The rest of the day passed uneventfully for Li Meirong - just the way she liked it. There were no strange guests suddenly appearing from nowhere, and no overbearing lord causing her heart to palpitate with nerves or, more often than not, burst into a fit of anger.
Snowball stayed unusually close to her the entire time, seemingly attached at the hip. As the sun began to fall from the sky, the fox spirit nestled himself in her arms with a contented sigh, preparing his sleeping arrangements early on.
Once every so often, Li Meirong had found herself glancing at the door, wondering if the silver haired Senior would suddenly make another one of his dramatic entrances, as he tended to do. But, just as the twin maids had announced, Zhu Qingyue was occupied with the duties that he had to attend to, and hadn’t shown up even once throughout the entire day.
Whatever Zhu Qingyue had to do when she wasn’t around, Li Meirong had no clue. He never once spoke of his position or his duties.
Now that Li Meirong had the time to think things over, there was very little that she truly knew about Zhu Qingyue...
The man always kept an air of mystery about him, as if surrounded by an invisible veil of mist that none could penetrate. On those rare occasions when she did question him about his position and obligations, Zhu Qingyue always seemed to successfully evade providing direct answers.
Li Meirong sat on the edge of the bed and slowly stroked Snowball’s fur as Xiao An Fei lit several wax candles. The already cozy atmosphere became ever warmer and more inviting.
"This servant must admit that at first, this shabby house did not seem all that appealing. It is a little too small for what I’m used to, but I am beginning to see the charm hidden within it," Xiao An Fei stated as she finished lighting the final candle.
Li Meirong was so deep in thought it took her several moments to respond. "I don’t need a big house to be satisfied. This is good enough for me. When a house is small, everybody can gather together as a family should. When you live in a big house, everybody might live together, and yet still rarely find time to interact with each other."
Xiao An Fei crossed her arms together as she contemplated Li Meirong’s words. A great pity for Her Ladyship suddenly welled in her. ’So the reason My Lady collects spirit beasts is to compensate for her lack of family relations...’
Truth be told, Xiao An Fei had never remained on her own, so she could not easily identify with Li Meirong’s feelings. From the moment the fox goddess had left her mother’s womb, she had had a companion at her side: her twin sister. She might not have always gotten along with Xiao An Hua, but living all these centuries without her sister might have been a very bitter way to spend her immortality.
Loneliness was a terrible plague from which many immortals in the Heavenly realm suffered. The immortals who spent their lives cultivating had found ways to let go of attachments, and some even emotions. But even the strongest and wisest of cultivators had a breaking point.
It was not unheard of for some primordial deities to lose their minds and succumb to spiritual corruption after living in solitude since time immemorial. It was no wonder that only so few of those ancient deities had managed to survive to this day.
The bells attached to Xiao An Fei’s hair buns jingled faintly as she went to sit behind Li Meirong, holding a fine toothed comb in hand.
Xiao An Fei took a handful of Li Meirong’s locks in one palm and slowly began to comb the tips. She gave Bai Qingyue, who disguised himself as a small fox cub, a short knowing look, and said, "Rest assured, My Lady, I do not think you will be left alone, even if you were to wish for it."
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