Chapter 5
"This is dead..."
Nian Qing woke up in shock and turned back into a fox.
An old lady was sitting in the upper seat in front of him. Her eyes were cloudy and a fox tail hung down from the back of her old clothes.
Looking around, she saw the ruined temple, spiderwebs weaving through the beams. The statues, deprived of their human offerings, looked more like fallen demons; countless evil eyes lurked behind them, quietly observing her.
Sarcasm and mockery, waiting for the judgment of the one above.
Nian Qing smelled a whiff of blood. She saw someone carrying a plate and bowl and placing it beside the old woman. The dying woman's eyes widened, and then she grabbed something she couldn't see clearly in the darkness and began to devour it.
She ate until her face was covered in blood, and at the end, she licked the corner of her lips as if to savor the food. The next moment, her almost completely white eyes looked down at the fox. The old woman said, "Do you know your mistake?"
Nian Qing tried to speak, but found herself unable to form words; only a hoarse hum came out. Then she saw the old woman overturn the plate and bowl, her tone suddenly becoming sharp: "You are a disgrace to my fox clan!"
The old woman tried to move, but as she raised her hand, a foul odor filled her nostrils. Maggots could be vaguely seen clinging to the rotting flesh beneath her sleeves. Finally, her ferocious expression gave way to a helpless roar, a somewhat comical sight.
Nian Qing remembered something: a dilapidated temple nestled deep in the mountains north of her birthplace. It was her home for the last hundred years before her mortal journey. The figure before her was the great demon who had taught her the most; they respectfully called her Grandma Hu.
The "eyes" hidden behind the statue revealed their true faces. There were only dozens of mountain foxes, mixed with a few raccoons. Relying on the majestic face of the statue, they actually thought they were real gods.
An unknown person used some magic to conjure up a majestic Buddha light, which made the fox look divinity-like and even more ugly.
Nianqing recalled the cultivation of the fox demon that inhabited the temple. According to Grandma Hu, forget about the essence of the sun and moon; the most valuable essence lies in humans. Rather than cultivating for a thousand years, it would be more satisfying to devour humans. She often muttered how unfair Nuwa was, creating life and then giving it so few benefits.
As a result, all the caravans, woodcutters, and hunters who strayed into the mountains never returned. Bones piled higher than a heap of wheat in the temple's backyard. The crows and birds that followed annoyed Grandma, and Nianqing's main activity at the time was chasing them away.
She hated the fishy smell of people being torn apart, so every time they gathered together to share food, Nian Qing would avoid them, thinking that going out to catch a wild rabbit would taste better.
It wasn't actually a fishy smell. She simply couldn't bear to hear the screams and cries of dying people; it was too tragic, too overwhelming for her to swallow. And the demons in this temple loved to watch people run away in panic, never tiring of it, and wouldn't stop until they'd tortured them to death.
Nianqing recalled Grandma Hu's words and complained about the injustice of Nuwa, who gave humans so many benefits and so many emotions, shaping them to be as god-like as possible, yet not giving them the mind to let go of thoughts.
They cry, they laugh, their joys and sorrows are impermanent, they are born, grow old, get sick and die, and they attract the jealousy of the three realms.
In an instant, the stench dragged her back to the temple. She heard Granny Hu gnashing her teeth and yelling, "Since you don't want to share the shortcut to heaven with me, then go and be your own holy Bodhisattva!"
"If you don't give me her heart, I'll give you yours!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the monsters behind the statue rushed over, demanding that she be torn into pieces and her heart dug out as a reward. The old fox woman fell off the shrine, her body tilted, and crawled towards her, reaching out to tear the fur in front of her heart.
She recalled her reason for coming: it was a drought year on Earth, and a mother and daughter, fleeing for their lives, had mistakenly entered the deep mountains. A sorcerer disguised themselves as food, luring them into the temple. Granny Hu claimed that a child's heart could prolong life, and she planned to kill the young girl immediately after capturing her.
Nianqing crouched on the rooftop and watched his mother kneel before the old woman, crying out in despair that she would trade her life for her daughter's. The daughter, barely able to speak, stretched her hands toward her mother, her voice hoarse with sobs. The demons reveled in such a parting of life and death. They suggested removing the girl's limbs and slowly devouring them, to gauge the mother's reaction.
The mother cried out as Grandma Hu cut off her tongue and watched her own flesh and blood being cut into several pieces.
That was the first time Nianqing had ever seen a look of despair. Her mother was hanging, and she watched as her grandmother carefully selected the spots on her young daughter's body. Her tears flowed and turned to blood, and Nianqing didn't dare look at her.
…
The fur in front of her heart was torn apart, and Nian Qing could hear her own heartbeat. The excruciating pain made her vision blur. No matter what, she couldn't combine this monstrous old woman with the old man who warned her, "Don't approach people, people are the most dangerous."
Then what.
Nian Qing bit the back of the old woman's hand. She drank the blood that seeped out, but did not hear the old woman's screams.
She had respected her the most and called her Grandma Hu. She learned from Grandma that the world was dangerous, but it was also because of Grandma that she broke away from the dilapidated temple.
That was the last hundred years before she entered the world.
It had never seen any "parents" since its birth, so what was the shame of the fox clan? It was just a group of rabble encountered in the deep mountains, but why should it surrender?
They are not qualified to be considered as one of the same clan. It is of a different path from them.
In a trance, Nian Qing heard a familiar voice, as if calling her from the sky.
The pain faded, and a reassuring fragrance lingered at the tip of my nose. The monsters in the ruined temple around me turned into blank space like ink.
Someone is holding her, so warm...
A nightmare is nothing more than replaying the worst experience in a dream.
Gu Luoyan stroked Nian Qing's fur again and again, and the moonlight outside the window was bright.
The ending of the story: A fire suddenly broke out in the deep mountains of the north. The fire burned for three days and three nights before it was extinguished, but it did not spread to other places.
A mother and daughter suddenly came to the small village at the foot of the mountain. The mother was a mute and the daughter was also sick. They always boasted about some "fox fairy".
They built a shrine in their home and enshrined a clay statue of a fox.
This mysterious family actually helped a fox transform into a human. Karma and reincarnation are the laws of karma; even if a cannibal's bones rot, he won't become a banished immortal. Kindness, transformed into accumulated merit, will surely bring blessings. Or perhaps it wasn't out of kindness, but simply because he couldn't bear to look at a mother, that's all.
·
The next day, Nian Qing woke up very early, still in the form of a fox. There was a person lying next to him, with his hand on the fox's belly.
It poked its head out from under the covers, just in time to catch a glimpse of the half-sleeping face. The tip of her nose was a little pink, and her dark hair was half spread across the pillow, a peaceful expression. Nian Qing leaned in closer, sniffed, and unknowingly, his nose brushed against hers.
Then she opened her eyes, and before he could separate them, Nian Qing saw that she was smiling.
At this moment, there was no Shuliang anymore. Only that person was looking at her with a smug smile on his face. His smile was so charming that she was mesmerized by him.
When he reacted again, Nian Qing suddenly showed his human form.
Without a single thread, it is as pure as a beautiful jade.
Nian Qing was lying down in the posture of a fox again. With this transformation, half of his body was pressing down on Gu Luoyan, and they couldn't get any closer than they did.
At this time, a hand climbed up Nian Qing's waist and pinched it lightly, causing the person on top to feel numb all over as if struck by lightning, and then he stood up.
Then everything is visible.
The smile on Gu Luoyan's face spread a little. He looked up and down at Nian Qing's body and nodded continuously: "Very beautiful."
The fox ears and tail popped out as soon as she finished her words.
Nian Qing's face turned red.
She heard Gu Luoyan teasing, "Oh, the little fox is shy."
The next moment he crawled under the quilt and refused to show his head again.
She finally understood the answer she'd gotten when she'd asked that rude man that day, "Why did you touch me?" Just a glance from her had already set his mind on wild thoughts, leaving him blushing and heartbeating.
——Speaking of which, I think spring has arrived. Everything is restless and revived.
·
Gu Luoyan stopped teasing her and found her some clothes, letting her go home. Only when Nianqing was about to leave did she stop and give her a jade token. Finally, she said to her, "Come whenever you want."
Nian Qing took it and turned to leave, but couldn't help but look back at her again, and spoke awkwardly: "Gu Luoyan."
"Um?"
"Since you answered, I'll call you that from now on." After Nian Qing said that, he pushed open the door and left. His steps were so fast that he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Liugu Luoyan was stunned for a moment, looked for a moment, then smiled and called for the maid to come and dress up.
The Red Pavilion was always quiet during the day. Nian Qing looked at the jade token in her hand, somewhat absent-mindedly.
Suddenly, there was the sound of carriages and horses ahead, as well as the noise of someone clearing the aisle.
Nian Qing looked up and saw a convoy of vehicles with a heavy ceremonial guard. Guards led the way, and three large horses pulled the main carriage, with a glazed jade roof, which was extraordinary and imposing.
Then followed on foot two lines of maids and palace servants, all dressed in palace attire, holding chariots, incense lamps and other utensils.
Although the carriage was clearing the way, it moved very slowly, as if it was done on purpose so that every passerby could see that it was a distinguished person coming.
As the carriage passed Nian Qing, she accidentally glanced inside. Even through the carriage, she could sense the lingering resentment.
What materialized before her eyes was a mess of red and black, mixed with countless pains, which subconsciously made Nian Qing want to retreat.
But in that moment, once the cars passed and the people left, the strange feeling disappeared. Nian Qing looked at the convoy going away, then quickly retracted his gaze and continued on his way.
Such a strong resentment could dissipate in an instant. This meant that it didn't come from many people, but from just one person.
The joys and sorrows of this world are different. You are not someone else, so how can you empathize with their suffering? Moreover, your own life is not going smoothly, so how can you care about whether others are doing well?
All we can do is say silently in our hearts: "Best wishes."
Farewell, the road ahead is long.
She is not a human being and cannot understand these emotions. She only wants to be free and does not want to give her true heart to others.
When they returned to the private kitchen, they couldn't find Li Shisanren. The maid who came to get the food stamped her feet anxiously.
Nian Qing saw a piece of red paint fall from the wall and hit an ant on the ground. Then, she squatted down and peeled off the wall, and saw the ant lying on its back, unable to save itself.
The old woman scolded Li Shisan and then began to murmur sadly, "That lady in the palace is so clueless. Why is she so anxious? She didn't even give us a heads up so we can prepare."
Nian Qing looked at her and asked, "Which lady?"
"Who else could it be? It's the only lady who walked out of our Hong Kong Coliseum."
"Noble Concubine Jue, Li Puzi."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
