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Although there was unease in his heart, Xie Xuan concealed it very well. He slightly organized his emotions and walked towards Xing Ruyi and the fox. Although he was speaking to Xing Ruyi, his gaze remained fixed on the fox's face. That deep gaze seemed to reach into his heart, making even someone as skilled at hiding as he was feel unable to conceal anything. Xie Xuan realized that he did not like this man at all, a man who seemed to see right through him with just one glance!
"Who is this young master?"
"This is my husband, Yin Chensi. You may call him Chen Si or Young Master Yin!" Xing Ruyi declared, as if asserting her claim, wrapping her arms around the fox. The fox seemed pleased by this, looking down and giving her a doting glance. Then, he slightly raised his chin and coldly said to Xie Xuan, "Lord Xie!"
"So it turns out that he is Miss Xing's husband! Since you are Young Master Yin's wife, shouldn't Xie Xuan also change how he addresses Miss Xing and call her Madam Yin?"
"No need! My Fox Demon does not need to carry my surname." The fox replied, then looked down at Xing Ruyi and said, "Rather than being called Madam Yin, I prefer when others call me Fox Demon or Husband."
"Young Master Yin really knows how to joke!" Xie Xuan felt somewhat awkward. Although the Golden Tang Dynasty had an open culture where women could participate in the imperial examination and engage in business just like men, even so, they still carried their husband's surname. Young Master Yin's words did not seem like a joke, but they sounded rather strange.
Seeing the atmosphere becoming awkward, Xing Ruyi quickly said, "I think Madam Yin is quite good; it's just that my husband and I have not yet held a grand wedding ceremony, so it seems more appropriate for Lord Xie to call me Miss Xing. Of course, if you feel that Madam Yin rolls off the tongue better, you may call me that as well. My husband is very open-minded and does not mind such titles. Oh, by the way, the matter of calming the soul has been taken care of; Lord Xie can instruct the servants in your residence to send her to the charity house."
Xing Ruyi thought for a moment and added, "Young Master Han's injuries have stabilized; for further treatment, based on Fox Demon's suggestion, it would be best to invite some reputable doctors. After all, Young Master Han's status is not ordinary; if the Han family holds us accountable later on, Fox Demon's identity will not hold up against them."
"Such serious injuries can be revived by Miss Xing; it seems your medical skills are beyond what common people can compare with. Even the imperial physicians in the palace might not match your abilities," Xie Xuan cupped his hands in respect. "What you said just now is also correct. No matter how good your medical skills are, they are only known to us; you are not someone who seeks fame and would not want to be disturbed by those vulgar people from the Han family. Rest assured, I know how to handle matters from here on."
"In that case, we shall take our leave." Xing Ruyi nodded and took her leave. Xie Xuan did not hesitate either and directly instructed Chang Tai to escort the Fox Demon and the fox back home.
Once they exited the gates of the Yamen in the capital city, Xing Ruyi turned to the fox and asked, "Why did I just see a rabbit? Could it be that concubine is a transformed Rabbit Demon?"
"What Rabbit Demon?" Chang Tai, who had been following behind them, couldn't help but ask upon hearing Xing Ruyi's words: "Is there something wrong with that concubine beside Young Master Han?"
"The fox told me to take a look; I observed closely and found that there was vaguely a rabbit-like appearance about that concubine. So I asked him if she was transformed from a Rabbit Demon. But if she is indeed a demon, why can she still maintain a human form after death?" Xing Ruyi tapped her chin with her finger: "Could it be that revealing one's true form also takes time?"
“Daoist practice varies in depth, and the time it manifests also differs. However, this has nothing to do with that Rabbit Demon; the body she possesses was originally borrowed, similar to the concept of a spirit possessing a living person. The difference is that when a spirit possesses someone, that person may still be alive, but when a demon borrows a body, the person must be dead.”
“It seems that this Rabbit Demon is not as innocent as you previously claimed; there is indeed a life at stake in her hands,” Xing Ruyi said angrily, increasingly feeling that being human was not advantageous. Whether it was a ghost or a demon, they could easily bully you.
“Whether she is innocent or not will be clear once we find her Yuan Shen and ask her,” the fox said, stopping in its tracks and glancing back. “Actually, it's not just this Rabbit Demon; I made another mistake earlier.”
“What mistake?” Xing Ruyi and Chang Tai asked in unison.
“I previously thought that this concubine's death might have been caused by that Young Master Han. But now it seems that it is actually Young Master Han who has been affected by the Rabbit Demon.”
“How so?”
“Fox Demon, have you heard of tribulations?”
“Tribulations? I think I've heard of them. It seems that both fairies and mortals need to go through tribulations during their cultivation, but I'm not clear on how they actually work.”
“Tribulation essentially means passing through disasters and difficulties. When a person does something against reason, they will be punished or face calamity. Just like what you understand about Fox Demons: both mortals cultivating immortality and fairies practicing their arts are considered to be going against the natural order, so they will continuously face tribulations. This serves two purposes: punishment and testing. For example, members of the Azure Fox Immortal clan must face at least nine major tribulations in their lifetime, and every hundred years of cultivation brings another calamity. Although these calamities are daunting, they cannot be ignored because there’s a saying: if you walk by the river often, how can you avoid getting your feet wet? If one cannot survive these calamities, they will die.”
“So you mean that Rabbit Demon is undergoing tribulation?”
“Precisely; it should be considered punishment. A romantic relationship between humans and demons inherently goes against the way of nature. Moreover, she borrowed a human body; if no punishment is given, how can peace be maintained among all living beings? Furthermore, when the body is borrowed, the soul naturally goes to the underworld. Once there, how could it not raise complaints? The Underworld Lord may not show mercy but is known for being impartial; such matters will certainly come to light. A few bolts of lightning are already quite merciful.”
“So it really is punishment! I was puzzled why good lightning would strike in mid-air; why did it mischievously drill into someone's house? And if it was going to drill in, why did it aim straight for their heart? Does it think it's Cupid's Arrow?”
“What is Cupid's Arrow?” Chang Tai, who did not understand Taoist concepts and had never heard of tribulations or transcending tribulations, felt somewhat confused after listening to the fox. Now, hearing Xing Ruyi mention Cupid's Arrow, as an ambitious young man, he naturally wanted to ask about it.
Xing Ruyi nodded and initially intended to explain that Cupid is a Western deity, but worried that Chang Tai would then ask where the West is—whether it is the Western Paradise of Buddha—and what a deity is. If she were to explain that a deity is a winged boy, he would likely spiral into another round of confusion and adjustment. Therefore, to avoid this situation, Xing Ruyi simply told Chang Tai, “Cupid's Arrow is a feathered arrow forged by someone with the surname Qiu. It is said to be able to subdue demons and monsters, but I have never seen it myself. So for the remaining questions, Brother Chang, please don’t ask me.”
Chang Tai responded obediently with a light “Oh.”
Xing Ruyi lowered her head and glanced at her toes with a guilty conscience.
Nearby, the fox shook its head helplessly; it had grown accustomed to Xing Ruyi’s tendency to fabricate stories on the spot.
After walking a few streets, they could see the lanterns of Ruyi Rouge from afar. In addition to Xing Ruyi, the fox, and Yin Yuan in the Rouge shop, there was also a cook and an assistant. According to the hiring rules of the Rouge shop, neither the cook nor the assistant was an ordinary person.
The cook was brought back by the fox from the mountains; she was said to be a Deer Bureau who had just completed three hundred years of cultivation. She enjoyed drinking and was quite gluttonous; usually, those with picky tastes also had good culinary skills because they looked down on others' cooking.
The assistant was a raccoon cat who had cultivated for several hundred years before barely transforming into human form due to lineage issues. Originally captured by Yin Yuan for dinner, unfortunately for him, the cook's culinary skills were so excellent that he had never been willing to eat properly. That night, he ended up overeating instead. Thus, he was spared his life.
Although this raccoon cat was born in the wild and belonged to a fierce carnivorous species, this particular one was somewhat clumsy and not very skilled at hunting. Therefore, over several hundred years, she primarily survived by gathering fruits and occasionally ate grass roots and leaves when hungry. Over time, she became familiar with many herbs and understood their medicinal properties well. Just right for the Rouge shop's need for a runner, the raccoon cat was adept at running, ambushing, and climbing trees. After discussing it with Yin Yuan, she stayed in the shop as an assistant.
Thanks to this raccoon cat, Xing Ruyi could find time for “part-time work” and occasionally visit Si Niang’s Tavern to chat about various topics.
At this moment, dawn had just broken in the east. The diligent assistant was already outside the shop, jumping around while cleaning items at the entrance. Hearing footsteps, she quickly stood up straight and greeted Xing Ruyi with a smile: “Good morning, shopkeeper! Young Master Yin! Lord Chang!”
“Li Zao! It seems that Fox Demon hasn’t been sparing you from criticism lately. It’s only been a short while since midnight; do you really have to get up this early to clean?” Chang Tai also smiled as he greeted the assistant.
The assistant is a raccoon, and following Xing Ruyi's usual naming convention, it was named Li Mao, with "Li" referring to the plum tree and "Mao" meaning flourishing. This name is particularly fitting as the raccoon was born and raised in the mountains. Although the name was given, after calling it a few times, Xing Ruyi found it awkward and decided to refer to it simply as Li. Chang Tai often came by and started calling it that as well. As for the cook in the backyard, it was even simpler; since she appeared to be a woman in her forties, Xing Ruyi called her Deer Lady.
Upon hearing Chang Tai's words, the assistant merely chuckled and looked at Xing Ruyi, saying, "Lord Chang misunderstood; the shopkeeper treats us very well. It's just that there are too few people around, and I couldn't sleep, so I got up to clean. Because I've been cleaning diligently, the shopkeeper complained that I've worn down the paint on the door, and now I have to get up to work, which affects her beauty sleep."
"You talk too much!" Xing Ruyi kicked out playfully, but the assistant just laughed and managed to dodge without much effort.
Chang Tai watched from the side and also laughed. It was clear that the people working at Rouge had a very good relationship.
Seeing that her kick missed, Xing Ruyi wanted to try again, but the assistant spoke up first: "Shopkeeper, don't be in such a hurry to kick; we have guests!"
"Oh?" Xing Ruyi squinted her eyes and peeked through the slightly ajar door into the courtyard.
The fox beside her leisurely added, "Indeed, we have guests, and it's someone we just met—a true Old Friend!"
"Xie Xuan?"
"Lord Xie's pace isn't this fast!"
"Then it must be—" Xing Ruyi understood quickly and looked at the fox before quickly uttering two words: "Rabbit Demon!"
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