"I'm sorry..." The Silk Embroideress lowered her head, a wave of regret washing over her.
She had heard from her grandfather that Gu Zhao had likely run into a powerful adversary. He had ended up here by accident while fleeing and might still be suffering from internal injuries. 'Now I've dragged him into this,' she thought. 'I hope it didn't affect his recovery.'
"What is there to be sorry for?" Seeing the Silk Embroideress's timid expression, Gu Zhao decided against teasing her and instead gently ruffled her hair. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I got held up by something."
The Silk Embroideress looked at Gu Zhao, so moved she was on the verge of tears.
"There, there, don't cry." Gu Zhao had no experience dealing with a woman's tears—or a girl's, for that matter. "Let's get you home. Your grandfather must be getting worried."
The Silk Embroideress nodded repeatedly and was about to leave with Gu Zhao when she suddenly remembered something.
She looked down at the White Fox's blood-stained, filthy fur, then gathered her courage and asked timidly, "Young Master Gu, it... it just saved my life. Can I take it home and tend to its wounds?"
"It's a demon, isn't it? Does it really need you to treat its injuries?" Gu Zhao asked teasingly. "For all you know, its wounds might be healed before you even get it home."
"Huh?" The Silk Embroideress froze.
Yip yip yip...
The White Fox seized the opportunity to lunge forward and hug the Silk Embroideress's calf, nuzzling against her leg. It nodded repeatedly, then angled its body to show her a wound on its side, even giving a well-timed shiver.
Gu Zhao was speechless.
This was his first time seeing a demon, and frankly, he was incredibly curious. If the Silk Embroideress hadn't just had a scare, he might have already started examining the creature.
'The White Fox couldn't beat the Ghost, and the Ghost couldn't beat me. The food chain is pretty obvious, isn't it?'
However, the White Fox had just saved the Silk Embroideress and could clearly understand human speech, so it deserved to be treated with some respect. Gu Zhao wasn't sure what it wanted, and out of courtesy, he felt it would be rude to just reach down and check if it was a male or a female.
But since it was willing to go with the Silk Embroideress, Gu Zhao certainly wasn't going to refuse. "Alright, let's take it with us."
"Thank you, Young Master Gu!" the Silk Embroideress replied happily, scooping the White Fox up from her feet and into her arms.
...
"Grandpa, we're back!"
Walking home with Gu Zhao, the Silk Embroideress was all smiles. She spotted Elder He sitting by the courtyard gate and called out to him from a distance.
"You're back!" Seeing Gu Zhao with her, Elder He immediately stood up. "Dinner's being kept warm on the stove. The Zhang Family's wife brought over some wild greens this afternoon, so I made some sweet congee to go with them."
"You and Young Master Gu go ahead and eat. I'm going to wash this little one," the Silk Embroideress said, adjusting the White Fox in her arms.
Now that they were closer, Elder He could finally make out the fox in his granddaughter's arms through the dim evening light. He said hesitantly, "Did Young Master Gu catch a fox? It's a bit late to cook it now. Maybe we should save it for tomorrow."
Gu Zhao: ???
Silk Embroideress: ???
White Fox: ???
"Grandpa!" The Silk Embroideress stomped her foot in frustration and quickly began stroking the White Fox's fur, terrified it would fly into a rage and kill her grandfather. "This White Fox saved my life!"
"Huh?" Elder He was confused. "How could a fox save you... sa... save..."
His eyes landed on the White Fox, and his expression filled with terror. "It's... it's a..."
The Silk Embroideress nodded, and then watched as Elder He turned and scrambled back into the courtyard.
He only took two steps before he came to a slow, awkward stop. Turning back with a forced smile, he repeatedly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "This old man was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. Please forgive me, Lord White Fox."
As he said this, Elder He couldn't help but glance at Gu Zhao, who was standing beside the Silk Embroideress.
The White Fox ignored him, merely squirming in the Silk Embroideress's arms to find a more comfortable position.
Gu Zhao was at a loss for words. 'No wonder Elder He fled Xiuyue County to come back to the village,' he thought. 'He's genuinely terrified of these things.'
"Is the fire in the stove still going?" Gu Zhao asked.
"It is," Elder He replied.
"Perfect. I brought back a few dishes. We can heat them up and eat everything together," Gu Zhao said, lifting the plastic bag and takeout containers in his hand.
"Oh! Wonderful!" Elder He had never seen containers like those before, but he didn't dare ask about them.
Gu Zhao then followed Elder He into the kitchen while the Silk Embroideress carried the White Fox to the side of the yard. She scooped a ladle of water from the large water cistern to clean its fur.
Yip yip yip...
The White Fox lay quietly on a stone ledge, allowing the Silk Embroideress to wash its fur and clean its wounds, its shiny black eyes carefully watching the kitchen.
Suddenly, the White Fox's nose twitched. Its pupils widened, and it seemed to forget the pain from its injuries entirely.
"It smells so good!"
The Silk Embroideress, who had been busy washing the fox, caught the scent as well. She turned to look at the kitchen just in time to see Elder He and Gu Zhao emerge with several bowls, from which the tantalizing aroma was wafting.
"Young Master Gu, what is that?" the Silk Embroideress asked.
"I brought back a few dishes," Gu Zhao replied. "Come have a taste. See what you think."
"Okay!" the Silk Embroideress replied. "Let me just dry it off—"
Before she could finish, the White Fox abruptly stood up. It gave its body a couple of shakes, shot a quick glance back at the Silk Embroideress, then leaped off the ledge and moved to the side to shake itself dry.
Countless water droplets flew from its coat. A faint wave of heat emanated from its body, instantly evaporating every last bit of moisture. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into an adorable, fluffy, snow-white fox.
The moment that wave of heat appeared, Gu Zhao's sharp senses picked up on its unique aura, and he couldn't help but turn to look at the White Fox.
The aura wasn't the Yin Qi of a Ghost. Instead, it was an agitated, heat-filled energy. Gu Zhao could feel a vitality and life force within it that far surpassed an ordinary human's, along with a natural wildness and spiritual essence.
'Could this be Demon Qi?' Gu Zhao wondered.
Seeing Gu Zhao look its way, the White Fox immediately suppressed its Demon Qi and put on an ingratiating smile. It then shuffled sideways in tiny steps until it was right at the Silk Embroideress's feet.
Gu Zhao thought for a moment before asking tentatively, "You want to try some of this food, don't you?"
YIP! YIP! The White Fox nodded frantically.
"Then I'll put some aside for you," Gu Zhao said.
YIP! YIP! The White Fox nodded frantically again.
"I'll get a bowl for it." Seeing the White Fox on the ground, the Silk Embroideress didn't try to pick it up. Instead, she quickly fetched another porcelain bowl from the kitchen. When she came to the table, she saw the three dishes Gu Zhao had brought.
One bowl held several large, glistening red chunks of meat, perfectly marbled with fat and lean. It looked soft and tender, and its rich aroma was so enticing that the Silk Embroideress felt her mouth watering at just a single glance.
Another bowl contained slices of meat with a distinct red ring around the edges. Its aroma wasn't as heavy as the first dish, but it carried a faint, honey-like sweetness.
The third bowl was filled with chopped pieces of chicken, their skin glistening and meat a stark white, giving off a strong, spicy fragrance that made one's appetite surge.
The Silk Embroideress couldn't help but swallow. Then she heard Gu Zhao pointing to the dishes. "Give it a piece of the Dongpo pork, and a few slices of the char siu. As for the five-spice chicken... give it the head and the butt."
'I don't want the chicken butt!'
"YIP!" The White Fox's eyes went wide. It wanted to get angry, so it... got angry. For a second.
After its brief display of anger, its expression switched back to a smile. It licked its lips, lifted its front paws, and began to beg. "Yip, yiiip, yiiip~"