A few days earlier.
A three-tailed white fox with fur as pure as snow, eyes as blue as the flawless sky, and a blue flame mark on its forehead woke up from its slumber.
It had no name. Perhaps it once did, but it couldn’t remember.
It didn’t even know why it was here or where it came from.
The surrounding beasts called it “little fox’, a name it didn’t like because it didn’t consider itself small.
But when it tried to argue, it realized it didn’t know its own age.
Perhaps because its memory was as blank as a sheet of paper, the little fox rarely dreamed.
But lately…
“It’s the same dream again’, the little fox murmured.
Although it couldn’t remember the details of the dream upon waking, it was certain it was the same one because it always woke up smiling.“Even though I’m smiling, why does my heart ache?” the little fox wondered.
In a daze, it fell asleep again.
The same dream continued, but it was gradually becoming clearer. Although still inaudible and indistinct, it could smell a fragrance.
This fragrance is difficult to describe in words, yet it brings a sense of comfort, as if one is in a safe harbor. The source of the scent is neither a flower nor an object but seems to be a person, specifically a man.
“Little fox, we meet again?” the blurry man in the dream said.
Why did he say ‘again’?
The little fox didn’t understand but driven by curiosity, it approached the man.
“Human, you smell so nice. What’s your name?” the little fox asked.
“Before asking someone’s name, you should say your own first.”
“I don’t have a name, or maybe I do, but I don’t remember.”
“Shall I give you one?”
“i am a proud member of the fox clan. I don’t need a human to name me!”
“Then why is your tail wagging so fast? You’re not a dog!”
The dream abruptly ended, and the little fox woke up with a jolt.
Although the dream seemed to last only a moment, it found that several days had passed in reality.
“Could this be my memory? The memory I’ve forgotten?” the little fox became excited.
Without memories, it felt very lonely.
Other beasts had parents and friends, but it had none.
It had tried to make friends, but those beasts disliked it and avoided it.
Even though it hadn’t done anything, even though it remembered nothing…
Seeing a glimmer of hope to regain its memories, the little fox tried to fall asleep again.
But this time, it couldn’t sleep no matter what.
Not only that, but it also felt as if something more important than its own life was getting further and further away.
The little fox panicked.
Although its reason told it not to leave the depths of the Hengduan Mountain Range, as the outside world was too dangerous, it couldn’t restrain the palpitations in its heart and eventually ran out.
“That little fox finally left. If it hadn’t, it would have brought disaster upon me,” a certain beast king said while watching its figure.
The little fox heard this and, although it felt hurt, quickened its pace.
The scenery flew by rapidly as its speed increased.
Strangely enough.
It didn’t know where to go, but it kept running in one direction.
It didn’t know what it was chasing, but it refused to give up.
It felt as if its heart had been hollowed out, yet it couldn’t cry…
Crossing mountains and ridges, it reached the middle section of the Hengduan Mountain Range and saw a pit with a spirit shovel next to it.
When it arrived at the front section of the Hengduan Mountain Range, it stopped at the top of a dangerous peak.
By now, it had fallen and been injured many times, and without realizing it, its snow-white fur had been stained with a layer of dust and mingled with streaks of fresh red.
The little fox looked around.
It still didn’t know what it was looking for, but it kept searching.
It saw the ruins of Lingshan Town, and although there were many cultivators gathered there, it lost interest after a brief glance.
Moving forward would mean leaving the Hengduan Mountain Range. This made the little fox hesitate, feeling a bit scared.
But it was only for a moment.
Soon, it was on the move again, charging out on all fours.
It stumbled through the dense forest and dips in the terrain.
Finally, the view opened up, and there was a spirit boat that caught its eye floating in the sky at the horizon.
“Thump, thump—”
Its heartbeat suddenly quickened.
At this moment, the little fox finally understood.
That floating spirit boat must be the target it had been searching for over dozens of li.
“But why?” the little fox still didn’t understand.
Regardless, finding the target brought it some peace of mind.
Incredibly, as it drew closer to the spirit boat, those long-forgotten and extremely vague dreams started to become clearer.
Before the little fox had time to reflect on them, it saw the spirit boat set sail and slowly drift away.
Panic struck again, and it dashed forward with gritted teeth.
But alas, it couldn’t keep up with the spirit boat with its speed. It could only watch helplessly as the boat moved further away, feeling as if the contentment it had just found was being carved open with a knife.
Suddenly, the little fox tripped and tumbled several zhang.
After getting up with clenched teeth, it realized the spirit boat had pulled even further away.
It wanted to shout but didn’t know what to call out.
It wanted to cry to the heavens but still couldn’t shed a tear.
At that moment, a conversation from its dreams became crystal clear and surfaced in its mind.
“Little fox, I’ve thought of a name for you! You shall be called Jiushuang!”
“Why?”
“You are a Nine Heavens Mystic Fox, so ‘Jiu (Nine)’ is your surname. You’re as white as frost, hence Jiushuang.”
“But I’d rather have the surname ‘Bai (White)’…”
“That won’t do, taking the surname Bai will make you foolish, there’s a foolish tiger that ended up that way.”
“Oh, what about you? What’s your name?”
“I am called…”
As the spirit boat completely vanished, the conversation abruptly ended, and a terrifying silence ensued.
“How could this be…”
The little fox was struck as if by lightning.
Its gaze became vacant as it shook its head in disbelief.
How could it forget something so important? How could it possibly forget?
It had a name. It was Jiushuang.
It had been searching for a person, a man.
And that man’s name was…
At that thought, the little fox suddenly leaped up and chased in the direction where the spirit boat had disappeared, shouting:
“Jiang Chen!! Wait for me!”
The voice was ethereal and melodious, echoing into the distance, but there was no response—the disappearing spirit boat did not return.
A sense of powerlessness emerged, but the little fox did not give up.
It quickened its pace.
Even though its vital energy was running low and its vision began to blur, its eyes dimming.
It still told itself.
It must and would find the man who had named it.
“Hm? A three-tailed white fox?”
An elderly voice suddenly rang out.
The next second, the little fox felt itself being lifted, too weak to resist.
What came into its view was an old man with a sinister gaze, clearly not a good person.
“Old man, let me go! You stink!” the little fox struggled incessantly.
“Haha, little fox. It’s not my fault I stink. It’s because you’re the Nine Heavens Mystic Fox. You can discern the hearts of men and know good from evil. I’ve killed so many people, of course I stink to you!” the old man laughed.
“Don’t call me little fox! I’m not little, and I have a name!” the little fox retorted.
“That’s not important.”
“It is very important! Extremely important! More important than my life!”
“Perhaps you think so now, but it won’t be long before you forget this thing that’s more important than life.”
“What… why?”
“Because…”
The old man’s eyes suddenly turned cold, and he sneered, “Because you have no ‘heart,’ because the Nine Heavens Mystic Fox is also known as the Destiny Fox. You are destined to be just a puppet!”
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