"Later... there is nothing to say. My father found an opportunity to kill those three hateful hunting dogs, but my mother's furs were sold long ago. From then on, our relatives died one after another."
Han Chang's tone was not so heavy when he said this, maybe he had already looked away. But I'm afraid the listeners were not relieved. Mr. Gao Yue responded, but Xie Zhe and Ling Huan's expressions were not good-looking. Although he didn't have a downcast face, anyone who saw that expression would become cautious about what he said.
"There was a severe drought that year, and... there were too many humans. They took away all the birds, animals, and even wild fruits. For example, the smarter weasels and minks had to take risks and hide in front of people's eyes. Wandering around, risking their lives in search of food. Even the fox tribe is no exception. Wenjiu's parents were captured when they went to the human territory to look for food. His grandmother had previously transformed into a human form and went to the human world to beg for food. , knew nothing about this matter. At that time, my father often turned into a human form and went to the village to do some part-time work in exchange for some pitiful millet for us. My sister and I still couldn’t transform, and we knew in our hearts that we were always It dragged down my father. My father only found out about this when he saw the bodies of Wenjiu's father and mother in the village. The rations that were originally divided between the three of them had one more mouth, and they had to hold on until Wenjiu's grandma came back. She turned into a young-looking girl The beautiful fox went to cheat rich people. Who knew that underneath that beautiful skin was a hundreds-year-old old lady among foxes? She came back with a lot of food and money. After knowing the truth, the silver and rice were scattered all over the place. land."
I can't stay here any longer. Grandma Fox insisted on leaving with the warm wine, and the father of Han Chang and his sister finally gave in. He didn't leave here later because there was still the breath of his wife on this land. Now for the sake of his children, he can only make such a last resort choice. In this way, his original wish was fulfilled.
"Maybe your mother didn't have to die, if I had been tougher earlier..."
He often said this.
The remaining five fox tribes embarked on an endless road, looking for a place that could accommodate them in this vast world. Grandma Fox transformed into an old human woman, carrying her little grandson on her back. Hanshang's father held one in his hand and another in his arms, taking turns. Once they are close to human territory, they temporarily turn the little foxes into children, and no one will notice them changing back again. Occasionally, in the endless wilderness, they can transform into their original form and run freely across the land for a while.
The world of monsters is no more gentle than the human world, and the law of the jungle is implemented more directly and thoroughly. In fact, foxes don't have a very good reputation among monsters. Some monsters feel that the fox tribe tends to follow others' influence, and they can only make a living by bowing to humans and flattering them.
"My father died in the hands of a monster." Han Shan stated plainly, "In a place where there is no trace of humans at all, there is a world of monsters. He took food from the tiger monster's mouth, was injured, and was killed by a group of people who had already killed him on the road. The jackals who were eyeing him attacked. Originally, these beasts were no match for him, but fighting the tiger monster consumed too much spiritual energy. He came back with scars, threw a complete deer from his shoulders, and then He fell to the ground. After that, he lost all his demonic power, turned back into a fox, and never stood up again. I thought he wouldn't do this if he took a bite of bloody meat on the road, but he just didn't do it. Wenjiu's grandma always said Owe us a life, that's probably what I want to say. We know that without practicing evil arts, it is almost impossible to gain a foothold in such a cruel world. We escaped to an inaccessible snow mountain and let him Grandma took care of my sister, and we went out together to learn skills under the guidance of the mountain god. Of course... we both almost died on the way."
"You hate human beings, don't you?" Satsuki-kun said suddenly.
"I guessed that you would ask this." Han Chang suddenly smiled, forming a more desolate contrast with the heavy atmosphere, "But, how to say? Humans killed my brother's parents, human dogs If the mother of my sister and I is killed, I will hate humans; if the tiger monster and jackal kill our father, should I hate other monsters and more beasts?"
Even though Ye Linghua was a human being, he could still feel heartbroken because of what Han Shang said. She didn't even know that the normally unpretentious vixen had such a tragic past. Compared to myself, the fox clan's past of surviving in a sea of blood was even more miserable. She couldn't help but feel that she was really squeamish. Hanshang still smiled at life after going through all this, but she was frowning all day long.
She said sadly: "But...the latter is for survival, but humans are for..."
"Because of greed? Because you raise the butcher knife when you don't need to kill? You don't necessarily think so. Oh, you are obviously a human being, so it is rare to think like this. Over the hundreds of years, I have seen very bad monsters, and I have met very good people, and even animals know a little bit about kindness and resentment. All things have animism, and those who sacrifice their lives for righteousness are common among the three races. If I want to live with hatred for the whole world, I will be too tired. Alright."
When Han Shang said these things, Xie Zhe listened quietly. Now, he looked at him seriously, not knowing what he was thinking. He was somewhat touched, and he knew it too, because he was very wary of Han Shang due to his initial prejudice. Hanshang could be lying, and of course he had a reason to lie. After all, fox demons are always good at making up stories. But at least at this time, Xie Zhe chose to believe him, believe in this monster who clearly had full cause and effect and hated human beings, but did not do so.
"Well, let's talk about what happened next?" Gao Yuejun said, "How did he bear the infamy, and how did he abandon you?"
Hanshang's expression changed slightly. It seemed that the hundreds of years he spent with his brother day and night were more likely to tug at his heartstrings than the trivial matters in the first few years after he was born.
"We... study immortal arts, yes..." He began to dig up those memories, "Although we are not the disciples of that immortal, we still respectfully call him master. After all, his sect rules do not accept monsters. That paragraph Over time, we have met all kinds of people, and the twenty or thirty apprentices under him alone give people mixed reviews. Some people like us and treat us well, while others look down on us; some find us novel, and some are attracted by us. He is dissatisfied with his status and looking for trouble everywhere... But Master, he is very kind."
The master said that he saw two foxes that night, bringing wine and wine utensils to visit him. The scene was truly novel. Those who didn't know thought they were here to ask for a seal. Although he didn't teach monsters, he still took them in without saying a word. Not because of the fox-brewed wine, but because if they were left here alone, looking at their posture, they would probably freeze to death at the door, and they would never drink a sip of wine as a door-to-door gift to warm themselves up. Indeed, the two of them had traveled thousands of miles to come here, and they had already spent too much time. People who have experienced nine deaths should not die of thirst at the edge of a well.
Of course, monsters would always come to visit after that, and the immortals would all reject them. Firstly, they didn't look like they were about to die, and secondly, they had to wait until these two became famous. After all, if a teacher recruits many disciples, he should have some reputation even among monsters, right? But now, more than four hundred years have passed since the two of them became apprentices to the Immortal, and the Immortal no longer has the opportunity to accept more disciples. During those four hundred years, their achievements were comparable. Sometimes the senior brother understood it earlier, and sometimes the junior brother learned it faster. They don't have much talent to speak of. They only have a little bit of spiritual power inherited from their bloodline, and they have to work hard. The two of them are diligent, not ashamed to ask questions, and unwilling to lag behind. They often compete with each other, and sometimes they are better than their human disciples of the same generation. In addition to immortal magic, there are also martial arts, and even knowledge from books must be memorized. The two foxes were not literate at the beginning, but thanks to their hard work and the guidance of some well-wishers, they put in more energy to become as knowledgeable as they are now.
Master...he has always been proud of them.
The division where they are located is located near the sea area called Zanglan Sea. The environment there is harsh, the resources are scarce, and it is irritating, but it is also a treasure land of Feng Shui and full of spiritual power, which is suitable for a group of people like them who want to escape from the world and practice. There is a cliff there, which has no name because it is just a huge stone with no grass growing on it. It is simply called a stone cliff by everyone. Below the stone cliff is a stone beach, and then connects to the sea. Few people come to Shiya because it is remote and difficult to climb. But I think foxes are very good at running around in dangerous places like this. Hanshang and Wenjiu like to come here, and no one bothers them.
Time gradually passed to the critical node - ten years ago. Over the past four hundred years, they have learned almost all the knowledge and spells that the immortals can teach, but the immortals still say that they are too far behind and they are not allowed to leave the mountain. Although they didn't know the reason, they believed that Master had a reason for doing so. It's just that it's boring to be stuck in one place and only see one scene. In the past, the two of them occasionally had the opportunity to go out with their senior brothers, but in recent years, they were not allowed to leave even once. The two of them came to Shiya more frequently, just to see more of the vast sky, the vast sea, and the endless sea breeze.
That night Han Chang agreed to discuss matters with Wen Jiu, so he came here first. Standing on the top of the cliff, he kept waiting, but his junior brother did not appear even after dark. He turned around, intending to go home, but his attention was attracted by the sudden birth of the sea behind him.
A strange fire appeared in the distant sea.
Although this scene is seen only a few times throughout the year, it is not considered new. But this is different from the past. In the past, there was a blue glow coming from the sea surface. It was the action of ocean currents that pushed some marine luminous creatures over, forming a fluorescent blue fire wave. Those firelights are dotted, like a dream. The firelight tonight is completely different - they are in patches, connecting the sky and the sea, and they are red, just like the sunset at midnight, and the color is no different from the real fire burning on the ground.
Is it the fishing fire in the distance...? Hanshang is difficult to determine. He looked there dreamily, as if possessed. He wanted so badly to know what it was. It was difficult for him to make a decision whether to stay or join him for Wenjiu. But when he saw those fires rising up, dragons flying and phoenixes dancing, as bizarre as a mirage, he was completely fascinated. He thought to himself that if there was such a big movement, Wenjiu would definitely come when he saw it, so he had no intention of going back. He jumped directly from the stone cliff and came to the stone beach. In the past, they rarely came here because the water was sometimes very dangerous and it was too difficult to move up and down. Now, in order to find out what this strange scene was and why it happened, he rushed to the seaside without hesitation.
The tide is receding, like a fire fueled by the sea. He moved forward step by step, gradually approaching the unknown red flame. He suddenly remembered that this scene seemed to be almost the same as the demon scene "Shiranui" mentioned in the book. But regarding the specific description and origin of Shiranui, no specific conclusion has been given in any book.
He couldn't get close to the fire, but they were clearly right in front of him. He neither felt the coldness of the water nor the heat of the fire, and all abilities of perception were deprived of him. Until finally, he saw it in a trance, until his consciousness became blurred. The last thing I saw in my memory was the brilliant red light like fireworks, and the sudden collapse of the ocean tide...
Then he woke up, in his bed. The junior sister said that he slept for two days and one night. No one could find them before, and someone discovered him after remembering that they often went to Shiya. He was washed up on the rocky beach by the sea water, and it took a lot of effort to get him up.
"Us?" Han Chang asked.
"...The warm wine is also missing," the junior sister paused, "and the master."
