Time was gaining on the crafty Celestial-Fox God. The bright moon had already dimmed and the glorious sun rose high up towards the heavens. A flock of seagulls could be seen flying as they departed the island to capture fish from the deep blue ocean underneath. The lush orchard's sweet fruits and pollen attracted the attention of little critters. The buzzing of bees, chirping of birds and fluttering of butterfly wings was the only noise heard in the tranquil garden.
Impatient as he was, Bai Qingyue gave his subordinate a pointed look, urging him to hurry up.
For Bai Yu, it was a very uncomplicated procedure to meet his Lord's demands. Or so he thought.
Fox Spirits, and not to mention Celestial-Fox Gods, were masters of disguise. In fact, glamour and illusion was their area of expertise.
Shapeshifting into a fox cub? Simple!
Poof.
A cloud of smoke condensed only to quickly evaporate. From the haze emerged a young fox cub standing on all fours with one fluffy tail curled around him. The cub's pure white fur coat and big black eyes made him look especially cute. It would be nearly impossible to imagine that this fox cub was a big brawny, immortal soldier.
Bai Yu transformed according to Bai Qingyue's instructions, yet the Fox God was still unsatisfied.
With his delicate brows knitted in a frown, Bai Qingyue coldly reproached, "You don't look cute at all! Make your ears bigger."
"..." Bai Yu remained silent, looking like an abused puppy.
Wordlessly, he enlarged his ears.
What was the point of all this? The former captain of the guard couldn't help but think.
"Make your nose smaller. Are you trying to make me look ugly in front of my wife?" Said Bai Qingyue in reprimand.
Sire, you're so mean! Bai Yu thought to himself, feeling wronged!
He clutched his chest with a single paw as if to shield his small heart from the verbal assault. How could his Lord say he looked ugly so easily? Uwuuwuu...
Yet, despite his miserable mood, he followed his Lord's orders.
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Bai Qingyue narrowed his phoenix eyes and scrutinized Bai Yu's fox cub form. "Hmm… Still not enough. Make your eyes rounder. Remember to keep your irises shining gold at all times."
"..." The speechless subordinate once again, did as he was told.
Sire, is this a new type of torture to torment your servant?!
Bai Qingyue closed his eyes, pinching the space between his brows in aggravation. He sighed and said, "For now, this will do. I shall brief you on your newfound duties now, listen carefully."
Sighing in relief, Bai Yu gratefully sat back on his hind legs, keeping himself attentive to his Lord's instructions.
Bai Qingyue addressed the mission at hand with utmost seriousness, there was not an ounce of humour in his eyes as he spoke, but his words made no sense!
The more he heard, the more the subordinate's eyes widened in alarm.
Feeling his life was in jeopardy, Bai Yu felt anxious before he even started the mission!
Wasn't his Lord setting him up for a trap? One wrong move and he'll be chopped into pieces!
Attempting to properly assess the information he was given, Bai Yu contemplated his next course of actions. He had to disguise himself as his Fox Lord who disguised himself as a Fox Spirit named… Snowball? And meanwhile, his Lord would pretend to be a cultivator named Zhu Qingyue?!
And and and… all this was just to get his wife to fall in love with him?! Why is his lord even having so many issues, to begin with?! Everywhere his Lord went, ladies would willingly offer themselves to him!
Finally gathering his courage to ask his Lord a question, Bai Yu's first curious query was made, "Snowball, Sire?"
Bai Qingyue's eyes glowed with repressed energy, his hair levitating in the air, making him seem like a demon from the depths of hell. His hands clenched into fists, emphasizing his threat. "If you dare speak a word of this, you can forget about reproducing in this lifetime!"
Ouch!
Bai Yu frightfully crossed his paws to cover the endangered family jewels. He would most certainly not breathe a word of it!