It of course crossed her mind that he may have only said that to try and assist her case, however, continuous backstabs in this world had already made Li Meirong instinctually suspicious of any unusual behaviour and Zhu Qingyue was the epitome of strangeness!

Even if he was the Grandmaster's own son, she'd fight him for Snowball!

By the time Zhu Qingyue finished revealing his identity to everyone, Li Meirong was already long forgotten. In a fit of anger, she stormed outside.

Knowing she had to wait for Grandmaster Zhu Zhang's approval to depart, she chose to wait in the nearby courtyard for the attending disciples to disperse.

Tall trees cast their shadows and concealed the soft sun rays. The sound of trickling water dripping from a bamboo fountain had a relaxing effect on her. The courtyard's tranquil atmosphere had eased her stress somewhat.

She sat down on a stone bench and glanced at the building's entrance, watching all the disciples who hatefully accused her depart on their mounts with good moods, the very same people who were prepared to condemn her into damnation and execute her baby.

Bitterness welled up inside of her. Crazy hypocrites, all of them!

When she tried to plead with them, they were all ready to attack her at once!

She was glad to finally possess the means to defend herself. Perhaps accepting proper training wasn't such a bad idea, despite having been coerced into the training sessions. She wasn't strong enough to defend herself and her loved ones from these lunatics, so she might as well squeeze all the knowledge she could get and use it against them.

Suddenly, Li Meirong felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She spun around in trepidation and channelled her powers to her palms defensively.

It was Zhu Qingyue. He stood in front of her with his regal countenance, looking cool and collected as ever. Li Meirong narrowed her eyes suspiciously and leapt from the seat.

"Why did you run off?"

His baritone voice and dashing looks might have caused her to melt a few years ago, but she was no longer helpless nor naive, and most importantly not under the influence of an aphrodisiac.

"I simply needed a minute to calm down, Senior Zhu."

Zhu Qingyue nodded and went to sit on the opposite side of the stone bench, he motioned with his hand for her to join him. She hesitantly positioned herself on the bench in front of him. A matching stone table separated them. Zhu Qingyue remained expressionless, making it difficult for Li Meirong to discern his intentions. She could only assume he came looking for her with something specific in mind.

After a short stretch of awkward silence, a masculine voice inquired, "Regarding your Fox Spirit-"

Before Zhu Qingyue was able to finish, Li Meirong sharply interrupted his speech.

"Snowball is mine. No matter what, you can't have him!" She thumped her small fist on the table and gave Zhu Qingyue a fiery glare.

I knew he was aiming for Snowball! The Fox Spirit was simply too eye-catching for people to leave him be! She had to find a way to hide her young fox, maybe leave him in her personal dimension...

Bai Qingyue's long eyelashes fluttered, shrugging helplessly at her adorable antics.

He had never felt more bewildered in his life. His heart beat faster from finally standing in front of Li Meirong as his real self, warmth was seeping all over him after listening to her assertive claim over him, and yet… why did it seem as though she looked at him with the eyes of a woman facing a dreaded enemy?!

He just couldn't make sense of this woman!

Nevertheless, the Fox God feigned nonchalance and leaned back to appear more relaxed.

The corners of his lips faintly curved upwards, "Don't fret. I only said that to shoulder the blame from you. Snowball is yours." And you are mine, he continued to himself.

His attempt at reassurance didn't seem to provide the desired effect. She kept her guard up and observed him still, distrusting.