Qingqiu Fox

Qingqiu Mountain was filled with pavilions and towers, each more magnificent and breathtaking than the last.

"Sanniang, Sanniang." A small fox with fur as white as snow darted out from the mountain forest, its mouth actually forming human speech.

At the Moon-Gazing Pavilion, a woman in white gauze robes lay upon a long stone bench, fast asleep.

A gentle mountain breeze drifted by, fluttering the hem of her gauze dress. As the gaze traveled upward, it revealed a face of peerless beauty, with bright brows, pearly teeth, and skin like jade.

Yet, though this woman appeared pure and flawless, her brows carried a trace of bewitching charm. One look was enough to know she was no ordinary woman.

She looked more like a legendary fox spirit, whose every pout and smile could hook a person's soul.

The little fox ran all the way over, and seeing the woman still lying there lazily, it displayed a surprisingly human-like expression of indignation.

"Sanniang, stop sleeping! I picked fresh peaches for you." The little fox leaped up, landed in the woman's arms, and nudged her with its small head.

The woman's beautiful brows furrowed slightly, but she did not open her eyes. Her voice, thick with drowsy haze, added an itch to one's heart: "Xiao Liu, stop making a fuss. Big sister is sleepy."

Looking closely, one could see that this white-furred little fox actually had six tails!

The little fox giggled, a snowy tail quietly reaching toward the tip of the woman's nose.

"Achoo!" The woman suddenly sat bolt upright, grabbed the little fox, and pinned it to the stone bench to tickle it.

"Hee hee hee... Sanniang, I was wrong! I won't dare do it again, I really won't! Please, let me go! Hee hee..." Although the little fox was in its beast form, its voice was sweet and sticky, its laughter as crisp and pleasant as silver bells.

"Hmph, we'll see if you dare do it again." The woman in white wrinkled her nose, looking incredibly adorable.

It was fortunate that no men were nearby, or they surely would have lost half their souls on the spot.

This was no joke; the soul-snatching charm of the Qingqiu Fox Clan was innate, not something they willed upon others.

For those with weak wills, even if the fox had no intention of harming them, a single glance or smile would be enough to scatter their souls to the winds.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom erupted!

The entire Qingqiu Mountain shook violently, and those magnificent pavilions that looked like they belonged in a fairyland collapsed one by one.

"Sanniang... what happened? I'm so scared." The little fox was quite timid and dove into the woman's arms in a flash.

A look of horror appeared on the woman's porcelain-doll-like face. This was the ancestral home of their Qingqiu Fox Clan, protected by a grand formation—how could it possibly shake?

"Boom! Crackle!" An even more violent tremor arrived, ripples flashing in the air as shockwaves surged. The entire mountaintop was pulverized into dust.

"Sanniang, take Xiao Liu and run! A powerful enemy has arrived. I fear our Qingqiu lineage faces a great calamity today. Go as far as you can and never look back! Remember this!"

A man's voice echoed from the heavens, resonant as a bell and long-breathed.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

However, before the woman could act, the very space of Qingqiu Mountain was ground into powder. The woman lost consciousness.

When she woke again, she was inside a mountain cave.

At the cave entrance, a figure in a snowy white cloak stood tall and proud.

"Ancestor..." Sanniang called out weakly.

The man turned around; he was a man of peerless beauty, his resolute and handsome face as if carved by a blade, a masterpiece of nature.

"Our Qingqiu lineage has suffered repeated disasters. The Heavenly Dao is unjust, the Heavenly Dao is unjust!" The man sighed with deep regret.

Sanniang remained weak, wanting to speak but hesitating, her face filled with anxiety.

The man seemed to know what she wanted to ask and merely sighed.

"Are they... are they all dead? Mother... Big Sister, Second Sister... Little Three, Little Four, Little Five, Little Six, Little Seven... are they all dead?"

A murderous aura surged from the man for a moment before fading. He sighed again and said, "Since you already know, why ask? You foolish child, foolish child."

Judging by the appearance, this Sanniang was the third-born, hence her name.

"Damn heavens! Damn heavens! Has my Qingqiu lineage not suffered enough? I, Zhou Qing, will never believe in the heavens again! The Heavenly Dao is unjust. Since it treats my Qingqiu as mere straw dogs, I shall defy the heavens!" The man roared at the sky, yet his voice was filled with helplessness.

"Ancestor, you need not be like this. Without your protection, we might have suffered a fate worse than death... it would have been hard even to die," Sanniang sobbed uncontrollably.

"After my generation, the Qingqiu lineage was cursed; there were no more males. How laughable, how laughable! Even though we should have gone extinct, no matter who we mated with, the offspring were always female infants of the Qingqiu Fox Clan. I hate this innate charm of our clan! I hate it! It is truly hateful!" As the man spoke, he seemed to have made a decision. When he turned back, his resolve was unshakable: "Bai Sanniang, hear my command."

"Ancestor!" Sanniang's face was pale with despair.

The man's expression softened, revealing a gentle smile: "Good child, you have suffered. Ancestor must go settle the score with that person; I can no longer look after you, I cannot..."

Sanniang nodded, struck her own brow with a palm, and fell silent...

The Qingqiu Fox Clan is gone, and the Ancestor is going to seek revenge. Hmm? Why can I still think? Shouldn't my soul have scattered?

Where is this? It's so dark... so cold.

Darkness, no time, and it seemed there was no space either.

I don't know how much time passed, but a thought seemed to come from a very distant place: Since it can be killed and replaced, if this Three-Tailed Fox is truly too useless, I will kill it when a replacement is needed...

Sanniang received this strange thought, and her whole body turned cold... as if her heart were filled with countless terrors.

Immediately after, an overbearing will mixed with blood entered her brow, and she understood—she seemed to have lost her freedom.

Sigh, is this the fate of the Qingqiu lineage...

When she was pulled into a vortex by an irresistible suction, she saw a person.

Although this person was a complete stranger, she knew that he was to be her master from this day forward. As for her, originally nothing more than a soul, her body had been reshaped by a great and mighty power.

"Master," she said respectfully.

Who would have thought that the man would let out a cry of shock: "Holy crap! It's become a spirit!"

Sanniang felt a flicker of fear and, acting with extreme caution, called out softly once more: "Master?"

To her surprise, the other party furrowed his brows and uttered words that left her terrified to the core: "Looking like that... I'm afraid I wouldn't dare summon you in front of others! Do you know... even though most of the spirit beasts here can talk, they all seem to retain their beast forms. You are just too much of an anomaly... So, if I can't summon you, what use do I have for you...?"

Since it was possible to kill and replace them, if this so-called Three-Tailed Fox was truly too useless, he would just kill her when the time came for a replacement...

What use do I have for you...

Kill her when the time came for a replacement...

What use do I have for you...

Bai Sanniang was so frightened that her legs gave out on the spot. She collapsed right onto the floor!

Am I going to be... killed again...

Who would have thought that after she fell, the look in his eyes became even more dangerous! Sanniang hurriedly did as he wished, using the abilities in her memory to transform her form into a miniature Three-Tailed Fox.

The dangerous aura began to dissipate, but the man still grumbled.

"Since you can turn small, why did you have to turn so big in the first place? Were you trying to compete with your master over who's taller?"

Bai Sanniang wanted to cry but had no tears; was this person a devil? He must be a devil, right?!

Later, this little boy made her fight another person, and she won.

This seemed to satisfy him?

Sanniang suddenly felt that things weren't so bad after all. Although she had lost her freedom and might be treated as a combat tool in the future, at least as long as she won, she could continue to live well.

It's so good to be alive...

"Hmm, very good. I like a smart fox who doesn't rely on favor to act spoiled. So, do you have a name?"

Bai Sanniang thought for a moment. This idiot didn't seem to realize she was a woman? Then she would just tell him she was a man to prevent him from having any other ideas.

"Reporting to Master, my name is Bai Sanlang."

"Eh! Judging by the name, you're a male fox?" The other party seemed a bit disappointed?

Bai Sanniang shuddered instantly; she absolutely, absolutely could not let him know her true gender!

And so, Bai Sanniang hurriedly nodded her little head: "Yes, yes, Master, I am a male. You must be clear about my gender..."

"Fine, then from now on, you'll be renamed Bai Xiaoqi."