But, more importantly, what was this he had just heard about memory loss? It seemed his wife had her fair share of secrets, all in dire need of a thorough investigation!

Bai Qingyue's golden eyes acquired an insidious, bright lavender tint at the thought of seizing the culprits behind her facial scars. He would surely return the favor – by skinning them alive, one slow piece at a time, and feeding them their own entrails thereafter.

However, that particular scheme needed to be held off for a later time. Right now, he wanted to concentrate on cultivating his relationship with his little wife, so she'd end up being completely wrapped around his finger. Only when she would fall irrevocably in love with him, will Bai Qingyue be certain that she'd never leave his side. Then, it would be a foolproof plan to divulge all his secrets, for he would be certain that she wouldn't reject him.

Pleasantly unaware of the gruesome images Bai Qingyue was conjuring in his mind, Li Meirong split her hair into three and coiled them into a single braid in preparation for bed.

"Miss Bao, the head chef in the sect and my immediate superior, told me I'll only be able to permanently rid myself of the scars after I form a Spiritual Core," she continued as she worked on her hair. Her dainty fingers fumbling with the strands. "When we spoke on the matter, I didn't ask many questions, because I never thought I'd be able to cultivate successfully, so I don't really know what she meant."

The fox god dismissed the murderous images consuming his mind, and inwardly snickered at Li Meirong's softly-spoken words. If only she knew what plans he had for her… Core Formation was only the first requirement on her long list of tasks, but for a completely different purpose.

In Bai Qingyue's perspective, Li Meirong needed to attain immortality. The sooner, the better. He was a powerful god, but he had his fair share of enemies who would not hesitate to use his newfound weakness against him. As long as his wife remained a mortal, there was always the risk of losing her. Worse yet, he could not bring her to his palace in the Heavenly Realm without her ascent to immortality.

Additionally, Bai Qingyue could handle his sovereign duties from the mortal realm, but there was only so much he could do from here.

There were simply too many unknown variables that could ruin the future he had planned for them if she were to stay in the mortal plane and take thousands of years to cultivate into a deity. And that was, if she'd even manage to do so.

If it wasn't for that, then she would have no need to change anything about herself – not in his opinion, at least.

"You'll always be beautiful to me," he said aloud, "with or without scars."

The marks on her face disturbed Bai Qingyue because they were the evidence of his wife's suffering, and not because he was bothered by her appearance. His wife was perfect in every way possible. No scars could change that fact.

He was oblivious to the impact his words would have until he was squeezed against her soft breasts.

"Thank you, Snowball! You have a knack for cheering me up!" To Li Meirong, his comment had warmed her heart more than anything else he could have said.

The fox spirit simply gazed back at her, enjoying the moment in silence as he snuggled against his favorite softness.

There was no need to thank him, Bai Qingyue thought. As her husband, was it not his job to please her?

They continued talking for a moment, but then Li Meirong covered her mouth with her hand to hide her yawn. She had slept earlier, but it had not nearly been enough. It was a little upsetting, honestly, because she had hoped to go into her dimension to check up on Chou and Feng Huang, and maybe even learn more cultivation techniques before the ceremony. She was far too tired to do so now, though.

Keeping Snowball tucked in her arms, she went and blew out each of the candles before returning to her bed. She snuggled beneath the blanket, covering both herself and the cub with it.

"Let's go back to sleep," she said, unable to prevent another yawn. "There's a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

Snowball nodded his agreement, cuddling himself against her. Soon enough, Li Meirong settled down to sleep.

It took about half an hour for her breathing to settle into an even, slow rhythm.

In the quiet darkness of the room, the only light came from the pair of golden eyes that glowed brightly from the shadows. Bai Qingyue remained in silent vigil over the defenseless Li Meirong, showing all the patience of a predator lying in wait for his prey.

Deeming the moment right to continue his 'investigation', the white fox crept out from beneath the covers and sat beside the woman. Finally, he was able to proceed with his self-assigned task.

The small, furry snout gradually morphed into a smooth, pale skinned visage with sculpted angles. A thick fog cloaked a man's tall figure as he transformed from fox cub to humanoid.

Lean, ivory arms placed themselves on either side of Li Meirong, successfully trapping her beneath the broad expanse of his shoulders. Her sleeping face was reflected in his irises. His long legs straddled her yet prevented his weight from settling upon her. Bai Qingyue remained utterly still for a long moment.

Mindful of the possibility of her waking, he placed a spell upon her to preserve her drowsy state.

"Li Meirong." His voice was low, a husky whisper. She made a muffled sound of acknowledgment – just as before, she was responding to his questions while half asleep.

"Which qualities do you value most in a man?" he asked, unreservedly probing for the answers he sought most.

Her words, however, gave him pause.

"Sincerity… honesty… mm… humility…"

The three words echoed in his head like a mantra.