AUOF - 102

Considering the occasion, Ji Hengyu didn’t torment her for too long, but it was enough to nearly leave Sang Li breathless.

Her snow-white, fluffy fox tails were matted together, and she lay wet and limp on top of him as if just pulled out of water.

Ji Hengyu’s upper garments were intact, though slightly disheveled at the front. However, looking down, one could see the white-scaled snake tail entwined loosely around his slender waist. Upon closer inspection, the tip of the tail was still glistening with moisture.

Noticing Sang Li’s accusing gaze, Ji Hengyu calmly retracted his long tail. A flash of magic restored him to his earlier pristine condition.

Seeing how clean he had made himself, Sang Li grew even more indignant, forcing out a few words through clenched teeth, “I can’t move.”

A flicker of pleasure passed through Ji Hengyu’s eyes. With a flex of his arm, before Sang Li could gasp in surprise, he lifted her up.

He sat on the bed, and Sang Li found herself seated in his lap.

The silk fabric felt like flowing jade against her skin—icy cold. Her entire body tensed, and she used her eight tails to shield her chest, covering herself completely. She guarded against him as if he were a predator.

Ji Hengyu was momentarily speechless, then burst into laughter.

Without saying anything, he retrieved a silver porcelain bottle from his storage jade pendant, poured a drop of emerald-green balm onto a cloth, and placed his palm over her groin. This action instantly caused Sang Li’s pores to stand on end.

She quickly grabbed his fingers, “What do you intend to do?”

Ji Hengyu tugged at the corner of his mouth, explaining helplessly, “Apply medicine.”

...Oh.

Sang Li still didn’t dare to let go of his hand. She looked into his eyes, then down at her messy self, and with resolve, decided she couldn’t trust him.

“You give it to me; I’ll do it myself.”

Ji Hengyu: “...”

“Sang Sang...” Ji Hengyu sighed, “I won’t do anything else.”

Sang Li shook her head, resolute: “I don’t believe you.”

He was more helpless, forced to hand over the cloth soaked with balm. Sang Li remained wary of him, deliberately turning away and creating distance before cautiously cleaning herself. After finishing, she casually cast a changing spell and obediently returned to her original position.

Seeing this, Ji Hengyu’s expression deepened.

The lingering atmosphere in the sedan took a long time to dissipate, and Sang Li spent considerable effort restoring everything back to normal.

Thinking about the previous madness, she belatedly realized the danger and touched her stomach, her heart skipping a beat, “Won’t I lay eggs?”

Snakes are hatched from eggs, and they hadn’t taken any precautions. Would she... lay an egg after ten months?

But she was a fox, and he was a snake. If she were to carry offspring, what would hatch?

At this thought, Sang Li’s face turned pale.

Ji Hengyu paused briefly, “No.”

Sang Li asked uncertainly, “Really?”

Ji Hengyu nodded, reluctantly explaining, “It’s not easy for the Kui clan to have offspring. You...” Ji Hengyu struggled to find the right words, “don’t need to worry about these things.”

Because the Kui clan rarely has offspring, their mating season lasts a hundred years.

Once conception is stable, it’s difficult to miscarry. Thanks to this strong vitality, his mother was able to safely give birth to him and his twin sister in that deep prison. Unfortunately, his sister eventually died in that damp cavern.

Only then did Sang Li feel reassured. She snapped her fingers to release the silence spell and picked up a plate of snacks, chewing them carefully.

The atmosphere between the two was serene yet not awkward.

When they arrived and got out of the carriage, Sang Li realized they had returned to Phoenix Grove.

Qu You, who had arrived earlier, had been waiting for some time. Without needing to be summoned, the gate slowly opened.

Inside was an entirely new scene. The tribe’s treehouses had all been rebuilt, scattered neatly up high. There were many new gadgets around, and even the flowers weren’t just monotonous phoenix blossoms but came in all colors and styles.

Sang Li stared in astonishment at everything.

Laughter filled the air, and the young tribespeople were all plump and rosy-cheeked, chasing each other joyfully.

Soon, someone noticed them. Someone in the crowd shouted, and immediately a group surrounded them from all sides.

“Ali is back!”

“Heaven Scale Lord brought Ali back!”

“It really is Ali! It’s great to see you alive after so many years.”

“Immortal Lord, did you bring me the kite you promised last time?”

Amidst the noisy cheers, two little rabbit pups gathered around Ji Hengyu’s feet, audaciously pulling at his robe to demand something, making Sang Li click her tongue again.

He lowered his gaze, his expression gentle: “I haven’t had time recently, but I will definitely get it for you in a couple of days.” Saying this, he took out two small trinkets from his storage pouch and tossed them over, “This luminous stone changes with the wind and clouds, consider it a token of apology.”

The spirit race was naturally kind and pure-hearted, especially these children.

Upon seeing the new toys, they instantly forgot about the kite, holding their treasures and squeezing out of the crowd to find a place to play.

Just as Ji Hengyu was about to approach, he was stopped again.

This time, it was a snake spirit’s grandmother. Hearing that a male family member was sick and knowing that they were the only snake spirits in Phoenix Grove, she sought help from Ji Hengyu, thinking they were close enough acquaintances to ask shamelessly.

He patiently listened to the old woman’s chatter, and when she mentioned their races being similar, a rare look of embarrassment crossed his face.

Sang Li couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

Seeing Ji Hengyu being forcibly dragged away, she considered following but was stopped by Qu You, “Ali, come to my place first.”

Sang Li glanced at Ji Hengyu’s retreating figure, thought of her unanswered questions, and decisively followed Qu You to the spirit hut.

Despite the outside being completely renewed, the spirit hut remained unchanged.

Amo served tea and water for both of them and quietly exited the tent.

With no outsiders present, Sang Li dared to ask—

“What is Heaven Scale Lord doing?”

Qu You, while combing the fur of her black wolf-transformed elder sister, said, “You may not know, but over the past seven years, Heaven Scale Lord has occasionally visited Phoenix Grove, bringing various supplies each time. If there were difficulties, he would come in to help.” She looked at Sang Li, her words full of gratitude, “We’ve received much care from him over the years. Even though we know it’s because of your connection, this kindness is something the spirit race cannot repay.”

The spirit race had always been an existence unrecognized by the Heavens.

Since their birth, they had lived in constant escape. Whether humans, demons, or gods, all avoided them. In five hundred years, Ji Hengyu was the first immortal apart from the Wushan Crossing Peril True Lord to help them.

The black wolf lay comfortably on her lap, snoring softly. Perhaps sensing her emotions, it lifted its eyelids and gently licked the back of her hand.

Sang Li was quite surprised. After listening, she laughed, “If these words hadn’t come from you, I wouldn’t have believed that Heaven Scale Lord could do such things.”

The Ji Hengyu described by Qu You felt unfamiliar to Sang Li.

That person was naturally aloof. In the vast nine heavens, even the divine realms held deep reservations towards him. Playing with children, caring for the elderly, and getting along harmoniously with everyone like a neighborly older brother—it wasn’t like Ji Hengyu. It felt more like a stranger.

Doubts arose in her mind, but recalling what she had witnessed earlier, she silently swallowed her suspicions for now.

Qu You nodded in agreement, “That day he brought you back to the spirit race and begged me for help, but the tribespeople hesitated to let him in. At that moment, I saw his expression through the sky mirror. You might not believe it...” Qu You gave a bitter smile, “I only felt that a great calamity was approaching our spirit race.”

Qu You still remembered that scene vividly.

The usually lofty celestial lord knelt on the ground, seemingly humble and submissive, but in reality, brewing a massacre.

In an instant, one hundred eighty-eight protective array wind chimes rang loudly, the bells urgently warning of impending danger.

She had no doubt that if the tribespeople continued to resist, Ji Hengyu would not hesitate to break the protective array and force his way in.

At that moment, Qu You’s heart nearly leapt into her throat.

She didn’t know whether his kneeling contained more supplication or pretense, only that the tribespeople indeed believed it, timely yielding passage and averting a disaster.

Thereafter, Ji Hengyu frequently visited Phoenix Grove. Initially, the tribespeople remained vigilant, but three years later, they officially accepted him. Thinking of Sang Li, Qu You neither obstructed Ji Hengyu’s interactions with the tribespeople nor fully trusted him.

To this day, the tribespeople were unaware that Ji Hengyu once intended to kill everyone here.

She didn’t plan to tell Sang Li these words either, cutting a piece of venison to feed the black wolf, “I haven’t interacted much with Heaven Scale Lord, having only seen him a few times over the years. But sometimes, as you say, it feels like he is different in public and private, more like... two unrelated people.”

Qu You had observed carefully.

His ruthlessness and aloofness were genuine; his benevolence and kindness towards the tribespeople were also genuine.

A person might pretend, but not to this extent. Saying he underwent a complete transformation, becoming unrelated, wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Sang Li fell into deep thought.

She had felt similarly a long time ago, often finding him unfamiliar, even suspecting another soul shared his body. On second thought, the silken worm curse was a fatal love curse, controlling the five senses. Even Ji Hengyu couldn’t fully resist its control.

Though he remained calm and composed, occasional loss of control was normal.

“I understand what you’re trying to say.” Sang Li clasped her hand, “But rest assured, Ji Hengyu won’t hurt me.”

These words comforted Qu You and reassured herself.

Since being cursed, Ji Hengyu hadn’t shown many abnormalities. He was serious when he should be, gentle when scolding her. His excessive normalcy made her temporarily overlook the initial effects of the silken worm curse. After this conversation, the issue she had long ignored resurfaced—

Did Ji Hengyu like her and choose to be with her out of genuine affection, or due to the love curse?

Thinking this way, Sang Li’s mood gradually sank.

**

At nightfall, she bid farewell to Qu You and returned to her small courtyard.

Coincidentally, she saw Ji Hengyu trimming the flower branches in the yard. She didn’t return to the spirit race often and expected her dwelling to be dry and dull. However, she saw lush greenery and newly replaced roof tiles, signs of meticulous care.

Sang Li was momentarily surprised and walked up to him, “Did you do all this?”

A small koi pond had been built in the courtyard, with fish swimming happily amidst two lotus leaves, exuding a rustic charm.

She threw in a handful of fish food and smiled at him, “I didn’t expect you to have such refined interests.”

A flicker of deep meaning swept through Ji Hengyu’s eyes as he naturally accepted this praise, “I’m glad you like it.”

“Of course, I like it.”

Sang Li played with the fish for a while longer.

When she was undercover in Gui Xu, she dreamed of one day breaking free and finding a secluded forest to build a small house. If she couldn’t return to her original world, living as a carefree wandering immortal would be wonderful.

The house Ji Hengyu rebuilt for her was exactly like the one in her dreams.

She eagerly ran back into the wooden house and was surprised again by the furnishings inside.

They were identical to... her modern layout.

Though not a perfect one-to-one recreation, the tables and chairs were made of green bamboo, but she immediately felt a sense of familiarity.

The wooden table was by the window, next to a small bed. Handmade ornaments hung from the bedpost, replacing the original posters. Sang Li took a few steps forward, gently touching the long desk by the window, waves of nostalgia washing over her.

There were engraved words in the lower right corner of the table.

She was momentarily dazed, recalling that she had carved a motto into her desk once, but it had been too long, and she couldn’t remember what it said. She never expected Ji Hengyu to be so meticulous as to notice even these details.

Sang Li moved her hand, carefully reading the inscription—

[Wind and moon can choose mountains and seas, may you always have a place to rely on.]