Chapter 2

...that innocent.

I began to entertain wicked ideas.

Vital essence was vital essence, whoever it came from.

Why look far afield when the perfect source was right in front of me?

The second round of the Grand Trial was much harder: Dreambreaking.

Only those with steadfast minds could overcome their inner demons and escape the dreamscape.

When I opened my eyes, Master was reclining beside a hot spring.

His face was flushed.

“Qingqing... help me...”

I swallowed and forced myself not to stare at his loose robes.

Eyes closed, I approached and straightened them.

Don’t look at anything improper.

Don’t look at anything improper.

But dream-Xie Qingjun was more seductive than any fox spirit.

He caught my fingers.

“Qingqing, help me untie this...”

Absolutely not.

I looked around to make sure no one else was there.

Then I gritted my teeth, eyed the cold pool beside us...

And pushed him in.

His ivory robes were soaked at once.

He choked on the water and looked at me helplessly.

“Qingqing. What am I to do with you?”

Those familiar eyes made my skin prickle.

Then the dream dissolved.

I’d escaped.

Only...

Why did Master look so displeased as he waited at the exit?

Xu He rushed over and hugged me.

“Qingqing! Thank goodness you’re all right. I... I hurt you in my dream.”

I was about to wave it off when Xie Qingjun strode toward us.

“Anyone capable of hurting another person in a dream is hardly likely to be decent outside it.”

Was that jealousy I heard?

I looked up.

His collar was still damp.

Not until that night did I truly understand what Yuyao had meant.

A fox demon was a fox demon, after all.

After absorbing Master’s vital essence, I seemed to have developed an addiction. I wanted to cling to him constantly.

So I did.

I climbed through his window.

Inside, I heard only steady breathing.

Moonlight fell on the sleeping figure. The jade pendant at his waist confirmed that this was indeed my aloof master.

Perhaps the summer night was too hot. His collar had fallen open.

I swallowed, touched a red mark near his collarbone and carefully leaned over him.

My fox tail emerged, swaying in the air.

I didn’t notice his fingers move.

He smelled faintly of pine.

Strange.

The fragrance seemed stronger than when I’d entered.

I couldn’t help leaning closer.

I’d prepared a sleep-inducing incense beforehand. I assumed Master wouldn’t wake for a while.

I was wrong.

He caught my tail.

I startled and looked up into deep, dark eyes.

Finished.

He’d caught me.

I froze before I could jump away.

Xie Qingjun wasn’t angry.

He simply watched me.

“Song Qingqing.”

He seemed not quite awake, his voice still blurred with sleep.

“Qingqing...”

So frightened that my whole fox self shook, I toppled onto him.

That woke him completely.

His clear gaze made me tremble.

“Out.”

Back in my room, I tossed and turned for ages before finally falling asleep.

And straight into another dream.

The master I had just left held me tightly.

I bit his neck, leaving unmistakable marks. He caught my chin and kissed me.

The dream deepened into an intimacy that left me shaken when I woke.

I ached all over.

In the mirror, my face was flushed and there was a split at the corner of my mouth.

Had I bitten myself?

One look at my ruffled fox tail made that explanation harder to believe.

I steadied myself and changed.

Today was my formal apprenticeship ceremony.

Xie Qingjun’s seclusion had delayed it until now.

I found my lofty master seated in the place of honor.

On his neck was a ring of tooth marks.

They stood out sharply against his pale skin.

I wasn’t the only one to notice.

Whispers rose below the dais.

“Did you see the marks on the Immortal Lord’s neck? Someone bit him.”

“Someone? Look at the fangs. That was a spirit beast!”

“Fairy Yuyao? I’ve heard her true form is a white fox.”

Every eye turned toward her.

She lowered her head shyly.

“There’s nothing between Master and me. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Naturally, that convinced them.

They hurried to flatter her.

Then someone stepped on my tail.

I gave a small cry of pain.

Bad luck before I’d even offered my apprenticeship tea!

A burst of spiritual force hurled the offender away.

Xie Qingjun’s voice deepened with anger.

“Who gave you permission to touch someone under my protection?”

I recognized the man.

A senior disciple who’d always disliked me, jealous that I followed Master everywhere.

Clearly I needed to follow him even more closely.

Let the man seethe.

My orange tail twitched twice, finally free, before I hid it.

Carrying the cup of apprenticeship tea, I approached Xie Qingjun.

The gossip hadn’t stopped.

“Wasn’t Song Qingqing supposed to be an ornament? Bait for the fox clan?”

“The Immortal Lord knows what he’s doing. Taking her as a disciple must serve some purpose.”

“What can a little fox demon do? She nearly froze to death before.”

“If he hadn’t picked her up, she’d still be scavenging for wild fruit somewhere. She wouldn’t have any of this.”

Every word reached me.

And hurt.

They were right about one thing.

Without Xie Qingjun, I might not have survived.

My fingertips trembled.

Perhaps being his disciple only held him back.

A hand steadied my wrist.

His voice was gentle.

“If you’re to be my disciple, hold yourself accordingly.”

I was gathering my courage to offer the tea when he reached for it himself.

Before the entire gathering, he drank it to the last drop.

He’d never done that for another disciple.

He’d never taken the cup of his own accord. Even when he drank, it had only been a ceremonial sip.

I stared at him.

Envious gazes pressed against me from every side.

“Aren’t you going to pay your respects?” he asked softly.

I started to kneel.

His spiritual force lifted me.

“No need. A simple bow will do.”

So I saluted with my hands.

He smiled and rested a palm on my head.

“Good disciple.

“From now on, you belong to me.”

He placed particular emphasis on those last words.

I looked up and saw the marks on the right side of his neck.

Exactly the same.

Exactly where I’d bitten him in my dream.

To test my suspicion, the next time I entered the dreamscape, I deliberately bit his wrist.

He was half leaning against his desk, robes loose, a brush in one hand.

The other he left entirely at my mercy.

He watched my fangs press against his wrist without the least anger.