The Fox Clan.
Come to think of it, this was the first time she had returned home since she transformed into a human and descended to the mortal world.
Once again in the frigid land of the Fox Clan, everything remained the same. However, amidst the expanse of white frost, there was an added sense of desolation and loneliness.
In the pale, snow - like Fox Realm, a chill seemed to brush across her face, and it even seeped into her very bones.
At this moment, from the ice palace of the Fox Clan, a gentle melody of the zither drifted out. The delicate tune tugged at the heartstrings, yet it also carried a tinge of sadness and melancholy. The undulating melody seemed to be telling the joys and sorrows of the mortal world.
Just by listening to a short segment, Liuli recognized that this was the "Heart - Broken Melody", a tune that had been passed down in the Fox Clan for thousands of years.
She had heard countless people in the Fox Clan play this tune in various ways, but never had she heard it played with such vividness of sadness and melancholy as her elder brother, Li Yuhan.
She stood outside the curtain, her jade hand gently resting on the jade pillar. She lifted her eyes and saw a peerlessly handsome man in white robes with purple hair, his head bowed as he played the zither.
His long, slender fingers plucked at the strings of the zither. Their suppleness and flexibility brought the zither to life. He was extremely good - looking, tall and straight like a jade tree. His eyebrows were as black as ink, slanting into his temples. His long, gentle eyes showed a classical charm when he lowered them. His skin was as delicate as porcelain, and his purple hair, like silk, fell beside his ears, giving him an air of languid elegance and a faint, cold aura.
Liuli was reluctant to interrupt, but suddenly the man lifted his eyes from the zither. In his dreamy purple eyes, stars seemed to be scattered, and there was a hint of joy at a long - awaited reunion.
"Brother..." she murmured softly, standing still as she watched Li Yuhan striding quickly towards her.
The next moment, a tall figure enveloped her, and she was instantly pulled into a warm embrace. Once again, she smelled the familiar scent of her brother.
"Xiaoli, you're finally back," came a deep, magnetic and slightly trembling voice by her ear. Along with his joy, he tightened his arms around her.
"Brother, I missed you so much..." Proud as Liuli was, in front of her brother, she finally showed her dependent and vulnerable side. She would always be the little sister who needed to be doted on in her brother's eyes.
She suddenly thought that it was really nice to have her brother dote on her in this world!
After their reluctant separation, both of their eyes were wet. Li Yuhan always wore a doting smile and gently wiped the moisture from her face.
"Alright, it's good that you're back. You've been away for so long that Father and Mother have been missing you terribly. They've been talking about you every day and have repeatedly asked me to go to the mortal world to find you."
"By the way, I haven't seen Father and Mother. Where are they?" No wonder she thought the ice palace was so deserted today. It was because two people were missing.
"They've gone to the mortal world for a trip. I wanted to go too, but they asked me to stay and guard the ice palace," Li Yuhan gently tapped the tip of her nose. His tone and eyes were filled with irresistible tenderness. "Fortunately, I waited for you here. Xiaoli, don't leave this time."
Even so, Li Yuhan didn't hold out much hope. Given his little sister's personality, it was impossible for her to stay quietly in the Fox Clan as a noble and gentle princess.
Sure enough, on that extremely beautiful face, there was a look of embarrassment. She buried her head and remained silent.
"Forget it. Don't talk about these things for now. Since you're back so rarely, just chat with brother about the interesting things you've encountered in the mortal world."
He quickly pulled Liuli over to sit beside him and held her hand. But he saw that she was reluctant to speak for a long time, and her eyebrows were filled with a complex look that was hard to describe.
"What's wrong? Do you have something to tell me?" No one knew Liuli better than Li Yuhan. He could tell at a glance that Liuli was hesitant to speak.
Thinking that she couldn't hide it from her brother after all, Liuli summoned up her courage and lifted her eyes, confessing frankly, "Brother, I've fallen in love with someone."
Hearing this, Li Yuhan's originally gentle eyes froze for a moment. His long eyebrows frowned slightly, a layer of ink covering the purple light in his eyes, and his voice also turned cold and solemn. "You mean a mortal?"
"Yes." Liuli was not only confused but also a little afraid of the sudden coldness on Li Yuhan's face.
She was not afraid of anything since childhood, but she was especially afraid of her brother frowning. Whenever he frowned, it meant an unpredictable result.
So looking at Li Yuhan's expression, there was a hint of timidity between her eyebrows. Seeing his cold, sinking eyes and feeling his hand suddenly let go of hers.
"Xiaoli, not to mention that you've fallen in love with a mortal, but right now, you've already crossed the boundary of the Fox Clan!"
Li Yuhan was really a little angry because the boundary of the Fox Clan was that they were not allowed to have the seven emotions and six desires with mortals. Once they fell in love and crossed the line, they would suffer the punishment of being frozen for a thousand years!
"I know, but I can't control my feelings for him. Moreover, I've found that the feeling of loving someone is really subtle and wonderful." At this moment, Liuli was as shy as a naive girl, and her green longing for love made her completely different from her cold and gorgeous self.
Hearing this, Li Yuhan was completely enraged. He shouted sharply, "Nonsense! You're so muddle - headed! Xiaoli, you'd better give up this thought right now and cut off all contact with this mortal!"
"I won't! No one can stop me from loving him." Liuli firmly stated her attitude. Her stubbornness made Li Yuhan hate that she couldn't become a useful person.
"You!" Li Yuhan tried his best to calm himself down and avoid arguing with his sister.
He was as calm as still water, but his tone was full of coldness. "I'll ask you, you like him so much. Does he like you?"
This sentence seemed to hit Liuli's most vulnerable point. She had been so tough just now, but now she was left speechless.
"Why aren't you talking?" Li Yuhan half - smiled, as if he had already seen through the truth. He said casually, "It seems that in the end, it's just your one - sided love, right?"
"Even if it is, so what? And I came today to get something from you, brother."
Li Yuhan's long eyebrows shot up. Her stubbornness made him extremely anxious, but he still tried his best to control his emotions. Standing with his hands behind his back, he said impatiently, "What is it?"
"Love - Gu Powder."
The three words floating in the air reached his ears. His heart skipped a beat, and he asked warily, "What do you want it for?"
The Love - Gu Powder was his unique secret weapon. He wouldn't take it out easily unless it was absolutely necessary. And in the entire Fox Clan, besides himself, only his sister Liuli knew about it.
"I want to use the Love - Gu Powder to make that mortal completely obey me and belong to me forever." Liuli just wore a faint smile, but in the beautiful black eyes on her peerless face, there was a depth like a black hole, making it impossible to guess her thoughts.
"I think you're crazy!" Li Yuhan was completely enraged. He waved his sleeve resolutely and said firmly, "I'm telling you, you'll never get the Love - Gu Powder from me!"
"Brother, you said that you'd give me anything I wanted..."
"But what I said doesn't include your wanton behavior! Xiaoli, if you continue to be so stubborn, even I won't be able to save you in the end!"