Yun Xu's eyes widened in surprise. This fire fox's sense of smell was too keen! It had been at least an hour's journey from home to here. How had it managed to find her?
She stroked its head and asked curiously, "Your nose is too good. The dogs at the Second Hospital probably aren't as good as you."
Chi Ling seemed to understand and bared its teeth at Yun Xu.
To compare a spirit fox to a dog? Truly, she had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai.
Chi Ling had been living in Ning An Yuan for some time, so the maids there were familiar with its temperament and wouldn't truly anger it.
The mistress and her maid played with Chi Ling for a while before Yun Xu carried it down to eat something.
Chi Ling's sudden appearance had also woken up the nearby orange cat. However, everyone's attention had been on Chi Ling just then.
No one expected that the orange cat was looking at Chi Ling with unfriendly eyes, as if an intruder was trying to take over its territory.
Similarly, Chi Ling's fur stood on end, and it bared its teeth at the orange cat.
People say that when two tigers fight, one will be injured. For this cat and fox, it was hard to say who would win.
Xu Mingyue emerged from the hot spring and happened to see the orange cat preparing to attack. From her position, she couldn't see the fire fox in Yun Xu's arms and assumed the orange cat was growling at Feng Jin Yao.
So, she reprimanded, "Tuan Rong, no misbehaving."
Hearing its mistress's familiar voice, the orange cat's bristled back immediately softened. It turned to look at Xu Mingyue with an expression like an innocent child.
Its mood changed so quickly. This cat was truly intelligent.
Since its opponent had ceased its aggressive stance, the fire fox Chi Ling naturally wouldn't provoke it. It nestled in Yun Xu's arms, looking very well-behaved and cute.
Xu Mingyue had been wondering why Yun Xu was holding a patch of fiery red. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a small fox, and a rare fire fox at that!
Her eyes showed surprise. "Where did you get it?"
Yun Xu smiled and quickly replied, "This is a fire fox that our second young master sent for Miss to raise, named Chi Ling. Miss wasn't home today, but it's quite capable. It followed the scent all the way here. As soon as it arrived, it clashed with Tuan Rong, having quite an unyielding temper."
Her words held both affection and a touch of teasing for the fire fox.
Xu Mingyue wanted to stroke the fur on Chi Ling's forehead, but it raised its eyebrows and glanced at her, as if to say, "Don't touch me."
This made Xu Mingyue even more astonished.
"What a spiritual fox!"
Knowing it was unwilling, Xu Mingyue didn't force the issue.
"What fox?" Bai Siruo walked up from behind. She was startled at first upon seeing the little creature, then her eyes lit up with joy.
She didn't care if it was willing or not and reached out to ruffle the fur on its head. It was incredibly soft.
"The color of this fur is so vibrant. I remember my maternal grandmother had a fire fox cloak, also this striking crimson red. It was so beautiful."
Chi Ling, who had been furious and about to bite her, was startled by these words. It immediately burrowed into Yun Xu's arms, afraid that this formidable lady would actually turn it into a cloak.
Its backside facing Bai Siruo, its tail wagging, amused everyone and made them burst into laughter.
"Good, good. It knows to be afraid of people now. We'll keep you for now. When you grow up, you'll make a wonderfully warm cloak."
She deliberately spoke with a slightly sinister tone, scaring Chi Ling so much that it wanted to cry. Its earlier arrogance and assertiveness were completely gone.
Yun Xu felt a deep admiration for this cousin from the Bai family. It seemed that a fierce demon needed an even fiercer person to tame it. The ancestors truly did not deceive her!
On their first night staying on the mountain, the three of them, along with the cat and the fox, were far from lonely.
They talked by candlelight, forgetting the time. By the time they went to sleep, it was close to midnight.
The next morning, they were awakened by the temple bells. All three of them had dark circles under their eyes.
There were three rooms in the main house, one for each person, so it wasn't crowded.
It got bright early in the mountains. Feng Jin Yao was the first to get up and called for Yun Xu and La Mei from outside to help her with her morning toilette.
The two of them had already prepared hot water. As they entered, the scent of mountain dew lingered, which Feng Jin Yao found particularly pleasant, though it carried a hint of bone-chilling cold.
La Mei held the clothes that Xu Mingyue had sent over yesterday. The new clothes were simple and elegant in color and style, similar to what Feng Jin Yao usually wore.
While helping Feng Jin Yao dress, she asked in a low voice,
"Miss, are we still going to visit the temple fair today? I heard there will be even more people today."
Her voice was full of excitement. This was the first time La Mei had accompanied someone to offer incense since entering the manor, and she was very interested in the temple fair.
Yun Xu glanced at her cheerful expression and teased, "You want to go, don't you?"
La Mei's thoughts were exposed, and her cheeks turned red. She looked at Feng Jin Yao and said somewhat shyly, "I went to temple fairs a few times when I was little, but my memories are hazy. After coming here yesterday, I remembered many good things from the past, so..."
After all, she was just a girl in her teens. Her thoughts were not as steady as Yun Xu's, which was normal.
"It's fine. We don't have anything else to do anyway. After breakfast, see if any of the nannies or maids in the courtyard want to go, and let them go too. Just be back before lunch."
"Thank you, Miss. Thank you, Miss." After receiving permission, La Mei was more excited than if she had received a New Year's reward.
She served Feng Jin Yao with even more care.
Breakfast was simple: a bowl of pearl balls made with rice wine and osmanthus, and a plate of chestnut cake.
Feng Jin Yao had a preference for sweets, so she ate with great relish.
As soon as she put down her chopsticks, she heard a sudden exclamation from the next room.
That was Sister Xu's room! Had something happened? Feng Jin Yao frowned and got up to rush over. As she reached the doorway, she saw Bai Siruo, still groggy, also rushing over. She was still wearing a moon-white inner garment under her cloak, clearly having been woken abruptly from her bed.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" they both asked as they pushed the door open.
They saw Xu Mingyue looking anxious, and her maids were searching around, all with serious expressions.
"Tuan Rong is missing."
That was Elder Xu's most beloved orange cat. He usually didn't let anyone touch it casually. Now that the cat was lost, if this news reached Elder Xu, he might be so angry that he'd spit out three liters of blood even if he wasn't sick.
"Don't worry, perhaps it woke up and saw everyone sleeping, and ran out to play."
Feng Jin Yao comforted her. Although she didn't keep cats or dogs, she knew that this orange cat had been raised by the Xu family since it was young and was very attached to its owner. It wouldn't run away easily. Perhaps it was attracted by something that made it leave.
"At the temple fair yesterday, I saw a vendor selling fried small fish. Miss, do you think Tuan Rong might have run off smelling that?"
Yun Bai, Xu Mingyue's maid, said anxiously.
"It's possible. You few, quickly go out and search along the road. We'll be there shortly."
"Yes."