How unlike that smelly rabbit, who gets whatever it wants; snacks, small eats, weaving flower bracelets—all uninterrupted along the way.

In a fit of pique, she bit down hard on the back of Baili An’s hand; her teeth were sharp, and in an instant, she bit through, blood gushing forth.

The woman was startled: "Oh dear, young master, could your dog have rabies? It’s one thing to scare children, but to even bite its own master."

The young child, who hadn’t been fully pacified, saw Shu Ci’s bleeding bite and immediately cried even louder.

Baili An’s brow furrowed even tighter. Seeing her so unreasonable and obstinate, a faint anger appeared in his eyes.

Afu Tu noticed that his hand was bitten and covered in blood; a coldness flashed deep within his scarlet eyes, but he resisted showing it.

Instead, he took a few small tomato candies from his paper packet, cupping them gently with his soft pink paw pads, and offered them to the child whose nose was bubbling with snot.

Children are naturally drawn to soft, gentle animals.

Seeing the snow-white, adorable little rabbit, so pure and harmless, engaging him with the little candy, he was immediately intrigued.

He momentarily forgot to cry, his big beady eyes looking at it, foolishly accepting the little candy.

Comparing the two, one was extremely pure and understanding, while the other had a terribly vile temper and refused to learn from mistakes.

The difference was stark and unmistakably blatant in quality.

Baili An, expressionless, removed Shu Ci’s canine teeth from his palm.

Then he fished out a few pieces of silver coin from his pocket and bought three small sugar figures to give to the woman.

The woman, not being mercenary, seeing her child appeased by the little rabbit with spiritual energy, didn’t make a fuss.

She politely refused Baili An’s silver coins and only took the sugar figures before taking her child to the night market.

Shu Ci watched eagerly as Baili An bought three small sugar figures and gave them to another person’s child.

A sharp, little knife seemed to carve slightly deep yet shallow in her heart, filling her with an inexplicable sense of grievance and sadness.

She couldn’t understand that she was experiencing jealousy over a child.

In her two-tailed form, her mind wasn’t as mature and strong as her young girl form, and tears quickly welled up in her eyes.

Prompting Shu Ci to feel an impulse to turn and walk away, never to care for him again.

But before she could fully decide whether to truly abandon him and leave, Baili An’s grip loosened, letting her fall to the ground.

Shu Ci’s heart felt empty; she blankly raised her large head.

Watching Baili An calmly bandage his bleeding hand.

For some reason, Shu Ci felt a bit panicked.

She hurriedly raised her paw, attempting to clutch Baili An’s pant leg, softly calling out twice.

But Baili An didn’t respond to her; instead, he walked away.

Shu Ci’s nails freshly cut, her paws could only brush against his fluttering clothes but couldn’t catch them as he walked away.

Watching his receding back, never looking back, Shu Ci stared blankly, momentarily forgetting to follow.

For some reason, more than Baili An’s angry words and reprimands telling her to leave.

She could brush those off, thick-skinned, and stick to him all the way.

Now, even though he hadn’t spoken harsh words, she felt as though she had truly become a small pet of his, inadvertently hurting its master, only to be heartlessly abandoned in the crowd.

Shu Ci’s chest tightened, heavy and poignant, like a bone stuck in her throat.

Her fox ears slowly drooping, fur downcast, her heart felt void and aimless.

...

...

After the incident, Baili An no longer had the heart to continue playing with Afu Tu.

He initially thought that the broad-chested fox only sought pleasure, was somewhat impatient,

but had no ill intentions and was different from other unreasonable demons.

Yet, on a closer look, her temper was not merely impatient; it was violent, barely tolerating even a small child.

Baili An wasn’t angry because Shu Ci bit him but because he clearly felt it.

That little demon had indeed harbored some intent to harm that small child.

If he continued to indulge her by keeping her around, her bad habits could hardly be corrected, breeding a spoiled, cold-blooded nature.

For now, it was best to leave her alone, let her reflect on her mistakes.

Avoiding the bustling capital night market, Baili An arrived at a remote and somewhat quiet tavern.

He pushed open the bamboo door, took down one of the seven lanterns hanging under the eaves in front of the tavern courtyard, and headed towards the main hall.

Stepping over the threshold, there weren’t many people drinking inside the tavern. Three individuals sat in each of the southeast corners, with a vat of freshly brewed floral fruit wine in front, sitting upright and not drinking.

They didn’t look like regular drinking patrons.

In the center of the tavern’s main hall sat a woman, pouring and drinking on her own. She wore a blue-gray gauze robe, her gestures unconsciously exuding the unique aristocratic air of Shifang City.

Her brows were gentle and cool, sitting quietly, with a willowy waist and dignified posture, her eyes clear like water.

Clearly, she was in such a small tavern, yet she did not exhibit any trace of mortal presence.

Her eyes glanced far towards Baili An, seemingly with deep meaning.

Baili An only felt an invisible cold wind blowing towards him, causing the wick of his green lamp to sputter and then extinguish.

The light within the tavern was somewhat dim. Baili An stopped, his face, cold, white, and handsome, hidden in the shadows, unclear to see.