Strange Tales

Chapter 11

"Is it still that strange illness?" Teacher Longshu's voice suddenly showed signs of instability. "How many is it now? Are they all people who interned with you at Wuzhang Farm fifteen years ago?"

"Well...yes." After a moment's hesitation, Professor Fanliu spoke in a calm tone, sounding utterly indifferent, "He just collapsed and fell unconscious for no reason, and the doctors couldn't do anything about it. Thinking about it carefully...maybe it's karma..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Teacher Longshu subconsciously raised his voice. Then he glanced warily into the room. If he was just checking if we had heard, his gaze was far too sharp. Icefin and I weren't deliberately eavesdropping, so why was he glaring at us like that? At that moment, Su Fang let out a weak groan, leaning against Icefin as if she were very frightened.

Was Master Longshu glaring not at us, but at his colleague's son, Su Fang, who had come all the way from afar? What reason could there be? Faced with Master Longshu's critical gaze, Bingqi looked doubtful, turning to look at me. I suppose my expression was probably the same at that moment...

Then, Teacher Fanliu, who had just entered the room, looked at Su Fang, who was very attached to Ice Fins, and smiled somewhat apologetically: "It's really rare that you can get along so well with this child... After all, I'm not a good father, I haven't been able to raise him to be a likable person..."

What an irresponsible father! How could he say such things in front of a child? I quickly retorted, "Not at all! Su Fang is just as kind as Teacher Fanliu! Bingqi and I were staring at him the whole time, and he wasn't angry at all. He even greeted us and smiled..."

A disdainful sneer came from beside us: "The Su Fang I know isn't the kind of person who would smile at strangers." We saw Teacher Longshu walk into the room and sit down casually at the dining table in the center of the room. He scrutinized Su Fang through his sharp, angular eyes; his usually commanding gaze was unusually piercing. Su Fang, leaning against Bingqi, kept his head down, trembling slightly like a frightened animal. Even under such treatment, he forced a smile. Teacher Longshu's behavior was simply too much! Bingqi and I couldn't help but glance at him sideways. "What, is sitting in your own dorm room bothering you?" Teacher Longshu said nonchalantly. Right, single teachers share a dorm room, which meant poor Su Fang had to put up with his rudeness all night!

"Su Fang, Teacher Fanliu must have your photos here, let's take a look together!" It sounded like I was going against Teacher Longshu. I knew it wasn't appropriate, but I still made this suggestion to ease the atmosphere.

"Ah! I'll go get it!" Ms. Fanliu, who had been watching from the sidelines without understanding what was going on, immediately accepted my suggestion.

"Wait!" Teacher Longshu grabbed Teacher Fanliu's arm. "Since it's your son's friend who's here, shouldn't you make some tea and prepare some snacks? Let your son handle things like bringing the photo album! Right, Su Fang!"

Teacher Longshu's tone was more of an order than a request for advice. In an instant, Su Fang raised his eyes in surprise, a pitiful look flickering in his thin blue eyes: "Um... this isn't home... I don't know where Dad put it..." He tried to smile, hoping that Teacher Longshu would like him, but Teacher Longshu didn't answer him. Instead, he slowly let go of Teacher Fanliu's hand, stood up, and walked step by step toward Bingqi and Su Fang.

For some reason, the tall Mr. Longshu exuded an unusually oppressive aura. He stopped in front of Icefin, staring at Su Fang, who was hidden behind the boy's slender body. Not only those directly bearing this gaze, but even I, standing to the side, felt my breath stolen away in an instant. I could only watch as Mr. Longshu slowly extended his right hand, his long, powerful fingers carrying a cruel resolve, relentlessly approaching Su Fang's head. With a sudden, ominous premonition, I turned to look at Mr. Fanliu for help. He seemed equally confused, simply staring blankly in his son's direction. Faced with the approaching fingers, even the usually composed Icefin couldn't help but take a step back, instinctively half-turning his body to block Su Fang.

However, a terrifying hand reached over Su Fang's head and took a brightly colored picture book-like object from the top of the bookshelf behind him. Teacher Longshu slung the book over his shoulder, raised his chin, and looked down at Su Fang from the corner of his eye: "Wherever he is, Fanliu always keeps his photo album here." He narrowed his eyes slightly, leaned closer to the pale-faced boy, and whispered, "You...are you really Fanliu's son?"

For a fleeting moment, a pale blue light flashed in Su Fang's eyes. He tried to force an incomplete smile, as if he would burst into tears if he didn't maintain the expression. At this moment, Icefin, having regained his composure, raised his head and stared at Teacher Longshu with his usual cold gaze: "Teacher, you really like to joke."

"Yes!" Teacher Fanliu chuckled, walking over to pull Su Fang into his arms. "This child will think you're bullying him, and he'll cry." A slight stiffness swept through Su Fang's body the moment he touched Teacher Fanliu, perhaps confirming his father's warmth. The next second, he nestled in that warm embrace and closed his eyes. However, Teacher Fanliu released his grip in that instant, his quick turn concealing his expression: "Oh, right, I should go get some snacks!"

A forlorn look, like that of a stray puppy, appeared in Su Fang's beautiful eyes. He watched helplessly as his father's figure disappeared through the door. Perhaps the relationship between this father and son was far more complicated than we imagined. Although I knew it was best not to interfere in other people's family affairs, the thought of Su Fang's pitiful appearance made me feel I couldn't stand idly by. Hesitantly, I turned to check on Bingqi's attitude, only to find him with his delicate brows furrowed, staring at a page open in the photo album that Teacher Longshu had tossed on the table. I leaned closer—it was an old color photograph. In the faded image, young Teacher Fanliu and several strangers stood against a blurry background. The photograph looked strange. If it were daytime, the background wouldn't be so dark; if it were nighttime, the faces were too clear, as if illuminated by some divine light. The embers of triumphant madness lingered on their faces, further highlighting Teacher Fanliu's thoughtful and melancholic expression.

I muttered to myself, "What kind of light is shining on people's faces? It's a bit strange..."

"Wildfire..." The faint voice drew Icefin and my gaze—Su Fang's head hung low like a weak white bird, but from the pale knuckles of his fingers clasped around his arms, one could see the immense strength he was channeling. "That's wildfire..."

"Wildfire?" This word, which carries so much unfamiliarity, passed between me and Icefin.

Su Fang raised his head, the lamplight illuminating his thin, blue eyes, as clear as glass. A sorrowful smile, identical to that of Teacher Fanliu, cast a deep shadow on his delicate, beautiful face. He gently bit his bloodless lips: "Fifteen years ago, a five-zhang-high mountain fire... the wildflowers that bloomed across the entire mountainside, all perished in the flames..."

"Wuzhang, isn't that where Teacher Fanliu is doing her internship?!" I blurted out, immediately regretting my words—this meant I had just been eavesdropping on Teacher Fanliu and Teacher Longshu's conversation! Trying to cover up my mistake, I stammered, "How...how could this be..."

"They said it was caused by an accident by the villagers." Surprisingly, it was Teacher Longshu's slow and deliberate voice that answered me.

"Was it an accident?" Icefin pondered, moving closer to the photo. "Something feels off..."

I examined the faded photograph again, as if it had just undergone a blood sacrifice ritual; the expressions on everyone's faces were imbued with an ominous solemnity and pride. The light illuminating their faces from a bizarre angle was actually a raging wildfire. How many lives, along with the wildflowers blooming across the mountains, would have turned to ashes? Their silent cries were frozen in this cold photograph, which is why a silent shadow of death lingers in its heavy, rigid, glaze-like tones. The entire photograph carried a kind of grotesque, almost obscure madness, as if it would devour the viewer…

"Look at the expressions on the faces of the people in this photo, it feels like they started the wildfire..." My unintentional words were suddenly cut off by the sound of shattering porcelain. In the room filled with a chaotic atmosphere, the broken porcelain cups revealed the pitiful and sharp white bones, swirling around the feet of Mr. Fanliu, who was leaning against the door, still panting and shaken after dropping the tea tray. Tea snacks, wet and dusty, were scattered all over the floor; now, only their shapes and colors revealed them to be various kinds of fried pastries.

"Are you hurt?!" The first to react was Teacher Longshu. He quickly led Teacher Fanliu away from the danger zone. After confirming that the other party was not injured, Teacher Longshu once again cast his sharp gaze in our direction.

Looking at Icefin, then at Su Fang huddled beside him, I lowered my head tremblingly. It seemed that Teacher Longshu's glare was undoubtedly directed at me for my careless words. "Um, Icefin... let's go back..." I said haltingly, feeling a chill run down my spine. Teacher Fanliu didn't seem to want us to stay either. He just bit his lip, maintaining a forced apologetic smile, with an expression similar to Su Fang's.

Icefin stood up, silently pulling away from Su Fang's hand that was tugging at his sleeve, and bowed slightly to the two teachers in farewell. I truly felt sorry for leaving Su Fang behind and running away for something like this. Just as I followed Icefin toward the door, Teacher Longshu's deep, cold voice suddenly came from behind: "I said… your late grandfather was once called Mr. Reticent Speech, wasn't he…?"

In an instant, an overwhelming sense of surprise overwhelmed both Icefin and me. We turned around simultaneously, but Teacher Longshu seemed to have no intention of speaking to us anymore, only looking down to check on Teacher Fanliu's condition. In my strained vision, trying to make out Teacher Longshu's expression, I vaguely saw—Su Fang, huddled in the corner, groping to pick up the fallen fried snacks, holding them to her mouth with both hands…

The samurai who watched us leave had long since regained his composure. His gaze, though seemingly filled with unspoken words, held a quiet acceptance, as if he had come to a realization. What troubled Icefin and me even more were the last words of Master Longshu, which lingered in our ears: he addressed our grandfather as "Mr. Neyan," a name he used only when communicating with the other world!

"What on earth happened... Teacher Longshu actually knows about Grandpa!" Kicking away the lowly spirit that had turned into a pebble on the dark road and tried to trip me, I said uneasily, "Don't you think his behavior is strange—to Teacher Fanliu, and to Su Fang..."

“I think Professor Fanliu is more suspicious.” Icefin lowered his eyelashes: “When you said that the people in the photo started the wildfire, he was so nervous that he dropped the plate.”

The devastating wildfire at Wuzhang Mountain fifteen years ago, the unexplained coma of a companion, and Teacher Longshu's blatant lie about the cause of the wildfire—every fragment of information I heard seemed to be desperately hinting at a close connection between Teacher Fanliu and this event…

"Teacher Fanliu would never do anything shameful!" I shouted, as if trying to shake off my own wavering. Even the demons that tried to climb onto my shoulders were shaken off. "You actually doubt Teacher Fanliu... Teacher Fanliu is such a gentle person!"

The wispy clouds of the spring night slowly obscured the rising full moon, casting a pale blue shadow on Icefin's face. His slight head-shaking motion shattered the thin moonlight: "I didn't want to think that way either... Firewing..."

In that instant, Icefin's expression was so conflicted, as if countless vines were tangling in his heart. Was he also in such a dilemma? I thought he had never really liked Mr. Fanliu, who was so hardworking but didn't quite get things done...

“However, Professor Fanliu’s behavior does indeed defy common sense in many ways…” As if forgetting his earlier hesitation, Bingqi suddenly changed to a serious expression. “He has such a grown son, yet he was transferred here and lives alone in a single dormitory.”

Upon hearing this, I immediately recalled Su Fang picking up the fried pastries that had fallen on the ground, and I began to feel sorry for him: "Yes! Su Fang actually came all the way from Chunshan just to see his father! It's heartbreaking to think about..."

"You seem to care about him a little too much. Su Fang is supposed to call you 'sister'," Icefin said with ill intent. I immediately retorted, "Who's that guy who's clinging to Su Fang? Kind-hearted brother!"

Just as the conversation was starting to drift into mundane everyday matters, a drop of water suddenly landed on my cheek. I looked up in surprise, and the full moon shone brightly through the damp clouds, its faint glow illuminating countless silver threads entwined in the azure night—it was raining!

"Sunny days with rain..." Icefin raised its bewildered eyes, staring blankly at the capricious sky, "Sunny days with rain in early spring?"

We were almost home. Not wanting to walk in looking listless, I grabbed Icefin, who had stopped, and tried to cheer myself up with a joke: "That's just a fox passing by! Don't let the fox bewitch you!"

"A fox?" Icefin looked at me with some surprise. "A fox..."

“Yes! It’s in Grandpa’s notes!” I recalled the contents of my grandfather’s notes, who was a folklore researcher. “There are the most fox legends around Wuzhang—foxes love to eat fried food, foxes will bring rain when it’s sunny, and foxes will turn into human form when they hold pine needles…”

"Where did you say? Where is the legend?" Icefin suddenly stopped again.

He pulled me so hard I stumbled, and my tone immediately turned sour: "Wuzhang! Wuzhang Farm over there..." Suddenly I covered my mouth—Wuzhang...isn't that where Teacher Fanliu did his internship, the place where the wildfire happened?

"What a coincidence..." In the misty rain illuminated by the moonlight, Icefin frowned, his long brows furrowing...

"You two, why are you blocking the entrance!" A familiar voice called from afar. Uncle Chonghua, holding his bag over his head, ran over. As the chief physician, he often came home late. As soon as he saw Uncle Chonghua, he perked up and started talking non-stop about what was happening at the hospital: "Oh dear, I'm exhausted! A bus had an accident on the highway today, thankfully no one died..."

"Since it was a car accident, why are you still working overtime, Uncle? Aren't you an internist?" I asked casually.

Looking exhausted, Uncle Chonghua leaned heavily on my and Bingqi's shoulders and sighed deeply, "There's a patient who doesn't seem to have any external injuries, but he's unconscious, so they called our internal medicine department for a consultation... Honestly, they only run one trip a day and still had an accident!" Uncle Chonghua's unusual logic always made his words somewhat amusing. "How annoying! This bus from Chunshan!"

However, Icefin and I stopped in our tracks simultaneously—the only bus from Chunshan today… had an accident! Clearly, Su Fang should have taken this bus! Why didn't he mention the accident at all? Was he keeping quiet to avoid worrying his father?

"Dad." Bingqi removed Uncle Chonghua's arm from his shoulder and looked intently into his father's eyes. "Are you completely clueless about why that boy fell into a coma?"

Perhaps startled by his son's sudden serious expression, Uncle Chonghua paused, "I didn't say the one who fainted was a boy! How did you know?" Then he nodded as if suddenly realizing something, "That's right, the news spread really fast! We called his family around 5:30, and his father is your school's biology teacher. But he still hasn't come, I really don't know what he's thinking!"

The phone call at 5:30, from our school's biology teacher, and my father who still hasn't shown up—in an instant, I understood why Icefin was so concerned about that injured person, and I couldn't calm my disordered breathing: "Could the person who is unconscious be... Hua Sufang!"

"Yes, yes, that's the name!" Uncle Chonghua nodded as if he admired me, and swayed toward the main room.

If the real Su Fang is in a coma in the hospital, then who is the person we see who is always nestled beside Bingqi? If the phone call that Teacher Fanliu received at 5:30, the one before he opened the door for us, was to inform him that his son was unconscious, then why was he still able to treat the "Hua Su Fang" who suddenly appeared in front of him with such a gentle and calm attitude?

Icefin took a step back, gazing into the empty darkness: "Back then, I felt there must be something mixed in with Teacher Fanliu and his two companions! That's why I used our childhood nicknames. But Su Fang, I didn't suspect him at all! I couldn't see anything unusual about him..."

“Icefin…” I stammered, “Have you…have you noticed Su Fang’s eyes?”

"So what!" Icefin rubbed his forehead in frustration. "It's just that he has chestnut-colored eyes like Professor Fanliu..."

"That's not right! Su Fang's eyes... are clearly bluish..."

Uncle Chonghua, who had walked ahead, suddenly turned around, looking very interested: "Blue eyes? Isn't that a fox? The fox demon that can control the Foxfire has blue eyes! Dad once said that foxes can transform people perfectly, except for blue eyes. But only the nine-tailed fox over there can even transform its eyes! Speaking of which, you guys seem to have a strange smell... Hehe, could it be the smell of a fox?"

Foxes love fried food; when a fox passes by, it will rain or shine; a fox holding a pine branch will transform into human form; the fox demon that can control the foxfire has blue eyes; the nine-tailed fox five zhang away can transform into human form without fail, along with its blue eyes…

No wonder Su Fang has such an attractive charm at such a young age; no wonder he is so afraid of Mr. Samurai; no wonder Mr. Samurai is so irritable; no wonder Teacher Longshu has always maintained an almost hostile and wary attitude towards Su Fang; no wonder Teacher Fanliu has prepared fried snacks. It turns out that it was me and Bingqi who were blinded by the fox!

"I left my book at school!" "Me too!" Icefin and I left Uncle Chonghua, who was still in a daze, and ran towards the school.

The rain continued to fall ambiguously, and the full moon seemed somewhat unfamiliar, like a spying eye. Climbing over the low wall behind the school gate, Icefin and I were immediately stunned by the sight before us—a hundred ghosts were roaming the school's walkway, surrounded by sycamore trees!

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this a living hell of a hundred ghosts roaming the night—those big and small creatures hiding in every corner of the school, their forms solidified into purplish-black miasma, are gathering in the same direction amidst the mist and rain, under the full moon: Building 13!

"What is this?" My voice trembled slightly, and Icefin quickly covered my mouth, but it was too late. My voice... had been heard! On the dark, amorphous mass, a number of glowing eyes cast greedy glances toward Icefin and me; without a doubt, from the day we were born, we were the sweet prey they had long coveted!

Without our grandfather, who could simultaneously attract, manipulate, and resist these creatures, we were no different from fish on a chopping block. Some impatient ones had already broken free from the purplish-black mass and were approaching us. Icefin instinctively waved his arm: "Get out of the way!" With this low shout, pale blue flames and charred smoke rose from the impatient creature, and the hideous alien twisted and turned into black smoke with a piercing scream. A strange fear, chaotic and noisy barks swept across the writhing mass. As if afraid of us, the miasma twisted and parted, clearing a path that led to Building Thirteen.

Even Icefin couldn't understand how its seemingly meaningless rebuke could have such power, but we had no time to think. It was as if delaying for even a second would pull us into this dark purple miasma. Icefin and I quickly ran through the tunnel formed by the monster...

Mr. Samurai stood motionless in front of Professor Fanliu's door. Upon seeing us, he suddenly let out a fierce roar, a roar that whipped up a gust of wind near my ears. After the wind subsided, the pale streetlights cast a cold glow on the bare corridor of the dormitory building. Mr. Samurai suddenly dropped his guard and gently wagged his tail at us. Icefin and I walked over; the huge wolfhound leaned wearily against me, its forelegs bearing the marks of a fight. The miasma surrounding the building emitted another impatient, chaotic scream. Icefin suddenly turned and pounded on the tightly closed door: "Professor Longshu! Professor Fanliu! It's dangerous! Let Mr. Samurai in!"

After a long silence, a slightly hoarse voice came from inside the door: "I'm sorry, but... we can't open the door now. Although I can't see where that guy is, I know he was just clinging to your backs trying to get close, but the samurai saw through him! If the samurai hadn't broken free of his chains and rushed in, he would have succeeded! If we open the door now, he'll come in again! Call me selfish or cruel, but I can't open the door..."

So that gust of wind was a runaway fox spirit? I glanced timidly at the filthy miasma—summoning those guys from the school, they were trying to take my place because I'm afraid of dogs, and get rid of Mr. Samurai!

I bent down and hugged the wolfhound's neck, where there were wounds from breaking free of its chains. Inside the door, Teacher Longshu suppressed the conflicting emotions in his voice: "You should all go back quickly... because Mr. Neyan's child, he should like you very much, he wouldn't hurt you!"

"What are you hiding, Teacher Longshu!" Icefin pounded on the wooden door again, unusually letting his emotions run wild. "What happened? Can't you see what's gathered here?!"

“I can’t see.” Teacher Longshu’s voice was so weary, as if he could no longer bear some invisible pressure. “I really can’t see… When I was very young, I visited your grandfather with the adults. At that time, I heard someone among the visitors call him Mr. Neyan… But when I told them this, I was treated as a liar because none of the adults saw the person who called your grandfather Mr. Neyan. Later, I kept telling myself that it was just my imagination… Gradually, I really couldn’t see him anymore… But this is different. I can’t see anything wrong, but I know that guy is definitely not Su Fang! He’s here to take Fanliu’s life! Even if I’m treated as a liar again, I will never let him take Fanliu away!”

Icefin slowly released her hand from the door, lowered her head and took a deep breath: "Teacher Fanliu, you're inside, aren't you... You knew the truth from the beginning, didn't you—you knew from the beginning that Su Fang was a five-zhang-tall nine-tailed fox demon!"

The wolfhound in my arms tensed, poised to attack, its growl sending shivers through me. Feeling the approaching, foul aura, I knew without looking that the demons were stirring. I buried my face in the wolfhound's rough, short fur, my voice almost breaking into tears: "Don't go over there, Samurai! You just need to protect yourself..."

The brief silence felt like an eternity, as if all the stars in the sky had fallen one by one. In the hazy, intermittent air, Teacher Fanliu's suppressed voice drifted from inside the door: "Let me out! Longshu, I'm so tired of hiding... I've been hiding ever since the first person fell unconscious, not living with my family, not wanting to burden them. But hiding anywhere is useless; this is clearly the retribution I deserve..."

“Fanliu!” Teacher Longshu’s protesting voice held a clumsy sincerity, but Teacher Fanliu’s usual gentle tone carried an unyielding insistence: “I’ve only told these things to Longshu, and now there’s no way to hide it anymore—Firewing, you guessed right, the five-zhang-high mountain fire fifteen years ago was started by us—the people in the photo. At that moment, our sins were already branded on our souls… As long as we bear this brand, we can never escape…”

“You didn’t set the fire! You just couldn’t stop it!” Teacher Longshu explained anxiously, but Teacher Fanliu replied with a clear and resolute expression: “It’s the same thing. Anyone who knows it’s wrong but stands by and does nothing is an accomplice.”

How did Teacher Fanliu begin to recount what happened fifteen years ago in such a calm yet subtly undercurrent tone? "When I learned that I was assigned to Wuzhang for my internship, I was very happy. The humid climate there, the sometimes rather harsh sunlight, the not-too-high mountains, the small paddy fields nestled among the mountains, and the wildflowers that bloomed all over the mountains in autumn—I loved everything about it… My companions seemed excited too, but the reason for their excitement was—there were many foxes there."

"Catching foxes is forbidden locally, but for interns who are only staying there for a year, this taboo doesn't necessarily have to be strictly followed. For the sake of that precious fur, my fellow interns often secretly catch foxes, hide them near the dormitory, and kill them. The locals are suspicious, but they can't find any evidence. I hate that, I hate seeing those pleading eyes that yearn for life, but... I don't have the courage to stop them. So I moved to the empty hut on the other side of the mountain where the forest rangers live."

“Once in the mountains, I saw a fox fall into a trap they had made, its leg was caught, quite badly, which often happened; the only difference was that the other fox stayed by its side the whole time, refusing to leave even when it was very close. Looking back now, they were probably very much in love. I remember very clearly that their tails were very big, as beautiful as feather fans. Since no one had discovered them yet, I released the two foxes.”

"The dormitory for our internship caught fire that night. Strangely, nothing burned except for the stolen fox pelts. The locals said it was a fox-causing fire, the revenge of the nine-tailed fox. My fellow interns, who should have been punished, were furious. The next night, the whole mountain was ablaze..." Teacher Fanliu's voice faded into small sobs. Even now, he couldn't calmly finish recounting that faded memory from fifteen years ago. What kind of torment had he endured for those fifteen years?

"...So my father and mother, noble kin who could summon the wildfire, died needlessly in the flames of humanity..." With a voice devoid of any emotion, like the bright moon in a light rain, a noble figure bearing Su Fang's appearance emerged from the writhing purplish-black miasma. Those almost transparent, pale blue eyes still held a stern expression that contrasted sharply with his gentle demeanor. Beautiful, fiery red smoke formed a magnificent peacock-feather fan behind him—that must be his proud nine-tailed demon. Surrounded by wraiths, the young man looked like a supreme, enchanting king.

Kneeling on the ground, I tightly embraced the exhausted but still determined samurai, who was charging towards the enemy. I didn't even have time to compose myself as I looked at "Su Fang." Icefin stepped forward, blocking my way and the samurai: "What did you do to Su Fang?!"

"I merely borrowed his soul to take his form; I had no intention of taking the lives of innocent bystanders." Maintaining Su Fang's melancholic smile, the nine-tailed fox turned Bo Qing's gaze to us. "Weren't we just good friends? It was me who was with you the whole time, not that human Su Fang! You both clearly carry the familiar scent of the other world; why bother with the lives of those humans?"

"Don't talk about us like monsters!" Icefin coldly replied to the fox demon. "We can't be friends with someone like you!"

In an instant, a shadow of sorrow swept across the fox demon's eyes. Touching the vile miasma, his voice was almost mocking: "Am I that scary? Fifteen years ago, humans looked just as scary to me..." The demon let out an excited hiss, which suddenly spread outwards. The fox demon's voice abruptly turned icy: "Then there's no other way. Originally, I only wanted that one person's life, but now I don't want to protect you anymore!"

My vision was instantly enveloped by a strange and filthy dark purple...

My hair was being yanked, the skin stung by fingernails, and my ears were filled with piercing screams. I knew the spirits, preparing for their feast, were overjoyed… But then a scorching roar swept by, and pale blue flames instantly engulfed everything, the demons gathered around me vanishing in screams. The miasma expanded noisily, and the alien creatures, too afraid to approach and peering into the air, obscured the drizzling sky, forming a vast, purplish-black dome. The fox spirit, transformed into Su Fang, was like the only bright moon in this eerie world, surrounded by pale blue flames—was this the so-called "Fox Wildfire"? No wonder Icefin's rebuke had drawn Azure Flame and driven those guys away; we were just "borrowing the tiger's might"! In this place, it was truly a laughable analogy. I stared blankly at the fox spirit, forcing a smile, her indescribable gaze fixed on what lay behind us…

Looking up in confusion—beneath the dome, Teacher Fanliu hadn't yet adjusted his posture as he struggled to open the door, and Teacher Longshu's futile attempt to stop him remained frozen in place, his powerful arm suddenly outstretched, as if trying to reverse the irreversible passage of time. Unable to accept the scene before him, Teacher Fanliu's sorrowful voice slowly spilled out: "If only I had desperately stopped them back then… my companions from back then, Su Fang… if I had been able to stop them then, things wouldn't be like this now…"

"Isn't it too late to regret it now?" The fox demon let out a sharp, cold laugh. "Next up is your turn, Hua Fanliu!"

Teacher Fanliu lowered his head and gently shook his chestnut-brown short hair, which was as soft as Su Fang's: "Then hurry up and do it... before I hate you... hurry up and do it!" The hatred he deliberately spoke carried a hint of self-abandonment, as if he were luring the fox demon to his death.

But why can he still maintain this serene, sorrowful smile at this moment? The fox demon's expression is far too unnatural! When he said, with the same warm smile as Teacher Fanliu, "Since you have already come to this realization..." and when he pointed his hand, which was wrapped in blue flames, at Teacher Fanliu, I clearly saw a tearing pain in his thin blue eyes!

Something must have gone wrong. The past of Master Fanliu, the past with the fox spirit, is definitely not as simple as we've heard! I can barely control the urge to cry. There's absolutely no hatred in Master Fanliu's and the fox spirit's eyes! Who will stop them? Anyone, stop them before they do something they'll regret!

"Wait a minute!" Icefin's cold voice cut through the semi-liquid, sticky air. "You five zhang away, tell me honestly, the one you transformed into... is that really Su Fang?" Like a pebble suddenly thrown into a calm lake, the Fox Wildfire flickered, seemingly revealing the fox demon's inner turmoil. "Even if father and son look alike, they shouldn't be this similar..." Icefin's voice remained calm: "Apart from your smile, which is exactly the same as Teacher Fanliu's, I've never seen you show any other expression under any circumstances! That's because you don't even know what other expressions are!" Panic flooded the fox demon's eyes, less the panic of being exposed than the shock of gradually realizing the truth!

Ignoring the fox demon's signs of spiraling out of control, Icefin said, word by word, "Listen, what you've transformed into isn't Su Fang, but rather what you're subconsciously pursuing—the shadow of Teacher Fanliu in his youth!"

Icefin's words shattered the fox demon's last shred of composure in an instant. The gentle smile that couldn't bear the crazed look in her eyes betrayed her teetering on the brink of collapse. Space tore open… Foxfire raged wildly across the purplish-black dome, the foul miasma screaming and desperately trying to escape, but unable to escape its fate of being annihilated in the wildfire. Gently raising her trembling left hand to cover her face, the fox demon choked out a sob from her throat: "What do you know! Let me show you… my earliest memories…"

Such devastation—is this truly a scene from the human world? A dark, ominous crimson sky; a moon blazing with screams; endless fields of wildflowers, draped in fiery robes, swaying desperately in the scorching wind whipped with golden embers; fiery peaks reaching towards the sky like the fingers of a drowning man. Superimposed on the imagery of the wildfire, the arsonist's triumphant face is more terrifying than the demons that once surrounded us…