Chapter 103: The Prettiest Fox

"Says who?" Wen Qian looked down at him. Then, she reached out and ruffled his sopping-wet head. "You’re the most beautiful fox."

Words like "handsome," "beautiful," or "bewitching" weren’t usually considered compliments among the Fox Clan. But for some reason, hearing it from Wen Qian made the Little Fox incredibly happy.

He ducked his head back into her coat, leaving only a pair of pointy ears visible. His voice sounded a little strained. "Do you say that to every Beastman?"

Wen Qian immediately shook her head, then gave one of his ears a gentle squeeze.

She had no idea how long he’d been in the rain, but his ears were so waterlogged they felt like they could be wrung out. She held him bundled in her heavy woolen coat, and it wasn’t long before her coat was soaked through as well.

Qi Ke started, "Then—"

"How did you get here?" Gu Mian, who had been driving quietly, suddenly cut him off.

The Little Fox blinked, his voice tinged with frustration. "I was part of the way here in a car when I realized I was being followed. I ran through the woods to get here."

The Little Fox was right—those people had been following him the entire time.

Not long after he’d entered the forest, they realized the Little Fox was gone and began to search for him...

If the Little Fox hadn’t hung his clothes on a tree to send them in the wrong direction, he likely would have been caught already.

Gu Mian said no more. That forest was along the route he had driven back and forth yesterday. The trip took a fair amount of time even by car, let alone running.

And with the rain today, the forest was completely soaked... It was remarkable that he’d made it at all.

As if remembering something, the Little Fox poked two small, mud-caked paws out from the coat. "My beautiful paws are dirty now..."

"Says who? Your paws are absolutely gorgeous," Wen Qian continued to soothe him, her heart aching even more as she saw they were covered in cuts.

The Little Fox whined, "And a patch of fur on my tail got scraped off..."

"It’ll grow back," Wen Qian said, instinctively holding him tighter.

The Little Fox asked, "What if it doesn’t grow back right?"

"Then you’ll still be the most beautiful fox," Wen Qian said patiently.

The Little Fox breathed a sigh of relief, then snuggled back into the folds of her coat, his voice muffled. "I’ll remember what you said today. Later... you can’t take it back."

Wen Qian almost laughed out loud. ’How could anyone manage to be so pathetic and cute at the same time?’ she thought. But under his watchful gaze, she gave a firm nod.

The Little Fox let out another sigh of relief, then muttered in a voice too low for Wen Qian to hear, "’This is great.’"

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Gu Mian drove quietly, and the Little Fox, nestled in Wen Qian’s arms, began to doze off.

As for Chi Heng, he remained in the exact same position as before...

Wen Qian didn’t groggily open her eyes until the car had pulled into the villa’s driveway.

By now, the rainwater seeping from the woolen coat had soaked her pants, but she kept her tight hold on the Little Fox. She didn’t move to get out until Gu Mian opened the door from the outside.

Wen Qian moved as gently as she could, trying not to disturb him.

The Little Fox looked utterly exhausted. He didn’t even open his eyes as they entered the villa, only wrinkling his nose discreetly when Shen Mqing approached.

"What’s that thing you brought back?" Shen Mqing leaned in curiously, but Wen Qian turned to shield the bundle from his view.

"Tsk, so stingy." Sensing her rejection, Shen Mqing pouted unhappily.

He thought, ’One after another, they both treat me with this attitude. Just because a tiger doesn’t show its claws, they think it’s a sick kitten!’

Meanwhile, Li Jiu also caught up, landing on Chi Heng’s head. He flapped his wings, looking positively thrilled.

He could sense the aura of the Critical Stone on the Little Fox, which was why he had been overjoyed the entire trip.

"Go get some rest. I can take it from here," Wen Qian said, looking up at Gu Mian. He hadn’t rested for a long time, and she was worried he’d wear himself out.

Gu Mian nodded, then added in a low voice, "Call me if you need anything."

Wen Qian gave him a small smile, then hurried upstairs, still carrying the Little Fox.

Wen Qian had noticed while holding him that his body temperature felt abnormal. As soon as she carried him into the room, she immediately turned on the heat.

After temporarily placing the Little Fox in the bathtub, Wen Qian went to find Shen Mqing to get some clothes and a towel.

After all, as far as she could tell, no one was more familiar with the villa than Shen Mqing.

"Shen Mqing, do you know where the bathrobes and towels are kept?" Wen Qian opened the door, coming face-to-face with the boy who had been eavesdropping outside.

She looked puzzled; he looked rather embarrassed.

Shen Mqing took an awkward step back, a strange sense of shame washing over him. He turned his head away, his voice flustered. "Y-you wait, I-I’ll go get them now..."

It was the first time he had ever been so agreeable with anyone.

Of course, a guilty conscience was the main reason for his agreeableness.

Shen Mqing quickly returned with a towel and a bathrobe. He shoved them unceremoniously into Wen Qian’s arms and was about to say something, but when he looked up, she had already disappeared into the room.

He instinctively took a couple of steps forward, but just as he reached the entrance, the door was shut from the inside.

A stunned look appeared in the boy’s eyes.

It took him a long moment to process what had happened...

He stomped his foot in frustration, thinking to himself that he shouldn’t have agreed so readily.

’Does she even know what this is called?’

’This is what you call getting rid of the donkey the moment the grinding is done!’

Shen Mqing’s face flushed with anger, but Yin Zhi had specifically ordered him to take good care of Wen Qian. If she became unhappy in the slightest, he could forget about ever eating a family bucket again...

So, no matter how angry he was, Shen Mqing had no choice but to swallow his pride.

「Inside the room.」

The Little Fox was huddled in the bathtub, in the exact same position Wen Qian had left him in.

Wen Qian tossed the woolen coat he’d been wrapped in to the side, adjusted the water temperature, and began to wash the caked mud from his fur.

Once she had washed away all the mud, the Little Fox’s fur finally returned to its original color.

Wen Qian carefully parted his fur, revealing innumerable, densely packed wounds underneath. Even two of the claws on his paws were broken.

For a moment, Wen Qian couldn’t tell if she felt more heartbroken or guilty. ’If it weren’t for me,’ she thought, ’the Little Fox probably wouldn’t have gotten dragged into all this.’

"My tail... My tail needs to be clean," the Little Fox mumbled in a daze, clutching the appendage. It was his pride and joy.

A smile touched Wen Qian’s lips as she gently cleaned his tail again. There was, indeed, a fingernail-sized patch near the base where the fur and skin had been scraped away.

Luckily, the wound wasn’t large; you wouldn’t even notice it unless you were looking for it...

Because he had so many wounds, Wen Qian didn’t dare use any soap on him. After a simple rinse, she lifted him out of the tub.

She carefully toweled his fur dry, then went over it with a blow-dryer until it was fluffy. Only then, feeling reassured, did she finally place him on the bed.