Bai Qingyue stared at his wife, slack-jawed, unable to believe what he was hearing. Her joyous laughter at the prospect of betrothing him to another female made his mood plummet further still.

As he came out of his shocked state, his small furry shoulders started trembling with accumulated rage. He was filled with overwhelming fury. A part of him just wanted to grab the foolish girl and drag her back to his quarters, and chain her to the bed indefinitely. Only after a thorough spanking would he be able to cool the rage inside his heart.

What skills?! What power?! She was stupid, stupid, eternally and enormously stupid!

He was now thoroughly convinced the only thing that would stop this foolish wife from causing a mess would be to imprison her!

How dare she think of marrying him off to someone else? He didn't even allow his own mother to marry him off, and now his wife thought she could simply give him away?!

The score that needed to be settled between them only kept growing…

Just as the fox demoness was about to settle the betrothal, Snowball stormed into the room.

"Li Meirong!" Bai Qingyue roared, unable to keep his temper in check any further.

Upon hearing Snowball yell her name, Li Meirong turned around in fright. Her clear eyes stared in surprise at the obviously irate fox barging through the doorway. She had never seen her adorable fox cub so angry before!

"W-what's the matter?" she asked innocently. Could it be that he was jealous of her playing with the other fox cubs, instead of him?

Bai Qingyue slowed his heavy breathing and tried to steady his emotions, but seeing the dumbfounded expression on his wife's face only made him even more aggravated. He had to come up with something to make Li Meirong stray from her delusional idea, and fast.

"Snowball already has someone he likes!" he proclaimed, stalking over to Li Meirong. He scooted the cubs away and settled himself in her lap to assert his dominance.

Taking note of his actions, and guessing at the reasons as best as she could, Li Meirong assumed that Snowball was still a bit too young to be betrothed. Perhaps her excitement had made her act rashly, in jumping to this decision as she did. She grimaced, thinking she probably should have consulted with Snowball first.

Her slender fingers caressed the back of Snowball's luxurious silver fur as she tried to placate the grumpy cub.

"You're right, and I'm wrong. I'm sorry I didn't ask for your opinion first. You know you're my favourite, right?"

"Hmph!" Snowball huffed angrily and shut his eyes, trying to ignore the comfortable sensation as her fingers brushed across his back. He looked like a displeased young monarch.

'Acting cute won't help you! Foxes are vindictive animals by nature; your days are numbered!' Bai Qingyue thought, fuming silently.

Li Meirong sighed and rubbed the back of her head with her unoccupied hand, frustrated. Snowball was usually very adorable, but sometimes he became quite difficult to handle.

"How about this: let me know who it is you like, and we'll see if we can add the little miss to our family. How does that sound?" Li Meirong attempted to coax him.

It was her fault, this time, for not asking if he already had a little sweetheart, but how was she supposed to know there was already someone on his mind? After all, he was so young. When did he even get the chance?

Bai Qingyue's mouth twitched, his cheeks puffing up with air in his anger. He really wanted to stuff his wife's to shut her up! The more she spoke, the madder he became.

'If you don't speak, no one will think you're stupid!' he inwardly growled, wishing to talk some sense into her but unable to do so.

"I don't want to stay here anymore," Snowball finally announced.

Having observed the ongoing dispute, the fox demoness gathered that there were some personal matters that needed to be settled between the lady cultivator and her young fox spirit, and she wanted no part in their family dispute.

"I shall not bother you any further," said the demoness. "My family hails from the forest fox tribe, and we have guided our descendants to cultivate for many years, protecting the nearby human shrine of the local god as familiars. We are born and reside on an island near the southernmost part of the sect. should you ever need my assistance, do not hesitate to call upon me."

After offering her alliance, the fox demoness grabbed her four young cubs and hurriedly departed her former prison.

"See, Snowball?" Li Meirong gossiped with her baby familiar, full of undisguised awe. "If you work hard enough, one day you'll grow more tails and become a powerful familiar, too!"