"I'm sorry, I was held back!" Li Meirong apologized as she reached Ying Yue's side.

She knew they were in a hurry to retrieve the rare herb, but was it really necessary to urge her in such a manner? She hadn't taken that long to get there...

With an accentuated tone, Ying Yue stressed out, "Never mind. Follow me, my husband is waiting up ahead. We already know the herb's location."

Li Meirong followed her close behind as they both hurried through the woodland path.

Once inside the forest, the shining rays of sunlight beaming from the bright blue sky dimmed significantly. The forest trees were monstrously tall, overshadowing the ground below. As usual, her so called aura scared nearly all the living creatures away. The sound of rustling leaves could be heard as pheasants scattered in fright when she passed by.

Li Meirong hadn't bothered to find out the full details of their mission. Her interests lay more in finding a spirit beast. She fully expected her personal task to be a challenge.

Senior Wei's tall shadow came into sight. He signalled with his hand for them to follow along.

Li Meirong was not on intimately friendly terms with the seniors, and so their tandem walk in the woods fell into an awkward silence. The couple walked up front and she trailed a few steps behind.

At times, Ying Yue brought her lips close to her husband's ear and whispered a few words. He would respond with a low voice.

Li Meirong grew nervous, feeling alienated. She attempted to eavesdrop on their conversation, stepping slightly closer to them as they walked. However, the couple soon took notice of her proximity and ceased conversing.

'Odd.'

They turned onto a curved path leading uphill. The trail strayed further and further away from the sect.

Li Meirong began to observe her seniors walking faster, further ahead from her. She jogged in an attempt to catch up, yet they somehow managed to maintain a steady distance from her.

'Are they gliding?! How can they be so fast?' She wondered incredulously.

Chou's childlike voice muttered after a long stretch of silence 'Master, I feel like we should eat your seniors.'

Li Meirong scolded in a whisper, "Can you stop trying to eat every person you see? They just need our help in retrieving a single herb."

'Fine. Don't regret it later!' Chou replied ambiguously.

Li Meirong shook her head helplessly. She had been so distracted by Chou that she hadn't even realized how much further they had trodden uphill.

The temperature grew warmer as the disciples travelled the unmarked path. By now, Li Meirong's back was entirely drenched in sweat. Carrying her heavy backpack certainly did not assist her condition.

"Come on, hurry up! You're quite slow." Ying Yue turned back in order to berate the girl still lagging behind.

"I'm on my way!" Li Meirong couldn't disguise the annoyance in her tone. All she's been hearing from these jerks was to hurry along!

Just as she spoke, a small sharp object hit the back of her head.

"Ow!" She cried out as she clutched the offended spot. The impact didn't cause severe damage, but it was strong enough to leave a bump.

'Master, are you alright?' Chou asked, concerned.

"I just got hit by something…" Li Meirong muttered. Her seniors were too far away from her to notice. She turned around and saw a little pebble by her feet. How did it even drop there?

Glancing back, she suddenly spotted a bleeding fox, just off the very same path she walked through.

Its fragile form lay sprawled on the damp earth, mostly concealed by a small clump of shrubs and bushes. Its snowy white fur was drenched in dark crimson tint and drops of fresh blood dotted the ground around the poor creature.

"Oh no, poor little thing!" Li Meirong cried out, rushing to the fox's side. With so much blood everywhere, it must have been half dead!

She quickly and gently lifted the little cub onto her arms. The fox opened its eyes. Glowing, golden orbs pierced through the eyelids, causing her to experience a peculiar sense of déjà vu.

There was something so familiar about it! But she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

The fox let out a small yelp, blinking its eyes and looking up at her with innocence akin to that of a newborn baby, seeing the world for the first time. Those puppy-dog-eyes along with the rest of its cute canid features and fluffy, silvery fur seemed to reach in and touch her very soul.

How could she not fall in love, then and there?!

She felt her motherly instincts kicking in. It may not be a spirit beast, but there was no way she was going to leave this poor creature to die!

Noticing a deep gash across the cub's back, Li Meirong made sure to avoid the wounded area as she adjusted its position in her arms.

"Don't worry little one, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." With a gentle voice, she cooed the fox.

'Master, this thing has terribly bad thoughts about you! We should definitely eat him!' Chou urged as he sensed the presence of the animal his master was holding.

'This guy is bad news! Bad news! Bad news!' He insisted.

"Stop it, Chou, it's just a little baby!" She finally snapped at his incessant yapping.

Li Meirong continued to cradle the fox pup protectively.

Unbeknownst to her, the little fox's mouth stretched wide into a devious smirk. The glint in his eye was barely perceptible in the darkness of the shadowy forest.