What was Meixue's goal? Did she want to take Rong Yi for herself, or was she after the Moon's Guidance? If she wanted either of those, why not just rescue Rong Yi directly? Why go through the trouble of deceiving me and getting me admitted to the hospital? What benefit could that possibly bring her?
Seeing the girl's dazed expression and sluggish reactions, Rong Yi's heart ached. He pulled her tightly into his arms and murmured, "Qiqi, oh, you're really something... so foolish..."
Am I foolish? Maybe a little.
Qiqi didn't resist. Instead, she slowly turned her head to look around—good, she was back in her own home, lying on the big bed in her bedroom. So, she was saved?
She remembered her last moments, crawling through a deep, dark tunnel, only to be kicked by someone—what was that about? Had that Nurse Xu let her go?
The girl struggled to think, but the Wolf King grabbed her and shook her again. "Qiqi, are you even listening to me?"
Qiqi nodded. "Rong Yi, how did I get home? Where's Meixue?"
Rong Yi froze. "Meixue?"
"The red fox. Meixue is her name."
If Qiqi hadn't brought it up, it might have been fine, but mentioning her only ignited Rong Yi's fury. His eyes flashed with two beams of green light, and he gritted his teeth. "That damned fox dared to hurt you. I've already destroyed her."
"Huh?" Qiqi's mouth fell open. Destroyed? No way... A beauty like that, what a waste to die.
She scolded him, "Rong Yi, how can you be so reckless with life? She may be a fox, but she worked hard to cultivate for five hundred years, barely managing to take human form. You always said she was a good fox who wouldn't harm anyone. How could you kill her?"
Rong Yi's eyes turned fierce. "She made you suffer in that hospital. She deserves to die."
Qiqi's head suddenly felt twice its size. "Even so, you could have punished her harshly without going straight to a death sentence. She was still a life, after all."
Rong Yi replied, "Then how would you punish her? A thunderbolt from the sky or burning flames? Pick one for her."
Qiqi's eyes lit up. "She's not dead?"
Rong Yi said, "She tricked you into the hospital to use you as a hostage, forcing me to tell her how to activate the Moon's Guidance. I was frantic and couldn't find you, so I told her."
"And then?"
"Then she followed my instructions, used her own soul to make an exchange with the Moon's Guidance, and I went to save you."
"What? That works? Didn't you say the Moon's Guidance is a wolf clan heirloom, unopenable by anyone outside the royal family?" Qiqi was stunned.
Rong Yi nodded. "That's right. But she didn't ask, so I didn't say. Anyway, I went to the mental hospital, found you, and brought you home. As for her, I reckon she's probably turned to ash by now."
"Ah—" Qiqi's eyes widened. "Turned to ash?"
Rong Yi's phoenix eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint in them. "Yes. The Moon's Guidance is a wolf clan heirloom. How could a mere little fox spirit covet it? She used her soul to awaken the jade, but the jade wouldn't trade with her—there's no contract between them. So now, she's likely been devoured by the Moon's Guidance."
He pulled a jade pendant from his pocket and held it out to Qiqi. "Here. She's inside it now."