Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Supernatural events happen everywhere, so there are many ghost stories in this world, whether abroad or domestically, whether in modern society or a thousand years ago during the Golden Tang Dynasty. It seems that hauntings are not limited by time or place, whether in the capital city or in remote outskirts.
Xing Ruyi stood in the courtyard, searching every corner of the yard with her gaze. Wherever her eyes landed, she could always find some places that felt eerie. Activating her Ghost Eye, she saw countless white bones buried deep beneath the soil, both human and animal. On a few bones, there were traces of lingering ghostly energy, but most had already dissipated into the world.
"What do you think it is?"
Xing Ruyi turned to look at the fox. The fox lazily lifted its head to gaze back, the sky dark and gloomy, with neither moonlight nor starlight visible.
"Do you know about the Oni Beast?"
The fox finally concluded its observation, its beautiful eyes softly looking at Xing Ruyi: "That is a mysterious monster from your human mythology. It is recorded in an ancient book called 'Shan Hai Jing.' It has the body of a goat and a human face, with its eyes located under its armpits. Its teeth are like those of a fierce tiger, yet it has human hands. Its head is large, and its mouth is also big; it is greedy and loves to eat. In modern terms, this Oni Beast is a complete glutton."
"Are you saying that the owner of this black shop is an Oni Beast?"
"There is its aura, but it's not confirmed yet," the fox replied, stretching its wrist. "If it is true, that would be great. Thousands of years ago, our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan fought against an Oni Beast and suffered a terrible defeat. Of course, it was also because that Nine-Tailed Fox was too weak, which made our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan lose face and became a laughingstock for many years in Qingqiu. If he really is an Oni Beast, I would like to compete with him again."
Xing Ruyi lowered her head to look at her toes and muttered, "Clearly, it's you who can't hold back and wants to find someone to fight with; what does it have to do with finding face for the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan? Let's be honest; aren't all the Ancient Divine Clans that remain in this world nearly extinct?"
"Indeed, they are almost gone!" The fox sighed and looked at Xing Ruyi with a strange expression: "Do you know why?"
"Why?" Xing Ruyi asked curiously, sensing an ominous premonition that what was about to come from the fox's mouth would not be good news.
"Because of you humans!" The fox turned its eyes away. "Humans are the rulers of all beings not only because their wisdom surpasses most animals but also due to their powerful reproductive and learning abilities. With the development of human society, humans continuously expand their territories, leaving less and less space suitable for animals to thrive; thus many species have been driven to extinction."
"Nonsense! Buddhism has reincarnation through Six Paths. Humans have their own way; gods have their own way. Even if we mortals expand our territories endlessly, it shouldn't affect where you immortals reside!"
"Does it really not affect?" The fox countered with piercing eyes.
Xing Ruyi was momentarily speechless as she suddenly thought of Qingqiu, the fox's homeland—a beautiful place recorded in 'Shan Hai Jing.' Yet even such an otherworldly space had been fragmented due to the continuous advancement of human society. The fox, as the last Fox Emperor of Qingqiu, had not only been "honorably" ousted but had also suffered greatly.
The fox saw through Xing Ruyi's thoughts and said nothing more but directly pulled her closer: "It's okay; I think things are quite good now. Everything in this world has both yin and yang aspects; whether it's the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan or other divine clans, although they may have lifespans of thousands or tens of thousands of years, they still have to go through tribulations and face limitations in reproduction."
Do you know? I am the last descendant of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan White Emperor. My father and mother worked hard for nearly a thousand years to have me. Although the Buddhas are immortal and unchanging, they can only wander among the mountains and clouds all day long. A hundred years may feel fresh, five hundred years might still seem okay, but when a thousand or two thousand years pass, they too will grow weary of that idle immortal life. Thus, those with connections will reincarnate, while those without will dissipate into the earth.
As for the Fox Demon, there are not many true immortals left. One reason is that human offerings have decreased, and another is that they cannot endure loneliness, reincarnating or dissipating, leaving behind those who either have grown accustomed to solitude or have compelling reasons to remain.
In contrast, humans inherently possess an aggressive nature; you enjoy expanding territories and engaging in constant conflict. Yet strangely, you also understand the necessity of cooperation and collective survival. So despite the endless struggles and casualties over these millennia, humanity continues to thrive, squeezing out space for other beings. As time progresses, Monsters and Spirits begin to coexist with humans once again, just like in the early days of creation.
To me, whether I can become the Fox Emperor is not important. Looking back now, perhaps they are right; clinging to the last remnants of Qingqiu may indeed be our true destruction.
It is rare to hear a fox speak so much. Xing Ruyi shifted uncomfortably in his arms and then poked his shoulder with her finger, saying, "Fox, are you becoming sentimental?"
The fox chuckled lightly. "I’ve grown old; it’s inevitable to be sentimental. But what about you? What do you plan to do?"
"First, let's pull Lord Xie up from the ground and then see what that Oni Beast wants to do. By the way, was it true that there was a conflict between your Nine-Tailed Fox Clan and the Oni Beast?"
"According to our clan's genealogy, that record exists. But I don't know if this Oni Beast is the same one."
"Could it be that the Oni Beast lives longer than your Nine-Tailed Fox? After all, your ancestors have all entered a state of unity with the Dao," Xing Ruyi remarked, sticking out her tongue.
The fox shook his head. "The Oni Beast is too mysterious; what is known in this world is merely a drop in the ocean. So I cannot answer your question. As for the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, we originally had very long lifespans; if we wished, we could live forever without dying. However, due to a mistake made by our ancestors, we were stripped of this ability by Lady Nüwa. Even with diligent cultivation, we can only live for a few thousand years. Moreover, the longer one lives, the more severe the tribulations one must endure. Many ancestors chose to seek connections and reincarnate as humans out of fear of these tribulations. Otherwise, how could our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan have such close ties with the underworld?"
"Isn't that incident recorded in 'Investiture of the Gods'? The Nine-Tailed Fox was commanded by Lady Nüwa to destroy the Shang Dynasty, but ended up trying to seduce King Zhou with beauty and committed mass killings of loyal ministers and generals before being slain by Jiang Ziya!"
The fox rarely showed such a dumbfounded expression. He looked at Xing Ruyi and smiled wryly. "Is that how your human stories are written?"
"It's not an official history; it doesn't even count as unofficial history—it's merely a tale at best. But you know I'm not much of a good student; I can't muster any interest in such straightforward accounts of Shang Dynasty history. This story is at least somewhat interesting. Of course, I've watched more dramas about it."
"King Zhou was not a tyrant; at least he wasn't portrayed as one in 'Investiture of the Gods.' As for my ancestor, there may have been some confusion because that's typical of Nine-Tailed Foxes, but there was no slaughter of loyal ministers and generals. On the contrary, she helped King Zhou with many matters beneficial to the country and its people."
"In that case, why did Lady Nüwa punish your Nine-Tailed Fox Clan so severely? Was it because your ancestor did not confuse King Zhou or lead him into debauchery and corruption?"
"Lady Nüwa did not instruct my ancestor to confuse King Zhou! She stayed by his side because she fell in love with him. At that time, although people feared monsters, they also revered them. Many demons lived among common folk and were regarded as beings with divine abilities. My ancestor was one of them. According to 'Records of the Grand Historian,' King Zhou was knowledgeable and perceptive, tall in stature with extraordinary strength. As the saying goes: beautiful women love heroes; thus it seems reasonable that my ancestor would fall for him."
In the "Records of the Grand Historian," it is recorded that King Zhou once conquered the Eastern Yi, expanding his territory to what is now the southeastern region and developing the Yangtze River basin. At that time, the Eastern Yi frequently attacked the Shang Dynasty, capturing a large number of people as slaves, posing a threat to the Shang Dynasty. King Zhou's father, Di Yi, fought a great battle against the Eastern Yi but did not achieve victory. After ascending to the throne, King Zhou forged weapons and personally led a large army into battle. As a result, the various factions of the Eastern Yi united in resistance but could not withstand King Zhou's offensive.
"Since King Zhou was not a tyrant, why did Wang Wu rebel against him?"
"The so-called history is written by the victors, and it is often slightly exaggerated. King Zhou fought for many years and by middle age had already accumulated numerous injuries and ailments. My ancestors did many things to save his life, perhaps employing some ruthless methods, which led to those rumors among the people and what you refer to as legends. Ultimately, she was also implicated in this matter, affecting our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. But what exactly she did in the end is not even recorded in our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan's genealogy."
"After all this, you still haven't told me what caused the conflict between your Nine-Tailed Fox Clan and the Oni Beast."
"The Oni Beast loves to eat; it wants to taste everything edible in this world. I don't know where it heard that our Nine-Tailed Fox Clan has delicious meat, but it drooled over to Qingqiu and captured a fox that was practicing in the wild. Without any regard for anything else, it set up a wooden frame in Qingqiu and placed the fox on top to roast.
That fox originally did not know about the Oni Beast. Seeing its strange behavior, it wanted to see what it was doing. As a result, when the fire reached its tail, it realized that the fire set by the Oni Beast was no ordinary fire. Angered by its fur being burned, it began to fight back. During the struggle, it discovered that this Oni Beast actually intended to roast and eat it; how could it not fight back?"
"And what happened in the end? Did that fox get eaten by the Oni Beast?"
The fox darkened its expression and replied, "Of course not!"
Xing Ruyi suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "I understand now! That fox was actually a White Fox; it was your ancestor, right?"
The fox glanced at Xing Ruyi and turned away without saying a word.
Comment 0 Comment Count