Chapter 90: Folklore Horror (20)
Fuzhu shivered alone in the biting cold wind. The injury in his hind leg, untreated for so long, had worsened considerably. Earlier, he could still manage a few hops; now, even the slightest movement sent a piercing pain through him, as if a million ants were crawling inside the wound.
His nine tails coiled tightly around himself.
Only his tails offered a shred of warmth, yet his mind kept replaying Jian Yuntai’s words before leaving:
—“You can’t give this to anyone?”
—“The one person you absolutely must not give is me.”
What did that mean?
Fuzhu had been spoiled within the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan, never really facing much adversity. Now, after the clan had been ambushed, he hadn’t fully grasped the gravity of the situation, thinking it was only a brief mishap.
That didn’t stop him from despising humans.
All his life, the elders had instilled one belief: humans were cunning and greedy, without exception.
Jian Yuntai had wanted the jade pendant, yet when he could have taken it, he voluntarily gave it up.
Fuzhu couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
Who would give up a treasure so easily obtained? That could only mean they already knew the treasure would inevitably end up in their hands. Early or late made no difference.
This was a natural conjecture—but Fuzhu shook his head violently.
No! Absolutely impossible!
This demon hunter was different from the others!
Fuzhu clung stubbornly to this belief. Logically, the smartest move would have been to hobble away with his injured leg, taking advantage of the moment to escape. Yet he stood rigid, as if a single line had been drawn through his mind, staring straight ahead, unable to look away.
He would wait for Jian Yuntai to return.
Time passed unknown. Flurries of snow fell chaotically, quietly settling over his nine tails. In the dark night, the tails glimmered like nine beams of pure moonlight, adding a sense of sanctity to the bleak landscape.
The most beautiful tails of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan were now buried under snow, like pearls covered in dust.
Finally.
The sound of hurried footsteps approached from the distance—“tap, tap, tap”—chaotic and urgent.
Thump… thump…
Thump… thump…
Fuzhu’s heart raced violently, pounding so hard that soon all he could hear was his own heartbeat. His vision blurred, and he buried himself deeper in his tails.
Crunch! Crunch! The footsteps drew closer, stopping just beside him. After a few seconds, a pair of hands gently lifted his face. Then a soft, exasperated sigh came from above: “Don’t be afraid. It’s me.”
“!!!” Fuzhu’s eyes snapped open.
Before him was a smiling young boy, his features gentle. His heart, already racing, surged again. Behind him stretched a vast snowy landscape, dotted with scattered stones and dead trees—gray specks against the white expanse.
Not a single demon hunter from the sect accompanied him.
Indeed, Jian Yuntai had returned alone. Fuzhu felt as if a pebble had been thrown into a calm lake, sending ripples through his mind.
Squinting his fox eyes slightly, Fuzhu entwined all nine tails around Jian Yuntai’s waist and torso. “Why did it take you so long to come back?”
…Again?
Jian Yuntai laughed softly and helplessly brushed aside the tails. Ten years later, he still clung so much; ten years ago, apparently, he had been the same. And this time, he had eight more tails than before.
“I was held up at the sect for a bit. But look, I came back as fast as I could,” he said, bending down to lift Fuzhu while deliberately avoiding his injured leg. “The snow’s getting heavier. Wandering outside is dangerous. My plan is to find an abandoned demon beast cave—ideally hidden—stay inside for a few hours until morning, and then the Celestial Fox King will arrive.” He paused, seeking Fuzhu’s opinion: “What do you think?”
Without a second thought, Fuzhu answered: “I’ll follow you.”
“…,” Jian Yuntai slipped slightly on the snow and twitched at the corner of his mouth. “It’s your life too. Don’t just rely on me.”
Although it sounded like a scold, Fuzhu felt happiness swell in his chest.
—This demon hunter cared about him.
All other demon hunters were crazy, intent on killing him for merit. Only this one—unlike every demon hunter and every human Fuzhu had met—truly cared.
His fox pupils flickered, and Fuzhu’s thoughts raced wildly, like thousands of horses galloping through his mind.
—The one person you absolutely must not give it to is me.
Why had Jian Yuntai said that?
“…” After a moment of silence, understanding dawned on Fuzhu.
It had to be because he liked him too much!
The clan elders had taught him that many humans harbored insecurities, no matter how outwardly dazzling. They would find countless reasons within themselves to say, “No, I can’t.” Originally, this was the elders’ lesson on manipulating human emotions. But when Fuzhu glanced at Jian Yuntai, he felt some dissatisfaction.
What was there to be insecure about?
He looked at Jian Yuntai and saw perfection everywhere. Better than any human he had met, better than any fox in his clan.
He truly didn’t understand humans at all.
This time, Fuzhu didn’t hesitate. In a soft, gentlemanly voice tinged with encouragement, he said, “I think you’re great.”
“…?” Jian Yuntai took a step forward without looking at him and casually replied, “Ah, thanks for the compliment, Young Heir.”
Fuzhu panicked. “I’m not joking.”
Jian Yuntai: “Neither am I.”
Seeing that Jian Yuntai still didn’t understand, Fuzhu bit back his frustration and spoke more bluntly: “I think you’re great. You’re worthy of being the Celestial Fox Queen.”
Jian Yuntai replied nonchalantly, “And what about your mother? If I married your father, your mother would have to abdicate her position.”
“……,” Fuzhu’s fox ears drooped with Jian Yuntai’s words. When he spoke again, his voice trembled: “I mean after my father steps down, you can become the Celestial Fox Queen!”
The words shot out faster than his brain could process. By the time he realized what he had said, his eyes were wide with shock and embarrassment.
“Pfft—” Jian Yuntai pursed his lips and laughed, teasing, “Thanks for the favor, Young Heir. I am grateful, humbled, and thrice blessed. Once we’re safe, I’ll even cry while performing a tearful refusal for you.”
“…” Fuzhu caught the teasing tone in his voice and grumbled, “I’m serious.”
“Coincidentally, so am I.”
Jian Yuntai’s tone remained playful, and even the livestream viewers couldn’t tell whether he was joking or genuinely refusing under the guise of a joke.
As for inexperienced Fuzhu…
He moved slightly, and the Celestial Fox Jade Pendant nestled in his fur flicked upward. He picked it up in his mouth and said with some embarrassment, “Please keep the Celestial Fox Jade Pendant for me.”
Initially, he had been unwilling to give it at all, then said it was just ‘borrowed,’ and now… he had entrusted it completely.
Jian Yuntai frowned slightly, a thin anger creeping into his words. He yanked Fuzhu’s fox tail at the base fiercely, scolding, “I just told you not to give it to me! And now you’ve already forgotten? I said not to give me this pendant!”
“…!” The base of the tail was untouchable!
Fuzhu froze, stiffening in Jian Yuntai’s arms. Every inch of contact at the base of his tail sent a special sensation shooting directly into his brain.
Wasn’t Jian Yuntai a demon hunter? He should know that the base of a fox tail was untouchable, right?!
No… that’s not it… he probably didn’t even know how important a Celestial Fox tail was—clearly, he hadn’t paid attention in class.
Fuzhu forced down the fluttering of his heart and tried to ignore the mischievous hand resting on his tail—soft, and still warm… He shook his head in shock, trying to banish the chaotic thoughts. His voice came out stiff and awkward: “If I don’t give the Celestial Fox jade pendant to you, then who should I give it to?”
“Anyone,” Jian Yuntai replied casually. “Give it to whoever you want. Preferably a fox, not a human.”
“…,” Fuzhu’s heartbeat plummeted, and his fox ears drooped like flaps.
He didn’t understand.
Hadn’t Jian Yuntai liked him? Why would he say something like that? If the Celestial Fox Jade Pendant were given to anyone else, Jian Yuntai couldn’t be his wife. Wouldn’t that make Jian Yuntai sad?
Whether Jian Yuntai would be sad or not, Fuzhu felt uneasy. That sulky, heavy feeling lingered for two hours.
Eventually, Jian Yuntai found a hidden cave. It seemed to be built into the rock face, entirely covered by creeping ivy, the entrance sealed tight. If it weren’t for his extraordinary eyesight, the cave would have been nearly impossible to find.
Once Fuzhu was safely inside, the tension in Jian Yuntai’s mind finally snapped.
He nearly collapsed to the ground.
Continuous movement hadn’t hurt his body much, but it had exhausted his spirit. Roughly calculating, Jian Yuntai hadn’t slept for two days—either fleeing or on the run.
The livestream viewers felt his suffering as if it were their own:
“Wuwuwu, wife is only eighteen, and yet so strong. Sometimes it’s too much.”
“People growing up in the slums are like that. They’re used to carrying burdens alone because if they don’t, no one else will, and in the end, they suffer.”
“Even knowing this, I still hope wife sometimes tries leaning on someone else.”
“True, but who could Jian Dadan rely on?”
The comment feed froze for a moment.
Jian Yuntai seemed to have no one to lean on.
Cui Yu? Trapped in the King of Hell’s Wedding instance. Fuzhu? He would also be trapped in an instance in the future.
Only now did everyone realize: although Jian Yuntai was younger than most, his decisions were incredibly mature—he repeatedly refused Fuzhu.
One refusal after another.
If they couldn’t rely on each other’s backs, they would only drag each other down like Lin Fuxue, hearts dead and gray in the end.
“Does your hand hurt?” Fuzhu asked cautiously, pressing his small fox paw gently against Jian Yuntai’s palm, still marked by his previous clawing.
“Sorry.” Fuzhu sounded forlorn, as if the pain were his own.
Jian Yuntai glanced at him. The hand must hurt; the little fox’s claws were sharp enough that the bones of his palm nearly protruded. Yet seeing Fuzhu’s remorseful, self-blaming expression, he couldn’t stay angry.
Shaking his head with a light laugh, he said, “Hurting? This hand’s long numb from the icy cold anyway.”
Fuzhu asked, “Are you angry with me?”
Jian Yuntai paused, honestly replying: “I wouldn’t be angry just because you scratched me…”
“No!” Fuzhu interrupted, his voice suddenly intense. “I gave you the Celestial Fox Jade Pendant, and you got mad.”
“…,” Jian Yuntai fell silent for a moment. “Yes.”
Fuzhu stared at him, puzzled. Why would he be angry over that?
Was it because he was being too casual?
Panicked, Fuzhu quickly tried to clarify: “Up until now, I’ve only ever given the jade pendant to you. Not just anyone would get it!”
“…,” Jian Yuntai didn’t speak, frowning deeper.
Fuzhu felt the cave’s air almost freeze and grew anxious, yet he didn’t dare ask directly. He could only guess in his mind.
From his perspective, Jian Yuntai was perfect.
He himself? Even less question of worthiness.
No “worthy or not” problem existed—only the divide between demon hunter and demon beast.
Jian Yuntai had already told him to give the pendant to a fox, not a human.
Ah, that had to be it!
Once Fuzhu understood, he felt heavy in the chest. This was a headache-inducing problem, indeed. He asked cautiously: “You mentioned before that a fox from my clan cut his tail for you—was he your lover?”
Before Jian Yuntai could answer, Fuzhu added, sourly, “He doesn’t even have a tail. He doesn’t deserve you. If he insisted on being with you, he’d be the small one, and I’d be the big one.”
“???”
If his hand hadn’t been injured, Jian Yuntai would have smacked the little fox squarely on the head. After a few seconds’ pause, he regained his voice, nearly choking out: “Small and big? Isn’t your fox clan monogamous?”
“Yes,” Fuzhu said. “Unless you like him.”
Jian Yuntai rubbed his forehead. “I don’t like him.”
Fuzhu visibly brightened.
The livestream viewers gushed:
“Ah, Fuzhu, you little cutie, my heart aches for you. Always jealous, first over Cui Yu, now over yourself—what a jealous little pot!”
“He’s doomed—he doesn’t even understand Jian Dadan’s refusal but happily thinks he has a chance. How will he feel looking back on this memory later…”
“No chance ten years later, no chance ten years earlier. It’s like chasing a biased sun—its light will never shine on him, qaq.”
Fuzhu was deeply curious about that “fox who cut his tail for Jian Yuntai,” pestering him to describe exactly what the fox looked like.
He could tell Jian Yuntai cared about that fox.
The more he pressed, the more the scene from the dungeon resurfaced in Jian Yuntai’s mind.
—When Fuzhu had his tail cut.
White hair fluttered in the wind, moonlight and morning light both crushed beneath his feet. Glancing aside was like a luxurious mirror shattering—every last shred of hope in his eyes sliced to pieces, as if torn apart by a wheel of torture.
No punishment in the world could match the agony and despair Fuzhu endured. Turning away with tears, he resolutely severed his final remaining tail.
His youthful pride and self-respect destroyed entirely, like a pure moon falling into dirty ash. From then on… Fuzhu became a tailless Celestial Fox, scorned even by himself.
“Oh… so that’s what he looks like?” a suddenly sour, melodious voice drawled near his ear, words carefully polished on the tongue before being softly uttered.
Jian Yuntai, deep in thought, didn’t notice Fuzhu’s tail lightly resting on his hand. Warm fox fur covered his injured palm—not only warmth, but some subtle power transmitted through the touch.
Nine-Tailed Celestial Foxes could sense hearts; the person Jian Yuntai was thinking of, Fuzhu could see as clearly as day.
“Is this the look you like?” Fuzhu murmured after a moment. His words were chilling, even to Jian Yuntai. Playfully flicking his tail, his pale vertical pupils suddenly shone with enormous hope, bright and astonishing.
His tone brimmed with excitement, full of anticipation and yearning for the future.
“I want to transform into this look too!”
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