Chapter 221 - Su Daji's Choice (2)
Chapter 221 - Su Daji's Choice (2)
Chapter 221 – Su Daji’s Choice (2)
The next moment Su Daji opened her eyes, Jiang Mo had already left with a special group from his troop formed to find other traces that would lead to the ninth prince. She turned her head and noticed that the sun was already high in the sky. The white fox was also seated next to her, looking at the young woman with a blank expression on her face.
"You must have gotten bored, looking after me. Thanking the great white fox for staying by my side," she politely spoke to the wild fox, who only cocked her head on one side. She wondered if the young woman managed to free herself from the black magic's hallucination.
For the past few days that Su Daji was burning with fever, the fox could scent black magic emitting from her body. Unless the human had a strong spiritual awareness, it would be hard for the common ones to sense that black magic affecting the young woman.
Bai Ting, one of her maidservants, entered her tent. The maidservant then gasped when she saw that Su Daji was awake and seated on her bed, her color looking healthier compared to the past days when she was sick.
"Miss!" She hurriedly went and checked on Su Daji's complexion.
"Bai Ting, I'm hungry. Can you please bring me something to eat?" Su Daji smiled at her.
"Also, is it possible for you to draw me a bath?" She asked again, although she knew that it would be hard for her maidservants to collect water from where they were.
"Leave it to me, Miss! I would make sure to prepare your meal and bath in no time," Bai Ting said before she hurriedly left to find the other maidservants to help her prepare Su Daji's requests.
Su Daji waited and enjoyed the momentary peace she was given, while the fox used her spatial awareness spell to sense if there was danger lurking nearby.
With Jiang Mo gone from the camp, there might be a chance that enemies would infiltrate and cause trouble to everyone. It was a usual tactic that the fox had witnessed in her long life, and some humans were starting to become predictable to her.
As for Su Daji, the fox could sense that it was only a matter of time for the young lady. Soon, she would make a decision that would affect not only her life but those of everyone around her.
"He only wanted to own me because of the face I have," Su Daji said in a low voice. "You know, sometimes, I wish that I wasn't born too beautiful by human standards. No one takes my words seriously. Everyone thinks that I am merely trying to get their attention, especially young men."
Whenever she was upset, she would impart her feelings to the white fox, knowing that it wouldn't change anything. However, she noticed that the beast accompanying her was a smart one.
Even now, as the white fox scoffed from her words, Su Daji wondered how much this great white fox was able to understand from her.
"If you didn't come to save me that day, I'm not sure what could have happened to me. So, allow me to thank you again for saving my life. I cannot thank you enough for all the things you've done for me ever since we've met. You don't need to stay with me after you repay the favor I did for you the first time, but I'm really glad that you are here with me."
The young woman then beamed a smile to the white fox, one that could be as bright as the sun outside.
The fox stared and wondered if she could get rid of the black magic that was coming from Su Daji's neck.
'You don't need to thank me,' the fox thought, but the young lady heard it somehow.
Su Daji's eyes widened in shock. Even the fox stared blankly at the young woman as she realized that the young woman managed to hear what she had just said.
"Y-you can speak?" Su Daji asked once she recovered from her shock. They had been together for over a year now, and this was the first time she heard the fox reply to her.
The white fox cocked her head on one side and looked at Su Daji.
'No, but it seems you can hear my inner thoughts now,' the fox replied through telepathy. She made a mental note to remind herself to be careful with her thoughts whenever Su Daji was with her.
"Ah! Then, how come I can hear you now? I was right. You really are a smart one, great fox." The young lady smiled again as if she wasn't bothered that she was now talking to a huge white fox that she knew for some time now.
"And you have these amazing marks on your body. How come I wasn't able to see it before?" She asked.
Red marks had appeared on the white fox's limbs, and its eyes seemed to be sharper and more menacing at the same time.
The fox didn't reply, but she supposed that the black magic had somewhat allowed Su Daji to be sensitive to the spiritual presence around her. Moreover, because the fox was the closest to her, she had managed to connect with the beast. Su Daji could also see her demonic markings that no other humans were able to see.
Or it could be that being subjected to black magic had opened her ability to see and connect with the world of the unknown to the humans like her.
Wait. This could also mean that Su Daji had become susceptible to other demons like the fox. It would be dangerous for Su Daji to leave the fox's side and venture on her own like the last time. Who knew what could happen if she encountered a powerful demon that might take a liking to her?
It was already problematic that she had managed to pique the ninth prince's attention. Su Daji shouldn't add more by attracting the other demons nearby.
"What are you?"
"I'm a fox spirit." The fox didn't dare to lie about her origin.
"A fox spirit? Wouldn't that mean you're a demon?"
Su Daji had read a lot about demons and malevolent spirits during her free time at the academy. It made her wonder if spirits, such as the fox, really did exist. Now that she was facing one, she was happy to know that she was acquainted with it.
"Then, do you have a name, great fox? I wonder if demons like you also have a name like humans."
"Of course, we do, but a demon's name is as important as its life. For a human to know or utter our name means we are putting our lives at stake." The fox scoffed, refusing to give her name to the young lady.
"But… it's only a name. Why would you put so much significance to it?" Su Daji argued.
Since she was now able to talk with her odd friend, she wanted to know how the fox viewed her as a human.
"A name is your identity. When you were born into the world, your parents would immediately bestow you one, but that isn't the case for demons like us. It would take at least a century before we became conscious of our surroundings, and that could be compared to a babe who just only learned how to walk and talk. Our name is our life, and whoever human has knowledge of it… we are bound to them for eternity."
"That sounds so complicated. What should I call you, then?" Su Daji asked.
"Whatever you like. It doesn't matter." The fox replied, "However, since you are able to see me and talk to me like this, it also means you are prone to see others, even by accident. I have to warn you, demons are selfish and vindictive in nature. When you encounter one, you should pretend not to see nor hear it. Else, you would only attract death on your door."
Su Daji fell silent at that. The fox had just dropped a massive amount of information on her that she was still trying to comprehend. She briefly wondered if she was hallucinating or dreaming and that none of this was happening.
"…so other demons would also try to seek me now? What should I do? Except for you, I don't want to have anything to do with them. I want to lead a peaceful life. Would it be too much to ask?" She spoke after a long silence between them.
"The ninth prince has cursed you. This might be the side effect of that."
Su Daji turned her attention back to the fox, looking at her in disbelief.
"What did you say? Prince Rui cursed me?" Her normal complexion blanched upon the realization that she couldn't easily avoid the man, after all.