Fox in the Forest

For the fox, everything has changed.

Originally, it was going back to the city dejectedly, thinking that this trip was a big loss. Not only did it not get the pillow, it was almost poisoned.

Then, the changes in various parts of the city left it completely confused.

First of all, there is food everywhere.

Although some people had placed food in their yards before, the quality varied greatly. Some of the food was very close to people's houses, so it didn't dare to take it. It could only go to some fixed households that it could trust and whose food suited its taste.

But it's different now.

It seemed that every time he walked down a street, there were foods respectfully placed on the corners, all of which were quite suitable for the fox's taste.

Then there are the strange attitudes of people.

The fox was slightly suspicious of the food that fell from the street corner and did not rush to eat it. Instead, it continued to run towards several yards that it was familiar with.

result--

"Mr. Fox, this is really not easy."

The girls were in tears, and seemed to be particularly fond of the little fox. They spoke to the little fox eating nearby in a gentler tone than ever before:

"Oh my god, I knew it..."

"How uncomfortable that would be!"

"I made blind guesses before, what a sin..."

Oh?

The fox felt something was wrong and looked up suspiciously. The women immediately forced themselves to smile and coaxed it gently, "It's nothing. Just eat and rest in peace."

fox:……

Weird.

It didn’t take long?

The little fox, feeling uncomfortable with people's strange attitude, hastily finished his meal and ran away without saying goodbye.

The girls in the cloth shop watched the little fox disappear into the darkness. Instead of feeling the slightest bit of dissatisfaction, they became even more worried:

"I wonder if Mr. Fox has eaten enough..."

"We just cut off the tail yesterday to save someone, and I don't know when it will be repaired."

"It's all the fault of those greedy villagers! If it weren't for them, Mr. Fox wouldn't have to go back to that dangerous place!"

The fox, oblivious to everyone's discussion, walked quickly on the eaves, just wanting to find a yard to sleep in to avoid having to deal with these strange people.

But, alas.

If you don’t get the tail, you will have to endure the cold again tonight.

Thinking of the big tails that he had missed, the fox felt a little melancholy. When passing by the palace, he smelled a familiar scent.

Uh-huh?

It couldn't help but jump up and take a look, and this sight immediately made it unable to walk.

A shelf was set up in the yard, with several brocade boxes embroidered with gold thread placed neatly on it. In the middle of the boxes, there lay several long strips of plush that were very familiar to it.

Isn’t this its pillow?

How come you are here!

The fox subconsciously wanted to go down and take it away, but then it felt something was wrong. After carefully sensing, it found a figure standing in the corner.

The area around the yard was very quiet, and he was probably the only one here.

Huh?

The fox tilted its head and lay on the wall, intending to see what the man was going to do and find a good opportunity to take away his tail.

The young prince is inviting the immortals.

Because of the fox's special identity, he guessed that perhaps the traditional way of summoning fairies might not be able to summon it, so he sent away the magicians who were beating drums and gongs, and also dismissed all the servants. He stayed in the yard alone, guarding the brocade box containing the fox's tail, waiting for the fox to arrive.

As for the specific process of summoning the immortals, he didn't know.

The only thing he knew was that before leaving the city, the fox had come to his window, with a pair of affectionate eyes, as if it wanted him to help.

And now he has done it.

Everyone in the city now knows that the red fox they feared before was actually a white nine-tailed fox. It only became what it is today because it kept sharing disasters with others.

Look at those seven or eight broken tails... maybe the suburbs are not its first stop.

The young prince didn't know whether the fox still had an extra tail, but seeing that its appearance had completely turned into a red fox and that people could only rely on themselves to avoid danger in the suburbs, he guessed that it might have been exhausted and entered the city to seek shelter.

"call--"

Will he be the one it chooses?

The young prince walked out from the corner, looked at the fox tails on the shelf, sighed deeply, and spoke as if talking to himself:

"Although, I don't know how many times you have protected the people in places where no one knows..."

"But now that I know about this, I will definitely not let you remain unknown and bear a false reputation."

"If you are exhausted now, then just stay here. With me protecting you, no one can bully you."

"...As for what happened before, I was indeed biased. I apologize for any offense."

The arrogant young prince apologized for his previous views for the first time.

He even bowed deeply to those tails to show his sincerity.

There was no one else present, so his action could not be a show at all; it came completely from the heart.

When he stood up, he felt inexplicably more relaxed.

only……

It was still quiet around.

It seems that his attempt to summon the immortal failed this time, and the fox probably didn't hear what he said.

well.

Closing his eyes and sighing, the young prince muttered to himself without hope: "If you can hear me, if there is anything I haven't done well, please show up and give me some pointers, okay?"

quiet.

silence.

I guess there is no hope.

He opened his eyes with melancholy, and as soon as his eyes focused, his body shook violently.

Just because a beautiful red fox appeared quietly on the shelf in front of him, and even leaned its head to look at him, with its nose only a few inches away from him.

“You, you really…”

Overjoyed, the little prince was a little incoherent for a moment: "You're back?"

The red fox stared at him silently, without saying a word.

The young prince was a little flustered by its gaze. He managed to calm himself down before saying, "...I said before that I would help you clear your grievances. Now, are you satisfied?"

"Ha ha--"

The red fox curved its narrow eyes and smiled gently.

The young prince's heart was beating fast. Looking at the fox's beautiful and enchanting face at such a close distance, he felt a little dizzy, but he couldn't help but take a step forward and said urgently: "Since you are satisfied, can I ask you to come back?"

When he first saw it, the fox ran away from his yard.

I think it lived with him during that time.

Yes, apart from his mansion, whose else in the city could be worthy of a fox?

So, now it should come to him too!

Da da.

But what disappointed the little prince was that after hearing what he said, the fox put away its smile and turned away.

Is there something he said wrong?

Or is this thing not done well enough?

The young prince was distraught and stared at the fox's disappearing back for a long time, not knowing what he was thinking.

Narrator:

"After a series of ideological changes, the people who were originally the most opposed to him turned out to be the ones who supported him the most, and even wanted to become his companions."

"But unfortunately, he/she cannot understand the other person's thoughts and only feels that everything is abnormal, so it takes some time to adapt."

"And during this time, he did a lot of things because he thought he wasn't doing well enough."

In the camera, the young prince learned his lesson after failing to summon the immortals, and he seemed like a different person.

Originally, he was an idle prince who didn't care much about things. Although he would lend a hand to the people who complained about their grievances, he would not take the initiative to sympathize with the suffering of the people. Occasionally, he would rely on the knowledge he learned from his master to belittle most people as fools.

But now, perhaps influenced by the incident with the fox, his views have changed significantly.

As my brother said...

There must be many mysteries in the world that they don't know about. Many seemingly absurd things may be worth exploring and tracing back to their origins rather than mocking them.

【Wow, that's a nice change of mindset.】

[In fact, it can be seen from the beginning that the young prince is quite approachable. He took the initiative to let in several people who asked for help before. Now that he has lost his original arrogance, he is expected to do a good job. ]

[Is this the power of star chasing? ()]

[Hahahaha, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten that the little prince just wanted to ask the gods for help at first.]

The young prince stayed in this place, diligently assisting local officials, and looking forward to the day when the red fox would willingly return to his yard.

And this abnormality was finally discovered by his brother.

On this day, several outsiders who looked noble came to the city.

They were actively inquiring about what had happened in the city recently, especially those related to the young prince.

When they learned that the young prince had been stubbornly asking the gods to help him recently, a look of surprise appeared on their faces.

"Master, this..."

The man called the master laughed: "I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it, he who originally didn't believe in these things would actually change."

"The nine-tailed fox cut off its tail to save people, took on the suffering, and turned into a red fox... Hmm, that sounds really interesting."

"Let's go! Let's find a place to stay first. I want to see how he is going to summon the gods tonight!"

The group then headed to a vacant mansion.

There are many such mansions in the city.

This was built a long time ago, specifically for receiving some "distinguished guests". Most of the time throughout the year, it is empty.

"Master, this is it."

"Well, open the door."

In the yard separated by a wall, the fox in the rockery moved its ears.

"...Hmm?"

When it sensed a large group of people approaching, it instantly woke up and sat up.

This situation seems a little familiar...

Ouch! Something is wrong! Run away!

This time the fox had experience, and was one step ahead. When everyone stepped into the backyard, he quickly ran away without being seen by anyone.

On the contrary, it also has the opportunity to quietly peek out from a tree not far away and observe what the family is doing.

But after a few glances, a man with a serious face looked accurately at the treetop where it was, and the little fox was so scared that its ears drooped and it immediately lowered its eyes.

Fortunately, it was not seen under the cover of trees.

fox:……

Grind the claws.

So angry!

What is this for!

Do I have to move to another place after I feel comfortable sleeping there?

In a fit of anger, it began to consider accepting the little prince who had been showing kindness to it recently.

After all, during the several times they were alone together, the man showed no desire to attack the fox, and the food in the yard was all the best.

The fox sharpened its claws again, glanced at the yard full of people not far away, and turned away.

midnight.

"Your Majesty, are you really going to go there in person?"

The master changed his clothes and said with a smile: "Of course, how can I tease my ninth brother if I don't confirm it with my own eyes?"

The attendant arranged his clothes for him, a little worried: "If there is any danger..."

The master was not panicked at all: "If it is fake, a fox is nothing to be afraid of; if it is real, the kind fox fairy will never harm me."

"The fox is not important, but..."

The corners of his mouth lifted, and the smile in his eyes seemed a little cold for some reason: "My ninth brother, do you have any ideas?"

"Invite a fairy, invite a fairy. What kind of fairy are you asking for?"

When talking about this topic, the people around him fell silent and just quietly tidied his clothes.

The group went out quickly.

Late at night, the city was very quiet.

The mansion they were staying in was not far from the prince's palace, and it was just a few blocks away.

The group stopped in the distance, and only the person hiding in the darkness nodded under the master's gaze and approached the prince's mansion almost silently.

Next, just wait quietly.

The master calmly turned the rosary in his hand, lowered his eyes, and counted silently in his mind.

His last act of kindness was here.

Ninth brother, don't let him down.

Time passes slowly.

Swoosh——

Suddenly, they saw a white shadow passing by quickly out of the corner of their eyes.

A group of people surrounded the master in an instant, staring in the direction of the white shadow with caution and vigilance.

"That is..."

The master narrowed his eyes and suddenly his breathing became rapid.

The white shadow leaping in the darkness had a small head, a long body, slender limbs, and a long tail. It was clearly a fox!

It's a white fox!

But from what I heard during the day, there was clearly only one fox in the city, and it was a red fox!

What is going on?

His mind was slightly shaken, and the fingers that were playing with the rosary beads exerted a little force, causing faint cracks on the originally smooth beads, but the person involved was completely unaware.

He just stared at the eaves where the fox was, watching as the white on its body gradually faded and the red gradually became brighter as it passed through the cover of the big trees.

In the end, when he looked back at them from the wall of the prince's mansion, he had turned into a fiery red fox.

But for some reason, its current state seemed somewhat weak.

Are the rumors true?

The master was brought back to consciousness by the tingling pain in his hand. He looked down at the rosary in his palm that had broken into pieces for unknown reasons. The murderous intent in his heart instantly dissipated like the receding tide. He exhaled and closed his eyes heavily.

The rumors are true!

This was the outcome he expected from this trip if the fox rumors were true.

The fox could not possibly hurt him, as hurting him would cause unrest in the entire country; but the fox could not help but step in to stop him, and the only way to stop him was to display his magical powers.

He saw with his own eyes that the pure white had just turned into red, it was not fake.

Haha, it seems that his murderous intention is not ordinary.

After all, the emperor's wrath left millions of people dead...

"Let's go."

The master no longer waited for the man to come back, but turned around and left without any reluctance.

In that case, there is no need to worry about anything.

On the other side——

“Ah sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze—!!”

The fox's soul was about to be beaten away.

At this moment, it sat on the wall of the prince's mansion with a look of despair, looking at the unknown white powder remaining on its claws, and quickly shook its claws again.

I just slipped, who can tell me why the big vat below is full of white powder? !

It was almost invisible!!

The fox felt wronged.

I was already upset about being kicked out of the house in broad daylight, and now I fell into the powder vat. I, Fox, am in big trouble.

"fox?"

The young prince finished reciting the poem as usual, and when he looked up, he saw the fox on the wall. He was frightened and quickly offered food to lure it: "Do you want to come down?"

I thought it was just another rejection as usual, but I didn't expect that the little fox opposite actually jumped down after thinking for a moment.

Little Prince:!

What good day is today?!

The camera faithfully recorded the changes outside the palace just now, and also recorded the closeness between the man and the fox at this moment. After confirming that the amount of information was sufficient, the narrator spoke:

"A hidden crisis was about to erupt, but was suppressed without his knowledge."

"After all, he is very lucky. Although he has not yet fully accepted his new companion, he will still protect him by coincidence."

"Well... although it's not his original intention, after many inspections and comparisons, he feels that this new companion is trustworthy."

"As for the previous provocation, it's not a big deal. It's a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them."

"That person didn't know what kind of crisis TA had prevented him from, he was just happy to be close to his idol."

The audience was amazed.

[Wow, I was wondering why the little fox suddenly fell into the tank. I was wondering why I was so unlucky today. I didn’t expect there was an eyewitness. Hahaha.]

[What a coincidence! Every time the little fox shakes its fur, it is behind a tree, where no one can see it. The result is that the fur changes from white to red. It's too outrageous! ]

[Who wouldn’t be confused after reading this? Even if I were to read it now, I’d probably have to imagine a thousand-word plot! ]

[Oh, not bad, not bad. The emperor must have become suspicious of the prince's sudden change of attitude recently. After all, the prince was expelled from the power circle because he did not believe in ghosts and gods. Now he suddenly believes in them in a big way, which is indeed suspicious.]

[Emperor: What do you mean... You really believed it, sssss, then it's okay.]

Although it was just a silent confrontation tonight, it did have a big impact.

Not long after, the young prince suddenly received a letter of condolence from his brother, and he told him all the miraculous stories about the fox without reservation.

However, at the end, he added: Now the fox fairy is weak, and it has worked hard for a long time to protect the people. The reason why I invite the fairy is just to provide for it and repay its kindness, and I have no other thoughts.

Originally, it was thought that it would take several more exchanges to gain the emperor's approval, but unexpectedly, after this reply letter was sent, soon the fox fairy here became an officially recognized deity. Not only were related stories widely circulated, but a special ancestral hall was also set up in the capital to worship it.

When he proposed to stay here to serve the fox fairy, the emperor generously allocated funds and gave him a position to manage the local area.

Little Prince:?

No, do you believe this?

Although I know that you all believe in ghosts and gods...but isn't it a bit casual to not investigate at all? ?

As he picked up the pen to write, he vaguely felt something. After thinking about it, the young prince decided not to send any more letters to inquire.

In life, it is best to have less unnecessary curiosity.

Besides, all his desire to explore was now focused on the fox.

Since the fox became close to him that day and took the initiative to accept his food, it moved back to the rockery in his yard the next day.

The young prince was able to observe the fox at a closer distance.

Then, he was somewhat surprised to find that the fox was no different from an ordinary fox most of the time.

When it gets familiar with people, it may even show its belly and act coquettishly, or even lick people's hands and cry, without any airs of a fairy beast at all.

Was it all a coincidence? Was it a dream? Was he stroking just an ordinary fox?

but--

Whenever such a thought came up, a fox would appear in the city.

It could be an old man who has been wronged but has not received redress, a murderer who is at large, or a woman who is hiding a secret.

Only the fox could accurately spot them among the crowd.

The people saw it clearly and had already placed the fox on the altar. They were no longer afraid of its seemingly weird appearance and ghostly laughter, and they all called it with respectful words such as fox fairy.

As time went by, the little prince became a little confused.

Could it be that the fox has lost his mind due to the curse he bore?

Under normal circumstances, it can only act like an ordinary fox, but when a crisis comes, it can use its extraordinary reason and intuition to help.

It seems to make sense, but it always feels a little weird.

Stop, stop.

That's all.

The young prince thought about it too many times, but each time there was no difference, so he stopped thinking about it.

In the past, he might have wanted to get to the bottom of things and not allow anything to be muddled, but now, looking at the various unsolved cases he and the fox had solved, looking at the town's gradually improving morale, and looking at the people who had moved in because of his reputation, he didn't want to ask too many questions.

"Fox, fox, what on earth are you?"

But sometimes, when he touched the red fox's chin and saw it smiling and acting coquettishly like an ordinary fox, the little prince couldn't help but ask a question.

"Hmm~"

The little fox lying on his legs narrowed its eyes, let out a cry of pleasure from its throat, and stepped lightly on him with its paw, with an incredibly gentle attitude.

Well, that's the result I get every time.

The young prince smiled helplessly and rubbed the fox's head to comfort it. He felt that he was no different from the group of people who were bewitched by foxes in the legend - even though he knew that the foxes around him posed hidden risks, he could not help but love them.

Forget it, just keep being mysterious.

That's fine.

Only puzzles can keep him in this position and keep him exploring out of curiosity.

"Nine-tailed Fox Fairy?"

The Taoist priest was quietly listening to the storyteller in the tavern telling stories about the distant town. When he heard about the fox tails scattered all over the forest, he was slightly stunned.

A ground full of fox tails... ?

But then, when he heard the young prince calling on the gods and how those wrongly accused were cleared of all charges thanks to the joint efforts of the fox and the young prince, his brows relaxed slightly, he drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, put down the coin and left.

Haha, that’s fine.

My junior brother has grown a lot.

Perhaps we don't need to live so clearly in this world.

Many people need something to rely on.

"Master, do monsters really exist?"

"I guess so."

Even if monsters do not exist in reality, there will always be people who say they have seen monsters.

But from beginning to end, not a single thing was done by the monsters themselves. Wasn't it all caused by changes in human hearts?

Therefore, even if the fox demon did not exist in the world, everything would probably develop in the same way.

A demon is not a fox, a snake, a wolf, or any creature that can be given meaning by human imagination.

It is a mirror, it is desire, it is the human heart.

therefore--

Monsters are everywhere.

It’s over, it’s over, next world is Catman!

Fox has written 15 chapters! And it’s still on Saturday! Wow! Happy~