Chapter 36: The Little Fox Who Fled Her Wedding

The moment his feet touched the ground, Zhou Yu bent his knees to absorb the impact. However, because the cliff cave was so high, the recoil was immense. The force surged into his feet, shredding the old, rough leather shoes—which he had salvaged from a wild boar soldier and crudely resized—to pieces.

Once he steadied himself, Zhou Yu looked down at his feet and wiggled his toes, finding them only slightly numb. He looked up at the lecherous monkey nearby, whose eyes were wide with shock, and shook his head. "Are you stunned because you've never seen such a flamboyant entrance?"

The lecherous monkey curled his lip. "Nothing could be stupider than that."

Xiao Qing, who had been clinging tightly to Zhou Yu, opened her eyes. She spotted the monkey, pointed a finger at him, and gasped, "It’s the lecherous monkey! A wanted criminal!"

The monkey, however, was staring intently at Xiao Qing’s fair, delicate arm. His gaze drifted into the wide sleeve of her coarse hemp robe. He gulped, paying no mind to her accusation, and muttered, "Such smooth skin..."

Zhou Yu kicked one of his shredded leather shoes at the monkey.

*Thwack!*

The shoe hit the monkey square in the face. Since it was covered in the damp mud from the cliffside, it stuck firmly to his face and refused to fall off.

"Keep your eyes on your fruit!" Zhou Yu snapped.

The monkey ripped the shoe off his face, threw it aside in a rage, and grabbed his Ruyi Staff, ready to throw down with Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu gave a cold hum and mumbled, "Clones."

The monkey instantly dropped his staff. He trotted over with a sycophantic grin, grabbed Zhou Yu’s hand, and said affectionately, "My good brother! You’ve worked hard! Eat something, quickly!"

As he spoke, he produced a large bundle of food wrapped in broad leaves and handed it to Zhou Yu with a fawning smile.

Zhou Yu nodded and tried to put Xiao Qing down, but she clung to him tightly, refusing to let go.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yu asked.

"He... he’s a wanted criminal. He’s killed people and..." Xiao Qing stammered, burying her head in Zhou Yu’s back. She didn't dare look at the monkey, whispering in a tiny voice.

Zhou Yu patted her gently. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, he won't dare do anything bad. Look, he’s terrified of me and does whatever I say, right?"

Only then did Xiao Qing release him. She sat down gingerly on the grass, shifted to a softer patch, and hugged her knees, watching the monkey warily.

Zhou Yu brought the various fruits over to her and gestured for her to eat. She reached out and picked up a small green fruit to nibble on.

The lecherous monkey leaned in, his eyes darting around. He grabbed a banana, peeled it, took a bite, and asked, "Little fox, did your family kick you out?"

Xiao Qing remained silent, head bowed, chewing on her fruit as she scooted closer to Zhou Yu.

The monkey wasn't the least bit offended by her silence. "You look so tender. Did you just come of age? Was it your transformation last night?"

"Tender your head!" Xiao Qing threw the half-eaten fruit at the monkey, then turned away and began to sob quietly.

Zhou Yu shot a glare at the monkey. The monkey shrugged and wandered off into the distance.

"Uh, hey, aren't you going to eat more?" Zhou Yu opened his mouth, but ended up saying something incredibly weak.

Xiao Qing only cried louder.

Zhou Yu rubbed his nose and asked helplessly, "Why are you crying again?"

"W-woo... I ran away. The Queen Mother wanted to marry me off to that ugly brute, and I wouldn't do it. Now that I’m like this... what am I supposed to do?" Xiao Qing sobbed.

Zhou Yu’s heart softened. He pulled her into his arms. "Don't cry. Don't you have me?"

"Will you go to the Queen Mother and ask for my hand?" Xiao Qing looked up, her eyes swimming with tears.

Zhou Yu was momentarily dazed. *Isn't this going a bit fast? We haven't even started dating yet...*

"You don't want to? Or are you afraid?" Xiao Qing pushed him away.

Zhou Yu looked at her beautiful face, steeled his resolve, and pulled her back into his embrace. "How could I be afraid? I said I would take responsibility for you, and I mean it."

"Really?"

"Really!"

Hearing his firm promise, Xiao Qing broke into a teary smile. She leaned her head against his chest. "Actually, being with a human isn't so bad..."

Zhou Yu asked weakly, "Do all the women of the Fox Clan think that way?"

"Pretty much," Xiao Qing replied.

In the distance, the lecherous monkey chewed on a blade of grass. He spat it out with a "Ptooey!" and cursed, "Crying, making a scene, threatening suicide! A pretty boy and a silly girl! They say the Fox Clan produces beauties, but I say it's bull! They don't know how to appreciate us monkeys! Only liking humans? Their eyes must be growing out of a dog's head!"

Xiao Qing glanced at the monkey nervously. "Why does that wanted criminal listen to you so much?"

"Because... because I'm very powerful. He can't beat me," Zhou Yu whispered, glancing at the monkey.

"Then why don't you capture him and collect the reward from the Demon Emperor?" Xiao Qing asked.

Zhou Yu picked up an apple, took a bite, and said, "Not bad. Do you want some?"

Xiao Qing gave him a sly look. "Don't change the subject."

Zhou Yu coughed awkwardly. *Foxes are indeed sharp,* he thought. He had no choice but to say, "I'm a human. If I go to the Demon Emperor, wouldn't that be walking straight into my own grave?"

"That's true, too." Xiao Qing picked up a green fruit and began to eat.

"You mentioned earlier that you ran away because of some ugly man. What's that about?" Zhou Yu asked.

Xiao Qing chewed and swallowed before answering. "Three months ago, an ugly man broke into our palace. He had two horns on his head. He was incredibly powerful—even the Queen Mother couldn't do anything against him. He just wouldn't leave, saying he wanted to pick a few wives from our clan. He chose me. I didn't want to marry him, so I snuck out."

"I ran into this mountain and hid in that cave. Yesterday was the night of the full moon, my coming-of-age time, and that’s when I transformed from a fox into human form."

Thinking about how this little fox had just come of age and transformed, only to be "accidentally" deflowered by him, Zhou Yu felt a mix of regret and secret delight. He regretted having no memory of the event, but he was secretly thrilled that Xiao Qing was so beautiful. As the monkey said, she was such a tender little thing, and he had already had his way with her—and it seemed he could do so again whenever he pleased.

A faint smile crept across Zhou Yu's face as he mused on this.

"Your smile is so wicked," Xiao Qing said, looking at him. "What are you thinking about?"

Zhou Yu quickly wiped the lecherous grin off his face, gave a low cough, and said, "Nothing. I was just thinking about our wonderful life ahead."

Xiao Qing blushed, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red, and she lowered her head to eat her fruit.

Zhou Yu asked her a few more questions about the Fox Clan and the man she had described.

Once she was full, Xiao Qing said she was tired. Zhou Yu took her back to the cave and, after coaxing her to sleep, stepped back outside.

He and the monkey stood on the mountain peak, watching the wild boar soldiers below as they busily hauled supplies. A cold wind blew, carrying the bite of winter.

Zhou Yu couldn't help but sigh. "Winter is coming again."

The monkey didn't mince words. "We're at this point, and you still have the leisure to be sentimental?"

Zhou Yu replied nonchalantly, "So what if I slept with the daughter of the Fox Queen? Besides, she’s with me now. Is her mother really going to boil me alive and eat me?"

"She might not boil you, but she’ll probably turn you into a giant, fat pig so that whenever her daughter sees you, she’ll run away," the monkey said.

"Surely not? Is she that cruel?" Zhou Yu asked.

The monkey sat down. "Actually, what I’m worried about is that ugly man she mentioned. If he's someone that even the Fox Queen couldn't handle, someone who could force her to give up her daughter, he might be even stronger than the Five Great Demon Kings."

Zhou Yu pondered this seriously. "The Fox Clan is nearby. If that guy is as powerful as you say, and he could force the Fox Queen, then finding this place wouldn't be difficult for him."

The man and the monkey fell silent.

As winter deepened, the cold winds from the Great Northern Ice Plains blew through the Fruit and Flower Mountain, making the countless fruit trees shiver. Even the withered leaves that clung to the branches were forced to fall to the earth. A-Fei had split the wild boar soldiers into two groups: one continued to transport supplies, while the other began harvesting various fruits from the foot of the mountain to store for the winter.

"Can we just give it up?" the monkey asked, watching the busy figures at the foot of the mountain.

Zhou Yu was silent for a moment. "No."

He said "no" rather than "it's impossible," which made his stance even firmer.

The monkey sighed, stood up, and patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder. "When the time comes, just say the word. I'll help you."

Zhou Yu nodded and sat down cross-legged.

He tried to think, but his mind was a chaotic mess. He couldn't calm down, and upon reflection, he realized he hadn't actually thought of anything at all. He couldn't help but offer a bitter smile.

The most logical thing for him to do was to return to the human world, but now that this had happened, and he wasn't the type to shirk responsibility—even if the girl was a fox spirit—it was a real dilemma.

Though it was a headache, Zhou Yu believed every problem had a solution. He sat on the giant rock, the cold winter wind biting at his forehead, frowning as he tried to come up with a plan. But after a long time, the only thing he had achieved was a headache from the cold; he had no viable strategy.

Watching the sun begin to set, Zhou Yu shook his head, leaped down from the boulder, and headed into the valley to grab some food for Xiao Qing.

"Great King! Your humble servant is here to report!" A-Fei popped up from behind him, giving Zhou Yu such a start that he nearly jumped.

Just as he was about to berate the fat pig, he remembered how clever the creature could be. "A-Fei," he asked, "if a bandit wanted to bully a beauty, and because the bandit was so strong, the beauty's mother had to give her up, what would you do?"

A-Fei blinked, then said, "If neither the beauty nor her mother wanted it, why not just poison the bandit?"

Zhou Yu paused, thought for a moment, and then burst into a hearty laugh.

"Have you gone mad from laughing?" A-Fei asked cautiously.

Zhou Yu patted A-Fei on the shoulder. "Thank you, A-Fei!"

With that, he grabbed some food and headed for the cliff cave.

A being as powerful as that couldn't possibly be killed by poison, but A-Fei’s words had given him an idea.

Zhou Yu wrapped some green fruit in a cloth, tied it to his waist, climbed the cliff wall, and reached the cave.

When he woke Xiao Qing, she ate the fruit in a sleepy daze, looking incredibly lazy and charming.

*If she were dressed in fine silks, she would surely be a beauty to topple kingdoms,* Zhou Yu thought as he watched her eat.

"Xiao Qing, can I ask you a question?" Zhou Yu shifted his gaze away from the pale skin visible at the collar of her loose robe, swallowed hard, and spoke.