“Family… for real…?”
A morning ray of sunlight washed over the red foxgirl’s tear-streaked peach-blossom eyes, giving them a warm glow. She gazed foggily at the gentle boy squatting before her. Ever since the old Daoist who raised her passed away, she’d barely let herself dream of a scene like this.
For Yuebai, family meant the White Fox Clan. But for Jinyue, her family lay buried under the demonic abyss. Slowly, the bewitching fox girl was touched by Yino’s sincere look. She raised her arms, leaning into his embrace.
At some point, a pinkish holy crest shimmered on the back of Yino’s hand, but right when Jinyue closed her eyes, about to accept his offer of belonging, she froze. She jerked her head up, staring at Yino suspiciously.
“Wait a sec! I…I don’t buy that!”
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Her sudden outburst shattered the tender moment. Yino blinked, pretending to look puzzled.
“Yino, what does being family have to do with signing some pet contract with you?!”
Jinyue dabbed at her tears, curling her lips in a pout. Even with her ruined makeup, she looked annoyed as she glared at him. In truth, Yuebai had been suspicious for a while—Yino’s sweet words almost roped her in too. But since Yuebai was already corrupted and half-forced to join him, she had no reason to warn Jinyue. Turned out Jinyue wasn’t completely gullible after all.
“You see, Jinyue, that’s exactly the prejudice you have toward the term ‘pet,'” Yino sighed, cupping her chin with both hands. His eyes, usually cold, showed an unusual trace of concern. “Now that you’ve decided to betray the Celestial Master, once we leave Azure Forest, she’ll send people to kill you. How do you plan to protect yourself?”
He spoke calmly, voice steady. “Think of it this way. My soul is outside any prophecy, so the Celestial Master can’t peek at my destiny. Once you form a contract with me, our souls merge. We can share senses, pass messages any time, and your fate gets shielded by mine. Then even if you walk right by the Celestial Master, she wouldn’t realize you’ve betrayed her.”
“It doesn’t mean a hierarchy. Sure, it’s called a pet contract, but look at how my silly deer pal still mouths off at me all the time. Does that sound like a normal pet-owner relationship? If she were truly a mere pet, she wouldn’t be brave enough to talk back, right?”
Yino rattled on earnestly, eyes full of concern. Jinyue, face still in his hands, blushed as she rested against his palms. She sensed a comforting warmth in his gaze. But she also had a nagging feeling something was off—she remembered that adorable little deer in the mountain temple ruins, tricked onto Yino’s pirate ship, coaxed into wearing a friendship collar. That silly deer was fooled, then happily stuck to him afterward.
At the time, Jinyue thought Yino was just a naive sweet-talker. She never believed she could be duped by such tactics. Yet now, under his intense persuasion, she found it impossible to pick out any logical flaw. In fact, it sounded perfectly reasonable. She had indeed thought about forming a contract with him from the start, though she’d expected something more equal. But with every word he spoke, the idea of a pet contract was becoming strangely appealing.
After all, if they signed a pet contract, he would instantly sense if she was targeted, and even if her body died, a wisp of her soul would remain inside him, letting him resurrect her somehow. That was the unique angle of a pet contract, and it fit perfectly with her needs.
While Jinyue was lost in her own calculations, Yino added, “You see, Yuebai already signed a contract with me.” He glanced at the onlooker, and the white fox girl tensed. She tucked her tail tightly between her legs and nodded obediently.
“So her soul is already sull—uh, merged with mine,” Yino continued, “which means that once we leave Azure Forest, the Celestial Master won’t detect Yuebai’s betrayal through prophecy. But you, Jinyue, you haven’t signed anything yet. If you’re captured out there, how am I supposed to find you? If you vanish, I’ll have no way of figuring out your whereabouts.”
He sighed dramatically.
For a moment, the atmosphere inside the soundproof barrier felt like a fond farewell between life and death. Yuebai stood to the side, eavesdropping, unsure what to think. She was the classic example of the onlooker sees things more clearly, yet she found it hard to be certain now. It even made her secretly happy to hear she was safer than Jinyue. How strange!
By all rights, Yino was just a Core Formation cultivator—an ordinary mortal. But neither Yuebai nor Jinyue could find a single flaw in his approach. He had, in some sense, become a savior figure, because the Celestial Master truly couldn’t predict his fate. Faced with that reality, these two fox girls were stuck on Yino’s ship with nowhere else to go.
“When… exactly did I step into your trap…?”
Jinyue thought it through and realized that the best solution at this point seemed to be becoming Yino’s pet and admitting he was her master. That really didn’t feel right. She’d roamed Jianghu for years, tricking quite a few cultivators—even seasoned Daoist elders—yet now, no matter how she tried to re-evaluate her steps, she couldn’t figure out when she’d been swindled. She’d been winning at every turn… yet here she was, on the verge of becoming his little lapdog?!
“What do you mean ‘trap’?”
Yino raised an eyebrow and played innocent. He lifted her face gently, smiling. “If you must give it a label, isn’t it just joining our new big family?”
“Big… family…”
Jinyue mumbled the words. Mixed into her expression was a flicker of longing. There was a time when she was just an ordinary little girl, raised by an elderly Daoist on a mountain. She’d lie in the sun, watch him teach students to cultivate, watch him chart the stars and build altars to control wind and rain for farmers…
“You… you’re really not lying to me?”
Her thoughts drifted back to reality, and she bit her lip gently. Her enchanting gaze had lost its former certainty, but she still eyed Yino warily.
Unlike normal fox demons who’d been shunned by humans since birth and grew to despise them, Jinyue had a relatively happy childhood. She was teased for being a fox demon, sure, but that kind old Daoist cared for her, and the students at the academy grew friendly over time, petting her whenever they passed by the desk where she napped. Those days had been warm and welcoming.
So when Yino brought up the idea of family again, she couldn’t help thinking back to those cozy memories. Besides, Yino wasn’t just a casual acquaintance—he was also the man she had decided to stake her future on. In a way, he represented starting a family.
“Why would I lie? If anything, shouldn’t I be worried about your illusions tricking me?”
Yino straightened, tilting his head like he truly didn’t understand. Jinyue found herself nodding in agreement, realizing that betting on him didn’t mean he completely controlled her. She still had her illusions to protect herself. If he ever tried something too underhanded, she could unleash her abyssal illusions to force a reality rewrite and break free of the contract. Not to mention…
No matter how bad Yino got, he couldn’t possibly be worse than the Celestial Master, who toyed with fate and treated countless lives like weeds.
“Fine, then I’ll sign the spirit pet contract with you.”
“But unlike Yuebai—that imprisoned Star Wrath—don’t you dare treat me however you please!”
She raised herself on tiptoe, tapping her forefinger against Yino’s nose. Yino nodded calmly, and off to the side, the white fox girl’s expression soured.
Yuebai: ?
….
…..
“E-excuse me, seniors, it’s… it’s just ahead!”
Meanwhile, along the main road of Azure Forest, Xumo was busy leading several righteous elders. He felt a deep pang each time he remembered his teacher’s affectionate farewell, and guilt gnawed at him. If only he’d known that ancient tree demon wouldn’t lose control, he wouldn’t have run off at the last moment. Maybe there’d have been a chance to save his teacher from that cultist.
Now… so many hours had passed. The sky had turned dark and bright again.
“Master, please hold on. I’ve brought reinforcements!” Xumo thought desperately as he guided the rescue party deeper into the forest.