Before long, the little fox caught a large fish.
She leaped ashore, shook the water from her fur, and looked at Gu Changqing as though asking for praise.
Yet Gu Changqing felt an inexplicable pang of heartache.
Her fur was soaked through, making her body appear even more slender, as though she were nothing but skin stretched over bones, gaunt and bony.
This little fox had long since been tortured beyond recognition by that curse—and by him.
Seeming to sense Gu Changqing's softening heart, the little fox hesitated before transforming into human form. "It's nothing. As long as we find the Sea of Reincarnation, everything can be restored."
"Yes. We'll find it." Gu Changqing forced out a smile.
Two people whom fate had tortured until only broken bodies remained encouraged each other.
She lit a campfire and sat there, roasting the fish.
Then, a sudden change erupted.
"Roar!"
A shrill cry came from beyond the heavens, like the wail of ghosts, shaking their eardrums with pain.
Looking up, they saw an endless mass of dark birds flying in from the horizon.
They seemed to feed on all things; wherever they passed, everything turned to barren earth.
"Run!"
"They're all Demonic Beasts cursed by the ominous!"
The little fox sprang over and landed beside Gu Changqing, signaling for him to climb on.
But Gu Changqing ignored her and broke into a mad sprint.
This fox had already done enough for him. He would rather be devoured by those Demonic Beasts himself than become her burden again.
"Get on."
The little fox grabbed Gu Changqing with her jaws and flung him onto her back, then raced through the Forbidden Zone at full speed.
The jolting hurt Gu Changqing badly. She was even frailer than she looked; he could barely feel any flesh