It was only when Bai Qingran called her name from outside the door that Xiao Tao shakily pushed herself up using the door for support.
She smoothed back the strands of hair plastered to her forehead by cold sweat and only then realized that the bone-deep fear had completely soaked through her clothes, making them cling stickily to her skin.
Xiao Tao trembled as she pushed open the door, her head hanging very low.
Her voice when answering Bai Qingran was filled with unconcealable timidity.
“Young Master Bai… I’m here…”
“Have you finished tidying the room? Do you need any help?”
“No, no need, Young Master Bai…”
Xiao Tao kept her hands behind her back, twisting her fingers tightly together in a tangled knot that perfectly mirrored the mess in her heart right now.
“Then come with me. I’m about to cook; you can help me out.”
After leading Xiao Tao into the kitchen, Bai Qingran began working with practiced ease.
Listening to the sounds around her, Xiao Tao bit her lip and thought to herself, True Disciple Chu told me to take care of Young Master Bai.
I shouldn’t overthink it.
As long as I serve Young Master Bai well, nothing will go wrong.
She had just taken a few steps forward when something suddenly tripped her.
Just as Xiao Tao cried out and was about to fall face-first onto the floor, Bai Qingran reached out and caught her wrist.
“Be careful, Xiao Tao. This is the kitchen—it’s dangerous.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Young Master Bai… just now it was…”
Xiao Tao’s face flushed red, embarrassed at making a fool of herself in front of him, yet her heart fluttered wildly at having her wrist held by his delicate hand.
It was a level of smooth, fine skin she had never felt before.
His hand was soft and boneless, yet the coolness carried an abnormal trace of frailty.
“Hahahaha, Xiao Tao, what tripped you just now was my tail.”
“Your… tail…?” Xiao Tao stood up, momentarily stunned.
“Mhm. Can’t you perceive things with spiritual power? Sense me and you’ll find out I not only have a tail, but also a pair of beast ears! Actually… I’m a man-eating monster!”
Seeing her dazed expression, a mischievous urge to bully her rose in Bai Qingran’s heart.
He lowered his voice deliberately, acting mysterious, until he saw the girl in front of him shrink into herself in fright.
Only then could he no longer hold back and burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha, Xiao Tao, I was just teasing you. I’m actually half-human, half-fox, that’s why I have a tail and beast ears. You really are a little dummy.”
Bai Qingran’s laughter was clear and bright, like a cheerful bird singing in the woods.
It should have conveyed joy, but as a blind person, Xiao Tao was especially sensitive to sound.
She suddenly detected a trace of indescribable emotion hidden within it.
It was as if this bird should—or desperately longed to—fly freely outside, yet was forced to remain trapped here.
Her heart was tugged inexplicably.
Xiao Tao pressed her lips together.
“Young Master Bai, let me handle this. You… you should go rest.”
“Come on, I’m not some pampered young master who never lifts a finger.”
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Bai Qingran placed a bunch of green vegetables into her hands.
“Just help me out, Xiao Tao. Here, wash these vegetables for me. I’ll take care of the rest.”
As she took them, the rhythmic sounds of chopping filled her ears along with the overly skilled movements she could sense from Bai Qingran.
Although Xiao Tao was blind, her intuition told her
that Young Master Bai was not someone of low birth.
Yet here he was, doing everything himself and treating her with such kindness.
She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Young Master Bai really is an exceptionally gentle person.
When the meal was served, Xiao Tao should have withdrawn according to the rules, but Bai Qingran stopped her.
“Eat with us, Xiao Tao.”
This was probably the first time Xiao Tao had ever been treated as a “person.”
This rare equality made her nose sting with unexpected emotion.
But before the warmth in her heart could fully rise, Chu Mo’s black pupils—sharp enough to flay her alive—slammed into her.
In an instant, Xiao Tao felt death explode up her spine and shoot straight to the top of her head.
Before she could open her mouth in terror to beg for mercy, Bai Qingran spoke first, his tone incredibly soft.
“Chu Mo, please? Just let Xiao Tao stay and eat with us, okay?”
Seeing the little fox looking so obedient, docile, and even a little ingratiatingly cute, the violent rage surging in Chu Mo like a tsunami was gently smoothed away.
Helplessness filled her heart while indulgence filled her eyes.
“Fine. I’ll indulge you.”
The three of them sat at the dining table, a delicate balance hanging in the air until—
Bai Qingran placed a piece of food into Xiao Tao’s bowl.
Boom! The action instantly ignited Chu Mo.
Her face darkened like ink as killing intent and fury surged wildly.
The spiritual power around her fluctuated violently, causing the porcelain bowls and plates on the table to tremble.
Just as Xiao Tao was about to collapse to her knees in fright, Bai Qingran suddenly let out a soft laugh in the room.
He reached out with a slender finger and, in an almost rebellious move, lightly poked Chu Mo’s murderous face.
His red pupils swirled with charm as he asked in a coquettish tone, “Jealous?”
Faced with the black pupils that looked ready to tear him into ten thousand pieces, Bai Qingran showed no fear.
Instead, he boldly sat down in her lap.
He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks, held it between his own vermilion lips, and fed it mouth-to-mouth into Chu Mo’s under her shocked gaze.
The kiss lasted a long time.
Bai Qingran smiled triumphantly.
He stuck out his tongue playfully and whispered into Chu Mo’s ear with warm, moist breath, teasing her.
“Tell me, are you still angry?”
Chu Mo swallowed hard.
The teasing between her lips and teeth left her savoring the moment.
She set her chopsticks down and wrapped her arms around Bai Qingran’s waist in return.
A cold snort escaped her nose.
Her voice was hot yet cold, carrying unquestionable authority.
“Keep feeding me. Don’t stop.”
“All right.”
Bai Qingran smiled adorably and began feeding her bite after bite.
In his heart, however, he felt as if he had become no different from those zookeepers in his previous life who fed dangerous wild animals.
Well, right now I really am a hunter taming a beast…
Beside them, Xiao Tao was trembling in terror.
She buried her head so deep into her bowl she wished she could disappear beneath the white rice.
Her hands shook as she shoveled food into her mouth, not daring to pick up even a single piece of the side dishes.
The way these two acted so boldly in front of her nearly scared the poor little girl to tears.
***
Inside the Sect Master Hall of Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect.
The hall was empty except for Nalan Qingjue and Lin Rou.
Nalan Qingjue sat with her eyes closed, listening as Lin Rou reported every detail about Yan Qingge’s situation.
Only after she finished did she slowly open her eyes.
“A fox demon named Bai Qingran? Because of him, Yan Qingge refuses to return to Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect?”
Her tone sounded calm, but it was filled with suffocating pressure.
Lin Rou swallowed hard with difficulty.
She was certain that this supreme powerhouse of the Human Race was truly angry now.
A long silence pressed down on Lin Rou like a block of solid ice.
She bowed her waist, a bead of cold sweat slowly sliding from her forehead to the tip of her nose before falling heavily onto the floor tiles and shattering into countless pieces.
Finally, Nalan Qingjue waved her hand, dismissing her.
After leaving the Sect Master Hall, Lin Rou’s footsteps grew faster and faster.
Her spirit butterflies had already locked onto Bai Qingran’s presence on Lingxiao Peak, but Chu Mo had hidden him too well and she had never been able to find the exact location.
Now things were different.
With Nalan Qingjue involved, given her status and cultivation, Lingxiao Peak would likely be turned upside down!
As long as Bai Qingran was driven out of Lingxiao Peak, and as long as she acted before Yan Qingge…
Then both his unparalleled medical skills and his breathtaking beauty would belong to her, Lin Rou…
Lin Rou’s narrowed eyes widened slightly.
Greed blazed within them, so intense it almost seemed to condense into something thick and tangible.
She licked her crimson lips with the tip of her tongue, her gaze filled with undisguised fanaticism and twisted desire.
“If such a peerless treasure doesn’t fall into my hands… wouldn’t that be… far too much of a pity?”