Chapter 109
Chapter 109
If Huihui had not used his glamour spell to become a fair-skinned little boy in clean clothes who emerged from the weeds in the middle of nowhere–an utterly illogical situation–I probably could not have immediately realized that he was not human.
I would have needed to consciously draw qi from my dantian into my eyes before I could see the truth.
An illusion of this quality generally required an old spirit that had possessed awakened intelligence for at least ten years.
Do not believe the false and exaggerated depictions in films or novels, in which old monsters flew through the heavens, burrowed beneath the earth, and could do anything.
In reality, any wild animal that awakened intelligence could already be considered a spirit.
As an old rural saying put it: no chicken lives eight years, no dog ten; at twenty, an old ox sees all things yin.
In other words, common livestock such as chickens, dogs, and cattle spent their lives close to humans and absorbed human presence.
That made it comparatively easy for them to awaken intelligence, gain wisdom approaching that of a person, and become what people called spirits. Some even developed miraculous abilities…
For example, they might use glamour spells and other illusions to influence ordinary people with weak wills. But those tricks had little effect on someone with a strong bazi, abundant yang energy, and great courage.
In a fight, a spirit that had only recently awakened intelligence could easily be defeated and killed.
Of course, domesticated animals that became spirits generally did not harm their owners. They might even offer greater help.
But once an animal awakened, it unconsciously released yin energy.
Not only did this attract the covetous attention of strange things in the mountains, it also affected the household where the animal lived.
That was why such animals were generally not allowed to live so long.
If one survived and cultivated for another ten years after awakening intelligence, however, it could be considered an old spirit!
Ordinary people were absolutely incapable of dealing with an old spirit.
My confusion arose because the little gray fox before me was clearly young. From the perspective of an ordinary animal, he had probably reached adulthood only recently.
Yet the glamour spell he cast matched the power of an old spirit that had possessed awakened intelligence for at least ten years.
I had therefore agreed to visit his supposedly injured sister for two reasons. One was that he carried no baleforce and had clearly committed no terrible acts.
More important, I wanted to discover why his illusions were so powerful!
My instincts told me it had to be connected to the sister he mentioned.
Now I had followed him to the entrance of their cave.
The answer waited inside!
Without hesitation, I followed the little gray fox named Huihui into the cave.
The entrance was somewhat low, about five feet high and three feet wide. It formed a rounded arch and was mostly hidden by the surrounding weeds.
Anyone who did not look carefully would probably miss it!
I muttered inwardly, “I hope only the entrance is small. If the entire cave is this cramped, I’ll have to remain bent over, and fighting will be difficult if something happens.”
I pulled a flashlight from my backpack and switched it on.
Then I bent down, pushed aside the vines overhead, and crawled inside.
A cold current of air immediately struck my face.
Fortunately, it was only the ordinary chill of a cave, untainted by vicious baleforce or miasma.
It appeared that both residents truly were benevolent spirits.
I relaxed slightly.
Fortunately, only the entrance was narrow. After walking three or four yards with my back bent, the passage opened into a much larger space.
At least I could straighten my spine and walk normally.
Another few yards brought me to a round cavern.
A heap of soft, dry grass lay in one corner.
Resting upon it was an enormous white rabbit!
Yes, a fluffy rabbit.
But she was as large as a full-grown farm dog!
I stared in astonishment.
I had never seen such a huge rabbit!
Even a rabbit that had become a spirit should not have grown to such an absurd size, should it?
“Could she be an old spirit more than fifty years old?”
My heart jolted.
Master had told me that in the present age, ancient spirits over fifty years old existed only deep within remote primeval forests where few humans ever ventured.
They were extraordinarily rare near towns.
Wujia Village was indeed isolated and among the most remote villages under Lianghe Town, but it was hardly an uninhabited primeval forest!
An animal spirit that reached such an age possessed intelligence and a mind virtually indistinguishable from a human’s, even if its body remained that of a beast.
“Could this enormous white rabbit really be one of those legendary ancient spirits? It doesn’t seem like one. She lacks that kind of presence.”
I remained at a distance, studying her and thinking silently.
I had never encountered a powerful spirit more than fifty years old, but surely such a being would possess an extraordinary aura.
Even standing motionless, it should inspire heart-quailing dread.
But this gigantic rabbit did not.
I observed her more carefully…
A long, deep wound ran down her right leg.
It began slightly behind her abdomen and extended along the thigh almost to her paw.
The cut was so deep that it peeled back her thick white fur, exposing a bloody mess beneath.
She appeared to have been injured for some time, and the wound had begun to fester. The blood around it had darkened, and I could even smell the faint odor of decay.
The little gray fox raced to the white rabbit’s side, yipping continuously. As he cried, he looked back at me and pointed with one paw.
Only after a long moment did the rabbit slowly open her eyes…