Engraved in Bone extra part1

The nine tailed fox was indeed the top of the demon clans. Compared to other clans, they were naturally quick learners. However, Lan Yi was the least well behaving of all the nine tail foxes. A demon like this would easily be excluded from his own clan and other clans.

Due to the clan's foxes making mischief, Lan Yi that was still a small fox had injured his foot, and had gotten stuck in a pool of mud. He would lowly call out, but those demons would laugh at him on the side at how he was livestock that could not transform.

The night had gotten a little dark. Those demons that were looking on at the fun had put the little fox in the backs of their minds and headed off to who knows where to have fun. That pair of lucid and clear fox eyes looked on at the gradually darkening sky, with the light in his own eyes gradually dimming along.

Perhaps children who were naturally dim-witted were destined to be excluded by others?

Night had fallen completely- the little fox could faintly hear a small child crying, and a neither deep nor shallow sound of footsteps. He saw the child's eyes had cried until it became swollen, and that appearance that would hurt upon touching. His face was dirty, but he had still continued to run forward.

The child tripped over a rock, and his entire body tumbling into the mud pool that the little fox was in. After raising his head, that pair of eyes that were swollen like peaches had met with the fox's eyes.

The little lord had reached out his dirty hands, hugging the little fox in front of him, loudly wailing the next moment. The little fox was stunned; his body stiffened. This was the first time he had been hugged by someone, and met a child that would cry if they said they'd cry.

After crying and crying, the little lord had gotten hiccups. Although the demon thought of this as funny, the little fox felt a little sympathy as a fellow sufferer, because he too had wanted to cry.

The little lord had lifted the little fox out of the pool of mud, then lowly said goodbye to the little fox, and ran off somewhere else.

In the end, the little fox hobbled off back to his clan. His mother who had been scared to death did not care that he was dirty, and directly held him in her embrace.

The embrace was so warm, just like that little lord's.

Since then, the little fox worked harder to cultivate. When he was tired, he would think of that little lord. By a lucky coincidence, the little fox had accidentally swallowed a demon pill. After pulling past the danger of his body exploding, he had finally obtained a couple hundred years of cultivation, and could even materialize into a human form.

His mother had called him to her side, and hung a jade pendant on his neck, while stroking his hairs, she said, “In a blink of an eye, our little Lan Yi could finally materialize into a human form, and can already go to the human realm to find a partner. Keep this jade pendant on you, it will be able to help you pass through your disaster[1].”

“Your father had previously done fortune-telling for you. There is a trial of disaster in your life- only by going down the mountain, can it be resolved. If you can survive through it, you will be able to become an immortal. If not, your body will die and the cultivation will disappear. After you go down the mountain, on the night of the full moon, your body would weaken to the state that could be no different to normal humans. By having this pendant, it should be able to protect you without problems. You need to keep this properly, you can't give this to anyone- wait until after the night of the full moon, then it will be alright.”

“After this trial, if Lan Yi has someone they like, then just bring him back to the clan, and let the clanspeople have a good look. Mother will help prepare a big ceremony for you guys.”

The grown up big fox had batted his eyes- he had suddenly thought about that little lord that year with the shining bright eyes. After so many years, they should have grown to be a handsome young man. He wanted to take a look, and ask if they would be willingly be his wife.

“Did you remember it properly yet? You should properly wear this jade pendant- with it, you will be able to avoid your life's disaster.”

Listening to his mother repeatedly talk on, the fox had turned into a graceful lord and descended the mountain. There were many people down the mountain. Going back and forth, everyone's face all wore a mask. He thought about it for a bit, and materialized a copy of one of the stall's fox masks. When he turned around wearing it, he saw a young man wearing the same mask as him.

How good looking this youth was- his facial features was like it had been carefully chiselled, each portion had been favoured by people, especially those pair of eyes- it was like those of the little lord that year. Even if they contained some stories, they would still be bright and pretty looking.

The fox had recognized the little lord, but the little lord had not recognized him.

The little lord seemed to be unhappy, and took off the mask about to leave. Lan Yi was a bit flustered, and hurriedly took off the mask, and smiled towards the little lord, “You look really beautiful- even more beautiful than my mother.”

This was the fox's sincere words. Before meeting the little lord, he had always thought his mother was the world's most most most good looking fox; but when he saw the grown up little lord, he had suddenly thought even the prettiest in the world could not compare.

The little lord seemed as though he did not believe his words, and turned around to leave. The panicking Lan Yi caught his hand, “You are quite pretty, really. Would you be willing to come with me and be my wife?”

The fox had decided that the little lord would be his wife, but the little lord did not seem to be so willing.

Lan Yi followed Shen Hang Zhi back to the Southern Wind Mansion. At first, he did not know what it meant to be a rabbit gentlemen, but then when the little lord had taken in a customer, he finally understand. Oh, how heartbroken he was- how could a little lord that had once been doted on fall down to this kind of place. He wanted to bring the little lord back, provide whatever he wanted for him, and have him become the kind of treasure one would put in their hearts.

But the little lord was not willing- he would even sneer at how he couldn't give him anything. To prove his identity, Lan Yi could not care for much, since the little lord wasn't some outsider- he was his future wife. For the first time, the fox took initiative to let someone touch his own tail.

The fox was a bit scared- scared that he would see fear from the little lord's eyes and hide. However, he had wanted to little lord to accept himself. Thankfully, his little lord had the courage that others normally would not have, and seemed to be happy, and even reached out his hand to touch his tail.

The little lord was happy, and he would be too.

Sure enough, his father did not lie to him- the male foxes in the clan would do the same to coax their partners. And thus, he took advantage of the time the little lord was happy to steal a kiss from the other person.

After these days, the little lord was not longer afraid of him, and was even more so willing to spend time with him. The little lord would ask him if the demons from the fox clan were amazing, like the foxes in the legend that would be invulnerable[2], if demon magic could heal dead people, to their flesh and bones.

Lan Yi would laugh, “How could it be as exaggerated as the legends. However, there is a disaster upon my life. On the night of the full moon, I would be no different from an ordinary human. My parents told me if I wear this jade pendant, I would be okay. Wait until after the night of the full moon- once my life's disaster has passed, I would no longer need to constantly wear this jade pendant.”

Seeing as how the little lord appeared to really like the jade pendant, he took the pendant and put it in the other person's hand to let him touch it, “Zhi Zhi, feel it- isn't it quite cold, but also pleasant to the touch? Wait until after the night of the full moon, then I will bring you back to the clan. Once the clan leader approves, you will really be my wife. Then, I will be able to give this jade pendant to you.”

The fox truly liked the little lord. Even if he parents warned him to be wary of the people down the mountain, he would still face the little lord with his true heart, without holding back anything towards him.

On the night of the full moon, Lan Yi looked on as the little lord took off his jade pendant, and even when he was feeding him the alcohol that he put the drug in. The fox had wanted to ask the little lord- was he not good enough? Why was it that he treated him like this?

It was merely because he was a demon- a different species.

But the fox that was no more ordinary than a normal person had already entered into a deep sleep, no longer able to ask that question.

[1] 渡劫- Another concept that should be familiar to those who are into wuxia/xianhuan and the like. By obtaining special powers through cultivation, as it is a heaven defying process, the heavens would have a disaster/trial befall on the person- only after passing it would the person be able to continue cultivating. Disasters could be in form of things such as taking in lightning strikes (I think would be the most commonly seen?), or more complicatedly, things like experiencing hardship by falling into the mortal realm (see… the how many thousands of miles of peach blossoms where the MC loses her memories and lives out a life in the mortal realm after ascension)

[2] Read, no blade nor spear could pierce them.

Chapter end