The妖族have been different from humans since the Ancient Era.
They mostly cherish freedom and dislike control, living scattered across various regions.
Except for a very few who, out of personal interest, secretly hide among humans to live alongside them, the rest choose to roam the clouds or hide in the forests, making it difficult to find their true forms and living freely.
“It wasn’t until the war ten thousand years ago began, when the妖族realized that fighting alone was futile, that we truly grasped the concept of unity. Under the leadership of my great-great-great-great-grandmother, all the妖joined forces to repel the invaders and established the Ancient Kingdom of Hundred Demons. This, is the history of my kingdom. How do you like it, Benefactor? Quite interesting, isn’t it?”
Beneath a towering ancient tree with lush branches and leaves, Tu Shan Huaizhi, dressed in a white gown, held a book titled [Bai Yao Brief History] and recited softly.
Opposite her, Yun Mu leaned against the tree, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
The girl was the first妖he met after waking up from being captured — a little fox妖who kept calling him “Benefactor.”
At first, he didn’t quite believe her identity.
Though her aura was friendly, given how Hu Delu had forcibly kidnapped him, he couldn’t help but be cautious, even towards a fellow妖族like Tu Shan Huaizhi.
It wasn’t until the girl told him, in vivid detail, how she was saved by him when she was being mischievous, and described every time the boy went to pay respects to Lin Xizhi, that he slightly lowered his guard and started chatting with her, albeit halfheartedly.
“Miss Huaizhi, so if I understand correctly, you’re actually a princess of a kingdom, right?”
“Princess? Hmm… I suppose so? Other妖usually call my mother the Empress, but I don’t like that title much — it feels too high-profile.”
“You don’t like it? Such a position is envied by many in the human world. How should I put it…”
He paused slightly, exaggerating a bit, “It’s the status of an upper echelon!”
“So… Benefactor, would you envy such a status?”
The little fox妖closed her book and shifted forward twice before finally standing up to sit beside the boy.
She lifted her gaze to look at the flowing white silk, her pink tail flicking unconsciously, lightly brushing against his arm.
“Saying I’m not envious is a lie, but saying I am, is also a lie. So… I can’t give you an answer.”
“Eh, Benefactor, why do you speak so confusingly now, just like my mother? I clearly remember you never talked like this before.”
“Uh… now that you say it, it does seem so. I’m not sure why — it just happened naturally.”
“Naturally? Isn’t that talent? I always thought you were smart, no wonder mother wanted to adopt you as her Adopted Son…”
“Adopted Son?”
“Yes. Every year when I visit you, mother secretly follows along. A few years ago, she kept telling me that when the time was right, she would take you in as her Adopted Son, but then…”
The girl fell silent.
Her tail stopped wagging and drooped down.
She kept staring at a swaying white silk thread with a saddened expression.
She had long noticed Yun Mu’s physical condition, had long noticed those eyes that could no longer see the world.
She was deeply saddened because the boy had lost what she considered the most vital sense.
And because he had never seen her in this current form before.
“Even though I worked hard to learn how to take human shape just to meet you, Benefactor…”
The girl murmured softly, her face filled with sorrow.
Unfortunately, Yun Mu couldn’t see her expression or hear those faint words.
He only repeated the word “Adopted Son” silently, sinking into thought.
This information clearly caught him off guard, even contradicting what he had just heard.
Though he had little prior knowledge of the Hundred Demons, from the contents of [Bai Yao Brief History] that Tu Shan Huaizhi read earlier, since that war, the relationship between妖族and humans has mostly been strained.
Even in this peaceful era, deep down, most妖still harbor resentment toward humans.
Yet now, this little fox妖was telling him that her mother wanted to adopt him as an Adopted Son and that she was even the Empress of the Hundred Demons.
Such a fantastical claim was unheard of in his life.
Besides, he had only saved the girl’s life.
Given her status as a妖族princess, she wouldn’t have truly been in danger without him.
So in his mind, if the Empress offered him some reward, that was already more than fair.
Even if she didn’t, it would be understandable and no big deal.
Could it be they were after my body?
But my most useful eyes and bones have already been taken.
How would they suddenly adopt a cripple for no reason?
Or maybe, there was some other part of me that was valuable?
To be honest, he found it hard to believe anyone would be kind to him without reason.
Feeling his star energy slowly ebbing from his body, Yun Mu could no longer justify things to himself.
Just as he was about to ask more questions, he suddenly felt a warmth in his arms.
The girl, who had been sitting beside him, had quietly slipped into his embrace while he was distracted.
Feeling the warmth near his chest, he instinctively tried to push her away, but there was nothing to push off.
Instead, in his arms was a small, fluffy pink fox.
The already light girl now felt even lighter.
Feeling the soft tail beneath his palm, Yun Mu lowered his eyes slightly, and a delicate “woo woo” sound rang softly beside his ear.
“You want me to hold your tail? Are you sure? A fox’s tail should be very sensitive, right?”
“Woo~”
“Is that okay? Alright, then I’ll be gentle…”
The warmer feeling brought by the girl’s fox form made him agree without hesitation.
Gently gripping the fluffy tail, it lightly brushed his palm.
With pink妖力flowing from the girl, a comforting and peaceful sensation rippled through Yun Mu’s heart.
His previously tense nerves gradually relaxed with this contact.
The wind softly stirred, leaves gently fell, and he released his hand from the tail, letting his arm fall naturally.
He began to stroke in the direction of the fur, the touch between妖and human deepening rather than breaking.
Unnoticed, Tu Shan Huaizhi, lulled by the soft caress and breeze, had fallen soundly asleep.
Listening to the gentle breathing and light snores of the little fox in his arms, the boy’s lips curved into a faint smile.
He leaned back against the ancient tree and looked up wordlessly.
Images he had never seen before surfaced in his mind.
On a cliff above, amidst a sea of flowers, the girl sat barefoot, wearing a flower crown woven from blossoms.
Her small, delicate pink ears twitched, and her fluffy tail swayed gently.
Around her danced fluttering butterflies.
Then their eyes met, smiles blooming like flowers.
Before him were amber eyes as clear and pure as a mountain spring, warm and soothing to the heart.
Yun Mu “saw” the girl’s true form, uncertain if it was real, but his heart was calm.
Not far away, just beyond the reach of the ancient tree’s leaves, two figures stood silently on a cliff, watching everything unfold.
“Eleven, you mean Huaizhi was angry after discovering Yun Mu’s eyes were damaged, so she didn’t come to me immediately but deliberately brought him here?”
“Mm, after all, when we met half a month ago, he was fine. For her to suddenly react like this, some temper is normal.”
Tu Shan Yunxi said nothing in response.
She raised her hand and gently plucked a leaf from the towering ancient tree before them.
She infused some妖力into it and tossed it into the air, letting it spin with the wind.
Only when the leaf gently floated back into her hand did she speak.
“You see, bringing him back at this moment was the right choice. The Prophecy Ancient Tree’s leaves haven’t withered, and my妖力has not been returned.”
“But the Prophecy Tree didn’t want you to bring back Yun Mu, right? And this ancient tree has long since lost much of its power, hasn’t it?”
“No, it didn’t prevent it. But… that doesn’t matter. After all, this child not only saved Huaizhi’s life but also… has a strong bond with you.”
“Me?”
Eleven withdrew her gaze and looked at the woman smiling beside her.
Her deep, ink-like eyes were filled with confusion.
“Is that something the prophecy told you?”
“No, that message doesn’t need the tree to foretell… To be honest, I don’t trust this tree much.”
She plucked another leaf.
This time, she didn’t infuse it with妖力but simply let it fall to the ground, turning instantly into a withered leaf sinking into the soil.
“My sister died because of those so-called prophecies, but the outcome was never changed, was it?”
“Later, I took the Empire even with the prophecy, and still nothing went wrong, right? Two failures… I have no reason to trust it anymore.”
“Besides, as you said, it’s just a relic left behind from an old era. Since I took this throne and inherited the method to use it, I’ve sensed its weakening power. Can such a tree’s prophecies still be accurate?”
“I have no right to judge.”
Eleven shook her head.
She wasn’t sure, as she hadn’t been on this land long enough.
A few short years was far too little time to truly understand the so-called prophecy, let alone question it.
“Heh… That answer suits your personality well.”
Tu Shan Huaizhi wasn’t offended by her answer and continued on her own.
“妖who yearn for freedom dislike being bound by kings and nations. Even against strong enemies, we fight to the death. This ancient tree is one of the very few things that can make these rebellious妖listen.”
“To this country, it has long become a kind of faith. But to me, all the prophecies it makes now are only used to assist me in achieving what I desire.”
“So… you treat this ancient tree, which is extremely important to all妖, as a tool to defy fate?”
“Exactly. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
“Fitting for your personality.”
At her words, Tu Shan Yunxi smiled slightly.
She raised her delicate hand to the woman called Eleven.
In her palm lay two peach blossom petals frozen in ice.
“This is…?”
“As you see, two Peach Blossom Petals sealed by me.”
“For me?”
“Mm… I specially made the long trip to pick them for you. I thought you’d like them.”
Eleven reached out and took the vividly blooming Peach Blossom Petals.
Her heart inexplicably trembled, as if the petals were intertwined with her fate.
She instinctively looked up at the woman beside her.
But the woman had vanished.
Lowering her eyes, she saw Yun Mu sitting quietly.
It felt like their gazes met, yet there was no real feeling.
She withdrew the petals and only heard a soft smile, the reason unknown.