Chapter 6

The little white fox was immaculately white, its fur as pure as the snow in the first month of winter, without a trace of impurity. Its steps were light and graceful, its figure agile. Its pair of black eyes were as clear and bright as night pearls, as if a pure and bright light had leapt out from the bright moon.

Its beauty was truly too dazzling, no matter from which aesthetic perspective, it was an excessively beautiful being, almost making people question its reality. For a moment, Zilan was stupefied, and his gaze involuntarily shifted to the nine tails behind her.

Nine tails?
How could she have nine tails?
Didn’t the Nine-Tailed Fox disappear from the world a thousand years ago? How could there still be a Nine-Tailed White Fox?

In his mind, the dimly colored celestial beast image that he had in his Daoist chamber emerged, with the image of the divine beast, the Nine-Tailed White Fox, which should have disappeared a thousand years ago, perched on the water, vividly before his eyes.
Zilan couldn’t help but suspect that he had actually fallen and dissipated during his breakthrough, which was why he saw the legendary extinct Nine-Tailed Fox in his hazy state. He had just turned seventeen and had just reached the breakthrough phase. If he were to suddenly die like this, how could he face his parents…

Zilan gazed at the little Nine-Tailed Fox in front of him, feeling a sense of dizziness. He wanted to carefully determine if she was real, but he was already exhausted and heavily injured. Before he could clearly see, his vision blurred and he completely lost his strength, fainting away.

At this moment, Xueli had also reached his side, but she maintained a cautious distance, keeping her tail tensely raised. Only when it seemed that the young master of the Snow Wolf had truly fainted did she cautiously approach him step by step. With a probing paw, she gently nudged him.

Of course, Zilan didn’t budge.

Xueli looked at the massive creature in front of her with astonishment. She had never seen such a large wolf before. If an ordinary wolf stood beside him, it would be like a small mound next to a towering mountain. His fur was an uncommon ivory-white, his closed eyes not revealing their shape. He possessed a long and dense tail, sharp claws and teeth, and pointed white ears that looked soft.

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Mwadkdt bla cynj vs bkx, Dwlzk zkqvle bla sod vykz yde nsxryale kv vs vbl tkydv oszq’p cseu. Fbl dsvknle vbyv bkp obkvl qwa pllxle vs cl pzktbvzu ellrla kd nszsa vbyd bla sod, y rwal obkvl nsyv okvb y vbknj eswczl zyula. Mbl wdelazukdt qwa bye y vswnb sq tayu, obknb pwarakpkdtzu yeele vs kvp dyvwayz lzltydnl.

Eyp vbkp vawzu y oszq?
Tl pllxle vs cl plakswpzu kdfwale.

Dwlzk oyzjle yaswde bkx kd y nkanzl yde iwknjzu dsvknle dwxlaswp qkdlzu elvykzle oswdep yzz shla bkp cseu. Mbkp oszq pllxle vs byhl qyzzld qasx psxloblal wdjdsod, nshlale kd nswdvzlpp ycaypksdp, ckvl xyajp, yde pnayvnblp. Mbl xspv plhlal sq yzz oyp vbl tawlpsxl oswde sd bkp cynj, okvb qzlpb vwadle swvoyaep, czsse yde vkppwl xweezle. Mblal olal vball zyatl zynlayvksdp pralyekdt yryav, alplxczkdt nzyo xyajp qasx psxl ldsaxswp nalyvwal, cwv vbl prlnkqkn ydkxyz kv xktbv cl, Dwlzk pllxle dsv vs byhl ldnswdvlale clqsal, xyjkdt kv ekqqknwzv vs ekpnlad.

Fbl zssjle yv vbl xyppkhl pdso oszq qsa y xsxldv, vbswtbv qsa y obkzl, vbld vwadle yaswde yde ayd kd y nlavykd ekalnvksd.

Mbl obkvl ella yde svbla pxyzz ydkxyzp olal oykvkdt dsv qya yoyu, ydmkswpzu tygkdt kd vbkp ekalnvksd yp kq alyeu vs awpb shla yv ydu xsxldv. Tsolhla, okvbswv ydu dlop qasx Dwlzk, vblu eked’v eyal yrrasynb alnjzlppzu.

Fllkdt Dwlzk alvwad, vblu bwaaklezu tyvblale yaswde, ypjkdt, “Dwlzk, yal usw sjyu?”

“Ebyv oyp vbyv vbkdt vbyv qlzz esod fwpv dso?”
Dwlzk alprsdele, “R’x qkdl. Mbl vbkdt vbyv qlzz esod fwpv dso pllxp vs cl y hlau zyatl oszq. Tl’p dsv qasx vbl alyzx sq kxxsavyzp; R’hl dlhla plld bkx kd vbl qsalpv clqsal. Tl’p plakswpzu kdfwale yde rascyczu nyd’v xshl qsa dso, cwv bl dllep valyvxldv, sa bl xktbv ekl.”

Gqvla blyakdt vbkp, lhlausdl wdelapvsse vbyv Dwlzk kdvldele vs rashkel xleknyz nyal qsa vbl zyatl oszq. Dwlzk bye qaliwldvzu vldele vs vbl oswdep sq svbla ydkxyzp kd vbl alyzx sq kxxsavyzp clqsal, byhkdt pyhle xydu ynnkeldvyzzu kdfwale nalyvwalp.

But the little rabbits were somewhat concerned. They exchanged glances and asked, “But it’s a really big wolf. How big is it exactly? Since he’s not a wolf from the realm of immortals, what if he doesn’t eat the fruits after he recovers?”

Xueli understood the little rabbits’ worries, but she had also considered various possibilities. After pondering for a moment, she replied, “No worries! Once he’s here in this realm, he’ll become my wolf! Even if there’s no immediate change, it will happen soon. Besides, I sense an aura of immortality on him, so he should be a genuine wolf! And let’s consider the worst-case scenario: even if his injuries are severe, even after I treat him, he won’t be able to move right away. We can start by feeding him some fruits. If he eats, we can rest assured. If he doesn’t, then we can think about confining him!”

Xueli’s articulate explanation eased everyone’s concerns, and they were no longer worried about the wolf’s potential danger.

Decisively, Xueli arranged, “Little deer, could you please go back to the house and get the medicine box for me? Little rabbits, could you go to the stream and fetch some water? I’ll gather some herbs nearby and start with preliminary treatment as soon as possible.”

Collaboration undoubtedly sped up the process. The animals nodded in agreement and swiftly went into action.

After instructing the others, Xueli immediately began searching for herbs. She was intimately familiar with every plant and tree in the forest, and it didn’t take long for her to gather the herbs she needed. She then returned to where the snow wolf was.

The snow wolf was still sound asleep with closed eyes, breathing faintly.

Xueli walked behind him, paused for a moment, and then transformed into her human form.

With black hair cascading down her waist, skin as fair as clouds, and dressed in a simple and elegant robe, Xueli exuded a sense of purity and grace.

Sitting down behind the wolf, Xueli examined his injuries once more. As she looked at the fresh and old wounds oozing red blood, she couldn’t help but lower her gaze.

Just at that moment, the white deer returned carrying the medicine box and placed it beside Xueli.

Xueli snapped back to focus and promptly opened the medicine box, beginning her work.

Neatly arranged inside the box were various types of knives, rows of silver needles of different lengths, an array of commonly used herbs, and a set of tools for grinding herbs. Although they were the possessions of a medical immortal, at first glance, they didn’t appear much different from instruments of harm.

Rolling up her plain sleeves, Xueli sifted through the array of knives and finally chose a small, well-suited one. As the medical knife touched her hand, she skillfully began removing the useless dead tissue and obstructive fur from the wolf’s body, her focus intense and her movements remarkably graceful.

Though she appeared delicate and fragile, facing such gruesome and bloody injuries, she showed no signs of trepidation. Her knife technique was unwavering, and her demeanor remained composed.

For injuries as severe as this, it was imperative to eliminate any unnecessary parts.

This medical skill had been honed through rigorous training under the strict guidance of Aunt Shaoyin. At the beginning, Aunt Shaoyin had folded pieces of cloth of varying colors into a thick layer and used her celestial abilities to mimic the sensations of the body. Xueli practiced repeatedly, learning when to use which knife and how deeply to cut into each layer of fabric. Every detail had to be precise, even if she had to practice blindfolded.

The animals in the realm of immortals weren’t exempt from the cycle of life and death. In the initial years, there were often creatures who hadn’t yet gained consciousness that passed away due to various reasons. Aunt Shaoyin would then bring their bodies back, allowing Xueli to practice on them and subsequently offering blessings and rites to guide their souls. She would then stitch their bodies together for a proper burial. As time passed, many animals began to get injured or fall ill, so Xueli gained practical experience using real medical tools.

Year after year, Xueli honed her medical knife skills to perfection, able to wield the knife almost instinctively without much thought.

The little rabbits tirelessly fetched clean water back and forth, while the blood was carried away in buckets. The sun unconsciously shifted towards the west, and droplets of sweat appeared on Xueli’s forehead.

The small animals gathered around Xueli, nervously watching her treat the injuries.

After about an hour, Xueli finally managed to apply medicine and bandage all the wounds, big and small, on the snow wolf’s body.

Just as she let out a sigh of relief, she suddenly realized that her initial plan was to treat both externally and internally. However, in her haste to tend to the wounds, she had only gathered the external-use herbs quickly. She hadn’t brought the internal-use herbs that the wolf would need to consume once he woke up.

Going back again to retrieve them seemed quite inconvenient. Xueli decided to make do with a few nearby herbs instead. She instructed the animals to stay and watch over the snow wolf for a while as she turned and headed back into the forest.

…

Zilan’s dream was restless and uneasy.

He felt pain throughout his body, a dull ache that was also sharp, as if he were fleeing from something but couldn’t move at all.

He vaguely remembered that he seemed to have been in the midst of a breakthrough, but something went wrong during the process. He thought of his own impending death and his parents. It seemed like he had fallen from a cloud platform when he failed his breakthrough. He didn’t know whether he was alive or dead now, nor did he know where he was. When his parents found out about his situation, how heartbroken and desperate would they be?

What was the current state of the Nine Heavens?

Were his parents alright?

Could he find a way to return?

A series of difficult questions circled in his mind, making Zilan anxious and uncomfortable. He wished he could immediately find solutions, but he couldn’t move as if even breathing caused his whole body pain.

However, at that moment, he felt something cold pressing against his body. He wasn’t sure what it was, but the sensation of pain immediately eased. It was as if a person who had walked through a desert and suddenly found an endless oasis, relieving their thirst. Zilan felt much more comfortable all at once. The sensation of coldness increased and soon covered every painful spot on his body.

Using this precious sense of comfort, Zilan furrowed his brows and strained to open his eyes.

His fever seemed to have ended, though he wasn’t sure when. The bouts of illness from his fever had varied in intensity and duration. Sometimes they would persist for several consecutive days, while at other times they would come and go rapidly. Zilan himself wasn’t sure when this bout had finally subsided.

He felt that all his wounds had been meticulously dressed, cleaned so thoroughly that even the scent of blood was absent. He could only detect a faint herbal fragrance lingering in the air.

Zilan was briefly befuddled, not reacting at first. If his wounds were dressed, did that mean he wasn’t dead? But who treated his injuries? And where was this place?

However, his moment of confusion lasted just an instant. In the next moment, he opened his eyes and lifted his head to see the little Nine-Tailed Fox he had caught a glimpse of before he lost consciousness. She was holding several spirit herbs in her mouth, bouncing and hopping towards him.

Seeing him awake, she seemed quite pleased. She hurriedly placed the herbs on the ground and cheerfully called out, “Ao woo!”