When I was still a little fox, the crown prince rescued me from a trap.
He took me home and raised me for nine years.
Then, at fifteen, he fell in love with a girl.
The imperial family said her birth was beneath him.
So I found him a divine herb that could summon the image of a phoenix in the sky.
On their wedding day, I happily went off to the feast to sneak a bite of pork knuckle.
Before I could get any, he came to feed me a bowl of meat broth, just as he always did.
I drank it and passed out as though drunk.
When I woke, my inner core was gone.
I sacrificed three tails just to cling to life.
Taking human form, I returned to his side.
And saw my inner core hanging around the neck of his beloved wife.