Xing Shuishui found Guan Yinzi quite interesting. Despite being thoroughly evil and hunted by everyone, he still wanted to raise someone to follow the righteous path.
Guan Yinzi patted him lightly. As Guan Wushan read poetry while stroking the fox’s fur, Xing Shuishui got goosebumps. She could sense that the fox was gradually lowering its guard upon hearing Guan Wushan’s words, while also thinking him foolish.
So when it was just the two of them.
He Tangzhou finally spoke up mockingly: “You say you care about the world, but your uncle keeps flower spirits and practices evil arts. Does your concern for the world not include spirits?”
Guan Wushan froze.
He said dejectedly: “He’s a bad person… but… but he’s also my uncle… I feel sorry for those little spirits… but… but I don’t know what to do…”
He Tangzhou revealed a sly smile: “It’s fine, I’m not a good spirit anyway.”
Xing Shuishui: “…”
These two shameless ones, conspiring together.
The two played cuju (Chinese football) in the courtyard, the ball flying back and forth between them.
Guan Wushan asked: “Do you also have no family?”
He Tangzhou said: “My family was killed by cultivators. What about you?”
Guan Wushan said: “I only had my mother, who was harmed by cultivators.”
He Tangzhou said: “Then why do you want to do the same things they do? If it were me, I’d kill them all.”
Guan Wushan was stunned, accidentally kicking the ball out, seemingly hitting someone. A dull thud came from beyond the wall.
He thought for a moment: “I can’t be as bad as them.”
He Tangzhou hummed in agreement.
Guan Wushan said: “Did I just hit someone?”
He Tangzhou made a sound: “Seems so. When I came over earlier, there was a little peach spirit kneeling outside.”
He called out: “Throw it back!”
Guan Wushan said: “Are you imitating how I talk?”
He Tangzhou turned his head and smiled: “Yes. But you speak too gently, you should actually be more gloomy, that way others will be scared.”
The ball was thrown back, and Guan Wushan said softly: “Thank you.”
Still very gentle.
Out-of-season plum blossoms fell, He Tangzhou was stunned for a moment, then Guan Yinzi returned. He Tangzhou quickly transformed back into a fox, obediently lying beside Guan Wushan.
Guan Wushan ran over and tugged at his clothes: “Uncle.”
Guan Yinzi made a sound of acknowledgment.
Guan Wushan asked: “What did that little peach spirit outside do wrong?”
Guan Yinzi casually answered: “Broke something again. Why?”
Guan Wushan said embarrassedly: “My ball accidentally fell out just now, she helped pick it up. Uncle, don’t blame her, nobody’s perfect.”
Guan Yinzi said: “She’s lucky then.”
Xing Shuishui: “…”
Wanted to bite them all to death.
Guan Yinzi clearly had business with him, holding a wooden token and several notices. Guan Wushan put down the ball he was holding and looked up at him.
Guan Yinzi got straight to the point: “Doesn’t Xiaoshan want to eliminate evil and uphold justice?”
Guan Wushan nodded.
He spread the notice before Guan Wushan’s eyes. Xing Shuishui looked and saw it written in black and white: Yesterday at midnight, south of Sishui Mountain, the Gu family was murdered, their hearts and lungs removed, eyes gouged out, dying most tragically. Suspected heart-stealing spirit activity, everyone please stay away from this area. Also recruiting four people to catch spirits, payment to be discussed in person.
Guan Wushan understood his meaning: “Uncle…”
Guan Yinzi said: “Go then, don’t forget the techniques I taught you.”
Guan Wushan smiled in response, put on his hat and took his basket before running out. He Tangzhou had no interest in catching spirits, lying listlessly on his shoulder.
The weather was poor that day, heavy rain falling, water gathering into small rivers. They arrived at the Spirit Catching Bureau. The reward wasn’t high, but their companions were nice – seeing he hadn’t eaten, they gave him a steamed bun.
Guan Wushan tore off a piece for the little fox on his shoulder and chatted with that person: “Uncle, I see you’re not a cultivator, why did you come to catch spirits too?”
The uncle wiped his sword: “To take a wife. Her family looks down on me for only knowing how to study, I want to prove myself to them.”
Guan Wushan looked at the other pair of siblings. The older brother took off his outer robe and placed it on his little sister’s shoulders. Though clearly wary of strangers, he hesitantly said: “We ran away from home, we need money. What about you?”
He Tangzhou answered in his heart: For the peace of the common people.
That’s exactly what Guan Wushan said.
Though the rain was heavy, catching the spirit went smoothly. Following the blood trails, they quickly found the heart-stealing spirit and killed it. Xing Shuishui looked around, having a bad feeling.
Then her gaze fell on the little girl who had almost been killed by the heart-stealing spirit, lost in thought.
Guan Wushan crouched down and asked: “Where is your family?”
The girl trembled and said: “In… in the temple on the mountain. I… I came down to gather firewood, didn’t expect to meet a spirit.”
Guan Wushan smiled and said: “I’ll take you home then.”
The girl said: “Okay, big brother.”
Everyone saw Guan Wushan carrying a girl out but didn’t say anything. The girl suddenly turned back and said to Guan Wushan: “Big brother, I think my shoe fell inside, could you help me get it?”
Guan Wushan agreed without thinking.
He Tangzhou had already sensed something was wrong, reaching out his paw to scratch his face. Guan Wushan smiled and grabbed his paw: “Don’t make trouble.”
Then, the girl stayed in place. After Guan Wushan picked up the embroidered shoe and ran back, he saw a sight he would never forget: his companions lying in pools of blood, eyes gone, hearts and lungs removed. The girl turned back while chewing a string of intestines, her eyes blood red.
Heart-stealing spirits! More than one.
Guan Wushan rarely got so angry. He drew his sword to chase but couldn’t match the heart-stealing spirits’ speed of escape.
Seeing they were already gone, he looked down. The uncle still wore a smile in death, perhaps thinking of marrying his beloved in a dream from which he would never wake. Though suffering intense pain before death, the siblings held hands, going to the yellow springs together – this inseparable bond of flesh and blood would never separate again.
Guan Wushan couldn’t help but kneel on the ground wailing, his whole body trembling, letting the rain beat down on his shoulders like a lost soul.
“It’s all my fault… it’s all my fault…”
He looked at He Tangzhou with eyes full of grief, his voice hoarse: “They… they all died because of me… why would they do this to me… why!!! I even saved her! Why would she do this to me! If you have a grudge, come at me! I was the one who killed that big spirit!!!!”
Seeing him tear out handfuls of hair, He Tangzhou comforted: “It’s not Xiaoshan’s fault, let’s go home.”
He transformed into human form and carried the crying Guan Wushan on his back, walking silently in the rain, step by step back home, walking to the Guan residence. Guan Yinzi seemed to have expected this result and casually closed the door.
It wasn’t his fault.
This world simply didn’t belong to the weak.
That’s what the fox thought.
Xing Shuishui vaguely sensed something was wrong and looked at Guan Yinzi. Although this was in He Tangzhou’s memories, she still had some freedom of movement. When night fell and Guan Wushan was asleep, she ran out, tiptoeing to Guan Yinzi’s door.
The night was very quiet, the rain had stopped, and the air was humid.
As soon as she got close, she smelled a strong scent of blood.
As expected.
The girl’s voice faintly came from inside. Xing Shuishui looked in by the moonlight and saw the heart-stealing spirit kneeling on the ground, speaking in a cold voice: “Master, as you ordered, I’ve let Young Master Wushan see some things clearly. He probably won’t be soft-hearted towards others anymore.”
Guan Yinzi played with his wine cup, most of his body hidden in shadow, his expression unclear. Xing Shuishui thought to herself that Guan Yinzi was truly Guan Yinzi, always so vicious.
Just like now, he raised his hand and separated the heart-stealing spirit’s head from its body. It died with eyes wide open, never knowing why.
Still no sign of the insect magic, Xing Shuishui couldn’t help feeling anxious. But she wasn’t stupid, immediately running back to Guan Wushan’s room, pretending nothing had happened. At this time, her past self was still locked in prison, having a staring contest with that strange young man over a piece of bread.
After that incident, Guan Wushan’s personality changed dramatically. He rarely spoke, only occasionally saying a few words to He Tangzhou. He became much more gloomy, too dependent on Guan Yinzi, trusting only Guan Yinzi.
So when he saw with his own eyes Guan Yinzi being killed by a weak peach blossom spirit, the entire Guan family burned by fire, he didn’t understand.
Didn’t understand why the peach blossom spirit he had saved would do this. Wasn’t the Guan family good? Wasn’t uncle usually lenient with them? Outside everywhere were cultivators hunting spirits – if these little spirits hadn’t been captured and kept by uncle, they would have been killed long ago.
He Tangzhou saw things weren’t good and bit his clothes to make him leave. The period of escape was very difficult. On rainy days, wounds would become infected. With no money for medicine, they could only heat a knife over fire and press it against the wounds. The sizzling sound, like the endless rain outside, filled with the smell of cooked meat – Guan Wushan almost died.
Later they met Li Shixu. Li Shixu, feeling guilty towards Guan Yinzi, took in Guan Wushan, and things slowly got better.
By this time Guan Wushan’s eyes were already very dim. He often stared blankly at falling leaves outside the window, then asked He Tangzhou: “Why don’t you leave… little fox, I have nothing left… if you want to go then go…”
But he didn’t know that foxes are cunning, but also truly loyal.
He Tangzhou closed the window and smiled at him: “Since you saved me from that vendor in your youth, you’ve been my family, my closest friend. When you were glorious, I was glorious. When you fall, I fall too. If you want revenge, I’ll accompany you.”
Guan Wushan stared at him blankly.
He Tangzhou said gently: “Xiaoshan, I won’t leave. You saved my life.”
He suddenly took a knife and stabbed towards his wrist. Guan Wushan’s face changed color. He Tangzhou pulled out a smile, telling him not to worry: “This is just a type of worm, the Cangchuan insect. It was left to me by my mother. When dormant it lives in my body. It’s an incurable insect. If you need it, take it.”
Guan Wushan said angrily: “This is between me and her! I don’t need your help! He Tangzhou, you better take care of yourself! I’ve already lost my mother, lost my uncle! I can’t lose you too…”
Towards the end, his voice rarely carried traces of crying.
He Tangzhou smiled with a pale face: “Alright.”
Guan Wushan gripped the sword resting on his knee and said: “Soon, I will go alone to find Xue Jiuling. You must not get involved at all. If— if I die in the end, remember, pour three bowls of wine on my grave every year.”
He Tangzhou smiled more painfully than crying: “Alright.”
But later he still got involved.
Poisoning the Shangguan family elder, using insects on sister, being so presumptuous, still willingly being Guan Wushan’s dog.
At the story’s end, perhaps Guan Wushan would pour three cups of wine at the little fox’s grave after learning of his death. Or perhaps there would never be such a chance, because he would soon be sent down to accompany him.
Xing Shuishui coldly stared at Guan Wushan, suppressing this body’s sad emotions. The Cangchuan insect? She remembered that year Jing Wushuang died in Cangchuan.
Xing Shuishui’s spirit stirred and she withdrew from the Float Spirit Mirror.
Leave a Reply