Chapter 469: Chapter 408: Unbelievably Obedient

…

Yun Qi’s thoughts drifted back to six months ago.

The Nine-tailed Fox Clan’s Clan Leader, Yun Shu, had come to him with a marriage contract, demanding that he go to the Red Fox Clan for a political marriage in place of the Young Master.

If Yun Qi agreed to the union, the Clan Leader would grant him his freedom and return his Soul lamp.

The ancestral hall of each clan housed the Soul lamps of every blood relative. A Soul lamp was created from a drop of its owner’s vital blood and a sliver of their Divine Soul.

The existence of the Soul lamps was, on one hand, to ensure the safety of the clan members. If a clansman’s life was threatened while they were away, the Clan Leader or the current Family Head could immediately detect the change in the Soul lamp and use it to bring the person back.

If the clansman died, the Soul lamp would be extinguished.

On the other hand, a Soul lamp was also an inescapable shackle. As long as one’s Soul lamp was in another’s possession, they had to obey that person’s commands or else suffer damage to their Divine Soul.

Once Yun Qi had his Soul lamp back in his hands, he could completely sever ties with the Nine-tailed Fox Clan, no longer be shackled by their commands, and regain his freedom.

But he was unwilling to gamble on his marriage. No matter whether the Clan Leader tried gentle persuasion or threats and bribes, he fiercely resisted. It was only when he heard that the noble female he was to marry was the young Princess of the Red Fox Clan that he agreed to take the groom’s place.

From that day on, the young master who had been brought back by the Clan Leader a short while ago was no longer sullen all day. It was as if he had become a different person. A smile appeared on his face for the first time. He began proactively studying intricate court etiquette, and his conduct became gentle and courteous, in no way inferior to the elder young master’s. No one secretly mocked him anymore for being a crude, wild fox from the countryside.

On the eve of his much-anticipated departure for the Red Fox Clan, the young master meticulously groomed himself, too excited to sleep the entire night.

Yun Qi looked at the youth in the mirror. He was dressed in a crow-blue, wide-sleeved, long robe. Soft, ink-black strands of hair fell beside his face. He had a high-bridged nose and deep-set, picturesque eyes. His long lashes, like the wings of a butterfly, trembled slightly, casting faint shadows in the flickering candlelight.

He raised a hand to touch his face, his stunning features identical to his elder brother’s. He seemed to murmur to himself.

’She’ll like me, won’t she?’

The room was empty; no one was there to answer him.

But the youth seemed to recall something happy, and a faint warmth appeared on his coolly handsome face.

’I wonder if she still remembers what happened all those years ago…’

Yun Qi was the illegitimate son of the Clan Leader, Yun Shu, and a female of unknown origin. Only after the children were born was it discovered that one was a Black Fox.

A black Nine-tailed Fox was a symbol of misfortune in the clan. Legend even claimed they were cursed Evil Beasts that would bring annihilation to the Fox Clan.

An Evil Beast, upon birth, was supposed to be burned to death. Perhaps the Clan Leader retained a shred of fatherly compassion for Yun Qi, so he abandoned him in a remote village, giving a few farming families some Beast Crystals to raise him.

Ever since he could remember, Yun Qi had never seen his birth mother.

He heard that after she gave birth, her identity as the mother of an Evil Fox was exposed. The Clan Leader was forced to kill her to appease the public’s fury. Later, the Clan Leader married a noble female from his own clan, and the matter was finally covered up.

The Clan Leader’s Wife was a ruthless woman who couldn’t tolerate any slight. She knew of Yun Qi’s existence and had dispatched assassins several times, wanting this unsightly child to disappear from her sight for good.

Back then, Yun Qi was only a child. No matter how lucky he was, he had only managed to escape death a few times. He had no power to resist the Clan Leader’s Wife, so he ultimately decided to flee Qingqiu, to run as far away as he could.

Along the way, he was still subjected to relentless pursuit.

By chance, a Beast Tide erupted in the forest at that time. The Beastmen pursuing him either died or fled. Yun Qi disguised himself as an ordinary Fox Clan cub. No one noticed him in the chaos, and he managed to escape under the cover of night.

But he was also severely injured. Without timely medical treatment, the only thing awaiting him was certain death.

Its breathing grew faint. Just as it was sinking into despair, it encountered a young female about its age.

She saved it.

All these years, Yun Qi could never forget her eyes, which shone like stars in the night, and her gentle gaze. They soothed his pain more than the most potent medicine in the world…

Later, people came looking for her. Afraid they were its hunters, it ran away.

Of course, it didn’t run too far. Hiding secretly behind a tree, it heard that group of Beastmen address the girl as “Princess.”

’So those people were here for her. She’s the young Princess of the Red Fox Clan.’

「All these years.」

He had always looked forward to seeing her again.

’The young Princess must be grown up by now. I wonder what she looks like. I really want to see her soon.’

Later, Yun Qi got his wish and saw the Princess of the Red Fox Clan. Back then, her face had been injured and her body was filthy, but he could still see her delicate and beautiful features. Now, she was dressed in a brilliant red gown, her matured face even more richly beautiful and utterly captivating.

Her eyes were defiant and brazen, and her irritable indifference made her seem like a stranger to him.

’So many years have passed. Anyone would change.’

But what Yun Qi hadn’t expected was that on the night their engagement was settled, the Princess called him to a deserted corner. When the whip struck him viciously, Yun Qi didn’t feel much physical pain. But the heart beneath his ribs ached unbearably.

“A lowly bastard! An ugly Black Fox! The sight of you is an omen of misfortune! How dare those scoundrels send such a foul thing for a political marriage? They’re simply insulting me!”

She was utterly furious. The long whip fell again and again. Yun Qi forgot to resist, letting her beat him until he was covered in wounds.

It was as if…

Something else was slowly shattering…

But tonight, hearing the Princess’s words, the memory of their first meeting surfaced in Yun Qi’s mind again.

’Has the Princess returned?’

He gave a low hum of assent. “Thank you, Princess.”

“Go to sleep.”

The Princess hadn’t been wearing much makeup lately, so she no longer carried that overly heavy, cloying scent of powder and rouge. They slept in the same bed, each to one side, not very close. Two quilts lay between them, yet Yun Qi could smell a faint, clean fragrance wafting from her. It was a bit like lily of the valley, a scent that was so reassuring… so comforting…

Yun Qi’s breathing gradually became light and even.

Sang Luo turned her head to look at him and called out softly, “Yun Qi?”

The young man didn’t respond.

He was asleep.

This was the most peaceful night’s sleep Yun Qi had had in years.

…

In the Princess Mansion, however, the night was not so peaceful.

Everyone knew that the Princess had rested in the servant Yun Qi’s room last night. Some had even seen them leave the bedchamber together in the morning, faces flushed with the glow of spring, looking like a deeply devoted couple.

The delicacies from the kitchens made Kong’s mouth water. For a single breakfast, dozens of dishes were laid out—treatment that the master and servant had never before enjoyed.

’Gaining the Princess’s favor really makes a world of difference!’

Sang Luo looked at the young man across the table.

He sat quietly, his body slightly bowed, his profile as elegant as carved jade. His long lashes cast faint shadows, and his aura was as clean and pure as ice and snow.

’He’s so obedient…’

“Open your mouth.”

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