"—Oh? Just wait and see? See what? A pristine copy of Fox Tail Omenology?"
Zheng Qing raised an eyebrow and looked at the Little Fox Girl before him with a half-smile. With a casual beckoning gesture, a thick, ancient hardcover book flew from the deepest shelf in the bookstore with a faint whistle through the air, landing steadily in his palm. Its cover was stamped with mysterious star charts and fox-tail patterns.
He waved the book before Su Ya's eyes.
The gilded title on the cover, Star Divination and Fox Tail Omenology, was clearly visible.
"—Ah!"
The Little Fox Girl's eyes instantly widened as she cried out in shock!
The little ears she had just hidden popped back out with a "poof," trembling nervously amid her hair. Fortunately, her tail had been tied on tightly enough this time. It merely wriggled uneasily beneath her skirt instead of falling off again, barely preserving the last shred of Qingqiu Mansion's dignity.
As though she had spotted a lifeline, she lunged for it and shouted, "—How do you have that book? Give it to me! It belongs to our Qingqiu clan!"
Zheng Qing chuckled.
"—My bookstore has every kind of book. Never mind books Qingqiu already possesses—even books the Qingqiu clan has yet to compile, I can find them here."
As he spoke, he flicked his wrist and easily avoided Su Ya's little paw.
"—Let's make a deal."
The young Legendary Wizard leaned down slightly toward the anxious yet guilty Little Fox Maid. Raising a slender finger, he wagged it before her eyes and smiled warmly. "As for this book, I'll give it to you. For free... In return, once you leave, keep that little mouth of yours under control. Don't go spreading baseless rumors everywhere... No more 'fox talk gone wild'!"
After