Hu Li stay her days inside the scroll. There is nothing there. Somedays she see Sheng Qin sitting on his desk copying books. Everything she see from her inside the scroll is with back lining and white background. She sits, she stands, she roll on the scroll ground. She does everything she can think to entertain herself and to attract his attention. While Sheng Qin is uncomfortable to see his scroll subject is moving around. He try to ignore it. He keep wondering where is his bride.
Teo week later, that night he fall asleep on his desk while copying the stack of books. The moon is round and bright. The moonlight shines in the room. It is bright and it shines on the painting and the scroll. Hu Li see that the wall is gone, she hurry to get out of the scroll. Once she step out, she open her eyes to see everything within her is normal again. The light floaters are there in the room. They transform into their spiritual self and greet her.
"Master you are back."
"Tell me what have happen?"
"Master... my ancestor have done a terrible deed to you. I am truly apologising. However according to him. This is how the Yue family survive and live in this human world. This is a promise from the divine master many many many years ago."
"Master please don't get angry with the ancestor. He told Sheng Qin how to recover back the glory of the Yue family. We need to replace the missing spiritual guardian. "
"Why does it have to be me? I am not a spiritual guardian!"
"We are not sure... master. Please don't be angry. "
At that moment, Sheng Qin wake up. He see the back of a person. The sound of the voice is similar to his wife. Who is the person speaking to? He doesn't see anyone else except him. He sit up and ask softy
"Who are you?" He ask as he rub his eyes.
"Sheng Qin." His ears pick up the voice that he long to hear. He stands up immediately. He goes over and hug her.
"My Hu Li, you are back! Why have you gone for such a long time?! I am so lost without you!"
Hu Li hug him back. She pat his back gently.
"i am always with you Sheng Qin."
He reach out to hold her hand when he realised that her hand is cold. He reach for the other hand, it's cold as well. However he realised that her nails are strangely sharp. He is thinking that all that travelling about she fail to take care of herself properly.
"Your hands are like ice. Are you cold right now?"
He remove his outer garment and drape it over her shoulders. At the same time, he touch her cheeks. He could not see the feline face in front of him. Hu Li wonder if he have his normal vision and seeing her in this state, will be panic and want to run away? Right now she can't fully use her magic and will to transform into looking like a human. Sheng Qin notice that there is something behind her that is moving. He try to see what is it but all he can see is darkness. However he fail to notice that the scroll hanging on the wall is now with an empty picture of the subject. Mean while her tail keeps moving around behind her back. She begin to worry.
The sun rises and the noise of the morning starts. Hu Li cover herself in the blanket from head to toe. The elder staff who hear that the bride is back, they all rush to Sheng Qin's room. However they are push out of the room as Cheng Qin explain to them that Hu Li needs her sleep. She had traveled through the night. Happily all of them goes for breakfast. Hu Li who is not asleep looks at her hands which is still have her long red nails. She sigh and wonder when is she able to transform and cast her spells. As she frown and worry, the floaters come into the room. Instead of the two floaters there is additional floaters. Once the door is close, they all revel their human form and bow behind the screen.
"Greetings master."
Her fox ears stand up and she turn her head to see who is that greeting. She stare at them with her golden eyes flashing with electricity.
"So are you the ones who told Sheng Qin to trap me inside the scroll?"
"Master Bai, My name is Yue En Zhan. One of the first few ancestors of the Yue clan."
He bow deeply. Hu Li stand up with the blanket wrap around her. She walk to the front of the screen and stare down at the man who is remain bowing
"To answer your question, yes master. I am the one who went into the dream of Sheng Qin. If i don't do that, he will fall into despair and die eventually. He is the last of our clan men. I have to save him. I told him the way as he loves you deeply. He is unlike other man who lust for other woman. He loves you purely as a person."
"Did you realised that i am not a human? Sheng Qin and i only can remain as friends."
"We have thought of this. We think that firstly we need to get him out of depression. Second, if there is a possibility that he will marry another woman. Then our bloodline will never die."
"So to get him out of depression, i need to be sacrifice?"
"This is unavoidable. We will be indebted to your kindness."
"Right now our Sheng Qin is pretending he doesn't know what he had done. He is only glad that you are back, that is all that matters to him."
"So ... the tiger is right after all..."
Hu Li walk around the room in sadness. She recall that night what the tiger said. She was right, human's greed is never ending. They just want more and more things.
"So what am i supposed to do now? There is nothing for me to do till i can be released from this. You, Yue Er Zhan, tell me how am i supposed to undo this?"
"Young master Bai. For many years have passed. The spiritual guardian was the only tiger. You are now the second. We do not know how to undo the spell."
"... burnt the scroll like the last time. Isn't that how the tiger got out of it?"
"Master! Burning it is not a solution!"
At that moment, The Yue Clan members transform back to light floaters. While Hu Li run to the bed and hide there. Sheng Qin walk in with a bowl of congee. He is blowing it gently as he walks in.
"My Hu Li time to wake up. I bring you a bowl of congee. It's hot. I've blow it so shouldn't be too hot to eat it."
Hu Li remain under the blanket while Sheng Qin keep coating her out to eat. After awhile he gives up and leave the bowl on the table. He close the door Hu Li sits up and wipe her face. She is sweating non stop under the blanket.
'There got to be a solution.' she mumble to herself.
That afternoon, the sun is blazing hot. Unexpectedly. she have the power to transform completely to a fox. However, she is instantly recall back into the scroll. She can't do anything inside the scroll. So she sits there and watch the empty desk that belongs to Sheng Qin.