Chapter 6 — The Fox Spirit of Qingshan

The sacred process was brutally interrupted, and I shuddered, violently coughing up a dark mouthful of my own heart's vital blood.

Yun Shu!

Yun Shu!

Tuan Zheng cried out in sheer terror as he saw me vomit blood. Whirling around, he arrived just in time to witness my physical form melt away, transforming into a slender fox that leaped frantically through the open window and vanished into the night. When Little Fu rushed into the room with guards trailing behind him, he found Tuan Zheng standing alone before the windowsill, staring blankly out into the desolate darkness. I fled all the way back to the mist-shrouded peaks of Qing Shan. My father took one look at my broken, battered form, and his eyes welled up with profound grief. Using your own heart's blood to bridge the chasm of life and death, how could you be so reckless?

Little Vixen, do you no longer care for your own father either?

My heart aches for you so deeply! Never before had I witnessed such an old, powerful spirit weep with such desolate agony.

If I had not sensed your peril just in time, I fear you would not even have made it back to Qing Shan alive... Father could not finish his sentence, his voice breaking entirely.

Father, I finally have a proper name now. He calls me Tuan Yun Shu, the character meaning ease and freedom.

Father froze in place, staring at me in absolute silence. He looked into the earnestness and radiant joy shining deep within my eyes, and inevitably, he saw the faint crimson thread coiled tightly around my wrist. Without uttering a word, he turned his face away. I spent three agonizing days tending to my wounds in Qing Shan before the relentless urge to return consumed me once more.

Vixen... Yun Shu, I have already arranged a peaceful path of reincarnation for you. Can you please just stay here now? Will you not listen?

Using his immense magical power, Father sealed me inside the ancient fox grotto, forbidding me a single step outside. I knew all too well that forcing me back to consciousness must have drained a tremendous amount of his spiritual energy; strands of stark white had already begun to weave through his hair.

Father, how much longer must I remain trapped here in Qing Shan before I am allowed to go and find him?

Yun Shu, is this journey truly so imperative?

It is. I must go.

Father could not sway my resolute heart. He finally conceded, telling me to cultivate diligently by the ancient life tree within the sacred ancestral grounds of Qing Shan until the remaining half of my heart's blood naturally replenished itself. Only then would I be permitted to return. The ancestral grounds of Qing Shan housed a legendary primordial tree of life; cultivating in its immediate vicinity yielded twice the spiritual progress with half the effort, yet the time required to fully restore one's core essence was by no means short. I understood my father's underlying intentions. After escaping the jaws of death by a mere thread that fateful day, the fact that he was willing to negotiate with me at all was already a profound display of mercy. The members of our clan would occasionally visit to offer counsel. Yun Shu, you should simply wait until that mortal passes away and enters the cycle of reincarnation before you go to repay your debt of gratitude.

Indeed, by the time you arrive, he will merely be a newborn infant. If you transform into a young child and grow up alongside him as childhood sweethearts, no one could ever rival that bond.

That is precisely what I told her! His next lifetime will span a mere hundred years at most. Since you are still recovering from such severe trauma, you ought to simply stay here in Qing Shan and mend your body properly.

I smiled gently as I looked around at them all. They were the dearest companions of my childhood, and now each of them had their own lively broods of fox kits running about. Gazing at those playful little creatures, a quiet thought crossed my mind: would the children I bore in the future resemble me, or would they take after him? Or perhaps they would look like neither of us at all? In the beginning, I managed to force myself into relentless, round-the-clock cultivation, but as the days dragged on into endless months, an aching emptiness set in, and I began to yearn desperately for Tuan Zheng. Father refused to even cast a glance in my direction. Eventually, I began practicing the delicate art of needlework beneath the sprawling branches of the ancient tree. Following the exact methods Tuan Zheng had once patiently taught me, I first crafted a garment for myself, using the precise measurements he had always used for my frames. The robes turned out outrageously oversized and baggy. I desperately wished I could ask Tuan Zheng precisely where I had gone wrong. After clumsily altering the fabric several times over, I finally managed to fashion something that resembled a coherent piece of clothing. I convinced myself that I was finally capable of making a proper robe for Tuan Zheng. I lacked his exact measurements, but because I had embraced him closely in the past, I relied on my lingering memories of his embrace, measuring and estimating the proportions with my hands before sewing away on my own. I had no idea how many pieces of fabric I ruined in the process, not a single one turning out remotely presentable. Why on earth were Tuan Zheng's robes impossibly difficult to sew? By the time Father came to check on my progress, a towering mountain of discarded, botched garments had piled up beside me.

Yun Shu, since when did you possess any skill in tailoring?

Father looked genuinely amused and deeply pleased. Is this one meant for me? The cut and style certainly resemble men's attire. As he spoke, he casually picked it up and held it against his shoulders to inspect the fit.

Good heavens, why is one sleeve vastly shorter than the other?

That was because back when Tuan Zheng was trying to teach me, I had been lazy and only wanted to learn the sleeveless styles, completely failing to master making two matching, full-length sleeves.

Hmph, this one is passable enough, though the front lapels are terribly askew.

That was simply because I had never paid attention to which side Tuan Zheng's lapels crossed over; they had always looked both remarkably long and entirely ordinary to my untrained eyes. Father tried on a few more pieces, fully aware by now that none of these lopsided creations were ever intended for him.

When exactly do you plan to sew a proper robe for your old father, Yun Shu? he asked, sitting down beneath the tree with a warm, indulgent chuckle.

Only once I have truly mastered the craft so that you won't lose face walking outside in my work.

It sounds rather like you had no intention of making me anything at all, does it not?

Father remarked with a feigned, lighthearted exasperation.

Father, you are my own flesh and blood, of course I have always intended to make a garment for you.

Yet I have kept you confined within these sacred ancestral grounds for five whole years. Yun Shu, five long years have already passed... And that mortal man is most likely long dead by now.

Yes, I am well aware that everything you did was for my own good.

I knew deep down that Father simply could not bear the thought of losing me. He could not bear to see me sacrifice half my life force, nor could he bear to watch me utterly lose my true self in the process.

Yun Shu, do you still insist on leaving after all this time? Father asked softly, his gaze filled with lingering apprehension.

I must go, of course I still have to go. Back then, when I vomited blood and was forced back into my true fox form, I fled in sheer panic before I ever had the chance to bid him a proper farewell.

Now that my wounds are completely healed, I simply need to speak a single word to him so that he no longer wastes his days worrying over my sudden disappearance. My hands never ceased their fluid motion, flying effortlessly as I threaded the fine needle. From time to time, my wrist would flick gracefully upward, causing the faint crimson thread beneath my skin to glow with undeniable clarity. Years ago, Father had bestowed a tremendous amount of his own primordial energy upon me, and coupled with the mystical nourishment of the ancestral grounds, the remaining half of my heart's vital essence had long since fully regenerated. Father was well aware of this, which was precisely why he had finally come to visit me today. I had chosen not to sneak away in defiance, unwilling to cause my father any further disappointment.

Then go on, child. Go find him.

Thank you, Father.