The woodland region grew sparse, as the land connected with the dark, smooth hardened ground, devoid of vegetation. Obsidian rocks were scattered across the barren earth while ashes drizzled from high above, showering the surface with a shroud of a dusty grey haze.
Li Meirong feared for her little plant, knowing that flames can harm him more than anything else. She hid Chou in her sleeve since she lost her pouch, after discarding her bags when she ran for her life from the fire drake's attack. Having finally reached the trail's end, the sight before her eyes sent a shiver down her spine.
She moved forward into the unfamiliar territory.
A wall of blackness, created from dried stiff molten rock, appeared before her eyes. On top of the volcanic rock wall was a small surface of solid ground. Snowball's little fluffy paws could be seen, dangling off the ground. The fox cub lied there, unconscious of everything around him, his white fur contrasting the horrific surroundings. Behind his limp body, was an enormous hole gushing with boiling, vividly bright magma.
She had been walking uphill until now but the path in front of her required her to climb instead.
Catching sight of Snowball's limp form brought her into a state of panic. Without thinking, she reached for the dried slippery lava wall with both hands, which was warm to the touch. She bent down and lifted up one leg at a time as her palms groped around for any bumpy surface she could grab hold of.
'Master, please let's go back. That crazy guy that wanted to suck your blood in the jungle is waiting for you to get there. How about we find you a new fox instead? One that would not think of eating you up, or stewing me? How about that?'
Li Meirong knew Chou was right, this was a trap, her seniors confessed to it. She could only assume that while the explosion occurred, that vile Jiangshi master grabbed hold of her little Snowball and somehow, he also knew she wouldn't leave Snowball to die. She didn't pick him up just so a crazy madman could torture the baby fox to death.
As she kept on climbing the slippery wall, her eyes filled with a glint of determination. Resolutely, she exclaimed, "I am not leaving little snowball alone!"
'Master, after five years together, Chou still does not understand you, sometimes you act like the most scared person Chou has ever met, and other times you plan on jumping into burning liquid fire! Make up your mind, Chou can't handle this stress!' The plant spirit vented incessantly.
The wall began to burn her hands as it was scaling hot to the touch, as she proceeded to climb higher. Li Meirong could sense the skin on her palms slowly blistering. Beads of sweat coated her skin, and her voice cracked as she answered, "Chou, when you can avoid trouble, avoid trouble. When you can live in comfort, don't look for trouble. But if you take responsibility for someone, you must be sure to follow through to the end!"
'....' Chou stayed quiet. What kind of strange life philosophy is that?
His master is clearly suicidal. Was she not also suicidal when she climbed right into his mouth?
Li Meirong's personality was shaped by her previous life experiences. Before, she would never have thought to risk her life so easily, but dying once has changed something within her. She also knew how awful it felt to be discarded by her nearest and dearest. Even her own parents left her, they were far too busy with work, and regularly left her to fend for herself since young age. She didn't lack money and always had a roof over her head, but she didn't have a mother to wipe her tears when she got hurt. She didn't have a father to take her to her first day at school. No warm home-made meals were ever made for her when she returned home. Only her grandmother was there as a parent figure for her while she was still a child, but she passed away early. In her few years on Earth with Li Meirong, she taught her how to be independent. She knew all too well how terrible it feels to live life alone.
Years after, her failed relationships were a lesson for what it feels like to be abandoned. After falling in love once with a person who cheated on her, she could never fully invest herself in a relationship since, always growing fearful of becoming too emotionally attached, of giving too much of herself. She had been burnt before and remembered the pain. Naturally, her lack of investment in a connection produced a series of failed relationships later down the road.
Her sense of comfort was derived from her pets at home, the fluffy cats she took care of kept her loneliness at bay day by day.
And now, when the wounded, bloodied little Snowball needed her help, would she turn her back on him like all the rest did to her?
No way!
Li Meirong's hands finally reached the wall's end, ignoring the heat and pain, she tried to find an object to grab hold of, but the floor was nothing but a smooth, burning surface.
Coming up with an idea, she issued a command, "Chou, see if you can grab Snowball with your vines and I'll jump down right after."
'Alright! Let's do that and run away from here quick.' Chou agreed. In an instant, his vines were already out and about to encircle the vile fox that latched onto his master's heart, however, it was just at that moment when he felt a sudden excruciating pain. A sharp object sliced right through between Chou and Snowball, cutting down his vine.
"Chou!!! Fall back right now!" Li Meirong screamed, after witnessing Chou's vine getting sliced mid-air before it reached Snowball.
'Master, it hurts...Boohooo…'
Chou's anguish-filled cries echoed in her mind, he lost one of his vines and as a plant spirit, it would have felt like losing an arm for a human.
"I'm sorry Chou, let me handle this, you stay back, alright?" Li Meirong's voice slightly trembled, feeling remorseful. She was willing to suffer the consequences, but she hadn't considered how those around her would be affected by her decisions.
'Chou will rest now and try to grow his vine back…' The plant spirit's voice gradually became softer and softer, until Li Meirong felt his consciousness disconnect from hers.
Still hanging on the edge of the volcano's outer surface, she lacked the strength to lift herself up for that one final step. A mass of smoke condensed in front of her eyes materializing into the shape of a tall and frightening, handsome man. He stood right behind Snowball, a triumphant grin stretched across his deathly pale features.
"I knew you would come."