It was really cold outside the cave.
Su Mumu tucked her tail between her legs, shivering in the snow as she hugged herself and wandered around the vicinity. The vast forest was blanketed in white. There wasn’t even a single fruit left on the trees.
‘I’m going to starve…’
A bit of frustration naturally welled up in her heart. Theoretically, she could last a few days without food… but she at least needed to drink water, right?
‘If it comes down to it, should I just dig up some snow to boil and drink?’
Thinking this, Su Mumu quickly shook her head. ‘Don’t lose heart! It’s still early!’
She thought for a moment. She had already circled the area near the cave, and there were no creatures to be found, nor any footprints in the snow. It seemed this was a deeper part of the forest.
‘In that case, there shouldn’t be any danger for a while, right?’
Having made her decision, Su Mumu quickened her pace, moving nimbly through the trees. With her tail swaying behind her, she looked like a white phantom. She had walked for about 15 minutes.
Suddenly, a faint voice drifted from the distance. Her fox ears immediately perked up — radar activated!
“I didn’t expect Xianzong to have an undercover agent!”
“What a pity we couldn’t squeeze any secrets out of him. To think someone would actually bite their own tongue to commit suicide these days…”
“Never mind that. Did you find that snow rabbit from earlier? Don’t tell me we’re going hungry again today…”
The undercover agent was dead. The heavy stone in Su Mumu’s heart finally fell to the ground. In that case, the cave was safe.
‘Alright, time to look for food in another direction! So I don’t get turned into food by those Shacha key class students again… phew!’
Just as Su Mumu was about to leave, her ankle suddenly felt itchy. She looked down and froze. A soft, fluffy snow rabbit was crouching at her feet. It looked as if it were acting spoiled.
Su Mumu crouched and picked up the little rabbit like a plush toy. The whole process was incredibly simple — so simple that she could hardly believe it. She had expected a thrilling chase!
‘Is it because of my current appearance? Since I’m a demon, this little guy isn’t on guard?’
‘…Thank you for nature’s bounty!’
Su Mumu headed back. To prevent leaving a trail, she deliberately took several detours.
If anyone tried to follow her, they would surely end up dizzy and confused. She had full confidence in her anti-reconnaissance skills!
Because even she had managed to confuse herself…
“Where is this?” Su Mumu looked around with a distressed expression.
The surrounding trees had grown sparse. To her right was a small path that stretched all the way to a distant cliff. She could see the entire sky from there.
The Xiayang sun happened to be rising, and the blinding light forced her to squint. Su Mumu was certain she hadn’t been here before.
Thinking as she walked toward the cliff, her vision gradually cleared. Beneath the cliff lay a cluster of Ancient ruins, resembling a gathering of pyramids and stone statues.
Su Mumu’s expression froze in shock. Ancient ruins in the middle of this snowfield in broad daylight!?
She rubbed her eyes. When her vision cleared again — there was only a vast, uninhabited expanse of white snow beneath the cliff. Nothing else.
“Huh?” Su Mumu’s tail crooked into a question mark. ‘Was I seeing things? Or was it a mirage? What the hell…?’
A strange chill ran down her spine, and she felt an eerie sensation. The snow rabbit in her arms began to struggle restlessly. Su Mumu looked down.
‘Is the bunny scared? Why…? Does it have something to do with the mirage from earlier?’
Su Mumu decided to leave immediately. It was better to head back to the cave!
“It’s okay, bunny. Don’t be scared anymore…”
***
Outside the cave, she built a fire. Fortunately, there was enough dry grass. Everything was going well. It was almost cooked.
The meat was perfectly browned and charred, sizzling with oil and releasing a mouth-watering aroma!
Jiang Mengxin was incredibly quiet, not making a single sound. It felt very strange. Once the bunny was roasted, Su Mumu picked up the wooden skewer and walked over to Jiang Mengxin.
“Want some? There’s not much food outside. I suggest you save your strength; we might have to leave the forest soon…”
“Okay,” Jiang Mengxin agreed.
“Hmm?” Su Mumu hadn’t expected Jiang Mengxin to agree so readily.
“I said okay,” Jiang Mengxin repeated.
“Uh… okay, should I feed you?” Su Mumu asked tentatively.
“Yes,” Jiang Mengxin replied.
It seemed Jiang Mengxin’s resistance had lessened significantly. Su Mumu blinked, then tore off a piece of leg meat and held it to Jiang Mengxin’s lips.
Jiang Mengxin took small bites, chewing slowly. Her expression was indifferent, making her emotions impossible to read.
“How does it taste?” Su Mumu asked.
“It’s fine,” Jiang Mengxin said softly. “Thank you.”
Su Mumu was dazed.
“What are you staring at?” Jiang Mengxin asked, puzzled.
“Nothing… you’re not angry anymore?” Su Mumu asked skeptically.
She looked into Jiang Mengxin’s amber eyes, which were as clear as water. Her answer was crisp and straightforward.
“You saved me and found food for me. Naturally, I shouldn’t continue to sulk.”
“Um…”
Su Mumu hummed for a moment, still hardly believing what was happening. “Humans and demons should live in harmony.”
“You’re right,” Jiang Mengxin said with a faint smile. “Perhaps you are a good demon.”
“Take away the ‘perhaps’!” Su Mumu raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t done a single bad thing in my life, okay!?”
“Really?” Jiang Mengxin asked.
“You don’t believe me?” Su Mumu frowned.
Jiang Mengxin closed her eyes as if in thought. After about 30 seconds, she slowly spoke: “I believe you.”
Su Mumu let out a deep breath and plopped down on the pile of dry grass, feeling deeply emotional. “It’s great that you’ve finally come around.”
“Actually, I haven’t quite reached that point yet,” Jiang Mengxin said.
Su Mumu was speechless.
“I’ll go with my gut and trust you this once,” Jiang Mengxin thought for a moment. “I hope you won’t let me down.”
‘I hope you won’t let me down…’
These words were like a stimulant to Su Mumu’s brain. Look at that, isn’t this a turning point? Jiang Mengxin had been moved and chose to trust the fox! This was wonderful! Finally, the tension between them had eased.
“I won’t let you down,” Su Mumu said seriously.
“That’s good then.” Jiang Mengxin shifted her body, a look of discomfort on her face. “Could you help me untie these ropes? I’ve been bound for a day; it’s very uncomfortable.”
“This…” Su Mumu hesitated for a moment.
“Is it not possible?” Jiang Mengxin’s mood visibly dropped. “Fine, never mind then.”
Su Mumu clenched her fists slightly. Their relationship had finally hit a breakthrough. If she could take this chance to make things even more harmonious…
“How do I untie it?” Su Mumu asked.
“Forget it.”
“Don’t say that.”
Jiang Mengxin sounded unhappy. “I can endure it for a few more days. It’s not a problem.”
Su Mumu hurriedly said, “I’ll untie you. Don’t move, let me try…”
As she spoke, she sat cross-legged on the dry grass and tried to unlock the immortal binding rope. It didn’t seem that difficult. It was just like a regular rope; she just had to undo the knot.
“There,” Su Mumu said softly.
As her voice fell, the rope loosened. Jiang Mengxin slowly sat up as if a great weight had been lifted, her face full of gratitude.
“Thank you.”
“Hehe, you’re welcome! We can be considered friends now, right?” Su Mumu scratched her head.
“Friends? Not exactly,” Jiang Mengxin said.
“Huh?” Su Mumu was stunned.
“You are a fox and I am human. How can we be friends?” Jiang Mengxin suddenly asked.
“But…” Su Mumu gestured with her hands. “We’ve gone through thick and thin together… making a friend isn’t — Ow!? What’s happening!?”
In an instant, a strange sense of restraint washed over her body. Su Mumu lost her balance instantly and fell flat on her back onto the hay, nearly choking herself.
What happened? She tried to move her wrists, but they were immobilized; her legs were also tightly bound. Su Mumu’s mind raced, capturing a single possibility…
‘Damn it, no way? My dear sister, you set me up!’