Chapter 175: Chapter 175: Stove is a traitor?
The next morning, sunlight poured into the cave and shone on a very miserable six-tailed fox. Rong Ye woke up and realized he was still tied up like a giant fluffy dumpling.
And Stove was still guarding the entrance like a strict bouncer.
Rong Ye tried to shout, "MMMPH!" but then suddenly froze. As the call of nature made him tremble.
He needed to relieve himself.
Panic filled his eyes. He began chewing the vines around his mouth as fast as he could. His teeth scraped and pulled until finally...snap! ...one vine broke. Then another. Soon there was a small opening.
"Stove! You evil, heartless weed!" he gasped. "You can’t keep
tied up! I need to... I need to pee!"
Stove didn’t move. Its leaves rustled once, as if saying, "Not my problem."
Rong Ye blushed so hard his ears burned. He took a deep breath and changed his tone completely.
??"Stove, my dear, noble friend," he said, adopting a sickly sweet tone that made his fur prickle.
"Listen to . I understand you are protecting your master, and I respect that. But you must understand that my... my body does not respect your decision. I am a noble fox! I can’t possibly... ss up the cave. Please, just let
step outside for one tiny second. I promise, on my six beautiful tails, I’ll co straight back. I just need to pee."
He tried to look as pitiful as possible.
Stove stared at him for a long ti. Then its vines slowly loosened. Rong Ye fell onto the stone bed, completely free.
He didn’t even say thank you.
He bolted out of the cave in a flash of silver fur...straight into the forest. He found a quiet place, took care of his ergency, and then kept running as fast as he could.
He was free.
"You stupid weed, do you think you can outsmart an intelligent fox like ? Hmph!" he declared proudly.
Then he started searching for Su Qinglan.
He searched everywhere...behind caves, in the forest, along the stream, and in every clearing. But she wasn’t anywhere. Neither was Xuan Long.
Maybe they ca back to the cave?
Rong Ye ran back with this hope.
The cave was still empty.
But Stove was there, standing at the entrance with a very angry look, its leaves bristling like it was ready for war.
Uh-oh.
As soon as Rong Ye stepped inside, a vine pointed sharply toward the back of the cave...like a finger saying, You. Stay, or I will break your legs.
Rong Ye sighed dramatically.
"What, I just want to relieve myself...a noble fox takes its ti leisurely!"
With nothing else to do, he decided to be useful. He cleaned the cave, swept the floor with the broom Su Qinglan made, folded Su Qinglan’s hides neatly, and even put so of them outside to dry...right next to the still-glowering Stove.
Then he got hungry.
He tried cooking.
He mixed at, roots, grass, and fire, and after a lot of smoke and coughing, he created... sothing. A black, burnt lump that slled like burnt food.
He took one bite.
Spat it out imdiately.
"How does that tiger cook every day?" he grumbled.
He tossed the burnt lump toward Stove.
"Here, eat this."
Stove looked at the lump. Then at him. Then it picked up a piece of raw at instead and ate it loudly...clearly choosing raw at over his cooking.
Rong Ye’s fur stood up in irritation. He sat down and sulked.
He wanted to impress Su Qinglan, but he couldn’t even cook. Hu Yan could cook well, Han Jue was strong, as he was the strongest warrior of the tribe, and Xuan Long could make beautiful clothes for her.
What about him?
Was he only good-looking?
"No!" he shouted suddenly. "I’m amazing! I’m better than all of them!"
He rembered sothing he was good at. Sothing unique. So he jumped into a pile of his belongings and started working hard.
Stove watched for a second, confused, then ignored him. The plant happily moved itself to a sunny spot outside and watered the area with a stone bowl filled with water, replanted its roots in fresh wet soil, and enjoyed the warm sun like it was on vacation.
Ti quickly passed, and the sky darkened. But Su Qinglan still didn’t return.
Rong Ye wanted to search again, but one warning vine from Stove stopped him cold.
In the evening Hu Yan ca back first, carrying a huge deer. A few minutes later, Han Jue arrived with a fat boar. Both had bathed, and both looked ready to et their female.
But when they stepped inside... the cave was empty.
There was no sign of their female, Su Qinglan, or any warmth in the cave.
Only Rong Ye, who was sitting in a pile of materials, looking miserable and upset.
"Rong Ye? Where is Su Qinglan?" Hu Yan asked with a worried expression.
Han Jue frowned as he looked around the empty space.
Rong Ye lifted his head. His eyes filled with sadness, then anger. He pointed a trembling hand at the shape standing at the cave entrance...
Stove.
??"Ask! This evil weed," he cried out, his voice shaking with grievance. "He was the one who was siding with that snake; he helped that snake hide Su Qinglan for an entire day! I was kidnapped! I was bound! I couldn’t even leave the cave, not even to search! It’s all its fault that Qinglan is still gone!"
??He finished his complaint as his ears flattened against his head, expecting Hu Yan and Han Jue to imdiately rush the plant and tear it to pieces. He wanted justice! He wanted to see the evil weed suffer a thousand tis over!
??Hu Yan’s worried frown deepened. He looked from Rong Ye’s sad, ssy state to the silent, unmoving Stove, then back to the fox. "You were... bound?" he asked, completely confused.
??Han Jue didn’t say a word. His intense focus was on the empty cave, ignoring the fox and the plant completely. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
The air around him suddenly felt cold and heavy, like he was getting ready for a brutal fight. He looked ready to search the entire world for his female.
??Rong Ye nodded quickly and urgently, relieved that soone was finally paying attention to his suffering. "Yes! Trussed up like a giant bird egg! I barely escaped to pee this morning! He is a traitor!"
??Just as the argunt was heating up, and Hu Yan’s eyes were filled with worry and Han Jue was ready to go find her, a bright, cheerful voice interrupted them.
??"You are all back!"
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