Lu Qingjiu arrived at Bai Yuehu's room. He didn't dare knock, fearing to alert the monster outside. Instead, he quietly pushed the door open and peered through the crack. The room was empty, the bed was empty, and Bai Yuehu was nowhere to be seen.
Lu Qingjiu was a little nervous. He glanced outside the door. The monster was still standing in their yard, but because of its size, it seemed that only its head could be squeezed in, and the rest of its body should still be outside the yard. The monster seemed to have moved its eyes to Jiang Buhuan's window. Jiang Buhuan's screams were like a chicken with its neck pinched, extremely miserable. He seemed to see those black eyes and cried out, "Help, help! There's a monster outside the window. Someone save me!"
As he spoke, he pushed open the door and ran out of the room in a panic. He happened to see Lu Qingjiu standing in the corridor. The two stared at each other for a moment, and Jiang Buhuan said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Lu, Mr. Lu."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Good evening?"
Jiang Buhuan: "...There's a monster outside!"
Lu Qingjiu said: “Oh, I saw it.”
Jiang Buhuan was shocked by Lu Qingjiu's calm reaction. The thing outside had completely overturned his three views, even making him wonder if he was having another nightmare: "Aren't you scared?"
Lu Qingjiu: "I'm scared." Isn't it because she is still worried that something might happen to her son?
Jiang Buhuan: "You call this fear?"
Lu Qingjiu nodded and said, "Come over here first."
Jiang Buhuan was about to get up from the ground when he heard a loud noise outside, like the sound of a building collapsing, followed by a series of low roars. Lu Qingjiu looked through the window and saw that the huge monster slowly raised its head and looked towards the sky, as if something in the sky attracted its attention.
Because the window was too small, Lu Qingjiu couldn't see the monster clearly, but he vaguely felt that it looked a bit like the legendary dragon, but there were some subtle differences. This reminded Lu Qingjiu of the black dragon trapped in the abyss, but he didn't know if there was any connection between the two.
Just as Lu Qingjiu was puzzled, a black mist rose up from the giant beast, enveloping its body. Then, the black mist spread towards the sky. Seeing this, Lu Qingjiu hurried out to check, only to find that there was already a black mist in the sky. Then, the two black mists merged together, accompanied by biting, roaring, and a beast-like roar. The black mist spread everywhere, and finally covered the sky of the entire Shuifu Village. Jiang Buhuan was stunned. He was not as brave as Lu Qingjiu. After a while of mental preparation, he finally mustered the courage to go to the door and said blankly, "Is it raining?"
Lu Qingjiu said: “Yeah.”
At some point, a light rain began to fall from the sky, making a rustling sound as the raindrops hit the ground. It was pitch dark outside, and Lu Qingjiu could see nothing except the sound. However, he soon realized that the falling liquid wasn't rain... but blood. Lu Qingjiu slowly reached out his hand and caught some of the liquid in his palm. He withdrew his hand, put it to his nose, and sniffed gently. Sure enough, he smelled a strong smell of blood.
Jiang Buhuan also noticed something was wrong. He asked in a trembling voice, "Why is there such a strong smell of blood?"
Lu Qingjiu said nothing and looked up at the sky.
Within the black fog, a bloody rain fell. This blood seemed to have been dropped by the trembling giant beast within the fog. Along with the bloody rain, there were also some hard objects. Lu Qingjiu bent down to pick them up and discovered that the hard object was actually a scale. The scale was the size of a palm, hard and sharp. Lu Qingjiu gripped it a little too tightly, and the edge of the scale cut his palm. He realized something and cast a worried look towards the black fog.
Jiang Buhuan was already exhausted from fear. He sat on the ground, staring blankly at the sky with a dull expression. The bloody rain grew heavier and heavier, finally turning into a torrential downpour. The strong smell of blood was choking. The once familiar courtyard now became incredibly unfamiliar, as if entering a different dimension.
"What is that?" Jiang Buhuan said, "Am I really not dreaming?"
Lu Qingjiu did not respond. All his attention was focused on the black fog. More and more scales accumulated on the ground, and blood also formed puddles on the ground. The horrible sounds of collision, tearing and gnawing were in his ears. Everything was so terrifying.
This night was surprisingly long.
Fear consumed most of Jiang Buhuan's strength, and he actually fell asleep while sitting on the ground, leaning against the door frame. Lu Qingjiu kept tilting his head back until his neck felt stiff. Finally, dawn broke on the horizon. A thin ray of light broke through the thick black fog, as if shattering the dark barrier. The rain gradually subsided, and the shouting became weaker. The black fog covering the sky began to fade, and Lu Qingjiu finally saw the deep blue clouds and the bright moon that was about to disappear.
Daybreak is almost here, Lu Qingjiu thought. He looked toward his yard, which was a complete mess. Blood covered the entire place, and the ground was covered with black, scaly debris, like a mortal's hell. But miraculously, the commotion was so loud that only he and Jiang Buhuan could hear it. It was as if the entire Shuifu Village was devoid of any living creatures besides the two of them.
Lu Qingjiu lowered his head and saw the scales in the palm of his hand. The scales were actually very beautiful, emitting a gem-like luster. The edges were as sharp as blades and could easily cut through the fragile skin of humans. Obviously, the owner of the scales was not a good person either.
When Lu Qingjiu looked up again, the black fog in the sky had finally dissipated, revealing the sky and the rising sun on the horizon. The bloodstains on the ground began to disappear, and the scale debris gradually faded. Everything seemed to be returning to normal.
Last night's fatal fight was nothing but an absurd dream.
Lu Qingjiu stood up. He heard footsteps coming from the gate of the yard, and then he saw a familiar figure—Bai Yuehu had returned.
He was dressed in a black robe, his long hair draped over his shoulders, his eyes slightly lowered, his face frighteningly pale. Embroidered on the black robe was a five-clawed flying dragon in gold thread, so vivid that it seemed as if it would leap out of his clothes.
"Moon Fox." Lu Qingjiu called his name.
Bai Yuehu looked up and said, "Sake."
"Are you injured?!" Lu Qingjiu noticed something. He stepped forward quickly and asked nervously, "Where are you injured?" He noticed that blood was still dripping from under Bai Yuehu's robe.
"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." said Bai Yuehu.
"Let me see." Lu Qingjiu insisted.
Bai Yuehu frowned slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed, but under Lu Qingjiu's firm attitude, he slowly untied his robe, revealing his strong chest. On his chest, a blood-red scratch ran across Bai Yuehu's abdomen. The scratch was so deep that the bone was visible, and blood was still dripping down slowly.
Seeing such a hideous wound, Lu Qingjiu suddenly became nervous: "Is it so serious? Let's go to the hospital!"
Bai Yuehu said, "It's okay, it will be fine in a few days."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Is this okay?"
Bai Yuehu said, "Well, our clan has a strong ability to heal itself, and human hospitals are of little use to us."
Lu Qingjiu said: "What do you need? Is there anything I can help you with?"
Bai Yuehu thought for a moment: "I need food."
Lu Qingjiu said, "Okay, I'll make you something to eat right away." He looked at the wound worriedly, but he was still worried. He whispered, "Do you need to clean the wound?"
Bai Yuehu said, "Yes."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingjiu hurried to the house to find hot water, gauze, and some medical supplies for disinfection. After returning to the yard, he let Bai Yuehu lie down and half-knelt beside him, carefully cleaning the wound. The wound had been scratched by some beast, and even a broken nail was found inside. As Lu Qingjiu cleaned it, he felt sorry for the bullied vixen.
"How's that thing? Will it come again?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
Bai Yuehu half-closed his eyes, his black hair spread out behind him, which made him look full of lazy temptation. "Maybe, but he's more seriously injured than me. It won't be easy for him to come back."
Lu Qingjiu said, "You take a rest first. I'll make you something to eat."
Bai Yuehu said, "Hmm...wait a minute."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Hmm?"
"What's in your pocket?" Bai Yuehu suddenly asked.
"Black scales." Lu Qingjiu took out something from his pocket. All the scales in the yard disappeared, and only the scale in his hand remained. He quite liked this scale. After taking it out, he rubbed it in his hand a few times to feel its smooth texture. "What's wrong?"
Bai Yuehu's expression was a little unnatural: "What are you keeping this for?"
"Oh, I think it looks pretty good." Lu Qingjiu said, "Is there a problem? If not, I'll throw it away."
Bai Yuehu said: "...It's not impossible."
Lu Qingjiu looked at Bai Yuehu inexplicably.
Bai Yuehu said, "Forget it, you keep it." He seemed to want to say something, but in the end he didn't say it. Looking at Lu Qingjiu stroking the scales, a suspicious blush appeared on his cheeks, but because Lu Qingjiu's attention was on the wound on Bai Yuehu's chest, he didn't notice it.
"Then I'll keep it." Lu Qingjiu smiled, "I'm going to make something to eat."
Bai Yuehu nodded and left Lu Qingjiu.
It was already dawn, and Jiang Buhuan woke up from his dream in a daze. When he opened his eyes, he saw Lu Qingjiu feeding Bai Yuehu noodles in the yard. He thought he had seen it wrong at first, but after rubbing his eyes, he realized that he was not hallucinating.
What happened in the past few days was too absurd, so absurd that he felt he had blurred the line between reality and dreams.
Jiang Buhuan stood up from the ground, feeling pain all over his body. He slowly walked to Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu and whispered, "Good morning."
Lu Qingjiu didn't even turn his head: "Good morning, there is breakfast in the kitchen, go get it yourself."
"Did I have a dream last night?" Jiang Buhuan asked in confusion. He remembered that it rained blood and the whole yard became a mess, but when he opened his eyes in the morning, everything around him was fine.
"It's not a dream, it's real." Lu Qingjiu said.
Jiang Buhuan saw Bai Yuehu's appearance. Overnight, Bai Yuehu had grown a head of shiny black hair, but his expression was much uglier than yesterday. "Is Mr. Bai injured?"
Lu Qingjiu said, "Go eat something." He did not answer Jiang Buhuan's question.
Jiang Buhuan nodded tactfully and turned away.
After he left, Lu Qingjiu was a little confused: "The thing that hurt you came with Jiang Buhuan?"
Bai Yuehu: "Yes and no."
Lu Qingjiu: "What do you mean?"
Bai Yuehu said: "Jiang Buhuan has a special identity. He just wants Jiang Buhuan to die in Shuifu Village."
"A special identity?" Lu Qingjiu was a little surprised, "He...isn't a human either?"
Bai Yuehu said, "It's a human."
Lu Qingjiu frowned, not understanding what Bai Yuehu meant, but Bai Yuehu no longer intended to explain and closed his eyes wearily. Seeing the weariness on his face, Lu Qingjiu didn't want to bother him any further. Seeing that he had almost finished the noodles in his bowl, he quietly left Bai Yuehu's side, letting him rest.
Zhu Miaomiao slept soundly, but when she woke up, she saw that Lu Qingjiu and Jiang Buhuan both looked sleep-deprived. She asked in surprise, "Why do you two look like you haven't slept at all? Did you go ghost hunting behind my back last night?"
Lu Qingjiu: "Hey, you really went to catch ghosts."
Zhu Miaomiao: "...Forget it, I won't ask anymore, and you don't have to say anything." She didn't believe these things at first, but since the well in the backyard cured her baldness, she had to believe it.
Lu Qingjiu yawned and told Zhu Miaomiao not to bother Bai Yuehu and let him rest in the yard. Although Zhu Miaomiao felt strange, he still listened to Lu Qingjiu and stayed at home obediently.
Yin Xun arrived soon after. Like Lu Qingjiu and Jiang Buhuan, he also looked sleep-deprived. It was obvious that he had also witnessed what happened last night and had not been able to sleep at all.
"Is Bai Yuehu okay?" Yin Xun asked Lu Qingjiu in a low voice.
"He was slightly injured." Lu Qingjiu said, "He said he was fine."
"Oh." Yin Xun said, "I was scared to death last night. I thought something terrible was going to happen."
"Do you know what that thing is?" Lu Qingjiu thought for a moment and took out the black scale from his pocket. "I picked it up last night."
Yin Xun's expression twisted when he saw the scales: "Did you pick it up?"
Lu Qingjiu: “Yes.”
Yin Xun: "Does Bai Yuehu know?"
Lu Qingjiu: "...I know, he agreed to let me keep it."
Yin Xun: “…”
Lu Qingjiu: "What's wrong? Why do you look so weird?"
Yin Xun held it in for a long time before finally uttering, "It's okay."
Lu Qingjiu asked suspiciously, "Are you really okay? If you're okay, why do you look like that?"
"Oh, I just feel like this scale isn't very suitable to hold." Yin Xun muttered softly, "Who knows what the side effects might be."
Lu Qingjiu didn't think it mattered: "Bai Yuehu will tell me if there are any side effects, it should be fine."
"How come you're okay? Do you know what this scale means? Only their mate can own this scale. Just keep it in your hand as a collectible, but don't end up collecting yourself in it." Yin Xun roared furiously in his heart, but for the sake of his life, he dared not say it out loud. He was afraid that he might have misunderstood Bai Yuehu's intentions. Bai Yuehu didn't treat him like Lu Qingjiu. In Bai Yuehu's eyes, he was at most a talking reserve food, with no human rights at all.
Because Bai Yuehu was resting in the yard, Lu Qingjiu asked these people to stay at home and not go out to disturb Bai Yuehu's sleep.
Seeing that everyone looked like they were still sleepy, Zhu Miaomiao was very curious about what happened last night. However, no matter how she asked, no one was willing to say. In the end, she had no choice but to give up and strongly suspected that this group of people had done something unspeakable behind her back.
"What can a few grown men like us do?" Yin Xun felt aggrieved after being frightened all night. He also wanted to sleep peacefully like Zhu Miaomiao without knowing anything.
"Who says grown men can't do anything?" Zhu Miaomiao slammed the table. "Men are not safe these days, especially cute boys like Jiang Buhuan. They must learn to protect themselves when they go out."
Jiang Buhuan: "..." He always felt that staying away from Zhu Miaomiao was protecting himself.
Lu Qingjiu said: "You guys play, I'm going to cook."
"How can we play with three people?" Yin Xun said, "How about I help you too?"
Zhu Miaomiao rolled up her sleeves and said, "Why can't three of us play? Come on, let's play Landlord!"
Yin Xun was confused and was pulled over by Zhu Miaomiao.
Lu Qingjiu went to the kitchen to cook. Although she had fed Bai Yuehu in the morning, Bai Yuehu would definitely be hungry at noon given her terrifying appetite, and she was also injured.
Thinking of the scar on Bai Yuehu's chest, Lu Qingjiu felt a little worried. He didn't know how long it would take for Bai Yuehu's wound to heal, whether it would leave scars on its body, and whether it would have a bald spot when it transformed back to its original form. But then again, if Bai Yuehu wasn't a fox, then what exactly was it... Why did his vixen insist on being a fox spirit? What kind of strange obsession was this?
In order to provide nutrition for the White Moon Fox, Lu Qingjiu emptied almost all the stock in the refrigerator at home and cooked a table full of meat, including stir-fried, stewed, braised and fried meats, which left the remaining three people stunned.
Yin Xun asked, "Is our family celebrating the New Year today?"
Lu Qingjiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and ignored him: "I'll go call Bai Yuehu to eat." He was the only one here who dared to wake up Bai Yuehu who was still sleeping.
Bai Yuehu was indeed still sound asleep, and he didn't even notice someone approaching him. Lu Qingjiu reached out and gently patted his shoulder, calling out, "Moon Fox."
Bai Yuehu opened his eyes and saw Lu Qingjiu beside him.
"It's time for lunch." Lu Qingjiu called out, "I made a lot of dishes that you like."
Bai Yuehu hummed, then slowly stood up, his long black hair spread out all over his body. He tucked his hair behind his head in annoyance and said, "Find me a pair of scissors first."
Lu Qingjiu laughed and said, “Why are you in such a hurry to cut it?”
Bai Yuehu said, "It's inconvenient to eat."
Lu Qingjiu was speechless for a moment. The reason why Bai Yuehu didn't like long hair was indeed clear and concise. It was indeed inconvenient to eat with long hair. In addition, Bai Yuehu didn't know how to comb her hair, so it would easily fall in front of her when she was eating, affecting her speed.
Lu Qingjiu said, "It's okay. I'll ask Zhu Miaomiao for a hair tie first, and then I'll cut it after dinner."
Bai Yuehu nodded after hearing this, but did not dwell on it too much.
Then they sat down at the dining table. Zhu Miaomiao's eyes widened at Bai Yuehu's long hair, and she couldn't stop praising it for its beauty. Lu Qingjiu found a hair tie and slowly tied Bai Yuehu's black hair behind his head. His hair was dark and smooth, and it felt like fine silk in his hands. It was a pity that Bai Yuehu had cut it off before.
Bai Yuehu's attention was all on the food, and she didn't care at all about how Lu Qingjiu was messing with her hair.
Yin Xun, who was sitting next to Lu Qingjiu, watched the interaction between the two with his eyes almost popping out. He was really afraid that Bai Yuehu would turn around and bite Lu Qingjiu if Lu Qingjiu dared to touch Bai Yuehu's hair like that... But then again, Bai Yuehu had agreed to Lu Qingjiu touching his scales, so combing his hair didn't seem to be a big deal.
Thinking of this, Yin Xun felt relieved.
Lu Qingjiu started to eat after fixing Bai Yuehu's hair. However, meat is always very filling, and in order to take care of Bai Yuehu, there were no vegetarian dishes on the table. The four of them were full very quickly, and finally they just watched Bai Yuehu continue stuffing food into his mouth.
The food entered Bai Yuehu's stomach, but it seemed like it entered an abyss that could never be filled. He was not full, and everyone was tired of watching.
After eating for almost an hour, Bai Yuehu finished all the food on the table. After he finished eating, he showed a look of satisfaction, like a big cat that had finished hunting, with laziness and satisfaction in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.
"Are you feeling okay?" Lu Qingjiu didn't even dare to ask him if he was full.
"Much better." Bai Yuehu said, "I'm going to take a nap." He yawned lazily and went to the rocking chair in the center of the yard.
The spring sunshine was just right, and the grapevines had sprouted, with tender green leaves sprouting from the branches. Occasionally, a bird would alight on the vines, chirping sweetly. White Moon Fox slept in a chair, eyes closed, as beautiful as a painting.
They didn't dare to disturb him and moved around cautiously. Yin Xun suggested that they go to the mountains while the weather was good and pick some wild fruits. Lu Qingjiu asked them to go, saying that he was guarding the White Moon Fox in the yard.
So the three of them carried the bamboo basket and the little fox out of the house, leaving Lu Qingjiu sitting in the yard with Bai Yuehu.
Lu Qingjiu went into the house and took out a book. He sat next to Bai Yuehu and read quietly. As he read, he felt sleepy. He leaned back in the chair and fell asleep.
When he woke up, the sun had already set. He opened his eyes dazedly, only to notice that Bai Yuehu had woken up at some point and was staring at him with an ambiguous look. This look was filled with greed and desire. Lu Qingjiu was stunned for a moment, but when he looked again, Bai Yuehu's black eyes had returned to their usual calmness and tranquility.
"Are you awake?" Lu Qingjiu greeted him somewhat uncomfortably.
Bai Yuehu nodded.
"Is your chest injury better?" Lu Qingjiu was still worried about this.
Bai Yuehu was silent for a moment, then reached out and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his chest. His chest had become smooth again, and only eight distinct abdominal muscles could be seen. The hideous wound from the morning was gone.
"That's great." Lu Qingjiu was a little surprised.
"Okay." Bai Yuehu said calmly, "If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself."
Lu Qingjiu said: "No, no, no."
Bai Yuehu frowned: "Then why do you like to touch my tail so much?"
Lu Qingjiu: "Is this... the same?"
Bai Yuehu: "They are all part of my body, how can they be different?"
Lu Qingjiu: "..." He was unable to refute, and helplessly, he could only reach out and touch it carefully again. After touching it, he had to praise his vixen: "You've recovered really well."
Only then did Bai Yuehu show a look of satisfaction.
The author has something to say: Bai Yuehu holds his tail and threatens: Do you like your tail or me?
Lu Qingjiu: Of course it’s you!!
White Moon Fox: Then why are you staring at the tail?
Lu Qingjiu: This... isn’t this because you’re afraid it will fall off again?
White Moon Fox: ...
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