Chapter 32 My best friend likes fox spirits! What a sweet and delicious one…
The fox covered its head, ran back to the sedan chair, and carefully tucked its rear end into a corner to prevent its tail from sticking out on its own if it misbehaved later.
"Is Your Highness feeling unwell?"
"Unwell?" The fox shook its head vigorously. "No, I'm perfectly fine."
Tinglan frowned as she looked at the little prince, who was almost curled up into a ball, and reached out to touch the little prince's forehead.
The fox thought its hat was about to be ripped off, and it was so frightened that it tilted its head back. But the carriage was only so big, and there was no way to avoid it. It could only watch helplessly as its good friend reached out his hand.
It's over, the fox is doomed!
The hand simply rested lightly on his forehead.
Huh? It's okay now, yay!
"He has no fever, but we still ask the imperial physician to take a look."
Upon hearing the words "Imperial Physician," the fox immediately thought of the white-bearded old man who had given him bitter soup, and he was far from willing to comply.
He immediately straightened his head and puffed out his chest to prove that he was perfectly fine, but he wouldn't take his hand down from his forehead.
The silly fox probably never knew the saying, "There's no silver buried here."
Even though Tinglan hadn't paid attention at first, he couldn't help but care now. "What happened to Your Highness's head?"
The fox shuddered in fright, flattening its ears and sticking them to its head. It carefully removed its hands, saying, "Nothing's wrong."
Tinglan shook his head helplessly, "Your Highness can release the fox, it's alright."
"Where are the foxes? There are no foxes here, and I'm not a fox either." Ji Qing waved his hand, speaking incoherently, not even realizing that he had inadvertently confessed.
Tinglan sighed helplessly, taking it as a joke and not pressing the matter. She simply leaned against the other side of the sedan chair, blushing as she lowered her head and raised her sleeve to look at the white cuffs of her inner garment.
Upon arriving at Changqiu Palace, the fox jumped off the sedan chair, covered his head, and hurriedly ran back to his bedroom. He closed the door, looked in the mirror, and lifted his hat.
Two pointed ears immediately popped out, swayed on top of its head, and then stood still.
The fox secretly encouraged itself, thinking, "It must be that the transformation wasn't done well. Let me try again!"
Layers of clothes fell to the ground, empty, and a fox was reflected in the mirror.
It has four paws, a tail, and two ears on its head.
The fox spun around in place for a moment, then covered its head in great annoyance.
There was a knock at the door. "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
The fox darted into the blankets and covered itself completely, almost crying out in fear, "I...I want to sleep."
Tinglan glanced at the still-bright sky outside. "Is Your Highness not going to eat the roasted lamb chops?"
The fox popped its head out from under the covers in an instant, propped itself up with its two little paws, and said, "...Um, could you wait a minute? I'm having a little trouble here."
I'll go all out for roasted lamb chops!
He jumped off the bed and walked listlessly to the mirror.
Good ears, good tail, fox, please, hide!
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the little prince walked out of his bedroom, exhausted. Repeatedly transforming into human form was really tiring.
The hat was finally off, but the clothes were a bit messy.
Tinglan bent down and straightened his collar. "Your Highness went to change your clothes. What happened?"
The fox nodded haphazardly, making up a random excuse, "I did change into something else."
Tinglan seemed to have thought of something and suddenly raised her head, but it seemed extremely difficult for her to speak. After struggling for a moment, she managed to utter a few words, "Your Highness... you don't really need to endure this."
It's the same when I'm showering, and it's the same now. Actually, I could just...
Since the eunuch had no such desires, he hadn't thought about it at the time, but now that he thinks about it carefully, that must be the case.
The fox blinked, looking completely bewildered. What was there to endure?
Are you going to resist turning into a fox and then jump into the snow?
Sigh, I guess I'll just have to put up with it.
You have to resist the urge to sleep hugging your own tail... Sigh, being human is so hard. It's so much better to be a fox. You can jump into the snow whenever you want, and pick grapes whenever you want.
The fox, as if struck by a sudden thought, crouched down, its gaze level with Tinglan's. Its voice was soft and mysterious, as if it were revealing a earth-shattering secret.
"Tinglan, if I were a fox spirit in disguise, would you still like me?"
Just as the Ninth Prince was pondering some unspeakable issues, the young prince's words pulled him back to strange tales of the supernatural.
He raised an eyebrow, quite surprised. "Why does Your Highness ask such a question?"
The fox tugged at his clothes and shook them. "Answer me first, it's the kind of fox spirit that doesn't eat people or harm them."
"……like."
With a bang, the fox jumped up and, without warning, began to happily circle around Tinglan, humming some not-so-pleasant little fox songs.
Hehe, great! Tinglan likes fox spirits!
I told you, foxes are the most lovable.
Tinglan stood up helplessly, smiling as he watched the little prince spin around. He was clearly used to the little prince's emotions being written all over his face, but he was still surprised.
Is such a simple sentence really something to be so happy about...?
His ears instantly turned bright red, and he awkwardly tilted his head away; he was still not used to such emotional expression.
*
After finishing the roasted lamb chops he had been craving, the fox's belly was rumbling, and he happily climbed into bed to sleep with his best friend.
But today's good friend seems a little different from usual.
He seemed a little nervous.
The fox plopped down next to him and asked excitedly, "What's wrong?"
"Your Highness... could you please turn off the lights earlier?"
The fox nimbly got up, puffed out its cheeks, blew out the candle, covered itself with the blanket, and lay down on the bed in a straight line.
Then he fell into a baby-like sleep.
Eat your fill and then sleep! That's what foxes love most!
Listening to the even breathing beside her pillow, Tinglan paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He was really overthinking things; he was just worrying unnecessarily...
Tinglan got up, folded the corner of the blanket, stared at the little prince's obedient sleeping face for a moment, and then lay down herself.
I wonder if it was because of the strange question the little prince asked, but the Ninth Prince had a bunch of strange dreams tonight.
He dreamt of his childhood self, and encountered a fox spirit who helped him...
I couldn't remember the specific details when I woke up, and the fox demon's appearance in the dream was also vague.
But I vaguely remember it being a good dream.
Before dawn, Tinglan slightly opened her eyes and reached out to her side.
But I touched nothing.
Tinglan was a little puzzled. She turned around and saw the little white fox lying on the pillow, its belly round like a little pig. It was kicking the blankets in all directions, hugging its furry tail, and sleeping soundly.
Its long, smooth white fur was all messy from sleeping. Through the white fur on its belly, you could vaguely see its pink belly, which looked like a warm and delicious rice cake. It looked drowsy, soft, and very cuddly.
The fox was half asleep when it rolled over and kicked its little paws. Perhaps it was because Tinglan's long hair was brushing against its ears and tickling them, its ears kept flapping and twitching.
Tinglan pondered deeply and suddenly realized that he was still dreaming.
He turned his head away, forced himself to close his eyes, and when he opened them again, the little prince, sprawled out on his back and never still in his sleep, was sleeping right next to him.
Tinglan slowly exhaled and covered her face with her hands. What's going on lately? Could it be that she's been reading too many supernatural tales with the little prince?
The fox had no idea that it had revealed its true form in front of its best friend. After breakfast, it went to find Zhou Yiqing to tell him about what happened yesterday.
The Taoist priest picked up a fried dough stick, dipped it in soy milk, and pondered as he chewed, "You mean, you suddenly can't hide your ears and tail anymore?"
The fox nodded with great sorrow.
Zhou Yiqing slapped her thigh and said, "Isn't this normal? You're not your sister. It's already quite impressive that you've been able to take human form for so long."
The fox clutched the hem of its clothes, still uneasy. "But I wasn't like this before."
"Don't rush, don't rush, let me think about it some more." Zhou Yiqing's nonchalant expression suddenly turned serious, and his brows furrowed. "Is it because you're about to undergo tribulation and your demonic power is unstable?"
The fox shrank its neck in fright.
"No way, I don't even know what this tribulation is."
Zhou Yiqing patted his head. "Oh, don't be nervous, these are just guesses."
"But I have another question for you. When... do you plan to go back?"
Upon hearing this question, the fox was immediately stunned. "I... I don't want to be that fast yet."
Zhou Yiqing's expression was one of complete understanding. She lowered her voice and asked, "Is it because of Tinglan?"
"How did you know?!" The fox blinked dumbly.
“My ancestors, there’s no need to guess, you can tell at a glance.”
"In short, I must tell you one thing: you absolutely cannot undergo tribulation in the palace. It's too complicated here, and who knows what might happen. Also, there's that inexplicable prophecy about not being able to use swords... If something goes wrong, it will be too late to regret it."
The fox was startled and nodded dumbly.
"Can I come back after I've survived this tribulation?"
Zhou Yiqing gave him an "I knew it" look and said, "Of course."
His expression turned serious again. "I'll remind you one more time. When you're about to undergo your tribulation, run immediately. You're not your sister; you're not as powerful as her. Never be overconfident in any situation. Even demons can die. Where do you get a second life from?"
The fox was completely terrified, hugging its knees and nodding vigorously.
Seeing that his words had an effect, Zhou Yiqing was relieved and picked up the fox's bowl of soy milk. "Aren't you going to drink this bowl? Then I'll drink it. Don't waste it."
He boldly picked up the bowl of soy milk and drank it all in one gulp.
Fortunately, after returning home today, the incident of inexplicably revealing one's true colors has not happened again.
The fox immediately regained its confidence.
I'm still the most powerful fox; that day was just an accident.
With the New Year approaching, the palace was exceptionally busy as vassal states from all around came to offer their congratulations.
This inevitably leads to the need to hold more banquets.
The fox ate lavishly every day, his belly round and full. Anyway, the banquet had nothing to do with him, and he couldn't understand what those people were saying. He just needed to keep his head down, eat, and watch the show.
Hehe, feeling great.
Although people often looked at him during the banquet, with glances frequently passing over his face, whether subtle or direct, or whispering among themselves, this did not affect the fox's appetite at all.
The fox had such a good appetite; he had just finished gnawing on a roast chicken and was spitting out the bones when a foreign envoy brought in a half-grown white tiger.
Wow! The fox looked up with great curiosity. He had never seen a white tiger before, so he immediately smiled and waved at the tiger.
It's a bit pitiful, being locked in a cage.
Although the tiger's eyes showed a hint of fear the moment it saw Ji Qing, and it even shrank back to the other side of the cage.
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