Chapter 12

Initially, Xueli’s assessment was that Zilan’s injury would take about fifteen days of rest before any movement could be possible. 

Xueli’s judgment was accurate, but she underestimated Zilan’s endurance. 

Zilan had a high pain tolerance and significantly better physical strength than others. Normally, under such excruciating pain, any creature would be unable to stand. However, Zilan, upon realizing he had some ability to move, gritted his teeth through unimaginable pain, supporting himself and managing to stand despite the severe injuries. 

Zilan had been lying motionless for a full six days, and his entire body was stiff, with the pain from his wounds tearing and ripping more than anticipated whenever he attempted to move. 

Zilan suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. 

Nevertheless, despite the extreme discomfort, he was amazed at how quickly he could move. The medicine’s efficacy was beyond expectations, bringing about a qualitative change overnight. 

Glancing around, Zilan noticed that the little nine-tailed fox hadn’t arrived yet today. 

He was eager to gather more information about this celestial realm as he had learned nothing during these six days of feigning helplessness. There were many things in this celestial realm that piqued his interest. 

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Zilan even came across a mother tiger with two cubs. The mother, nurturing her young, was particularly anxious. As soon as she saw Zilan, a threatening creature, approaching, she immediately shielded her cubs with her body and quickly retreated. 

After walking around for a considerable distance, Zilan roughly understood the situation here. 

This was a relatively new celestial realm with very few inhabitants, and development was still lagging. 

He didn’t see a single village along the way, not even many intelligent animals. The small animals he had seen around the little nine-tailed fox earlier seemed unable to transform into human forms. However, the little nine-tailed fox could do so. In that case, she might be the only genuine celestial being in the entire celestial realm. 

No wonder she had been here for so many days. The little nine-tailed fox always ran around in fox form. If all the animals here couldn’t transform, using a human form would make her stand out. It made sense for her to move freely and conveniently in her fox form. 

Zilan had a rough idea in his mind. He continued walking along the river when, at that moment, he spotted a small wooden house by the river. 

Situated by the water, the small wooden house had a simple yet well-maintained exterior. The little nine-tailed fox was using her head to push open the door and walked out, squinting her eyes as she stretched her body and shook her fur. 

Xueli, feeling relaxed after successfully changing the bandages for the big snow wolf yesterday, woke up a bit later than usual. She didn’t notice the big snow wolf a bit far away and, as usual, brought out food from the kitchen. She also took out some steamed radish cakes she had prepared earlier and placed them in a basket, intending to bring them to the snow wolf. 

Zilan immediately realized that he had found the home of the little nine-tailed fox. However, he hadn’t come to spy, and seeing that the little fox might soon head back to where they had met before, he suddenly felt awkward. With drooping ears, he hastily tried to avoid being seen. 

But at that moment, the little fox seemed to sense that the weather wasn’t urgent. She put down the basket and leisurely sat on the porch, opening her mouth to start humming a tune with a “wu wu wu” sound. 

Zilan originally intended to leave, but at the moment he heard the melody, his wolf ears quivered slightly. Unconsciously, he was captivated by the song, his feet involuntarily rooted to the spot. He looked back in the direction of Xueli. 

Xueli actually enjoyed singing. According to her aunt, she would hum lightly when she was very young and could complete a whole song shortly after. She always sang the same tune, a melody she couldn’t remember where she had heard. The song had no lyrics, and the melody was like a warm breeze brushing over the bright moon on a spring night, evoking a fresh and nostalgic feeling. 

She didn’t know if she sang well, but the small animals always cheered for her. The little rabbits even clapped for her. This naturally inflated Xueli’s confidence irrationally, making her sing more enthusiastically. 

At this moment, Zilan saw Xueli sitting in front of the small house, her nine snow-white tails neatly overlapping like a skirt in front of her. She tilted her neck slightly, swaying her ears a little from side to side. Her voice was not loud but resonated with a melodious and pleasant tune. 

Not long after, small animals cautiously peeked their heads out from the forest. 

Despite Xueli’s soft voice, which theoretically wouldn’t be audible to many, the attracted animals were numerous. Not only were there those Zilan had seen before, but also many unintelligent birds and small animals curiously gathered around, earnestly nestling near Xueli, listening to her hum the melody. 

Zilan was stunned by the scene before him. 

Especially the tune that Xueli was humming left him rooted in place. 

The origin of this song was an ancient celestial melody called “Searching for the Moon.” It was conducive to the meditation and enlightenment of celestial beings, enhancing their mental acuity. However, the original score had been destroyed in an accident. 

Such ancient celestial melodies were already rare, and the method of playing and preserving them was different from ordinary music. Very few copies had survived, and only those with a certain level of cultivation could attempt to imitate and transcribe them. Thousands of years had passed since the ancient times, and only forty-eight celestial melodies had been preserved, each serving a distinct purpose. They were irreplaceable, and losing a piece like “Searching for the Moon” was like losing the most beautiful page from an ancient book, leaving future generations only able to imagine its brilliance, forever unable to be complete, a regrettable loss. 

While in the Nine Heavens, Zilan had heard a fragmented version of “Searching for the Moon,” so when he heard the beginning of Xueli’s singing, he recognized it. 

Zilan stared in amazement at Xueli singing in the morning sunlight, with a faint, still lingering crescent moon on the horizon, making her appear exceptionally tranquil. 

Xueli’s singing seemed to recreate the entire “Searching for the Moon,” and the obedient reactions of the intelligent and unintelligent animals confirmed it. 

Zilan was dumbfounded. 

Considering that the nine-tailed foxes disappeared over a thousand years ago, when the original score of “Searching for the Moon” wasn’t yet destroyed, it was a reasonable possibility that if the nine-tailed foxes still existed, they might possess the complete score of “Searching for the Moon.” 

Panicking, Zilan tried to move but couldn’t communicate with the little nine-tailed fox right now, even with the universal language pill, which currently only had a unilateral effect. Unable to think of a solution, he reluctantly pushed this matter to the back of his mind, planning to address it later when communication was possible. 

While the snow wolf was contemplating, Xueli had already finished singing the entire song, swaying her tail contentedly. 

This melody often echoed in her mind, and although she didn’t know the name of the song, hearing it brought a warm and nostalgic feeling. 

After finishing, she opened her eyes and saw many small animals still gathered in front of her, as if not yet fully returned from the celestial melody, their eyes still hazy. 

Each time after hearing this song, the unintelligent animals seemed to become a bit smarter, and the intelligent ones felt their thoughts clearer. 

Seeing everyone present, Xueli joyfully exclaimed, “You all came!” 

The white deer initially came to see if Xueli wanted to play together. Still, upon hearing her sing midway, it transformed into lying beside her, listening attentively. 

The white deer, still not fully recovered from the celestial melody, sleepily said, “Xueli, you sing really well.” 

“Ah.” 

Xueli shyly twitched her ears, but her expression showed that she was delighted. 

The white deer continued, “The music is so beautiful, and your voice is lovely. Do you want to sing it again?” 

Xueli shook her head and said, “No, I was planning to bring food to that wolf. I changed his bandages yesterday, and today I want to see how he’s recovering.” 

The white deer realized belatedly and said, “Oh, I see…” 

Concerned, the white deer asked, “Do you want us to accompany you? Is the wolf much better now?” 

Xueli looked at the deer with a caring gaze, shaking her head, “No need. I can go by myself! You all can continue playing. I’ll come find you after I finish the exercises my aunt gave me this afternoon!” 

With Xueli’s assurance, the white deer relaxed and stopped insisting. It gently waved its short deer tail in farewell and hopped away with the other small animals. 

After bidding farewell to the white deer, Xueli picked up the basket and happily hopped towards the forest. 

However, before she reached her destination, she saw large wolf footprints on the ground, much larger than those of other animals, indicating that the wolf hadn’t fully recovered. 

Xueli was momentarily surprised but became even more cheerful as she skipped into the forest! 

Zilan, feeling awkward around Xueli’s cottage and fearing she might not find him when she came back, had planned to return to their original meeting place a bit earlier. However, Xueli’s arrival was faster than he had imagined. Before he could lie back down, Xueli had already leaped excitedly out of the bushes! 

As she emerged, she saw the snow-white wolf, whom she had cared for diligently for several days, finally standing up from the ground and quietly gazing in her direction. 

Xueli immediately ran over, excitedly exclaiming, “Awoo! You can stand up now!”