Volume 5 Chapter 36
by Need_More_SleepVolume 5 + Chapter 36: Holy Water
Xia Yi chased after the shadow of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan all the way and called out to her.
“Fox Radish!”
The young girl of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan slowly turned around and looked toward Xia Yi.
“You, too, have you come to join us?”
Xia Yi froze on the spot.
The person before her was indeed a member of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan, and she was even dressed in shrine maiden attire.
Yet no matter how she looked at her, this was not Yue Liu.
Yue Liu was a pink fox, while the Nine-Tailed Fox girl before her was a pale bluish-white.
From what Xia Yi understood, among the younger generation of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan, there was only Yue Liu. In every era, there was only a single Fox God Shrine Maiden as well, this was common knowledge among the foxfolk.
If this were merely a coincidence, it would be far too bizarre.
At that moment, a thought surfaced in the silver-haired girl’s mind, could it be that she was dreaming?
“Are you hesitating about whether to join?” the Nine-Tailed Fox girl asked Xia Yi.
What did she mean by joining her?
Xia Yi felt that the person before her was shrouded in countless mysteries, deeply unsettling and impossible to ignore.
After a brief moment of thought, she made her decision and chose not to press further.
“I… I can join too?”
Xia Yi revealed an exceedingly uncertain expression.
Of course, she was pretending, deliberately lowering the other party’s guard.
“Of course. Every fox of Fox Hill has chosen to join the White Night Sect. The true Fox God will treat each believer who offers faith with equal grace.”
There was something strangely subtle about the Nine-Tailed Fox girl’s voice. Her tone was soft, yet it carried a powerful penetration, as though it could pierce straight into the depths of one’s soul. Whether it was some sort of technique or not, Xia Yi found herself wanting to hear her speak even more.
“Please, take me with you.” Xia Yi felt that everything sounded far too suspicious.
Fox Hill had only ever believed in the Fox God. There should not have been any other sects at all, let alone something called the White Night Sect, which she had never even heard of.
And just now, the Nine-Tailed Fox girl had said… the true Fox God. Could it be that this referred to someone different from the Fox God known to the public?
With these questions in mind, Xia Yi decided to go along with her for now and uncover the truth.
“Then follow me.”
The Nine-Tailed Fox girl led Xia Yi deeper into the alleyways.
After walking for some time, Xia Yi nearly lost all sense of how to return, as though she had fallen into the heart of a labyrinth.
The surrounding buildings seemed almost alive. No matter where they walked, the structures obstructed their line of sight, as if deliberately constructing an isolated, enclosed world.
And the Nine-Tailed Fox girl before her was the sole guide within this world.
“Where are we going?” Xia Yi asked from behind her.
“You followed me here without knowing anything at all?”
“Knowing… what?”
“It seems you have sensed the truth and, in the unseen currents of fate, were drawn by the true Fox God. Congratulations, you are about to witness a different world.”
The Nine-Tailed Fox girl spoke as if this were nothing unusual. It was not the first time a stranger she had never met had approached her of their own accord.
“In the real world, so long as you pray with sincerity, your earnest wishes will be answered by the true Fox God. Not like that false Fox God, who abandons the prayers of believers.”
You really do speak like some kind of charlatan mystic.
Xia Yi muttered inwardly.
In terms of shrouding things in mystery, she was indeed far superior to that little fox, much more fitting of a shrine maiden.
…
Under the guidance of the enigmatic Nine-Tailed Fox girl, Xia Yi arrived at a chaotic street. A great number of foxfolk had gathered there, seemingly engaged in some kind of collective activity.
Their expressions were extremely strange. Their eyes were unfocused, their mouths murmuring indistinct phrases. Most of them lay sprawled across the ground, as though after a wild revel they had sunk into endless emptiness. Their faces resembled those of the living dead. There were men and women, young and old alike, the composition was remarkably mixed.
“Lady Shrine Maiden!”
“The Holy Maiden has returned!”
“Lady White Lotus, we have been waiting for you for so long!”
When the foxfolk noticed the arrival of the Nine-Tailed Fox girl, they all stood up at once, entering a state of frenzy. Their murky eyes lit up with fervor, as though they had beheld a savior, and they spontaneously crowded around her.
The titles they used varied widely.
Shrine Maiden, Holy Maiden… and of course, the one that drew the most attention, White Lotus.
Xia Yi realized that White Lotus must be the name of this Nine-Tailed Fox girl.
“Lady White Lotus, my child and I are trapped in suffering, please help us!”
A foxfolk woman, holding a small child, knelt before White Lotus.
“We are starving. We have no money to buy food…”
“Have you not been working during this time?” White Lotus asked.
“Lady White Lotus, I cannot find proper work. I took on some odd jobs before and earned a little money, but it was stolen from me on the road.” The foxfolk woman began to cry. “My husband became addicted to gambling. After taking all the money from our household, he abandoned my daughter and me and ran away. He has never returned. I heard that you will save everyone equally, whether rich or poor, so I came here.”
“How pitiful. This world devours the weak. Most of you, because you are too feeble yourselves, are plundered by the strong and forced to endure suffering. You have tried praying to the false Fox God, displaying devout faith, deluding yourselves into hoping for happiness. And so… what was the result?”
White Lotus was not speaking only to the woman, she was addressing everyone. All could hear her clearly.
“There was no… answer to our prayers…”
The foxfolk woman lowered her head.
The others also revealed negative expressions, resentment, anger, sorrow, confusion, blame… all were present. It was clear that the people here had already despaired of reality, as though they had been ruthlessly cast aside.
“It does not matter. The true Fox God is merciful. She cannot bear to see your suffering, and so she has conveyed the voice of the divine to me. As the shrine maiden of the Fox God, I will fulfill my duty. Whether or not you are willing to work, you shall still be granted the chance to live. For, you will receive the redemption bestowed by the Fox God.”
White Lotus took out a white jade bottle and poured out the colorless, odorless liquid inside.
“This is the holy water bestowed upon you by the Fox God.”
At the sight of the liquid, the foxfolk’s expressions changed abruptly. They all lunged forward. Even when it spilled onto the ground, they still tried to gather it and put it into their mouths. The foxfolk woman did the same, even feeding the liquid to her child.
“Ah, ah… is this happiness?”
“I have escaped my suffering!”
“Fox God! I see the Fox God!!”
After coming into contact with the liquid, the gloom vanished from their faces, replaced by expressions of delirious intoxication. They forgot the pain of reality and plunged into an illusory paradise, some even beginning to dance wildly.
Xia Yi was so shocked by the scene before her that she could not utter a single word.
Instinctively, she took a step back.
“Tell me of the suffering you are enduring,” White Lotus said, looking at Xia Yi. “I will make you forget the pain of reality and guide you to a land of happiness.”
0 Comments