Noche Eterna

Capítulo 2

"Alright, alright, let your older sister help you." Ah Song pursed her alluring red lips and slowly exhaled a wisp of white light, which shot directly beneath the bronze cauldron, whereupon fire ignited.

Sister, you? Sigh... How could I dare to use your Samadhi Fire?

I felt very uncomfortable. Ah Song never refined elixirs, nor did she cultivate diligently like me, rising early and going to bed late. She slept during the day and went out at night. I knew where she went and what she did last night. Judging from her sleepy eyes and flushed face, I knew how unrestrained and uninhibited she had been last night. Another mortal man had suffered, or perhaps he deserved it, given his lust for beauty. This was also a shortcut to cultivation, my sister said, absorbing yang to replenish yin.

Hehehe, what's a little bit of fire? Ah Song swayed her beautiful waist and gracefully walked closer, extending her delicate, ginger-tip-like finger to lightly brush a few wisps of dust from my forehead.

"Good sister, why are you doing this to yourself? Why not take the shortcut and instead invite trouble?" Ah Song's soft voice came over, with both pity and sarcasm.

I'd rather not take that kind of shortcut. I stubbornly bit my lip.

Heh, no matter how high you consider yourself, you're still just a vixen. How can you be any different from me? Besides, your cultivation is far behind mine.

Ah Song squinted slightly, lazily lying on the warm, baked bluestone slab, comfortably stretching his limbs, revealing his true fox form beneath his thin clothes.

"It's different, I want it to be different." Looking at the red glow of the fire, she vaguely saw the figure of a man, quickly closed her eyes, shook her head violently, and suddenly remembered something. She turned her head and said to Ah Song, who was pretending to be asleep.

My brother invited us to stay at his new mansion.

Oh, Huangfu?

Ah Song suddenly opened his furry eyes and stood up from the bluestone slab.

There was a family with the surname Shan who abandoned their home and moved away, and the elder brother took advantage of the situation.

Heh, he just knows how to enjoy himself. He always puts on this scholarly act, all for the sake of seducing women. Ah Song scoffed. This mansion would only make him more comfortable.

Don't talk about your brother like that. He turned cold and refused to look at her.

I never expected to run into Kong Sheng. There were actually humans in my brother's residence.

My brother said he was a descendant of Confucius, named Xue Li, and skilled in composing poems. He had a good friend who was the magistrate of Tiantai County and invited him to come. Unexpectedly, when he arrived in Tiantai, his friend had just passed away. Without any help from his friend, he didn't even have the money to return home, so he had to stay at Putuo Temple, copying scriptures for the old and senile monks to make a living.

The Shan family mansion was beautiful after the snow. Red plum blossoms and bamboo groves filled the courtyard, and the rooms were spotless, with a glowing fire in the fireplace radiating a pleasant warmth.

"It's winter, and the heavy snow will block the mountains. It will be very inconvenient for my sisters to come and go. Why don't you move in with us? There are plenty of houses here," the brother said sincerely.

"Great!" Ah Song beamed, giving her brother a charming wink. The sharp edge of her eyes swept across Kong Sheng's face, stirring up another ripple in his gaze.

Kong Sheng looked at me, and I looked at the plum blossoms in the courtyard. The plum blossoms were in full bloom, bright red, against the white snow, and they were very beautiful.

I wanted a window with a view of plum blossoms. Because I was so delighted by the beauty of the plum blossoms, I forgot the composure a practitioner should have and casually agreed.

"If Mr. Kong likes it, how about moving in with us?" the elder brother said politely to Mr. Kong.

I felt that this was inappropriate. It would be a lifeline for someone in dire straits, and Kong Sheng would not refuse it.

Sure enough, Kong Sheng said, "Okay, we can move over right away. It's just a few changes of clothes."

Kong Sheng and his brother lived in the front yard, while Asong and I lived in the back yard. The large house had dozens of rooms, and even with us, it was still quite empty. I couldn't understand why the owners would abandon such a nice house.

Judging from Ah Song's expression, he clearly had designs on Kong Sheng. The older brother couldn't expose him, so he simply slept with Kong Sheng, preventing Ah Song from making a move.

Ah Song wasn't in a hurry. During the day, when her brother and Kong Sheng discussed poetry, she would go over and join in. Sometimes she would take an ivory clapper and sing some melodious tunes. Unexpectedly, she sang so well, but Kong Sheng remained unmoved, which made Ah Song grit her teeth in resentment.

I know Kong Sheng likes me. Every time I gaze at the plum blossoms under the plum tree, there's someone gazing back at me from afar. But we're from two different worlds; how could love possibly blossom between us?

Kong Sheng's infatuation with me finally angered Ah Song. I don't know what kind of magic she used, but she caused a boil the size of a bowl to grow on Kong Sheng's chest, and he was in excruciating pain, groaning day and night. My brother couldn't bear it and begged Ah Song to treat him, but Ah Song refused.

I said, "Let me try."

I took off the gold bracelet from my wrist and placed it on the boil. Kong Sheng stared blankly at me, letting me cut the rotten flesh with a sharp knife, without uttering a sound. I was afraid he would faint, so I kept glancing at him. Each time, our eyes met, burning like sparks, making me afraid to look at him.

The purplish-red blood that flowed out stained the bedsheets and my clean hands. Kong Sheng softly said, "I'm sorry, I've defiled your delicate hands." He didn't know the guilt in my heart, for he was wounded by one of my own kind, and I had failed to stop it. I spat out the elixir and gently rotated it over his wound, for his clothes were already soaked with sweat; all I could do was try to lessen his pain.

One ring forms a scab, two rings regenerate the skin, and three rings leave the skin feeling cool and refreshed.

When Nathan returned the food, I saw a look of awe in Kong Sheng's eyes. Actually, I deliberately let him see it.

After hurting Kong Sheng, Asong fell silent day by day. He often sat blankly on the cool stone, oblivious to dawn and dusk. Gradually, he became emaciated, his body shrinking into a cotton robe, so thin it could be grasped in one hand.

Only Kong Sheng's laughter could make her eyes shine, leaping like flames; as soon as the laughter stopped, it would extinguish into darkness.

Since there were many houses, the older brother invited his father over.

The old man's appearance unexpectedly led to a marriage.

Kong Sheng asked my father for my hand in marriage. My father liked Kong Sheng, and he looked at me with difficulty. I shook my head and refused.

How can people of different races marry? That's my reason, or perhaps it's because I don't love them. I can never resist the temptation of becoming an immortal. Although many people say they only envy the loving couple, not the immortals, I think they are simply destined to be immortals.

Ah Song seemed to have something to say, yet also appeared extremely shy, leaning against the door, neither coming in nor going out.

"Sister, it's cold, why don't you come in?" I stood up to greet her.

She walked in timidly and said, "Let me marry Kong Sheng."

What?! My brother and I were shocked, but our father, unaware of the situation, clapped his hands in delight.

Kong Sheng never expected that the woman who married him would be Asong. He thought that he might also like Asong. Upon hearing this, although he looked regretful, he also showed joy.

My brother ordered the family to prepare a new room for Kong Sheng's wedding. In the bronze mirror, Ah Song's pale face even had a rosy glow. As I did her makeup, I was lost in thought.

Ah Song said leisurely, "Sister, don't worry, I'm different now. I'll live a good life with Kong Sheng. Don't people often say, 'I only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals'?"

It turns out that my sister has already given up on the idea of becoming an immortal.

On the night of the wedding, the drums and music were deafening and the atmosphere was incredibly lively. Yet, amidst this festivities, I felt a pang of loss. Looking at the bride under the embroidered veil, I couldn't help but wonder, what would it be like if it were me?

After our marriage, Kong Sheng seemed very happy, only occasionally stealing a glance at me, but no longer acting infatuated. Asong also became increasingly plump, her eyes and brows radiating contentment. When it snowed, Asong would snuggle up to the fireplace and invite us to the new house for tea and cards.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was spring. Father's expression grew increasingly serious, his aura growing stronger. He said, "Fox demons face a death sentence every five hundred years. They are struck by lightning and celestial fire. If they escape, they can continue to be either immortals or demons; if they don't, they will be reduced to ashes." The whole family was extremely tense, except for Kong Sheng, who remained oblivious, still carefree and happy.

All good things must come to an end. My brother finally told Mr. Kong that Mr. Shan wanted to take back the mansion, so we all had to say goodbye. Thank you, Brother Kong, for your help with my studies these past few days; I will never forget it.

Ah Song knew everyone was in trouble, but she didn't dare tell her husband the truth. Her expression was sorrowful, and she couldn't bear to be separated from him.

"Let's go, let's go." The father had someone bring over a hundred taels of gold as a parting gift, and the family bid each other farewell with tears in their eyes.

I assumed they were gone, having escaped that calamity. My father, having experienced it, looked at my brother and me with sorrow in his eyes. The atmosphere in the house was heavy; it felt like even breathing was difficult.

Actually, only Kong Sheng can save us. Father sighed.

I know. My brother is still reading his poems and essays, seemingly quite calm about the impending disaster.

But Jiao Na, alas. The father sighed again. He had originally wanted to marry her off to Kong Sheng, truly hoping to give her a way to survive.

I saw a flash of red light at the window, then disappeared in the blink of an eye. Counting on my fingers, it seemed to be one of their own kind. That familiar aura even resembled Ah Song's. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but at this time, the fox realm was filled with indescribable panic; fleeing was merely a futile struggle.

The day has finally come.

In an instant, dark clouds gathered, a gale arose, and rubble and broken branches tumbled and raced between heaven and earth, as if they were all fleeing.

To avoid harming humans, the family moved back to their old home. Beneath the high burial mound, a dark cave leads to the place where they once lived.

Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the earth, and the rain intensified with the wind, uprooting even old trees. A large hole was cleaved open in the grave, and from the thick smoke, a hairy giant hand reached down and grabbed me, who was already half-conscious.

In terror, I screamed for help, and I seemed to see a person wielding a sword rushing towards me from afar. The person leaped up, the sword flashed, and then a bolt of lightning struck. I passed out.

When I woke up, the rain had stopped and the sky was clear. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, I heard the sound of crying beside me.

Kong Sheng lay in his brother's arms, his face blackened. He had been struck by lightning to save me.

I rushed over to check his breathing and pulse, but he was already lifeless.

Is there no hope? I finally broke down in tears, the tears streaming down my cheeks and dripping onto Kong Sheng's parched lips, gleaming like pearls in the sunlight.

I slowly leaned down and gently parted his lips with the tip of my tongue. Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, I inserted my inner core into his chest and abdomen.

I heard that Ah Song later gave birth to a son for him, and I also heard that the child looked very much like me.

I smiled, curled up on the bluestone slab, lazily stretching my limbs. Having lost my inner core, Kong Sheng lived, but I became an ordinary fox. Those five hundred years of hardship, under the sunlight, flew away like dewdrops...

Is it possible to live another five hundred years?

[Ancient Era: 003 Untainted]

I am the Magnolia Fairy by the side of the Queen Mother of the West. I am surrounded by a magnolia tree, nourished by the wind and dew. I have cultivated for a thousand years and earned the title of fairy, but I have always been just a lowly fairy.

On the day she met Shao Xian, the Queen Mother of the West, on a whim, led her celestial maidens to the foot of Kunyu Mountain in the mortal realm.

The mountains are deep with pine and vine, the cliffs are secluded and strange, the streams meander, the grass and trees are lush, and hundreds of birds sing in the green. Although it is a mundane place, it is truly quiet and elegant.

After playing for a long time, the Queen Mother said they were thirsty and ordered a cup of tea to be found.

I noticed a corner of a flying eaves peeking out from under the southern slope of Mount Wuran at Taiboding, which I think is a temple.

So he stepped forward, spread his fingers, and gently knocked on the red temple gate, waiting quietly while admiring the temple's flying eaves and painted beams.

With a series of light footsteps, the temple gate creaked open, and a handsome scholar stepped out.

I was startled, and he looked at me with equal fright, stepping aside as if he feared me like a tiger.

I chuckled softly, covering my mouth.

The scholar was stunned for a moment, then curtsied with his sleeves: "My celestial maiden has graced us with her presence. May I ask what brings you to my court?"

"How do you know I am a fairy?" I was taken aback. A gentle breeze blew, and my skirt fluttered in the wind.

The scholar smiled slightly, "Young lady, your beauty is stunning, and your demeanor is pure and elegant. What else could you be but an immortal?"

"Hehe, why don't you say I'm a demon?" I said, my fingers delicately swaying like orchids, my lips slightly parted, exuding an air of boundless allure.

The scholar ignored me, but shook his head arrogantly, "This is a sacred Buddhist site, how dare demons show themselves here?!"

Oh, I see.

I suppressed my smile and said seriously, "I've heard that the Zen temple has a tea called Yunwu. My mistress is thirsty and sent me to ask for a cup."

The scholar slowly entered, and after a short while, came out holding a cup of tea.

The celadon teacup has a clean lid, and wisps of steam rise from it, filling the air with the aroma of tea.

"Girl, be careful not to burn your hand."

I turned to leave, but he suddenly whispered a gentle reminder behind me, and in that instant, the tea mist moistened my eyes.

For thousands of years, has anyone ever cared?

The Queen Mother of the West had finished bathing by the "Queen Mother's Foot Bath" on Kunyu Mountain, with many fairies attending to her, like stars surrounding the moon.

I bowed my head and offered the tea. The Queen Mother took it and sipped it gently, her eyes slightly tipsy, and a smile appeared on her plump face. "Where is this tea from?"

"Cloud and mist tea from Wuran Temple in Kunyu Mountain".

"Well, Fairy Yulan has rendered meritorious service in serving tea, so she is hereby granted a day off," the Queen Mother casually announced.

I was overjoyed, and the fairies looked on with envy.