Although Li Meirong greatly appreciated that Snowball was so protective of her, she knew she wouldn't have been disqualified from the match if he hadn't barged into the arena with utter disregard for the rules.

Furthermore, he hadn't been too keen on listening to her requests as of late, and he always spoke back to her nowadays. He made a fuss about every little decision she made!

​​

Snowball was supposedly her familiar, but he did pretty much whatever he pleased.

"You intend to leave me here while you meet that boy alone?" Snowball snarled, an enraged edge to his voice.

Li Meirong pressed her lips together tightly in disapproval. His response only further confirmed her opinion on his recent attitude.

Upon seeing her silent, stern expression directed his way, Bai Qingyue grew even more agitated. Had she not already encountered proof, today, that not keeping him at her side was a terrible idea?

If he knew what Li Meirong was thinking at that moment, Bai Qingyue's control would have most likely snapped. It was entirely possible he would have chained her to the bed.

"I don't expect there to be any kind of physical conflict, but I can't say for certain that my meeting will run smoothly, and since you like causing mischief so much, I'd rather you stay home. If any problems do arise, I still have Chou and Feng Huang to depend on, and possibly Zhu Zhi too," Li Meirong added, rolling her eyes at the mention of the last.

Snowball let out a hissing sound that was not very foxlike at all. His bright eyes narrowed into angry gold slits.

"Very well," he muttered finally.

Li Meirong's eyebrows rose in surprise at his response.

To her, the fox spirit's abrupt agreement was almost as shocking as the revelation about Mo Cheng. She knew this little fox of hers was stubborn to a fault, so his quick change of mind was quite shocking. It was not unwelcome, though, and she bent to give him a swift peck to the top of his head.

"Good boy, you've finally learned to listen and behave." With that being said, she rushed off and was out the door before he could utter another word.

The fox spirit kept his eyes glued to the door, glaring at it as if he could bring Li Meirong back and change her mind with the strength of his righteous anger alone.

The room then filled with mist as he transformed into his human disguise.

"After creating an excuse to leave me behind yet again, I wonder what excuse this unruly wife might provide when her husband catches her with another man?" Bai Qingyue murmured to the empty room. His molten gold eyes gleamed with anticipation as he covertly followed Li Meirong's path.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The garden of which Mo Jing had spoken was a field coated with green blankets of various mosses and grasses, garnished with a variety of vibrant and exotic flowers.

As he had promised, to be permitted to behold such a spectacular view was a privilege, and it was a sight none could soon forget.

It was blooming season, and even though the rain poured down, flickers of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and illuminated the flowers in the garden. Nature's design created a dancing rainbow of flowers, formed through a combination of color and light.

Amongst this breathtaking scenery stood the lone, haggard-looking figure of a man, dressed in white. At a first glance, he seemed noble and regal, completely aloof to his surroundings. He appeared as an additional ornament to the beautiful scenery.

However, if one looked a little closer, it became clear that the man was not even slightly as flawless as he initially appeared.

The handsome man gazed off into the far distance with a lost expression. His eyes were almost closed, his mind elsewhere.

Surrounded by so many flowers, standing there all alone, he almost seemed pitiful.

A brief flurry of rapid footsteps announced the arrival of another. Mo Jing ran into the garden, coming to a halt near his brother and pausing to wipe a trail of sweat from his forehead.

"Brother, I have fulfilled my promise. Sister Meirong said she will arrive shortly," he briefed between heavy breaths. Pressing his hands to his knees, he bent over as he panted heavily. He was not made for such exercise!

Mo Cheng did not offer any response; his ramrod-straight back was still turned, and he offered no sign of acknowledging his younger brother's words or presence.

Concerned, Mo Jing stepped forward to stand before him, face-to-face with his seemingly absent brother.

"Brother Cheng, it is me, your little brother. Remember me?" He kept his voice as even as possible, biting back the tears. Mo Cheng simply stared straight ahead, which troubled Mo Jing even more.

"Brother?" he called again, waving a hand in front of Mo Cheng's face.

"I want no more shots," Mo Cheng said out of the blue. His mouth twitched and brows contorted as if in pain.

Mo Jing did not know what to make of his brother's peculiar response, but he was no longer surprised by it. He did not know what to say in response, however.

From time to time, Mo Cheng would sink into an imaginary world and start speaking of things that made very little sense. It appeared that this was one of those times.

Disheartened, Mo Jing grabbed his brother by the arm and dragged him to sit on a nearby bench. It was like manipulating a doll, as his brother was awake yet acted as if he was completely dead to the world.

Mo Jing had no clue what was happening to his brother, or what was going on regarding Mo Cheng's state of mind. Had his brother truly lost his wits? Had he become addle-brained?

It broke his heart to see his once strong and fearless elder brother behave this way, and he prayed there was some method to save his brother from wasting away both physically and mentally. He hoped that Li Meirong would somehow be able to shed some light on Mo Cheng's troubling condition, which worsened with each passing day.

In the deep recesses of Mo Cheng's mind, a sound he hated echoed in a repetitive pattern. It sounded over and over again, consuming everything else that surrounded him and leaving him with nothing but the noise.

'Beep… beep… beep…'

It was the sound of his heartbeat. How he loathed that sound, and yet he had been forced to hear it every single day of his life, for as long as he could remember.

'Beep… beep… beep…'