The elegant old man smiled.
"Shangqing, next time you want to pet a small animal, take it slowly."
"Don't scare them."
"Otherwise, they might attack you."
The elegant old man spoke with a hint of earnest concern.
"See? You were just attacked, weren't you?"
"Luckily, you weren't hurt."
"It couldn't hurt me."
Shangqing said coolly.
Being attacked by a fox was already unexpected.
If he let a fox hurt him, that would be far too embarrassing.
The elegant old man paused in surprise.
Then he smiled wryly to himself.
This child...
Why get so competitive about something like this?
He really was still a child.
Today, Shangqing had finally shown the elegant old man a few traits that suited his age.
A hint of amusement flickered in the old man's eyes.
Did he not want to admit that he had almost been hurt by a fox?
He had always known.
Shangqing was a proud child.
He admired and liked that pride in Shangqing.
Pride wasn't conceit.
It meant having a clear understanding of oneself and full confidence in one's abilities.
The pride Shangqing showed now struck him as adorable.
"Mm."
The elegant old man went along with what Shangqing had said.
"It couldn't hurt you."
The old man's eyes were full of amusement.
"But you like it and want to get closer to it, don't you?"
"That has little to do with whether it can hurt you."
"After all, you're not trying to fight it."
Shangqing Boy: ...
"I'm not going to fight it."
Why would he fight a fox?
The smile in the elegant old man's eyes deepened.
At that moment, Shangqing looked to him like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Mm."
"Of course I know Shangqing wouldn't fight the little fox."