As dusk approached, the dim light shone through the gaps in the branches and leaves, illuminating a woman in white. She was humming a song as she walked deeper into the forest. Along the way, she had seen many ferocious beasts, but they all fled in panic upon seeing her.
Just as the setting sun was about to disappear completely, the woman finally emerged from the dense forest. As soon as she stepped out, her body flashed with white light and she transformed into a white fox about two feet long, with three fluffy tails trailing behind her.
She kept running, leaping high as she ran across the field.
She ran across the fields, passing many white foxes resting among the wild grass, and ran straight to a low hill in the distance.
On that low hill, a beautiful six-tailed white fox lay gracefully on the tender grass, resting with its eyes closed, its six fluffy tails covering the entire hill.
The little white fox ran straight to the six-tailed white fox, lay down in front of it, and called out with a smile, "Grandma!"
The six-tailed white fox slowly opened its eyes, its deep black pupils as unfathomable as the sea, gleaming with a wise and composed light. It narrowed its eyes, revealing a smile, and said in a somewhat aged voice, "You're back, Liuli."
The little white fox, Liuli, rubbed her head against the six-tailed white fox and said sweetly, "I'm back, Grandmother..."
"You..." The six-tailed white fox's voice held a hint of reproach as it chuckled and scolded, "It's fine if you spend all your time roaming in the forest, but don't go looking for trouble with those wild beasts! Look at you, you've become a real troublemaker in the forest! Several intelligent beasts have come to me to complain. You'd better behave yourself and stay obediently in the Fox Plains and don't go out!"
Liuli frowned and scolded, "Well, they dare to complain to Grandmother! Just you wait..."
"Hmm?" The six-tailed white fox's voice contained a hint of reproach, but his eyes were full of laughter.
"Grandmother..." Liuli's eyes darted around a few times, and she kept rubbing her head against the six-tailed white fox's body, saying coquettishly, "Liuli knows, Liuli will not go looking for trouble with them anymore. But Grandmother can't let me stay in the Fox Plains and not let me go out, I'll suffocate."
The six-tailed white fox smiled faintly, closed its eyes, and said gently, "Alright, alright, you may go into the forest, but you must not cause trouble for the wild beasts there again, nor should you appear in front of humans, understand?"
"Understood." Liuli curled up comfortably, resting her head on the six-tailed white fox's body, her eyes half-closed, and murmured, "Human..."
Then, a vivid image quietly surfaced in my mind: a vast expanse of fields stretching as far as the eye could see, crisscrossed by paths, with many people working in the fields, creating a peaceful and tranquil scene. A small path ran through the farmland, and a gray-robed monk stood smiling on it, the warm spring sun shining down, casting a long shadow on the farmland, his hair and body illuminated. To this day, I still remember his eyes, gentle and warm, like warm jade.
Liuli leaned against the six-tailed white fox and asked softly, "Grandmother, what do you think... is the human world like?"
"Humans..." The six-tailed white fox opened its eyes a crack, a hint of sorrow visible in them. Its voice was distant and melancholic as it said, "The human world is full of treacherous schemes. They all say our fox clan is cunning, but little do they know they are far more cunning than we are. Liuli, you must remember, in this vast world, among countless living beings, humans are the most untrustworthy. They are greedy, treacherous, and fickle, especially human cultivators. They see us as enemies, as outsiders... In truth, in ancient times, my nine-tailed fox clan and many other races lived and thrived in this world just like humans. But later, as human cultivators grew stronger, they began to wantonly kill other races, even capturing us nine-tailed foxes and imprisoning our souls to use as their mounts..."
"But there must be good people among the human race too." Liuli couldn't help but think of the monk who had once saved her life with his alms bowl.
"Perhaps there are some..." The six-tailed white fox slowly closed its eyes and said softly, "But they are only a very small minority."
Seeing that the six-tailed white fox had closed its eyes, Liuli obediently rested her head on its body. She fell silent, her eyes wide open, staring intently at one spot without focus, her expression distant, lost in a long-forgotten memory.
A crescent moon rose high in the sky, casting a soft light that illuminated the entire fox plain in every detail. Many white foxes gathered in twos and threes; some, not yet a hundred years old, were gnawing on prey caught by their parents, while the older foxes, no longer needing to eat, were either curled up or lying on their sides. The moonlight, like water, shone upon them, and the moon's essence entered their bodies. They closed their eyes comfortably and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
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