Huoyáo Jìng woke gently, foxfire drifting in slow, lazy swirls through the morning air. The scent of steamed buns and polished cedar floated down the pathways. Warriors patrolled with relaxed postures. Cubs darted past, chasing shimmering light motes.
Poppy walked at Mingxi’s side, still glowing faintly from the ceremony. It wasn’t visible to most people, but foxes reacted to her, tilting their heads, tails swaying, as if acknowledging something new.
Mingxi’s tail tips twitched in low-key possessiveness each time, and Poppy pretended not to see it.
Xu Yunlian greeted them in the courtyard with a warm smile and said, “Good morning, Penelope.”
Minghua burst out of a doorway moments later, shouting, “Good morning, new sister-in-law—”
Mingjun slapped a hand over her mouth so fast she squeaked. “We talked about this,” he said through clenched teeth.
Minghua spoke through his hand, her voice muffled, “I regret nothing.”
Poppy flushed a deep red.
Mingxi groaned. “There is no marriage.”
Xu Yunlian patted his arm. “Not yet, sweetie.”
Xu Yunlian led Poppy down a winding path lined with silverleaf trees. At the end stood a small, elegant shrine carved from pale stone, lanterns drifting at its corners.
“This is the Ancestors’ Shrine,” she explained. “We come here when seeking clarity, guidance, or strength.”
Poppy hesitated. “Is it… safe? After everything?”
“Perfectly,” Yunlian assured. “They already know you.”
Poppy blinked. “They do?”
“Of course,” she said, smiling. “You survived the entity. And you love my son.”
Poppy choked. “I-I never said—”
Mingxi’s ears snapped upright so fast it looked painful.
Xu Yunlian tilted her head, amused. “You didn’t have to.”
Mingxi emitted the quietest internal scream in fox history. As Poppy studied the shrine carvings, Mingxi pulled Minghua aside.
In a whisper that was absolutely not subtle, he hissed, “Stop telling her we’re getting married.”
Minghua gasped dramatically. “But you are.”
“No, we’re not,” he growled.
She poked his chest. “Mingxi. Sweet, delusional brother. You’ve been in love with her since before the moonwell.”
“I was terrified at the moonwell,” he muttered.
“Of losing her,” Minghua corrected loudly.
Mingxi closed his eyes with the expression of a man deeply regretting being born into a family.
Minghua leaned up to whisper at maximum volume, “Just kiss her and solve all your problems.”
He shoved her face away with one hand.
Later, Poppy helped Xu Yunlian and Minghua prepare tea. As they worked, she noticed delicate embroidered pouches resting on the table.
