Chapter 6: The Celestial Fox Clan

The door was pushed open gently. The room was empty, appearing exactly as it had during his last visit.

Shen Xunqing did not beat around the bush and immediately pulled the box out from under the bed. The small wooden chest looked quite dilapidated; perhaps it had been sitting under the bed for too long, as it was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Seeing this, Shen Xunqing frowned. He took a handkerchief from his robes, carefully wrapped it around his hand, and only then attempted to open the box. Yan Yunqing watched curiously from the side. Inside the box, just as Yu Huan had said that day, there was nothing special—it was indeed just a collection of scrap paper.

Shen Xunqing flipped through the sheets of rice paper one by one; they were all calligraphy and paintings done by Yu Huan. Suddenly, a piece of rice paper that had been folded carelessly fell out from between two other sheets. Shen Xunqing picked it up and unfolded it. It was a portrait, far more exquisite than any of the other paintings he had just seen. The person in the portrait, wearing a faint smile at the corners of his lips, was none other than himself—Shen Xunqing.

Yan Yunqing leaned over Shen Xunqing’s shoulder and looked at the portrait, saying, "Who painted this? It’s really well done!"

Shen Xunqing replied calmly, "Mm, it is quite good."

Yu Huan was the reincarnation of Yan Yunqing, so it was only natural that she had developed feelings for him. Originally, everything had been under his control, but then that old scoundrel Taotie had suddenly emerged to disturb the peace and caused the third incarnation of the Little Yama to lose his life prematurely.

It seemed that in some corner beyond his sight, a new power had inevitably taken root.

Heavenly Realm.

The Celestial Fox Clan was as peaceful as ever, with clansmen greeting each other with smiles and friendly words. The market of the Celestial Fox Clan was also quite prosperous; its structure was not much different from that of the human world, yet the customs, the goods for sale, and the pedestrians coming and going were fundamentally different from those in the mortal realm.

Outside the imperial city of the Celestial Fox Clan, it was bustling with activity, but inside the city walls, a somber atmosphere prevailed. This was because their youngest prince had just been brought back, severely injured and extremely weak. Although the little prince had been mischievous since childhood and often ran away from the clan, aside from the first time when he had managed to slip away without a trace, they had always dispatched elites from the clan to protect him closely whenever he escaped thereafter.

The Celestial Fox Clan had always cherished their young, but faced with a little prince who was willing to risk his life to leave the clan, they could only protect him from the shadows, hoping he would experience enough setbacks to return of his own accord. Otherwise, given the stubborn nature inherent to Celestial Foxes, he likely would never have turned back, even in death.

However, they had never imagined that when they saw the little prince return, it would be in such a state: his entire body suffused with a bloody aura, shrouded in a faint red glow, with traces of ancient, lingering incantations visible upon him.

The Fox Emperor, the Fox Empress, the Fox Elders, and the other princes and princesses, upon hearing the news of Bai Lian's injury, rushed back regardless of where they were.

On a large soft bed, Bai Lian, having reverted to his original form, curled into a corner, tears streaming continuously from the corners of his eyes. He looked to be in great pain, yet the sounds of suffering he emitted were extremely faint, as if even drawing a single breath was a strenuous task.

The Fox Empress looked on, completely at a loss, her brows tightly locked, her heart aching for him. "Think of something! Save our son! Why are you all just standing there like statues? Hurry and find a way to treat him!"

Those gathered around the bed were all frowning, their faces filled with distress. A senior physician of the Fox Clan stroked his long beard and sighed, "Reporting to the Empress, it is not that we do not wish to treat him, but this is not something that can be cured by medicine! The little prince’s abnormal state was not caused by ordinary injuries!"

Hearing this, the Fox Empress’s voice choked, but she held back her tears. "Then tell me, what method can be used to heal him!"

The Fox Emperor patted the Empress’s shoulder, pulling her into his embrace, and said in a deep voice, "Do not panic, Empress. Lian’er must have encountered some evil entity while he was out. Some of the wounds on his body were caused by someone casting spells, but most are likely the result of a highly malevolent formation."

The Fox Empress gripped the Fox Emperor’s sleeve in a panic. "Then what should we do?"

The Fox Emperor comforted her steadily. "Now that we have found the root of the injury, a solution naturally exists. Most of the wounds on Lian’er are due to the abundance of malevolent energy entwined within him. We need only disperse that evil energy and follow up with proper care, and he should be fine."

The heavy weight on the Fox Empress’s heart eased slightly. She turned to the Fox Emperor and scolded, "This time, under no circumstances will we let Lian’er out again. Look at him—every time he goes out, doesn't he come back covered in injuries? The world says our Celestial Fox Clan cherishes our young the most, but look at you—is this how you cherish our son? What if, what if, what if next time, Lian'er..."

The Fox Emperor interrupted her, "Rest assured, he will not be going out again. Besides, the great day of our clan is approaching; we cannot afford for him to cause any more trouble."

"Trouble?" Hearing this word, the Fox Empress grew anxious again. "How can you still call it trouble? Do you not know why Lian’er wants to flee the clan?"

The Fox Emperor sighed helplessly, taking her delicate hands, which were waving in the air, into his own. "It is precisely because I understand that I let him make his own choices. After all, this is his life; his own thoughts are what matter most. Only when he understands for himself will he know how to proceed. Others cannot change him."

The Fox Empress fell silent. The Fox Emperor then continued, addressing the elders nearby, "Leave the most useful among you here; the rest may return. There is not much time left until that day, and you all have your own matters to attend to."

The elders spoke in unison, "We obey."

In the end, only one elder remained: the Third Elder, Bai Wu, who was most skilled in formations and the arts of divination. He took out a pitch-black iron object and aimed it toward Bai Lian. With a "pop," the object blossomed, transforming into a bewitchingly beautiful iron spider lily that floated into the air. Thin, red-thread-like filaments were drawn out from Bai Lian’s body—one, two, three... The filaments emerged faster and faster, and before long, they were entirely extracted from Bai Lian, swirling around the iron spider lily.

The spider lily slowly closed, returning to its original state as a black iron object, though now it bore several rings of glowing red patterns.

Bai Wu bowed slightly and said, "Reporting to the Emperor and Empress, the little prince's injuries are no longer critical. He only needs a few days of careful recuperation. If there is nothing else, I shall return to my duties." The Fox Emperor nodded, and Bai Wu slowly retreated.

The faint sounds of pain on the bed had ceased, and Bai Lian’s breathing had gradually become steady. The eerie red glow on the little fox had quietly dissipated. The little fox lay on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Seeing this, the Fox Emperor and Empress finally breathed a sigh of relief.