Taming a fox

The fox isn't rabid

Qin Yaozu shot Luo An a glance followed with a sigh. "She's my cat," he answered. Luo An grinned mischievously and wrapped his arms around Qin Yaozu. "Can I see her?" he asked with those big powerful pleading eyes that could move even the most cold-hearted person. Qin Yaozu pushed him off of him and silently changed directions towards the back of the garden. Luo An understood the meaning behind it and followed him immediately. The back was very spacious and had many bamboos, towering high, almost into the heavens. There were so many that it was hard to see all the way to the back.
     Luo An turned to Qin Yaozu, confused. "Weren't you going to show me your cat?" Qin Yaozu didn't say a word and whistled while facing the bamboos. Luo An was about to ask another question when a big, white tiger emerged in front of them. It elegantly walked towards them before sitting down before Qin Yaozu.
     "Didn't you say you had a cat?"
     "This is my cat."
Luo An was speechless. The 'cat' was way bigger than he expected and it didn't quite fit the name until it suddenly laid on it's back, receiving scratches from it's master. Qin Yaozu stroke it's soft, snow white fur, his fingers combing through it gently. Luo An was rather hesitant but soon moved close, right next to Qin Yaozu who looked at him before replacing his own hand with the fox's. The 'cat' didn't seem to mind the substitute and kept laying on it's back, enjoying the attention. 
     Qin Yaozu rarely ever let anyone get so affectionate with his pet, unless it was his father, yet he felt rather happy to show it off to Luo An. It was said that animals could feel what kind of a person someone was. They could tell if someone was good or bad. The fact that Tianshi let Luo An stroke her belly was making Qin Yaozu realize some things. Was he really as bad as people said he was? The whole time they were together, he didn't do a single thing to hurt him in any way, other than self defense when he was attacked. Could he be falsely accused of his crimes? It was known that he killed many people but why did he do it? All the people had something in common and that was that they tried to capture him. It was never mentioned that he killed anyone that wasn't after him.
     But then there was the household he wiped out. Did that really happen? Did he do it without a reason? That suddenly sounded nothing like him. Qin Yaozu didn't know Luo An for that long but he spent enough time with him to know enough. Now that he was thinking about it, Luo An looked like a confused child that wandered with a blindfold on his eyes, striking everything around him to keep himself safe. Maybe he was misunderstood.
     Qin Yaozu zoned out for a while, rethinking many things in that short while. It was as if his life was turned upside down just because of this simple interaction Luo An had with Tianshi. 
     When they were about to head inside, Qin Yaozu hesitated before grabbing Luo An by the arm and dragging him to a different house that was nearby. Luo An was about to protest when he was pulled inside and he realized that this was where Qin Yaozu lived. Why did he bring him there? He normally kept his distance around him. 
     In the middle of thinking, Luo An's eyes landed on a familiar booklet. He took it into his hand and upon opening it, he realized it was the same one that he owned. "Aiya, I thought I lost this, you had it all along?" he asked as he turned to look at Qin Yaozu who was still standing at the door. "Mn," was the only answer to his question that he received. He set it back down and made his way back to the door. "You didn't bring me here to return it did you? There must be something else you need from me."
     Qin Yaozu stayed silent and watched the fox approach him like a prey. Luo An got so close that their chests almost pressed against each other before Qin Yaozu finally spoke: "About he family that you murdered months ago, why did you do it?" The question took Luo An by a surprise but he ended up just shaking his head. "I didn't kill them," he mumbled under his breath, just enough to let the other hear. Qin Yaozu raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Then how was it? Are you telling the truth?" 
     "Why wouldn't I be?" Luo An shot back, now avoiding eye contact. Qin Yaozu backed him all the way to the bed and made him sit down before taking a seat on a chair near the bed. "You could be lying to try to make your punishment less severe when you receive it." Luo An was silent after that, keeping his head low. Qin Yaozu was about to question him again when the sentence that was about to come out of his mouth ended up getting pushed back down by Luo An's voice: "No matter if I killed them or not, I'll still be sentenced to death. Murder of the emperor is a severe crime that results in execution at best." 
     He was right. There was no reason for him to deny something he did when he was already destined to die. Qin Yaozu almost lost his composure upon hearing this but still remained calm on the outside. "Could you tell me what happened then?"
     Luo An hesitated but knew that Qin Yaozu would get the answer out of him whether he liked it or not. He let out a sigh and looked up at him. "I was staying with them at the time. I had nowhere else to stay in that village so I went from door to door to ask if I can stay the night. They were my last hope after asking everyone else and being denied but luckily they allowed me in." Luo An's voice, that was cheerful most of the time, seemed almost unrecognizable now. It sounded calm and without emotions. "At the night, a couple of men broke in, assassinating the parents and then the children. I thought they'd try to kill me too but instead they left. Before I knew it, people came running to the house and found me there so they assumed I killed them. Unfortunately, one of them was a retired servant that worked for Emperor Taizu so he recognized me and my peaceful wanders official ended that day." 
     As much as he didn't want to believe him and still see him as that evil beast everyone portrays him as, Qin Yaozu just couldn't anymore. If that incident didn't happen, maybe nobody would know about Luo An anymore and he'd be able to go on with his life without having to kill anyone to protect himself. Yet on the other hand, he did kill the late emperor. That was a thing that would get him killed, no matter the reason behind it. If Qin Yaozu attempted to protect him, he'd probably end up with his head rolling alongside Luo An's. He had to remain cold towards him. 
     He nodded in acknowledgement to the story and stood up, gesturing for Luo An to follow. They headed back to the house Luo An stayed at and went right in. Neither of them spoke the whole time on their way back, neither did they speak when they got there. They didn't have a chance to do so anyway as not soon after, the man that treated Luo An's injuries came over to speak to Qin Yaozu, privately. 

"What is it? Is it about him?" Qin Yaozu asked the man, receiving a nod in response. "Young master," he spoke after a while. "while treating his injuries, I noticed something off so I decided to examine his condition. To my surprise, I found presence of a poison inside his body." Qin Yaozu's eyes widened a little in shock. "Poison? What kind?" he asked. The man cleared his throat and whispered: "It's a poison that can turn a person into a living doll, making them unable to feel emotions or pain. I only heard about it but this is the first time I witnessed it." Qin Yaozu frowned. He already knew that Luo An couldn't feel anything from what the man listed but he didn't know it was because of a poison. "Is there a cure?" he asked without thinking but before he could take it back, the man gave him the answer: "There is, but it's hard to make. Would young master like me to make it?" Qin Yaozu thought about it. Was Luo An really worth it? He was going to get executed anyway so why bother?
     "Make it as quick as possible." On the other hand, he deserved to feel something at least once before dying.