Chapter 10 Qing Yu 2

When princess Qing Yu woke up again, she found herself lying in a dark and cold cave.

The moment she opened her eyes, she had some trouble adapting to the darkness. She could not tell if it was because it was too dark inside the cave, or because the fox had blinded her.

Qing Yu trembled and stretched out her arms, groping around to feel her surroundings. She touched the cold stones and wet hay. It seemed that someone specially placed a layer of hay under her. But this did not help at all since her body was still sore from the countless bruises she received.

Oh, that fox! Qing Yu suddenly remembered that she was brought to this place by the nine-tailed fox. She had to get out of here quickly!

Qing Yu stood up immediately. Although it was still dark and it was still difficult for her to stand up due to the weakness in her knees, she forced herself up by holding onto the nearby wall.

The humid air was very uncomfortable and the cave was deep and dark. She lost count of how many times she tripped and how many new injuries she got. But in the end, she saw the light at the end of the tunnel which was growing brighter as she was getting closer, to the point where it was almost blinding her.

At last, she could get out of there!

As long as she could get out, there would be hope!

Qing Yu flusteredly rolled up her long gown and ran towards the light of hope. However, all of a sudden, a huge black shadow blocked all the sunlight coming into the cave.

The moment she saw that giant shadow, she knew that all hope was gone.

That nine-tailed fox, even if it just stood there silently, would still scare the faint-hearted to death.

Qing Yu screamed subconsciously, and she stepped back a few steps. She then was tripped by a stone and fell on the ground. She was so nervous that she thought her heart would stop.

The pair of blood-colored eyes, as if it belonged to the monster of hell, stared at her for a moment, and then the nine-tailed fox opened its mouth.

“You want to escape? What a naughty girl.”

“No, not… I!” Qing Yu subconsciously refuted, and then she realized that this mountain-like monster was able to speak like a human.

It spoke the human language, which meant that it was not a beast; it was able to think.

It was not a wild beast, and yet it was capable of cruel slaughter like a beast. Thinking of this, Qing Yu felt strong despair and anger.

“Let me go!” Qing Yu called on all her courage and shouted, “I want to go back!”

The nine-tailed fox glanced at her and then turned around, it seemed a little bored. “Go back? Do you think I would’ve brought you here in the first place if I wanted to let you go? ”

“Then eat me!” Qing Yu struggled to stand up; she raised her arms and shouted. “Didn’t you eat so many people? So eat me! Come on, eat me! ”

Qing Yu stood on a big rock. She tiptoed as high as possible as if she wanted to send herself into the monster’s mouth. But the stone under her feet was so slippery that she slipped and lost her balance.

The sudden fall startled Qing Yu, but she didn’t expect the fox to grab her clothes with its claws, it then rudely lifted her before throwing her to the ground.

“It hurts…” Qing Yu felt that all her bones were almost broken.

“No.” The nine-tailed fox showed little interest as if it did not want to waste any more words, and it turned around.

After that, the fox did not say a word. Qing Yu was forced to go back to the place where she woke up as the prisoner of the demon fox.

The cave was dark and damp, and the water kept dripping from above and dampened all her clothes. Sometimes, while sleeping, she accidentally kicked some skulls. Qing Yu could not use her power in a place like this, and the only thing that could be done was to stare at the cave ceiling in despair.

Even so, every morning when she woke up, she would find a leaf, on which there were some fruits and berries, and sometimes dead birds or rabbits. She only ate the fruit, so over time, it stopped giving her dead animals.

No matter what the fox planned, it did not want her to die.

Day after day, the same fruit would be placed in front of her. At last, Qing Yu was sick of them, and she gathered up some courage and came to the cave entrance.

The glaring sun made her blink, then she saw the nine-tailed fox, who was lying beside a nearby stream while brushing its fur.

Qing Yu shaded her eyes with her hand and shouted, “Hey! fox! ”

The nine-tailed fox heard the sound, and it immediately turned its head around.

“Get back in the cave, who said you could come out?” Its voice was very low.

“No, I won’t go back.” Qing Yu said with a tough tone, “Would you want to stay in that dark and damp cave all the time? I don’t think so! If I stay there any longer, mold will start growing on me sooner or later, and I’ll die! ”

Qing Yu observed its face and from its eyes, she noticed that it hesitated. So she continued to persuade it.

“I just want to come out of there and get some fresh air! It’s really hot and damp inside.” Qing Yu tried to look pitiful. She lifted her dirty skirt and showed it to the fox. “Look at how dirty my clothes are. Can’t you just let me wash them?”

The fox glanced at her and finally nodded.

“Just washing clothes.” The nine-tailed fox said, and it turned around and led her to the creek. “Follow me.”

Qing Yu’s heart pounded furiously in her chest, and she walked into the creek under the watchful eyes of the nine-tailed fox. The cold water in the creek made her subconsciously tremble, but then it felt cool and refreshing.

Yes, it had been such a long time since she felt the wind and the water on her skin.

Qing Yu squatted down and began to wash the mud and dirt off the skirt. She lifted her head and looked at the nine-tailed fox and noticed that it was staring at her.

“Hey, fox! Turn around!” She shouted. “I’m going to take my clothes off!”

The nine-tailed fox narrowed its eyes. “I have no interest in your naked body.”

“You——!” Qing Yu was angry and anxious. “No, I refuse! Are you that desperate to look at a girl bathing? Pervert! Turn around!”

The nine-tailed fox was probably startled by the princess’s bad temper. For a moment, it did not say anything to refute her. The fox bared its sharp teeth as if it was warning her, but it finally gave up under the scornful glare of Qing Yu.

After she saw the nine-tailed fox reluctantly turn around, she began to slow down.

The fox actually turned. Qing Yu’s heart was pounding, and she glimpsed at the nearby forest, which was not far from the creek. If she could run into the forest, it would be hard for the fox to catch up to her due to the obstacles on the terrain.

What she needed to do——was to stay quiet so that the fox would not notice her.

Qing Yu stared at the nine-tailed fox’s back, and then she quietly lifted her skirt out of the water. She grabbed the skirt in her hand, took a deep breath, jumped out of the water and ran to the forest!

This might work! Qing Yu thought excitedly. However, before this thought had faded from her mind, it was instantly shattered by the claws of the nine-tailed fox.

She ran only a few steps before the fox pressed her down to the ground with its large claws.

She did not need to look back to know that her action had enraged the fox since she could hear him roar angrily behind her.

“You tried to run away!” The eyes of the nine-tailed fox blazed with anger.

Her plan did not work.

Qing Yu thought desperately. The nine-tailed fox was too powerful. It was an evil monster which could destroy a whole country, and there was no way she could fight this monster on her own.

Humans were not able to fight with it; it was too powerful.

However, Qing Yu turned over. She was laying with her back against the ground and glared at the nine-tailed fox.

“Yes! I tried to run away, what are you going to do with me? Eat me? Then go ahead, I don’t have any meat on my body now. I’m covered in bruises so if you want to eat, then go ahead! ”

After saying that, Qing Yu closed her eyes as if she was prepared to die.

The nine-tailed fox got angry by her attitude; it stomped harshly, causing a whirl of dust. “Get up now!”

But Qing Yu remained her posture with her legs and arms wide open. She refused to get up.

“I won’t! If I get up, you will put me in that dark, damp cave again! I would rather die than stay inside! ”

When the fox heard those words, it became silent. For a moment, Qing Yu thought that she finally managed to provoke the beast, and it would eat her now.

But in the next second, the fox opened its mouth in a low voice.

“Do you really think it’s damp inside?”

Qing Yu opened her eyes and found that its face was still calm; instead of being angry, it looked like it was considering it.

“Of course!” Qing Yu shouted, feeling a little amazed. “There is water dripping from stalactites everywhere, and there is no source of light at all. I can’t see anything! It’s too dark!”

The nine-tailed fox frowned as it curled up its hind legs and sat on the ground; it stared at Qing Yu.

“I don’t know,” The nine-tailed fox whispered. “I have lived in this place for a long time, but it never felt damp to me. Furthermore, I can perfectly see in the dark. ”

Although there was a moment that Qing Yu was surprised by its good manners, that surprise was quickly replaced by anger since she was forced to stay in that cave for several days.

“You can’t feel it because you have fur!” Qing Yu shouted angrily. “Not everyone has fur so thick it can repel weapons! If I continue to stay in that cave for a few more days, I’ll become blind and the mold will infect my wounds!”