Xin Hexue’s mother was a fox demon under the seat of Lady Bixia.
The story of his mother and father was much like those told by storytellers about talented scholars and beautiful ladies, with the only difference being the supernatural element in this tale.
He was a half-demon, also proof of his parents’ love.
When Xin Hexue was little, he wasn’t raised cradled in his mother’s arms; he grew up amidst layers upon layers of fox tails.
Little Xin Hexue babbled, reaching out to grab fluffy fox fur.
His mother ingested qi and drank dew, feeding on the sun and moon. Her cultivation was profound, her entire cultivation transforming into nine beautiful clusters of fox tails.
By the time he was a half-grown youth, his father had achieved success and held an official post. But Xin Hexue never saw his mother again.
The magistrate of Yushan County said his mother had returned to the seat of Lady Bixia. Having cultivated from a demon into a minor deity, she could no longer linger in the mortal realm.
To the outside world, the magistrate only said his first wife had died, holding a grand funeral at the time.
Xin Hexue, clad in mourning hemp, kept vigil in the mourning hall. The night was windy and heavy with dew. He opened his palm and found he was clutching a strand of white fox fur.
He had grabbed it during his zhuazhou (first-birthday object-grabbing) ceremony.
During his zhuazhou, the magistrate’s son didn’t touch writing brushes or ink; instead, he grabbed a handful of fox fur, as if foretelling Xin Hexue’s fate early on.
He cared little for fleeting fame and fortune, and had no particular feeling about topping the imperial examinations. The gold, silver, and land deeds his mother left him were enough for him to travel the mountains and waters for a lifetime.
The magistrate of Yushan County’s only expectation for him was peace and safety. But why did he still attend the state prefectural school to study?
Even though he enjoyed reading countless books both ancient and modern, he could easily have hired a tutor at home. Why suffer from early dawn till late night attending the state school, and travel thousands of li to the capital to sit the imperial examinations?
There was only one reason.
Xin Hexue was a half-demon, a fox demon at that. The ordinary path of cultivation for demons was not accessible to him.
Just this cluster of tails was nourished by secretly consuming two years of incense offerings from a small temple. To advance further, there was no other way.
Xin Hexue’s aspiration was to possess nine magnificent, beautiful tails like his mother’s.
And the state school had many “tribute students”. Those scholars were young and vigorous, relatively better than clumsy men, considered intelligent and spiritually gifted, with abundant primal yang essence.
From the perspective of a gentleman raised under feudal rites and governance, this path might seem unclear and ambiguous, licentious and shameless.
But Xin Hexue was inherently half-human, half-demon in nature…half pure as jade and steadfast as pine, half daring and reckless. Ultimately, the west wind overwhelmed the east wind.
But so what?
He wasn’t doing anything deceptive or coercive. Stripped down, it was merely mutual consent.
Moreover, given his background, appearance, and cultivation, those men in the state prefectural school were all reaching above their station.
Xin Hexue thought with no lack of arrogance.
He studied at the state prefectural school for several years. Looking left and right at the men around him, he felt unsatisfied. He had also cast a few baits, but when he was about to reel one in, he felt the man was simply a stupid donkey, so he simply gave them the cold shoulder.
How those classmates tossed and turned later, he didn’t care.
Seriously, he never made any clear stance. How could these people’s one-sided wishful thinking be held against him?
No matter what, the blame could never be pinned on him.
In the first half of the year, a traveling Taoist priest saw through his disguise as Guanyin in the small temple. That Taoist was quite good and impressive, but unfortunately, he was too rigid, pedantic and inflexible. Not only was he unwilling to comply, he even tried to capture Xin Hexue. The magistrate of Yushan County invited the young Taoist to a meal, and used some threats and inducements to send him away.
Only then did the Taoist realize Yushan County was a monolithic block…what Taoists, what demons and evils, almost all connections above and below were the Xin family’s human and demon connections.
He clamored about returning to the capital to ask his “grand-uncle master” to manage this lawless place.
‘The mountains are high and the roads long, who would bother with you?’ Xin Hexue snorted coldly upon hearing this.
Looking left and right, these people couldn’t even compare to Zhou Heng, this grass by the nest’s edge. He originally didn’t want to touch it…after all, if things didn’t go well and they separated later, it would affect the relations between the two families.
What’s more, this whole affair, no matter how you calculate it, looks like he lured his aunt’s son onto a crooked path.
He hesitated back and forth, giving Zhou Heng signals of ambiguity, but keeping-at-arm’s-length.
It was only when the abbot of Bixia Temple informed him this day that his fox tails had an unstable state of cultivation, urging him to be more careful, that Xin Hexue made up his mind.
Candle flames flickered, and figures swayed with shadows. The moon outside the window screen was like a red-yellow wet mark, its color spreading out.
Seeing the person frozen in place, Xin Hexue let out a light laugh. The tail on his lower back swayed along with the clear, ringing laughter.
His scallion-white fingertips picked up a small green jade comb, grooming the white fluffy tail. “Why aren’t you coming over?”
The only response was an extremely dry swallowing sound. The visitor stood in place, restrained and not moving.
Xin Hexue lifted his drooping eyelids and looked into Zhou Heng’s eyes, his voice tender and sweet. “Were you frightened by me? Look at you, they’re beads of sweat gleaming on your temples.”
Xin Hexue groomed his fur, secretly knitting his brows.
His tail had been bathed in the evening, and every strand of fur was clean. He only feared this coarse person might be too rough or even wipe sweat onto his tail.
Xin Hexue treasured his tail greatly.
Back then, after consuming two years of incense offerings, it still hadn’t grown. It was only after passing through the high fever at Taiye Lake that this first tail sprouted forth.
Asking Zhou to help groom his fur was doing him an honor.
So tactless.
The tactless block of wood finally moved. The green jade comb in Xin Hexue’s hand was taken, but not to groom his snow-white tail. Instead, half a handful of black hair was gathered into the hand. When he arrived, Xin Hexue had been air-drying his hair on this daybed, so naturally it still felt half-dry, half-damp.
Xin Hexue let Zhou insert the green jade comb into the whorl of his hair, smoothing it from the roots to ends. “What did you use to bathe? Why is it so fragrant?” He heard Zhou Heng ask in a hoarse voice.
Xin Hexue’s heart stirred. It didn’t sound like Zhou Heng’s tone. He hesitated, and that bit of suspicion showed in his eyes that could contain their charm.
Zhou Heng gave a light sneer. “My dear, raise your eyes and look carefully. Am I your Zhou Heng?”
That jealous tone had the characteristic of aged pickled vegetables as soon as it left his mouth.
Xin Hexue’s gaze shifted, naturally glaring at him with anger. “It’s you again, the pestering rogue ghost that won’t go away?”
His bright eyes glared, and Henzhen briskly revealed his true form. The humble scholar vanished, the outer appearance dissipating like drifting sand blown by wind, revealing the true face beneath.
Xin Hexue asked, “What did you do to Zhou Heng?”
“Pestering…won’t-go-away…” Henzhen savored the words. “My dear truly understands me. This ghost follows you at all times. Do you know how anxious I was when I heard you were going to invite that poor scholar to your room?”
Xin Hexue’s beautiful eyebrows and eyes now turned thoroughly cold. “Where is he?”
“I didn’t do anything to him. Just let him have a fleeting dream at home.” Henzhen looked at Xin Hexue and said, “If you think I’m someone who shouts about killing all day, you’ve really mistaken me.”
He was referring to the incident where Xin Hexue misunderstood him that night. Xin Hexue originally still harbored some guilt in his heart, but now it only turned into a cold laugh. “I don’t think of you as anything, let alone think of you.”
His sneer hadn’t yet faded when his cheek, where the dimple would be, was pinched by Henzhen.
Henzhen pinched his face, half-smiling, half-serious. “My dear keeps saying such hurtful words again.”
Xin Hexue was restrained and unable to speak, his words also sounding as if filled with sugar water. “Then don’t come seeking annoyance before me.”
He tried to pry apart Henzhen’s hand. The hand was originally like bedrock, immovable. But when Xin Hexue frowned, he(Henzhen) loosened up immediately.
“Let me see…did Husband pinch your face red?”
Henzhen shamelessly leaned closer. Xin Hexue didn’t respond.
He didn’t take the bait. Henzhen examined his fluffy white tail, suddenly found it amusing, and laughed heartily, his laughter exceedingly hearty, as if he possessed some innately optimistic nature.
What Xin Hexue didn’t understand was that Henzhen had just resolved a great worry in his heart.
“I originally thought you genuinely liked that scholar,” Henzhen said upon seeing the revealed fox tail, instantly understanding. “So it was for cultivation.”
Henzhen had initially deeply believed the old bark’s words, believing Xin Hexue had been reincarnated as a human. He hadn’t thought to use his spiritual sense to probe his identity. Moreover, the aura of a half-demon was originally faint, so he had never detected it.
“Before, it really worried me to death. I was planning to quietly get rid of him. Since you don’t genuinely like him, I’m relieved.” Henzhen nodded, quite satisfied.
Xin Hexue glared at him. “Then you’ve put your heart at ease too early. Though I don’t genuinely like him, I genuinely detest you.”
Henzhen heard this and not only wasn’t disheartened, but laughed again. “So that’s how it is. You don’t genuinely like him, only treat him with feigned affection. But towards me, it’s a completely unhidden kind of true feeling. My dear, I feel so honored.”
Never mind whether it’s like or dislike…just call it genuine feelings.
Henzhen was a sophist.
Xin Hexue heard his theory of true feelings and false affection and became rarely muddle-headed.
Seeing Henzhen about to help groom his fur, he remembered how Henzhen’s hands were covered in blood that night, and the tail fur all bristled. Xin Hexue scolded: “Don’t touch me with your dirty hands!”
Henzhen smiled. “Look at you, scolding me again.” Henzhen pretended to be timidly withdrawing his hand, then…
This smile was utterly baffling. Before Xin Hexue, it was either smiles or more smiles, as if he wanted to make up for all the laughter he had missed out on over countless centuries.
Henzhen spread out both hands. At some point, he was no longer that pitch-black, shadowy figure from their first meeting. His appearance could be discerned now: apart from his still blurred features, his skin was a wheatish color…not exactly dark, but far from fair. His hands were broad and thick, with large palms and distinct knuckles. Their contours weren’t rugged, yet they bore many calluses and fine scars.
But at this moment, they looked perfectly clean.
Henzhen said with a hint of grievance, “I scrubbed them thoroughly with scented soap before seeing you.”
When his face was pinched earlier, Xin Hexue indeed caught a whiff of soap.
“How could I possibly touch you with dirty hands?” Henzhen sat down beside his couch and began carefully combing Xin Hexue’s tail with the jade-green comb.
Xin Hexue was still lying on his side, a milky-white crepe underrobe loosely draped over his body. As Henzhen groomed him, the cool jade comb glided through his fur, the sensation quite soothing.
Xin Hexue purred softly and, coaxed by Henzhen, rolled over onto his stomach, resting his head on the pillow of the daybed.
Henzhen spoke slowly, “That night was truly a misunderstanding. I saw three black cats transform into wild mountain foxes heading toward your room, so I thought they were launching a night attack. That’s why I acted.”
Upon hearing his explanation, Xin Hexue’s thin eyelids drooped slightly, and his voice came out soft, as if squeezed from his nasal passages. “They’re all from Bixia Mountain. You must not casually harm living beings in the future.”
Henzhen listened to him laying down the rules, and hearing there would be a “next time,” his heart swelled with triumph. He promptly said, “So it was a case of the flood drowning the Dragon King’s temple…family failing to recognize family. Next time, I will absolutely not lay a hand on my ‘in-laws’.”
Xin Hexue found this phrasing rather odd, but since Bixia Mountain was indeed his maternal side’s domain, he let Henzhen’s words pass for the moment.
Seeing that he had groomed him into comfort, Henzhen began to whisper sweet nothings by the bedside. “My dear, if you’re looking for someone to dual cultivate with to advance your cultivation, isn’t there a ready candidate right here?”
Xin Hexue lifted a sliver of an eyelid, the candlelight hazy. “You? You’re a demon.”
“Who told you it can only be done with mortals? Great demons, small demons, monsters and gods are originally of the same family. Besides, before I cultivated into a great demon, I was a small demon just like you.” Henzhen smiled ambiguously, his gaze deepening, revealing a blood-like hue. “That poor scholar may be considered outstanding among mortal men, but his yang-essence ultimately isn’t as pure, thick, or powerful as that of a small or great demon. If you want to grow another tail, how many times would you have to endure his… thrusts?”
The implication in his words sent a jolt of shame through Xin Hexue, just as a shadow loomed over him. Henzhen leaned close to his ear and whispered, “It might take hundreds, even thousands of times. You’d be worn out by then, how would you even close up afterward?”
His crude, blunt words immediately made Xin Hexue tremble, the fur on his tail standing on end, puffing up to twice its size. “Stop spouting such lewd and wanton language here!”
“How is this lewd and wanton language? Your husband is considering what’s truly best for you.” Henzhen spoke with seeming sincerity, each word ringing true.
Although Xin Hexue cursed him, in his heart he knew Henzhen’s words were true. Setting aside the unsavory parts, mortals ultimately weren’t sufficient for a fox demon like him to absorb essence from. He felt somewhat tempted by the candidate before him.
But, but… …
Once they had that kind of relationship, wouldn’t this shameless, clingy rogue be stuck to him for good?
Then again, even now, without any name or status, it didn’t seem like this “ghost husband” had any intention of letting him go.
All these days, he had invited the most renowned Daoist priests from Yushan County and beyond, but they all remained silent and helpless regarding this demon. Presumably, this great demon’s power was formidable. Forget Daoist priests or monks; even ordinary evil spirits and ghosts were no match for him… …
Henzhen vigorously recommended himself, “I’m not like that useless scholar. Just eight or nine times, and I reckon your second tail will grow out beautifully.”
Xin Hexue’s heart wavered for a moment, and his hesitation gave Henzhen an opening.
“Why don’t you give it a try? I won’t disappoint you.”
That smile appeared on Henzhen’s face again, his words dripping with obvious enticement.
However, it must be said that Xin Hexue’s will was unsteady. Thinking of the future second tail, he barely managed to nod in agreement. The moment he nodded, he was instantly swept into tumultuous waves of passion by the demon. He asked Henzhen what kind of small demon he had been before becoming a great demon, but Henzhen was busy kissing him and offered no answer.
With his lips captured by Henzhen’s kisses, Xin Hexue’s tongue had no chance to resist. Moisture spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his whole being sank deeper into the haze of passion.
The candlelight was dim. The two of them, their spirits intoxicated and wills disordered, felt as if they had fallen into a thick fog five li deep. As their passion reached its peak, Henzhen’s member stood erect. Xin Hexue, with his sensitive nerves, suddenly sensed its size and sharpness were different from an ordinary man’s. He pushed Henzhen slightly away, threw back the covers for a look, and to his surprise, this “ghost husband” actually had two, stark naked members.
Xin Hexue’s expression turned to one of great shock. He scrambled toward the edge of the bed in a panic, his disheveled hair like chaotic clouds. Even his usually cold and alluring eyes glistened with unshed tears as he directly told Henzhen to get out.
Henzhen simply wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him back, embracing the trembling, snow-white body. “My dear, haven’t I already ‘rolled’ onto your bed?”
He knew what had startled Xin Hexue. It had been the same in their previous life. Henzhen chuckled lowly, “I’m not asking you to take both at once. It’ll just be the two brothers taking turns attending to you.”
