The Fox King

Chapter 26: Are You Really Going?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

As Zhe Huo dithered with indecision, it was Qinghan’s turn to glare coldly at Wu Shan. Then he called out to Zhe Huo.

“Zhe Huo, I’ve finished packing for us.”

Zhe Huo made a sound in reply, then looked at Wu Shan helplessly. “Um, I think I’d best leave right away. Swordflight1 should get us a good distance before nightfall.” She was already familiar with where they were going, and it should only take an hour’s flight to touch down at their destination. That meant they would probably be able to make it there before dark.

Seeing her make her refusal so clearly only made Wu Shan worry more. He gazed morosely into her radiant eyes, until at length, he said quietly, “Zhe Huo, could I speak with you in private for a moment?”

The way he saw it, whatever Luo Qinghan had told her, it was obviously meant to erode the relationship between Wu Shan and Zhe Huo. Right now, there was nothing he could say to get through to her. She was firmly enthralled by the boy’s adorable looks and his pitiful act, and couldn’t imagine him as anything else.

Regardless of the frustration he felt, the priority was to keep her from falling victim to this cunning trickster. He just needed to get her alone for a moment.

However, at the time, Wu Shan had only borne a vague suspicion that the little demon child might take advantage of Zhe Huo in some way. Not even he had imagined that what would someday come to pass would become a burning, lifelong grudge.

Zhe Huo wavered for a moment longer, but finally nodded her head. She turned to the boy. “Qinghan, I’ll only be a moment.”

Leaving the room, she followed Wu Shan down the corridor before stopping at the corner.

“I have to ask: Have you never wondered about this demon child who suddenly appeared in your life?”

Zhe Huo hadn’t expected this to be about Qinghan. She frowned. “Wu Shan, it was I who suddenly burst into his life. I was hunting the Seven-Eared Deer, but I failed. Instead, I found Qinghan, and decided to bring him back to Lavender Mountain with me.”

Wu Shan’s brows knit together. “Zhe Huo, Luo Qinghan is a cunning thing. Even Fei Zhao could tell that there’s far more to the boy than meets the eye. Have you ever asked yourself why, despite having no relation or history with you whatsoever, the boy keeps insisting on staying close to you?”

“You’re thinking too much. Wu Shan, you weren’t there when I first saved him. You didn’t see how miserable, how scared he was. He believes that I’d never hurt him, and hopes that I’ll look after him. A child his age, looking for someone he can depend on… isn’t that perfectly natural? How could you use a word like ‘cunning’ to describe an innocent, unlucky child like him?”

From Zhe Huo’s point of view, the only possible explanation was that he had something against the boy. It was a difficult thing to imagine: An immature fool like Fei Zhao picking on a kid was one thing; what was she to make of someone like Wu Shan doing the same? How could he denounce a mere child before he’d even had the chance to get to know him?

Meanwhile, Wu Shan saw Zhe Huo as a girl clinging blindly to her delusions, utterly besotted with the fox demon. She was willfully shutting out reality. If not for their master having told him that the little fox demon showed no signs of prior training, Wu Shan wouldn’t even have allowed the boy to keep hanging around her.

And yet, training was one thing—seduction was another.

Especially in a situation like this, with Zhe Huo completely ignoring his warnings and refusing to take his words seriously.

Wu Shan turned away and sighed, his lips stretching taut. Working to soften his expression, he turned back to Zhe Huo and asked, “Are you really going to leave with him, like this?”