“Caught a cold? That’s nonsense,” said scar-face as he irritatedly smacked the head of the little follower who made that suggestion. “How dare you curse me as such. Is your skin itching for something?”
“Then, what just happened to you, boss?” asked the little follower confusedly as he covered his head.
“Maybe a beauty is thinking about me,” suggested scar-face with a sniffle. But even as he spoke, he felt a chill on his back. Could it really be that some beauty was thinking about him at this present moment? Frankly, it wasn’t likely.
…
“Mmm, master, this smells so good. You really are a genius. You know how to do everything!” exclaimed the fifth princess in delight as she looked at the roasted rabbit on a skewer in Ling Chuxi’s hand. Without any care for her image as a princess, she gulped hungrily and spoke eagerly without taking her eyes off the roasted rabbit. The smell of it was really too fragrant and the sight of sizzling oil could really whet one’s appetite with a single glance. “What seasonings are you sprinkling over the meat, master? They smell so fragrant.”
“Just, some spices I threw together,” answered Ling Chuxi nonchalantly. It was true that she had put the spices together on her own. As such finished condiments were unavailable to her after she came to this realm, Ling Chuxi had no choice but to gather her own spices and ingredients to make them on her own.
“All right, it’s ready to be eaten.” Ling Chuxi took out her dagger and cut the rabbit into a few pieces. First, she gave Little White a portion, then divvied the rest of the meat up amongst the three of them.
“You really treat this fox well, master,” observed the fifth princess enviously as she chewed on rabbit meat. Why, master had given the best part of the rabbit to this little fox. The fox was eating better than her or Ling Yichen. Master was so biased.
“Indeed. Without Little White, I, your master would not exist,” said Ling Chuxi gently with a smile as she looked at Little White fondly. Since she entered this realm, the first being to warm her heart was not a human but rather this little fox.
“Huh?” sputtered the fifth princess in slight confusion. What was this supposed to mean?
Ling Chuxi didn’t elaborate further. Instead, she just ate her rabbit meat quietly. And so it was that the three humans and a fox ate happily whilst two secret guards stood watch unhappily in the dark. Both guards looked at the other and then looked down at the cold mantou they each held in their hands and suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness that made them want to cry. Even from this distance, the rabbit meat smelled very fragrant.
Little White ate the roasted meat Ling Chuxi gave it with relish, then raised its small head and looked towards the spot in the distance where the two secret guards were hiding before turning once more and staring off into a far greater distance. Its ears twitched slightly.
There was a faint smell of blood upon the wind!
It seemed as though someone was coming this way.
After some time, the secret guards who remained in hiding picked up on this too. Shortly after they did, Ling Chuxi and the rest also noticed.
There was an urgency in pace alongside erratic breathing and heaving footsteps. Clearly, whoever was approaching was heavily wounded.
Ling Chuxi stood up cautiously and stared into the obscure night ahead. Ling Yichen’s hand drifted to the hilt of his sword which was still hanging by his waist. He was also acting with great caution. The fifth princess slid to the ground next to the fire and poked at it vigorously, making it flare bigger to illuminate their surroundings.
“Who goes there?” called Ling Yichen loudly in a severe tone.
The heavy footsteps neared. Once the person the running footsteps belonged to appeared before them and saw the three of them by the fire, a look of delight spread across his face. However, after studying them closely, he saw that they were just a bunch of youths who were still wet behind the ears and a look of disappointment washed the delight off his face. Even his eyes contained traces of despair.
Ling Chuxi and the rest also had a clear look at the fugitive who had appeared before them. He was a middle-aged man with a haggard face and a lifeless right arm which was swinging helplessly. Fresh blood had stained his whole arm red and his body was riddled with jagged wounds. His breathing rhythm was all over the place. This was a heavily injured man.
“Why? Could it be that the gods really want me to die?” cried out the injured man in despair as he dropped to his knees. Clearly, he had seen the fire from afar and had run all the way here seeking assistance. But, after seeing that Ling Chuxi and the rest were so young, he had felt they would not be able to help him and that there was no hope of salvation. He was dead meat!