Chapter 129 - 108: The Girl and the Red Fox

Chapter 129: Chapter 108: The Girl and the Red Fox

"What a cute little fox. Can I pet it?"

The Red Fox bared its teeth.

The Nether Monarch patted the Red Fox’s head and said to the little human girl, "Of course. Go ahead."

"But it looks like it’s going to bite me."

So the young girl pinched the Red Fox’s snout, lifted it up, and presented it to the little girl. "Don’t worry. It’s a beast, not a Demon."

The little girl, satisfied, stroked the fluffy fox.

"Nether, what are we eating today?"

"Rabbits. Granny Long and I caught quite a few... and a wild boar."

"That’s great! We won’t go hungry today!"

The young girl’s lips curved into a smile as she nodded. She liked seeing others smile because of her efforts.

It was a sense of validation.

The Nether Monarch quickly brought the Red Fox back to where she lived.

Pushing aside the flap of a tent made from wood and cloth, the young girl let go of the Red Fox’s snout and set it down.

"Don’t run off. If you do, you’ll die."

The Red Fox arched its back, its fur standing on end.

"You’re just like me—cast out by your own kind. You should know how hard it is for a lone creature to survive out here, especially since you’re so weak right now."

The young girl sat on the edge of a simple stone bed. "If you want to leave, at least wait until your injuries have healed."

There was a gash on the Red Fox’s leg, so deep the bone was visible. Without prompt treatment, the leg would likely suffer a terrible, lasting injury.

"The Human Race isn’t like the Beast Race; we don’t have powerful regenerative abilities. We’re incredibly fragile. An injury can easily lead to death, which is why humans invented so many herbal medicines."

The young girl took some greenish herbs from a nearby iron can and SPLAT, slapped them onto the Red Fox’s leg.

The Red Fox grimaced in pain, baring its teeth.

"Endure it."

A short while later, a shout came from outside the tent: "Time to eat!"

The young girl turned back to the Red Fox. "Don’t run off. I’ll go get you something to eat."

Soon, the young girl returned to the Red Fox’s side with food.

She said faintly, "Everyone’s food is rationed. You haven’t been accepted yet, so there’s no share for you. I’ll give you half of mine."

The Red Fox sniffed the rabbit meat the young girl offered before tearing off a bite and eating it.

It let out a hoarse cry.

The young girl understood its meaning. "’Why do you have to share the food you hunted with others?’"

"Last year there was a great flood that destroyed much of the harvest, so no one has anything to eat."

The Red Fox conveyed again: ’That’s not what I asked.’

The young girl glanced at the Red Fox. "It may be hard to understand, but among the Human Race, the weak are protected by the strong. It’s true that I hunted the prey, so I get to eat a little more, but not too much... Even if I have to go hungry, I have to leave more food for the pregnant women in the tribe."

’But you’re the one who hunted it?’

"We are all one."

As a girl from the Spirit Race, she had never imagined she would one day have to scramble for food.

But she had slowly come to accept it. She wasn’t strong enough yet—at least not strong enough to enter the Fasting stage—so she still needed to eat.

The young girl said, "The Human Race survives through its resilience and this kind of mutual aid among its people. You wouldn’t understand. The Beast Race’s law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, doesn’t apply to humans. The Human Race has always been focused on the continuation of the species."

The Red Fox couldn’t be bothered to pay her any attention.

But the young girl’s voice continued to drift over, soft and clear, "Don’t reveal the fact that you have a Spirit. The Human Race... is not friendly toward the Demon Race."

To gain sentience is to become a Demon.

To lack sentience is to remain a beast.

The Red Fox was a Demon, capable of suppressing its instincts; it was not a beast.

The Red Fox tucked its large tail under its head, curled into a ball, and said nothing.

The young girl’s voice was like a flowing spring. "Remember, you owe me your life, and you owe the Human Race your life as well."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Qiu Yuehan returned to her senses.

The river water had grown cold. The surroundings were quiet again; the river lanterns had all drifted away, just like the time that had passed.

The sky had turned completely dark.

How much time had passed?

Qiu Yuehan wasn’t sure, but when she reached the clothier’s shop, the lights were still on.

The female owner called out loudly, "What took you so long? I kept my little shop open for an extra four hours just for you."

"I’ll pay extra."

Qiu Yuehan tossed a small pouch to the owner.

The owner’s face immediately lit up with a smile. "Please come again! Yes, please come again."

’I just love doing business with Immortals from the Daoist Sect.’

’They pay without fuss and cause no trouble.’

The owner thought to herself that this was all thanks to the Chang’an Daoist for leaving behind such a reasonable Sect.

’Wait... this Female Immortal doesn’t seem to be from the Daoist Sect. Oh well, it’s all the same. She came down from the mountain, anyway.’

Qiu Yuehan accepted the clothes. It was a black, wide-sleeved Daoist robe, cut in the same style as the robes of Miao Yu Palace, only dyed black instead of white.

She nodded in satisfaction, then changed into the new garments.

Black hair, black clothes—she was like a clear, bright moon in the darkness.

By the time she ascended the mountain and returned to the foot of the Celestial Mountain, a faint light was already dawning in the distance.

The sky was about to brighten.

Her junior sister stood at the door, an amused look on her face. "Senior Sister, where did you go? Did you sneak off to see the Young Master behind my back again?"

In the past, Qiu Yuehan would have undoubtedly been flustered by such teasing for a good while.

But today, she simply shook her head. "I went to gain some insight into the Red Dust Sword Dao. The Daoist Sect’s Cultivation Method certainly is unique. Cultivation... one cannot simply stand detached on a mountain. To do so is to forget that you are human."

Xia Lianxue, for her part, was taken aback for a moment.

"Senior Sister, why are you dressed all in black? Wasn’t your old style perfectly fine?"

Qiu Yuehan said softly, "One has to change styles every now and then."

Dressed in white, Qiu Yuehan had been like a cold, aloof Sword Immortal from the heavens. Now, having changed into black robes in the night, combined with her waterfall of dark hair, she looked more like a murderous Demon.

’Can a simple change of clothes make such a huge difference?’

For no reason at all, Xia Lianxue sensed an indescribable quality about Qiu Yuehan, just like the unpleasant feeling she used to get when facing Lu Changyuan.

’That’s it.’

’Senior Sister has also cultivated the Young Master’s Dharma, and now she’s started to like wearing black.’

’This is not a good sign.’

’I can’t let Senior Sister turn into... that.’

So, Xia Lianxue said, "Senior Sister, when do you plan on climbing into the Young Master’s bed?"

"Hm? Hmm?!"

Qiu Yuehan snapped back to her senses. "Junior Sister, what are you talking about!?"

Xia Lianxue said teasingly, "No such thoughts? I thought you’d already tried all sorts of tricks with the Young Master behind my back. After all, with that Demon Pattern on your body, I imagine there are many ways to play."

"Junior Sister! What on earth are you saying! I have no such thoughts at all!"

"None?"

Qiu Yuehan bit her lip. "None!"

"You’d better not."

Xia Lianxue’s gaze was dark and intense, making Qiu Yuehan feel as if ants were crawling all over her, completely unsettled.

"Then let’s go, Senior Sister. It’s time for us to head to the Spirit Race."

A small, white-gauze sedan chair appeared before Qiu Yuehan. It was a Magical Artifact that Jiang Jiayi had someone deliver.

The space inside was about the size of two beds, lined with soft cushions made of the finest fabric, and decorated with white gauze and strings of milky-white beads.

There was even a tea table in the very center, allowing them to brew tea while they traveled.

Qiu Yuehan sat down inside, and Xia Lianxue immediately took control of the small sedan, which transformed into a streak of light.

"Junior Sister, what is the... situation with the Fox Race now?"

She thought of the Red Fox from her dream and, for no particular reason, felt the urge to ask about the Fox Race.

Xia Lianxue cupped her cheek in her hand, watching the scenery outside. "They’re just... like that. Once they reach the Fifth Realm and take human form, they come to the Cultivation Realm to fight with Female Cultivators over men. In recent years, they’ve even learned the Hehuan Sect’s Dharma, so they’re even more ferocious about it now."

"Is the Fox Race still centered around the Snow Foxes?"

Xia Lianxue was slightly surprised. "Yes. After all, Snow Foxes are uniquely blessed. Compared to ordinary Red Foxes, Snow Foxes are closer to the Dao."

Qiu Yuehan asked as if it were a casual question, "Then are there any stories of Red Foxes attaining the Dao in the Fox Race?"

"That, I don’t know. You’d have to ask the current leader of the Fox Race. The Demon Race is weak now. Those beasts that used to have a Spirit can no longer gain sentience, making it difficult for them to begin Cultivation, to say nothing of the Red Foxes, for whom gaining sentience was already difficult."

Xia Lianxue watched the clouds recede one after another behind them.

She suddenly laughed. "It was all the Young Master’s doing. He said the Cultivation Realm will not allow a powerful Demon Race to exist. The Demon Race must be in a constant state of internal conflict."

Qiu Yuehan faltered slightly. She truly had no memory of what Lu Changyuan had done.

"Doesn’t the Demon Race know?"

Xia Lianxue sneered. "The lower-ranking members of the Demon Race have no concept of being part of a single great race. The upper echelons, they know. But if they don’t cooperate, the swords of the Human Race will fall upon them."

In that instant, Qiu Yuehan suddenly felt that Xia Lianxue was the one who truly possessed the air of the Miao Yu Palace Master.

One of the Sect Leaders of the twenty-one most powerful Sects in the entire Cultivation Realm, a rare Yao Guang Cultivator, spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. "The world belongs to our Human Race. The other Ten Thousand Races can only live at our mercy."

The piercing winter wind howled past.

Qiu Yuehan thought to herself.

’Oh, well.’

’What’s there to think about?’

’It was just something from a dream.’

With the *Supreme Pure Spirit Forget Immortal Technique* inside her, Qiu Yuehan wasn’t the least bit worried about any strange entity possessing her body.

She failed to notice that Xia Lianxue, not far away, was staring at her with wide eyes.

In that instant, Xia Lianxue could no longer perceive Qiu Yuehan’s time. It was as if Qiu Yuehan was not a person within time, but a solitary moon hanging in the heavens.

"Senior Sister?"

Qiu Yuehan shook her head. "I didn’t sleep last night, so I’m a bit tired now. It’s easy to get distracted."

Xia Lianxue felt that Qiu Yuehan was getting better and better at telling bald-faced lies.

First, the Cold Pool’s water was "hot," and now she was drowsy in broad daylight.

"Junior Sister, I don’t know where I heard this, but they say the Spirit Race used to live on a giant tree."

Xia Lianxue suddenly reached out and touched Qiu Yuehan’s forehead with the back of her hand. "You haven’t caught a cold. Senior Sister, why have you been talking nonsense lately?"

Qiu Yuehan shrank back a little. "I’m just a little curious."

"Senior Sister, have you been listening to that nonsense from the Spirit Race too? The ones who lived on a giant, heaven-piercing tree were our human ancestors. That tree was called Jianmu, though that’s just a legend."

"Then where does the Spirit Race usually live now?"

The Little Fairy in a White Skirt replied as if it were obvious, "Long Mountain."

Beyond the Northwest Sea, west of the Profound Water, a mountain stands majestic. Its name is Long Mountain.

Beneath it dwell beings with blue hair and pointed ears. They command yin and yang and hold sway over life and death. They are called the Long Spirit.

’Long Mountain... Long Mountain.’

Qiu Yuehan whispered the mountain’s name softly.

A strange, sorrowful feeling welled up inside her.