The pet store that Shang Shujue thought was nearby was actually 80 kilometers away from him. He got lost after going down the mountain and strayed from the gathering place of the Qingqiu Fox after they integrated into human society, and ended up in a more human-dominated area.
There's a highly skilled old Daoist priest overseeing this place, Fox of Qingqiu don't want to cause trouble, so almost no Fox come here to live and thrive. There's a reason why Shang Shujue has been wandering here for three months without finding any trace of his own kind.
Because his spiritual power was sealed, he looked like an innocent wild Fox who had accidentally wandered into a human settlement, and the old Daoist priest who was in charge here wouldn't bother with him at all.
Moreover, even if his spiritual power wasn't sealed, the old Daoist wouldn't do anything to him based on the faint golden light emanating from his body.
He is neither a harmful demon nor a bloodthirsty monster. He radiates golden light of merit and carries the fortune of the Heavenly Dao. Unless the old Daoist priest wants to ascend to heaven on the spot and apologize to the Heavenly Dao, he would be crazy to provoke him.
So Shang Shujue wandered around the city center where he was stationed, and he turned a blind eye, pretending not to see it. Some karma is truly best left untouched.
So when he sensed the plea for help that Shang Shujue sent out, he hesitated for a moment, but still stepped in to help and sent him to the Qingqiu Fox Clan's gathering place.
So, after searching for Shang Shujue for more than three months, the Qingqiu clan finally obtained information about Shang Shujue at the pet shop run by Xuan Ling, a member of the clan.
At that moment, Xuan Ling was blow-drying the fur of a kitten in the pet shop. He was handsome, had a good personality, and was gentle. The young ladies and gentlemen in the neighborhood all liked to come to him to have their pets bathed.
The usually mischievous little ones are always very well-behaved in front of him, which makes things much easier for them, and Xuan Ling himself is very happy with his work.
Lately, a strange human has been coming into the store. He always looks heartbroken, which is really puzzling.
However, he didn't delve into one point: he came down the mountain to open this shop not because he truly enjoyed staying in the human world, but to find Shang Shujue. The little guy got lost the first time he went down the mountain and hasn't been found yet, which terrifies his clan.
"It's already washed, do you want to keep it on?"
Xuan Ling suppressed his worries, handed the last pet to its owner, who blushed, shook his head, paid, and left with the cat carrier.
Xuan Ling took off his gloves and was about to close the shop and use magic to clean up the fur inside when he suddenly sensed a familiar spiritual energy.
He suddenly looked up, and a red Butterfly appeared before him. In an instant, it transformed into a string of light and flowed into his mind, making the message and plea for help from Shang Shujue clear.
"It's Xiao Jue! He used to be in G City!"
Xuan Ling shared the good news with the clan leader and the clansmen who were searching for Shang Shujue elsewhere. Then, he casually snapped his fingers, and the room instantly became spotless.
He closed the shop and headed towards the destination Shang Shujue had mentioned. Not daring to be too reckless in the human world, he drove an SUV onto the highway and headed towards G City...
When Shang Shujue woke up, he was so hungry that his stomach was practically sticking to his back. He opened his eyes groggily and saw Song Yanqing's handsome face almost touching his own.
He was startled and moved away a little, then realized who he was, and stuck back on him in a sticky manner.
He didn't know why, but seeing Song Yanqing, he inexplicably felt a good liking for him and inexplicably wanted to get close to him. This person had a fatal attraction for him.
Just as Shang Shujue was wondering whether to wake Song Yanqing, he sensed the presence of his clansman. He paused in his actions, then jumped out of bed and rushed to the window, where he indeed saw his familiar relative— Xuan Ling.
"Waaaaah..." Ahhh, Xuan Ling, you've finally arrived! These past three months have been so miserable!
The Little Fox opened the window, nuzzled Xuan Ling's hand with its nose, and kept nuzzling him, so excited that it wanted to jump out of the window immediately, but the window had a security grille and it couldn't get out.
" Xiao Jue, I've finally found you! This place belongs to an old Daoist priest. None of our businesses are here. How did you end up here, all confused?"
"Waaaaah..." My magic was sealed, and I got separated from A Hu, and then I... blah blah blah...
Xuan Ling breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Shang Shujue's magic was only sealed and he was not harmed at all. Hearing him sob as he recounted his ordeal, he gently rubbed his head with his fingers, feeling extremely sorry for him.
"You've suffered. Come out and come with me."
"Waaah..." Shall we leave now?
When Shang Shujue heard Xuan Ling tell him to leave, his joy at seeing his family vanished instantly. He hesitated, took two steps back, and unconsciously glanced at the bedroom behind him before turning back to look at Xuan Ling and whimpering.
"Waaah..." Can you stay a few more days?
Xuan Ling paused slightly upon hearing Shang Shujue's words, his brows furrowing, but he still asked gently, "Are you going to live with that human? Why?"
Shang Shujue didn't know why, but he always felt that if he left now, the two of them would never have any contact again, and the clan leader would definitely not let him go down the mountain again.
But he couldn't say those words, so he could only look at Xuan Ling with wet eyes, not making a fuss, but very persistent. Xuan Ling felt a bit of a headache seeing this.
"If you like him, I'll help you take him back to Qingqiu so he can be your playmate. When you get tired of him, I'll send him down the mountain. How about that?"
"..."
Shang Shujue stared at Xuan Ling in shock, and it took him a long time to come to his senses. He immediately shook his head, and just as he was about to say something more, he was picked up and heard the man's deep, hoarse voice after he had just woken up.
"Who are you? What did you just say about Qingqiu...?"
Shang Shujue: We're doomed! We've been found out!