Chapter 49: Tu Baili

‘Yip… where am I?’

The white fox didn’t know how long she had been unconscious. When her consciousness returned and she opened her eyes, she found herself lying amidst monk robes.

This seemed to be a human house.

The white fox reflexively moved her hind leg. It felt cool and didn’t seem to hurt much anymore. A white cloth was wrapped around the injury, emitting a pleasant herbal fragrance.

“Yip~”

The white fox tilted her head in confusion, remembering everything that had happened before she fainted.

There was a little monk… was it the little monk who saved her?

‘How is that possible?’ the white fox thought in disbelief. ‘I’m a demon.’

Oh, she hadn’t transformed yet, and her cultivation wasn’t high. She was no different from a small animal…

*Creak — *

Just as the white fox was thinking, the wooden door was gently opened. A novice monk walked in, carrying a bowl of hot soup.

“You’re awake.” The little monk smiled at her and walked over with the bowl. “Have some vegetarian soup. You’re a fox, so you probably need meat… but we only have this in the temple.”

As he spoke, he carefully placed the bowl in front of the white fox.

The white fox didn’t bare her teeth again, sensing no malice from the novice monk in front of her. She leaned closer to the soup, sniffed it, then looked up at him.

“Drink it, go ahead,” Jiang Tong said softly with a smile.

‘He really seems like a good person…’

‘Even if he’s a bit silly and doesn’t know foxes eat meat, he’s still a good person.’

The little white fox lowered her head, extended her pink tongue, and began to lick the soup bit by bit.

Jiang Tong crouched down beside her, cupping his face in his hands as he watched the fox drink, his eyes filled with warmth.

After finishing the soup, the little white fox lay back quietly in the monk robes. She didn’t growl or snap, clearly aware that Jiang Tong meant no harm.

The human and the fox looked into each other’s eyes, and the fox tilted her head in confusion.

“Little white fox, my name is Jiang Tong.”

Jiang Tong pointed to himself and then asked her, “What is your name?”

The fox blinked, startled, and shook her head.

She called her sister Honghong, and her sister called her Baibai, but those weren’t real names. They were just for convenience.

“You don’t have a name?” Jiang Tong noticed her gesture and thought for a moment. “How about… I give you one?”

Hearing this, the little white fox nodded repeatedly, her expression full of anticipation.

‘I… I can have a name too?’

“The fox clans have the Qingqiu and Tushan families… for your surname, let’s use ‘Tu’.”

Jiang Tong gazed at her fur.

“Your fur is so white, as clear and bright as glazed glass…”

“From now on, I’ll call you Tu Baili.”

‘Tu Baili, Tu Baili…’

The little fox repeated the name in her heart, barking happily at Jiang Tong.

“Yip, yip!”

“Do you like the name?” Jiang Tong was also happy seeing her bright black eyes.

“From now on, you’re Tu Baili.”

“Yip yip~”

—

Half a month passed in a flash.

The little white fox’s injuries were severe, and it wasn’t until now that she could barely walk.

Every morning, Jiang Tong would go to Lingyin Temple. Once his work as a novice monk was finished, he would return to the courtyard to change her bandages and cook vegetarian soup.

The white fox saw everything he did.

‘Why is a monk being so good to me?’

Her small brain whirled, unable to find an answer.

However… she was certain of one thing. The person in front of her named Jiang Tong was her benefactor.

That evening, after Jiang Tong finished feeding the little white fox, he picked up the empty bowl to wash it.

“Yip yip~”

The little white fox called out to him, her large eyes sparkling.

“Are you not full?” Jiang Tong didn’t understand her meaning and spoke apologetically. “You must be starving from only drinking vegetarian soup. I’ll go cook another bowl for you.”

He turned to head toward the kitchen.

“Yip!”

In a panic, the fox reached out and bit the corner of his robe, tugging it toward her.

“Little fox, do you want me to come back?”

The fox nodded and watched the novice monk crouch down.

She opened her mouth, and on the tip of her pink tongue sat a small, white hemisphere.

This was actually half of her demon core. She intended to give half of her core to her benefactor.

The little white fox dropped the core into Jiang Tong’s palm, then lay down and covered her face with her fluffy tail. But behind that fluffy tail, her eyes were wide and unblinking, watching him nervously.

“Is this a gift for me?”

“Yip~” the white fox cried softly.

“Thank you!”

Jiang Tong turned it over in his hand and smiled. “I will treasure it.”

The little fox’s eyes brightened.

Only after the little monk carefully tucked the core away and left the room with the empty bowl did she move her tail.

‘From now on, I have to repay his kindness…’ the white fox murmured to herself. ‘He’s a good person, he must be…’

Even though she was a fox, and he was a monk.

Days passed, and her spirits gradually improved. Under Jiang Tong’s meticulous care, she became able to walk and run, and her hind leg was mostly healed.

One month after arriving at the small courtyard, the white fox was completely recovered. Although the fur on her leg hadn’t fully grown back and looked a bit bald, it didn’t hinder her hunting or daily life.

‘It’s time to go back,’ the little fox thought. ‘Sister Honghong hasn’t seen me for a month. She must be worried sick.’

The sun climbed over the branches, and the morning mist dissipated.

The novice monk finished his work and hurried back from Lingyin Temple in his robes. His heart was still with his little fox.

When he pushed the door open, the little fox ran out to meet him, circling him and jumping around playfully. Then she turned and showed him her hind leg.

“Yip, yip.”

She called softly, looking toward the distant mountains and forests.

“Your injury is healed… do you want to go home?” Jiang Tong asked tentatively, reading her intent.

“Yip!” The little fox nodded vigorously.

“Then go back. Don’t play too hard and get hurt again, okay?” Jiang Tong said, a trace of hidden disappointment flickering in his eyes as he gave her one last instruction.

“Yip!”

The little white fox responded to him and skipped out the door. Standing a short distance from the courtyard gate, she looked back at him.

Jiang Tong was standing under the parasol tree, clutching his robes and watching her. He seemed very reluctant to see her go.

‘Benefactor, don’t be sad. I’ll come back.’

The little white fox made a silent vow, yipped at him twice, and vanished into the tall grass.

“Baili, be careful in the future!” the novice monk called out.

Hearing his shout, the fox suddenly felt a wave of sadness. She quickened her pace and plunged into the forest without looking back.

Watching the fluffy white ball disappear from his sight, Jiang Tong sighed.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed. After all, they had spent a month together. He had grown fond of such a cute little fox.

The reward for this mission should be related to the little fox.

‘How can I help her grow nine tails?’

Based on her appearance, she only had one tail now…

Jiang Tong looked down at the half of the demon core in his hand—the gift she had given him. He still wasn’t sure what it was.

Whatever.

He put the core away carefully and looked toward Lingyin Temple.

Next, he should focus on studying the Buddhist sutras. If he could become stronger, he could provide more protection for the little fox.

Jiang Tong planned to go to the temple in a few days to talk with the abbot.

He needed to start borrowing sutras to read.