NOVEL WEB
Chapter 166
Pei Chiyao suddenly raised his gaze, but it was too late.
The white silhouette had already vanished. However, a small footprint was left on the ground, almost the same size as Zhi Yao's.
The two glanced at each other, and Zhi Yao suddenly said, "Ah, I remember now, I've been here before!"
Those romantic novels she saw were bought here!
Back then, Zhi Yao was not very skilled at transforming into human form, and could only maintain it for half an hour. She would run to the town in her fox form, then change into a human to buy things.
"Could it be? Could that have been me just now?"
As she spoke, Zhi Yao dashed out swiftly, suddenly longing to see her adorable younger self!
Pei Chiyao watched the scurrying little girl helplessly. With Zhi Yao's speed, one might think she was going to meet her lover, little knowing this silly girl was going to find herself.
Zhi Yao's nose was sensitive. The lingering scent from the white silhouette had not completely dissipated, so she followed the trail.
However, her former self ran surprisingly fast, dashing from one end to the other, leaving Zhi Yao nearly exhausted from the chase.
She didn't even notice that she had become separated from Pei Chiyao.
The little girl wiped the sweat from her face, panting, "Darn it, when I catch that little fox cub, I'll teach it a good lesson!"
Obviously, she had completely forgotten that the "fox cub" she referred to was herself.
Just as Zhi Yao was about to stop, another white blur flashed before her eyes, accompanied by a stronger scent. Her energy instantly renewed, she eagerly followed the trail.
Finally...
She saw the white figure crouching behind a stall, stealing buns!
"Shameless!"
The little girl gritted her teeth and ran over. As the figure was focused on devouring the bun, she grabbed its ear, "Got you at last! You run so fast!"
It was then that Zhi Yao realized something was amiss.
"Wait, this ear is too long...!"
She looked closely, only to find that the white figure in her grasp was not a fox, but a rabbit!
What was going on?!
The rabbit leisurely finished the last bite of the bun before lazily looking at Zhi Yao, speaking in a voice only they could hear, "Why are you chasing me? Never seen a rabbit eat meat buns before?"
Zhi Yao: "..."
It was clearly a rabbit spirit.
The rabbit spirit bared its huge buck teeth at Zhi Yao, making her uneasy. She instinctively let go, and the rabbit spirit seized the chance to scamper away in a flash.
Zhi Yao finally came to her senses and wanted to find Pei Chiyao, but the bustling crowd had obscured him from view.
She suddenly realized that she had become separated from Pei Chiyao!
Although Xuanling Town was just a town, it was quite large. Zhi Yao, being a poor navigator, had no idea how to find Pei Chiyao now.
The little girl was at a loss as to what to do.
Then she remembered what her mother had told her - if she ever got lost, she should stay put, and her mother would come find her.
Thinking this over, it made sense. Perhaps Pei Chiyao was searching for her right now.
Zhi Yao quietly found a spot to sit down.
But she sat there from sunrise to sunset, becoming so hungry that she could no longer sit still.
Just as she was about to get up and walk around, someone suddenly tapped her on the back. Zhi Yao turned around excitedly, saying, "Pei Chiyao! You're finally here! Do you know how long I've been waiting for you..."
The rest of her words stuck in her throat.
For the person who came was not Pei Chiyao.
It was Ji Qingpei.
The little girl stared at the man in disbelief, "You... you..."
She took two steps back, her mind filled with the bloodthirsty image of Ji Qingpei massacring people in the Ji family ancestral hall, and she couldn't help but feel afraid.
"Yao Yao, you've snuck out again?"
Ji Qingpei looked at Zhi Yao helplessly, "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"
Zhi Yao stared blankly at Ji Qingpei.
Why did Ji Qingpei know her name? And why was he looking for her?
This was too strange.
As Zhi Yao remained silent, Ji Qingpei finally noticed her outfit - she was still wearing the short dress from earlier, which stood out from the locals. However, Xuanling Town was a rather open place, where many young women liked to wear high-slit cheongsams to show off their sexy legs, so Zhi Yao's short dress didn't attract too much attention.
Still, it was the first time Ji Qingpei had seen Zhi Yao dressed like this, and he couldn't help but be dazzled. After a moment, Zhi Yao noticed that... Ji Qingpei's face also seemed flushed, though she may have been mistaken.
"Yao Yao, come with me. It's dangerous out here."
He reached out to take Zhi Yao's hand, but she instinctively swatted it away. "Don't touch me."
She took two more steps back, eyeing Ji Qingpei warily. "I'm not going with you."
She still had to wait for Pei Chiyao here.
But Ji Qingpei's expression remained unchanged, used to Zhi Yao's temper. "I bought a lot of candied fruit for you at the Fox Den. Don't you want some? Let's go back, okay?"
He patiently coaxed her like a child throwing a tantrum.
His demeanor was eerily similar to Pei Chiyao's at that moment, and it was then that Zhi Yao finally found a resemblance between the two men.
Could it be... that Ji Qingpei was Pei Chiyao?!
Zhi Yao was startled by her own guess, her fur nearly standing on end.
"You... you..."
She stared at Ji Qingpei in disbelief, unable to utter a word.
However, Ji Qingpei suddenly sighed, his expression changing as his previously gentle tone hardened, "So you've figured it out."
"Since that's the case..." He narrowed his eyes, his gaze unfathomable. "It was my mistake, I accidentally got your plush toy dirty. You can punish me however you wish, but... can we go back first?"
He carefully picked up the plush toy that had fallen to the ground and gathered some dust, holding it out in front of Zhi Yao.