Non-Humans Want to Fall in Love Too [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 5

Once the final examination results were released, it was confirmed that Shi Yan was perfectly healthy. Aside from being a bit dirty from his time in captivity, there were no issues. After the veterinarian gave him a bath and dried his fur, he returned to the villa with several large bags of specialized fox food.

Post-bath, Shi Yan looked even fluffier, resembling a round, red ball of plush. Based on the doctor’s examination, he was estimated to be about eight months old, essentially a fox cub.

Shi Yan, who had lived for over a thousand years and had simply chosen a youthful appearance for his transformation, thought to himself, “This truly cannot be blamed on me.”

The original host had not considered this issue at all when transforming; he had simply modeled his appearance after the cubs in his tribe. Shi Yan could not suddenly change his image now, so he was forced to maintain this outward form.

“He is still just a cub. No wonder he is so well-behaved.” Auntie Hong received a list of fox-safe foods from the assistant and immediately pushed aside the commercial fox food Ji Shijin had brought back. She personally prepared a nutrient-rich dinner for Shi Yan.

In the Ji household, only Shi Yan was permitted to eat at the same table as Ji Shijin. Ji Shijin watched the little fox eating heartily and twitched his fingers, yet he pushed his own meal further away.

Since that morning, he felt the phantom pain in his legs intensifying. He had endured it all day, but now his stomach felt uneasy, and he truly had no appetite. After finishing his meal, Shi Yan rubbed his snout against the towel Auntie Hong held out. He looked at the untouched dinner in front of Ji Shijin, and his gaze darkened.

“Awoo.”

Ji Shijin looked down and met the little fox’s eyes. Having eaten his fill, the little fox barked at him, though Ji Shijin could not tell what he wanted. He could not understand the creature, and enduring physical agony made him unwilling to waste time. He listlessly signaled the servants to clear the dinner and headed toward the third-floor bedroom.

The servants at the Ji villa seemed accustomed to his moodiness, mistaking his pain-induced impatience for a bad temper. Consequently, no one went upstairs to disturb him, and Auntie Hong sent them away to attend to other tasks.

Thinking of the aura of death surrounding Ji Shijin, Shi Yan followed him. He slipped into the bedroom just before Ji Shijin closed the door. Ji Shijin was in too much pain to notice the small creature squeezing through the gap. Once inside, he went straight to the bedside table, pulled a white medicine bottle from the drawer, and poured the contents into his mouth without a second thought.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

After swallowing the pills, Ji Shijin leaned against the bed, panting heavily. It seemed he could finally no longer suppress the sounds of his suffering. Shi Yan, however, knew it was because the aura of death upon him had intensified. That morning, it had been a mere sliver, barely detectable if one was not looking closely. But now, as Shi Yan approached Ji Shijin, he could smell the heavy scent of decay from two meters away.

“Ying.”

Ji Shijin felt something fluffy touch his limp hand and heard the familiar cry. He opened his eyes and looked toward the side of the bed, discovering that the little fox had followed him in and witnessed his moment of weakness.

“Cough. Go out. Return to your room tonight.” Ji Shijin’s voice was hoarse and weak as he issued an unyielding order to leave, regardless of whether Shi Yan understood. “Be good. Go out!”

Before Shi Yan could move, 61 jumped up in the void. “This will not do, Host! If you leave, no one will save him. Looking at the situation, it will definitely get worse tonight!”

Shi Yan suddenly remembered that Ji Shijin later began fainting frequently in the middle of the night. Although he was hospitalized, doctors could never find the cause. This condition persisted for over a year before his health took a sudden, sharp downturn.

It was starting now.

Seeing that Shi Yan remained still, Ji Shijin lacked the strength to argue. After taking a few breaths, he used his wheelchair to move toward the bathroom. However, just as he reached the doorway, a surge of violent pain struck. His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

The wheelchair tipped over with a significant crash. Ji Shijin instinctively curled his body, bracing for the impending impact and pain. Falling from his wheelchair was a common occurrence; he had become used to falling ever since his legs failed him. In the second before he hit the ground, his only thought was relief that only the fox was in the room and no one else had to see his pathetic state.

However, the expected pain did not arrive. Ji Shijin vaguely heard a sigh, followed by an overwhelming wave of drowsiness. He lost consciousness instantly.

61 shouted in Shi Yan’s mind, “Host! Well done! You caught the task target!”

Inside the room, next to the overturned wheelchair, a man with a bewitching aura appeared out of thin air, holding Ji Shijin in his arms. The man was handsome, with eyes that tilted upward slightly, a high bridge on his nose, and thin lips curved into a faint, knowing smile as he looked at the person in his arms. His pale complexion and nearly supernatural beauty revealed his non-human status. With no outsiders present, his demonic energy radiated outward without restraint, giving him a soul-stirring presence.

“Host!” 61’s mechanical eyes blinked with admiration. “Influenced by the fox demon bloodline, you have become even more handsome!”

The facial features were still Shi Yan’s own, but his status as a thousand-year-old demon made his appearance more exquisite and striking. A single glance from him was enough to capture a person’s soul.

“Mhm.”

Without a mirror, he could not see his own appearance, but Shi Yan was uninterested. He cast a minor sleeping spell on Ji Shijin to ensure he would not wake up regardless of any noise, then laid him down on the bed. Even in sleep, Ji Shijin’s brow was slightly furrowed. The phantom pain in his legs was constant, showing that he relied on pure willpower to endure it during the day. Only in moments like this did it show.

Shi Yan stood by the bed. A cool breeze drifted through the ajar window, fluttering his thin clothes. His shadow under the lamp completely enveloped Ji Shijin. Shi Yan looked down at his palm, then slowly placed it on Ji Shijin’s legs, channeling his demonic energy to investigate.

61 could not sense it, so it asked, “How is it, Host? Is there a way to cure him?”

Shi Yan opened his eyes, his expression calm. “I can use my demonic energy to help alleviate his pain and slow the spread of the aura of death, but I cannot truly cure him.”

One must follow the rules of the world. As a fox demon, this was the limit of Shi Yan’s current abilities.

“Then perhaps other demons will have a solution?” 61 suggested.

Shi Yan withdrew his hand and stood up. He walked into the bathroom and returned with a warm towel to gently wipe Ji Shijin’s face before answering 61.

“According to the original host’s memories, various demon tribes have their own specialties. There might be a way.”

Shi Yan rinsed and dried the used towel, erased all traces of his presence, placed the wheelchair back by the bed, and transformed back into a little fox. Watching him return to his fox form with a simple spell and walk out of the room, 61 asked worriedly, “Will the task target be suspicious when he wakes up tomorrow?”

Falling at the bathroom door one moment and waking up in bed the next was bound to raise questions, even if Ji Shijin had been dazed by pain.

“It does not matter.” Shi Yan did not stop. He jumped onto the sofa in the third-floor small living room, his voice sounding incredibly cold. “He has no evidence.”

Without evidence, any suspicion Ji Shijin had would remain just that: a suspicion.

That night, Shi Yan slept on the sofa near the bedroom. On the other side of the wall, Ji Shijin dreamed of a blurry shadow. The shadow initially jumped onto his bed, its fluffy tail brushing against his aching legs, miraculously stopping the pain. Before Ji Shijin could react, the shadow elongated, taking the form of an adult man.

The next day, as 61 had predicted, Ji Shijin asked Auntie Hong if anyone had entered his room. The answer was no, except for Shi Yan.

Ji Shijin’s gaze lingered on the little fox, who was leisurely wagging his tail while eating breakfast. After a long moment, he looked away and said nothing more, letting the matter pass.

Shi Yan settled into the Ji villa. During the day, only Auntie Hong and the servants were home. Shi Yan found it boring; he occasionally wandered through the garden but spent most of his time sleeping. Initially, Auntie Hong worried something was wrong, but she relaxed once she saw he remained energetic.

Days passed, and it had been half a month since Shi Yan was rescued from the fur traders. The weather began to cool, and the morning breeze was no longer as stifling. During these two weeks, the relationship between Shi Yan and Ji Shijin developed rapidly. For reasons he could not explain, Ji Shijin had paid much more attention to Shi Yan since that night, spending most of his time at home playing with him.

When Ji Shijin worked, he liked to bring Shi Yan into the study, letting him jump onto the desk or rest on his lap. He seemed addicted to petting the fox. Shi Yan allowed himself to be petted with a numb expression. In the system space, 61 rolled around laughing, thinking that the original host’s choice to make his fur incredibly soft out of vanity was the best decision ever.

“Host, today appears to be the day Ji Shijin suffers another episode!”

Early one morning, after Shi Yan finished breakfast with Ji Shijin, he was about to jump off the table when 61 shouted in surprise. After using the sleeping spell, Shi Yan had used his demonic energy to suppress the aura of death, allowing Ji Shijin to pass that night smoothly. However, this was a temporary fix; the episodes would inevitably return.

Hearing 61’s voice, Shi Yan paused mid-jump. He said dryly, “By the time you realize it, Ji Shijin might already be in the hospital.”

Sensing a hint of subtle mockery, 61 decided to go into “seclusion” for a day and ignore his host. Shi Yan knew his system’s personality well; the seclusion would last a short while before 61 came crawling back. Unbothered, he walked over to Ji Shijin’s legs and rubbed against him.

Ji Shijin was about to leave the dining room. Interrupted by Shi Yan, he hesitated, leaned down to stroke the large, soft tail, and turned his wheelchair to go in another direction. He could not leave. Ji Shijin frowned at the small creature blocking his path. He thought the little fox was being exceptionally clingy today.

“I have to go to work. I will play with you when I return,” Ji Shijin said, rubbing his temples as he looked at the stubborn little fellow. “Tonight, you are allowed an extra plate of meat.”

Shi Yan was not swayed. He remained firmly in Ji Shijin’s way. No matter which way the wheelchair turned, Shi Yan was always one step ahead. Finally losing his patience, Ji Shijin began to wonder how he had offended the fox. Was it because he had not let him sleep in his room last night? Or because he had replaced a portion of his breakfast beef with nutritionally balanced fox food?

Eventually, seeing that it was almost time for work, Ji Shijin had no choice but to lean over and pick up the little fox, taking him along to the walk-in closet to change. In the closet, Shi Yan behaved well and jumped down, allowing Ji Shijin to change without interference.

As 8:00 AM approached, the villa’s doorbell rang. A servant opened the door.

“Boss, the driver is at the door!” Assistant Zhou began his usual morning routine as he entered, but his voice cut off abruptly when he saw the scene in the living room.

Ji Shijin looked up at the sound of his assistant’s voice. In his arms, the little fox perked up its ears alertly, stood up, and clung to his shoulder with an expression that said, “If you dare leave me behind, I will never let go.”

Nearby, Auntie Hong handed a small bag filled with the fox’s lunch, snacks, and milk powder to Assistant Zhou. Assistant Zhou took it mechanically, looking at his boss with a questioning gaze.