The Door

All sounds mingled together, a chaotic mind clashing and tearing against the demon fox's last vestiges of reason. Yu Sheng heard Huli's pained whimpers in his ears, but his mind was filled with more maddening, distorted voices—the demon fox's near-uncontrollable craving, a gnawing hunger that felt like her heart was being gouged out, the whispers of dark chaos, and... a plea for him to escape.

Yu Sheng gasped sharply, crouching low before charging towards a gap between the demon fox and the monster. But he didn't flee as Huli urged; instead, he casually grabbed a broken bluestone slab from the ground and, hugging it, rushed towards the monster's flank.

He knew, of course, that he was likely no match for this monster. But he also knew that human legs alone couldn't possibly outrun it. Moreover, the area was littered with debris blocking the way, and the only open exit to the outside of the ruined temple was completely blocked by the monster's massive body. In such a situation, a reckless escape would likely only lead to a faster death.

It was better to brace himself and make a move. He couldn't win by fighting, but since he wasn't afraid of death, he had a chance to gain something before dying. And if he could manage to distract the monster, perhaps Huli would have a chance to break free from that terrifying restraint. She was still struggling to maintain her sanity; if she could break free, there might even be a chance to fight back...

All these thoughts flashed by in an instant. Yu Sheng knew his plan was far from perfect, but he couldn't afford to hesitate. With no other options, he steeled himself. His body erupted with a surge of power that even confused him, sending the heavy bluestone slab flying like a cannonball towards the flesh-and-blood behemoth.

The next second, he had no time to confirm the "results" of his attack. A massive warning surged from the depths of his heart. Yu Sheng "saw" the monster's counterattack a second in advance and lunged sharply to the side.

A black shadow, like a steel whip, struck the spot where he had just been standing. It was a snake tail that had suddenly split from the monster's surface. Instantly, earth and stone flew, and solid bluestone and broken bricks were reduced to dust. Yu Sheng felt a powerful impact in mid-air, and the shattered stones rained down on him like bullets, even making sounds like metal striking metal.

Yu Sheng ignored the pain. Upon landing, he quickly rolled, dodging the snake tail's pursuit, while his peripheral vision swept towards Huli's location.

The silver-white demon fox struggled violently amidst countless black spikes and bone fragments. The blue spirit fire burning near her tail flickered intensely, as if it would explode uncontrollably at any moment.

But she was still trapped—the restraints binding her seemed custom-made for her. Yu Sheng's interference from the side had no effect.

In fact, Yu Sheng could tell at a glance that this fox girl was countless times more powerful than him, yet she had no way to fight back against the monster. There was clearly a very significant... "restraint" between the monster and her.

But in the beginning, in the open space outside the ruined temple, she had rushed over without hesitation to "save" him. Although the rescue attempt ultimately failed, she had truly intended to help at that time.

The memory flashed by. Yu Sheng gritted his teeth, wanting to charge forward again, to try the old method of risking his life to bite off a few more pieces from the monster.

He didn't know where the extra strength and recovery ability he possessed came from, but he remembered that before these changes first appeared, he had bitten off a piece of flesh from the monster.

He wasn't sure if there was a connection between these two events, but there was no other way now, and he wasn't afraid of death. So, he might as well try all the bold guesses in his mind.

"Don't... don't mind me!" Just then, Huli's voice came again. "It can't kill... me. You, run!"

"It's fine, it can't kill me either," Yu Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood. It was an injury he sustained when the debris in the air hit his jaw earlier. He turned to look at the silver-white demon fox, a cheerful smile on his face. "Later, I might die, but don't worry, I'll come back for you."

Huli's struggling movements paused, seemingly falling into confusion for a moment.

Yu Sheng didn't explain anything, merely walked towards the monster. His steps were light, and the smile on his face grew more pronounced.

That smile held a joy akin to attending a feast.

"Don't you like to persuade people to eat?" he muttered to himself, looking at the flesh-and-blood behemoth ahead. "Alright, I'll eat!"

He leaped into the air, pouncing towards the feast's dining table like a hungry wolf.

The dozens of eyes all over the flesh-and-blood monster trembled violently. For the first time, a hint of hesitation and... recoiling seemed to appear in those chaotic, wild eyes.

Muffled roars emanated from its many mouths, and then several tentacle-like "snake tails" with black scales split from its piled-up flesh, stabbing towards Yu Sheng in the air.

Yu Sheng felt his body being pierced, fatal wounds, he didn't know how many exactly. He felt his life begin to drain away, warm blood carrying away his vitality.

But that indescribable... "appetite" surged from the depths of his heart. He ignored the pain in his body, ignored all resistance and unease about death, and hugging a snake tail that had pierced his abdomen, he grinned and bit down—

The monster let out a strange, sharp howl and violently thrashed the snake tail, as if trying to shake off a deadly venomous insect clinging to it.

However, Yu Sheng held onto the tail tightly, refusing to let go no matter how violently it thrashed. He was dragged by the snake tail, smashing into the ground, then overturning a nearby ruined wall. His resilient body was unharmed by the fatal impact; instead, it made him clearer in the pain.

And at that moment, the snake tail was once again raised high, swinging towards a crumbling hole in the temple wall.

A flash of unusual golden light streaked across his peripheral vision.

Yu Sheng struggled to look up amidst the whistling wind, seeing the golden light rapidly approaching him. Before he could even properly identify what it was, he instinctively raised his hand to block.

His hand grasped something—a handle.

Yu Sheng: "...?"

A faint creaking sound mixed with the whistling wind. The image of a door suddenly appeared in Yu Sheng's mind—an ordinary door, leading somewhere, leading to...

The moment a location he subconsciously thought of surfaced in his mind, the door was pulled open by him.

The next second, Yu Sheng and the black-scaled snake tail instantly fell into the door, and then, with a piercing creak, the door slammed shut.

The flesh-and-blood monster's snake tail was directly severed by the door that appeared and disappeared so suddenly. A chaotic howl, enough to drive listeners mad, echoed through the valley. This wound seemed to enrage it. It roared in the ruins of the temple, charging wildly, gnawing frantically at everything within its sight, even its own body. After an unknown amount of time, it finally calmed down, its body transforming back into a shadowy void of darkness, slowly dissolving into the night.

The black spikes and bone fragments disappeared without a sound. The scarred silver-white demon fox fell to the ground, motionless, as if dead.

After a few minutes, Huli finally slowly opened her eyes. She looked around blankly, her golden-red eyes seemingly devoid of all "human" spirit.

After a while longer, her gaze finally focused on a spot within the ruins.

It was the steps where she and her "benefactor" had sat together earlier.

She dragged her massive demon fox body and slowly moved over. Seeing the scattered plastic bags and leftover food scraps at the foot of the steps, she lowered her head, whimpering as she devoured them all.

But she was still hungry.

The seductive voice, like an lingering demon, whispered to her from the depths of her hunger—

"Eat, you know where there's more to fill your stomach...

"You buried them in the woods...

"Bones, flesh, and blood...

"Go, eat, and you won't be hungry anymore..."

The demon fox lowered her head, letting out sobs that sounded like weeping, then curled up at the foot of the steps, slowly stretching out her neck to gnaw on the surrounding broken bricks, digging up the soil and rotten wood from beneath the ruins, and slowly stuffing them into her mouth, chewing and chewing.

"I'm not hungry... I'm not hungry... Someone gave me food... He'll be back soon to bring me more food... I'm not hungry..."

She gnawed like this until, as in many years past, she gradually lost consciousness.

The sensation of falling continuously jolted Yu Sheng from his daze. The "feeling" of gripping a doorknob still lingered in his hand, but in the next second, he realized he had crossed some boundary.

He widened his eyes in astonishment, seeing himself lying by the roadside. His vision was filled with familiar streetlights, utility poles, and the low, old houses on Wutong Road.

The weathered exterior wall and gate of No. 66 Wutong Road stood not far ahead, bathed in the faint morning light.

He struggled to turn his head back again and saw the phantom image of a large gate gradually dissipating. Within the depths of the phantom, he could vaguely make out the valley shrouded in night, the ruins of a dilapidated temple, and...

A white fox struggling to move within the ruins.

Yu Sheng tried to reach out to the white fox.

The last remaining shadow vanished before his fingertips could touch it.

Regarding future updates: From Monday to Friday, there will be two updates daily. On Saturdays and Sundays, there will be one update per day. This is the limit for an old man like me ()