The speaking male fox sounded like an elderly man. Beside him were two foxes, one tall and one short, who spoke in crisp, clear female voices.
"That's way too exaggerated! Even if Lanhua said so, I still wouldn't believe it! Claiming that tigress can fly and killed that old catfish with a single swipe—she made it sound so incredible."
"Third Grandfather, this thick fog is a bit like the mist the old toad back home spits out at the moon. Once humans wander in, they lose their sense of direction and can't find their way out. You're well-traveled and experienced—just how formidable do you reckon this giant tiger really is? Tell us in advance so we sisters know what to expect."
One voice was cheerful, the other gentle; they sounded like a pair of sisters.
"Lucky for you two that I came along. Otherwise, if it were just the two of you following Old Lady Lanhua, you might not have gotten the job done."
The fat fox was easy to spot: a missing chunk from its right ear left a half-rounded notch. It twitched its long, pointed snout and smacked its lips.
"There's spiritual energy in this mist, though it doesn't seem to spring from underground. The scent is pure—much like the air in the Old Summer Palace back when the Empress Dowager was still around."
Back then, the Empress Dowager had tried every conceivable method to prolong the Great Qing Dynasty's reign.
She either had geomancers arrange imperial tombs over spiritual pulse veins or invited shamans of Northeast Shamanism into the palace to alter fate against Heaven's will.
The fat fox had tagged along with its Chuma disciple to take a look, arriving right as the Eight-Nation Alliance was pillaging and burning. A stray bullet had clipped off half its ear, leaving the permanent notch.
The two little foxes poked their heads out, their noses twitching involuntarily as they closed their eyes to savor the air.
"This scent feels so nice, just like curling up on the heated brick bed back home, gnawing on a raw sweet potato!"
"So this mist floating around is spiritual energy? My mom used to scold me for being dense, saying I couldn't absorb a bit of spiritual energy to save my life."
As they spoke, the two young foxes couldn't resist frolicking in the mist, happily rolling around in the grass.
The poor kids had suffered in their youth. During hard times, even the spiritual energy they used for cultivation had been squeezed out of their elders' own meager reserves.
It was said that shortly before their old patriarch ascended, the spiritual pulses were strong and spiritual energy abounded in the deep primeval forests. Back then, the Hu family produced litter after litter of fox pups.
Nothing like today.
Every place capable of producing spiritual energy was occupied by humans. Normally, they could only rely on their disciples' Chuma practice, helping people solve spiritual troubles to cultivate merit and gather a little incense.
People nowadays were laden with heavy minds and deep desires. Their heads were filled with greed, hatred, and delusion, and their bellies with gluttony, drinking, gambling, and lust. The incense they offered was laced with toxicity—just like dung coated in sugar.
When immortals ate too much of this incense, it was easy to go mad or get tangled in karmic burdens. Who knew when a sudden bolt of lightning might strike them dead?
Yet they had no choice; they had to survive.
Thinking of their kin who refused to consume incense, gradually lost their spiritual nature, and reverted into ordinary foxes...
The fat old fox couldn't help shuddering.
Growing dumber by the day, losing their sanity and capacity for independent thought, until they ultimately degraded into wild beasts driven by nothing but eating meat and breeding.
Dying a swift death would be far better than enduring such torment.
However, their ancestors had sealed a pact with humans. Even now, with Spiritual Resurgence underway, they were unable to cross Shanhai Pass.
"As for the one living here, it's hard to say how strong she is. But think about it—she can already take human form! How weak could her cultivation possibly be?
Once we go in, you two behave yourselves. Don't speak recklessly, lest you offend her and lose your small lives. Got it?"
The fat old fox shook its head, looking at the two young ones with fondness as it added another stern warning:
"We came here for two reasons: first, to deliver a message for the government, asking whether she plans to stay permanently or is just passing through, and what her background is; second, to build a relationship with the tiger in these mountains to see if we can glean anything useful.
There's only so much spiritual energy outside, but inside, it might be even denser.
Later, absorb as much as you can. Considering we are all part of the Demon race, she likely won't hold it against two juniors."
Its words were earnest and loving, full of genuine affection.
—And then Nan Zhi watched as the three foxes got hopelessly lost in the thick mist, walking in circles around a single strangler fig over a dozen times.
Nan Zhi placed a grain of "ghost incense" under her tongue, slipped outside, caught a nearby leopard, and instructed it to fetch the three foxes.
The one she chose was a mother clouded leopard. She had been caught while her toddler-aged cub was still learning to walk. Suddenly seized by Nan Zhi, the mother leopard trembled violently, her fur bristling, yet she froze completely:
"Please eat me..."
"Leave... my cub..."
Nan Zhi glanced at the little clouded leopard that could barely stand, striving to maintain her cool, aloof tiger woman image.
"This little cub isn't even enough for a single bite from This Lord. Go outside Huyue Gorge, find three yellow foxes, and bring them before me."
Hearing that Nan Zhi did not intend to eat her, the mother leopard let out a few soft growls, turned, leapt down the slope, and fled as if surviving a catastrophe.
—She did not doubt Nan Zhi's words, for top predators had no need—and no desire—to lie.
Left behind, Nan Zhi and the little leopard abandoned by its mother stared at each other: "..."
Nan Zhi scooped the little clouded leopard into her palm and pressed her soft paw pads gently against its head. The cub's fur was fluffy and soft, feeling wonderful to the touch.
However, the little creature seemed like a newborn calf that did not fear a tiger. Seeing its mother gone, it squirmed to break free, even trying to chew on Nan Zhi's fingers with its baby teeth while letting out occasional tiny huffs:
"I! Strong!"
"Are you scared?!"
"Bite you to death!"
Scared, scared to death.
Nan Zhi maintained a completely stoic expression, though the pair of tiger ears atop her head couldn't help twitching up and down.
The animal cubs in the vicinity followed suit, drawn uncontrollably closer, rubbing their heads against Nan Zhi's legs.
Plump, chubby bear cubs, a blue-eyed wolf pup that had just been weaned, a groomed little monkey with silky fur, a young eagle whose down feathers had yet to molt, looking like a living feather duster...
They all gathered around with wide eyes, chirping and squeaking. Under the effect of the ghost incense, Nan Zhi heard only tender, childish voices:
"Great King!"
"Great King, Great King..."
"Soft fur, toy, play!"
"Eat Great King, eat!"
"Bite you to death! Bite you to death!"
Surrounded by young animals, Nan Zhi couldn't help letting out a sweet sigh.
Ah, perhaps this was the joy of being a mountain king.
...
And so, after wandering in circles like a ghost wall, the three foxes finally followed the mother leopard through the mist and arrived before the bear cave, where they saw a white tiger in human form.
She lay lazily on the grass, a noisy string of baby animals hanging around her neck like a scarf.
She appeared expressionless, though not angry.
When the three foxes approached, the white tiger woman's golden eyes swept over them coolly, causing them to hold their breath involuntarily.
—Animals saw things differently from humans.
The government officials only saw a white tiger transformed into human shape, but in the eyes of the foxes, the white tiger standing before them was an absolute, peerless primordial beast.
Her resentment towered to the heavens, and her murderous aura was suffocating. Behind her, a squirming, twisting mass of black mist shrieked and emitted sharp, piercing wails.
These wails and agonizing screams intertwined, nearly engulfing the animal cubs surrounding her.
How many had she eaten?!
Wasn't she supposed to be an "intelligent, humanoid white tiger suspected of holding goodwill toward humans"?!
Who the hell gave them this false intel?!
If they weren't careful today, they were eighty percent likely to lose their lives right here!
In an instant, every opening line the fat fox had prepared vanished right down its throat.
...
Nan Zhi noticed something was off with the fat fox leading the group.
However, she didn't mind. She gently pulled her finger out of the little leopard's mouth and let the mother leopard carry her cub back.
"'We came here for two reasons: first, to deliver a message for the government, asking whether she plans to stay permanently or is just passing through, and what her background is; second, to build a relationship with the tiger in these mountains...'"
Nan Zhi rested her paws together, her mouth opening and closing as she repeated the fat fox's earlier words verbatim. Getting straight to the point, she said, "This Lord already knows your intentions. Speak no further."
All three foxes were stunned, completely unable to comprehend how Nan Zhi knew the private conversation shared among the grandfather and his granddaughters.
—Had she known the moment they entered this forest?
That was nowhere near close!
Could her abilities be so formidable that she could hear sounds miles away?
"Hahaha! So it is the Mountain Lord herself! I am Hu Ban'er of the Northeast Hu family, and these are my two granddaughters of the 'Cui' generation—Hu Cuixian and Hu Cuiling.
Since you are so generous, Mountain Lord, I won't hide anything either. Indeed, the officials asked me to pass along a message. They wanted to ask whether the Mountain Lord finds living here comfortable, and if there is anything else you need."
Fortunately, the fat fox was sly and experienced. A smile quickly squeezed onto its furry face as it explained in standard Mandarin:
"The government means no disrespect toward you, Mountain Lord. Since ancient times, these forests have belonged jointly to humans and the Demon race. It's only that mortals are ignorant and lack the eyes to recognize true immortals. When you slew the Monster Catfish, mortals caught sight of your majestic form, so a bit of panic was inevitable.
The government wishes to let you know they harbor no ill intent. Out of gratitude for your assistance, they have agreed to designate Huyue Gorge, including Qingmeng Mountain, as your place of quiet cultivation.
As for us minor demons, we hope to share in your good fortune and cultivate under your protection with the spiritual energy here."
—These words were spoken with utter sincerity and earnestness, completely beyond reproach.
Rate on N.U.
