Bai Qingyue's golden eyes turned frosty as he glared at Li Meirong. With his powers now restored, the temperature around him immediately plummeted alongside his frustrated mood. The air closest to him was cold as a blizzard.
Li Meirong's peach blossom eyes shone with determination as she stood her ground. The only sign of her nervousness was that her feet shifted, unconsciously and instinctually backing away from danger.
Somehow, Bai Qingyue was even angrier with himself for finding the damned girl breathtaking even when rebelling against him. He was her lord and husband, and she dared to go against him!
The urge rose in him to turn her over his knee and give her a spanking, and he enjoyed the idea in more than one way.
Bai Zhang sighed in exasperation as he brought a hand to his forehead. If he did not help the younger generation, the Bai Clan's Sovereign Lord may never receive the blessing of children!
He patted his angered son on the shoulder, hoping that the boy would grasp hold of his senses before he made his little wife run away.
Bai Zhang quickly formulated a new ploy, one which would ensure Li Meirong's captivity. His daughter-in-law's arrogance had been growing due to the control she had gained over her 'new' powers, and she thought she could survive outside on her own. All he had to do was threaten her into obedience.
"Miss Meirong, if you choose to leave the sect, the decision will be up to you, but do take note. You must first strip yourself of all cultivation you have acquired during your days as a disciple, and return to being a common mortal," the Grandmaster said, informing her of the rules of the sect.
Li Meirong's resolved wavered at his words. If she had not made her breakthrough with the blue flames, if this were before the struggle she had had inside her dimension, she wouldn't hesitate to leave. But after all the hardships she'd been through, and knowing that Sheng Jing Wu still lurked in the shadows, Li Meirong couldn't bring herself to irrationally depart.
She had to think carefully on the matter. After all, she only had herself to depend upon in this world, and she had three others who relied on her! Li Meirong couldn't afford to be weak when she had Chou, Snowball, and Feng Huang depending on her.
Bai Zhang's lips curved upwards at the edges, twitching into a knowing smile. He had her.
"If you choose to stay," Zhu Zhang continued, "then you must partake in the sect's traditions, and practise martial arts for the sake of the tournament. I shall take you as a personal disciple and assist you with the teachings."
Unbeknownst to Li Meirong, Bai Qingyue's internal blizzard had reduced to a tropical breeze with his father's words. He nodded to Bai Zhang in a gesture of approval and gratitude.
Li Meirong blinked in surprise, unable to understand why she was suddenly given so many opportunities to progress in the sect. Were flaming arrows and blue flame shields really that impressive to Grandmaster cultivators?
She focused back on the matter at hand, and sulkily admitted defeat.
"I'll abide by the sect's rules and traditions. If you'll excuse me, I have to go retrieve my fox spirit."
"Very well. You may leave," said Grandmaster Zhu Zhang, waving a hand in dismissal.
Li Meirong took off as if the devil was chasing her, as soon as she received the approval to depart. She didn't spare a single glance more at her superiors.
For a moment there, she had felt as though she was in modern times in the setting of a romance novel. The insignificant employee of a successful company, finally meeting the second-generation CEO and his old-fashioned, arrogant father, after having an accidental one-night-stand with the CEO.
Those plots always ended up with the girl suffering abuse throughout the story. Nope, no thanks!
She had to avoid the Zhus like the plague from now on!
The sight of Snowball perched near the outer pavilion caught her eyes as soon as she rushed outside.
Why did the silly fox take so long?!
"Snowball! I was mad with worry! Next time, you should wait for me to return before you leave," she scolded the fox cub.
He looked almost pitifully sad, his pupils wide and ears low. He was staying unusually quiet, and Li Meirong wondered if she was being too harsh on him. He was only an innocent little baby fox, and it was her responsibility to teach him right from wrong.
She gave an exhausted sigh and lifted the kit up into her embrace.
"Just don't do it again, alright? I was really worried about you."
Snowball nodded slowly in reply. The disguised Sovereign Lord could not help but feel both warmth at her concern for him and bitterness for the difference in how she treated him as 'Snowball' and 'Zhu Qingyue'. She had nothing but special treatment and affection for 'Snowball', but could not wait to get away from 'Zhu Qingyue'.
'I'm your husband, not a pet, you stupid girl!'
Bai Qingyue was resolute – he had to tell her the truth tonight!
While Bai Qingyue's thoughts brought him to despair, Li Meirong curiously pondered upon her little Snowball's sudden plumpness. She poked at his adorably round belly and giggled a little, amused.
"Did you run off and catch some chickens when I wasn't around? How did you get so fat?"
Mortified, Bai Qingyue glared at the laughing girl while she poked his belly and felt his 'fat' tummy.
'It's all your fault anyway! I had to chase after you and didn't have any time to digest!' he thought, fuming.
"I'm not fat!" Snowball squealed, shooing her finger away with his paws. 'How undignified!'