Chapter 91: Folklore Horror (21)
Jian Yuntai stayed silent for a long time. Outside the cave, the cold wind howled, lifting and then letting his hair fall again. Perhaps it was the biting cold, but his entire body felt chilled.
Fuzhu sensed immediately that something was wrong and asked cautiously, “Was it wrong for me to take his form?”
“……”
Jian Yuntai opened his lips but still could not speak a word.
He realized something truly terrifying—this time, entering the dream ten years in the past, he had become a crucial piece of the entire chain. Pushed forward by the tracks of fate, he wanted to stop, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not find a way to pause.
It was this feeling of helplessness.
That was the most terrifying part.
The livestream viewers were dumbfounded:
“So Fuzhu taking Cui Yu’s form… it only happened because Jian Dadan entered the dream?”
“Th-this is another perfectly self-consistent cause and effect!”
“Feels like Fuzhu’s inner core won’t survive, sob sob sob. I just want to know who dug out Fuzhu’s inner core and dragged poor Jian Dadan into taking the blame.”
“Could it be the demon hunter sect? Didn’t Sun Bin’s demon beast’s inner core was dug out by the sect senior sister and force him to consume it? Then Jian Dadan should be… in the same situation, right?”
“Ahhhhhhh, please let the sun rise soon! Once daylight comes, the Celestial Fox King will arrive. Whoever dug out the inner core, we can’t let Jian Dadan take the blame. Fuzhu crying when his tail was severed broke my heart—just standing there already made me feel he was wronged, qaq.”
“Yes! Exactly! I don’t even expect Fuzhu’s inner core to survive. The important thing is that Jian Dadan doesn’t take the blame. Otherwise, Fuzhu would be heartbroken, and Jian Dadan would break my heart too.”
Everyone was waiting for the sun to rise.
That noisy, brutal night had been buried under the pure, unbroken snow. As dawn approached, the holy snow brought no relief from the demon hunters’ advance. Instead, with the piercing chill of winter wind, it carried a deadly blow.
“Over there! I smell the Young Heir’s inner core!” The sound of melting snow, leaves falling, trees breaking under heavy snow—crack—resonated sharply. The world seemed to freeze for a moment. Stripping away all the faint noises, the arrogant laughter of the demons reached Jian Yuntai’s ears:
“Kill the Young Heir, and the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan will have no heir. Whoever rises next, may the strongest prevail!”
While the demon hunters united to defeat their enemies, the rebellious demons sought to profit from the chaos. Many livestream viewers gasped in shock.
“Oh my god, Fuzhu’s inner core… could it have been dug out by the demons?!”
“This feels wrong—the rebel demons don’t just want the core, they want to kill Fuzhu! Ahhh, we can’t stay here, Jian Dadan, run with the little fox!”
“Where can we run? The demon hunters’ search radius has already narrowed. Just a few steps could encounter them. But staying in the cave means the demons outside will eventually find them—it’d be even more dangerous!”
Jian Yuntai naturally considered all of this. He had overlooked the demons.
Originally, hiding here meant the demon hunters would find it hard to locate them; they could wait for dawn and hope for rescue. But… he never expected that the demons could locate them just from the inner core.
Fuzhu heard the sound as well. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke: “You should leave.”
Jian Yuntai lowered his gaze. “Hm?”
Fuzhu’s voice was weak, but there was a faint trace of humor, almost like he was teasing: “I’m a little hungry. Could you go out and get me something to eat?”
“Don’t underestimate me.” Jian Yuntai pressed his lips, and a smile broke through. “My hearing is much better than a normal human’s—I can hear what’s happening outside just as clearly.”
At moments of high tension, the livestream chat exploded:
“What do you mean? Ahhh, the enemies are attacking—why are they still talking about being hungry?”
“Wuwuwu, sisters, I’m crying out loud! Didn’t you notice their hidden message? Fuzhu thought Jian Dadan couldn’t hear the distant sounds, so he said that to distract him—so Jian Dadan wouldn’t be in danger!”
“Fuzhu wants to face the enemies alone… he’s so selfless, sob sob sob…”
While viewers felt for Fuzhu’s careful intentions, Jian Yuntai on screen slightly turned his gaze, showing a faint smile, though his eyes were slightly red.
Then he said something that stunned everyone:
“I’m going to extract your inner core.”
“….…”
Silence.
A silence that lasted several seconds.
While viewers were confused, Fuzhu almost instantly reacted: “You want to impersonate me to lure the demons away?” His voice grew fierce: “No!”
Previously, when Jian Yuntai lured the demon hunters away, it was safe. But this time it was different—the enemy was the demon clan. They would fight to the death if they encountered demon hunters.
This was almost like walking straight to death!
Yet Jian Yuntai seemed determined, pushing himself off the ground. As he moved forward, Fuzhu retreated step by step, until he was pressed against the back of the cave. His vertical pupils showed a forced ferocity, but his voice betrayed him with a quiver of tears: “If you take my inner core, I’ll hate you… hate you forever!”
“You have to keep your word.” Jian Yuntai lowered his eyes and leaned forward, hand trembling slightly.
When a rabbit demon’s core had been extracted by the sect senior sister, it had been taken from the heart area. Jian Yuntai extended his hand toward the same spot.
The palm still bore the scratches Fuzhu had left. Back then, he had leaned forward to bandage Fuzhu, only to be fiercely scratched. Today, the scene seemed to overlap through time and snow with that memory.
This time, it was not bandaging—it was extracting the core.
Extracting the core—how painful would it be? He would have to tear open the heart area, dig out the inner core that held all of Fuzhu’s power, and the blood would spill, deep crimson flooding the ground.
Fuzhu’s eyes were filled with anger and grief; he could no longer strike violently like before.
Even if Jian Yuntai’s touch was light, crimson droplets still fell—thud, thud—
Whether the sound was blood hitting his face or the pounding of his own heart, he did not know. Outside, the demons were getting closer. Jian Yuntai didn’t even have time to think and forced himself to turn away, not looking at the little fox lying in the blood.
He took a few steps forward.
Splash! Splash! The little fox struggled to stand from the pool of blood, wobbling, dripping crimson all over. Its moonlight-white fur was now streaked with dust and blood.
“You said you liked me, didn’t you?” Each step Fuzhu took made his heart spasm in pain. His vertical pupils fixed tightly on the back at the cave entrance, unwilling to let go, choking on his sobs: “If you love me, we should live and die together—I’d rather die with you!”
“I don’t like you.” Jian Yuntai moved a huge rock to block the cave entrance.
The morning light began to peek over the horizon, but the brightness was gradually blocked by the rock. As Fuzhu suddenly fell into the inky darkness, the sounds outside came through the stone as if from a distant time and space:
“But I’m willing… to risk my life to protect you.”
“Over there!”
“Haha! I knew the demon clan’s Young Heir had to be nearby.”
“He’s running! Quick, pursue him!”
The demons arrived with danger, and left bringing even greater danger. A crowd chased after them, unaware that the massive rock a hundred meters away was rumbling violently.
Fuzhu pressed against the side of the rock, squeezing through the narrow gap. He pushed with his hind legs, blood flowing steadily, the cut on his abdomen scraping against the stone edge, dust embedding into his wound, tearing it open repeatedly, pain piercing like a drill into his bones.
Raised in luxury since childhood, Fuzhu would normally treat even a small scrape with care. Yet now, despite such severe injuries, he felt no pain; in his vertical pupils, only a sliver of light remained.
—He had to get out.
—He had to get out!
At first, the massive rock trembled slightly.
The narrow gap gradually widened, approaching its limit. No matter how Fuzhu rammed his body against it, the crevice remained motionless. Desperately, he forced himself forward, squeezing through the narrow opening. Beneath his feet, pools of blood grew, spreading along the vines and dotting the snow like clusters of plum blossoms.
Even though he had already pushed through the stone gap, Fuzhu still could not move a single step. He glanced back in shock: nine fluffy, massive fox tails were stuck fast at the rear of the stone crevice.
These were the most beautiful tails of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan.
Tails more precious than his own life.
These were the tails he had been proud of for years, yet now they seemed nothing but a tremendous burden.
Thump… thump…
Thump… thump…
His heartbeat quickened violently, as if a golden bell were striking continuously in the sky, hammering directly against his chest.
Fuzhu’s mind went blank. He stared at the tails for several seconds, as if possessed, then turned back without hesitation.
Crack! One tail snapped.
Several more crack, crack sounds followed. His sharp fox teeth bit fiercely at the base of his own tails, the most sensitive parts of a fox’s anatomy scarred and fractured, leaving only a single tail. He arched backward, collapsing into the mix of blood and snow.
Relief.
He had never felt such lightness before. Fuzhu felt no attachment to the eight broken tails at all.
He twisted his body with effort, stepping through the snow in uneven strides, leaving a winding trail of blood behind.
※※※
Bang!
Jian Yuntai fell hard to the ground, the inner core in his hand still smeared with blood, warm from Fuzhu’s touch.
Around them, demons circled like tigers and wolves, snarling.
The livestream viewers were in tears:
“Wuwuwu, the inner core was really extracted by Jian Dadan! I never expected it! But he did it to save Fuzhu, risking his life for him, sob sob sob.”
“Ahhh, when will Sun Bin’s skill end? Get out of there fast!”
“Sun Bin’s skill lasted about ten minutes before it stopped. Jian Dadan should be about the same, right? Sob sob sob, wife, hold on a little longer—perseverance brings victory!”
“When you return ten years later, you have to tell Fuzhu that the inner core was extracted to save him. Don’t be sad, little Fuzhu.”
“I feel like he might never return. If he dies ten years ago, will Jian Dadan exist in the future?”
“Ahhh, sister, don’t scare me! Jian Dadan won’t die! He should… shouldn’t, right?”
Jian Yuntai pushed himself up from the snow, slowly turning around.
He was almost too weak to stand, his face expressionless as he looked at the demon beasts behind him. A cold, faint smile lifted the corner of his lips.
The scene before him was reminiscent of the slum district in his childhood, where gangs would band together to chase him. Back then, Jian Yuntai had begged for mercy, only to find it was useless.
Pleading only excited them more.
After repeated beatings, Jian Yuntai had learned one truth—resistance.
Crack! Crack! He sprang violently to his feet, snapping a dry branch underfoot in the next moment, and lunged at the nearest tiger demon. One hand clutched the golden mane at the back of its neck, and he bit down viciously as he leaned over.
His limbs were weak.
Then he would use his mouth!
“Ahhh! Ahhh!” The tiger demon roared and screamed, trying to shake Jian Yuntai off, but the boy bit down hard, locking his hands around its neck like iron shackles.
Snow swirled wildly around them.
Nearby demons hesitated, unwilling to approach rashly.
“A human demon hunter?”
“And a child!”
“How does he have Fuzhu’s inner core?”
No one could answer this question. After a violent struggle, the tiger demon’s body suddenly went limp.
Jian Yuntai wobbled to his feet, his pale, delicate face streaked with blood. One hand wiped the blood from his lips, only to smear it further, spreading it like a blossoming plum on his cheek, shining vividly.
“Want this?” His cold smile was edged with killing intent. Raising his palm, the pale, lustrous inner core gleamed dazzlingly in the morning light.
The black-and-gold Taoist robe moved as if stirred by wind.
When he spoke again, Jian Yuntai’s eyes were filled only with a demonic, ruthless glare: “If you want it, you’ll have to take it with your life.”
“…”
After a long silence, the flapping of birds’ wings in the forest sounded like thunder, startling the other demons.
Having seen the tiger demon as a lesson, the rest hesitated, unwilling to make themselves stepping stones.
Face to face, none dared advance to drain Jian Yuntai’s strength.
“They’re… all scared…” The livestream exploded with messages:
“Ahhh, wife is so handsome!”
“Oh my god, his composure is insane. So many demons in front of him—I’d be trembling. This is like facing countless sinister monster types, right? How could a single ghost type fight all of them?!”
“And Sun Bin’s skill has reverted his age ten years! That should impact his strength. Earlier tonight I noticed Jian Dadan’s steps were heavy, like he was struggling to keep up.”
As the viewers said, Jian Yuntai was indeed exhausted.
Not ‘a little,’ but extremely. Even in the cave, he had been near the end of his strength. That he could still stand there was purely due to terrifying willpower.
Killing the tiger demon had drained all his energy. If another demon attacked now, he would be defenseless—he would be finished.
“They’re a bunch of cowards!” Suddenly, a roar erupted from one of the demons. A leopard demon leapt forward, feet pounding, kicking up clouds of snow.
“What’s there to fear? He’s just a human demon hunter child. So many of us together, and we still can’t beat him?!”
With that, it leapt.
Its agile form sliced through the air, the leopard’s reflection shrinking in Jian Yuntai’s eyes. He raised his hand to block, eyes as cold as frost crystallized over millennia.
This strike could seriously injure him.
Why hasn’t Sun Bin’s skill ended yet?!
Cursing in his heart, Jian Yuntai faced the crisis. Suddenly, a blood-streaked white figure leapt from the side.
Bang!
Before anyone could react, the white figure shielded Jian Yuntai from the strike. Fuzhu almost fell into Jian Yuntai’s arms.
The leopard demon retreated several steps.
“Another one?!” The demon horde froze, staring at Fuzhu and the figure behind him.
A single fox tail remained.
Whispers arose:
“Is that… the Young Heir of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan?”
“Impossible! Their tails are more important than their lives. Losing even one would send them into despair. This fox only has one tail—must be some stray fox.”
“But the demon hunter has the Young Heir’s inner core… and this is a white fox… Fuzhu is a white fox, surely everyone knows that?”
Amid the murmurs, Jian Yuntai knelt on one knee, clutching the little fox tightly to his chest.
“Where’s your tail?!” His voice was low, squeezed out between his teeth. His fury was visible, thin lines of anger blazing in his eyes.
Fuzhu saw that he was angry, yet he smiled faintly. “I hid my tails.” Then, shifting the tone of his voice, he added, “The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan has always believed in living and dying together with the one they care for. I told you, if you die, I’ll die with you.”
Jian Yuntai’s eyes flickered. He felt that this little fox was so absurdly foolish he could barely comprehend him. Clenching his teeth, he shouted angrily, “We’ve only known each other for one day!”
“One day isn’t enough?” Fuzhu, truly a noble fox raised in luxury, could still smile and comfort him even now. “Demons live too long. What matters to us is never the span of time, but…”
“But what?”
“I won’t tell you.”
Jian Yuntai wanted to question further, but Fuzhu had already fallen into a deep, unconscious sleep. Every step he had taken, enduring pain across frozen ground, had been to die alongside him.
But Jian Yuntai did not want to die.
And he certainly did not want Fuzhu to die.
Coldly, he lifted his eyes to all the demon beasts surrounding him. He was not one to accept defeat. Earlier, he had delayed only to wait for Sun Bin’s skill to end. Now, with a little fox in his arms, he could not afford to waste more time.
Just as Jian Yuntai prepared to seize a chance to break the encirclement, several crisp crack sounds echoed through the forest, footsteps crunching in the snow.
“I’ve found the little junior brother!” A surprised male voice rang out. A dazzling shaft of cold light shot down from the sky, piercing straight through the leopard demon’s skull with a sharp slash!
The senior disciples of the sect had arrived just in time. At the sight of so many demon hunters, nearby demons panicked and fled in all directions. One after another, they scattered faster than the last.
The eldest senior brother pulled his sword from the leopard demon’s head and strode toward Jian Yuntai. Excited but unable to resist scolding him, he said, “Where have you been running off to? Master has been looking for you for so long.”
“…” Jian Yuntai silently hugged Fuzhu closer.
“Eh—” The eldest senior brother seemed to notice the little fox in his arms for the first time. “Not bad.” After glancing several times, he turned to the other demon hunters, shouting excitedly: “The little junior brother caught a fox demon! He did it all by himself! Isn’t that amazing? He completed the leaving the mountain mission alone!”
“?!!!” The livestream chat exploded with shocked exclamations: “What?! That’s how it happened?!”
“Fuzhu was captured by the demon hunter sect like this? I… I can’t even process this.”
“Oh my god, both Fuzhu and Jian Dadan make me feel so heartbroken, sob sob sob, I can’t breathe 55555.”
“……”
Jian Yuntai lifted his gaze in slight surprise, his eyes tense.
He had not expected the eldest senior brother to say something like that. Seeing the excitement on his face, his own mind, previously clouded like a mess of paste, slowly began to clear.
Fuzhu’s eight tails were gone, for reasons unknown. Only one remained—so to the demon hunters, Fuzhu now appeared as a normal fox demon. He was no longer the Young Heir of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan that they had searched for all night.
For a moment, Jian Yuntai could not tell whether this was fortunate or unlucky.
The senior sister approached, intending to take Fuzhu away. She tugged at him, but he could not be moved.
“…” Jian Yuntai pressed his lips together, a sense of helplessness pushed by fate rising once more.
The senior sister frowned. “Do you want to end up like Sun Bin? How many times have I told you, just because demons can speak, don’t think they are like humans. Humans and demons… will always be mortal enemies!”
Having said that, she did not forcibly take Fuzhu. She simply lowered her gaze patiently, watching Jian Yuntai, as if waiting for his decision.
Finally.
Amid the sobs of the livestream viewers, Jian Yuntai bit his lip hard and slowly released his grip.
Tap… tap…
The senior sister walked away, gradually fading from view.
Jian Yuntai cast a sidelong glance at the snow beneath his feet. He did not dare to look at Fuzhu one last time.
Fuzhu had come intending to die alongside him.
Even before he passed out, the pale vertical pupils were filled with joy. Every crimson pool left by his steps had been for this single, small goal.
Yet this “small” goal seemed insurmountable. When he awoke again, Fuzhu would see only the dark dungeon, the despair of being bullied, and the biased sun that again showed him no mercy.
Crack, crack. Even the seams of bones made faint noises as his fingertips trembled. Jian Yuntai struggled to lift his own hand, looking down at it, soaked in blood.
His body’s blood had grown cold. Goosebumps crawled up his purpling arms bit by bit.
Jian Yuntai’s eyes brimmed with disbelief and sudden understanding.
It was like a string of pearls shattered onto the ground. He had painstakingly tried to gather the fragments lost in the tunnel of time, hoping to piece them together.
What he finally reconstructed, however, was a bloody and heavy blow—
It was he, by his own hands, who had sent Fuzhu into a ten-year abyss.
If you like this novel and would like to show your appreciation, please head to my Kofi by (click here -> Kofi)—and if the cliffhanger demons are haunting you, join the membership tier to access advanced chapter access (up to 10!).
