Chapter 6 — Truong Ca Van Hoa

A moment later, I reached out and held his wrist, feeling the spiritual energy pulses chaotic under the thin skin.

“White fox.” My voice was low and slow, each word was like cold wind passing through willow leaves: "Lately... there's something wrong with you." “What happened in the end?”

The white fox was stunned, his eyes wavered slightly, but did not respond. He just bowed his head slightly, his long eyelashes trembling, like a streak of snow falling silently on a frozen lake. I pursed my lips, raised my hands, cupped his face, forcing him to look straight into my eyes. My eyes were like a blade, cold but bright, my voice contained an irresistible command: "You are my companion." “We make a contract, live together and die together.” "Whether it's a natural disaster or a disaster, you can't hide it from me." “You and I... will hold hands until the end of our lives.” The white fox raised his head, in his eyes, light like a spring breeze rippled, reflecting a faint trace of sadness. He moved his lips slightly, but still couldn't tell the truth... I raised my eyes to look at him, my voice choked, as if a cold wind cut into my heart: "Even though Linguistic Magic is a secret technique inherited by the Nine-Tailed Fox family, I know that if used excessively... it will damage the roots and even shorten the lifespan." “White fox… why do you have to do that?” "Could it be that... are you tired of me and want to leave me alone and continue to live alone in this world?" My eyes suddenly blurred, water waves flooded the bottom of my eye sockets. Bach Ho was momentarily flustered, his breath seemed to be choked, he quickly hugged me tightly, his knees touching my shoulders, squeezing so tightly that it seemed like he wanted to melt me into his chest, his voice choked: "No... that's not it." After a while, he spoke hoarsely, his voice heavy as if covered with frost: "Van So... I... had a dream last night." His voice was low and hoarse, his eyes were as dark as a cold abyss. “In a dream… is a past life.” "On the coming of age ceremony, the Great Princess chose me one step ahead." My fingers trembled slightly, the hand caressing his shoulder suddenly stopped. The white fox looked at me, a trace of fatigue and pain flashed through his eyes. “That night… I told you honestly, the person I love is not you.” "She was angry, applied thousands of feet of pressure, and used the lives of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan to force me to obey." "I resisted, I begged, I used spiritual magic to find every way out, but... there was no way out." “In the end, I had to bow my head and compromise.” His voice crumbled like ashes. “In the long years that followed… I was like a tool being manipulated,” “I only hoped… you would let go of my family, and not harm the people I love.” He raised his face, a faint light sparkling in his eyes, his voice like a bleeding crack at the bottom of his heart: "But I was wrong." The candlelight flickered in the room, casting a long shadow of him, as thin as a leaf. "Before the heavenly sacrifice, I used spiritual magic to predict the demon's attack." “In that omen, you will die.” "I tried to arrange people to protect you, but... I didn't expect the black fox to push you away." An empty space so quiet that we can clearly hear our own heartbeat. The white fox looked straight into my eyes, his voice choked and broken: "I couldn't bear it... I killed myself on the spot." He slightly smiled faintly, but that smile was sad to the end: "Then... when I opened my eyes, next to me... was you." One The tears fell, cool as ice, touching my neck, sliding down my collarbone, making my heart ache. At that moment, all the problems and resentments of the past life... all melted into nothingness. I used to hate, I used to scream, I used to ask heaven: "Why do you let me live a life of suffering?" "Why hasn't the child in my womb yet seen the sunlight?" I used to think that even if I was reborn, even if I took revenge, even if I held my destiny, the end result would be just a life... full of wounds. But now, I know... From my previous life, there was always someone, quietly standing behind me, waiting for me. My heart was choked, the feeling was both full and bitter, like his ultimate pain, all reflected in the bottom of my heart. I couldn't say a word, I just wanted to hug him tighter. With sadness still lingering in his breath, the white fox muttered softly: "The black fox wants to rely on its strength to force the great princess to oppress you in every aspect." “If he can do it… so can I!” I curled the corners of my lips slightly, pretending to tease him: "Aren't you... afraid of becoming my tool?" The white fox quietly looked at me, his eyes as deep as a night lake sparkling with starlight, his voice was warm and firm: "If you... were taken advantage of... I would volunteer." My heart trembled slightly, I didn't expect him to say these words. In an instant, an idea buried deep in my heart bloomed. I leaned my head into his arms, clearly hearing the sound of my heart beating steadily in my ears: "Bach Ho..." "Don't worry." “In this life… you and I will hold hands and go gray.” The Black Lake's prophecy... begins to show errors. At first, it was just small things. He once affirmed that there was a heavenly magic weapon in the secret realm. He was certain that it would cause the Phoenix clan to waste manpower and mobilize dozens of elites to travel in danger. As a result, after many hardships, he returned empty-handed. Once again, he predicted the opportunity to save the Dragon Clan Crown Prince from disaster, thinking that he could use it to promote the relationship between the Dragon and Phoenix clans. But the result... instead of being grateful, he was suspected by the Crown Prince, considered a traitor, and beaten to death. Once and again... His prophecy gradually became a joke in the clan. Many clansmen began to doubt: "The black lake... really still has speech and spirit magic?" “If it is true that the Nine-Tailed Fox is inherited, why is it wrong every time?” Their eyes looked at him more and more distantly. Meanwhile, Bach Ho and I joined forces, continuously repelling the demons at the border, gradually regaining the trust of the clan. One night, the elders of the Phoenix clan met all night without sleep, and finally made a decision: "The position of next leader of the Phoenix clan... will be won by Van So and Tuc Am who will enter the secret realm together and use the results of the trial to determine victory or defeat." This news is like throwing a stone into a still lake. The whole clan rose up. That night, my father summoned me to the palace. He sat on the dragon chair, his eyes as deep as the bottom of a lake, carefully assessing me for a long time, as if he wanted to see through everything. But in the end, what he saw was only silence. It wasn't until Tuc Am sobbed outside, asking for an audience, that his father withdrew his gaze, leaving behind only a sentence as heavy as a blade: "Van So... I really misunderstood you." “You and your mother… both have the same deep intentions.” I just curled my lips slightly, bowed and said: "Thank you, Father, for your praise." Before he could finish his words, his father's face suddenly turned pale "Huh" coldly echoed in the hall, his sleeves swept across, and he left without looking back. The day of the trial quickly arrived. Before entering the secret realm, Bach Ho squeezed my hand, his fingers slid across my ear, gently smoothing my tangled hair. His voice was soft and gentle like a spring breeze: "Van So... be careful with everything. I... wait for you to return." I smiled softly, placing a kiss on the middle of his forehead, like a promise. But as I turned around, my eyes accidentally touched... It was Black Lake. His pupils were dark, containing complexities that were difficult to distinguish: hatred, regret, mixed with bitterness and helplessness. He hasn't had an easy life lately. Continuous mistakes made father and Tuc Am even colder, their positions were shaken, and even the ultimate power in the clan fell out of reach. No matter who ascends the throne, as long as he no longer has spiritual magic, the Black Fox... will sooner or later become a discarded chess piece. Right before departing, Black Lake seemed to want to call me. His lips moved slightly, but no words came out. I don't stop walking. Just turned around and walked straight into the secret place, leaving behind a shivering figure standing in the cold wind.