carried his trunk toward the Qiling County government office.

Qiling County is surrounded by mountains and is a poor county. The county magistrate could not achieve economic results, so he devoted himself to building the county school and cultivated many good students. As a result, the literary atmosphere was very strong. Near the county school, there was a whole street selling writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones.

Li Zhi walked straight through the familiar street and arrived at the county government office.

However, instead of seeking a recommendation as stated in the letter, he glanced at a small door next to the county government office, confirmed the three characters "Yiren Temple" on it, and then walked in.