On a forest path outside Chuzhou City, occasional travelers passed by sparsely. A tea shed stood by the roadside offering weary pedestrians respite, where the waiter eked out a living from copper coins.
At the northeast corner partially obscured by wooden pillars sat a square table. Here, a fair-skinned youth dressed in white robes and traditional headscarf gazed tenderly at a fox crouched beside him. The unusually large fox stood nearly half human height, its glossy crimson fur shimmering as its heterochromatic eyes - one aquatic blue, the other grassy green - gleamed enchantingly.
The youth's slender fingers stroked the fox's coat gently. "I know you want wine, Honghong, but they only have tea here." His crescent-shaped eyes smiled as he shook his head apologetically. The fox pawed his arm imploringly before reluctantly lapping at the tea bowl.
"Pah! This swill isn't fit for dogs!" A coarse voice erupted from the central table where six gaudily dressed men clustered. Their apparent leader slammed his teacup, spraying peanut shells as he sneered, "That pretentious Guo Xuyang killed Xiao Yan of Stormcloud Manor! Mark my words - I'll claim his precious Longying Sword someday!"
"Your Highness is most wise!" The sycophants chorused, their flattery growing louder.
The white-clad youth frowned at their boorishness. His fingers paused mid-stroke as the self-proclaimed Crown Prince suddenly leered in his direction. "What a rare beauty! That porcelain skin, those peach-blossom eyes..." The noble's tongue darted over his lips obscenely. "Such a delicate flower shouldn't travel alone. Come serve this prince!"
Before the lecher could rise, the youth's palm struck the table. Two bamboo chopsticks shot upward, embedding themselves halfway into the wooden planks before the prince's seat with a resonant thunk.
The tea shed froze. The prince collapsed back onto his bench, face draining of color. Without sparing them another glance, the youth tossed coins to the dumbstruck waiter and strode out with his fox.
As they followed mountain trails, the fox suddenly yipped excitedly. High on a sheer cliff face glimmered an iridescent blossom - the legendary Fanling herb. "Master will finally praise me!" The youth laughed, gathering vines and daggers.
After securing climbing tools, he patted the anxious fox. "Wait here, Honghong." Using thrown daggers as anchors, he scaled the glass-smooth cliff in rhythmic ascents until reaching the flower.
Triumphantly uprooting the precious herb, his laughter echoed through peaks. The merriment died abruptly as a falling figure plummeted past. Reacting instinctively, he lashed his vine whip around the tumbling form... only to be dragged downward by catastrophic weight. Together, they plunged into the abyss.
On a forest path outside Chuzhou City, occasional travelers passed by sparsely. A tea shed stood by the roadside offering weary pedestrians respite, where the waiter eked out a living from copper coins.
At the northeast corner partially obscured by wooden pillars sat a square table. Here, a fair-skinned youth dressed in white robes and traditional headscarf gazed tenderly at a fox crouched beside him. The unusually large fox stood nearly half human height, its glossy crimson fur shimmering as its heterochromatic eyes - one aquatic blue, the other grassy green - gleamed enchantingly.
The youth's slender fingers stroked the fox's coat gently. "I know you want wine, Honghong, but they only have tea here." His crescent-shaped eyes smiled as he shook his head apologetically. The fox pawed his arm imploringly before reluctantly lapping at the tea bowl.
"Pah! This swill isn't fit for dogs!" A coarse voice erupted from the central table where six gaudily dressed men clustered. Their apparent leader slammed his teacup, spraying peanut shells as he sneered, "That pretentious Guo Xuyang killed Xiao Yan of Stormcloud Manor! Mark my words - I'll claim his precious Longying Sword someday!"
"Your Highness is most wise!" The sycophants chorused, their flattery growing louder.
The white-clad youth frowned at their boorishness. His fingers paused mid-stroke as the self-proclaimed Crown Prince suddenly leered in his direction. "What a rare beauty! That porcelain skin, those peach-blossom eyes..." The noble's tongue darted over his lips obscenely. "Such a delicate flower shouldn't travel alone. Come serve this prince!"
Before the lecher could rise, the youth's palm struck the table. Two bamboo chopsticks shot upward, embedding themselves halfway into the wooden planks before the prince's seat with a resonant thunk.
The tea shed froze. The prince collapsed back onto his bench, face draining of color. Without sparing them another glance, the youth tossed coins to the dumbstruck waiter and strode out with his fox.
As they followed mountain trails, the fox suddenly yipped excitedly. High on a sheer cliff face glimmered an iridescent blossom - the legendary Fanling herb. "Master will finally praise me!" The youth laughed, gathering vines and daggers.
After securing climbing tools, he patted the anxious fox. "Wait here, Honghong." Using thrown daggers as anchors, he scaled the glass-smooth cliff in rhythmic ascents until reaching the flower.
Triumphantly uprooting the precious herb, his laughter echoed through peaks. The merriment died abruptly as a falling figure plummeted past. Reacting instinctively, he lashed his vine whip around the tumbling form... only to be dragged downward by catastrophic weight. Together, they plunged into the abyss.
On a forest path outside Chuzhou City, occasional travelers passed by sparsely. A tea shed stood by the roadside offering weary pedestrians respite, where the waiter eked out a living from copper coins.
At the northeast corner partially obscured by wooden pillars sat a square table. Here, a fair-skinned youth dressed in white robes and traditional headscarf gazed tenderly at a fox crouched beside him. The unusually large fox stood nearly half human height, its glossy crimson fur shimmering as its heterochromatic eyes - one aquatic blue, the other grassy green - gleamed enchantingly.
The youth's slender fingers stroked the fox's coat gently. "I know you want wine, Honghong, but they only have tea here." His crescent-shaped eyes smiled as he shook his head apologetically. The fox pawed his arm imploringly before reluctantly lapping at the tea bowl.
"Pah! This swill isn't fit for dogs!" A coarse voice erupted from the central table where six gaudily dressed men clustered. Their apparent leader slammed his teacup, spraying peanut shells as he sneered, "That pretentious Guo Xuyang killed Xiao Yan of Stormcloud Manor! Mark my words - I'll claim his precious Longying Sword someday!"
"Your Highness is most wise!" The sycophants chorused, their flattery growing louder.
The white-clad youth frowned at their boorishness. His fingers paused mid-stroke as the self-proclaimed Crown Prince suddenly leered in his direction. "What a rare beauty! That porcelain skin, those peach-blossom eyes..." The noble's tongue darted over his lips obscenely. "Such a delicate flower shouldn't travel alone. Come serve this prince!"
Before the lecher could rise, the youth's palm struck the table. Two bamboo chopsticks shot upward, embedding themselves halfway into the wooden planks before the prince's seat with a resonant thunk.
The tea shed froze. The prince collapsed back onto his bench, face draining of color. Without sparing them another glance, the youth tossed coins to the dumbstruck waiter and strode out with his fox.
As they followed mountain trails, the fox suddenly yipped excitedly. High on a sheer cliff face glimmered an iridescent blossom - the legendary Fanling herb. "Master will finally praise me!" The youth laughed, gathering vines and daggers.
After securing climbing tools, he patted the anxious fox. "Wait here, Honghong." Using thrown daggers as anchors, he scaled the glass-smooth cliff in rhythmic ascents until reaching the flower.
Triumphantly uprooting the precious herb, his laughter echoed through peaks. The merriment died abruptly as a falling figure plummeted past. Reacting instinctively, he lashed his vine whip around the tumbling form... only to be dragged downward by catastrophic weight. Together, they plunged into the abyss.