A Disgrace to Every Fox in the Village 1/3

The Classic of Mountains and Seas says, "There is a beast on Mount Qingqiu. It looks like a fox with nine tails. Its cry is like that of an infant. It can eat people, and those who eat it will not be harmed by poison."

This is one of the earliest records of the Nine-tailed Fox. The phrase "can eat people" does not refer to its bloodthirstiness or cruelty, but rather that as a totem and object of worship, it can devour enemies and possesses the divine power to protect the tribe.

The saying "eating her will not cause harm" means that eating her flesh and blood can protect one from evil influences, which is related to the witchcraft beliefs of the early Tang dynasty.

In addition, she is a symbol of peace and prosperity. The "Illustrated Compendium of Auspicious Omens" mentions that "when a ruler is not swayed by lust, Nine-tailed Fox will appear."

Other sayings, such as "When the nine-tailed fox appears, the king's benevolence and wisdom will arrive," and "When virtue reaches birds and beasts, the fox will have nine tails," all praise the beauty symbolized by the Nine-tailed Fox.

Moreover, its appearance is often related to royal power.

Legend has it that Great Yu's wife was Nine-tailed Fox from Tushan Qingqiu named "Nü Jiao". At that time, the Nine-tailed Fox had a good reputation and no negative image.

Since the appearance of three beauties who brought ruin to the country —Moxi, Daji, and Bao Si —the status of the Nine-tailed Fox has plummeted, and she has become associated with causing chaos in the country and overthrowing the monarchy.

Coincidentally, the three mentioned above are very likely all incarnations of this Trash Fox in front of us, which means that she has first disgraced the entire fox village.

In the absence of exact records of the characters, it is difficult to verify the existence of Xia Zhiyu Xi. However, due to the unearthed oracle bones, it is possible to get a glimpse of Daji's deeds in the Shang Dynasty.

The posthumous title "Zhou" originally meant cruelty and wickedness, which is equivalent to pointing at the emperor's nose and calling him a bastard. In history, Emperor Xin, who was satirized as "King Zhou", was not a foolish person. On the contrary, he had the characteristics of a tyrant.

During his reign, militarily he conquered the Eastern Yi and defeated the Gui Fang. Politically, he abolished human sacrifice, promoted slave officials to high-ranking positions, waged numerous foreign wars, and, due to the succession to the throne, turned against his elder brother Weizi Qi and other old nobles. This likely led to a severe depletion of the Shang Dynasty's national strength, which was then exploited by the Zhou Dynasty, resulting in the defeat at Muye.

The Zhou people's criticism of his other crime—listening to a woman's words—is even less tenable.

In fact, women were quite active in the Shang Dynasty. Legend has it that Daji, the concubine of Emperor Xin, may have been an outstanding figure like Fu Hao, the female Fu Hao during the reign of Emperor Wu Ding. Many political decisions may have been related to this "Enchantress Consort".

Even considering the unique characteristics of the Shang Dynasty, the role of the Nine-tailed Fox in totem worship to signify royal power suggests that the Fox Spirit who overthrew the Shang Dynasty might actually have been a wise sage secretly assisting the emperor and trying to save the country.

If this is indeed the case, then it makes sense that Tamamo no Mae possesses extraordinary administrative abilities.

Samael glanced down at the two slices of ginger in his cup, took a sip, and couldn't help but admire them.

"Ginger is a good thing. It can induce sweating and dispel cold, regulate the spleen and stomach, and can also be used as a seasoning to remove fishy smells and enhance aroma. You seem to be quite familiar with the properties of this plant. If the climate is suitable, we can plant more around Athens..."

"What kind of seeds are we planting? All those surnamed Jiang are bad seeds! Not a single one of them is good!"

In a daze, Tamamo no Mae hearing this, seemed to have had some sensitive nerve touched, and immediately flew into a rage, her face darkening as she gritted her teeth and cursed angrily.

"Ah?"

"I mean, when it gets old and rotten, this stuff easily accumulates toxins. In short, old ginger is utterly worthless and not worth promoting."

Tamamo no Mae raised her eyebrows, rolled her eyes, pointed at the monk and cursed him as a bald thief, subtly insulting her former mortal enemy.

"Did you have a feud with someone surnamed Jiang somewhere else?"

The Saint King before him was not so easily fooled. He looked the Fox Spirit up and down and asked her questions with great interest.

"This is outrageous! We've always kept to ourselves, yet he dared to plot against me behind my back! And he even tried to smear me!"

Tamamo no Mae ground her canine teeth together, her clenched silver teeth making a grinding sound. Then, as if remembering something, a smug smile appeared on her lips, full of mockery and sarcasm.

"However, we suffered a loss, but he didn't gain anything either! He's brought disaster to the country and its people, haha, he really ruined the country he worked so hard to build, what can old Jiang do to me?"

"So, you just ran away?"

Samael's question caused Tamamo no Mae's smile to freeze instantly.

So, after you, the Shang Dynasty, supported Emperor Xin's reforms and were overthrown by Old Jiang, you actually hid down and transformed into Bao Si to take revenge on the Zhou Dynasty, causing great harm to the country and the people, and making the Zhou Dynasty never recover.

Oh, by the way, this person wasn't even included in the Investiture of the Gods. Maybe you've been stirring things up behind the scenes again?

Good heavens, now Old Jiang hates you to the core?

The ancient snake understood the Fox Spirit's movements and the reason for her escape from China.

Nonsense, Old Jiang is just a lackey pushed out by the higher-ups. This Fox Spirit has caused a ruckus, messing with everyone behind the scenes, both those she should and shouldn't have messed with. If she doesn't run away now, what will she do? Get herself into a fox scarf?

"Can we change the subject...?"

"You went to Eastern Ying and went through all this trouble again?"

"Ahem, what do you mean by causing trouble? We're educating the people and illuminating the world!"

"Then it was overturned by the local natives?"

"..."

Tamamo no Mae, who was trying her best to defend herself, had a stiff face, felt a tightness in her chest, and almost wanted to vomit blood.

Does he even know how to have a conversation?! Does he even know how to have a conversation?! Can't this jerk say a single decent human word?!

"What do you mean 'natives'?! Those are a ton of Shintoism Onmyoji and Magic Monk from the Mount Koya! And, if it were just these people, it wouldn't be so bad, the key is..."

Tamamo no Mae took a deep breath, suppressing her internal injuries, and forced out a dry laugh. She suppressed her rage and looked up again, but at a certain point, she stopped abruptly, hanging her head and muttering curses in frustration.

"That damned old man Jiang is always coming after me, and that crazy guy with the plate-shaped hair under the Bodhi Tree is also haunting me. And that guy surnamed Abe is a traitor, he's even worse!"

Goodness, you've got a lot of enemies.

Samael glanced at Tamamo no Mae with a mocking look, his eyes flashing, and roughly understood the taboo this Trash Fox was talking about, as well as the reason for running away.

The original inhabitants of Eastern Ying had no concept of civilization; it all came from outside sources. Amaterasu Omikami started the story, and they originally wanted to keep their territory to themselves, but they couldn't stop the outside world from infiltrating.

Mount Koya Magic Monk was a devout Buddhist, and it is very likely that Tamamo no Mae had a grudge against Buddhism when she was involved with the Mauryan Empire in India.

The concept of form in Japanese Shintoism only emerged after Emperor Jimmu. The legends of alchemists seeking immortality and Xu Fu's eastward voyage are said to be the origin of Emperor Jimmu's teachings, which are inextricably linked to Chinese tradition.

Therefore, the two forces that participated in the Battle of Nasuno and besieged Amaterasu Omikami were mostly related to the two great pantheons of India and China.

If they don't run away now, they'll be caught and not just made into a scarf, they might not even be left with a piece of their skin.

Tamamo no Mae turned around with a resentful look and glared at the guy who had ruined the atmosphere, then rolled her eyes and made a suggestion with a smile.

"So, Your King, would you like me to be your personal scribe? If you would entrust all your troubles to me, I am willing to solve all your trivial matters."

"You've already convinced them, so I don't need to agree anymore. Isn't it already done?"

"I'd like to hear the Shiki appointment; life needs a sense of ceremony!"

"Fine, I accept my fate. As long as it doesn't break, it's fine with me. Do whatever you want."

Samael nodded helplessly, glancing at the beast that was playing around with a playful attitude, and muttered to himself.

Tsk, having this woman around is like having a ticking time bomb.

Well, Athena and Themis are offline, so we'll just have to make do for now while we need help.

The ancient serpent suppressed its thoughts, made up its mind, and took the initiative to reach out its hand to this peerless Enchantress Consort.

After receiving a definite reply, Tamamo no Mae beamed with joy, nodded in satisfaction, and a subtle glint appeared in her eyes.

How exactly did the conversation shift from ginger slices to her painful past?

It's just common sense, it's about being frank. Cooperation requires a foundation of mutual trust. Some things are better left unsaid.

But you seem to know quite a bit about us, fellow villager...

Tamamo no Mae was meaningful, her eyes filled with a hidden insight beneath her playful and irreverent demeanor.

Immediately, a shimmering light appeared, and a pair of brown ears stood up from her pink hair. A loose and gorgeous blue Miko Outfit appeared on her body, with a large bow around her waist to bind her bodice, and golden bell ornaments hanging from her head and ears, making Tamamo no Mae lose some of her frivolity and appear even more elegant and noble.

"Let's go, Your Majesty. Your stage is set; it's time to take the stage."

Tamamo no Mae vigor, took Samael's arm and led the Saint King toward the Acropolis of Athens, a long-lost sense of familiarity welling up in her heart.

Well, whatever, I can relive my old experiences with Tamamo now.

Hopefully, things won't capsize so quickly this time.

Two, double the happiness. jpg