"I ate him."
Xuan Jie stood up from the nest of cloth. He never talked with anyone other than Cang Yu. To be more precise, he wasn't even willing to talk to anyone other than Cang Yu.
Conversation is neither meaningful nor necessary for everyday life.
The fight during the day had consumed most of Xuan Jie's energy, but he didn't quite understand why Chi Shuishui was so angry, although he could instinctively sense the anger surging in the other's heart. However, this anger came without warning and was too sudden, no different from hostility, so he bared his teeth and resisted in the most primitive manner.
Xuan Jie was born too early and ignorant of his spiritual wisdom, but this didn't mean that he knew nothing about himself. He wasn't of the same as these monsters, his emotions were very weak. The Zhuzhao are born with such tempers, it's difficult for them to have deep friendships with their own clansmen or even relatives. When he said this, it wasn't so much that he wanted praise or to explain, but rather that he simply felt that since Chi Shuishui had spoken, it's something that'll be asked.
"Only you?" Cang Yu asked him.
"Only myself," Xuan Jie replied, his expression as normal as saying that he dug a hole today.
This made Cang Yu think he was a little cute and a little funny for a moment, so he picked up Xuan Jie and wiped his limbs carefully with a cloth. After all, they were sharing a bed right now. If this kid was covered in dirt, he'd be too so it was good to act in advance.
"You only killed the small one, there was also a big one, and if Chi Shuishui hadn't been there..." Cang Yu paused, waiting for Xuan Jie to speak.
Xuan Jie answered him matter-of-factly: "Then I would've eaten the bigger one."
"Can you eat it?"
"Yes," Xuan Jie licked his injured front paw, his voice was still very childish, but he sounded firm.
Cang Yu felt that Xuan Jie wasn't lying. When the black snake wanted to eat him, he was also like this. He wasn't timid at all. He even went up to butcher it and dug out the inner elixir. He really didn't know what to say. Was it true that a newborn calf isn't afraid of tigers, or should it be said that he's exceptionally bold?
"Did I do something wrong?" Xuan Jie asked in hindsight.
Cang Yu didn't have the temperament of a teacher. He smiled and asked back, "What do you think?"
After a short while, the child asked: "Then why is he angry?"
This kid was very confident.
Cang Yu laughed secretly in his heart. Although he had expected that Xuan Jie didn't think he was at fault, hearing it was another matter.
This question was innocent and ignorant. Even though Cang Yu couldn't see any expression on the black beast's face, he still heard Xuan Jie's unusual childishness. He looked at Xuan Jie curiously for a while, and slowly said: "Because Chi Shuishui is very worried about you. That's why he was so angry when you went to kill the mandrill."
"Is the anger because of worry?" His long hair flowed like ice and snow, his mouth in a half-smile. He didn't know why these two things could occur together, and he also didn't understand what was so funny about it. He couldn't help but feel very confused. He thought about it for a while and added, "He wanted to attack me, like he's hunting for prey."
Cang Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud. He reached out and stroked Xuan Jie's head, sitting up straight: "He's different from those wild beasts. He's afraid of you getting hurt. So he gets angry and scares you, because if you're scared, you won't do what he doesn't want you to do."
"He wants to control me?" Xuan Jie asked.
This answer stunned Cang Yu. He looked at Xuan Jie in surprise for a while, after thinking for a bit he replied: "That's not it either... Although this kind of relationship does turn out like this sometimes, Chi Shuishui doesn't want to control you. He just cares about you and worries about your life, just like how I didn't want the black snake to eat you when we were in the Fire Spirit Earthline that day."
This time Xuan Jie didn't answer, he was still thinking. Cang Yu just sat aside and watched him, seeing that Xuan Jie was silent, he asked again: "Then why did you kill the mandrill?"
"It's useless to kill the others."
Cang Yu looked at his injuries and explained: "But killing the weaker ones will still help you, and it's much safer."
Xuan Jie probably thought this was ridiculous, he didn't even bother to reply to Cang Yu, and didn't say anything more. He lowered his head and licked his wounds intently.
This made Cang Yu sigh. It was these special places that made him unable to treat Xuan Jie as a child. There's a wild instinct in Xuan Jie's body that urges him to grow faster. His desire for power far exceeds that of Cang Yu, as well as his rationality and self-discipline in this regard.
Just like when Xuan Jie cut open the belly of the giant snake and swallowed the inner elixir without hesitation, no one who had witnessed that scene would easily regard the little beast as a weak cub.
"I understand. I'll talk to Chi Shuishui about this. Just listen to him more in the future. Don't run around casually. At least let him know where you are."
This wasn't a difficult request. Xuan Jie nodded, Cang Yu applied medicine to his wounds, and the nest formed a fixed shape. Before the cub laid on it to sleep, he asked Cang Yu a question: "I'm different from them, right?"
Xuan Jie's eyes were very bright, like a ball of flame was burning under the reflection of the pearl stone. His voice was very calm, without the slightest hint of anxiety.
"No," Cang Yu replied softly, "You're just a little different, it isn't wrong. It's just that sometimes when you're different, it often means loneliness."
Xuan Jie didn't understand what he heard.
He just looked at Cang Yu and said quietly: "You're different too, right?"
"Yes."
Cang Yu smiled.
After this night, Xuan Jie surprisingly became honest. Although the gap between him and other little fox cubs was still obvious, he'd no longer cause Chi Shuishui the terrible psychological pressure that the previous mandrill incident did. At most, he'd only be anxious enough to tear at his hair.
Xuan Jie grew up very fast, faster than most foxes. In the winter of about the third year, the cloth nest on Cang Yu's bed was unable to accommodate him, he didn't care and slept directly on the floor. Sometimes he's too tired to go into the room, and just sleeps on the roof.
Except for the three adults who usually surround him, Xuan Jie has almost no friends. He can't play with the little foxes. It's not just that he doesn't talk, Xuan Jie lacks the nature of a child and has no need for things of that nature. His bloodthirst even occasionally made even Chi Shuishui feel afraid.
Most of the little fox cubs were still around the age of three or four in human years. They like fun and games. They can play in the mud and ponds all day long. Playing with prey during hunting is also part of the fun. Occasionally, they suffer a little hardship and are preyed upon, escape is also common. But Xuan Jie isn't like that. The beasts or even monsters under his hands have no hope of escape. He regards every practice as a life and death struggle.
Chi Shuishui felt that his psychological pressure was increasing day by day, so he hurriedly came to chat with Qian Niang and mentioned: "The little fox cubs are all playing, only Xuan Jie is constantly training himself. This isn't good."
He didn't know that there's be a saying in later generations. The proverb "Only studying and no playing can make a smart child stupid" could perfectly describe his worried mood at that moment. (T/N: Something about cultural level here removed)
Qian Niang responded to him disdainfully: "The cubs of your Fox clan are too playful. What's wrong with Xuan Jie's behavior?"
"What's wrong..." Chi Shuishui sighed and said, "We haven't given him food or clothes. This child acts like he'll be thrown out of Qingqiu tomorrow. It's not that I'm not looking forward to the children making progress, but Xuan Jie being like this makes me feel that something isn't right. Could it be that the monsters from the ancient times are naturally more diligent than us?" In fact, Qian Niang has the same worries in her heart. She's born to be free-spirited and far less self-disciplined than Xuan Jie
The cub was still in a bad state. Usually, he can listen to teacher Chi Shuishui's compliments and cheers once or twice. As time goes by, he'll naturally become a little hairy.
This situation is similar to that of parents in later generations who worry that their children will drive themselves to doom with studying.
Qian Niang hesitated for a while and then said harshly: "I can't say for sure, I can't say that Xuan Jie is obedient and sensible. Ha, you're so strange as a master. You're not happy when Xuan Jie works so hard. Do you want a bunch of brats running around? Kicking up dust all day?"
Chi Shuishui glanced at her and knew that Qian Niang was just talking stupid and had actually taken this matter to heart. He smiled, shrugged and said indifferently: "Well, of course I am. I'm very happy. Since you said so, then I'm not worried at all now."
"Huh?!" Qian Niang was startled and couldn't believe that the he really backed down. She stared at Chi Shuishui for a bit and said angrily, "Fine, enough nonsense, get lost."
Chi Shuishui walked away triumphantly.
What idea could Qian Niang have? Now that Xuan Jie remembers her, he's willing to be hugged and touched by her. Sometimes he'll remember to drag prey for Qian Niang to enjoy, but no more than that.
She had no choice but to knock on Cang Yu's door again.
Xuan Jie was previously stupid, but it was Cang Yu who took him out for a night and cured him. The time Chi Shuishui got angry, it was Cang Yu who told Xuan Jie to be obedient... A law has been formed in Qian Niang's mind: Xuan Jie will always be troubled. If anything happens, just look for Cang Yu.