"My Lord, Teal Hill can't survive under Hong Yu's ambition. We should hurry to Spirit Mountain!"
"If we do so, we'll be cowards and a disgrace to Teal Hill."
The tension in the great hall could be cut with a knife. Battle cries could be heard from Mistcraft Mountain, and Wuyou glanced over coldly, hoping someone would step out to save Teal Hill. However, all of her subjects were like frightened birds. "Is my Teal Hill going to collapse?" Wuyou thought in terror. She could not let her vast lands be destroyed! Wuyou flew out of the hall with her noblemen in tow. Teal Hill was on the line, so she had to save it as she was the lord of Teal Hill and had nowhere to escape. The subjects behind her all looked terrified when they saw the warfare. The old counselor stared at Jiang Wuyou with horror, hoping that she could think of a countermeasure. Wuyou was overwhelmed by a complicated feeling.
"Ni Shang, take the women and children out through the secret tunnel as soon as you can."
"My Lord, we'll protect Teal Hill to the death."
"Sir, the tribe leader who is currently facing Wolf King can not withstand his attacks for much longer."
"I order all the elderly and weak to head to Spirit Mountain as quickly as possible, and all the young and strong should stay."
The Wolf King was extremely ruthless, and Wuyou clenched her fists in preparation for battle as the Wolf King dashed into the Great Hall riding a hellish beast. While the foxes outside the hall fought back with all their strength, they were knocked flying with a single punch with Spirit Power from the Wolf King. Wuyou flung an Imprisoning Chain with Spirit Power towards the Wolf King, but the wolf dodged the attack and flew into the sky, and Wuyou followed him.
A hawk flew out of the Wolf King's sleeves. Wuyou concentrated all her burning Spirit Power to float around her and summoned some Delicate Piercers with a spell. The hawk flew towards Wuyou at Wolf King's command. The foxes standing at the door of the hall were worried about Wuyou's safety. Wuyou executed a spell and held a Delicate Piercers in her hand. As the hawk swung its wings and was gobbling up the foxes, Wuyou threw out the piercers and tore the hawk apart. Seeing this, the Wolf King waved his sleeves and sent a spell of poisonous bugs towards the crowd. Wuyou turned into a Spiritual Web and blocked them, which caused the bugs in the net to crackle and burn.
Surprised by this fox's powers, the Wolf King attacked again, bringing down a torrent of hail that turned the surroundings to ice, which sacred the foxes away in panic. When he forced into the hall, a gust of Spirit Power shut the door. Wuyou sent out the Delicate Piercers and Imprisoning Chain again. Just as the chain surrounded the wolf's neck, the hall's doors crashed down as tens of thousands of wolves entered the hall. Wuyou flew into the hall, which was coved with blood with the wolves ravaged the foxes. Her sister Ni Shang was forced by the Wolf King into a corner and began wailing with tears as her clothes were torn apart. Wuyou sent out a spell, but the Wolf King responded with an attack that sent Wuyou flying back, bloodied and crippled.
A young fox was sleeping in a sea of blooming purple irises. A breeze arose and woke the fox, and it stretched out its arms. The human world was nearby at the end of a river bank that was dotted with Monkey Trees. The fox leapt onto one of the trees, which were full of furry fruit.
The reflection in the river showed that this fox turned into a human form. Its fur fell off its body and its eyes turned into those of a human's. The fox stared at her transformed self from on top of the tree.
The ice of the early spring had been melted, and the little fox stood on the tree, staring at a blossoming yard. The yard was filled with the chatter of children, and a small girl in a jade-colored dress looked up with wide eyes. Her dress was flying with the morning breeze.
"It's a beautiful fairy!" the girl exclaimed excitedly.
A group of children crowded under the tree. Looking at the girl under the tree, Wuyou sent out Spirit Power to wipe her memory. However, when she heard this girl call her a fairy, she forced away the Spirit power, and her finger was therefore burnt. A drop of purple blood dripped into the flowers, causing the yard to suddenly fill with fragrance. The little girl widened her eyes at this fairy's magical powers, under which the buds of the three all turned into blossoms. Looking at the blossoms, Wuyou had no idea that her purple blood had such powers.
"Fairy, I'm called Han Chiyou."
"Jiang Wuyou."
The little girl exclaimed in a childish and beautiful voice, "Sister Jiang Wuyou!" This was the most beautiful voice Wuyou had ever heard since her own mother had never even called her name out of spite. She could not understand her mother's resentment until she grew up, and she gave up her demand. After her father passed away, she was separated from her mother, but Wuyou knew her name carried her father's love for her.
"You're called Chiyou?"
The little girl nodded vigorously while looking at the fairy on the three. Wuyou's flying purple dress looked so beautiful in the yard and the little girl's eyes. She really liked this older sister.
Wuyou left with the wind, her purple dress fluttering in the sunlight. The catkin of the early spring in the human world was flying in the air. She sat on top of a tower and looked at the splendor of the human world, reminiscing how much Uncle Jiefei liked it. When she was small, she was mischievous and liked to steal Jiefei's wine, and once accidentally knocked over his wine glass. When her uncle found out, he threw her into the Saint Lake. When she woke up, she saw Ni Shang playing in the water. Though she did not know what was beautiful and ugly, and she was so astounded by Ni Shang's beauty that she could not wait to grow up.
When her Uncle Jiefei returned from the human world with fine wine, she was too scared to be thrown into the Saint Lake despite that she loved wine so much. She knew too well to try to steal his wine again and simply sat at the hall doors waiting for him. If her uncle was happy, he would tell her stories about his adventures, and she would get lost in his tales about the human world.
Later on, her uncle fell in love with a woman, and she did not understand his love and regarded it as his wish until when she found out before his death that he longed for mortal life. He even wanted to give up his elder duties and grow old with his lover in a city in the mortal world, but he died too early to fulfill his dream and left the young Wuyou in charge of Teal Hill.
The early spring night was still a little chilly, and Wuyou walked among the relative stillness. It was time to light up the lamps. A string of lamps hung in the sky, making it much more welcoming than the nights in Teal Hill. Wuyou was even more curious about the fire and leaped up to grab one, admiring its shining fire inside a thin cocoon of paper. She touched the paper and found it warm. She held the lamp as she walked through the crowd ahead, hearing the merchants' yells and thinking that this kind of human commotion was what her uncle dreamed of.
She stood on a stone bridge and looked towards the merchants, all selling curious things that drew her attention. There were even chattering children sitting on their fathers' shoulders, and when the children got their wish, they would circle their greasy hands around their fathers and dirtied the corner of their clothes. The fathers looked at their children lovingly and wiped their hands clean. The children laughed and kissed their fathers on their cheeks, who in turn scratched their head lovingly. This was the innocence of childhood.
Wuyou had only encountered such fatherly love in her dreams and wished that her father was still alive, so that she could get snacks from her father and play with him in the streets of Teal Hill.
"Daddy, a hawthorn stick!" chirped a girl.
Wuyou drooled at the glistening treats, which also existed in Teal Hill. She had once heard from the little foxes that this snack tasted very sour, so, she did not dare to try it. The haws looked extremely inviting, with their red sugar coating and faint fragrance.
The merchant selling these sticks sold them out of a hay basket. The haws that the children were eating looked extremely inviting. Wuyou looked at the old merchant, checked her pocket and found only a few coins besides her purple jade fox, which was a gift from her mother. Although she was a little reluctant, she still handed over the jade to the merchant and took a hawthorn stick away. The haws in her hand gave a sweet smell.
"Wait, young lady!" said the old merchant urgently.
Wuyou sent a stream of Spirit Power and flew away, and the merchant was shocked to find a piece of jade in his hand. When he touched it with his rough hands, a halo of Spirit Power encircled him. The merchant's white hair darkened gradually, his wrinkles smoothed out, and he saw his hands and skin become elastic again when the halo disappeared. The merchant stared at the jade and his soft hands in disbelief.
This strange scene was seen by a man called Xu Linghe in the Saint Lodge. He was excited and leaped down from the lodge and sized up the old merchant, who had now become a young man.
"Take good care of these coins," he said, tossing down a bit of money and taking back the piece of jade.
The merchant was upset, as he wanted to return the jade to the young woman, rather than letting it get taken by this man.
"Sir, this piece of jade was a gift from a young lady. I can't sell it to you."
"You don't know that I'm actually an acquaintance of her, so don't worry."
"Oh, then please thank her for me."
"Of course."
The merchant could not say anything in the face of the elegant Xu Linghe, so he packed up all his goods and left.
Wuyou was busy savoring the delicious hawthorn stick and reveling in its amazing taste and sweetness. The night wind was cold, but, she still enjoyed the taste.
Xu Linghe stood on the bridge and looked up at this exceptional young woman, who had green hair like dark jade and thick lashes that masked a fiery gaze. Her thick eyelashes cast a shadow over her big and beautiful eyes. Her small mouth was stained with sugar and looked soft and full. He could sense from afar that she had a cold maturity beyond her age.
That coldness was palpable, and Xu Linghe suddenly had a desire to win her over. He wanted to know how surprised she would be when her beautiful eyes beheld great scenes and her mouth tasted delicious dishes. As the jade in his hand glinted slightly, Xu Linghe sent a stream of Spirit Power into it and made it shine brighter. The jade fox looked lovely and cute. When he put away the jade fox, the young girl had disappeared from where she was standing.