Chapter 7

Nine-Tailed Fox, as elegant and ethereal as he had seen before, had glistening snowy fur. Like a small white fox suddenly darting out from the sunlight, it ran up to him, momentarily leaving Zilan mesmerized.

In this moment, he began to understand a bit of the beauty spoken of in the legend of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Seeing the Great Snow Wolf awaken, Xueli felt elated and bounced over, asking, “Are you awake? Is your body alright? Do any wounds still bother you?”

As the small white fox approached him, Zilan hesitated for a moment, then, despite the effort, politely said, “I am… the child of the Wolf King and Wolf Queen of the Ninth Heaven Wolf Territory, named Zilan. May I ask where this is? Did you assist in healing my injuries?”

At this moment, what Xueli saw and heard was:

Great Snow Wolf: “Awoo-awoo-awoo-awoo? Awoo-awoo?”

Xueli: “?”

The wolf and the fox exchanged a gaze for a moment.

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Mbl obkvl ella yde aycckvp yaswde dlahswpzu oyvnble vblx.

Gqvla y xsxldv, Dwlzk vwadle vs vbl svblap yde pyke, “Mbkp oszq… pllxp zkjl kv nyd’v prlyj?”

Mbkp pbswze dsv byhl clld vbl nypl, yp fwpv y obkzl yts, pbl bye pldple y pvasdt yde ekpvkdnv yway sq kxxsavyzkvu qasx vbkp oszq, qya pwaryppkdt vbyv sq vbl obkvl ella yde vbl zkvvzl aycckvp. Rv oyp lhld pvasdtla vbyd bla ywdv, obs oyp y nwzvkhyvsa. Rv oyp byae vs clzklhl vbyv y oszq okvb pwnb plhlal kdfwaklp yde pwnb nwzvkhyvksd nswzed’v nsxxwdknyvl.

Zlv, Dwlzk oyp dsv hlau qyxkzkya okvb vbl osaze clusde vbl alyzx sq kxxsavyzp. Fbl oypd’v pwal kq nalyvwalp swvpkel nswze cl qwzz sq kxxsavyzkvu ulv wdyczl vs nsxxwdknyvl, xwnb zkjl vbl kxxsavyzkvu rzydvp wdyczl vs nwzvkhyvl ekhkdl nsdpnkswpdlpp.

Ekvb vbkp kd xkde, Dwlzk oypd’v nlavykd kq vbkp xyppkhl pdso oszq vawzu rspplpple kdvlzzktldnl.

G zkvvzl aycckv sd vbl pkel ypjle ydmkswpzu, “Rq bl nyd’v prlyj, eslp vbyv xlyd bl xktbv lyv xlyv?”

Dwlzk pyke, “Psd’v osaau, R’zz vau ytykd.”

Hkzyd oyvnble yp vbl Lkdl-Mykzle Ebkvl Wsm yde y obkvl ella yzsdt okvb plhlayz aycckvp “yoss-yoss” yde “oss-oss” vs lynb svbla, zktbvzu qwaasokdt bkp caso.

In his eyes, this scene was a completely different spectacle.

There were many types of constellation beasts in the Ninth Heaven, and each of them, aside from their original realms in the Ninth Heaven, also governed their own small realms in the lower realm of immortals. Unlike the uniform species in the upper realms, the lower realms housed various spiritual beasts and minor immortals together. Occasionally, even foreign wild beasts would mistakenly enter and slowly awaken their spiritual potential within these realms.

The origin, timing of deification, and reasons for governing among the many constellation beasts varied greatly. Their cultures and languages were wildly divergent. At first, the intermingling was difficult. The residents of each small realm followed their main constellation beast and spoke the language of their realm. Communicating between different constellation realms became difficult.

The language these small animals were speaking was unlike anything Zilan had ever heard in the Ninth Heaven. He had diligently studied and excelled from a young age, so although he didn’t understand all the languages of the Ninth Heaven, he had heard most of them and was proficient in several. However, what he heard from them now was unlike anything he knew. It somewhat resembled the ancient language from thousands of years ago, with traces of ancient terms mixed in.

The Nine-Tailed Fox disappeared a thousand years ago, and during this time, the language had undergone significant changes. Five hundred years ago, the Ninth Heaven had established a common language.

In the lower realms of immortality, not everyone would be able to communicate. If the Nine-Tailed Fox, which had vanished for thousands of years, was truly before him, and he had indeed fallen into a realm governed by a Nine-Tailed Fox, it would be quite normal for the inhabitants not to understand the common language.

Zilan had not yet recovered from the shock of unexpectedly seeing the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Or one could say, he truly knew very little about the situation he found himself in.

How could the Nine-Tailed Fox still exist in the world?

Where exactly was this place?

Why was this little Nine-Tailed Fox alone here? Was she the only one?

Countless questions swirled in his mind, but when he lowered his head and saw the herbs that the little white fox had brought him, he was once again taken aback.

Clearly, these were the healing herbs he had seen in the Wolf Territory. It seemed the little fox had personally dug them from the mountain. This realm didn’t seem particularly prosperous, so for her to find such a herb for him, he wondered how much effort it must have taken.

A warm flow surged through his chest, and Zilan couldn’t help but feel moved. Seeing this herb, he realized that someone had patiently tended to his numerous intersecting wounds. There was no need to say it explicitly; it was self-evident.

However, the immediate priority was to find a way to communicate with the little white fox and her companions.

After careful consideration, Zilan closed his eyes and searched his belongings.

Even in the Ninth Heaven, where communication between realms was challenging, there were methods.

Naturally, immortals and divine beasts had their ways of storing items. It wasn’t long before Zilan found the pill he was looking for within his own realm.

This was a universal communication pill used in the Ninth Heaven. Once consumed, it allowed individuals to understand each other even when they didn’t share a common language. However, those in the Ninth Heaven who couldn’t communicate were rare. Since Zilan hadn’t ventured far from the Wolf Territory and had few opportunities to use these pills, he had only three left that he had placed there a long time ago for unforeseen situations.

Now that understanding his situation and the realm was clearly most important, Zilan immediately retrieved one of the pills and placed it in his mouth.

The communication pill dissolved upon contact, and Zilan felt a trace of spiritual sweetness in his throat. Then, the voices in his ears immediately changed.

The Nine-Tailed Fox was currently in conversation with the white deer.

The white deer said, “Xueli, do you really intend to keep this wolf here for healing?”

The little white fox replied, “Yes, awoo! His injuries are so severe; we can’t just leave him be, or he might die.”

Zilan was surprised to hear this as soon as he ingested the communication pill. He hadn’t expected to overhear a conversation between the little white fox and the white deer discussing his situation. It was a bit awkward. Growing up, due to being unable to stray far from home due to the cold, he hadn’t interacted much with girls. So, he felt a little restrained.

Still, he tried to speak again, “Hello, I am Zilan, the child of the Wolf King and Wolf Queen of the Ninth Heaven Wolf Territory. I happened to end up here due to an accident. May I ask where this place is?”

Xueli had been discussing with the white deer about what to do next. She hadn’t expected the weakened Great Snow Wolf to open its eyes and look at her, letting out a series of “awoo-awoo-awoo” sounds from its throat, sounding similar to before.

Xueli tilted her head in confusion, blinked, and looked at him.

The white deer asked with even more puzzlement, “Why is this wolf making such loud noises even though he’s severely injured? Is there something wrong?”

Xueli said, “I don’t know. He seemed to be making similar sounds earlier. Maybe he’s uncomfortable.”

Upon hearing their conversation, Zilan was slightly puzzled. He had thought that after taking the pill, he would be able to communicate with the little fox and her companions. He could understand their dialogue, but their reactions to his speech still seemed as if they couldn’t comprehend him.

Xueli and the white deer, unaware of the wolf’s reaction, continued conversing.

The white deer said, “But such a large wolf, we don’t even know if he has gained intelligence. Is it a good idea to leave him in the forest like this?”

After a moment of thought, Xueli replied, “Once he’s healed and able to move, we can temporarily keep him at my place…”

The conversation abruptly stopped here. Just as Zilan was hearing this, the little Nine-Tailed Fox only managed to complete half a sentence before her words devolved into an irregular series of “awoo-awoo” sounds.

Zilan was caught off guard by the interrupted conversation, adding to his surprise. His brow furrowed even more deeply.

He never expected the communication pill’s effect to be used up in just a few sentences.

Normally, in the Ninth Heaven, the effects of such a pill would last at least a day. However, in this realm, the pill’s effect seemed to disappear in the span of just a few moments, allowing for only three or four sentences.

Moreover, the communication pill was meant to facilitate a two-way conversation, but now it had become one-way. Only he could understand their side of the conversation.

Zilan had initially thought that the three pills would be sufficient to clarify the fundamental questions. But this sudden turn of events caught him off guard.

Was it due to the unique situation of the Nine-Tailed Fox realm that only the person taking the pill could understand the other party’s speech? Or was it that the pills were ineffective for Nine-Tailed Foxes?

Zilan wasn’t sure about the situation and didn’t dare to recklessly use another pill. Given his current weakened state and the unfamiliar environment, he decided not to waste the remaining two pills. He intended to save them for a critical moment. Despite only hearing a few sentences, he could infer some information.

However…

Her name was Xueli.

Zilan was slightly dazed.

Thinking about how the little Nine-Tailed Fox had firmly insisted on not leaving him unattended and even offered to let him stay at her home, he couldn’t help but feel a complicated and inexplicable emotion. It was unexpected yet deeply touching.

At this moment, he was at his most helpless and severely injured. Having someone extend a helping hand to him selflessly at this time was like a lifeline in a snowstorm. Moreover, Xueli was so resolute. She couldn’t understand his words, didn’t know he was the young master of the Ninth Heaven Wolf Territory, yet she was willing to heal him, fetch herbs for him, and even advocate on his behalf to her friends.

He had never known girls of his age before, nor had any girl done something like this for him.

Zilan was both emotionally stirred and shy. He knew that Xueli likely didn’t have any special intentions, yet he felt somewhat at a loss. He cast a grateful look toward Xueli, who remained oblivious to the wolf’s gaze.

She was still earnestly explaining to the white deer, “If we keep him at my place, it will be more convenient for treatment. And you don’t need to worry too much. If we determine he’s not dangerous, once he recovers, we can find a cave for him in the forest and let him settle there. It won’t cause any issues.”

The white deer understood her intentions and wasn’t very afraid of the massive wolf. Although it cared about Xueli, it still nodded and said, “Alright, if there’s anything we can help with, make sure to let us know.”

“Awoo! I know.”

Xueli wagged her tail.

Remembering that she hadn’t given the wolf the herbs meant for him, she lowered her head, pushed the herbs closer to his mouth, and gently tapped him with her little paw.

Zilan knew that these herbs were to be consumed. Seeing this, he opened his mouth and ingested them.

Xueli had thought it would take some effort to make him understand, and she had intended to take a bite first to demonstrate. However, she hadn’t expected the wolf to eat the herbs so readily, which surprised her.

Zilan’s injuries weren’t optimistic. Despite the bandages, staying awake until now had pushed him to his limit. After consuming the herbs, drowsiness swept over him, and he once again closed his eyes, sinking into a deep sleep.

With Zilan asleep, Xueli still couldn’t resist curiously circling around him.

Actually, it wasn’t just Xueli. The other animals were initially shocked by the appearance of such a massive foreign creature. Fear and vigilance had outweighed curiosity, so they hadn’t had the chance to examine it closely.