Chapter 69: So Obtuse, So Frustrating
“Heaven is truly kind to us.”
“Two people with such tragic fates actually survived.”
“How wonderful.”
The little fox broke free from Gu Changqing’s embrace, tears glinting at the corners of her eyes.
She pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and with a contented smile bowed devoutly toward the sky.
Gu Changqing looked at the woman before him with gentle eyes.
Her contentment was almost heartbreaking.
It seemed she had never wished for more or demanded anything — she only wanted to live.
“From now on, I’ll watch over you. Nothing bad will happen to you again.”
Gu Changqing murmured softly. At this moment his heart felt endlessly relieved.
After the Forbidden Zone trip, his strength had increased greatly, giving him hope to avenge past grievances. And the little fox had, after all, survived without serious harm.
The road ahead of him seemed full of light.
He even began to feel a strange sense of anticipation, something he had never felt before.
“Let’s go. I know a very beautiful place. Now that I’ve gotten rid of the bloodline curse, I really want to see it.”
Gu Changqing nodded. He kept the Heaven Burying Bell away and the two ascended together into the firmament.
…
Gu Changqing left the Forbidden Zone with the little fox.
After exiting the Forbidden Zone, they spent several days without using their powers to travel. Instead they wandered like mortals, visiting mountains and rivers as they traveled toward the place the little fox had mentioned.
“It feels like life will be beautiful from now on.”
“I want to eat so many things, and visit so many places.”
“Before, I was always searching everywhere for a way to lift the bloodline curse and I never really looked at the world properly.”
The little fox stretched lazily, enjoying the rising sun.
Her expression was serene, a satisfied smile on her face.
“By the way.”
She looked at Gu Changqing and asked playfully, “Don’t you have anything you’d like to do?”
Gu Changqing thought for a moment. “My family was destroyed when I was a child. If there’s something I want, it’s to find those who killed my parents and exact vengeance for the past.”
“Besides that?” the little fox asked, as if she hadn’t heard the answer she hoped for.
“Wait for my sister to return.”
“Anything else?” she pressed.
Gu Changqing thought and said, “If anything else, it’s to have a drink with Jiang Minghuang — I haven’t properly had a drink with that fellow yet.”
“And?” the little fox wouldn’t give up.
Gu Changqing pondered seriously, could think of nothing more, and shook his head.
A look of disappointment flashed across the little fox’s eyes. She furrowed her pretty brows and her cheeks flushed.
She asked timidly, “Haven’t you ever thought about finding someone you like, to watch sunrises and sunsets together, to see the world together?” The little fox’s eyes unexpectedly glinted with hope.
Gu Changqing thought earnestly, then firmly shook his head. “No.”
The little fox’s expression visibly darkened.
She huffed angrily and transformed into a nine-tailed spirit fox, dashing forward with incredible speed.
Gu Changqing looked baffled. “Hey, wait for me…”
…
Outside the mirror.
The cultivators wore expressions of disdain.
“How can the Heavenly Emperor be so dense in this aspect? She’s hinting so obviously.”
Everyone was so frustrated at how obtuse he was.
The main issue was that the fox was terribly charming.
Although her temperament differed from Bai Su, the Demon Empress, their appearances were exactly the same.
They truly couldn’t understand how the young Heavenly Emperor in his prime could remain unmoved by the presence of such a great beauty beside him.
“Have you noticed that lately the Heavenly Emperor’s expression is always so relaxed?” a cultivator suddenly spoke up.
They hadn’t thought about it until he said it, but once mentioned, everyone immediately noticed.
In their memory, the Heavenly Emperor had never had moments like this before.
When he was with this little fox, the Heavenly Emperor’s face always showed a happy smile. Sometimes he even played around with the little fox.
This was completely different from the image they had of the Heavenly Emperor in the past.
“Maybe right now the Heavenly Emperor is truly simple and happy when he’s with the little fox.”
…
But Ye Chen’s face was somewhat sullen.
The Heavenly Emperor’s looks were ordinary, unlike him, who possessed a handsome face beyond compare.
Yet such an extraordinarily beautiful woman hinted so clearly and was just short of throwing herself at the Heavenly Emperor. By contrast, though he had many top beauties around him, each of them was painfully distant from him.
Ye Chen glanced at Bai Su and felt somewhat comforted.
“You have your little fox, I have my Bai Su. One day, I will win her over.”
…
The place the little fox spoke of was a waterfall — not very large, but very beautiful.
Birdsong and fragrant flowers filled the area. Green plants grew around the falls, and the water was clear enough to see fish and shrimp swimming.
“Look at that tree.”
The little fox pointed with her fair finger toward the top of the waterfall.
Gu Changqing followed the little fox’s gaze.
There was a tree spanning above the waterfall. It was spring and everything was filled with vitality, and that tree was lush and full of life.
The little fox pulled Gu Changqing along and sat on that tree.
Her legs swung as she dangled a pair of near-perfect fair feet in the water, teasing the fish and shrimp while the distant beautiful scenery filled her view.
“Is this the place you’ve been longing for?” Gu Changqing asked, watching the carefree little fox grin foolishly.
The little fox laughed lightly, “Yes.”
“When I passed by here during an outbreak of the bloodline curse, I was in unbearable pain and contemplated death, but at that moment I saw this tree.”
“Look at this tree — I don’t know how it fell, its roots are detached from the ground, yet it hasn’t died. It still sprouts leaves and flowers.”
“I thought then, if even a great tree can be so tenacious, how can I give up on life? So I endured. To be honest, that tree saved my life.”
As she spoke, she flicked her tail that had fallen into the water. As splashes flew, countless droplets transformed into translucent little fish leaping toward the base of the waterfall.
“Hehe.”
She laughed like a happy child, showing off her cute little canines.
“Childish.” Outside the mirror, Bai Su sneered at the scene and curled her lips dismissively.
Although this little fox wasn’t her, the identical appearance made Bai Su feel as though that were her.
Clearly, she felt the little fox’s behavior tarnished her own aloof image.