Li Meirong's first reaction was to outright reject the ridiculous idea, but then she recalled that, upon her departure from the marketplace, Snowball had conveniently disappeared. "Nature called", he had told her. Now, she was suspicious.

"Tell me all you know," Li Meirong ordered. Her clear eyes had gained a sharp gleam. Gone was her usual calm, unguarded demeanor. She was obviously on edge.

Bao Li needed no further invitation to speak. The gossipy chef excitedly recounted the tale as told to her by her neighbor, who worked part time in a restaurant near where the incident had taken place.

When Li Meirong had departed the market, her fox spirit had returned to the chattering crowd. Without making a sound, the little cub had covered the entire block in a sea of flames.

Surprisingly, the fire did not burn, or cause serious harm to anyone. The fox's control over the flames was unprecedented. His skills had been honed to the point he merely ignited the disciples' clothing and hair, burning it all to a crisp while leaving skin unharmed. The crowd had cowered in fright and shame, covering their privates.

The nearby shops were heavily damaged, too, but nobody cared about those minor details.

The gossip about the event focused on Li Meirong, labelling her 'savage' and condemning her 'unruly ways' which harmed her fellow sect members. The fox spirit's intimidating prowess was considered as proof of Li Meirong's underhandedness, whispers saying that she sent her little spirit beast to do her dirty work.

No one considered that a one-tailed fox spirit could be capable of controlling his spiritual powers to such an extent.

Instead of being a good for nothing furnace, Li Meirong's reputation had worsened. She has been upgraded to an evil woman with hidden powers, a vicious tigress pretending to be a pig. Surely, they were now saying, it was all an act!

After she finished narrating the event and the response to it, Bao Li leaned back in her seat and snickered.

"So a quarter of our sect have turned from lofty, superior looking cultivators into bald monks! Haha!"

Li Meirong did not share in her friend's amusement. Her small, pouty lips stretched into a thin line, and she immediately shot a pointed look at Snowball. Her unvoiced question hung thickly in the air: 'Are the rumors true?'

Under His Ladyship's scrutinizing gaze, Bai Yu shifted uncomfortably atop the stool. His little paws wriggled left and right. He was too busy thinking of how he might save his own skin to care about maintaining his dignity.

What was he supposed to say? He could say he did not do it, which would be the truth, but His Lordship was most likely responsible. Was he supposed to take the blame in his lord's stead?

Bai Yu blamed Bai Qingyue for this predicament. What kind of task was this? Was His Lordship's behavior reverting back to his youthful days? Like when he used to turn the clan palace upside down with his trickery?

Bai Yu could not even count the number of times he'd fallen for Bai Qingyue's traps when the Fox Lord was still but a cub…

He had thought – perhaps stupidly – that in the last few thousand years his Lord's personality had finally changed for the better, once he had finally reached maturity. The Fox Lord had grown reserved, spending the majority of his time in solitude and handling all matters relating to the clan and his godly domain in an orderly, mannerly fashion. He often exuded an air of superiority, such as that belonging to a natural leader.

But, with foxes, who could ever tell if they were only pretending? Clearly his methods had remained the same!

Finding himself unjustly accused, all Bai Yu could do was attempt to minimize the damage. He averted his eyes, and stared at his own paws in 'guilt' as his ears drooped.

"Master, it is not as bad as the rumors claim…"

"Oh, so now you finally decide to tell the truth," Li Meirong said, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.

Bao Li pressed her lips together. She had never heard Li Meirong sound so upset before.

"I will give you both a little privacy. I think my sheets have dried out already…" she said quietly, and left the room with that excuse.

Bai Yu had so many complaints in his heart! This was unfair. He was being blamed for something he had not done!

'Look how loyal I am, Sire, covering for you!'

"I am sorry for burning the people in the marketplace,"'Snowball' apologized pitifully.

Despite the bright daylight outside, the bedroom was shrouded in gloom. The shawls covering the small window concealed them from prying eyes. Bai Yu suddenly hoped for the Lady Bao Li to return, as the interrogation room seemed more pleasant with her around.

Li Meirong's stance and expression did not change. Her delicate brows were knitted into a frown, and her eyes had darkened in anger. They matched her long, flowing hair for color.

"I am not upset because of what you did." Her tone was crisp, sharp.

Bai Yu was a seasoned warrior, and was not easily intimidated, but this was Her Ladyship, future ruler of the Huli Jing! She could banish him with a single word.

How could he mend this relationship with the future matron later on? How could he prove his loyalty? His Lordship had placed him in quite a lot of trouble!

"Then… why are you upset?" he asked. He huddled in on himself, swallowing back the saliva pooling in his mouth from nerves.

Li Meirong was at the end of her tether. She had waited all this while for Snowball to come clean. He was officially part of her family, so naturally, she would be more forgiving towards him than she was to others, but his deception continued to grow!

Her fair, slender hand came to grasp the cloth wrapped around her neck as she recalled the previous day. Beneath her robe, she wore an extra shirt with a high collar, just to hide purplish blue bruises on her skin.

"I'm angry because you keep lying to me!" She bristled as she spoke.

"…" Bai Yu remained speechless. What was he supposed to say? He was a warrior, not a politician! He was not cut out for this task!

Today had been terrible to him. First, he had been tortured, and then he had been demoted. And, as if that were not enough, he had been forced to change into a cub and go undercover.

To make matters worse, at the moment, he was being admonished for something he did not do!

He knew he should never have accepted the second in command position.

Meanwhile, the true cause of the mess was likely lounging in some fancy hall, lazily enjoying himself.

'Hmph! I might be taking the blame for you at the moment, but your actions will come back to bite your lily white ass one day!' Bai Yu cursed his Lord silently.