Thousand-year White Fox

To say he did not want to go in and take a look would have been a lie. Yue Qianchou hesitated again and again, but ultimately dismissed the thought. Something about the atmosphere around him felt off! This was exactly like the ominous prelude to danger in TV dramas, and the two blood-red words beside him were especially glaring.

From inside the cave came a sudden burst of zither music, mingled with the rushing sound of water. Though he could not hear it clearly, he could be sure it was a zither. Yue Qianchou, who had resolutely turned to leave, froze and cocked an ear to listen.

"Damn it, what the hell is this? Isn't this just luring me in? Whatever. I'm going in to take a look." Yue Qianchou made up his mind and headed toward the cave. As the saying went, curiosity killed the cat. It probably applied to people too. He did not know whether this would be an example of it.

Standing at the entrance, he was hit by a blast of cold air and shivered. The interior was pitch-black, so dark he could not see his hand before his face. The waterfall behind him roared deafeningly, making the sounds inside impossible to hear.

More than half his clothes were already soaked. Yue Qianchou gritted his teeth and forced himself inside. After turning a corner, he could see nothing at all. He felt his way along the moss-covered stone wall and slowly advanced. Before long, though he still could not see anything, he could feel that the ground had been sloping downward all along.

"Damn it! Where does this lead?" Yue Qianchou, trapped in the darkness, felt his teeth ache with frustration. The zither music in his ears grew clearer and clearer. Suddenly, there seemed to be a faint light in the darkness ahead. After a brief start, he immediately scrambled forward faster, using both hands and feet.

The light grew brighter and brighter. Only when he drew near did he discover that he had reached the end of the passage. A vast underground space lay before him, its surroundings covered in glowing fluorescent stones. A placid pool lay quietly within the cavern, without the slightest ripple. Many small islands rose from the pool, and on the island at the very center stood a pavilion. Someone sat faintly visible within it—a woman, it seemed. The mournful zither music came from there, like sobs and lamentations. Beneath Yue Qianchou's feet was a stone bridge leading directly to the pavilion on the island.

"Damn it! What kind of forbidden ground is this? There's actually a woman hidden inside! I was scared out of my wits for nothing!" Yue Qianchou muttered. With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked along the stone bridge.

The moment Yue Qianchou reached the pavilion, his eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He was only a step away from drooling. The woman before him wore plain white without a single ornament. A simple silk ribbon gathered her lovely hair, while her bright eyes held a trace of sorrow as she gazed absently at the ancient zither atop the stone table. Her slender pale fingers gently stroked the strings. She seemed not to have noticed Yue Qianchou standing before her at all.

This woman wore no adornment whatsoever, yet calling her beauty capable of toppling nations would not have been an exaggeration. Even phrases like heavenly beauty and peerless elegance seemed insufficient to describe her loveliness.

She sat there quietly playing the zither, the sorrow in her eyes impossible to conceal and enough to make one's heart ache. The music was desolate, as though telling of the agony of longing for a lover. Yue Qianchou suddenly felt that the gloomy stone chamber was not illuminated by the fluorescent stones filling it. It was illuminated by her...

Only now did Yue Qianchou realize that the immortal sister who had haunted his dreams was no more than this! Though she seemed somewhat younger than the woman before him, when the two were compared, she could only be a green leaf setting off a red blossom.

"This humble scholar greets you, miss!" Yue Qianchou, who had not known how to begin for a long while, bowed and finally squeezed out a sentence. His little heart pounded without pause. But when he raised his head, he discovered that in the beauty's eyes, he seemed to be nothing at all. She could not even be bothered to glance at him, much less speak to him.

Like a child who had done something wrong, Yue Qianchou gave an awkward smile. Not caring about her rudeness, he thought, Maybe the beauty is so absorbed in playing that she did not hear me. It's fine! Although I can't understand what she's playing, isn't there a saying about lofty mountains and flowing water finding a kindred soul? Today, I'll play Ziqi and listen to Boya's zither! It wouldn't be bad to meet a beautiful kindred spirit! With that thought, he lifted his foot to enter the pavilion.

Just as his body was about to cross into the pavilion, he felt an invisible wall blocking him. No matter how hard Zhao Wuchou pushed, he could not enter. With a beauty right before him, his temper flared, and he could not help charging into it.

Bang! A purple curtain of light flashed into existence. Accompanied by a tremendous rebound force, it immediately hurled Yue Qianchou several meters away, leaving him dizzy and disoriented from the fall. When he crawled back up, he saw four purple-glowing talismans carved onto the four pillars supporting the pavilion. As the purple light faded, the talismans vanished, and the purple curtain of light disappeared as well.

"Damn it! Which bastard did this?" Yue Qianchou was furious. He could no longer keep up his refined act and began cursing. Only after cursing did he come to his senses, wishing he could slap himself twice. How could he use such crude language before a beauty like this? He felt he had thoroughly lost face.

Yet the beauty remained unmoved, while he himself seemed like a clown capering on a stage. After blushing, he composed himself and walked over, asking solemnly, "Was it those old fossils of the Qingguang Sect who imprisoned you?"

The beauty still ignored him and continued playing her zither. He changed to all kinds of other questions, but she remained the same. In the end, with his pride wounded and nothing gained, Yue Qianchou walked despondently toward the cave entrance...

Not long after he left, a slender white figure flew in. She was a beautiful young girl. She sat down outside the pavilion, propping her pretty face on her knees as she quietly listened to the woman inside play the zither. Had Yue Qianchou seen this girl's face, he would surely have been greatly shocked. Was this not the immortal sister who had occupied his every thought and dream?

"Master! I want to ask you something!"

Hao Sansi, hugging a wine jug, looked up. Seeing his disciple looking as limp as a wilted plant, he could not help laughing. "What is it?"

"Do you know about the stone cave in the forbidden area behind the mountain?" Yue Qianchou asked.

"What? You went there?" Hao Sansi paused. Seeing his disciple nod, he continued, "That was originally a place for imprisoning criminals. Many exceptionally powerful disciples once guarded it, so it was designated forbidden ground. The Cultivation World has been relatively peaceful these days, and it has not been used for several hundred years. Otherwise, how could you possibly have gotten in?"

"That's not right." Yue Qianchou asked doubtfully, "Why did I see an imprisoned woman inside?"

"Oh! You mean that Fox spirit. The previous sect master imprisoned her two hundred years ago. She was originally meant to be confined for one hundred years so she could repent and reform herself. When the time was up, she herself refused to come out, so she has remained there ever since."

"A Fox spirit?" Yue Qianchou said in astonishment. "Master, you mean she's a fox demon?"

"What is so strange about that? A fox demon that has cultivated for a thousand years can naturally assume human form. Uh..." Hao Sansi suddenly stopped, looked his disciple up and down, then smiled strangely. "Disciple! Don't tell me you saw how pretty she was and fell for her?"

"Hmph!" Yue Qianchou felt guilty and made a dismissive sound against his true feelings. Changing the subject, he asked, "Master! Hurry and tell me, why did the previous sect master imprison her?"

"I'm warning you: humans and demons are different. Don't you dare set your sights on her, or if she sucks your vital essence dry, don't blame your master for not warning you." Hao Sansi seemed to have seen through his disciple's thoughts. After giving him a grave warning, he took a swig of wine and sighed. "She is a demon trapped by love..."

After listening to his master's account, Yue Qianchou felt it was a story so clichéd it could not have been more clichéd, yet he could not help sighing in emotion.

The woman in the pavilion truly was a Thousand-year white fox. Before she had taken human form, she had been wounded by a hunter. While fleeing for her life, she had fortunately been saved by a scholar. A thousand years later, after the white fox gained human form, she went searching for her savior to repay the debt of gratitude. She found a handsome young man and became convinced that his previous life had been her savior. The young man did not know the girl's true identity. Stunned by her beauty, he eventually fell into love with her, and a human and a demon became husband and wife.

In the days that followed, the two were indeed loving. The young man studied diligently by the cold window so that he could earn a place on the imperial list and bring honor to his ancestors. The girl washed away all finery, dressed in coarse cloth and simple hairpins, and cared for him with all her heart. Heaven did not disappoint those with determination. After ten years of diligent study by the cold window, the young man truly passed the examination in one stroke. As expected, his name was inscribed on the golden list, and he became the top-ranked scholar. The only regret was that the two had failed to have a child of their own after many years, perhaps because theirs was a union between human and demon.

After becoming the top scholar, the young man became a disciple of the Son of Heaven, and his status immediately became extraordinary. The Prime Minister of the Huaxia Empire took a fancy to him and wished to take him as a son-in-law. But he already had a wife at home, so that was naturally impossible. The Prime Minister grew angry and hinted that if he still wished to spread his grand ambitions, he should cast aside his wife of humble beginnings. Otherwise, his future would certainly grow dim. The top scholar was caught between a virtuous wife and a daughter favored by heaven. It was truly difficult to choose.

But in the end, he could not withstand the Prime Minister's lecherous power. Using her inability to bear children and continue the family line as the reason, he divorced his wife. The white fox was heartbroken beyond endurance. Knowing that she was a demon and truly could not bear children for her husband's family, she silently accepted her husband's letter of divorce. Though cast aside, the girl still deeply loved the young man and continued guarding him in secret.

The skies could bring unforeseen storms, and human fortunes could change overnight. Not long after the Prime Minister's daughter married the top scholar, she suddenly fell ill and died. Listening to slanderous words, the Prime Minister flew into a rage and mistakenly believed that the top scholar had been dissatisfied with his daughter and killed her. With the Prime Minister's power, there was no need to say what would happen to a newcomer in officialdom. It happened that the white fox had left on business during that period. By the time she returned, the man she loved had already been separated into head and body. The white fox was overcome with grief. In a fit of fury, she slaughtered every one of the several hundred people in the Prime Minister's residence.

This incident shook the entire capital. The Imperial Preceptor of the dynasty was no match for the white fox and invited the Qingguang Sect Master. That was how the white fox came to be imprisoned.

Men bent their backs for power, and women were wounded for love. Such had been the way since ancient times. Yue Qianchou sighed and finally understood why the beauty was so sorrowful and melancholy. Though he knew she was a fox demon, that peerless face lingered in his mind for a long time and could not be driven away. Over the following days, he was utterly unable to calm himself during cultivation.

The cave in the forbidden ground remained dark and gloomy. Though his master had warned him, Yue Qianchou could not resist coming again. He took out the glowing fluorescent stone he had pried from the cavern last time...

At the other end of the bridge, the person was the same, the zither was the same, and the music was the same. Yue Qianchou slowly walked over and stood before the pavilion, quietly gazing at the face that could make all men in the world submit. Who could tell from her appearance that such a beautiful woman was actually a fox demon?

The zither music was mournful. After learning the white fox's story, Yue Qianchou actually felt that the melody was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it in a previous life. When emotion welled up within him, his lips parted, and he could not help singing along with the zither, "I am a fox who has cultivated for a thousand years, a thousand years of cultivation, a thousand years of loneliness. In the depths of night, when all is still, does anyone hear me weep? Amid the scattered lights, does anyone see me dance? I am a fox who has waited for a thousand years, a thousand years of waiting, a thousand years of loneliness. Amid the rolling sea of mortal dust, who planted love's gu? Amid the boundless crowds of humanity, who drank love's poison? When I loved you, you were poor as a church mouse, studying hard by the cold window. When I left you, your name was inscribed on the golden list, and you entered the bridal chamber beneath candlelight. Can I dance for you once more? I am the white fox you set free hundreds and thousands of years ago. Look, my sleeves drift and flutter, my sleeves drift and flutter, and vows of eternal love all dissolve into nothingness..."

Yue Qianchou immersed himself in the white fox's story. His mood was sorrowful, and he sang with particular feeling. When his voice turned hoarse, it tugged at the heartstrings. Yet he did not know that when he sang the line, "When I loved you, you were poor as a church mouse, studying hard by the cold window," the zither music in the pavilion had already stopped abruptly.

Then, when he sang, "I am the white fox you set free hundreds and thousands of years ago," that peerless face, which had looked only for that man and no one else, quietly lifted. She stared blankly at Yue Qianchou, and two crystalline tears slipped from her beautiful eyes, trailing down her cheeks and falling onto the zither strings, shattering into fragments and breaking to pieces.

When the song ended, Yue Qianchou came back to himself. He was startled to discover those two tear tracks that broke the heart. Their eyes met, and the two gazed at each other for a long while. Yue Qianchou immediately understood, secretly gloating in his heart. Damn! I found a kindred soul. So one song can settle it—this is so simple! If I'd known, I wouldn't have made such a fool of myself that day. Damn it! Now I know why those little singers in my past life could belt out a tune and instantly get a sea of fans, every last one diehard. Looks like my voice isn't bad either! I only have one fan, but one is worth ten thousand. Not bad, not bad. Now watch me keep performing. Whether she's truly diehard depends on this round.

Yue Qianchou's heart was uneasy, yet he resolutely turned around and walked toward the cave entrance with firm steps. He secretly counted, One step, two steps, three steps... Damn it! Why aren't you asking me to stay? Once I walk out, even if you call me, I won't be able to hear you.

The white fox's eyes brimmed with tears. Suddenly realizing the person before her was gone, she came to herself and spotted his retreating back. She hurriedly called, "Young master, please stay!"

Thank goodness, thank goodness. Big sister, you're over a thousand years old—I thought you were mute! This humble scholar was scared silly! My little heart was pounding wildly! Tsk, tsk! But when a beauty speaks, it really is different. Even "Young master, please stay" sounds so pleasant from her lips that my bones have gone soft. Heh heh, my diehard fan has arrived. His little scheme had succeeded, and Yue Qianchou was beyond pleased. He struck what he believed to be a handsome pose and slowly turned around. With an indifferent expression, he said, "Miss! Were you calling for me?"

The white fox rose and gave him a graceful curtsy. "May I ask, young master, where did the song you just sang come from?"

What a figure. Every smile and movement steals the soul! No wonder the shrews from my past life always cursed women who seduced other people's husbands as fox spirits. Yue Qianchou was nearly spellbound. Forcing down his restless soul, he sighed. "I am a disciple of the Qingguang Sect. A few days ago, I heard your story and came to see you once. Seeing how deeply devoted you are, I was moved in my heart. I therefore followed the sound of your zither and composed a song for you, to express this humble one's admiration." Yet in his heart, he prayed, Sister Chen Rui of Earth, I'm borrowing your golden song to woo a girl. Please don't hold it against this humble scholar. Amitabha Buddha, sin upon sin!

"You flatter me, young master!" After speaking, the white fox hesitated. Somewhat uneasily, she said, "This one has an unreasonable request and hopes young master can grant it."

Yue Qianchou frowned slightly. What unreasonable request? Does she want to suck me dry? I'm not doing that. Seeing him hesitate, the white fox feared he would refuse and hurriedly added, "Could young master teach this song to me? Once I have learned it, I will surely repay you generously."

How generously? Offer yourself to me? No, no. Master said you'd suck me dry. Yue Qianchou indulged in a brief fantasy. Realizing that this was her request, he immediately walked up to the pavilion and said grandly, "Such a trivial matter naturally deserves my assistance. Meeting is fate, so do not speak of repayment or no repayment. From today onward, we are friends. It will be enough if we see each other often." This shameless fellow had set the tone for their relationship all by himself.

"When young master sang just now, this one was distracted. Could young master sing it once more?" The white fox was somewhat shy, apparently feeling that this request was a little excessive.

Yue Qianchou's heart stirred. He truly could not believe that the shy beauty before him was the fox demon said to have slaughtered several hundred people in a single breath back then. He did not refuse again. After gathering his emotions slightly, he slowly began to sing a sorrowful song. "I am a fox who has cultivated for a thousand years..."

When the song ended, the white fox saluted him. "Thank you, young master! I have received your instruction. Please correct me." After speaking, she sat down. Her slender jade fingers moved across the strings, and a faint zither melody arose. Her vermilion lips parted lightly, and her pearly teeth appeared and vanished between them as she sang a version even more authentic than Yue Qianchou's. The zither accompanied her song, echoing through the stone cavern.

"Young master, do you think singing it this way is acceptable?" the white fox asked as she stood.

Damn it! This girl is a singing genius. She heard a pirated version once and can actually sing the genuine version. I'm sweating! Yue Qianchou felt ashamed inside and hurriedly applauded. "Not bad, not bad! A heavenly voice!"

"You flatter me, young master! May I ask what this song is called?" The white fox saluted him.

Yue Qianchou smiled. "It was written for you, so it is called 'White Fox.'"

"Young master composed music upon hearing my sound. You truly are this one's kindred soul. With this song as my companion, this life will not have been lived in vain." After speaking, she stepped away from the zither table and saluted Yue Qianchou.

Yue Qianchou felt somewhat guilty. Embarrassed, he waved his hand, looked around, and frowned. "Does miss truly intend to grow old and die here?"

The white fox moved with lotus steps inside the pavilion and said sorrowfully, "A day in the mountains is like a thousand years of worldly splendor. What difference does it make to this one where I am? The Qingguang Sect hides dragons and crouching tigers. Yet, judging by young master, you do not seem to be a cultivator. Why are you also on Qingguang Mountain?"

This question struck Yue Qianchou's sore spot. Shaking his head with a bitter smile, he carefully told her how he had come to Qingguang Mountain and how he had become useless material in the Qingguang Sect.

"So that is how it is!" The white fox nodded. "Kindred souls are hard to find. Meeting young master is fate, so allow this one to offer a little meager assistance!" With that, she struck her chest with a palm. Her vermilion lips opened, and she spat out a golden pearl that floated in the air. The white fox pointed with two fingers, and the golden pearl flew out of the pavilion. A purple curtain of light immediately appeared around the pavilion and blocked the pearl. The white fox formed a hand seal and fired a spell at the golden pearl. The pearl trembled, and ripples immediately spread across the purple curtain of light. The golden pearl slowly squeezed through the light curtain and floated before Yue Qianchou.

"This is for me?" Yue Qianchou caught it in astonishment.

The white fox nodded. "It was precisely because of this item that my husband's life was delayed and lost back then, leaving this one with endless regret. Since obtaining it, I have never used it. Yet its effects are beyond doubt. When I was imprisoned, my cultivation had only just reached the Nascent Soul Late Stage. I have not cultivated at all for two hundred years, yet I have now reached the late Tribulation stage. I presume it is entirely due to this pearl's effects. As for its other uses, this one has truly never studied them and does not know. But it will certainly have miraculous effects in changing young master's physique. This one has personally experienced that. Young master need only swallow it directly."

"Ah..." Yue Qianchou was greatly shocked. Without cultivating, she had risen from the Nascent Soul Late Stage to the late Tribulation stage in two hundred years—she had crossed a full three major levels! Though Yue Qianchou was in the Qingguang Sect and had never eaten pork, he had at least seen pigs run. Even cultivators who focused single-mindedly on cultivation rarely managed to advance smoothly from the Nascent Soul Late Stage to the late Tribulation stage within two hundred years. This could be seen from the fact that Liu Changqing, the Qingguang Sect Master, had only reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage at nearly two hundred years of age.

"What a treasure!" Yue Qianchou exclaimed. The white fox raised her hand in invitation. "Young master!" The former nodded. His gaze swept over her vermilion lips, and he secretly thought, It came from her mouth, then goes into mine. Does that count as an indirect kiss? Catching a faint scent from the pearl, like musk and orchids, he tipped back his head and swallowed it. Only then did he discover that this egg-sized thing was difficult to swallow. The white fox fired a spell at him, and Yue Qianchou felt a searing pain in his throat, as if it were being torn apart. The golden pearl had already drilled into his body.