[The young Di Cangli!]
"Let's go, little fellow, I'm taking you back to make an announcement."
"As my man!"
Looking at Mofeng, who was standing there in a daze and wondering what he was thinking, Di Cangli reached out and pinched Little Mofeng on the nose with a light laugh.
"Make an announcement? What's there to announce about that?"
Pinched on the nose by Di Cangli, Mofeng snapped out of his boundless reverie as the wonderful scenery in his mind suddenly vanished, and he retorted with mock annoyance.
Seeing Mofeng like this, Di Cangli smiled. "You'll see soon enough."
"You look quite adorable all bare like this."
"However, I might not want to let the others set eyes on my little man's body."
Looking down at the bare Little Mofeng cradled in her arms, Di Cangli flicked her slender hand, and a pale white long dress materialized in her palm.
Mofeng stared at the pale white long dress in Di Cangli's hand, recognizing it at a glance as one of Di Cangli's own garments.
"Wait, you're going to put me in this?"
"Your dress is so huge it could wrap around me several times."
Mofeng looked at the pale white long dress in Di Cangli's hand, a trace of awkwardness on his face.
Even though he was currently an infant, his heart belonged to a proud, full-grown man—how could he possibly wear women's clothing! Wearing women's clothes was completely and utterly out of the question.
Hearing Mofeng's words and observing the resistance and a hint of fear in his eyes as he looked at the white long dress in her hands, Di Cangli instantly understood what he was thinking.
A mischievous urge suddenly welled up within her.
"Don't worry, a dress this big could never fit you."
"Hah..."
Hearing Di Cangli's words, Mofeng's hanging heart finally dropped back into place.
As long as it wasn't women's clothing, anything else was fine.
"Refine!"
As the word left Di Cangli's lips, the white long dress she was holding immediately shrank in response to her command, transforming into a white robe—except this white robe was sized for an infant.
The dimensions fit Little Mofeng's body with absolute perfection.
After all, Di Cangli knew Mofeng's measurements better than anyone else.
Back in the Spirit Spring, she had personally measured him herself.
Watching the garment transform in the blink of an eye from a flowing white dress into an infant's white robe, Mofeng smiled faintly. "This actually looks pretty decent."
"Hand it over so I can put it on."
"I might be an infant, but I still have some shame."
"I'm certainly no exhibitionist."
Seeing the infant robe in Di Cangli's hand, Mofeng reached out to take it.
"Let your concubine handle such trivial matters!"
Watching Mofeng reach for the clothes, the corners of Di Cangli's lips curved upward. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, she pulled Mofeng into her arms and began dressing him in the infant-sized robe.
"Just dress me, stop wandering your hands all over the place."
Feeling those soft, boneless hands wandering across his body, Mofeng shot Di Cangli an irritated sideways glance.
"Are you going to police me?"
Seeing the adorable little expression on Mofeng's face as he rolled his eyes, Di Cangli's eyes sparkled with affection.
"Well then, it's time to let those people meet the new master of this Land of Ten Thousand Demons!"
Looking down at Mofeng, who was now fully dressed in his robe, Di Cangli flashed him a gentle smile, cradled Little Mofeng in her arms, and slowly rose to her feet.
The moment Di Cangli spoke and stood up, all the warmth and softness vanished from her body, replaced by an overwhelming, majestic aura. Cradled in her arms, Mofeng gazed up in a daze, deeply feeling the sovereign dominance radiating from her.Before Mofeng could regain his senses, everything before his eyes blurred and shifted. The Spirit Herb Garden, once overflowing with medicinal plants, had transformed into a grand hall of white jade.
As Di Cangli appeared in the center of the hall, still cradling Mofeng, the twelve young women kneeling on the floor dared not raise their heads. Sensing the overbearing aura before them, the Twelve Red Fox Guards pressed their foreheads tightly against the floor, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
"We welcome Your Excellency!!!"
Following the cry of the Red Fox Guards, Chimei—the leader kneeling at the very front—called out, "Please, Your Excellency, forgive our incompetence! We failed to capture that wretched herb thief. We await your punishment!"
Di Cangli, standing in the white jade hall with Mofeng in her arms, listened to Chimei’s words and looked down at the child she held, her eyes filled with amusement.
Upon hearing this, Mofeng’s mouth twitched slightly. *That wretched thief they’re talking about… is that me? Impossible. Absolutely not. I never stole any herbs! I just happened to be there, and I just happened to see those vibrant, tempting herbs and ate a few. How can you call taking something stealing? Besides, those herbs started it.*
After all, if they hadn’t grown so bright and tempting, he never would have laid a hand on them, let alone eaten them. Yes, that was it—those damnable herbs had blatantly seduced him into eating them. It certainly wasn't his fault.
With this thought, Mofeng, who had been twitching with annoyance, lifted his chin haughtily as he looked up at Di Cangli, who was still peering down at him with a playful glint in her eyes.
"What are you looking at? It was those herbs that seduced me first!"
"If they hadn't looked so tempting, would I have eaten them?"
"Besides, how can you call taking something 'stealing'? I was doing you a favor by testing your herbs to see if they were poisonous. You should be thanking me!"
Di Cangli chuckled aloud at Mofeng’s shameless, stubborn retort. She loved this little one’s untamable, fearless spirit.
The Twelve Red Fox Guards, kneeling in the hall, felt their hearts race the moment Mofeng spoke.
*A man!*
*A man!*
*It’s actually a man! And one who is with Her Excellency at that!*
Although the voice sounded incredibly young and cute, the very presence of a male by their Sovereign’s side—a rarity that hadn't occurred since her parents passed away—was shocking. Hearing Mofeng’s brazen, death-defying words, the Twelve Red Fox Guards trembled even more violently. This little one appearing by Her Excellency’s side was truly fearless and ignorant of the consequences. They could only hope that if he managed to anger their Sovereign, she wouldn't take her wrath out on them.
Even though they were burning with curiosity about the sacred mystery of who this intruder was—a person bold enough to steal from their Sovereign’s garden and then act so rampant after being caught—they dared not lift their heads, not even for a fleeting glance.