'Master is so foolish!'
After the plant's short argument with his master, Chou resorted to giving her the silent treatment. Only when that evil fox eats her up, will she understand!
Li Meirong wasn't bothered by her Plant Spirit's unresponsiveness. It was a refreshing change not to listen to him constantly speak about eating others.
Instead, she focused her attention back at the cub. He blinked his big round eyes at her, making him seem all the more lovable. She gave his big ears an affectionate squeeze.
'Chou must have lost his mind, to think this tiny baby could be harbouring evil thoughts!' Li Meirong thought as she shook her head in disbelief.
Li Meirong assembled herself and quickly got to her feet, still carefully holding the cub in her arms as she hurried back up the uncharted path. As soon as her seniors came into view, they were badgering her, once more.
"Why are you so slow?!" Ying Yue scolded.
Li Meirong ignored the senior, for whom her dislike only deepened with every interaction, and kept her own steady pace. While walking, she tried to brush off some of the dried "blood" from the little fox's dirty fur.
Ying Yue was about to scold Li Meirong again when she finally noticed the wounded beast cradled in the girl's protective embrace. She tugged at her husband's sleeve to draw his attention towards this new obstacle.
Senior Wei glimpsed back and reassured his wife. "Eh, don't worry about it. It's just a regular fox."
They had to ascertain Li Meirong would not receive any assistance, but it wasn't as though a little, wounded animal could possibly pose a threat to two trained cultivators.
The forest path grew darker still. No spirit beasts appeared. In fact, if there were any beasts of any kind in the vicinity, the travelers would have no way of knowing it. Not an owl's hoot nor a crow's caw could be heard in the oppressive and deafening silence under these trees.
The rising temperature certainly didn't help the mood. Li Meirong was beginning to feel slightly nervous. The further they walked, the more hostile the environment appeared. All that was missing from this perfect "scenery" were some witches and ghouls jumping from behind a tree to give her a heart attack.
They had been trudging constantly for more than several hours now since her last stop since she picked up the fox. Li Meirong, who had only ever tended to her garden and dealt with cooking meals for the last five years had found this hike particularly strenuous and exhausting. She felt as though she was back in the Wild Lands sect acceptance test all over again.
Feeling as though her unpracticed body was being strained to its limit, and rather unnecessarily so, she decided to take a break and sit down, right in the middle of the trail. Her feet were incredibly sore, she was hungry and thirsty. Her arms and back ached from carrying the backpack as well as the fox cub's added weight.
Transmigrating into a different world hadn't changed her lazy personality. She was accustomed to comfort. If need be, she would go out of her way to achieve something, but only if it was absolutely necessary. Otherwise, why should she put any effort?
In all honesty, this place gave her a bad feeling. She had wanted to get her own spirit beast, but at this point, she'd rather backtrack and look for one in a friendlier part of the woods. Even when she met Chou, it hadn't been in a creepy location such as this.
After wiping the sweat off her forehead, she lowered the fox and settled it on her lap, making sure to keep its back in as painless a position as possible. She was in serious need of a break, and she no longer wished to go forward.
Enjoying a few moments of peace before the seniors noticed she had stopped walking. Li Meirong couldn't help but notice the cub seemed to be quite pleased, lying comfortably in her lap. It reminded her of the way her lazy spoiled cats used to act when they were contentedly sprawled on her knees.
The more she thought about her current predicament, the more she felt the need to part ways with her seniors. The respect she felt from them when they had requested her assistance on this journey was long gone. She was doing them a favour, after all. Helping them find this herb.
Yet, she now felt as though they viewed her as a burden, someone they were forced to drag along with them to the end of this trail. She may not have great physical prowess as they do, but they could have at least acted more considerate during the journey.
Li Meirong called their names in order to gain their attention. Enough was enough.
"Sister Ying Yue, Brother Wei!"
They both gradually turned around, looking aggravated. She waved her hand over her head to help them spot her, sitting comfortably in the middle of the path.
"Look at this pest! We should have knocked her out and dragged her here." Senior Ying Yue whispered to her husband.
"Don't get mad now, we're almost done with our orders." Senior Wei softly placated his angered wife.
After a brief exchange, they made their way back towards the unruly girl.