The atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze. Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu stared at each other, neither of them saying anything.
Lu Qingjiu held the soft Nine-Tailed Fox as if it were a hot potato. After a long silence, Lu Qingjiu felt that he should say something, so he said in a trembling voice: "Moon Fox?"
Bai Yuehu's gaze shifted from Lu Qingjiu's face to the huge tail. His expression became serious, as if he was thinking about something.
"Yuehu, are you okay?" Lu Qingjiu looked at Baiyuehu's solemn dark face and was a little panicked, "Are you injured? The place where the tail is connected..." As he said that, he put down the tail and stretched out his hand to Baiyuehu to check if Baiyuehu's body was injured.
Bai Yuehu dodged Lu Qingjiu's hand and said, "Well...it fell off."
Lu Qingjiu: “Did it fall?” He was a little dumbfounded. He didn’t expect Bai Yuehu to be so nonchalant about the matter.
"What if it falls off? Will it grow back?" Lu Qingjiu stared at the soft tail still lying in the palm of his hand, feeling that he had caused a big disaster. He repeated the question, "Will it grow back? Will it?" He had heard that geckos can grow tails, but could a fox spirit's tail also regenerate?
Bai Yuehu: "..." His expression was extremely complicated, so complicated that Lu Qingjiu didn't know what he was feeling.
"Hmm." White Moon Fox said, "Is it?"
Lu Qingjiu: "..."Brother, can you speak with more confidence?
"Go to sleep, it's not a big deal." Bai Yuehu finally concluded the matter and said, "It's okay if it fell off. It's also good that it fell off. From now on, I'll let it stay at home with you when I go out."
Lu Qingjiu's head was spinning, and he didn't know what to say. Bai Yuehu had spoken so casually, as if the furry tail before him was an insignificant object, not a part of his body...
Lu Qingjiu said: "I... understand."
Seeing Lu Qingjiu's devastated expression, Bai Yuehu reached out and caressed Lu Qingjiu's head, a rare gesture. The gesture and expression were quite similar to how Lu Qingjiu usually touched Yin Xun. If you were to change the mood, it would probably be like seeing a cute, inexperienced pet so shocked that it was unconscious, and then the owner reached out and touched the pet's head to comfort it...
"Go to sleep." Bai Yuehu said, "It's so late."
Lu Qingjiu said: "What about this tail..."
Bai Yuehu: "Put it at home as a decoration?"
Lu Qingjiu: “???”
Bai Yuehu obviously realized that this approach had stimulated Lu Qingjiu a bit too much, and quickly added: "I'm joking, I'll take it back in a few days."
Lu Qingjiu: “…” Okay.
Although this big tail has left the body of the White Moon Fox, it is still very warm. Holding it in the arms is like holding a warm rag doll. Of course, the texture of the tail is much better than that of an ordinary rag doll - it is a high-end rag doll.
Lu Qingjiu, who usually slept with his tail in his arms, had a nightmare that night. He dreamed he had strayed into a dense forest and lost his way. The forest was dense, its layers of canopy blocking out the sunlight that tried to penetrate. Lu Qingjiu walked and walked, unable to find his way out. As darkness approached, and the sun dipped below the horizon, a terrifying transformation occurred in the forest.
The branches around him began to change strangely, becoming long and soft, like twisted arms. Seeing this, Lu Qingjiu panicked and turned to escape, but no matter where he ran, there were branches everywhere. These branches surrounded Lu Qingjiu and finally wrapped around him. Lu Qingjiu screamed, but found that the touch of the branches was clearly a big furry tail!
“Ahhhhhhh!!” Lu Qingjiu screamed after being awakened by a nightmare. He sat up from the bed with a look of horror on his face and saw that there was no one around him, neither the White Moon Fox nor the big tail.
Hearing his call, Yin Xun, who was working outside, poked his head in and said, "Lu Qingjiu, are you awake?"
Lu Qingjiu: “…Yeah.”
"Having a nightmare?" Yin Xun was washing the cabbage for lunch.
"Yeah, where's Bai Yuehu?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
"He's feeding the chickens in the yard." Yin Xun said, "What's wrong? Should I call him over?"
Lu Qingjiu shook his head to indicate that it was not necessary. He looked at Yin Xun's face, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "Yin Xun, come in. I want to ask you something."
Yin Xun said, "Why do you look so mysterious?" Although he said that, he still went into the house obediently and closed the door.
"What I want to ask is, what does a tail mean to a fox?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
Yin Xun was stunned. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" He remembered how Lu Qingjiu often slept with the White Moon Fox's tail in her arms. Thinking he was worried, he said, "The tail? It's an important part of their body, right? They only touch it with people they trust."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Then...will the fox's tail fall off?"
Yin Xun thought Lu Qingjiu had said something wrong, and asked again in confusion: "Dropped? What dropped?"
Seeing Yin Xun's confused look, Lu Qingjiu knew that he definitely didn't know. He sighed, shook his head and didn't continue the topic.
Yin Xun felt that Lu Qingjiu had become strange since that morning. He often sat there in a daze, which was fine, but the problem was that when he was dazed, Lu Qingjiu had a habit of staring at the White Moon Fox. If it was just a glance, it would be fine, but the part Lu Qingjiu was looking at... was actually the White Moon Fox's butt!
When Yin Xun first noticed this detail, he thought he had misread it, but after repeated observation and careful study, he was sure he hadn't misunderstood Lu Qingjiu. It seemed his childhood friend had developed some inappropriate feelings for Bai Yuehu—otherwise, how else could he explain his constant staring at Bai Yuehu's butt?
But if you think about it carefully, it doesn't seem impossible that Lu Qingjiu is interested in Bai Yuehu. After all, Bai Yuehu is so beautiful, and they are several grown men living together. The people in the village are either little girls of a few years old or aunts in their fifties or sixties. He was happy to see Jiufeng a few days ago. It's no wonder that Lu Qingjiu is attracted to Bai Yuehu. And the key point is that Lu Qingjiu doesn't know Bai Yuehu's true identity at all. He probably thinks Bai Yuehu is just a beautiful vixen.
Yin Xun had seen Lu Qingjiu reading Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio a few days ago. If he remembered correctly, that book contained many love stories between humans and fox spirits! Although none of them seemed to have a happy ending...
"What are you looking at?" Yin Xun was deep in thought when a cold question came from beside him. He shuddered and saw Bai Yuehu staring at him with a bad face. Yin Xun was shocked to realize that he had just followed Lu Qingjiu's gaze and stared at Bai Yuehu's buttocks and started to daydream. Now Bai Yuehu had discovered him. Yin Xun quickly withdrew his gaze and explained timidly: "No, nothing."
Bai Yuehu glared at him coldly, then stood up and left.
Yin Xun looked at Bai Yuehu's back and felt that something was wrong. He thought about it carefully and discovered something even more terrifying.
With Bai Yuehu's sharp sixth sense, how could he not know that someone was staring at his butt? But now Lu Qingjiu has been watching for so many days, but Bai Yuehu has not reacted at all. He only took two glances and Bai Yuehu warned him with a murderous look... Could it be... Could it be...
Yin Xun looked at Lu Qingjiu in horror. Could it be that the two of them were already in love with each other?
Lu Qingjiu: "...What's with that retarded expression?"
Yin Xun: "Lu Qingjiu, do you want to fall in love?"
Lu Qingjiu: "How could I have given birth to you if I didn't fall in love?"
Yin Xun: “…”
Lu Qingjiu sighed faintly: "Actually, there's something that's been bothering me these past few days."
When Yin Xun heard this, he thought Lu Qingjiu wanted to seek emotional counseling from him, and hurriedly said, "Tell me, tell me."
Lu Qingjiu hesitated and said, "That's it... Oh, forget it, you won't understand even if I tell you." Yin Xun had never understood the fox dropping its tail before, and it seemed he didn't know either. It was probably useless to ask. Lu Qingjiu left with a melancholy look on his face, leaving Yin Xun almost cursing at him. What's wrong with this damn Lu Qingjiu? What do you mean he won't understand even if I tell him? Yes, he has never been in love, but even if he hasn't eaten pork, hasn't he seen a pig run? Wait... It seems he really hasn't seen a pig run either... Woohoo, he's so miserable.
Yin Xun also became depressed after hearing what Lu Qingjiu said, so the atmosphere at home became even more depressing. During dinner, Bai Yuehu was seen eating with a blank expression, while Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun were sighing beside him.
This kind of days continued until the snowstorm ended. When Lu Qingjiu was about to talk to Bai Yuehu about this matter, another guest came to the house.
Lu Qingjiu had never welcomed a guest so well before. This guest was a timely relief, perfectly explaining Lu Qingjiu's doubts. That's right, the visitor was none other than the little fox's father, Su Yan, a seductive and charming vixen who spoke in Shandong dialect.
It is said that Su Yan came to pick up the little fox to go back for the New Year. There are still more than ten days before the New Year, and he said he wanted to take his son back in advance.
However, when he saw his son's hair cut like a poodle, wearing an ill-fitting cotton jacket and playing with two pigs in the yard, his expression twisted for a moment. Although he quickly returned to normal, Lu Qingjiu still noticed it.
Lu Qingjiu was about to apologize when she heard Su Yan say, "It's okay. He's much more delicate than his grandmother."
Lu Qingjiu: “…” How miserable Su Xi’s life was before.
Su Yan suddenly said, "Do you know why he is called Su Xi?"
Lu Qingjiu: "...Why?"
Su Yan said: "When his mother was pregnant with him, she was watching a cartoon."
Lu Qingjiu understood, and he said, "Does he have a friend named Su Peiqi?"
Su Yan nodded.
Lu Qingjiu almost choked on his saliva, thinking that you foxes are really unrefined and just picked a name casually. He really couldn't imagine the expressions of others when a peerless beauty introduced herself as Paige.
Little Su Xi was clearly not happy to go back. Seeing his father, he lay on the ground with his butt sticking out. He'd learned this pose from Xiao Hua. It was said that the Dang Kang clan used this to express resistance and disgust. Of course, Su Yan wasn't a member of the Dang Kang clan, so seeing Su Xi's pose got him furious. He grabbed the fox cub and angrily said, "Who the hell did you learn this from? Why are you sticking your butt out like that? Believe it or not, I'm going to give you a kick in the ass."
Seeing her little brother being bullied, Xiao Hua bit Su Yan's foot and angrily said, "Put down the little fox, you stinky thing! I'm going to bite you to death!"
Su Yan: “…” He was actually bitten by a pig.
Lu Qingjiu quickly smoothed things over and explained the identities of both parties. After learning that Su Yan was the little fox's father, Xiaohua stopped being angry, but still said that family education does not allow swearing or the use of force.
Su Yan decided to give up arguing with Xiaohua and stood aside with a gloomy face without saying a word.
Lu Qingjiu quickly greeted, "Let's go inside, it's cold outside."
Su Yan smiled and said, "Okay." He was really afraid that if he stayed outside any longer, he would get into a fight with a pig.
The two entered the house, and Lu Qingjiu said, "Take off your hat. It's covered with snow. When the snow melts, your hat will get wet." Su Yan was wearing a thick woolen hat when he came. This hat would probably look tacky on other people, but on him it became a fashionable item. This is probably the power of appearance.
Su Yan hesitated a little when he heard this, but when he saw that Lu Qingjiu didn't look malicious, he reached out and took off his hat.
Lu Qingjiu was stunned when he saw Su Yan's head. It was completely bald. His beautiful black hair was gone. His head was round like a freshly boiled egg. Although it was still pretty, the problem was...
Lu Qingjiu: "Why did you shave your hair?"
Su Yan said, "I made a bet with someone, lost, and shaved my hair off. It will take two years for it to grow back." He reached out and touched his bald head, and said self-deprecatingly, "It's okay. It's fun to change my hairstyle occasionally."
Lu Qingjiu: "Oh..." He thought of something and didn't dare to continue the topic. He quickly got to the point, "Mr. Su, I have something to ask you."
"What's the matter?" Su Yan said.
"Will a fox's tail fall off?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
"The tail?" Su Yan asked, "It will fall off, but the way it falls off is very special. What happened? Did a fox lose its tail in front of you?"
Of course, Lu Qingjiu couldn't tell anyone about the White Moon Fox's tail falling off. She just vaguely said that a friend of hers had encountered such a thing, and she also carefully asked Su Yan under what circumstances would the fox's tail fall off.
"The fox was about to die, so its tail fell off," said Su Yan.
Lu Qingjiu was shocked when he heard it: "What?"
Su Yan asked, "What?"
"A fox's tail will fall off when it's almost dead?" Lu Qingjiu asked nervously, "What happens after it falls off? Will the tail still have warmth?"
"With warmth, the tail can be preserved in another way, and it can be considered a skeleton." Su Yan said, "You haven't really seen it, have you? A fox's tail is where the fox's essence resides, and it's usually not shown to others unless the fox trusts you very much and regards you as a close friend... Lu Qingjiu?"
Lu Qingjiu felt sick. He recalled Bai Yuehu's expression that night and shuddered. If Su Yan hadn't lied, then Bai Yuehu was really going to be in trouble. In fact, he had always doubted whether Bai Yuehu was actually a fox, but these nine furry tails were the best evidence. Now the tails suddenly fell off...
Lu Qingjiu smiled bitterly.
Seeing Lu Qingjiu's face becoming increasingly grim, Su Yan quickly spoke to comfort her, "Birth, old age, sickness, and death are normal in this world. Don't worry too much. The fox's tail falling off means that the fox has died of old age. It won't be in too much pain..."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Thank you, I understand."
Su Yan said, "Then I'll leave first. I wish Mr. Lu a happy new year in advance."
"Happy New Year to you too." Lu Qingjiu also said.
Su Yan had just stood up when Yin Xun, who had been out doing something, came back. He pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Su Yan, he took off his coat and shook off the snow. He said, "Oh, what a rare visitor, Mr. Su. Are you leaving now?"
Su Yan didn't say anything, his eyes were glued to the coat that Yin Xun took off.
Lu Qingjiu: “…” He guessed right.
Yin Xun had no idea what was going on. Seeing Su Yan staring at the beautiful snow-white cloak, he thought Su Yan was a connoisseur and happily introduced it to others: "Mr. Su, are you looking at this coat? My friend bought this coat from a shopping mall in the city. It's usually very expensive, but it was discounted during the sale, so it cost over 3,000 yuan."
This was what Lu Qingjiu said casually to Yin Xun. He didn't expect Yin Xun to be so obedient and actually wrote down every word.
Su Yan: "How much?"
Yin Xun: "Three thousand!"
Lu Qingjiu, who was standing behind Su Yan, even heard the sound of Su Yan grinding his teeth. He glanced at Su Yan's bald head and felt extremely embarrassed. He silently looked away and pretended to be looking at the scenery.
"Okay, three thousand." Su Yan obviously wanted to say a lot, but in the end only this sentence came out of his mouth, then turned around and left without looking back.
Yin Xun had no idea what was going on and was startled by Su Yan's expression. He whispered, "Why does Mr. Su have such a ferocious expression? Does he think I'm showing off my wealth? I've never worn clothes that cost three thousand yuan. I finally met someone who knows what they're talking about, and now I'm so happy that I'm telling him everything..."
Lu Qingjiu didn't say anything, but just patted his good friend's shoulder heavily and sighed deeply.
Su Yan's snow-white fur was only worth three thousand, but he didn't get so angry that he cursed on the spot. Lu Qingjiu already thought he was well-mannered.
The little vixen was also taken away by Su Yan. In the end, Su Yan said that he would return it after the New Year. Lu Qingjiu didn't know why he was so persistent in leaving his son here. And from his previous conversation with Bai Yuehu, it seemed that he had paid a price for this...
After Su Yan left, the room became quiet.
Lu Qingjiu thought about what he had just said about the reason why the fox spirit lost its tail, and she felt uneasy again. Yin Xun was eating roasted sweet potatoes nearby. Seeing that Lu Qingjiu looked a little upset, he asked, "Jiu'er, what's wrong with you? You look like you have something on your mind."
Lu Qingjiu said: "I have something to say to Bai Yuehu."
Yin Xun froze, his eyes wide, as he held a piece of dried sweet potato in his mouth. "You...are planning on telling her?" Could it be that Lu Qingjiu had seen through his feelings and was planning to confess to the White Moon Fox? But the White Moon Fox clan wasn't particularly friendly towards their lovers. Their favorite thing to do was to stuff everything they loved into their stomachs...
Lu Qingjiu said, "Yes, I plan to ask." He felt that no matter what the truth was, at least he needed to know whether Bai Yuehu was really in a worrying physical condition. Before certain things happened, he would at least be mentally prepared and would not have to be as embarrassed as when facing the death of a loved one.
"But, you..." Yin Xun wanted to persuade Lu Qingjiu, but he didn't know how to say it properly. He said, "Have you really thought it through? You might die."
Lu Qingjiu said, "It's because I might die that I want to ask." It turned out that Yin Xun also knew about this matter, but just pretended to be confused so as not to make him sad. Could it be that Bai Yuehu really wanted to...
Yin Xun was shocked by Lu Qingjiu's determination. As a mountain god, he had actually seen a lot of life and death, whether it was of other animals or humans. At this moment, he was moved by Lu Qingjiu's calm temperament and said, "Okay, go ahead. No matter what the result is, I will do my best to help you, but I want to be there when you say it!" At least buy him some time before the White Moon Fox swallows Lu Qingjiu!
Lu Qingjiu said, “Okay.”
After the two reached a consensus, their expressions were particularly heavy. Lu Qingjiu was wondering what was wrong with Bai Yuehu's body, while Yin Xun was thinking that it was a blessing to have a friend like Lu Qingjiu. However, everyone has their own path to take, and he couldn't make choices for Lu Qingjiu.
The wind outside was quite strong. Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun did not close the door. Their eyes passed through the vast snow curtain and looked into the distance.
Bai Yuehu returned, carrying a fresh onion. The onion had been skinned, its blood coagulated in the flesh due to the cold. Bai Yuehu entered the yard and was a little surprised to see the door open. He walked in, closed the door behind him, and asked, "What happened?"
Lu Qingjiu moved his lips and said, "Su Yan took Su Xi away."
"Oh." Bai Yuehu nodded, not very interested in this matter. He said, "Let's make charcoal grilled spare ribs tonight. They are delicious."
Lu Qingjiu finally mustered up the courage and decided to tell Bai Yuehu the truth. He said, "Do you like the food I cook?"
Hearing this, Yin Xun nervously grabbed his pants. He knew that the most important question was about to come, and this was the foreshadowing of Lu Qingjiu's emotions!
Bai Yuehu looked at the two people's solemn expressions, was stunned for a moment, and nodded: "Hmm?"
Lu Qingjiu took a deep breath. Yin Xun stood ready to strike in case Bai Yuehu suddenly attacked. Then, he heard this always reliable friend say seriously and solemnly, "Then why didn't you tell me you were going to die?"
White Moon Fox: "Hmm?"
Yin Xun: “Hmm???”
Lu Qingjiu said, "I just asked Su Yan, and he said that when a fox spirit loses its tail, it's a sign of death—Fuck, Yin Xun, can you please stop pinching my hand? You're almost breaking it!"
Yin Xun was terrified: "Aren't you going to confess your love to Bai Yuehu???"
Lu Qingjiu: "What what what? What are you talking about?"
Yin Xun: “…” Shit, it turns out it wasn’t Lu Qingjiu who died, but him!!! If that damn White Moon Fox really gets angry, it definitely won’t want to eat Lu Qingjiu, so it’ll eat him instead!
Yin Xun screamed: "Lu Qingjiu you scumbag!"
Lu Qingjiu: "..." What's wrong with that bastard Yin Xun? He just said he would be his solid backing, but now he's so vulnerable and about to betray the enemy?!
The author has something to say: Bai Yuehu: What? Confess to me?
Lu Qingjiu: This is a misunderstanding!!!
Bai Yuehu: What a beautiful misunderstanding.
Lu Qingjiu: ...
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