She waited patiently for him to speak, and when he finally did, the tension around her heart relaxed. It relieved her greatly to hear his voice returning to its usual tone, even as he revealed his tragic situation.

"By the time my father found me and taught me how to cultivate, I was already afflicted by a terminal illness. I was infected with a poison from a rare venomous bug. We tried seeking a cure for years, but to no avail. We are still searching, but I fear I will not live long enough to be healed."

Li Meirong brought a hand up to her mouth, attempting to conceal her shock. He was actually in such pain! Her heart went out to him - it could not be easy to have to handle such a sickness!

Zhu Qingyue took note of her sympathetic expression, and cleared his throat.

"Alas, despite my skills and fast cultivation methods, I do not have long to live," he repeated.

"Since you have rejected me, I shall live out the remainder of my days in solitude. I had hoped��" He trailed off, shaking his head sadly, and did not speak again.

By this point, the persistent twinge in Li Meirong's heart had grown, and continued to bother her. She rubbed at the back of her neck, feeling both pained and awkward. There was a sour taste in her mouth.

This was quite the sticky situation for her. She didn't want to get into a relationship this way, but she was now second-guessing her decision to reject his advances due to how sorry she felt for him. In a way, she imagined herself as being akin to a vile, brazen brute stealing a sickly girl's first time without remorse. Her conscience would not allow her to refuse a dying man's wish - not even this particular dying man. Or perhaps, particularly not this dying man.

As he had a terminal illness, that meant he did not have very long to live. She should, at the very least, care for him in his final days, especially since she had stolen something from him that he had cherished. And, not that she would ever say so aloud, she could admit that his kisses and his warm touch felt quite pleasant. It would not be much of a hardship to have more of those.

As Li Meirong considered her options and rethought her decision, she stared absentmindedly at the well-crafted sculptures hanging from the wall. She was lost in thought, but one of them still managed to catch her eye. It was a sculpture of a burly man with a big gut, covered in leaves and twigs. Instead of a human head, the figure had the head was of a rather intimidating ox. She felt a strange sense of familiarity at the sight of the ox man statue.

She didn't notice Zhu Qingyue's confident gaze directed her way. His eyes were glinting with undisguised glee; he was not at all repentant for his crafty tale.

Eventually, she looked away from the unusual statue and folded her hands in her lap, bashfully gazing down at them.

"About your request…" Li Meirong began, and then she paused. Her nerves were almost choking her, her hesitation causing her to become almost mute.

"What of it?" Zhu Qingyue gently prompted after a moment.

His deep voice made Li Meirong feel especially shy. She had just rejected him, or tried to, and now she was taking back her words. Didn't that make her fickle?

Never mind. She had decided already: she was going to be kind to him in his final days. He had saved her, not once but twice now, so she owed him this much.

"You know… what you said? I agree. I mean, I'm willing to do it. I'm willing to… to be with you. Ah!" She closed her eyes as she made the wordless exclamation, slapping her cheeks lightly with both hands. Why was it so difficult for her to speak the words?! She was sounding far too ambiguous, and far too suggestive!

Zhu Qingyue had yet to utter another word, but if anyone were to look closely, they would be able to discern the very corners of his lips twitching with his restrained reaction.

Li Meirong took a deep breath, lowering her hands to her lap once more, and then she tried again.

"I will be responsible for you! A-and I'll be in your care, too. And, um, thank you for saving me twice now." She was both glad and relieved to finally be able to speak the words she had wanted to, and she didn't forget to acknowledge his kindhearted actions in rescuing her.

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, she rose to her feet, too flustered to remain and listen for a reply.

"I have to get my pet now, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" she babbled, and then dashed outside before Zhu Qingyue was able to speak a word. She teetered slightly in the doorway as she fled.

Behind her, she left a highly satisfied Fox Lord. As it were, his plan had gone perfectly.

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Chapter 118 Snippet*

By the time Li Meirong fled Zhu Qingyue's residence, the thick, threatening black clouds had completely vanished, replaced by silvery wisps. The heavy downpour had been reduced to a light, gentle rain, the only remains of the raging storm.

In contrast to the previously gloomy environment, the rain had brought a richness of hue to all colours in the sect, greens and browns all enhanced to deeper, almost jewel-like tones. The wilted plants had, miraculously, regrown, and had been restored to their former glory. It was almost as if they had never been scorched nor harmed in any way.

Li Meirong was not overly attentive to her surroundings as she ran through the grounds. She was far too distracted and absorbed in her own nervous thoughts to marvel at the abrupt weather changes, or to question the revival of the garden's plant life.

The outcome of her hearing, and the consequences of the private meeting with Zhu Qingyue, had thrown her into turmoil. And to think that only a few hours ago she had been prepared to depart the sect for good.

Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't this. She was still trying to figure out how things had changed so drastically; she had agreed to be responsible for Zhu Qingyue from this day onward. Even if it wasn't quite a romantic association, exactly, it would be a relationship nonetheless.