A Disgrace to Every Fox in the Village 1/3

The Classic of Mountains and Seas said, "On Qingqiu Mountain there was a beast. It resembled a fox and had nine tails; its cry sounded like an infant's. It could eat people, and those who ate it would not be afflicted by curses."

This was one of the earliest records concerning the Nine-tailed Fox. "Could eat people" did not mean she was bloodthirsty and cruel, but rather that, as an object of totemic worship and offering, she could devour enemies and possessed the divinity to protect a tribe.

As for "those who ate it would not be afflicted by curses," it meant that consuming her flesh and blood could shield one from malign influences, something connected to primitive shamanistic beliefs.

Furthermore, she symbolized auspiciousness during peaceful and prosperous ages. The Illustrated Register of Auspicious Omens once mentioned, "If a ruler is not swayed by beauty, the Nine-tailed Fox shall arrive."

Other sayings, such as "When the Nine-tailed Fox appears, a ruler of benevolence and wisdom shall arise," and "When virtue reaches birds and beasts, the fox shall have nine tails," all praised the goodness represented by the Nine-tailed Fox.

Moreover, her appearance was often connected to royal authority.

Legend had it that Great Yu's wife was the Nine-tailed Fox of Tushan Qingqiu, named Nü Jiao. Back then, the Nine-tailed Fox had nothing like a negative reputation.

But after the appearance of Moxi, Daji, and Bao Si, three beauties who brought ruin upon their states and people, the Nine-tailed Fox's status plummeted, becoming linked to national calamity and the overthrow of royal power.

Coincidentally, those three were very likely incarnations of the Trash Fox before them. In other words, she had first brought disgrace upon every fox in the village.

There were no definitive written records, so it was difficult to