By the time Li Meirong next woke, the sun had traded places with the moon twice.
The morning of the following day, Li Meirong stirred awake to the feel of soft fur brus.h.i.+ng against her neck.
She groggily opened her eyes, and was greeted with the sight of s...o...b..ll, curled on her chest. His fluffy tail covered her neck like a luxurious scarf.
"You came back?" she asked, voice hoa.r.s.e. Her throat felt a little too dry.
s...o...b..ll"s unusually large ears twitched a few times before he opened his big, luminous eyes to stare at her.
"s...o...b..ll stayed by Master"s side all night," the fox spirit confessed, and adjusted his position to nuzzle at her neck.
All the tension in Li Meirong"s body disappeared at once. She had been concerned about her fox spirit before, but she had become especially worried after what the Wise Sage told her.
Gazing at s...o...b..ll"s round, fluffy form brought instant relief. However, she let none of her inner feelings show on her face. Instead, Li Meirong pinched the fox spirit"s nose in admonishment.
"Silly fox. Do you want to give your master a heart attack? I was so worried about you!"
s...o...b..ll"s voice became nasal, his ears drooping backward. "s...o...b..ll was wrong."
"In the future, you must tell me where you plan to go before disappearing off to G.o.d knows where."
"Do not be mad at s...o...b..ll," the fox spirit sobbed.
Seeing his reaction, Li Meirong"s heart melted into a puddle and her tone softened. "I"m just concerned about you. The way you disappear all the time makes me feel ill at ease."
s...o...b..ll nuzzled her neck again and said, "Even if I disappear, I will not ever leave. Promise."
Li Meirong gave the fox spirit a short, tight hug. She scanned the room for Zhu Qingyue"s whereabouts, but besides the fox, there was no one else around. She felt a twinge of disappointment to discover that her self proclaimed husband was gone, yet again.
There was a soft knock on the door, followed by Xiao An Fei and Xiao An Hua"s arrival. One sister carried a jug of water, while the other brought in a tray of food.
"Good morning, My Lady. Lord Zhu Qingyue went to attend to his duties. He left us with instructions to deliver this bowl of nouris.h.i.+ng soup as soon as you wake up. He said to conserve your energy for tomorrow"s battle, and that he would return two days hence." Xiao An Fei explained as she placed the tray by the bedside, warily eyeing the fox spirit lying comfortably in Li Meirong"s arms.
"Zhu Qingyue did?" Li Meirong asked. "So he hasn"t forgotten me…"
Xiao An Fei sat by the bed, scooped up a spoonful of broth, and blew her breath on it. "Of course he did, My Lady. Are you well rested? It has been over a day and a half since you went to sleep."
"I feel good enough, thank you." Li Meirong said, feeling exceptionally refreshed. Every time Zhu Qingyue was around, she always felt like someone was looking out for her. In this strange world where she had no one else to depend on, besides her pets, this feeling of being protected was genuinely comforting.
She gave the Xiao twins a friendly smile and tilted her head. "Thank you for attending to me. I"m very grateful."
"My Lady is being too polite," replied Xiao An Hua with a tone filled with disapproval, her brows scrunched into a frown. She poured a cup of lukewarm water, and brought it directly to Li Meirong"s hands.
s...o...b..ll turned to gaze directly at Li Meirong, with a look of contemplation as she sipped the water. "Why do you thank them?"