Chapter Twenty-Five: The Mountain Lord Faces the Tribulation
At the end of September in the twentieth year of the Zhenguan era, the land of Liaodong was entering winter, ushering in its first snowfall of the year. Yet in the region of Mount Taibai, the sky was not only filled with snow, but also resounded with thunder; the deafening peals echoed through the mountains, while lightning split the heavens, each flash like a blade tearing the night, the spectacle both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Thunder in winter—such anomaly was regarded as a portent, a sign of the supernatural.
Beside the waterfall of Heaven Lake, streaks of lightning illuminated the white fox’s face, casting it alternately into brightness and shadow. Despite this, the fox continued to gaze upward, its mood unshaken, save for a faint melancholy in its eyes.
“Fifth Brother!” The sudden call rang out, followed by a beam of azure light descending from the heavens. A man dressed in sumptuous robes appeared before the white fox, none other than King Fox, Toushan Qing.
The white fox replied calmly, “So it’s you, eldest brother. What brings you here?”
King Fox’s expression was tinged with urgency. “Fifth Brother, have you not noticed the thunder and lightning filling the sky? Such a phenomenon clearly means a demon is crossing the celestial tribulation!”
The white fox was indifferent. “So what if a demon is crossing the tribulation? What does it have to do with me?”
“Fifth Brother, think carefully. In Mount Taibai, how many demons are nearly six hundred years old? Besides the mountain lord, who else could it be?”
“Heh. If his time has come, isn’t it perfectly natural for him to cross the tribulation?”
“It is natural, but do you realize that if he succeeds, it will be a grave disadvantage for our fox clan? I am deeply troubled by this!”
“Eldest brother, you have over a thousand years of cultivation. Is it necessary to fear a newcomer with only six hundred years? Are you not worried about making yourself a laughingstock?”
King Fox’s face darkened, but soon composed himself. “Though I have a thousand years, the mountain lord is the bane of foxes. What can I do against him? In the past, I could contend with him by virtue of my cultivation, but if he passes the tribulation, his power will grow immensely. He will become even more arrogant, and the pact of mutual noninterference between us will be void. Then, our fox descendants will know no peace! Fifth Brother, your cultivation far surpasses mine. You must help me in this matter.”
The white fox said, “Eldest brother, those are your fox descendants, not mine. Their fate has nothing to do with me.”
King Fox’s face showed a hint of anger. “Fifth Brother, the foundation of Fox Valley was built by our father’s own hand. It is our home. How can you say it has nothing to do with you?”
“Home? Perhaps it was once so, but after our father passed, it ceased to be. I’ve been imprisoned here for over seventy years, and not one fox descendant has come to see me—not even you, save for rare occasions. Can such a place be called home?”
King Fox was momentarily stunned, then, after a long pause, his anger turned to a smile. “Fifth Brother, it was my fault. I owe you an apology, and I promise to mend my ways! Surely you must be lonely here. How about I send a beautiful fox maiden to serve you?”
The white fox narrowed its eyes. “Eldest brother, are you trying to bargain with me?”
“We are brothers. Why speak so harshly? I’m simply asking—are you satisfied with this offer?”
“Heh, eldest brother, your fox maidens seduce men for cultivation, draining their life essence. Do you truly think I could desire such filth?”
A look of surprise flickered in King Fox’s eyes as he smiled at the white fox. “Fifth Brother, you really are a puzzle to me! What does chastity mean to foxes? Cultivation is the true path. The more men they seduce, the more alluring and insightful those fox maidens become. Wasn’t that what you used to like most? Have you become as prudish as mortals after living among them for so long?”
“So what if I have? I still want nothing to do with your fox maidens. But if you want my help, it’s not impossible—on one condition.”
“Oh? What condition?”
The white fox looked at King Fox, enunciating each word. “Release the seal placed on me by the Emperor.”
King Fox’s face changed dramatically, his expression twisting with distress. “Fifth Brother, you’ve asked this more than once, but I’ve told you—I truly dare not. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
“If you refuse, then I’ll pretend you never came.”
King Fox angrily retorted, “Fifth Brother, how can you be so heartless? Do you not value brotherhood?”
The white fox sneered, “Eldest brother, do you truly value brotherhood? You know well why I bear enmity with the Emperor, yet you feign ignorance to this day! Worse, when I could have sought justice from the Old Lord, only you knew my whereabouts. If you hadn’t revealed them to the Emperor, how could he have intercepted me and imprisoned me here? Can you honestly say your conscience is clear?”
King Fox’s face flushed red. After a long silence, he spat out, “Don’t slander me! Fine, since you distrust me, let’s pretend I never came. I’ll deal with the mountain lord myself. From now on, each to his own fate!” With a flick of his sleeve, he transformed into a beam of azure light and vanished.
“Heh heh heh heh—” After King Fox departed, the white fox continued to laugh coldly. Eventually, it laid its head upon a stone, indifferent to the intensifying thunder and lightning, its eyes betraying an irrepressible hollowness and loneliness.
“Hong Gu, Hong Gu, you have been gone for over a month. Why haven’t you returned? Have you truly left me for good?”
October of the twentieth year of Zhenguan, Youzhou City.
“Hey, black brother, could you please remove the charm from my back? I’ll be forever grateful!”
“By the way, where are you from—Ethiopia or Congo?”
“I beg you, could you just say something? Aren’t you able to speak Tang language?”
“Hey, where did your master go?”
Inside a cramped and unremarkable inn room, Zhou Hongxian tapped her finger restlessly on the table, her face clouded with misery. Not far from her, the Kunlun slave Aji stood like a stone by the door, silent no matter what she said.
Unable to bear it, Zhou Hongxian buried her hands in her hair, lamenting, “I beg you, take me to Chang’an quickly! Even if I end up as canned fox meat, it’s better than being tormented to madness by you!”
Her despair was not unwarranted; her patience had reached its limit.
For more than a month now, this Kunlun slave Aji and his master Qiu Miao had abducted her from Yanhe Town all the way to Youzhou. Qiu Miao, wary of her fox demon identity and fearing he might be bewitched, refused to speak to her throughout the journey, and forbade Aji from doing so as well.
Worse still, Qiu Miao treated her as mere cargo. During their travels, he had Aji stuff her into a burlap sack, letting her out only when they stopped to rest. Most of the time, Zhou Hongxian was trapped in darkness, unable to distinguish day from night, as if stranded on a deserted island in a tale of castaways, accumulating endless frustration and oppression.
Someone knocked at the door, and Qiu Miao’s voice followed, “Aji, bring her. We must continue our journey!”
Aji finally spoke, “Yes, master!”
“You pair of trash, you’ll pay for—” Before she could finish her curse, Zhou Hongxian’s mouth was stuffed with cloth, and she was forcibly thrust back into the sack.
Qiu Miao and Aji left Youzhou City, continuing southward. After several days, they passed through Cangzhou, and by mid-October, they lost their way, arriving before a range of lofty mountains.
Seeing nothing but wilderness ahead and behind, Qiu Miao grew anxious. “Ah, I shouldn’t have taken this shortcut! By rights, further south should be Husu County, but in these wild mountains, direction is impossible. What should I do?”
He fretted for a long while until he spotted a middle-aged man dressed as a woodcutter in the distance. Brightening instantly, he called out, “Good fellow, could you tell me the way to Husu County?”
The woodcutter, surprised to encounter Qiu Miao here, looked at Aji, his eyes flashing with curiosity. “Sir, you’re heading to Husu County?”
“Exactly. Might you show me the way? I’ll be sure to reward you!”
The woodcutter’s eyes gleamed, and he replied with a cheerful smile, “That’s easy. My home is just outside Husu County—I can lead you there!”
Qiu Miao was delighted and set off with Aji, following the woodcutter.
“Your accent doesn’t sound local. What brings you to these wild mountains?”
“I’m from Luoyang. I came to Youzhou to visit a friend, but lost my way on the return, which is how I ended up here.”
“Oh, I see! Careful where you step, sir.”
After walking for quite a while in the mountains, the woodcutter suddenly remarked, “Your servant’s appearance is extraordinary. Is he one of those legendary Kunlun slaves?”
Qiu Miao’s heart jumped at this, wondering how a rural woodcutter could recognize a Kunlun slave. As he pondered how to respond, the woodcutter spoke again, “I’ve heard that a Kunlun slave in Chang’an or Luoyang can fetch ten taels of gold, and those of pure black complexion like yours are worth hundreds. Is that true?”
Qiu Miao broke out in a cold sweat, evading, “You jest, good fellow. This is mere hearsay. Look at how ugly Kunlun slaves are—how could they be worth such a price?”
The woodcutter suddenly turned, staring straight at Qiu Miao. “You dare lie even here? Seems you have no intention of being a sheep led to slaughter.”
Qiu Miao’s heart raced, his voice sharp. “Who are you? Why disguise yourself as a woodcutter?”
The woodcutter burst out laughing, then whistled loudly. Instantly, shouts erupted from all directions in the forest. Qiu Miao now knew what was happening; his arms dropped in defeat, his face ashen with despair. “What curse have I brought upon myself? Whether coming or going, I am beset by thieves.”
(Author’s note: Lately, I’ve been trying to plot the next chapters, but I have no idea how to transition. Inspiration has eluded me, and writing has been exhausting, with constant revisions and delays.)