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

Chapter 135 - Forging Anew/The Karma of Protection

A/N: Image credit - goes to the owner, whoever they are. Image not mine. I haven't met any bears yet.

I had the opposite of writer's block over the Thanksgiving holidays. I had some weird-ass download of ideas from The Muses for the next volume. That recent lunar eclipse probably had something to do with it. It's as if those goddesses stuck a jump drive into my head. It was overwhelming so it prevented me from writing this chapter and sending it out as timely as I had wanted to. Thanks for hanging in there!

*Special shout-out at the end of this chapter to two readers who left great title suggestions. I went with both!

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She sat uneasily on the edge of her bed with her father several feet away looking just as uncomfortable as her.

Earlier she had made sure there was nothing in the room that screamed love-play before she let him in so they could talk in private. She reminded herself that her undergarments were on her body and Dijun's pants were doing a good job of enveloping Cang He's little brother and those nice strong toned thighs of his.

She swallowed. Focus.

She hoped her father wouldn't use any mind-reading sorcery on her.

Bai Yi quietly surveyed her room silently buying time for the both of them to adjust to the first instance in a long time of him being in her room in the fox den.

He looked over to her shelf. "You still have the two small carved foxes I brought back for you when I visited your first uncle."

She nodded. "Of course, father. I remember you said that you were thinking of getting me the ones carved from tiger-eye because you thought the dark golden tones were beautiful but then you remembered that I love malachite."

She watched as the edges of her father's lips seemed to relax a bit. He wasn't smiling, but she could tell that detail she mentioned relaxed him somewhat.

They continued to sit in more silence.

He turned slightly to her. "Feng Jiu. Do you remember when you were a kit and your Grey Wolf Didi friend had to carry you home on his back because you insisted on wrestling the obese bear cub who ended up sitting on you?

"I had to teach him a lesson. He was bullying the butcher's son from our Mushroom Market!" She could still feel the anger rise in her throat.

Bai Yi nodded calmly. "And who ended up teaching who a lesson?"

She looked at the floor. "He taught me a lesson," she replied quietly.

Her father sighed. "What lesson did you learn?"

"I learned to not fight someone four times my size. I should have found an ally eight times my size to bring to the fight to sit on that bear cub."

Bai Yi opened his mouth and then closed it. He balled his hands into fists on his knees.

She peered over to study he father's expression. Obviously, whoever said that honesty was the best policy didn't know her father. Simply blurting out what one feels is the truth isn't enough. To benefit all involved and to minimize harm, the timing and delivery all matter. Practicing mindfulness helps to optimize communication and the quality of the communication can either intensify or diffuse conflict.

She could still see her laoshi seated serenely with a cup of tea during one of his many teachings.

"Um, I mean I shouldn't have tried to take the matter in my own paws. I should have come home and talked to grandfather, grandmother, and you about it."