Chapter 51 The Principle Behind Kiss Marks "I'll bite back!"...

After being kissed by the fox, Tinglan's face turned bright red in an instant.

The fox sat up happily, resting its hands on its cheeks and staring intently at Tinglan, seemingly very pleased with its own judgment. "I thought you were great the first time I saw you, Tinglan, and now I think you're even better!"

"Is this the first time you've met me?" Tinglan was somewhat surprised, and even couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

After all, when the Ninth Prince first met Ji Qing, he didn't give him a very friendly look and even scolded him to his face for his seductive manner...

Thinking of this, Tinglan couldn't help but feel guilty.

The fox, instead, rested its chin on its hand and smiled foolishly, as if recalling some beautiful memory, "You held my hand, smiled at me, and gave me some really, really delicious snacks that I had never eaten before."

Tinglan was stunned, his heart aching slightly. Hearing these words, he felt a pang of sadness.

It turns out that the little bit of kindness I showed back then has been remembered by the young prince for so long. It wasn't even entirely kindness; it was pity.

"It was my first time coming down the mountain, and I didn't know many things. You taught me." The fox tilted its head and smiled at Tinglan.

Tinglan lowered his eyes, concealing the complex emotions within them. After a long while, he asked, "Is this your first time coming down the mountain? Did Your Highness live on the mountain before?"

The fox nodded and gestured with his hand, "Yes, our mountain is very big, and my sister's little courtyard is on the mountain."

Tinglan's lips curled up slightly. It seemed that Ji Qing had just come down the mountain and was tricked into entering the palace, and then met him. There was no possibility that anyone had intercepted him along the way.

“No, that’s not right.” The fox’s expression suddenly turned serious, and he shook his head as he asked, “Why are you still calling me Your Highness? I’m an imposter… not this Your Highness.”

"This matter..." Tinglan frowned. "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. Let's pretend this matter was never mentioned. It's enough that you and I know."

The fox immediately shut its mouth, covering its mouth tightly with its hand, and kept nodding.

Tinglan solemnly instructed, and out of caution, asked again, "Surely no one else knows about this?"

The fox nodded subconsciously, then quickly shook its head in denial.

"Who else knows?!" Tinglan suddenly turned around, her voice unconsciously rising a few decibels.

"Uh... not King Wei." The fox quickly waved its hand.

Who is that?

"It was Zhou Yiqing," the fox confessed honestly.

“Zhou Yiqing?” Tinglan pronounced the name slowly and deliberately, his expression ambiguous, yet also revealing a hint of bewilderment.

Why did Your Highness tell him?

The fox quickly explained, "I didn't tell him; he recognized me."

"Zhou Yiqing and His Highness...know each other?"

Wasn't this your first time coming down the mountain...? Why do you know him? A look of confusion flashed in Tinglan's eyes, along with a hint of grievance.

“I know him.” The fox lowered his head and clenched his fists. “He lives in the Taoist temple next to my house.”

The words "childhood sweethearts" suddenly popped into Tinglan's mind, and she immediately felt a little breathless, so she held her forehead with her hand to catch her breath.

It really is all about timing and fate; how could it all happen by such a coincidence?

"What a coincidence," Tinglan uttered only these four words.

The fox leaned closer and whispered, "Is it alright if he knows? Aren't we all on his side?"

This single sentence, "we," categorized Tinglan and the fox together, greatly comforting the Ninth Prince. He raised his head and said, "It's alright, I'm sure Master Zhou won't tell anyone."

He dared not tell anyone.

The fox finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

He was just feeling happy and about to pick up a snack from the side and take a bite when he heard Tinglan continue asking.

"Is Your Highness and Zhou Yiqing very familiar with each other?"

The fox smacked its lips, tossed the snack into its mouth, chewed it, and said, "It's alright. I often play with their kitten, and my sister likes to play cards with them too."

"I see." Tinglan nodded, making a mental note of Zhou Yiqing's name.

"How long have you known Zhou Yiqing, Your Highness?"

The fox tilted its head and thought for a while before saying, "We've known each other for quite a while, but I've forgotten."

The Ninth Prince's face was gloomy. Since they had known each other for a long time, they could be considered childhood friends.

The fox couldn't see that his friend looked unwell, and continued to tug at his sleeve, shaking it as he asked with his head down, "So, I didn't cause any trouble, right?"

"No."

The fox cheered and happily pounced on the bed, "Great! Let's go to sleep now."

The Ninth Prince had no choice but to put aside his worries for the time being and went to the bedside.

It was late at night, and the fox was sleeping soundly on his back as usual, still clinging to the person next to him.

Tinglan was used to his sleeping position, but he was destined to have trouble falling asleep tonight. He turned his head, looked at Ji Qing's profile, and gently kissed his lips.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, they parted after a fleeting touch.

Normally, a kiss like this would be enough, but things are different now, and the Ninth Prince's jealousy has completely boiled over.

Foxes are never still when they sleep; their inner clothes are disheveled, revealing half of their fair collarbone. Tinglan's eyes are dark as he leans down.

He thought, "I'll leave a mark for His Highness so he won't run away."

Actually, he could kiss on the shoulder or collarbone, places that are not often seen and can be covered by clothes.

But he didn't; instead, he kissed the fox's neck deeply.

This might be the gentlest bite in the world; all the jealousy, resentment, and possessiveness—these complex, dark emotions—are transformed into a tender embrace and lingering affection between lips and skin.

The kiss ended.

Tinglan got up, lit the red candle by the bedside, and examined the object closely by its light.

The fox slightly opened its eyes, mumbling, "What's wrong?"

Tinglan said softly, "It's alright, Your Highness, please go to sleep."

The fox, oblivious to everything, closed its eyes, rolled over, and continued to snore softly.

The warm candlelight softly illuminated the scene on the couch, where a handsome young man was fast asleep, wrapped in a blanket, his collar half-open, revealing a bright red mark on his neck.

This scene inexplicably sparked a lot of speculation.

Tinglan smiled, blew out the candlestick in her hand, lay down on the couch, carefully tucked the blanket around the fox, and then closed her eyes.

The next morning, my friend went to work early.

As usual, the fox got up happily and ate xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), crab meat pastries, soy milk, and tea eggs for breakfast.

He went out happily after eating his fill.

Today he wore a moon-white brocade robe with gold floral patterns and a round neck, paired with a bright red crane cloak, exuding an ethereal and elegant, noble air.

Nothing happened along the way. When they arrived at the Directorate of Ceremonial, the fox, as usual, took some food and went to the side hall to read a storybook.

Upon entering, I saw Zhou Yiqing sitting inside, idly tossing chess pieces around.

"Oh, little Ji Qing is here?" The Taoist priest raised an eyebrow and smiled, leaning back and looking at him with his arms crossed.

The fox stepped forward, poked him, and whispered in his ear, "Tinglan knows my identity now."

The Taoist priest slammed his head against the back of the chair with a thud, ignoring the pain, and asked in a low voice with wide eyes, "Does he know you're a fox spirit?"

With the Three Pure Ones above, Your Majesty's composure is truly extraordinary. Knowing that you are a fox spirit, you were still able to attend court normally today. Indeed, those who achieve great things are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"No, no," the fox quickly waved his hand in denial. "He just knows I'm not a prince."

"Then... what was his reaction?" Zhou Yiqing couldn't help but ask curiously.

“He didn’t react much, and he also knew that we had known each other for a long time.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yiqing suddenly gasped. Knowing how jealous the Ninth Prince was, what would happen if he found out about this?

No need to even calculate, bad luck is about to strike!

"Um, I suddenly feel like this alleyway isn't quite right here," Zhou Yiqing said in a fluster, immediately standing up to walk out.

I am a monk, so please don't doubt me, no matter who you are.

He turned back halfway there. The Ninth Prince had summoned him today, and if he left now, wouldn't it make him seem very guilty?

Something seems even more wrong...

Forget it, let's just give up. We're all in the same boat anyway, so we can be considered a group. I have no relation to Ji Qing, so what can that Ninth Thousand Years old man do to me?

Zhou Yiqing strolled back and sat upright in the chair, his whisk tucked into his arm, looking every bit the master.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, so the fox took off his outer crane cloak, leaving only his inner robe, and picked up a plate of snacks, ready to eat.

Zhou Yiqing glanced at it casually and clicked her tongue in admiration.

She thought to herself, "A fox spirit is a fox spirit indeed; her looks and figure are truly impeccable."

Um?

Something seems off?

He glanced over again and said, "Ji Qing, lift your head."

The fox looked up foolishly, grinned, and handed over the plate of snacks. "Do you want some?"

With such juicy gossip right in front of him, Zhou Yiqing was too preoccupied to even eat.

He immediately leaned closer mysteriously and pointed at the fox's neck, "What's going on between you and the Ninth Prince?"

The fox was taken aback, somewhat bewildered.

"Oh dear, how can I explain this to you? I'm a monk." Zhou Yiqing waved his hand helplessly.

A moment later he leaned closer and said, "You don't know? Go find a mirror and look at your neck."

The fox touched the back of its neck, somewhat puzzled, and then scurried over to the mirror.

He touched his neck repeatedly in front of the mirror, looking puzzled. "What happened? Did I get bitten by bugs? But it's winter!"

Zhou Yiqing tilted his head and sighed silently. "Oh, Ji Qing, don't blame me for not telling you what's going on. It's more appropriate for the Ninth Prince to say these things."

But a moment later, the fox used its own arm to figure out how the hickey was created.

Wow, that's amazing.

"Amazing, isn't it? Next time, try it on the Ninth Prince." Zhou Yiqing crossed his legs, flicked his whisk, and said with a smile.

The fox nodded and continued to hug its arm curiously.

It's red and kind of pretty. It would be great if it were printed on my best friend's chest. My best friend's chest is white, so it would look really good against her skin.

Thinking about it this way, the fox's face turned red, and he sat in the corner, chuckling to himself.

Today, the Ninth Prince had just stepped into the gates of the Directorate of Ceremonial when he was mysteriously pulled away by the young prince.

Behind the carved and gilded screen, a fox-like hand rested against Tinglan's chest, its head tilted to reveal its fair neck.

The fox didn't know it was a hickey; he just proudly raised his head, as if to say, "I'm going to bite back."

Tinglan had no choice but to give in; he always let the fox have his way.

"I don't want to be bitten on the neck," the fox said with a grin.

"Where should it bite?"

Today, the Ninth Prince is wearing a black official robe with a high and straight collar that completely covers his neck, leaving no part exposed.

The fox chuckled and ripped open Tinglan's collar.