Chapter 22 022 Trust
Duan Lansheng's response was to grin even more fiercely, his two small canine teeth gleaming white in the sunlight. However, he was far too small now, and even his attempts to appear intimidating were not frightening; they seemed more like bluffing.
Powerful demons can indeed go without food and water for a long time when they lack them, surviving solely by consuming their demonic energy.
Duan Lansheng is a half-demon, and because he consumed too much power, he reverted to his fox form, so his ability to withstand hunger was naturally reduced even further.
Lu Yuanyuan thought for a moment, then pushed her shoulder back until the door clicked shut before putting Duan Lansheng down on the ground.
The room was very small, with a square layout, and there was nowhere else to hide except under the table.
The cramped, low-ceilinged environment provided an indescribable sense of security, and the air was filled with the damp smell of wood. Duan Lansheng's tail was pressed against the wall, his head turned outwards, his whiskers trembling slightly, as he warily observed the stranger's behavior.
To insulate the bowl of hot porridge, a flat, woven rattan basin was placed underneath. Lu Yuanyuan used chopsticks to pick out all the shredded chicken, placed it on the rattan basin, and then put it on the ground.
The aroma of chicken wafted over, and Duan Lansheng placed one hind paw under his belly, pressing down on his empty stomach, and made a low gurgling sound in his throat, like an animal that had just arrived in a strange environment and whose whole body was covered in sharp spikes.
"Don't worry, I ate from the same bowl as you, there was no poison in it." Lu Yuanyuan knelt on one knee, pressing her elbow against her thigh. Thinking that this kid would be a germaphobe when he grew up, she added, "There was no saliva of mine either. It was picked out with chopsticks that hadn't been used yet."
"..."
Lu Yuanyuan patted her knees, stood up, sat back down in her chair, picked up her bowl with both hands, blew on the steam, and began to eat breakfast.
Since discovering that the shortcut of flattering Duan Lansheng didn't work, she gave up on pretending to be a caring older sister. Fortunately, the hourglass on the panel was running very slowly, so she still had time to wait for Duan Lansheng to return to human form.
He's a fox now, unable to speak. Only when he becomes human can we find out what's really going on in his heart.
That morning, Duan Lansheng didn't eat a single bite of the shredded chicken on the plate until it cooled down to the point of being as hard as a rock. He just curled up tightly, looking listless and dispirited.
Lu Yuanyuan had no choice but to pack her things, then lock the door and go to the front yard.
The snow fell softly all night. She had subtly inquired last night that the season in her mind was November, and because they were located in the north, it was already snowing in November. The weather would continue to get colder afterward.
Since she wouldn't be staying here for just a day or two, she needed more warm clothes. Worried about Duan Lansheng and not wanting to take him shopping, Lu Yuanyuan could only ask Aunt Li to help her buy some.
...
Snowflakes fluttered outside the window, and dusk settled over the mountains. The room, which had been chilly in the morning, was now warm and cozy by evening, thanks to two charcoal stoves, and the air was filled with the crispy aroma of roasted chicken.
Lu Yuanyuan changed into a dark blue winter coat and moved a small stool to sit in front of the charcoal stove to warm herself. On her lap was an opened paper package with roasted chicken skin that was brownish-red and shiny, and underneath was tender, juicy chicken meat.
The roast chicken was fresh out of the oven and a little hot to the touch. As she tore open a chicken leg, she breathed on her fingertips.
Duan Lansheng prefers bland food, but that's a taste he developed at the Shushan canteen. There's no reason he would have liked bland, watery food at such a young age, is there?
Tear the chicken into small pieces and place them on a rough ceramic plate. Lu Yuanyuan then used the same trick, placing it on the ground and pushing it to the edge of the shadows under the table. She then sat back down on the stool, holding her own dinner while silently watching it.
After waiting for a long time, there was still no movement.
Could it be that even roast chicken couldn't entice him? Lu Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from under the table. A moment later, a small head slowly poked out from underneath.
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback, then couldn't help but reveal a faint smile and breathe a sigh of relief.
Duan Lansheng was on high alert. Seeing that she didn't move, he made two low gurgling sounds in his throat, pawed at the object twice, and dragged it inside.
He didn't seem to like being watched while eating by strangers.
Having broken the ice the first time, Lu Yuanyuan was greatly encouraged.
Sure enough, no matter what personality he develops into later, he's still just a six or seven-year-old kid now, and it's not so easy to break down his defenses.
In the blink of an eye, several days had passed. After spending these days together, Duan Lansheng seemed to have developed a basic trust in her, this stranger, and was no longer as aggressive as he had been on the first day. However, he still didn't want Lu Yuanyuan to get close to him, not even to pat his head.
Not only did she try to get closer to him through food, but Lu Yuanyuan also washed the clothes she bought, folded them into a nest, and made him sleep in it.
Just when she thought everything was gradually getting better, an unexpected accident happened that caught her off guard.
—Duan Lansheng has disappeared.
To be precise, they were let go.
Not wanting to be away from Duan Lansheng for too long, Lu Yuanyuan had only used hot water to wipe herself clean for the past week. That afternoon, the snow stopped, and the sun made the snow look white and bright. She couldn't resist and went to take a shower.
The town was very basic, lacking any bathing facilities. Lu Yuanyuan boiled water in the kitchen, endured the cold, took off her clothes, and poured the hot water over herself, spoonful by spoonful, taking a bath before the water cooled down. She even washed her hair. But when she returned to the backyard, she found her locked door open. Several children from the town were gathered together, with a boy in the middle crying, two lines of snot running down his face—it was Li Da Niang's son, A Jin.
Lu Yuanyuan's expression changed slightly. She strode up and looked into the house. Duan Lansheng was gone. The charcoal brazier on the ground was overturned, and several bloody fox paw prints appeared on the still-burning charcoal.
Her mind went blank for a moment, and her gaze turned to the child on the ground. She demanded sharply, "Where is the fox inside?"
The children chattered, "Ah Jin said you have a cat in your room, and he wants to bring us to see it."
"It scratched Ah Jin and has already run away!"
Lu Yuanyuan immediately dropped everything she was doing and ran out to find Duan Lansheng.
The fact that she kept a fox in her room could not be kept from the landlord. Lu Yuanyuan also did not dare to let Aunt Li and the others know that Duan Lansheng was not a pure fox. After all, although this was the Sea of Consciousness, the common people's aversion to monsters was exactly the same as in reality.
So for the past few days, she hasn't allowed Duan Lansheng to have any contact with anyone.
Despite our best efforts to prevent it, we still missed the mischievous kid who had the room key.
She can't lose Duan Lansheng; without him, this dungeon will definitely go from beginner difficulty to death difficulty.
As the sun set in the west, the twilight sky grew murky and dark. A series of muffled thunderclaps echoed from behind the mountains, like the roars of ferocious beasts. A cold wind kept seeping into her collar; judging by the wind, it looked like it might hail tonight.
After searching all over the town, Duan Lansheng could not be found.
He's so young, he shouldn't have gone far. Lu Yuanyuan wrapped her clothes tighter, turned around and walked in the direction she came from from the town. Finally, she found Duan Lansheng under a tree on a forest path.
He clung to a very high branch, somehow managing to climb up there. His fox fur was smudged with mud and embers, then soaked and frozen by the snowmelt from the tree, making him look utterly disheveled. Seeing the person below, he quickly hid deeper into the foliage, his tail drooping.
Lu Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran up, saying anxiously, "Duan Lansheng! Come down quickly, it's too high up there."
Duan Lansheng remained silent.
“…I went out this afternoon and didn’t know those people would come in and bully you. It was my oversight.” Lu Yuanyuan sighed and said softly, “I promise this won’t happen again. It’s too cold here, and it’s going to snow heavily soon. Come down and come back with me. I’ll take you to another place to stay tomorrow morning.”
After a long while, the white fox, which was as dirty as a rag, finally moved. The next second, it slipped on the tree trunk, then immediately retreated to its original position.
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "Are you frozen stiff and can't get down? Wait for me, I'll carry you."
Duan Lansheng lay on a branch nearly three meters off the ground. The base of the trunk was covered in moss, but fortunately, there were some raised old vines and burls on the surface. Lu Yuanyuan reached out and grabbed it, feeling its cold and rough texture. She could easily grab a dead branch. She stomped her feet firmly, then nimbly but carefully climbed upwards. After climbing more than two meters, she could find no more foothold. Lu Yuanyuan looked up and stretched out her arm towards the white fox in the tree, pleading, "Come on, grab my hand, I'll carry you down."
Duan Lansheng seemed terrified, clinging tightly to her forearm. Lu Yuanyuan felt as if her skin was being scratched. She endured the pain without uttering a sound, quickly pulling him into her arms and tucking him into her clothes. The white fox let out a soft cry, pressing itself tightly against her warm neck. With a shake of its fur, shards of ice fell into her collar, making her shiver from the cold.
Lu Yuanyuan frowned, said nothing, and began to descend the way she came. However, just as she was about to reach the ground, a vine she stepped on snapped without warning, and with a "crack," she slid down.
In the instant of her fall, she arched her body, shielding the white fox in her arms. Fortunately, the snow under the tree was thick, and she luckily avoided the rocks, so she didn't injure her arms or legs.
Duan Lansheng did not miss her protective movements. With a thought, he silently swept his fox tail across the back of her hand.
"Alright, let's go back."
Late at night, Lu Yuanyuan took him back to Aunt Li's house. The lights in the front yard were already off. In this world, people probably don't think losing a pet is a big deal.
Back in her room, Lu Yuanyuan lit the charcoal stove, took the fox out of her arms, and held it up to the light.
These past few days, Duan Lansheng has been avoiding her, sleeping in all sorts of secluded spots, and his once white fur has turned gray. Today, he was first singed by charcoal fire, and then climbed a tree, making him even dirtier. Especially the fur on his abdomen, because his legs are short, the fur there often drags on the ground, becoming dirty and tangled in many knots.
Duan Lansheng was clearly uncomfortable himself. As soon as she put him down, he stuck out his pink tongue and licked his paws, which were burning from the fire, and the fur on his belly.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
The more she licked, the dirtier it got. She couldn't bear to look at it anymore, so she decided to wash it. She went to boil a basin of water and returned with a cloth.
On the first day, she had already washed Duan Lansheng's paws once. But he was unconscious then, while he was conscious now. Fortunately, he wasn't a real wild fox; he must have bathed before and knew what Lu Yuanyuan was going to do, so he didn't resist fiercely. Only when she was washing his lower abdomen did he resist a little, kicking his short legs a few times, whether from itching or discomfort, it was unclear.
Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, feeling a little uncomfortable as she thought of certain images. But after a brief pause, she grabbed a cloth, had him sit in the hot water, and calmly continued to wash him.
This guy has shrunk now, but he's still a fox. Isn't this just like giving a dog a bath?
Besides, she'd been to places like this many times in her past life, so what's so special about it?
As for Duan Lansheng, once he leaves the Sea of Consciousness, if he recalls this day, he might be so ashamed and indignant that he'd want to bang his head against the wall; his expression would definitely be quite interesting. Unfortunately, he can't question or blame her, because she's helping him!
Lu Yuanyuan curled her lips, a sense of pleasure rising in her heart once again.
—The pleasure of bullying others under the guise of a righteous and justifiable reason.
After taking a shower, Lu Yuanyuan was afraid he would catch a cold, so she quickly dried him off, then dried herself off as well, turned off the lights, and went to bed.
In the dead of night, the winter thunder grew louder and louder, making it difficult for people to fall asleep. The faint sound of a child crying, frightened by the thunder, could be heard from the neighboring house.
Too many things happened today. Lu Yuanyuan lay on her side in bed for a long time. Just as she was starting to feel sleepy, she suddenly heard the sound of fingernails scratching the bed leg.
She paused slightly, but didn't move, her dark eyes fixed on the wall. She neither tried to stop them nor offered a helping hand. There was a hint of resignation in her expression.
After a moment, she felt the blanket sink.
Duan Lansheng climbed up.
Lu Yuanyuan closed her eyes.
...
The thunder in the night sent shivers down my spine.
In the past, Duan Lansheng had always spent every stormy night with his clansmen. He had never realized he was afraid of thunder. But perhaps because he was too frightened today, lying under the empty bed, he felt that the world had become so vast, and the swaying branches were monsters that could snatch him away.
By the time he realized what was happening, he had already climbed into bed.
The human girl named Quan Quan was asleep, her breathing steady and shallow, dispelling his indescribable loneliness and unease.
Duan Lansheng didn't press himself against her. Instead, he lay down at the foot of the bed, some distance away from her. His fox tail swept across the blanket, and his front paws gently scratched at her. His paws, which had been coated with medicated powder, were still a little itchy. He licked them and remained silent.
At that moment, in the flash of lightning, I suddenly noticed that there were four unhealed bloodstains on the back of the other person's hand that were exposed outside the blanket.
He's the one who caught it.
"..." Duan Lansheng stared at that spot, a strange and belated sense of guilt welling up in his chest. He lowered his eyes, and the movement of licking his paws became slower and slower.
However, before he could put the thought that had surfaced in his mind into practice, her hand recoiled back under the covers as if it were cold.
Seeing this, Duan Lansheng slowly returned to his original position, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
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