Chapter 43: Legendary Creature

“Have you ever heard of the White Ridge, in between the realms of gods and demons?”

Zhe Huo shook her head, perplexed. “Perhaps the grandmaster or someone might have mentioned it before…”

Tao Feiyan sipped his wine without hurry. This left a glossy sheen upon his lips, making them an even more tempting sight with each word that he spoke. “Legends say that somewhere in White Ridge is a nine-tailed fox which has been gathering power for tens of thousands of years.

“Even in the demon world, the rarest kind of fox demon has three tails at the most. Whether this nine-tailed fox is a deity or a demon, no one knows. Some say he is the greatest amongst the Four Kings of Heaven; others call him the overlord of all demons—the Fox King.

“Most importantly, his nine tails are said to represent the aspects of this world. It’s not a clearly defined matter, but think about it this way: If those tails represent the ultimate truths of this world, and you managed to get ahold of one of them… would there still be any point in struggling to climb up that silly old leaderboard?”

(Translator’s Note: Lots of Japanese / Chinese cross-overs here. Author uses 大昭 to refer to the natural world, and this concept is strongly linked to the number nine (nine continents, seas, etc.), hence the symbolic value of a creature with nine tails. Also seems to be what the Japanese store chain Daiso is named for.)

“Nine tails… the ultimate truths of this world…” Zhe Huo murmured. The very concept was filling her head with stars.

With an enigmatic smile, Feiyan turned his eyes to Luo Qinghan. “Zhe Huo, you even have a fox kit with you, right there. He should know all about foxes and their kind.”

Feeling like she’d found the secret to life, the universe, and everything, she glanced furtively towards the boy. “Qinghan… do you know anything about this nine-tailed fox?”

Qinghan had been holding a dainty little piece of cake in his tiny hands, and nibbling at it bit by bit. When Zhe Huo asked him this, he looked up in confusion, his mouth ringed with bits of white frosting—the portrait of child-like ignorance. He blinked those eyes with their long, luxurious lashes, and shook his head.

Zhe Huo kicked herself inwardly. Why would a mere baby like Qinghan be familiar with such an obscure snippet of lore? And yet, she continued to mutter to herself, “Nine-tailed fox demon… the Fox King… nine tails…”

Qinghan’s tail curled out from underneath his coat, and unconsciously hooked around her leg, subtly rubbing over her thigh. Still ruminating over the legend she’d just heard, she absent-mindedly swept his tail aside. The tail returned, and was cast away once more. She turned and said, “Qinghan, once I’ve caught this nine-tailed fox, I’ll chop off one of its tails for you to play around with.”

At this, Qinghan’s tail shrank away in a hurry.

Meanwhile, Feiyan exploded into raucous laughter. “Oh, Zhe Huo… you’re so gullible! How can you believe everything I tell you?”

Zhe Huo gasped in surprise. “It’s not true?”

Feiyan waggled his eyebrows. “True or not, it’s just something I heard. No one’s actually seen the nine-tailed fox of legend, so how am I to tell you whether it’s real, or just a story?”

Zhe Huo pouted, and smacked one hand on the tabletop. “Then what did you tell me about it for?”

“Just having a bit of fun with you. Even if the nine-tailed fox exists, unless it came to you of its own accord, someone at your level of ability has no hope of even making it to the White Ridge.”

Zhe Huo scowled at him, and turned to Qinghan, scrutinizing his great, bushy white tail. Then she collapsed into her seat and laid her chin upon the table, moaning with despair. “Forget it. I’ll just climb the ranks the old-fashioned way.”

Feiyan laughed. “No need to feel so bad about it. The nine-tailed fox hasn’t been seen in an eternity. Could be that it’s really nothing but a legend, now—then there’d be no point getting worked up over it.”