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

Chapter 136 - The Unwanted

A/N: Y'all I didn't think I'd be able to get this update out as quickly as I did because for the last two days one of our dogs ended up in the vet ER due to acute respiratory issues. We thought we were going to lose him. Today he was discharged and is thankfully home and doing ok.

Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions for Chapter 135. I ended up going with two: Forging Anew/The Karma of Protection. Thanks to Susanne Hansen3 and Rebekah139 respectively for their thoughtful suggestions. Coming up with chapter titles is sometimes the hardest part for me.

Thanks to everyone who voted for the last chapter and to @TotoroNg9 and @marizabezerra who each went back and voted for a ton of past chapters they had already read. It got me to my 10K goal milestone! It's a great feeling to know that my work is appreciated. Writing this story has been the most meaningful endeavor for me during 2020/Covid times. I wouldn't trade it for anything. 💗

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When she had mentioned the hot springs, Dong Hua immediately became enthralled with the idea. For some reason, some of their most profound and heart-bonding moments happened in the water. Since he was born in the ocean, it was particularly meaningful to him that she, as an Earth Immortal, was not afraid to dive into the deepest depths of the unknown to be with him in his element.

Whether it was about medicine, politics, philosophy, or the art of tea, she could meaningfully engage with him. And while her trifecta of guardians, Mo Yuan, Zhe Yan, and Bai Zhen had taught her well, she never expressed her knowledge in a way that betrayed her charm, exuberance, and innocence. 

If she was a diamond, they had helped to polish her, but her carat, cut, clarity, and color were all her own. He didn't need perfection, her sweet authenticity was more than enough for him.

He remembered the first time he saw her fox-paddling in his bath soak. His little fox didn't even have webbed paws, but still, she was such a good swimmer.

He had taken to softly swaying back and forth with her still standing on his boots with his arms around her. She had her palms comfortably placed on his chest. He took one of her small hands and placed soft tender kisses on her knuckles before he placed her hand back over his heart and guided her head so she could nestle the side of her face into him. He continued to softly sway from side to side.

She very much enjoyed this relaxing feeling of being held by him in this way.

"Dijun?" she whispered. She had never seen him like this before and didn't want to disturb him so she stayed still in his embrace. She was curious about this way of being that her librarian had initiated.

"This is what it feels like to be in the ocean with me," he whispered with his eyes closed.

She realized that he was recreating the sensation of floating with the ebb and the flow of the waves. She smiled and closed her eyes as he placed a soft kiss on her head.

She could feel and hear the different tones of a soft deep humming expanding from his chest and throat.

"This is the song of the sea, little fox. No one really hears it anymore, but I still do," he whispered.

"Mmm," she quietly hummed back to him with her eyes closed. It was the safest she had ever felt with being in the dark.

Liu Jun glanced at the couple and looked back down at the ground with a smile. He slowly and quietly walked down the steps of the fox den, giving them their privacy.

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An undetermined amount of time passed while Dong Hua transported them into moments of oceanic transcendence.