Li Liuxue had asked Su Xuan many times why he liked Sang Dai.
Clearly, she was so cold toward him, clearly, she had forgotten him, clearly, every meeting ended in a fight. Of Su Xuan’s ten serious injuries, nine were inflicted by Sang Dai. Yet, he still insisted on throwing himself at her, becoming her sparring dummy, and somehow developing an impressive ability to endure beatings.
Li Liuxue couldn’t understand why a Beast King, a Heaven-grade spiritual root awakener, and a member of the ancient Nine-Tailed Fox clan, would lower himself to such a degree. He could have any woman he desired, yet he fixated on the coldest one.
Su Xuan never responded, often meeting the question with silence.
Now, Su Xuan regretted that Li Liuxue wasn’t here.
If Li Liuxue saw this, he would understand.
Su Xuan would only ever love Sang Dai.
The sword cultivator who had once been cold and aloof, surrounded by detachment and loneliness, was now filled with warmth and gentleness.
Suddenly, Su Xuan leaned down.
A large shadow fell over the fire before them. Sang Dai barely had time to catch the faint scent of grass and wood before her smiling lips were covered by his.
Su Xuan didn’t make any further moves. Unlike his earlier aggressive advances, the little fox now was quiet.
He closed his eyes, his long lashes trembling lightly. Their lips met and lingered for only a few breaths.
A light, gentle, and deeply cherishing kiss.
No more than that—a simple meeting of lips. Yet, it was more moving than anything before.
Sang Dai blinked in confusion. Su Xuan had already pulled back, their noses brushing, and their distinct features came into view.
The sword cultivator’s lips parted slightly, revealing faintly visible pearly teeth. Her expression was startled, but she didn’t push Su Xuan away. Instead, she allowed the closeness, no longer showing the cold indifference that Su Xuan had once feared most.
A warm, dry hand stroked the side of her face. Su Xuan’s palm could easily cover her petite features, and the thin calluses on his thumb rubbed against her skin, making her feel a bit ticklish.
“Dai Dai.”
The little fox spoke softly.
Sang Dai met his gaze and once again heard the words in his heart.
[“You’re so wonderful. How could I not like you?”]
She truly was extraordinary.
Su Xuan cupped her face and gently kissed the tip of her nose.
Sang Dai grasped his wrist, feeling the steady pulse beneath her fingers.
The little fox kissed her forehead next, speaking as he did so, “With you by my side, it feels like I have the courage to do anything.”
Sang Dai, a little nervous, called his name, “Su Xuan.”
“I’m here.”
The little fox embraced his small sword cultivator, resting his chin on the top of her head and nuzzling lightly. His heart felt calm.
Moonlight filtered through the forest, falling around them. The things that had troubled him for over a hundred years, the things he’d never had the courage to face—so long as Sang Dai was with him, he felt an immense sense of security.
No matter how far he went, she would always stay by his side.
Sang Dai wrapped her arms around the little fox in return, gently patting his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
The little fox seemed to love being close to the sword cultivator. Whenever he had free time, he would cling to her. Like now, he was especially attached.
He held her quietly, without saying a word.
At first, it was lovely, but after a while, Sang Dai’s neck started to feel like it was about to snap.
Even sitting down, he was a whole head taller than her. Yet Su Xuan, clearly in a clingy mood, held onto the sword cultivator without letting go, leaning against her as if glued. Sang Dai could only endure it.
She endured until she couldn’t anymore. Finally, she struggled to push Su Xuan away and spoke to ease the tension, “Your Highness, you’re about to break this humble one’s neck.”
Hearing this, Princess Su hurriedly sat up and released the sword cultivator from his arms.
Sang Dai massaged the back of her neck and twisted it with difficulty, as though it truly hurt.
Su Xuan reached out and gently touched the back of her neck, channeling spiritual energy to ease her discomfort.
He asked softly, “Dai Dai, does it still hurt?”
With her head lowered, exposing her smooth neck, she answered softly, “It hurts. Press a little lower.”
Now, she used the little fox without hesitation, commanding him with ease. The little fox, aware of his guilt, softened his touch and obediently massaged her neck.
She was still rather thin. When she lowered her head, her bones became slightly prominent. Su Xuan felt a twinge of pity as he massaged her, his movements growing gentler and gentler.
The sword cultivator felt comfortable. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest, letting her neck relax entirely under his care.
After some time, Sang Dai began to feel a bit hungry. She stirred and said, “It’s much better now. The fish is going to get cold.”
Su Xuan nodded. “Alright.”
As the sword cultivator pulled away from his embrace, the little fox felt a strange emptiness. Glancing at her as she picked up the grilled fish to reheat it, he scooted closer, nudging his shoulder against hers.
Sang Dai asked, “Don’t you feel hot?”
The little fox took the grilled fish rack from her hands and placed it over the Hellfire pit, shaking his head. “Not at all. This Sovereign one just likes being close to you.”
Using “this Sovereign one” again—he’d reverted to his haughty, proud little fox self.
Sang Dai thought the little fox had a stubborn, pretentious streak.
Su Xuan’s body radiated heat, so Sang Dai scooted away a little.
The little fox noticed and wasn’t pleased. He shifted closer to her.
Sang Dai moved farther away again.
Irritated, the little fox grabbed Sang Dai by the waist and pulled her back toward him.
“Move again, and you’ll end up sitting in this Sovereign one’s lap.”
Sang Dai: “…”
Well, wasn’t he something.
She didn’t say another word, hugging her knees and waiting for Su Xuan to finish grilling the fish.
The little fox skillfully sprinkled seasoning and handed the first fish, already cooked, to Sang Dai.
Sang Dai hesitated. “I’ll just eat the smaller one. I can’t finish this.”
The little fox held the fish out to her with one hand while continuing to grill the second, still slightly undercooked, fish with the other.
Without looking back, he said, “If you can’t finish it, this Sovereign one will eat it. You start first.”
Sang Dai: “…I’ll try to finish it.”
She held the grilled fish and nibbled at it slowly. Sang Dai was someone who ate at a leisurely pace—not impatient at all, taking her time with everything.
Su Xuan asked with a smile, “How is it?”
Sang Dai nodded in praise. “Not bad. Lord Beast King has excellent culinary skills.”
One of Su Xuan’s fox tails popped out, lazily sweeping behind him.
Sang Dai reached out and unceremoniously gave it a stroke.
So soft and fluffy.
The little fox ate the grilled fish alongside her, but as expected, Sang Dai couldn’t finish the fish that was larger than her face.
She couldn’t eat any more—her appetite was naturally small. Now, she was uncomfortably full. While she hesitated about whether to hide the leftovers and take them back for later, the little fox had already taken the half-eaten fish from her and began finishing it off as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
To say she wasn’t surprised would be a lie.
Even though they had done more intimate things together, Sang Dai herself couldn’t bring herself to eat someone else’s leftovers without feeling uneasy. Yet Su Xuan acted as if it didn’t bother him at all.
Her hands rested on her knees, unconsciously gripping her clothes tightly. She wanted to remind him that it was food she had already eaten, but the little fox seemed utterly indifferent.
Sensing her gaze, Su Xuan turned his head to look at her, teasing, “Young lady, why are you staring at this Sovereign one without blinking? Can’t even bear to let me have a bite of fish?”
Sang Dai averted her gaze. “…Nothing, I was just distracted.”
Following her previous line of sight, Su Xuan glanced at the fish in his hand. Knowing the sword cultivator so well, he immediately guessed what she was thinking.
Su Xuan chuckled, his laughter bold and carefree.
“What’s this? Worried this Sovereign one finds you distasteful?”
Sang Dai’s cheeks flushed red as she turned her head to look at the distant stream, her voice awkward. “No.”
Raising an eyebrow, Su Xuan said, “I’ve already kissed that mouth of yours several times. How could I possibly find it distasteful?”
Sure enough, the blush on the sword cultivator’s face spread all the way to her neck.
Su Xuan, feeling energized, loved seeing the sword cultivator’s emotions so vividly displayed and continued to tease her. “Who knows, we might do even more intimate things in the future. Then you’ll understand.”
The little fox leaned closer to her ear, lowering his voice deliberately. “Every part of you, from head to toe, this Sovereign one doesn’t find distasteful in the least. I’d gladly kiss all of it.”
He dragged out his words slowly, enunciating each one. Suddenly, Sang Dai stood up.
“Su Xuan!”
She wasn’t a fool—of course, she understood his insinuations. This fox was being indecent again.
Even though her relationship with him had become much closer, she still wasn’t as shameless or as comfortable as he was. Even under the moonlight, her completely flushed face was obvious.
Su Xuan remained seated, laughing uncontrollably. Sang Dai didn’t dare look at him, turning on her heel and heading straight for the bamboo house.
The little fox laughed to himself as he quickly finished the sword cultivator’s leftovers, tidied up, and made his way toward the bamboo house.
Pushing the door open, he saw a small sword cultivator sitting at the table with her back to him.
Su Xuan came up behind her and leaned down to look at her. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Are you angry?”
Now he was throwing out random nicknames again, teasing her as usual.
No matter where he went, he always seemed to enjoy teasing her.
“Why don’t you just go back to the Beast Palace!”
Sang Dai snapped, turning and swinging a slap toward him.
Originally, she aimed for his shoulder, but the little fox suddenly bent down to see what she was doing. The slap landed squarely on his cheek.
The crisp sound echoed clearly.
Sang Dai: “…”
Su Xuan: “…”
“I—I didn’t, I didn’t mean to…” Sang Dai shrank back, suddenly feeling guilty. She reached out to touch Su Xuan’s cheek. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
The little fox’s glazed eyes locked onto hers, his gaze deep and intense.
Sang Dai’s guilt deepened. She murmured softly, “How about… you hit me back?”
Su Xuan burst out laughing. “Alright, I’ll hit you back.”
He leaned closer, and Sang Dai shut her eyes tightly.
But instead of a retaliatory slap, she felt the soft touch of the little fox’s lips.
Su Xuan had kissed her on the cheek. When she realized what had happened and opened her eyes, the little fox had already pulled away and sat down beside her, pulling a stool over casually.
Relaxed and unbothered, Su Xuan said, “Oh, this Sovereign one prefers to hit back like this. Slapping and fighting is so crude. Can’t we be a bit more refined?”
Sang Dai: “…”
He didn’t exactly seem “refined” most of the time.
She touched her cheek. He’d kissed her several times today, so one more didn’t seem like much.
After all, she was the one who slapped him first.
Turning her head away to avoid looking at him, she stayed silent and picked up the rattan strips on the table to resume her weaving.
With one glance, Su Xuan could tell she was making a little fox.
Overjoyed, he sat there expectantly, staring at her without blinking, clearly looking forward to his gift.
The corners of Sang Dai’s lips curved ever so slightly, but she didn’t say a word.
After a short wait, a lifelike little fox emerged from the sword cultivator’s hands.
Sang Dai handed it over. “A little fox for the little fox.”
Su Xuan scoffed lightly. “Childish.”
But he couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips. The moment she handed it over, he snatched it up.
[I love it. So cute. Just like Dai Dai—so cute!]
[Dai Dai’s gift, Dai Dai, Dai Dai, give her a kiss!]
The sword cultivator knew full well what was going on and gained a deeper understanding of a certain fox’s tsundere tendencies.
Suppressing the urge to laugh, she stood up and said to Su Xuan, “Let’s head back. We still have important things to do.”
She was standing while Su Xuan was seated, which forced him to look up at her.
Su Xuan met her gaze and saw the determination in the sword cultivator’s eyes.
Somehow, his courage grew a little more.
“Alright.”
He stood up, tucked the little fox figurine into his spatial pouch, and repeated softly, “Alright, Dai Dai.”
—
In the Beast Realm, the air was chillingly cold and eerie.
Inside a spacious Beast Palace sat a figure with frost-white hair. The once-simple white robes had been replaced with a finely embroidered white dress, adorned with delicate silver threads. The layered hem perfectly matched her exquisitely beautiful appearance.
Except for her messy hair.
Tian Yuxue had never known how to style her hair, and that hadn’t changed.
Ji Cang had just finished dealing with palace matters and entered the room to find someone lounging lazily on his Demon Lord’s throne, legs propped up on the armrests.
His brow twitched violently as he coldly barked, “Sit properly.”
No proper posture standing or sitting—it was just like Su Xuan, who always preferred to slouch or sprawl.
Without even lifting her eyes, Tian Yuxue continued cracking melon seeds with her eyes closed. “Your granny won’t.”
The dark mark on Ji Cang’s face had already been removed. Striding forward, he grabbed her by the waist and forced her into a proper sitting position on the Demon Lord’s throne.
Tian Yuxue retaliated with a kick, landing squarely on his knee. “I’m going to find Dai Dai! What gives you the right to stop me?”
Ji Cang glared at her coldly. “Speak properly.”
Grinding her teeth, Tian Yuxue held back her anger and said through clenched teeth, “I’m going to find Dai Dai. Let me go to her!”
Ji Cang stood up, his towering figure blocking Tian Yuxue’s view entirely.
“Can you even get into the Beast Palace? What are you going to do there? You’re not a snow owl and have no contract with the Weisheng clan.”
Tian Yuxue stood up, her tiny frame barely reaching his shoulder, and punched him in the chest.
“None of your business! Your—this young lady likes playing with Dai Dai. I don’t want to stay in your Beast Palace. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re scheming!”
Ji Cang’s eyes darkened as he countered, “Oh? What exactly am I scheming?”
Tian Yuxue froze, her expression stiff. She was on the verge of losing her mind from being cooped up in the Beast Palace. Ever since waking up, all she had wanted was to escape, but her cultivation wasn’t strong enough to even open the main gate.
She hated this tight-lipped gourd of a man. He was fierce, held grudges, and seemed to have a personal vendetta against her.
Flustered, the little girl stammered as she tried to sound fierce. “Don’t you dare think about scheming against me! I’m thousands of years older than you! Don’t even think about—don’t think about an old cow eating tender grass—not that! What am I even saying!”
Infuriated again, Tian Yuxue directed all her anger at Ji Cang, pushing him to get him out of her sight.
“Get out of here! I hate you!”