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

Joey and Hua Ran were packing their things; they planned to leave tomorrow.

This time, Joey is going to take Inugami and Joey away.

As for Old Man Qiao, Qiao Yi entrusted him to Lu Qianye's care.

Old Man Qiao made a lot of delicious snacks and packed them all up for Qiao Yi, saying, "Everyone can carry some so it won't be heavy. These are handmade by your father, so they're clean. The snacks aren't too moist and won't spoil easily. You can eat them on the road."

Qiao Yi thought to herself, once she gets out of this door, Qiao Dawan will be able to finish all the food.

Then she turned around and saw a mountain of pastries piled up on the small table, and her mouth dropped open.

"This, this, this..."

Old Man Qiao quickly said, "Daughter, this is for Qiao Dawan. He likes to eat, and he said he would carry it himself."

"..."

Of course he has to carry it himself; who's going to carry this for him?

Suddenly, both Qiao Yi and Hua Ran frowned.

Inugami immediately said, "There's a bloody smell, and it's getting closer and closer. It's coming, it's right here!"

Joey turned and left the house.

Then they saw a man holding a young girl's body, standing at the door.

Hua Ran also came out, her mouth slightly open, and a sigh escaped her lips.

"Just as you predicted, my wife, he is... dead."

The white fox rushed in, and Hua Ran, thinking he was about to do something, tried to stand in front of Qiao Yi.

As a result, Joey waved her hand, and the white fox immediately knelt down.

"Sun God... can you save my wife? The Shadow Monster said she crushed my wife's soul, that she has completely vanished, and that she no longer exists in the world... I don't want this..."

Joey looked at the white fox; his clothes were disheveled, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he seemed oblivious to his own condition, clutching the corpse in his arms tightly.

"If I could, I would pay any price... And, and I want to know... what is love, and whether I truly love my wife..."

The white fox banged its head directly on the ground.

Said while crying.

"The Shadow Monster said I'm just something she created with her magic, without my own soul, without my own body... I don't understand what love is at all... Sun God, tell me, how can I know if I have love... if I have feelings..."

Qiao Yi walked over, and Hua Ran followed closely behind, never leaving her side.

"My lady, be careful, I'm afraid he's up to no good again..."

Joey crouched down, reached out and pinched the girl's wrist, then touched the girl's forehead.

"There's nothing I can do... Her soul is indeed shattered, but a tiny fragment of it remains hidden within her body. I don't know what to do, I don't know how to save her. Perhaps... only you can save her..."

Joey stood up and told him to go to the backyard, where there was a tree made from seeds left over from ancient times.

It's called the Love Tree, because it can see the emotions of anyone and anything.

However, the Love Tree cannot see beings without a physical body.

When Hua Ran heard his wife say this, he cut off a long section of his black hair with a knife, and then combed the rest of his hair into a short ponytail.

"My head is back. Hair and such are naturally part of my physical body. I'm giving it to you. Go and take a look. If it helped you, remember to be grateful."

The white fox didn't understand what Joey was saying at all.

What could save the wife? It was himself.

He took the section of long hair that Hua Ran had cut and hurriedly ran to the backyard.

Joey asked Hua Ran, "With so much hair, won't it cause problems if I give it to him?"

Hua Ran shook her head, "I'll take it away and burn it in a bit."

"I'm not asking him. He's the one who has the problem, and I'll solve it. I'm asking you, will cutting your hair have any negative effects on you? Will it cause you any harm?"

Hua Ran blushed upon hearing this.

He coughed and nudged Joey with his shoulder.

“My lady, I’m not that fragile. Besides, it’s just hair. It won’t affect me at all.”

Hua Ran was very happy that Qiao Yi still cared about him at this time.

"My lady... let's go take a look."

He took Joey's hand.

He added, "I am only grateful now. I am grateful that I am not him, but just me. Although I may seem to be in a terrible state, deceived and dismembered, at least I was still able to meet you and be loved by you."

Joey chuckled.

"Each each other."

In the backyard, the white fox knelt before the tree, and the love tree still coldly asked.

"Do you want to ask about your own feelings? Just ask me what you want to ask."

The white fox knelt down and shuffled forward two steps.

"I am a creation of magic, without my own soul or physical body. Do I, in this state, truly know what love is? Do I love the woman I hold in my arms? I want you to tell me the truth!"

The leaves of the love tree fluttered slightly, casting a pale green light.

After only a short time, the Love Tree spoke.

"You truly love the woman in your arms; even the last fragments of her soul within her body are responding to your love."

Love Tree continued.

"She should have been completely annihilated, leaving nothing behind, but because she loved you so much and couldn't bear to see you cry, she tried her best to leave a little behind. The existence of emotions in this world is not determined by what created you."

Qing Shu hesitated for a moment and then said, "I also know now that it is possible to have emotions even without a physical form, it's just that my abilities are limited."

Hua Ran and Qiao Yi listened from afar.

He couldn't help but purse his lips. "Why didn't this annoying tree say that when it first saw me? It made me feel bad for a long time."

Joey gripped Hua Ran's hand tightly.

"I've always known you were sincere."

But soon, Qiao Yi and Hua Ran turned around together.

A paper bird flew over.

Joey couldn't help but say, "Sure enough, people are wicked; even the birds and beasts they create with magic are so ugly."

The paper bird's eyes were filled with black, bloody tears, and its neck was crooked, as if it were about to break.

When Old Man Qiao tried to come over, Qiao Yi immediately scolded him.

"Father, go back inside and don't come out!"

Given Old Man Qiao's timid, manly nature, wouldn't he be terrified?

The paper bird flew to the Love Tree and asked, "I heard that you are a seed left behind by an ancient divine tree, and that you grew into a tree that can read the emotions of all things. Then look at me, do I have any real emotions?"

The Love Tree welcomes all comers.

"Just ask me your questions."

"I like the fox next to me."

No, you don't like it.

The paper bird's voice grew a little colder.

"I like the male ghost under my command."

"No, you don't like it either."

"I love this world, I want to live in this world, I want to replace the Sun Goddess and become her, I will do better than her, I will not be swayed by anyone!"

Love Tree said coldly, "You don't like this world. All your emotions are empty. I saw that before. When you were impersonating Joey, it was your fake emotions that made me see through you. You have no feelings at all."

It's not enough to simply have flesh and blood to be alive.