"After all your efforts to pull them down, you'll still be unsuccessful. Do you know why?"

Si Hai's eyes sank in deep thought, seriously pondering over her words. But he was too prideful to ask why.

Not really minding his reasons for staying silent, she carried on.

"Because this..." She spread her arms and looked like she was gesturing to the whole room.

The fox somehow knew what she meant was bigger than that.

"Everything favors them. Fate will support them no matter what they do because they're chosen."

Chosen to be the center of this world.

Who were they to question fate?

Those obscure words when spoken by somebody else would only sound foolish.

But she was a person out of the ordinary and he was a spirit not contained by rationality.

In their own separate ways, those words held meaning.

Hong Chun didn't want this road. But it looked like she had no choice.

She wrote so many stories of women entering novels and waking up as insignificant characters.

Now that she was in their shoes, it felt like karma.

She liked writing those kinds of stories as they showed how the underdogs prevailed in the end. But being here made her realize how their lives sucked.

She didn't want to be part of anyone's drama but here she was being dragged right into it.

Head tilted, she asked, "I believe you know what your master did?"

The fox didn't meet her eyes. "It seems you're more informed."

"The daren1 viewed you as a dispensable piece. How come the servant was loyal up to now? Even when the servant is considered free?"

He didn't doubt how Hong Chun knew this. It wasn't a secret among the common people that the son of the former prime minister committed treason and tried blaming it on his servant.

He thus became known as a mad man before he was executed.

Regardless of the rumors, the fact that Si Hai was nothing to his master was what he had been trying to ignore all this time.

Why was he consumed with hatred? Why did he want revenge?

Spirits already somewhat looked down on their kind who followed humans. What more if the spirit stayed faithful to a cruel master?

Maybe it was because if he didn't avenge his master, there would be nothing left to do.

There would be no more reason to live.

Si Hai was born and bred in a dark sect.

Nine-tailed foxes were rare pure and sacred spirits.

Unlike how folklore portrayed them which was composed of foxes tricking humans out of mischief, fox spirits were actually deeply respected among their kind. It was because they had the power to reveal all truths and the same ability to conceal them.

But because of the perverse nature of the sect, an aberrant like him was born. A black nine-tailed fox.

He was treated like a trophy in that sect for years. He learned and became a master of their treacherous activities.

But in truth, without the sect, he was ignorant of the ways of the world.

Until the sect was destroyed by what people hailed as heroes.

Because he wasn't in his spirit form, he was mistaken as one of the sect's hostages. Being an 'orphan' who didn't have any record, he was a perfect candidate to be a suicide soldier.

That was why Jiang Ming took him and raised him as his servant.

If one counted, he was older than his master by a few decades but he was a young fox. Even if he was a proud spirit, Jiang Ming became a huge figure in his life.

He was at his master's beck and call. Through his lord, he learned how humans interacted and how they always acted for personal gains no matter how heroic or evil it might look.

Even when the second prince of Hanjing revealed all of the master's plans, he knew it was because it would greatly benefit the prince.

Look at him now, sitting on the dragon throne.

The master's family was arrested as quick as lightning. And before he knew it, he was thrown into the far mountains of Yun. He could've resisted early on but if he did that, he would've been a huge threat that needed to be eliminated too.

Si Hai lifted his eyes to look at Hong Chun. He didn't know how to answer her question.

Seeing his hesitation, the girl actually understood but she was heartless.

"Go, you don't have to be here."

The young man didn't expect her to allow him to stay after what he did.

It was even a miracle that the woman was this calm while talking to someone who wanted to poison her into falling for him.

So he didn't make it hard for her. He stood up and left.

That was the only thing to do as he couldn't hurt her according to the natural law of his kind.

Even if he was born to a dark sect, the laws of spirits were innate and not spoken. These laws were implanted in their instincts rather than being dictated.

Hong Chun wasn't aware of this.

She only expected she wouldn't see him again and it was for the best.

---

Early the next morning, Hong Chun was fetched by a two-wheeled carriage from the Mao residence.

Si Hai was nowhere to be seen. She didn't say a word and Fong momo hadn't noticed it yet.

It was better for this house if that fox wouldn't appear again. That way, the possibility of being cannon fodder would be less.

Arriving at the Mao villa, she felt a different atmosphere.

The servants seemed to treat her more carefully. It wasn't the same familiarity whenever they saw her with Mao Zhen.

Should she feel honored or should she be apprehensive about this?

This time, she wasn't led to the rear court (where Mao Zhen dwelled) but towards the main hall.

The Mao family was taking this more seriously than she thought. When did an unmarried woman have the honor to be received at the main hall?

During this period, people really cared about gender distinction.

Women, when invited by fellow women, should go straight to the rear court. The front was for the males and their visitors.

But seeing Mao jia2 wasn't an official family, she guessed their rules were more relaxed and casual.

This family had been merchants ever since so their residence was a tad bigger and grander than the Hong villa.

The hallways were filled with knick-knacks Hong Chun assumed came from generations of traveling around Han and its neighboring nations.

She found the shiny things tacky but kept quiet about it.

With a straight back, she entered the main house.

"It's been a while. Greeting Old Madam and Madams of Mao jia." She politely curtsied.

"What are you being so formal for? Grandma will be mad at you!" A silver-haired woman chided her distant attitude.

The lady beside her laughed in a gracious manner.

"Your parents aren't around so Mother was worried about you two siblings. Every day, she'd mention you on multiple occasions, so I decided to invite you here."

It was Mao Zhen's mother, Qi-shi.

"That's very thoughtful of the Old Madam. A'Chun and Xiao Ting are doing well. We've been taught well to do things on our own."

"That's true ah! Compared to our Zhen Zhen, you're very reliable. My daughter's lucky to have A'Chun."

The old Madam only laughed at her daughter-in-law. She was very satisfied with this Qi-shi as she came from a family of scholars.

Much like Hong Chun's mother, Qi-shi was educated well and never acted shrewish like her other daughters-in-law.

To the Old Madam's eyes, females born in officials' families had incomparable class.

That was why Hong Chun looked good in her eyes. So the granddaughters of her family were always compared to this Hong daughter.

"Speaking of which, Zhen Zhen isn't here right now. This grandma sent her to her aunt to spend a few days in Qianlin to learn some things so you won't see her today."

Hong Chun's mouth formed an O.

Her witty tongue replied, "It's good to have Zhen Zhen learn a few things too."

The women in the main hall laughed while she was thinking to herself, so this was the reason why she hadn't seen Mao Zhen these days. It seemed she too was preparing to be wed.

Hong Chun wondered if that girl was here, would she find herself surrounded by these ladies who looked like they were scrutinizing jade in the market?

It had to be known that all of Mao Zhen's aunts and female cousins were also inside the main hall.

If she wasn't so humble, she'd think that they were all waiting for her. But that wasn't quite right for who was she to enjoy such privilege?

Hong Chun was unaware that they all came here to see the woman their San shaoye3 was about to marry.