Chapter 228 – Li Yun, The Head Shaman (2)

It was obvious that Su Daji hesitated to meet Li Yun. After all, she still hadn’t made any intentions of leaving the estate to visit the man at the Li family shrine. She was afraid that Li Yun wouldn’t bother listening to her explanation as to why she was keeping a fox spirit with her. Even when Mu Yue assured her that there was nothing to worry about her encounter with a shaman like Li Yun, Su Daji still remained a little stubborn and refused to leave her courtyard. 

Mu Yue could only stare at the impossible young lady and shake her head. What was there to worry about? If Li Yun was really that strong, then the fox wanted to see it for herself. 

“I think you are worrying too much,” Mu Yue told Su Daji one unproductive afternoon. 

“It’s because Brother Yun is considered a prodigy in his family. They said that he was born with innate strong spiritual powers that no human had ever witnessed before. I fear that he won’t listen to my words and harm you.” 

The fox chuckled bemusedly at that. Su Daji was really amusing sometimes. 

“It’s my first time hearing a human get worried and protective of a demon.” 

Su Daji frowned and harrumphed, turning her head to avoid the fox’s amber eyes that were looking at her. 

“You’re not just some demon I met. You are important to me,” she bashfully told the fox. They had been together for some time now, so how could she not worry about her odd companion? 

“I cannot easily be killed by a mere human,” Mu Yue said, but Su Daji insisted on staying in their estate, with the excuse of resting because of the long travel from the northern borders. 

Alas, avoiding her meeting with Li Yun proved to be futile… as the man had chosen to pay a visit himself, catching the Young Miss Su off-guard. 

When Su Daji heard that Li Yun had arrived to see her, she frantically walked inside her quarters, biting her lower lips. She racked her brain about what to do, while the fox nonchalantly lounged on the couch as if she couldn’t be bothered even when a shaman entered the Su Household. 

Actually, Mu Yue had already sensed Li Yun’s presence even before he stepped inside the household. She had purposely lowered her guard and allowed the shaman to enter her turf to test him. Surprisingly, just what Su Daji had told her earlier, this shaman was indeed far different from his colleagues and predecessors. 

He had this pure spiritual power that was threatening to burst from his body at any given moment. He was nothing short of a walking spiritual bomb that could affect not only the humans around him, but also spirits and demons like the fox. 

Still, despite of this, Li Yun could keep this force inside his body, which made Mu Yue wonder how he managed to suppress it. Any human born with such power was destined to die early should they choose to contain it. Due to this, she was really looking forward to meeting this man. 

“Miss… it’s about time.” Bai Ting, who was still recovering from her wound, came to call her young lady. She refused to stay in bed any longer and insisted that she could help with easy household chores. 

Su Daji looked at her with a conflicted expression… and sighed. 

“I guess there’s no other choice but to meet him,” she muttered to herself before walking out of her quarters, leaving the fox behind. 

When she met Li Yun at the main hall, Su Daji found him seated alone, taking a sip from his drink. He then paused midway and frowned upon taking a look at her as if he found something distasteful about her person. 

“Brother Yun, I heard that you’ve returned. I didn’t know that your expedition would end early.” Su Daji beamed him a smile as she took a seat across from him. 

Li Yun was now older and more mature-looking compared to what Su Daji could remember. He used to be a skinny young lad who tried to annoy her Brother Mo most of the time. However, years later, he had grown taller than her and didn’t look as weak as he was before. 

When they were younger, many of their peers thought that Li Yun was an odd child. Some found him talking when no one else was around as if he was speaking to himself. Sometimes, he was seen running for his dear life, seemingly escaping from something fearful that others couldn’t see. 

Only when she and Jiang Mo befriended Li Yun did the latter stop being isolated by others. He was rather kind and patient for others. It was rare to see him angry at anything. 

Li Yun lowered his teacup and gave a glance at the young lady across from him. He wanted to give her a good look, but it was improper for him to do such a thing. 

“You’ve grown so well, Daji,” he started with a frown, “but where have you been all this time, allowing different scents to cling onto your body?” 

Su Daji gave him an awkward laugh, wondering if he had noticed something. He couldn’t possibly know about the fox, right? 

“You reek of a scent of a demon, and I could also sense a faint hint of black magic on you.”

Su Daji instinctively straightened her back at that. She wasn’t sure which part should have bothered her a lot. Was it the fact that Li Yun could sense the fox spirit’s scent coming from her… or the fact that she was still under the influence of the ninth prince’s black magic? Didn’t Mu Yue say that she had already dispelled the curse? 

“I-I was cursed by a black magic practitioner during my visit at the northern border…” 

“And the scent of the demon?” Li Yun arched a slender brow at her, gesturing for her to continue. 

Su Daji wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. It seemed that she could only come clean to her Brother Yun. 

“It’s… I have a companion that is a fox. You must have heard of this already,” she replied, gauging his reaction. It was hard for her to know what he was thinking at the moment. 

“I did hear of such news.” He slowly nodded his head before giving her a pointed look. “You know it’s a demon… and yet you allowed it to remain by your side?” 

The young lady lowered her gaze and fiddled with her hands. 

“When Father and Brother Mo left for war, I was left with no one but my maidservants to accompany me. During that lonely time, I encountered the injured fox in the wilderness and nursed it back to health,” she explained to Li Yun. 

“At first, I never suspected that she’s a demon, and so I allowed her to stay with me for months. For so many times, the fox had also saved my life without asking anything in return. It was only recently that I found out what she is.” 

Li Yun wasn’t dumb. This prolonged meeting of theirs was because of Su Daji’s hesitation to meet him. Obviously, she was trying to protect that fox from being killed by him. 

He had heard of the rumors about the odd companion of his childhood friend. Just from the details alone, Li Yun knew that Su Daji hadn’t taken in a simple fox at all. He had assumptions that she had let a demon stay with her, but what baffled Li Yun was the fox’s intention. 

The fox had saved Su Daji’s life when she was in danger several times, and many people could prove this. If the fox spirit intended to feed on Su Daji, the young lady would have perished a long time ago. 

Fox spirits were considered as one of the strongest demon races known; however, they were extremely rare. He didn’t expect that his childhood friend would be acquainted with one. 

“May I meet her, then?” He asked Su Daji. 

“I will not harm her.” Li Yun added when he saw Su Daji flinch in her seat. 

Su Daji grew too nervous, clutching her skirt on her lap tightly… until she heard Mu Yue’s familiar voice in her head. 

“Agree with his request. I will be there in a moment.” 

“Then, you should hold onto your word, Brother Yun.” 

It didn’t take long for the great white fox to arrive at the main hall without grandiose. She stopped right next to Su Daji and then tilted her head to one side to regard their guest. 

Li Yun was momentarily speechless upon seeing the fox. Not only was it thrice as large as the common fox, but its pristine white fur almost glimmered under the light, giving it an impression of being soft and silky at the same time. 

Truly, Su Daji had picked up a magnificent creature.