The Librarian and the Fox Princess: a Donghua Dijun and Bai Fengjiu story, V.I

Chapter 83 - There Is No Cat At Tai Chen Palace

She had pinned him down onto the bed. Dong Hua jellyfished* under her. He quickly assessed the cat situation and the stratagems he would need to employ if he were to get out of this alive.

He knew he needed to lure the tiger out of the mountains.

"Oh, before we get into that, I just wanted to say that when you shoved your fingers up her nose, you made all the kits and cubs of Qing Qiu proud, Xiao Bai. You should be lifted onto their shoulders as they parade you between the stalls of the Mushroom Market."

Her tense lips immediately flopped into the cutest sheepish smile he's ever seen on her face.

"It's not a move I bust out often. But, I felt it was appropriate given how she needed to be subdued. She was lucky I wasn't in my fox form, my paw-toes would have scratched up her pretty face very badly."

Her paw toes?

Imagining them shoved up Wen Yi's nose was an unpleasant picture. Dong Hua knew for the rest of their long lives, she would never stop captivating him with the strange thoughts that formed in her brain and their unfiltered verbal expressions.

"Well, I think like any master strategist, you assessed the situation well and you ... busted out ... something formidable that would minimize further conflict."

"Well, I tried to walk away. I knew I could lay waste to her and worked hard to transform my anger. She might be the niece of the God of Thunder but I am a fox. We do not take lightly the transgressions of others upon our loved ones. Also, Shen Wu stopped me from leaving."

"That's my fault. He knew ... your loved one was coming and kept you there for me," he said as he gave her knee a light squeeze. His other hand reached over to grab a sachima cake and brought it to her lips.

She studied his face with soft warm eyes. "You came to protect me," she said as she took a big bite of the treat.

"No, I came to watch you be the Fox Queen that you are. You could have met her thunderous rage with a firestorm of your own. Instead, you were calm, measured, and intentional. You needed no protection. That's why my pendant wasn't activated. From the moment the interaction began, you were never in any danger. It was partly due to you knowing your friends would be there for you, and it was also due to how you chose to deal with the conflict. You tried to disengage and you minimized violence. You actually kept everyone safe, Xiao Bai."

"The greatest victory is when no battle is needed," they both said at the same time.

She smiled brightly. "Dijun, we said the same thing." He brought the treat up to her mouth so she could take another bite.

While the smile on his lips was restrained, the expression in his eyes was warm and indulgent.

"And, perhaps one day we can feel the same things."

She blinked down at him innocently. "But we do. You even lightly bopped her on the nose. I don't think you've done that to anyone. I cannot imagine you doing that to Si Ming or Zhong Lin," she said as she chewed and swallowed.

"I take inspiration from you. Every time you've done that to me you've always gotten my attention. I felt like I needed to convey the severity of the situation, but in the style of my little fox."

She nodded approvingly. Her face then clouded up with a realization. She pounded her little fist into his chest. He brought the sachima cake up to her mouth but she shook her head at the peace offering.

"What about the cat?" Her tone was challenging and conveyed that she would not entertain anymore deflections. She then quickly changed her mind and followed his lowering hand to take one last bite as she readied herself for battle with him.