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　　年三十上午，沈清軒打理完手邊的事，讓小廝推著，去廚房看看晚間的飯菜準備的如何。沈家太大，廚房也是三重，最外面堆著小山樣的瓜果蔬菜，處理過的雞鴨魚肉都撿放在盆裡，灑了鹽醃制入味，待晚間直接可以入鍋。第二重門裡大大的屋子，起了數十個小灶，點著火，煨著各式高湯。最里間才是真正做飯的地方，掀開門簾，首先是如山的蒸籠，摞的直達房頂，籠旁立著木梯，方便隨時爬上去查看。鐵鍋有大有小，灶爐形狀不一，燉的煮的煎的燙的，無一不全。廚子們圍著短裙，雙手在案上穿梭如飛，切絲片柳，揉面調餡。臉上被爐火映出紅紅的光。
　　有人忙裡偷閒一抬眼，瞅見了門口的沈清軒，連忙驚呼一聲，停下手跑過去，喊道：“少爺怎麼到這裡來了？趕緊回去吧，油煙大，小心熏著。”
　　沈清軒微微笑著，臉上有著節日的喜慶，擺了擺手，道：“我看看你們準備的如何了。”
　　“少爺放心，廚子們都老練著呢，出不了差錯。”
　　沈清軒點點頭，又看了一會，才道：“先做出些好菜來，裝在食盒裡。一會給我送來。”
　　那人不解，疑惑的問：“少爺這是要給誰送去嗎？”
　　沈清軒頷首，卻也不解釋，只讓他照吩咐去做，隨後就走了。
　　不消片刻功夫，裝得滿滿的食盒就送到了沈清軒手邊，沈清軒打開看了看，重新蓋好，又讓丫鬟拿來早先準備好的一個紅色包袱，送到門口去。侯在院門處的小廝迎上來，接了東西放進馬車，隨後說了聲“少爺放心，小的一定送到”趕著馬兒離去了。
　　馬車一路疾馳，趕往渡口，又轉上了船，不到晌午的時間，小廝就將那些東西送到了小桃的別院裡，很快又匆匆趕回覆命。自然得了沈清軒的打賞。
　　
　　下午的時候，許明世也迎風踏雪的回來了，臉上掛著焦急之色，沖進院中，找了一圈才知道沈清軒在主院裡招呼客人。丫頭見他找得急，也不敢耽擱，讓他候著，自己圍了斗篷去尋主子。
　　沈清軒得知許明世來找，使了個眼色中途離席，問他何事。
　　許明世見周邊無人，才解了衣襟，從懷裡掏出個黑乎乎毛茸茸的東西來。
　　“噯？這是甚？小狗兒？”沈清軒剛要伸手，被許明世擋住了，許明世把那東西重新揣進懷裡，滿臉苦相的對著沈清軒道：“我也不知怎麼跟你說。”
　　沈清軒奇怪地看著他滿臉苦澀，明白事情不小，請他進房細述。
　　
　　原來又是許明世一時衝動做下的事。那黑乎乎毛茸茸的東西，卻是一隻剛出生月餘的小狼崽。狼崽的母親也有些來頭，修煉三百年成精，得了人形，而後耐不住寂寞，不再潛心修煉，去塵世中遊玩。隨後就是些人人都耳熟能詳的情節了，狼精戀上凡人，一人一精相戀相慕，在一起過了一年。結果一年後那男子得了重病，母狼精知道是自己的緣故，四處尋求解決之道，恰遇許明世。
　　許明世一見那人臉上敗死之氣，只當是妖精存心害人性命，不分青紅照白，上去就和母狼動了手。
　　結果那狼心中牽掛丈夫，兼之剛剛生產，身體未愈，就這麼死在他手裡。
　　母狼一死，人形的狼崽無妖力看護，自然也現了原形。之前榻上男子見許明世衝撞自己娘子，還以為他是胡說八道，只是實在沒有精神，也無氣力阻止，只得眼睜睜看著自己妻子倒地，結果那倒地婦人一轉眼，就化作了一隻黑狼，而懷中哭泣的男嬰也一瞬間化成哀叫的小狼崽。他只是普通凡人，重病在身，又遭此驚駭場面，竟然一命嗚呼了。
　　對著兩條性命，許明世知道自己又犯了錯，卻不知如何收場，只得抱了那狼崽，步履匆忙的趕回來找沈清軒。他身在異鄉，並無其他相熟之人，遇了事首先想到的自然是沈清軒。
　　
　　沈清軒聽完，不發一言。只抬著臉，目光冰冷如刀，直凜凜的看著他。那眼神極冷，冷到極致，仿佛千年寒冰雕琢的刀刃，插進他心窩裡。
　　許明世駭的臉色都變了。
　　足有一炷香的時間，許明世站在那處，仿佛做錯了事的小孩，頹喪的垂著腦袋，喃喃著也不知是問誰，“這可如何是好？”
　　沈清軒冷哼一聲，正欲說話，卻聽到一聲細嫩的哀叫聲，自許明世懷裡發出。細細的嗓子，不知身邊世事無常，呵護它的天地已然驟變。只是餓了，便哀哀地叫著，拱著小小的腦袋，尋找母親。
　　沈清軒眼底變了一下，終是什麼都沒說。搖了鈴鐺喚來丫頭，讓她去找老管家，不管什麼法子，尋碗奶水來。
　　命令發出去，丫頭感到屋中氣氛不對，連忙應下，立刻退出去關好門。
　　小狼仍在細嫩的用嗓子叫著，發出嗚咽般的聲音，在許明世懷裡拱來拱去。
　　沈清軒伸手，冷聲道：“給我。”
　　許明世猶豫了一下，沈清軒淡淡地道：“你可是它的滅門仇人。”話剛落音，許明世的身子明顯顫了一下，臉上露出了悲苦之色，甚是可憐。只是再可憐，也打動不了沈清軒的鐵石心腸。伸著的手，巍然不動。
　　許明世將那狼崽遞過去，沈清軒將它抱在懷裡，裹進衣襟，一邊安撫著，一邊對許明世道：“我早說，你這性子若不改改是要惹禍的。不是害自己，就是禍害他人，你先還不服，現下可是應兌了。”
　　許明世一言不發，只低著頭，看著自己腳尖。
　　“事情到這一步。我也不說什麼，你去帳房領些銀兩，前去將那對夫妻安葬了吧。”
　　許明世聞言抬起頭來，驚異的道：“安葬？如何安葬？”
　　“自然是葬在一處。”
　　“可她是精怪。”
　　“那男人娶了她，只要沒有休她，莫說是精怪，就是惡鬼也要葬在一處！”沈清軒加重音量。
　　許明世愣愣的。
　　
　　“你殺了他妻子，又嚇死病人，我本該送你見官。到底你我也算故交，尚有些交情，這事我也不做了。”沈清軒淡淡道：“只是你須寫一份文書給我，往後再要降妖捉怪，須得問清事由，再有此事發生，我就拿了你去見官。你雖是道士，卻也是人，歸得官府管轄。到那時，以命抵命，我絕不相幫。”
　　許明世仍是愣怔，卻點了點頭。
　　懷中狼崽動的厲害，沈清軒一手將它抱緊了，獨手推了輪椅到書架前，從書櫃中取了木箱出來，打開，裡面只有一件雪白長袍和一件紫銅小鼎。
　　許明世看到那兩件東西，卻不知他究竟想做些什麼，只默不吭聲地看著。
　　沈清軒取出那件蛇蛻做的長袍放在一邊，又掩上木箱放回原處，拿著那長袍過去，看了他片刻，才道：“那母狼也不知是何來頭，想來山中野獸修煉，也非她一個。她此番死得冤屈，十有八九會有同伴來找你尋仇。你做了這事，本該以命抵命。卻到底年輕，死了可惜。這衣物我先借給你拿去護身，且將你身上所有傷人的武器全部解下，交給我。等事情了結，我再還你。”
　　許明世還是沉默，心知他所言不虛，卻也知道一旦自己毫無還手之力，等待著的將是不可預估的結果，即便有寶衣護身，不會失了性命，卻也難逃皮肉之苦。但沈清軒已經把話說的很明白，他就是要他這樣贖罪。哪怕被那母狼精的同伴打廢打殘，也是活該。
　　換或不換，全憑他此刻抉擇。
　　
　　許明世立了一炷香功夫，終是解了衣囊包袱，將內裡的道符朱砂全部遞給沈清軒，又將腰間挎著的寶劍也解了，放在桌上。最後拿起那件蛇蛻寶衣，低頭看著，突地眼眶一紅，落下淚來。
　　他說：“對不起。”
　　沈清軒卻是無言，因為他知道，這聲道歉，並非說給自己聽。
　　懷中小狼嗚咽的越發可憐了，房門正值此時被叩響，老管家的聲音響起：“少爺，我尋了只正在餵養的母羊，可行嗎？”
　　沈清軒道：“擠碗奶來。”
　　老管家道：“這就來了。”
　　
　　余溫尚在的羊奶送進房，沈清軒試了試，抱出懷中狼崽，以碗去喂，那小狼哪裡吃得慣，加上又是冰冷碗沿，直往下漏，根本喝不到嘴。不由得又氣又急，叫得愈發淒慘，掙得也厲害起來。沈清軒放了碗，也不清楚它究竟是不吃還是不習慣這樣的吃法，只好用手指蘸了些，往它嘴裡遞。那小狼餓得狠了，又知道身邊不是親人，本能的警惕。待他手指伸來，一張嘴就咬了上去。
　　許明世“嗷”了一聲，見到沈清軒的手指立時見了血。沈清軒卻面色不動，仿佛被咬的是別人，仍是將那手指往狼嘴裡送，血液混著奶香，小狼舔了舔，等沈清軒再送來手指時就不咬了。
　　確定只是餵養有問題，沈清軒找了小勺，小小的一支，捏著狼嘴給它灌。一個是餓得發瘋的小狼，一個是從來不接觸動物的男人，一碗羊奶灑了三分嗆了三分又吐了三分，勉勉強強，互相總算能配合好了些。
　　第二碗喂的順當多了，到了第三碗，沈清軒喂的慢了，小狼也吃的慢了。
　　許明世在一邊看的直流汗，一邊感歎沈清軒的耐性，一邊卻也可憐這只失了父母的小狼。若不是它，這小東西哪裡要費這麼多力氣，只為吃飽肚子？
　　
　　等到小狼肚皮開始撐圓，沈清軒累的不輕，它自己也累的夠嗆。趴在濕淋淋的沈清軒腿上勉強挪騰了個位置，換了個乾燥溫暖點的地方，蜷著身子就睡著了。
　　把小狼抱進衣襟，沈清軒到火盆邊撩著袍擺烘烤衣物，此時才算安靜了一下。許明世也正眼去觀看，看著沈清軒的側臉，在火盆邊散發著一種恬靜與疲倦的氣息。
　　而後猛地瞪大眼，高聲道：“沈清軒你身上有妖氣！”
　　沈清軒正烤著火休息，被他這麼一喊，唬了一跳，睜開眼看著他，很快回神道：“我知道。”
　　“你是不是遇到什麼妖怪了？”許明世問，臉上本能的戒備，觀察四周。
　　沈清軒笑笑：“沒有。”
　　“胡說，你身上妖氣那麼重，明明和妖……”話到這裡，戛然而止。許明世驟然明白過來。是了，這樣的妖氣，並非與妖尋常相處才能染上，況且這妖氣，他並不陌生。一向糊裡糊塗的腦子在這一瞬間，陡然條理清晰起來。許明世想到他曾經奮不顧身救那蛇妖，想到那千年老蛇將寶物蛇蛻爽快的贈他，想到不久前在山中逐漸消瘦卻執拗似乎在等待什麼的那個人……許明世幾乎是顫著聲音發問：“你與那蛇妖……是不是好過了？”
　　沈清軒只看著他，不承認，亦不否認。只是看著，眼底譏諷一閃而逝，仿佛在嘲笑他這個問題的多餘。
　　
　　許明世愣怔著，腦中思緒在他目光下斷了線，紛亂成麻。
　　沈清軒始終從容的望著他紛亂眼神，仿佛一切都與己無關。只是到最後了，才輕笑一聲，不無嘲弄地道：“我與那蛇妖好了一年了，你是要除了它，還是除了我？”略頓，沈清軒輕輕地，用鼻音發了個音節，說：“嗯？”尾音上揚，肆無忌憚。
　　許明世倒抽一口涼氣。
　　“你這樣會死的！與妖在一起，哪怕是修煉千年的妖，你也會死的！”許明世喊。
　　“我知道。”沈清軒應的極快，仿佛知道他心中所想，淡淡道：“他告訴過我。”
　　“他……”許明世啞言。
　　“我不是你，我知道自己在做什麼。你不用為我操心。”沈清軒放下襟擺，望著他道：“你還是先回去，將那對夫妻安葬了吧。”
　　許明世倒退兩步，像是被深深打擊了似的，不敢置信地望著他，半晌，猛地一跺腳，掉頭跑了。
　　
　　撫了撫懷中狼崽的毛皮，沈清軒也坐了半晌，才歎了口氣，對懷中睡的香甜的狼崽喃喃道：“我給他的寶衣不帶，這一去，也不知回不回的來。”又想著，這狼崽此時倒是溫馴模樣，將來也不知會如何，怕是要找許明世尋仇的。
　　懷裡揣了這麼個東西，沈清軒真的開始發愁了。
　　而後，就像許明世有事自然的想起他一樣，他此時唯一想到的，就是伊墨。
　　那蛇冰冷冷的性子，把這狼交給他，指不定也冰冷冷的修煉不理世事去了，就算不老實，伊墨也自然有法子制得住它，等到修煉成人形要去尋仇，那許明世的骨頭都腐成灰了。
　　沈清軒眯起眼，臉上露出狐狸般狡黠的神情，非常得意自己的盤算。
　　
　　正在溫泉裡的伊墨，突地睜開眼，然後打了個噴嚏。
　　對自己這個突如其來的噴嚏，伊墨發揮了野獸般的直覺，一揮手，衣袍完整的覆上身。
　　離了山林，前往城中沈宅。
　　宅裡燈籠遍佈，歡聲笑語，耳畔繚繞的都是喜氣洋洋的問好。
　　一路上無數遍“伊公子過年好”讓伊墨腳步也慢了下來。
　　屋中沈清軒坐著，正好回頭，眉眼含笑：
　　“你來了。”

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On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Shen Qingxuan finished his work and asked the servant to push him to the kitchen to see how the evening meal was prepared. The Shen family was so big that the kitchen was also three-story. The outermost one was piled with a small mountain of fruits and vegetables. The processed chicken, duck, fish and meat were picked up and placed in a basin, sprinkled with salt to marinate, and could be put into the pot directly in the evening. In the large room behind the second door, there were dozens of small stoves, all lit and simmering various soups. The innermost room was the real cooking place. When the door curtain was lifted, the first thing to see was a mountain of steamers, which were stacked up to the roof. There was a wooden ladder next to the cages, so that you could climb up and check at any time. There were iron pots of different sizes, and stoves of different shapes. They were all prepared for stewing, boiling, frying and boiling. The cooks wore short skirts, and their hands flew across the table, cutting strips, kneading dough and mixing stuffing. Their faces were reflected by the red light of the stove.

Someone took a moment to look up and saw Shen Qingxuan at the door. He exclaimed, stopped what he was doing and ran over , shouting, “Why is the young master here? Go back quickly. There is a lot of smoke. Be careful not to get choked."

Shen Qingxuan smiled slightly, with a festive look on his face, waved his hand, and said, “Let me see how you are preparing."

“Don’t worry, Master. The cooks are very experienced and nothing will go wrong."

Shen Qingxuan nodded, and after looking at it for a while, he said, “Make some good dishes first and put them in food boxes. Bring them to me later."

The man was puzzled and asked doubtfully: “Who are you sending this to, young master?"

Shen Qingxuan nodded, but did not explain. He just asked him to do as he was told and then left.

In a short while, the full food box was delivered to Shen Qingxuan. Shen Qingxuan opened it, took a look, closed it again, and asked the maid to bring a red bundle that had been prepared earlier and delivered it to the door. The servant waiting at the gate came forward, took the food and put it in the carriage, then said, “Master, don’t worry, I will definitely deliver it," and drove away on the horse.

The carriage sped all the way to the ferry, and then boarded the boat. Before noon, the servant had delivered the things to Xiao Tao’s courtyard, and soon hurried back to his life. Naturally, he received a reward from Shen Qingxuan.

In the afternoon, Xu Mingshi also came back in the wind and snow, with an anxious look on his face. He rushed into the courtyard and looked around before he found Shen Qingxuan in the main courtyard greeting guests. The maid saw that he was in a hurry and did not dare to delay him. She asked him to wait and she wrapped a cloak around herself to look for her master.

When Shen Qingxuan learned that Xu Mingshi came to see him, he gave him a wink and left the table, then asked him what he wanted.

Seeing that there was no one around, Xu Mingshi unbuttoned his clothes and took out a black, furry thing from his arms.

“Eh? What is this? A puppy?" Shen Qingxuan was about to reach out his hand, but was blocked by Xu Mingshi. Xu Mingshi put the thing back into his arms and said to Shen Qingxuan with a bitter face: “I don’t know how to tell you."

Shen Qingxuan looked at him strangely with a bitter face, and realized that the matter was serious, so he asked him to come into the room and explain in detail.

It turned out that Xu Mingshi had done something impulsive. The black and furry thing was actually a wolf cub that was just over a month old . The wolf cub ‘s mother was also of some note. She had cultivated for 300 years and became a spirit, then took on a human form. Then, unable to bear the loneliness, she stopped cultivating and went to play in the mortal world. Then came the familiar plots: the wolf spirit fell in love with a mortal, and the man and the spirit fell in love and spent a year together. As a result, the man fell seriously ill a year later. The mother wolf spirit knew that it was her fault, so she looked for a solution everywhere and happened to meet Xu Mingshi.

When Xu Mingshi saw the look of defeat on the man’s face, he thought it was a demon that wanted to kill people, so he went up to the mother wolf and started fighting without knowing right or wrong.

As a result, the wolf was worried about her husband and had just given birth and was not yet fully recovered, so she died in his hands.

Once the mother wolf died, the wolf cub in human form had no demonic power to protect it , so it naturally revealed its true form. The man on the couch had seen Xu Mingshi bumping into his wife and thought he was talking nonsense, but he was too exhausted and had no energy to stop her. He could only watch his wife fall to the ground. As a result, the woman who fell to the ground turned into a black wolf in the blink of an eye, and the crying baby boy in her arms also turned into a wailing wolf cub in an instant . He was just an ordinary mortal, seriously ill, and after experiencing such a horrifying scene, he died.

Facing two lives, Xu Mingshi knew he had made a mistake again, but he didn’t know how to end it, so he had to hold the wolf cub and hurried back to find Shen Qingxuan. He was in a foreign land and had no other acquaintances, so when something happened, the first person he thought of was naturally Shen Qingxuan.

Shen Qingxuan didn’t say a word after hearing this. He just raised his face, his eyes as cold as a knife, and stared at him sternly. The look was extremely cold, so cold that it was like a blade carved from thousands of years of ice, piercing into his heart.

Xu Mingshi’s face changed with shock.

For a stick of incense, Xu Mingshi stood there, like a child who had done something wrong, with his head hanging dejectedly, mumbling to someone unknown, “What should I do?"

Shen Qingxuan snorted coldly and was about to speak when he heard a tender cry from Xu Mingshi’s arms. The thin voice was unaware of the impermanence of the world around it, and the world that protected it had suddenly changed. It was just hungry, so it cried sadly, arched its little head, and looked for its mother.

Shen Qingxuan’s eyes changed for a moment, but he said nothing in the end. He rang the bell to call the maid, and asked her to find the old housekeeper and ask her to find a bowl of milk no matter what .

After the order was issued, the maid felt that the atmosphere in the room was not right, so she quickly responded and immediately went out and closed the door.

The little wolf was still calling out in its tender voice, making whimpering sounds, and was wriggling in Xu Mingshi’s arms.

Shen Qingxuan stretched out his hand and said coldly, “Give it to me."

Xu Mingshi hesitated for a moment, and Shen Qingxuan said indifferently: “You are its enemy who wiped out the whole family." As soon as the words fell, Xu Mingshi’s body trembled noticeably, and his face showed a look of misery, which was very pitiful. However, no matter how pitiful he was, it could not move Shen Qingxuan’s heart of stone. The outstretched hand remained motionless.

Xu Mingshi handed the wolf cub over. Shen Qingxuan held it in his arms and wrapped it in his clothes. While comforting it, he said to Xu Mingshi, “I told you long ago that if you don’t change your temper, you will get into trouble. It will either harm yourself or others. You didn’t accept it at first, but now you have to obey."

Xu Mingshi said nothing, just lowered his head and looked at his toes.

“Now that things have come to this, I won’t say anything. Go to the accounting office to get some money and go bury the couple."

Xu Mingshi raised his head upon hearing this and asked in surprise, “Burial? How to bury?"

“Naturally, they are buried in the same place."

“But she is a spirit."

“As long as the man married her and didn’t divorce her, not to mention monsters, even evil spirits would be buried with her!" Shen Qingxuan raised his voice.

Xu Mingshi was stunned.

“You killed his wife and frightened the patient to death. I should have sent you to the authorities. After all, you and I are old friends and we still have some friendship. I won’t do this." Shen Qingxuan said calmly: “But you must write a document to me. If you want to subdue demons and monsters in the future, you must ask the cause clearly. If this happens again, I will take you to the authorities. Although you are a Taoist priest, you are also a human being and are under the jurisdiction of the government. When that happens, life for life, I will never help you."

Xu Mingshi was still stunned, but nodded.

The wolf cub in his arms moved violently. Shen Qingxuan held it tightly with one hand and pushed the wheelchair to the bookshelf with the other hand. He took out a wooden box from the bookcase and opened it. There was only a snow-white robe and a small copper tripod inside.

Xu Mingshi saw the two things, but he didn’t know what he wanted to do, so he just watched silently.

Shen Qingxuan took out the robe made of snake skin and put it aside, then closed the wooden box and put it back in its original place. He took the robe and walked over, looked at him for a moment, and then said, “I don’t know where that she-wolf came from. I think she is not the only beast practicing in the mountains. She died unjustly this time, and it is very likely that her companions will come to seek revenge on you. You did this, and you should pay with your life. But you are still young, and it would be a pity to die. I will lend you this clothing to protect yourself, and take off all the weapons that can hurt people and give them to me. I will return it to you after the matter is settled."

Xu Mingshi remained silent, knowing that what he said was true, but also knowing that once he was powerless to fight back, what awaited him would be unpredictable results. Even if he had the precious clothes to protect him, he would not lose his life, but he would not escape the pain of the flesh. But Shen Qingxuan had made it very clear that he wanted him to atone for his sins in this way. Even if he was beaten to a pulp by the companions of the female wolf spirit, he deserved it.

Whether to change or not depends entirely on his decision at this moment.

Xu Mingshi stood there for a stick of incense, and finally untied the bag, handed all the Taoist talismans and cinnabar inside to Shen Qingxuan, and untied the sword hanging from his waist and placed it on the table. Finally, he picked up the snake-skinned precious robe, looked down at it, and suddenly his eyes turned red and tears fell.

He said, “I’m sorry."

Shen Qingxuan was speechless, because he knew that this apology was not meant for him.

The little wolf in his arms whimpered even more pitifully. At this moment, the door was knocked and the old housekeeper’s voice rang out: “Master, I found a ewe that is being fed. Is that okay?"

Shen Qingxuan said: “Squeeze a bowl of milk."

The old housekeeper said, “I’m coming right now."

The goat milk, which was still warm, was brought into the room. Shen Qingxuan tried it, took out the wolf cub from his arms , and fed it with a bowl. The little wolf was not used to it, and the bowl was cold, so the milk kept leaking down, and it couldn’t drink from its mouth at all. It couldn’t help but get angry and anxious, and cried more miserably and struggled harder. Shen Qingxuan put the bowl down, not knowing whether it didn’t want to eat or was not used to this way of eating, so he had to dip some with his finger and put it into its mouth. The little wolf was very hungry, and knew that there was no relative next to it, so it was instinctively alert. When his finger was extended, it opened its mouth and bit it.

Xu Mingshi cried out “Ah!" and saw that Shen Qingxuan’s finger was bleeding. However, Shen Qingxuan’s expression remained unchanged, as if someone else was bitten. He continued to push the finger into the wolf’s mouth. The blood mixed with the fragrance of milk, the little wolf licked it, and stopped biting Shen Qingxuan’s finger when he pushed it back.

After making sure that the problem was only with feeding, Shen Qingxuan found a small spoon and held the wolf’s mouth to feed it. One was a hungry wolf, and the other was a man who had never touched animals. Three-quarters of the goat’s milk was spilled, three-quarters was choked, and three-quarters was vomited. They finally managed to cooperate with each other.

The second bowl went much more smoothly, but by the third bowl, Shen Qingxuan fed slowly, and the little wolf also ate slowly.

Xu Mingshi was sweating as he watched, and he was impressed by Shen Qingxuan’s patience, but at the same time, he felt sorry for the little wolf who had lost his parents. If it weren’t for it, why would this little thing have to spend so much effort just to fill its stomach?

When the wolf cub’s belly began to swell, Shen Qingxuan was very tired, and it was also very tired. It barely moved on Shen Qingxuan’s wet legs, changed to a drier and warmer place, curled up and fell asleep.

After holding the little wolf in his arms, Shen Qingxuan went to the brazier and lifted up his robe to dry his clothes. Only then did he quiet down for a while. Xu Mingshi also looked at Shen Qingxuan’s profile, which exuded a sense of tranquility and tiredness beside the brazier.

Then he suddenly widened his eyes and shouted: “Shen Qingxuan, there is a demonic aura on you!"

Shen Qingxuan was resting by the fire , and was startled by his shout. He opened his eyes and looked at him, then quickly came to his senses and said, “I know."

“Have you encountered any monster?" Xu Mingshi asked, with an instinctive alert look on his face as he looked around.

Shen Qingxuan smiled: “No."

“Nonsense, you have such a strong demonic aura, and you are obviously with a demon… " The words stopped here. Xu Mingshi suddenly understood. Yes, this kind of demonic aura is not something that can be contracted by getting along with demons normally, and he is not unfamiliar with this demonic aura. His usually muddled mind suddenly became clear at this moment. Xu Mingshi thought about how he once risked his life to save the snake demon, how the thousand-year-old snake gave him its precious snake skin, and how the man who was gradually losing weight in the mountains not long ago but was stubbornly waiting for something… Xu Mingshi asked with a trembling voice: “Are you and the snake demon… okay?"

Shen Qingxuan just looked at him, neither admitting nor denying. He just looked at him, with a flash of sarcasm in his eyes, as if he was laughing at the unnecessary question.

Xu Mingshi was stunned , his thoughts were disconnected and in a tangle under his gaze.

Shen Qingxuan always looked at his confused eyes calmly, as if everything had nothing to do with him. Only at the end, he chuckled and said mockingly: “I have been with the snake demon for a year. Do you want to get rid of it or me?" After a slight pause, Shen Qingxuan gently uttered a syllable with a nasal sound and said: “Hmm?" The ending tone rose, unscrupulous.

Xu Mingshi took a breath.

“You will die like this! If you stay with a monster, even if it is a monster that has been practicing for thousands of years, you will die!" Xu Mingshi shouted.

“I know." Shen Qingxuan responded very quickly, as if he knew what he was thinking, and said lightly: “He told me."

“He…" Xu Mingshi was speechless.

“I’m not you. I know what I’m doing. You don’t have to worry about me." Shen Qingxuan put down his collar, looked at him and said, “You should go back first and bury that couple."

Xu Mingshi took two steps back, as if he had been deeply shocked, and looked at him in disbelief. After a while, he stomped his feet suddenly, turned around and ran away.

stroking the fur of the wolf cub in his arms. He then sighed and murmured to the wolf cub sleeping soundly in his arms, “I didn’t take the precious clothes I gave him. I don’t know if he will come back after this trip." He also thought that the wolf cub seemed so docile at this moment, and he didn’t know what he would be like in the future. He was afraid that he would seek revenge on Xu Mingshi.

With such a thing in his arms, Shen Qingxuan really began to worry.

Then, just as Xu Mingshi would naturally think of him when something happened, the only person he thought of at this moment was Yi Mo.

The snake had a cold temperament. If the wolf was handed over to it, it might also practice in a cold manner and ignore worldly affairs. Even if it was not honest, Yi Mo would naturally have a way to control it. By the time it cultivated into a human form and went to seek revenge, Xu Mingshi’s bones would have rotted into ashes .

Shen Qingxuan narrowed his eyes , a fox-like look appeared on his face, and he was very proud of his plan.

Yi Mo, who was in the hot spring, suddenly opened his eyes and sneezed.

In response to his sudden sneeze, Yi Mo used his beast-like instinct, waved his hand, and covered his body completely with his robe.

Leaving the forest, we headed to Shen’s residence in the city.

The house is filled with lanterns, laughter and joyful greetings linger in the ears.

The countless times of “Happy New Year, Mr. Yi" along the way slowed down Yi Mo’s pace.

Shen Qingxuan was sitting in the room. He turned around with a smile on his face:

“You’re here.”