Chapter 3 — Thanh La Phong Nguyet Ky

11 The face, which should have been full of wrinkles, is now smooth and firm, and under the candlelight still glows with a healthy honey color. White hair turned into silky black and thick. His eyes, which had been cloudy for several years, were now clear as stars, looking at me in panic. This is not old Luu Tranh, who is nearly ninety! Obviously that hunter was twenty years old that year! "Tu... Tue Nhi..." He frantically wanted to sit up, but forgot he was lying in the coffin. With a bang, his head hit the wooden wall. Half of the roasted chicken in his hand finally fell onto his robe, the grease spreading into a black patch. 12 I stared at him with wide eyes, each word coming out from between my teeth: "Who... are... you?" “I am Luu Tranh!” He replied immediately, his voice was no longer old and hoarse, but clear and warm as ever. “Tue Nhi, listen to me explain—” “Explain?” I laughed coldly, the back of the fox's tail couldn't help but swell up as if about to attack. "Explain why you turned from ninety to twenty? Explain why you were secretly eating roast chicken while lying in a coffin?!" He saw my tail, his pupils twitched sharply: "—The fox clan?!" At that moment, with a bang, two furry wolf ears sprouted from his head. “I am a wolf clan…Lang Thuong.” We stared at each other, our eyes filled with utter shock. 13 “So that means…” I asked with a trembling voice, “the kindnesses of those years… were all fake?” “Could it be that… she's not like that?” His eyes lowered. “You fox people… are good at mesmerizing people.” My tail twitched in anger: "You Wolf Clan are so heartless and meaningless! You clearly can't die and you're pretending to be dead!" "Our wolf clan must go down the mountain and experience the life cycle of mortals: birth, old age, illness, death. When the time limit ends, I must 'die'..." He scratched his head, feeling resentful: "I think it's reasonable to pretend to be sick for a few months and then 'die' in my dreams." “So you lied to me for decades.” “Both sides deceived each other!” He retorted with wide eyes, full of self-pity. “I thought she was really a short-lived mortal… I secretly felt sad countless times… But luckily, she was also a lover—we still had a lot of time.” Seventy years come to mind: on a snowy night he hugged my feet to keep them warm; In the afternoons I sewed clothes for him; Every sunset we stand next to each other watching the sun sink... Looking at that familiar yet strange face, my heart feels like it's being squeezed by a cold hand. I took a step back, widening the distance between the two of us. “I can't… be with you.” 14 “My father…died at the hands of your wolf clan.” I will never forget my mother's sad eyes. Between us is a sea of blood and hatred. How can we be together? Lang Thuong was stunned. “I…” “No need to say more.” I cut him off. "The rest... you take care of it yourself. From now on... goodbye. I hope... never to see you again." I turned around, no longer looking at his terrified face, turning into a stream of red light and flying straight towards the Demon World. In his sleeve, he stuffed the wolf's fangs, painful as if they were scraping my heart. 15 Demon world. Thanh La Son is still as gloomy and cold as ever. Mother was waiting in front of the cave. “Hoa Nhi, I'm home.” When she saw me, her face immediately blossomed. "The worldly fate has ended, so take good care of yourself and stabilize your state of mind." I couldn't help but throw myself at my mother's shoulder, my heart churning like a fierce wave. His father's death... Lang Thuong's true identity... are like two A big rock weighs heavily on my chest. I can't tell my mother, I can only swallow that pain myself. I went to meet the clan elder to report. The person in charge of affairs in the clan is Elder Ho. His hair and beard were all white, but his face was rosy and his eyes were gentle. “Chuoc Hoa is back, good, very good!” Elder Ho stroked his beard and smiled, his voice was both loud and gentle. "In a mortal life, how do you feel? Looking at your condensed aura, you must have gained a lot. This old man is very relieved." He kindly asked about the scenery under the mountain and told me to practice diligently. In particular, he reminded my mother that living alone is not easy, and told me to stay close to her. If there is anything difficult in my practice, or if I need any resources, I just need to come find him. I responded to each sentence, my heart rising with warmth. Just a wolf in love... consider those decades as an unreal dream. 16 Elder Ho is my mother's benefactor. That year, his father died in battle and his remains are gone. It was Elder Ho who risked his life to protest against the masses, fighting for my mother and son's abundant spiritual energy and countless cultivation resources. He always protected us, otherwise, we would have soon become the subjects of oppression by powerful people in our clan. Mother always said: if it weren't for Elder Ho, I'm afraid the lives of mother and son would not have been peaceful. As for me... I have always had only respect and gratitude towards you. I listened and focused on cultivating. But after a few months, my cultivation level has not improved at all. Occasionally, the wolf tooth in my sleeve trembled slightly, as if someone was quietly calling me. I forced myself to act like I didn't see it, ignoring all those vibrations. 17 Perhaps my expression is too obvious. One day, mother came to my room, held my hand, and softly asked: "Hoa Nhi, since you returned, your spirit seems to be somewhere else. In this world... have you encountered something difficult to solve? Or... have you met someone?" My heart was so shaken that I almost spit everything out. But when I saw my mother's eyes filled with deep worry, and remembered my father's cold stele... the words that reached my lips were swallowed back. How dare I say - this person's daughter fell in love with someone from the wolf clan? And the wolf clan... is the one who killed my own father! That cruel crime... how can I open my mouth? I could only bow my head and whisper: "I just... miss my father... so I'm not in a good mood."