The freezing morning air in the courtyard was thick with tension as Rong Ye stood alone in the deep snow, his tall, imposing figure facing a massive group of elders and high-ranking attendants from Fox Beast City.
The visitors looked exhausted, having waited outside since the previous night, but their expressions were filled with desperate determination.
Just a short distance away, hidden completely out of sight behind a thick cluster of snow-covered frozen bushes, Su Qinglan was crouching low.
Tucked securely inside her warm winter coat was the fluffiest little fox cub, Ciao Ciao. The tiny cub's bright eyes peeked out through the branches, his small tails twitching with anticipation.
Behind the bushes, Su Qinglan and her son were silently watching the drama unfold like spectators at a theatre.
In the centre of the courtyard, the head elder stepped forward, his knees sinking into the snow as he bowed deeply to Rong Ye.
