"Yes, Your Majesty." Lynn quickly withdrew.

Soon, they came in carrying a silver basin.

The warm water steamed gently as An Honghan held the little ferret in one arm and scooped up a few spoonfuls of water with the other, splashing it onto the ferret's paws. He then used soap paste to scrub and wash it, completing the process in one swift motion.

Xi Xizhi was extremely cooperative, or rather, it was still reeling from the blow of that indenture and hadn't recovered for a long time, letting An Honghan do as it pleased in a daze.

An Honghan gently rubbed the ferret's paws until its silvery-white fur was clean again before wiping it dry with a handkerchief.

Seeing that it still looked gloomy, An Honghan deliberately poked the fiery red fur on its forehead with his finger.

A tingling sensation ran through her body, instantly bringing Xi Xizhi back to reality. Seeing the man's wicked face, she heard another round of teeth grinding.

"Let me take care of you, what's there to be unhappy about? Fine clothes, sumptuous food, wealth and glory, what isn't that something that most people want but can't have?" An Honghan tried his best to comfort the little sable, stroking its fur gently with his large hand.

Perhaps it was animal instinct, but as the large hand on her back moved up and down, the anger in Xi Xizhi's heart gradually dissipated.

He's right. Let him keep it; what's there to be unhappy about? This man is the ruler of a country, the most powerful person in the world. Being his pet is far more prestigious than being someone else's pet.

But the thought of that indenture ignited a fire in Xi Xizhi's heart.

Where have you ever seen an owner and pet sign a contract?

Looking down at its chubby paws, the contract of servitude meant the loss of its freedom, gone forever. What if An Honghan suddenly decided to eat mink meat? Was it just going to obediently offer its body?

The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. Xi Xizhi bit down hard on her two paws and refused to let go.

“I didn’t say I was going to cook you.” An Honghan poked its forehead hard, annoyed by the sable’s wild imagination.

He has tasted many delicacies in the world, so how much appetite could a mere bowl of mink meat possibly whet his appetite?

As long as we don't eat its flesh or skin it, everything is negotiable. Xi Xizhi raised her head with a burning gaze, as if to confirm again, and looked at An Honghan.

An Honghan had no choice but to repeat himself: "Even if I wanted to eat mink meat, with your body weighing only a few pounds, the meat that would be removed from your bones wouldn't even be enough to fill a person's teeth."

I deliberately pinched the little mink's fleshy belly; it was soft and fluffy, even softer than a cotton quilt.

Xi Xizhi felt relieved. She slapped away the large hand that was trying to take advantage of her and then snuggled into An Honghan's arms.

It was late at night, and there wasn't a sound outside.

Inside the Panlong Hall, within a warm golden tent, a man and a sable were fast asleep.

The tiny white ball clung to the man's arm with all four limbs, smacking its lips from time to time, as if dreaming of delicious food, constantly chewing.

As life became more comfortable, the little ferret gradually grew bolder.

Having memorized most of the map, Xi Xizhi's curiosity surged, and it began its adventure. Whenever An Honghan was handling state affairs, it would sneak out of the Imperial Study and, with two palace maids, wander around the palace aimlessly.

This has caused quite a few controversies.

For example, a palace maid carrying dishes was walking down the street when suddenly a white ball jumped out, startling her so much that she screamed and the dishes fell to the ground.

For example, the delicacies prepared by the imperial kitchen for the concubines suddenly disappeared, but on the chopping board, a greasy, fat dumpling was found.

The entire palace, no, to be precise... the entire imperial kitchen was thrown into chaos by a certain little ferret.

Because the Phoenix Cloud Sable was His Majesty's personally raised pet, no one dared to touch a single hair on its head. The imperial chefs in the Imperial Kitchen could only watch helplessly! The delicious dishes they had just prepared, ready to be sent to the concubines in each palace, would end up in the Phoenix Cloud Sable's belly in the blink of an eye. And this thieving sable could neither be hit nor scolded.

Every day, the imperial chefs were scolded by the concubines in the palace, and they shed tears while secretly cursing a certain blatant thief.

The little ferret, trotting on all fours, strolled leisurely through the palace when it suddenly sneezed, seemingly oblivious to who was thinking of it. Passing palace maids, used to such sights, hurried past, fearing for their safety.

Walking for a while, then stopping for a while, Xi Xizhi would stop whenever she saw something new, and only continue forward after she had observed it enough.

Hearing the gurgling sound of flowing water, Xi Xizhi's round body turned in that direction. The weather was hot, and it had grown long fur; the thought of the cold water made Xi Xizhi shiver.

Thinking about it, taking a cold shower wouldn't be bad, so I quickly ran over there.

The two palace maids behind her lifted their skirts and stumbled forward in their two-inch-high court shoes.

"Qingyuan Pool..." The palace maid followed, panting.

A semi-circular archway appeared before them, with the three characters 'Qingyuan Pond' clearly carved above it. The area was surrounded by lush green bamboo, and a refreshing breeze wafted through the air.

The two palace maids were greatly surprised when they saw this. They stopped in their tracks and shouted, "You can't go there!"

But the little sable couldn't stop in time and had already run ahead, so it didn't hear the palace maid's shouts at all.

"Little Marten has gone in, what are we going to do?" One of the palace maids wiped the sweat from her forehead and paced anxiously in place.

Another palace maid also frowned deeply, "What else can we do but follow them in?"

Both nodded in unison. Even though the palace had rules prohibiting unauthorized personnel from entering Qingyuan Pool, if Xiao Diao caused any trouble, they would still be punished. If they could find Xiao Diao before anyone noticed, perhaps there would still be a glimmer of hope.

The little sable had excellent hearing, and as if guided by an invisible thread, Xi Xizhi found the pool of water without any effort.

There were no other buildings around; it seemed as if this place had been specially built for this emerald pool. High red walls blocked out the outside world, and when the wind blew, the leaves of the green bamboo rustled.

What a treasure trove...

Strands of spiritual energy gathered in the pool, imperceptible to mortals, but Xi Xizhi, being a cultivator, naturally couldn't hide these things from her eyes.

The more spiritual energy a place has, the more comfortable Xi Xizhi feels, and she can't help but take a few more breaths.

She rushed into the pool in a hurry, and as soon as she fell in, the icy temperature made Xi Xizhi shiver.

Ah! It's so cold.

As if falling into an ice cave, Xi Xizhi's small body trembled constantly, and she could barely move her stiff limbs with all her might.

It's so cold, so incredibly cold.

My teeth were chattering from the cold. Can anyone tell me why the clear, transparent pool water is so cold? It's even colder than snow water.

Just as the little ferret was about to make a safe escape, a golden shadow flashed past its eyes. Xi Xizhi blinked, wondering what was in the water. Could there be any creature in such cold water?

Thanks to her diligent cultivation these past few days, Xi Xizhi immediately mobilized all her spiritual energy to keep her body temperature from dropping; otherwise, it wouldn't have been long before she would have frozen into an ice sculpture.

With limbs outstretched, Xi Xizhi used a doggy paddle to swim, chasing after that golden hue.

When I got closer, I realized... it was a fish.