The morning glow painted Greenhill Mansion.
In the courtyard, vibrant colors painted a picturesque scene, while the stream outside babbled pleasantly.
The small garden housed hundreds of flowers with differing bloom tis and preferences, yet they all blood simultaneously. This was attributed to the array enveloping the mansion, the hard work of the grass spirits and flower elves, as well as the various magical potions concocted by the fox girls.
Zheng Qing sat on the steps, looking at the spring colors filling the garden, but he felt little vitality and energy—only an exhaustion of the mind.
Behind him, Poseidon sat on the wide windowsill, holding a book much larger than her: "Classical Spells and Charms Studies." She swayed her head, mumbling sleepily, yet, for Zheng Qing, the only thing that stood out from the little fox’s study was the constant muttering of "so tired" and "so tired" filled with resentnt.
A tall figure stepped into the room, threading through the morning light and the colors of spring, amid the little fox’s droning morning study. Zheng Qing sprang to his feet, but Poseidon was faster, appearing like a white streak of lightning, darting past the warlock into the witch’s arms, whimpering grievances.
"How strange!"
Su Shijun removed her cloak and handed it to Su Man, holding the little fox’s front legs to study every strand of her fur with curiosity: "You used to love being with your dad, right? It’s only been a few days, and now you’re complaining to ?"
The nurous words Zheng Qing had prepared were defeated by the casual ntion of ’dad’ from the witch, and his courage deflated like a punctured ball.
Three days had passed since the Wandering Bar was wrecked.
This was the first ti Su Shijun returned to Greenhill Mansion after three days.
It was already the 28th of the twelfth month; in two days, it would be the New Year’s Eve. Zheng Qing once thought she was taken away by people from Danghag or the Great Wizard Conference because of the conflict at the Wandering Bar.
On the day Su Shijun didn’t return, the warlock floundered from place to place like a headless fly—from San You Bookstore to the school’s office building to the Two-Dinsional Evolution Lab, and then to Sakura Pub, Trident Sword, and Danghag’s headquarters—searching for every wizard he knew to inquire but found nothing.
Until that evening, dragging his weary body back to the mansion, Su Man casually inford him that the lady’s experint had reached a critical stage, she might stay an extra two days in the lab, and he shouldn’t worry.
"I went to the Two-Dinsional Evolution Lab, but I didn’t see you."
Zheng Qing followed behind the witch holding the little fox, almost reaching the study before finding a trace of courage in his deflated self.
Su Shijun shook her head, elegantly arranging her long hair into a simple bun.
"The Two-Dinsional Lab is very large; you only visited a small section, so it’s normal not to find ." She kicked off her high heels in the living room, walking barefoot on the carpet. Her voice was a bit languid, indicating the past few days had drained much of her energy, but she still held interest as she asked: "But you... what did you do to Dong Dong? She doesn’t seem to interact with you at all."
Upon hearing her na, Poseidon let out a peeved hum, burying her head in Su Shijun’s bosom, curling her tail and shrinking into a bundle appearing deeply aggrieved.
This issue troubled Zheng Qing.
"Nothing special!"
The warlock appeared helpless: "I rely followed your schedule, supervised her studies, ensuring she slept on ti... Sister Su Man handled all her necessities... When she wanted to sneak out to play, I stopped her."
"She hasn’t snuck out at all in these days?" Su Shijun halted, casting a surprised glance at Zheng Qing. Poseidon continued to murmur complaints in her ear.
"Keep a tight watch and she can’t get out, right?" Zheng Qing seed puzzled.
"Tsk."
The witch turned, lifting the little fox high with a teasing face: "Now you know who’s better for you, right? Next ti you’re disobedient, I’ll hand you over to your dad’s discipline!"
Zheng Qing once again found himself breathless under that term.
"Wait, did you get a dog to guard her?" Su Shijun turned her head again, looking at Zheng Qing amused, while the little fox peeked over her shoulder, glaring at the boy irritably.
"Dog?"
Zheng Qing seed montarily confused before realization dawned: "Oh, Furry Bean... I’m just afraid she’ll run off and get lost, so I found a, uh, companion, yes, a companion for Dong Dong... Furry Bean has Miskatonic blood, not an ordinary dog..."
He surveyed the surroundings, soon finding the gray-skinned dog curled up in a unnoticed corner, keeping a small eye on Poseidon, nodding slightly.
Following his gaze, Su Shijun looked at the dog.
"Is it neutered?" She abruptly asked.
Before Zheng Qing could respond, Furry Bean cried a terrible ow, tucking its tail and vanished into the wall corner.
Then Zheng Qing realized the situation, feeling awkward: "Furry Bean is still young and well-behaved... Dong Dong bullying it would be bad enough... Don’t scare it."
"I was just saying... being a protector for a Qingqiu Family daughter isn’t simple." With that, Su Shijun passed the little fox to Su Man beside her, instructing: "Let Su Ya take her for a stroll... staying at ho could make her depressed."
The little fox’s eyes brightened, her fur puffed out like a blooming dandelion, lightening the mood with her re presence.
"You didn’t say that before." Zheng Qing muttered quietly as he watched the little fox prance away.
"A balance between tension and relaxation, essence of labor and leisure; balance of leniency and severity, parental way." With no one around, the witch collapsed lazily behind the wide study desk, removed her glasses, and sighed contently: "The schedule was demanding, Dong Dong achieving seventy to eighty percent is admirable... I thought you’d relax things, knowing you treat her leniently, this would be appropriate... didn’t expect you’d suddenly turn into a strict father..."
Zheng Qing couldn’t stand hearing that word.
Especially, now with the witch removing her glasses, every gesture was entrancing, leaving him defenseless.
He had to quietly bite his tongue, loudly coughing to shift the topic, awkwardly asking: "Um, the other day, at the Wandering Bar... Did you get hurt?"
The witch attempted to whistle—one could tell she wasn’t good at it.
"Do you want to co over and check?" She draped her legs over the desk, the loose skirt cascading down, revealing a section of white ankle and jade-like skin.
Zheng Qing instinctively took two steps back, appearing ready to flee at any mont.
"What a coward."
The Greenhill Mansion’s owner pouted, swiftly pulling back her feet, putting her glasses back on, returning to her usual poised and gentle deanor, though the blush on her face indicated she wasn’t much braver than him.
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