Chapter 1 In the nineteenth year of Tianheng, the human race prospered…
In the nineteenth year of Tianheng, the human race prospered, while the demon race lived in seclusion in the city. Anything that did not violate the law could be done by humans, and demons could do it too. Those with extraordinary abilities and mastery of unusual arts could also become officials.
At Sishui Mountain, a light drizzle was falling from the sky. A young man sat on top of a tombstone with one leg bent, the other leg dangling in the air.
Several burly men carried a coffin past him, followed by several simply dressed villagers who walked past, making a commotion.
The boy sitting on the tombstone followed the crowd in front of him, but no matter how much he tried to conceal his gaze, no one in the crowd noticed.
The sound of the suona horns played by the villagers grew louder and louder.
The little tombstone straightened his back and searched the crowd for the person holding the brass pipe. The voice was coming from there, and his gaze lingered inquisitively on the brass pipe.
His gaze followed the group of people who had stopped not far away. The loud voices gradually subsided under his gaze, and the leader muttered something as several people stepped forward and began digging a hole not far from the small tombstone.
The small tombstone's gaze lingered for a moment on the brass tube in the hands of the person who came before it, then reluctantly withdrew its gaze, rested its chin on its hand, and released its spiritual sense to look at the person inside the coffin.
The face, not yet decayed, had closed eyes and a distinct scar running from the temple to the right side of the face, a prominent feature that allowed him to recognize the person lying in the coffin.
The little tombstone's eyes narrowed slightly as it withdrew its divine sense.
The person lying in the coffin was probably the only person who would come to his territory on ordinary days.
His true form stood deep within the Four Waters Mountain, a place teeming with wild beasts and spirits like himself. Few would risk venturing to this place; since gaining sentience, he had only ever seen the person lying in the coffin in this very spot.
The last time it was this lively was thirteen years ago, on the day the tomb behind his main body was erected.
Speaking of the grave behind him, it really had a connection with him. He was originally a stone in the mountains, but because of the grave's owner, he was dug up and made into a monument, which was placed in front of the grave. After the grave owner was buried, a bolt of purple lightning struck down, and he gained sentience from the misfortune.
After more than ten years of cultivation, he vaguely sensed that his time had come and successfully transformed into human form, which is why he can sit on the grave today and watch the busy humans not far away.
However, after today, this place will probably be even less likely to be visited.
—
White paper money drifted down from the sky and landed in the mud. One piece floated to the small tombstone and he picked it up.
He looked through the square hole in the middle at the newly erected tombstone. If there was a lightning strike tonight, he might have another member of his clan. No, it wouldn't count as a member of his clan, since the material of that tombstone was different from his own body.
The last shovelful of soil was used to cover the grave, and another new mound was added to the site.
The grave he was guarding was no longer a solitary mound.
Several burly men carrying the coffin lit incense sticks, and the smoke rose up along with the incense and dissipated in the air. The crowd bowed to the new grave, ending the ceremony, and then left down the mountain with their belongings.
After confirming that everyone had left, the small tombstone revealed itself and walked towards the tombstone. There were some words engraved on the tombstone, which he could barely recognize.
It's not his fault that he doesn't recognize many characters; after all, he's only a little demon who's been in human form for a year. He's only able to read thanks to his good friend Su Xiaochun, who lives with him in Sishui Mountain, who often reads stories to him.
Su Xiaochun is a fox demon, a red fox, who lives in a cave near the mountain stream of Sishui Mountain. It is said that she is a fox demon from Qingqiu, who took human form many years earlier than him and knows more than him.
Since he developed sentience, Su Xiaochun, seeing that he couldn't move, often brought him storybooks or tales from down the mountain. He hadn't come today, otherwise he could have asked Su Xiaochun if he had recognized the words on the tombstone.
The old woman's name, Qiushuang, was engraved on the tombstone.
He thought to himself that it was a good match for this desolate mountain. In earlier years, when the temperature dropped, frost would form on his body.
His birth and death dates were engraved in small characters next to his name. After taking a closer look, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. He was only in his thirties.
Recalling the old woman's gray hair, the small tombstone could not match her age with the one on the tombstone; the former looked more like she was over sixty.
"A small tombstone."
The call from behind interrupted his thoughts.
He turned his head, and a red two-tailed fox emerged from the grass, ran a few steps, and then leaped onto his shoulder.
The small tombstone turned its head, and its gaze fell upon the fox on its shoulder:
"Xiaochun, why are you so late today?"
“I saw a group of people coming towards your area from afar. I didn’t want to run into them, so I hid in the haystack over there and waited for them to leave before coming over,” Su Xiaochun said.
Little Tombstone knew that Su Xiaochun hated humans. He respected his friend's opinion, after all, every demon had its own thoughts about humans, just like him, who had no interest in humans.
The fox on the shoulder turned its head, its grape-like eyes glancing at the newly mound of earth, and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you have company now!"
No wonder they became friends; the little tombstone smoothly picked up on his friend's topic and added a few words to what his friend had said:
"That depends on whether another lightning bolt strikes tonight."
"You think everyone's like you, that getting struck by lightning will give them sentience? They might just be struck and reduced to ashes." As soon as she finished speaking, her dark, fox-like eyes turned back and gave him a look filled with envy.
The fox's long whiskers brushed against Su Xiaochun's face as he turned, causing a slight itch.
He pressed down on the fox's head and rubbed it hard, his friend's voice gradually becoming indistinct under his hands:
"But if it could make me grow nine tails, I'd be willing to be struck by lightning. Little tombstone, stop rubbing it."
Two crimson tails followed the words, one coming straight at him, the other striking his hand.
The little tombstone was lightly patted twice, and it touched its face. Its slender fingers then stroked the two red fox tails, touching them affectionately. They felt so nice.
Su Xiaochun: "And you? How's your cultivation going lately?"
Su Xiaochun snuggled into the little tombstone's embrace, using its two front paws to grab the latter's hand and shift its position, making the little tombstone groom the fur there.
The small tombstone reads: "Still the same as before, standing still."
The little tombstone, holding Su Xiaochun, sat back on its original body, its legs dangling in mid-air.
"If you were a fox, I might be able to give you some pointers."
Su Xiaochun stretched on his knees, sighed, and continued, "Sigh, this is the first time I've ever seen a tombstone that has come to life."
The little tombstone's hand stroked the red fur lightly, and long eyelashes cast a shadow beneath his eyes.
The fox under his command started nagging again: "Tell me about you, you're just a little tombstone, always staying in this desolate mountain, rarely even tainted by worldly affairs, and unlike us foxes, you don't have any emotional tribulations to overcome."
"Born of nature and nurtured by heaven, and having no karmic connection with anyone, how could my cultivation stagnate?"
Su Xiaochun paused, her slender fingers still, and nestled back into the small tombstone, looking up.
The barren mountain had been drizzling all night, and even in the morning it was shrouded in mist and darkness. Now, the clouds have parted and the sun is shining brightly, with rays of sunlight filtering through the clouds and falling on the boy's delighted face.
The little tombstone lifted the fox in its arms and jumped off its body.
"Xiaochun, I understand, I know where the problem lies."
Su Xiaochun broke free from his grasp and landed on the ground, watching the agitated person in front of her gradually calm down.
"You know what happened?"
The little tombstone nodded, squatted down, and looked at the little fox sitting on the ground.
"I was born of nature, that's true, but there's a karmic connection between us."
He raised his hand and pointed to the burial mound behind his main body.
“If she hadn’t needed a tombstone, how could I have been carried out of that desolate mountain and struck by lightning to awaken my consciousness? She is to me the one who gave me life.”
Su Xiaochun nodded thoughtfully, "What you said is not wrong, but she is already dead. How can you settle that karma? If you want to find her reincarnation..."
Su Xiaochun pondered for a moment: "You have only been sentient for thirteen years now, so her reincarnation probably won't be that quick. It may take several hundred years."
After saying that, he raised his eyes and looked at the boy in front of him with concern.
"However, our demon race has a long lifespan, so you don't need to worry about it."
The little tombstone calmed down instantly after hearing its friend's words.
After a long silence, he slowly opened his mouth: "I remember someone who came here to sweep the grave mentioned that she died unjustly."
“Since she died unjustly, then I will return the truth to her to repay her kindness in giving me life and settle the karmic debt.”
"No!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Su Xiaochun leaped up and slapped him across the face with her claws.
Why not?
The little tombstone stood up and rubbed its face, which had been slapped.
Su Xiaochun landed on the ground and transformed into human form. He took a few steps forward and came to the small tombstone. He also looked like a young boy, but he was more than half a head taller than him.
"You've only been in human form for a year or two now. If you go to the mortal world, you'll be easily deceived and left with nothing. Besides, there are some unscrupulous sorcerers and cultivators in the mortal world who love to capture and refine little demons like you. It's better to wait another hundred years until that person is reincarnated before making any plans."
“I am just a stone, I have no skin. Who can guarantee that nothing will happen in another hundred years? Besides, how can you guarantee that I can find her reincarnation?”
The expression on the little tombstone's face was not good. His cultivation had stagnated since the day he took human form. Now that he had finally found a way, he was naturally unwilling to wait another hundred years.
Since the main body is a tombstone made of stone, the small tombstone cannot compare with those living things in terms of emotions, and this is still one of the few times it has been alive.
Su Xiaochun felt uncomfortable hearing the small tombstone's rebuttal. His age was considered young among demons, only a hundred years old. However, in front of the even smaller tombstone, he barely looked like someone who had been through it all.
His face flushed red: "You, you don't appreciate the good intentions of a demon."
Su Xiaochun took a deep breath and said with dissatisfaction, "You're shameless. Once we get down the mountain, you'll definitely be swindled out of everything, not even a drop of foam."
"It's not like I haven't been down the mountain before. The people down there aren't all as bad as you think. There are good demons and bad demons, and people are naturally divided into good and bad. Why can't you wish me to be better!"
Even clay bodhisattvas have some merit, and this small stone tombstone was also unusually provoked to anger.
"Don't you often go down the mountain to play and read the stories written by people?"
The moment the words left his mouth, even the little tombstone was stunned for a moment. After realizing what had happened, the words of apology were already on the tip of his tongue, but he was overwhelmed by some inexplicable emotion and swallowed them back down.
The blush that Su Xiaochun had shown due to her emotional excitement completely faded, leaving her face deathly pale. She glanced at the small tombstone in disbelief, then turned around, transformed back into her original form, and rushed out, not even caring whether she was heading towards the cave.
All that remained in his mind was the thought of being betrayed by his closest friend. What was so great about humans? Who were all those storybooks he bought for?
Humans are so annoying! They're even better at bewitching demons than foxes!
—
The little tombstone watched the fox's departing figure, the words he wanted to say to it suppressed by his emotions. Only after the figure disappeared into the forest did a few words escape his lips: "I'm sorry..."
He stared blankly at the spot where Su Xiaochun had disappeared, then simply retreated back into his body.
Let him repay his debt of gratitude and then apologize to Xiaochun. Then Xiaochun will see that he won't be tricked out of a stone by humans.
He also wanted to prepare an apology gift for Xiaochun. After going down the mountain, he would see what new and interesting things there were in the world and bring them back as an apology gift for Xiaochun.
Having made up his mind, the small tombstone transformed into human form and headed down the mountain.
After walking a few steps, he turned around and looked at the bare grave mound behind him. He worried that it might be washed away by the rain and he wouldn't be able to find it when he returned.
He raised his hand, cast an illusion spell, and watched as a tombstone identical to his original form appeared in front of the grave mound. He nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.
A note from the author:
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