Chapter 57

Chapter 57

After hearing the fox spirit’s plea, Xie Qingling and Dai Xingyu could not help exchanging a glance.

They had seen ghosts ask for help before, but this was the first time a monster had sought help on a human’s behalf.

Even granting, for argument’s sake, that this fox spirit truly was benevolent, what was his relationship with Xia Ke’er?

Why was he asking for help on her behalf?

Xie Qingling had left Xia Ke’er a note. If Xia Ke’er had possessed even a little sense and wanted to save herself, she should have seized the opportunity to find Xie Qingling. But judging by the way Xia Ke’er had papered over the problem and pretended nothing had happened, she was clearly too far gone to turn back.

A hopelessly obstinate human and a monster willing to step forward to help her – the situation seemed strange no matter how Xie Qingling examined it.

Her brows drew together slightly.

She touched her ear and gestured toward where an earpiece would hang, signaling Dai Xingyu with her eyes.

Xie Qingling looked at the fox spirit’s ethereal, deceptively immortal face. “Since you know I left a note, you should also know I left it for Xia Ke’er. If she doesn’t have long to live, why didn’t she come to me herself? Why send you? Is the great celebrity too important to lower herself?”

Dai Xingyu added, “If Xia Ke’er truly invited a little ghost and is now paying the price after it turned on her, all we can do is catch it and prevent her from sinking any deeper. She’ll still have to repay the karma she incurred before. If someone steals what never belonged to them by cheating their way ahead, it won’t belong to them in the end.”

“The way of heaven dictates that for every gain, something must be lost. How could I fail to understand that?” the fox spirit replied calmly. “Everyone must repay the karmic debts they incur. I’m not asking you to keep her entirely safe. But… please find a way to make her stop this absurd transaction. If she stops now, she can at least survive.”

“So she really is keeping a little ghost?” Xie Qingling asked, then immediately sensed something was wrong. “No. That can’t be right. If it were only a little ghost, your abilities would be more than enough to drive it away if you wanted to help her. You wouldn’t need to beg us.”

The fox spirit’s vertical pupils slowly shifted toward Xie Qingling. His pale lips parted as he said, “My name is Xia Tian. I am the Fox Immortal worshipped by Xia Ke’er – what people like you usually call a Household Guardian Immortal.”

Confusion appeared on Xie Qingling’s face.

She had only recently joined the department and knew little about the countless strange rules and legends passed down among ordinary people. Those legends also took different forms in isolated regions with different customs. Learning them all in a short time was essentially impossible.

Dai Xingyu explained the fox spirit’s meaning to Xie Qingling. “A Household Guardian Immortal is a form of folk worship in which a family invites the ‘Five Immortals’ into its home and makes offerings to them. They are the Fox Immortal, a fox; the Weasel Immortal, a weasel; the Hedgehog Immortal, a hedgehog; the Snake Immortal, a great serpent; and the Rat Immortal, a rat. They protect the household, ward off disaster, and drive away evil.”

“This fellow means he’s the Fox Immortal among the Five Immortals.”

So he was the “little ghost” Xia Ke’er had raised.

Except he was not a little ghost. He was a Household Guardian Immortal.

There were still certain things Xie Qingling did not understand.

She asked, “Since you’re a Household Guardian Immortal and Xia Ke’er is the person who worships you, why don’t you settle this between yourselves? As long as you don’t harm her, will she still die?”

A trace of reluctance crossed Xia Tian’s face. There seemed to be regret in it, as well as pain. All in all, his emotions were complicated.

Compared with the other ghosts and monsters they had encountered, Xia Tian’s cultivation was quite profound.

Setting aside his divine abilities, in terms of “being human” alone, he was leagues ahead of the Painted-Skin Ghost.

Whether in the grief on his face or the anguish in his eyes, there was no trace of deceit.

He seemed to have truly learned how to be human, understood human nature, and acquired human emotions.

If he had not revealed his true form himself, he would have looked like a real human being.

An independent person with thoughts and ideas of his own.

“Let me tell you a story first,” Xia Tian said. “It’s rather long, but if I don’t tell it, I’m afraid you won’t believe me easily.”

And so he began recounting his past with Xia Ke’er.

Xia Tian and Xia Ke’er had met one summer.

At the time, he was not yet called Xia Tian. He had no name and was merely a little fox cultivating alone in the remote mountains.

Incense offerings had dwindled, and the gods had fallen. Even minor monsters like him that cultivated in the mountains had become rare in the mortal realm.

He had no kin, only himself. A fox that had cultivated into a spirit was still a fox, yet no longer merely a fox. He wanted to become human, yet he was not human either.
“Later, deep in the mountains, I met Xia Ke’er when she entered with a film crew to shoot on location.” Reminiscence appeared on Xia Tian’s face. “It was a summer filled with cicadas. Dressed in white, she performed a ritual dance for blessings. The moonlight flowed like water, and she looked so beautiful, so sacred. At the time, I knew nothing of the mortal realm. I didn’t know she was only a dance double, quietly practicing a dance the audience would most likely never see. I thought I had encountered a shaman-priestess bestowing blessings. I wanted to receive her enlightenment, so I approached her for a Title-Seeking Rite.”

“She was terrified and had no idea how to respond. I knew then that she wasn’t the shaman-priestess I sought and couldn’t enlighten me, but she was a kind young woman. She said I looked like a god, and thus I became what I am now. Unfortunately, my cultivation was insufficient, and I did not truly ascend.”

“To repay her, I followed her home and became her Household Guardian Immortal. At the time, she was still an unknown young dancer. Every day, she told me about her frustrations at work and the dreams and desires she had yet to fulfill.”

“As a Household Guardian Immortal, I couldn’t refuse her requests. Once I knew what she sought, a contractual, symbiotic relationship naturally formed between us. I helped make her wishes come true, and she continued supplying me with incense offerings.”

“So-called worship is really a transaction. She gave me incense offerings to sustain my cultivation, and I ensured her wishes came true and brought her fame and success. That was how the story began. But later…”

“The contract between us began with me, but I cannot end it myself.”

“This worship continued for two years. Xia Ke’er became more and more famous, but she also grew increasingly dependent on me. She demanded perfection. Before every performance, she prayed to me for protection and asked me to make her performance even more flawless. In the end, she became obsessed. She wanted everything, and she wanted everything she did to be perfect. Eventually… eventually, her obsession grew increasingly mad, and her body began to develop problems.”

“After all, worship requires an offering. The more one asks for, the more precious the offering must be. Every time she made a wish, she said she would pay any price for a perfect performance. Yet her idea of ‘any price’ was terribly vague. She didn’t know what she was about to pay.”

“This can’t continue. If it does, she’ll die. She will die!” Xia Tian’s voice grew faintly agitated.

“I tried to end our relationship and stop accepting her incense offerings, but she refused to let me leave,” Xia Tian said. “She has everything now, yet she’s still dissatisfied. With my own hands, I kindled a tiny spark. Later, that spark became a prairie fire, its flames surging toward the heavens and nearly consuming all reason and life. Yet I have no way to stop it.”

“I can’t convince her, and she refuses to heed my warnings. That’s why I need your help.”

Sorrow filled Xia Tian’s eyes. “I truly don’t want to hurt her, but the situation has escaped my control. Unless she stops worshipping me, I cannot end this transaction between us.”

Dai Xingyu understood.

So this was nothing more than the terribly clichéd story of a fox repaying a kindness.

Except good intentions had gone awry. Once human desire was unleashed, it ran out of control and became impossible to contain.

By now, Xia Ke’er was trapped too deeply. Blinded by the dazzling splendor of fame and fortune, she refused to turn back and did not have long to live.

If the story had not taken such a terrible turn, the bond between this human and monster would have been wondrous enough to celebrate.

What a pity.

Amid his regret, Dai Xingyu asked, “You’re a Household Guardian Immortal, at least. Why is an Immortal’s power this sinister too?”

Xia Tian did not answer. His expression darkened, and no one could tell what he was thinking.

“Is that the end of your story?” Xie Qingling suddenly asked.

Xia Tian paused, then nodded. “That’s the end.”

“Nothing else to add?”

Xia Tian shook his head and looked at her with a slight frown. “At this point, I count as half an Immortal. Do you think I would lie to you? Xia Ke’er’s situation is exactly as I described it. Isn’t protecting her from harm your responsibility?”

“Of course I believe you. The part about Xia Ke’er is true.” Xie Qingling’s expression abruptly turned cold, and she demanded sharply, “But what about the part concerning you? Are you truly that pure and harmless? Did you really approach her only to repay a kindness?”

“What do you mean?” Xia Tian stepped back, his spine curving slightly as his body assumed a defensive posture.

“The people who saw the performance and then fell seriously ill – that was your doing, wasn’t it? Don’t you intend to explain that part?” Xie Qingling raised Bloodsworn again and prepared to attack.

Dai Xingyu froze. Sensing that something was wrong and the situation was not nearly as simple as he had imagined, his expression instantly became grim.
“Killing Field!” Xie Qingling shouted.

Dai Xingyu immediately cooperated, releasing the Killing Field and trapping Xia Tian inside.

The three of them were poised to strike. The atmosphere, fairly harmonious just moments before, instantly became tense and hostile.

Xia Tian had not expected the two people who had been listening to his story to turn their blades on him in an instant. His expression darkened until it was positively stormy. Beneath the night sky, that ethereal, immortal face twisted into a fox’s visage. At last, a trace of monstrous strangeness appeared, making him look profoundly eerie.

All four of his limbs became a fox’s paws. Though his torso retained a human shape and he still stood upright like a man, his bestial form had already emerged.

Dai Xingyu shouted, “Brazen monster! You really were lying to us!”

Thank goodness Xie Qingling was sharp! He had almost been fooled by the story Xia Tian had spun!

Wretched fox spirit. Cunning fox spirit. He was far too skilled at manipulating people’s hearts!

Dai Xingyu was now filled with the fury of someone who had been deceived.

“Why waste so many words on him? No matter how you look at it, isn’t Xia Tian responsible for the way Xia Ke’er ended up? He fed her appetite with his own hands, then turned around and blamed her for failing to restrain her ambition. Whether his story is true or false, we can capture him and question him thoroughly. Then won’t Xia Ke’er’s problem solve itself?” Xie Qingling’s face was expressionless as she said calmly, “Don’t forget, our duty is to protect humanity and preserve the order of a society made by humans. We aren’t here to solve these creatures’ troubles. Remember which side you’re on, little brother.”

Dai Xingyu was speechless.

Revelation struck him like a cleansing bolt.

Xie Qingling truly was Xie Qingling! As expected of the woman who had copied the workplace rules so many times! As expected of the woman who had written so many self-criticisms! She knew exactly where she stood!

Deeply ashamed, Dai Xingyu took out the only weapon he owned as a Groom – a shield.

The shield was originally only the size of his palm. After Dai Xingyu pressed a button, tiny metal plates automatically disassembled and recombined, transforming into a shield as large as a human head.

Dai Xingyu moved to Xie Qingling’s side, prepared to face the enemy with her.

The two of them against a half-Immortal fox spirit. Who knew whether they stood a chance…

“Do you think you can defeat me?” Xia Tian sneered. “Don’t force me to act. I told you, I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Xie Qingling said nothing, but neither did she charge him directly.

She glanced at the seal-script character *zun* carved into Bloodsworn, then calmly shifted her gaze away.

The vessel had already absorbed a considerable amount of energy. Every time the blade struck a ghost or monster, it stored part of their energy. Once the vessel was full, that energy could be released and used.

Unfortunately, Xie Qingling’s vessel was not full yet. It still lacked a little.

“Put down your blade. I didn’t come here to fight you.” A smile appeared on Xia Tian’s fox face, though it looked exceptionally eerie.

“Everything I said was true. I didn’t deceive you. I cultivate through an orthodox path to immortality and have never taken a human life. You are no match for me,” Xia Tian said. “Strictly speaking, I’m not a fox spirit. I’m a Fox Immortal.”

Xie Qingling’s attitude did not soften.

“So what if you’re a Fox Immortal? If you’ve broken the rules, we’ll capture you all the same!”

Dai Xingyu was speechless.

His face covered in imaginary black lines, Dai Xingyu was about to complain that Xie Qingling was far too arrogant. Then he remembered that the equipment cases they took on missions always contained a deity shrine, and he fell silent.

The Ghost-Binding Banner was used to catch ghosts. Then what was the deity shrine for?

He had never used a deity shrine before, but…

After Xie Qingling’s reminder, Dai Xingyu suddenly realized that Future City was far too peaceful and saw too few supernatural incidents.

Though every equipment case they carried contained a deity shrine, they had never once used one.

Dai Xingyu was a veteran employee and had overlooked that detail. Yet Xie Qingling, who had only just joined the department, had realized before him that even a god must be cut down if they broke the rules.

At that moment, Dai Xingyu sincerely felt that perhaps he really was the little brother here.

Just then, the low rumble of motorcycle engines sounded, drawing closer and closer.

Xie Qingling’s cold expression suddenly broke into a smile.

“I told you there was no point wasting so many words on you. Stupid fox spirit. You couldn’t even tell I was stalling for time.”

“I had Dai Xingyu notify the Director and the others right from the start.”

“The rest of our department is here. Now let’s see how capable this Fox Immortal truly is,” Xie Qingling said.