My lady, don't be angry. I'm letting you touch my big tail.

That night, a fierce wind howled and dark clouds covered the sky.

The girl wiped the last roasting utensil clean and looked back out the window.

"Sigh... It's almost the end of December, how can the weather still be like this..."

The white fox stood by the window and took a deep breath.

This is a yin aspect, he can see it.

At the same time, the words Hua Ran and Qiao Yi said kept replaying in my mind.

That woman... might still need him.

However, the white fox had already made up his mind; he was going to take the girl away.

"Little Lotus, we're leaving tomorrow to spend the winter in the south, not in the north anymore."

The girl thought for a moment, "I have indeed spoken to everyone in the village, and roast chicken doesn't sell as well in winter as it does in spring and autumn. This place is too cold. It would be nice to go south. Brother Amu, let's leave tomorrow then~"

The white fox was still uneasy after hearing what the girl said.

He looked at the little lotus flower; he was the one who named it.

The girl was an orphan. People used to call her Little Trumpet because she had a nice voice. She didn't have a name, but the white fox didn't want to call her that like everyone else.

A true flower dyer carries the fragrance of lotus, and so does she.

But he was not the real Hua Ran after all, which is why he called the girl Little Lotus and let her call him "Amu".

"Brother Amu, what's wrong? Hey...hey! I'm calling you."

"Ah...oh!"

Is something on your mind?

The white fox shook its head, closed the doors and windows, went to the small hut next to the kitchen, and sat on a bed with the girl.

But actually, there are two beds in this little house; the small, broken one is where the girl sleeps.

In a slightly better situation, the girl let the white fox sleep there.

"Brother Amu, don't worry. I know I'm poor, and marrying someone as beautiful as you will require a lot of dowry. But I will work hard. I just turned 18 this year, and my savings are a bit small, but next year, I promise to buy us a new place!"

The white fox felt even more uneasy upon hearing this.

He didn't know what was making him uneasy.

All I know is that he wanted to cry whenever he saw a small lotus flower.

"I...I don't want a dowry...but I already told you before that I'm no longer a virgin..."

"Brother Amu, I don't mind!"

The girl immediately looked up, her hands gripping the white fox's paws.

"Brother Amu, actually... people like me, who have no parents, come to my place to eat roast chicken, but they would never look at me, much less marry their sons to me..."

The girl spoke with a hint of shyness.

"And... only you make me feel at home... you've kept my little house so clean, before when other people came in to get things they thought it was dirty..."

Upon hearing this, the white fox slapped the bed with one hand.

"Bullshit! Who thinks you're dirty? They're the ones who are blind!"

After the white fox finished speaking, it lacked confidence.

I'm so happy with Little Lotus Leaf...

He raised his hand to press down on his headscarf.

The fox's ears trembled slightly due to their sensitivity.

He hadn't told Little Lotus that he wasn't human, but... something that wasn't even a spirit.

He pursed his lips, and finally...

He ripped off the headscarf.

He likes the little lotus flower, but the little lotus flower has to like him too.

“Little Lotus, as you can see, I am not human… I am a… a fox spirit… If you are afraid, I… I will put on a headscarf immediately…”

The white fox was actually very sad when he said those words.

Because he himself knew that he wasn't even a vixen.

He can only be seen by others through magic.

He was ready to hear the girl scream.

But instead of a scream, a girl's face came close to his.

"You're a fox spirit... so... so you can figure out why I was plagued by this strange illness before?"

"That's not some strange illness. It's because there are vengeful ghosts watching you. Their yin energy is polluting you. If you work too hard, you'll naturally get sick."

The girl was startled upon hearing this and immediately looked around.

The white fox lowered its head and said, "No, it's safe now."

The girl patted her chest.

"That house collapsed, too..."

"I got it while I was catching ghosts, but I'll be more careful in the future."

The girl tilted her head to look at the white fox again, still not quite believing it; it was beyond her comprehension.

She reached out and said, "Brother Amu, can I touch your fox ears?"

"But...it's okay."

The girl immediately reached out and touched the tips of his fox ears.

The white fox's ears twitched immediately, startling the girl.

"Are you in pain?"

"No... it's just that fox ears are very sensitive. If you touch them like that... it will make me feel a little itchy."

The girl was relieved after hearing this, and she leaned closer to examine the white fox's ears.

The white fox turned its head away, enduring the heat from the girl's breath.

"Brother Amu, do you have a fox tail too?"

"There's...hidden somewhere..."

The girl asked again, "Brother Amu, is it hard for you to cultivate into human form?"

"I……"

The white fox recalled the time when it first regained consciousness, and how its whole body ached.

The pain felt like a carriage was running over my body.

The shadow monster said, "Pain is normal. Pain means you're alive."

Later, the Shadow Monster gave him a leg, saying that with this leg, he was one step closer to becoming a real, flesh-and-blood fox.

When the leg was put on, it was extremely painful, so painful that even breathing was torture.

So when Joey broke one of his legs, he thought he was dead...

He was truly killed.

Thinking of this, the white fox muttered, "It's quite bitter."

Unexpectedly, the girl kissed the white fox's ear the next moment.

His whole body trembled.

"Well!"

"Brother Amu, I hope all your days from now on will be sweet, not bitter. By the way... your fox ears are so fluffy and cute~"

The white fox was taken aback.

He felt the girl's breath on his face was even hotter, as if it could burn his soul.

Just that one sentence, "I hope you won't suffer in the days to come," was enough to bring tears to the eyes of the white fox.

No one had ever said those words to him since he became conscious.

For a moment, the white fox wished he could give the girl everything he had.

He immediately tore open his clothes and pressed the girl's face against his chest.

"Little Lotus... If you don't despise me, I don't care about etiquette, a man's reserve, or betrothal gifts... I just want to be with you!"

Although the girl had been of marriageable age for more than half a year, she was not well-liked and had never even held a man's hand, let alone gotten close to one.

Upon seeing the white fox with its bare shoulders, her heart pounded wildly.

"Little Lotus... don't despise your brother for not being a virgin. Your brother will love you even more from now on and will always protect you..."