No, that wasn’t a branch.
Looking closer, it was the branch of some unknown fruit tree.
The broken end had bite marks, probably the little one’s handiwork.
The emerald-green branch was covered in fruit, each about the size of a grape.
The little fox carried the green branch to her, dropped it at her feet, and looked up at her expectantly.
This was… for her to eat?
Xing Lian was dumbfounded.
Seeing her not move, the little fox reached out with its paw, patted her foot, then pointed at the fruit branch.
It really was for her!
Xing Lian’s eyes went wide. This felt too surreal.
Was she really this fated with foxes?
Once saved by a big fox, now saved by a little one.
Her mind wandered, but her hands didn’t stall. She was starving, so she plucked a fruit and ate it.
The small fruit was sour and sweet—not great tasting, but for her right now, it was absolutely delicious.
Having gone so long without food, Xing Lian ate quickly. Soon the branch was empty.
After finishing, she stared at the bare branch, a flash of embarrassment crossing her face.
This little fox was so small and looked so weak. It probably had no status in the forest and had to scrape by on tiny fruits like these.
These fruits were its food. She had eaten them all. What would the little fox do now?
Xing Lian felt guilty.
When the Little White Fox saw she was done, it crawled back into a tree hollow, then ran out again carrying a single fruit.
This fruit was huge, as big as a fist.
“This is… for me too?”
Xing Lian was astonished.
The Little White Fox let out a ‘chirp chirp’ and pushed the fruit to her feet.
Even though she felt bad taking the little creature’s food, she was too hungry. After struggling for a moment, she couldn’t resist.
Crunch crunch.
She nibbled at the fruit, her cheeks stuffed full like a little hamster.
Bai Hu was delighted at the sight. It put its paws to its cheeks and stared at her without blinking.
Such human-like behavior made Xing Lian laugh out loud.
Seeing her smile made Bai Hu even happier. It ran to her feet, rubbed against her, then jumped onto her body, perched on her shoulder, and gently nuzzled her cheek.
“Haha, that tickles!”
Bai Hu was too adorable. It was her first time touching something so fluffy, and she felt healed, so much so that she forgot how dire her situation was.
She finished the fruit in a few bites, grabbed the little fox, hugged it to her chest, rubbed her cheek against it, and stroked its fur.
Bai Hu seemed to thoroughly enjoy her affection.
‘Chirp chirp chirp.’
The little one danced with joy.
Xing Lian caught its mood and sat down under the tree to play with it.
She knew it wasn’t right, but where else could she go? What else could she do but play?
After playing with the fox for a while, having eaten something and rested enough, the despair in her heart began to fade, replaced by a glimmer of courage.
She had thought there was no food in the forest, but apparently that wasn’t true. If a fox could survive here, why couldn’t she?
Seeing that the sky was still bright, Xing Lian decided to scout around for food. If she could find some and be careful enough, maybe she could survive in the forest until Yue Li found her. Or, if she got really lucky, she might even find a way out herself.
With that thought, Xing Lian marched into the depths of the forest, her fighting spirit high.
Even though she couldn’t see, she had the Gemstone Necklace. Its strange perspective let her spot danger from far away.
Using the necklace, she avoided danger several times—but she wasn’t happy.
She had come deep into the forest looking for food, but after almost an hour, she still hadn’t found anything.
Useless. She was so useless!
Xing Lian wilted.
The Little White Fox noticed her bad mood, let out a ‘chirp chirp’, and brushed its tail across her cheek.
Xing Lian patted the little one’s head, then rubbed her stomach.
Even though she had eaten earlier, it wasn’t much, and she had walked for a while. She was getting hungry again.
The feeling of an empty stomach was awful. She couldn’t help glancing at the Little White Fox.
Wait!
What was she doing? Planning to eat someone else’s food again? How shameless!
Xing Lian’s cheeks flushed.
But even if she lost her face and begged, would it matter?
After all, a fox was just a fox. Its little den couldn’t hold much.
The more she thought about it, the more exhausted she felt. She couldn’t walk anymore and sat down on a rock.
When Bai Hu saw her stop, it jumped off her, crouched beside her, held its head high, and looked left and right like a little guard on watch.
Xing Lian was amused by its cute antics, but the next second she couldn’t laugh.
Gurgle gurgle.
Her stomach growled, embarrassing her deeply.
The Little White Fox glanced at her, jumped off the rock, and started walking away, turning its head to look at her as it went.
What now?
The little fox chirped twice, then turned and headed into the forest.
Curious, Xing Lian followed behind it.
She thought it was leading her home, but instead it brought her to another tree hollow and pulled out a pile of berries.
“These are for me? This is also your home?”
Xing Lian was shocked.
They say a cunning rabbit has three burrows—apparently foxes were the same.
She didn’t refuse the little one’s kindness, but this time she didn’t keep the food for herself. She split it evenly with Bai Hu.
The little fox lowered its head and ate the berries.
After they finished, Bai Hu pulled even more things out of the tree hollow—all kinds of unknown fruit.
With this food, Xing Lian made it through another day.
But relying on the little fox’s handouts was no solution.
The next day, she set out again to find food, but failed once more.
Once again, the Little White Fox bailed her out, carrying food from its den to her.
Xing Lian felt deeply ashamed.
She had been raised by Yue Li and Fei Yang before, and now she was being raised by a fox. She had hands and feet but couldn’t take care of herself.
Her face burned with shame, but her body was honest. She blushed and accepted the little one’s offerings.
As she ate, she thought.
This couldn’t go on. If they ran out of food, it would be a disaster.
But her worry didn’t last long, because she discovered something.
In her past life, it was one world; in this other world, it was another. The saying “a clever rabbit has three burrows” was wrong—this little one clearly had plenty more.
After emptying one tree hollow, it took her to another, then a third, then a fourth…
Besides tree hollows, the little one always managed to come back after disappearing for a while, bringing all sorts of good things.
Berries, wild raspberries, grapes, all kinds of unknown small fruits…
At first Xing Lian was shocked, but later she just accepted it.
Maybe foxes in this world were just that amazing, and she had been overreacting.
The Little White Fox had plenty of food, which put Xing Lian’s mind at ease.