Chapter One: Gray Fox （seven）

Things took another turn.

All the court officials collectively petitioned the emperor, accusing a certain individual of "being corrupt and killing surrendered soldiers," which according to the law warranted execution.

Everyone thought that the person was doomed. The evidence was undeniable, indisputable, and even the person himself admitted to all the crimes.

But the final outcome was: "In consideration of past merits, leniency is granted. His military authority is suspended, but he is appointed as a regional envoy. I have not forgotten his service, and he should reflect upon himself."

The emperor pardoned him, demoted his position, but spared his life.

The court officials were puzzled, but when the emperor spoke, they dared not question further, despite their dissatisfaction.

However, the eunuchs serving by the emperor's side privately mentioned that they had heard the emperor himself say, "No mercy should be shown; he should be executed immediately." Yet the next day, the emperor changed his stance, his anger dissipated, and he spoke of the man with a regretful expression, which truly baffled everyone.

No one understood because they didn't see him sneak into the palace that night, nor did anyone witness him slipping a faint red light into the lotus seed soup that the emperor was eating for his late-night snack. As the emperor ate, he silently recited something until the emperor finished, then quietly left.

Since then, he had never gone to see his old friend again. He only heard that the old friend was doing well.

Twelve more years passed, and just earlier this year, shortly before the coronation of the empire's second emperor, that person passed away at the age of sixty-nine.

On the day of his burial, it was raining heavily, and the cries of his descendants shook the heavens.

No one knew that the old man lying in the coffin had an old wine pouch beside him.

In the room of the inn, the young monk anxiously poked the fox lying on the quilt and asked her, "How is it going? Can it be saved?"

She stroked the fox's smooth fur and smiled confidently.

The young monk brightened up, "Is there hope then?"

"It's hopeless," she replied.

"What?" Misunderstanding her confident tone, the young monk's hopes plummeted, "You can't save it?"

"Do you know how important the tail is to fox demons?" She retorted.

The young monk scratched his bald head, walking back and forth in front of the bed, muttering, "What should we do, what should we do?" Then, he suddenly stopped and asked, "What is a gray fox?"

"Among fox demons, there are anomalies known as gray foxes, distinguished by their misty eyes and gray-white fur. Born without gender distinctions, they can choose their gender upon reaching adulthood. The tails of gray foxes are particularly valuable, emitting light that can feed humans. Coupled with reciting a hex using another person's name and birthdate, those who consume this light will develop an affection for that person, even if they harbor deep-seated grievances against them, they can let it go." She explained each word carefully, "This fox's tail is quite valuable, and the numbers of them have been decreasing over the years."

"I see..." The young monk looked troubled.

The fox on the bed moved slightly, not opening its eyes but speaking, "Can't you save me either?"

"How do you expect me to save you?" She asked in return.

The fox opened its eyes and glanced at its bare hindquarters, "Can't the tail be reattached?"

"Your body is beyond repair, the resentment of the spirits has corroded too deeply. Even if I were to use medicine to give you a new tail, it wouldn't take root in such a decayed body," she shook her head.

"I see..." The fox sighed, closing its eyes, "Then let it be."

"You brought this upon yourself, can't blame anyone else," she shrugged, removing a hair-thin needle from the fox's head and flicking it, causing the needle to dissolve into water without a trace as it fell to the ground, "You're lucky to have survived after consuming so many spirits."

"It's not just for him," the fox said after a moment of silence. "Although Shu Kingdom suffered the tragedy of being destroyed, I fell in love with the beauty of the mountains and waters here. I originally wanted to find a quiet place to cultivate, but accidentally discovered that near the site where the surrendered soldiers were killed, innocent villagers were frequently harmed by unknown creatures. Although I've lost my tail and my demonic powers are weakening, I'm still stronger than the so-called exorcists they hired. By consuming these spirits and sealing them within my body, it was the only way I could think of to protect them."

"Saving others is one reason, and the other reason is probably that you're worried if you don't take care of the spirits, they'll become stronger and eventually seek revenge against that person, right?" she squatted at the bedside, looking into the fox's eyes, "There's a cause for every injustice, why bother cleaning up the mess for him?"

The fox exhaled deeply, closing its eyes, "I owe him a tail."

She stood up, shrugging her shoulders, "Do as you please. But..." Suddenly, she seemed to remember something, "Did you ask me to meet you at the Wind and Snow Inn to help you get rid of those slug monsters?"

The fox replied slowly, "Reducing the number of unjust deaths in the world is no loss for Miss Peach Blossom. My body is weak, and I may not be able to handle the slug monsters. However, those four merchants you saw, Miss Peach Blossom, refused to lend a hand even as they watched others lose their lives, which was unexpected."

"I only save demons, not humans," she smiled.

"Anyway, being able to see Miss Peach Blossom before I die is no regret," the fox buried its face deeper into the bedding, "Sorry for making you come all this way."

The young monk tugged at her sleeve, his eyes reddening as he fought back tears, looking at her.

"Save that expression for when you're begging for alms!" she pushed him away.

The young monk grabbed her sleeve again, his mouth pursed even tighter, choked up, "I'll give you more of the food I beg for in the future!"

"I want meat!" she declared.

"You're not old... Not old at all!" he insisted.

She shuddered suddenly, getting goosebumps all over, quickly pushing the young monk away, "Go away! I'm telling you, I can't save this fox, unless I restart its life from scratch."

The young monk, undeterred, grabbed her sleeve again, his mouth even more pursed, and his eyes glistening with tears, "You're not old... Not old at all!"

She got goosebumps all over, quickly pushing the young monk away, "Save that expression for when you're begging for alms!"

"I'm sorry," the young monk apologized, releasing her sleeve.

"Alright." She walked back to the bed and extended her left palm in front of the fox, "Consider this as my treatment for you. So, according to my rules, any demon I treat must agree to become my medicine. Come on, stretch out your claw and stamp it on my palm as a seal!"

"Medicine?" The fox asked in confusion.

"I am a doctor, and the most important thing in life must be medicine." She chuckled, "If you agree to be my medicine, then someday if I need any part of your body, you must give it to me unconditionally. If I want your ears, you'll have to cut them off, if I want your claws, you'll have to cut them off too, understand?"

"Committing sins, committing sins..." The young monk muttered, fingering his prayer beads. When she gave him a fierce glare, he immediately shut his mouth.

The fox thought for a moment, then extended its claw and pressed it against her palm, saying, "Is this enough?"

"You're quite straightforward." She looked at her empty palm, a faint light passing through it. Satisfied, she rubbed her hands together, "Alright, I'll treat you." With that, she untied the cloth bag at her waist and rummaged inside for a while, pulling out a thumb-sized gourd. Muttering discontentedly, she said, "Troublesome, I'll have to remove the spirits from your body first."

"I'll chant scriptures for you!" The young monk earnestly stood beside her.

"I might be better off without your chanting!" She pushed the young monk away, "Go to the door and watch, don't let anyone else in!"

"Oh, then I'll go to the door and chant scriptures..."

When there were only her and the fox left in the room, she took out a black pill from the cloth bag. Before feeding it to the fox, the fox suddenly stopped her actions.

She raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong? Having second thoughts?"

"I know what you've been wanting to ask me all this time. Why I would risk everything to save him," the fox spoke slowly, "If I take this pill, I won't be able to answer you anymore, right?"

She paused, then said, "Go on."

"I didn't save him." The fox's already slender eyes curved up like crescent moons, "I saved the young man from many years ago, who wanted to roam the world with his sword on a cold night by the bonfire and strong wine."

After a moment of silence, she snapped, "Open your mouth!"