Following seven rises of the sun, Bai Qingyue had finally managed to settle all affairs of the clan as well as acquire some much needed rest. Cultivating in the spring assisted him tremendously. Nevertheless, an imperial doctor was summoned to his private chambers.
"Get out!" Bai Qingyue barked impatiently.
"Right away, Lord Bai!"
The clan's ancient sage, Doctor Luo, whose frowning eyebrows were so thick they reached down to his shoulders and long moustache hung all the way down to his feet, nervously tiptoed towards the doorway, after having examined him meticulously.
Bai Yu quickly barged in as the immortal Doctor Luo successfully escaped the grouchy Fox Lord's chambers, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Temperamental gods and their uncontrolled temper!" The Doctor mumbled under his breath as they passed each other.
Bai Qingyue's bedchambers were cosy and spacious, unlike his cold and aloof demeanour. His room reflected his true animal nature. There was a fair glow emanating from a row of candles lit by Foxfire.
Pelts covered the ground by the large futon bed filled with the softest fur blankets. The Sovereign Lord's ivory skin was illuminated by the warm light of the Foxfire surrounding him. His long white hair spilled across the blankets, like silvery rivers through the fur down to the floor. His sizable tails rested comfortably around his lean form, their tips flicking irritably. His eyes a piercing gold, his lips tinged with the slightest red hue. Countless women would have collapsed in adoration at the very sight of him.
Such a mouthwatering seductive view made Bai Yu certain that were he a bent man, he would have fallen head over heels for His Lordship at that very instant!
Bai Yu gawked in a daze. Noticing his glazed look, the Fox Lord sent a glacial scowl his way.
The captain of the guard cleared his throat, coming back to his senses. This past week he had been acting less like a captain and more like a mother hen fretting over her young ones.
Bai Yu paced back and forth, unable to mask his concern, whilst growing annoyance was clearly visible on the Fox Lord's sculpted features.
"Sire, you just got back here and put the palace back in order, must you leave so soon? Your body is still healing! Even gods need a little time to rest." Bai Yu had practically been begging his sire to stay in the palace throughout the entire week.
The Fox Lord wanted to leave on the day following the inevitable incident with the matron.
"Cease your worries. I have no time to stay here and recuperate. I shall tend to my remaining wounds after my descent." Bai Qingyue's low and deep voice tiredly responded as he laid on his side, avoiding applying any pressure to his injured back. His flesh, for the most part, had already knit together, still pink and tender to the touch. Scabs had formed over the more severe wounds, allowing his body to properly regenerate underneath. Having to deal with the fuss and worries of those around him tired him out more than the episode he endured with his deranged mother.
In fact, the whole situation was extremely vexing. His own worries intensified with every grain of sand dropping in the hourglass. He couldn't stop his thoughts from straying to his future consort left all alone, who knows what happened to her by now?
As time trickled by, his distress escalated. The woman, whose name he did not even know, wasn't a Bai fox and as such, was not bound by the spell.
What if… what if she found someone else?
Bai Qingyue imagined hands that were not his own caressing her lithe and soft body. Another male making her moan instead of him.
His fury drove him out of the luxurious comfort of his own bed before even realizing what he was doing. He overheard his subordinate still mumbling words about responsibility and recuperation.
There was no time for this.
"Bai Yu, I leave the management of the clan in your hands until I return with my wife." The Sovereign Lord ordered as he hastily dressed himself.
The captain felt as though his Lord had suddenly tossed a bucket of freezing water in his face, his pacing stopped abruptly. Bai Yu stood dumbstruck once again, before his lord.
"I will summon you or the troops should a need arise, otherwise I trust you with the clan's business."
"W-wife, sire??" Bai Yu stuttered, desperately trying to keep up.
His sire found his future consort?? Does that mean the palace would soon see baby foxes running around?!
It lasted barely an instant, but Bai Yu could have sworn he saw his lord's permanently frozen lips tilt upwards.
So the thought of this consort of his could make this iceberg lord smile...
Bai Qingyue acknowledged his question with a curt nod. He didn't provide his servant with an opportunity to respond before shifting through dimensions and transporting his bandaged body back to the lower planes of Earth.