I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 63

Chapter 63

“Once in a lifetime achievement, the fox spirit’s request. This request can only be made once in a lifetime, and the fox will spare no effort to find its destined one. Whether it becomes human or divine rests entirely on your decision.”

Since it can only be initiated once in a lifetime, it seems this cunning fox hadn’t used its chance on Xia Ke’er. This sly creature spoke with such a mix of truth and falsehood that it became impossible to distinguish reality from deception.

It was still searching for its destined onesomeone who could enlighten it, someone who could help fulfill its deepest longing.

Yet somehow, it had set its sights on Xie Qingling, who appeared utterly detached from worldly attachments.

What a joke. Since when did Xie Qingling become someone who saves others? She didn’t even know she possessed such qualities. She was no Buddha, no saint. Just an ordinary office worker who even had to work overtime during holidays.

At this moment, Xie Qingling had been pulled into the fox’s Domain of rules by the request, unable to move, compelled to answer.

When a fox spirit makes its request, one must respond.

From the ancient texts Xie Qingling had previously studied, if one answered “like a human” when encountering a fox’s request, the fox would obtain human form and become human. However, some narrow-minded foxes would harbor resentment, brooding over why you didn’t answer “like a god,” leading to retaliation and endless trouble.

But if one answered “like a god,” after conferring divinity upon it, the Luck debt incurred would have to be borne by the one who spoke the conferral.

In other words, no matter how one answered, calamity would follow.

Of course, there was also the option of vague, evasive replieswishing it success in cultivation, hoping it would achieve enlightenment and ascend to immortality someday.

But Xia Tian was already a semi-immortal. It didn’t need such an answer; such a response held no meaning for it.

Xie Qingling lifted her gaze, looking at the bowing fox.

She chose the third optionthe most risky, and also the most merciless reply.

She slowly said: “Like a beast.”

“Four legs on the ground, consuming raw flesh and blood. You are merely an ordinary fox, a wild animal, unworthy of becoming human, incapable of attaining divinity.”

“A single punch from a child could injure you, common vehicles on the road could crush you flat, and the natural elementswind, frost, rain, and snowcould make your life miserable.”

“You will no longer possess Mystical Power, nor are you an immortal. You are just a four-legged beast.”

As these words fell, the fox that had been standing like a human let out a mournful cry. Its limbs gradually bent, its front paws touched the ground, its body arched slightlynow standing on all fours.

That face which had once displayed human-like expressions lost its captivating gaze, gradually transforming into the ordinary visage of a white fox.

Thank you.

“This way, I can continue to stay by her side.” As Xia Tian progressively degenerated into an ordinary fox, it uttered its last human words.

The mist surrounding Xie Qingling gradually dissipated, her stiff body regained freedom, and she once again mastered control over her movements.

Now, a white fox had appeared on her office desk.

The Shrine that had contained Xia Tian stood empty.

Xia Tian was no longer a semi-immortal, naturally incapable of residing within a Shrine.

The current Xia Tian had completely lost that ethereal aura of Immortal Qi, now resembling nothing more than a rare but existing white pet fox in the city.

It stretched out its front paw, licked it, then leaped in front of Xie Qingling, spat out a blue pearl from its mouth, and jumped out through the open window.

A white fox shadow flashed by, vanishing without a trace thereafter.

“I will give you the Core I’ve cultivated for a thousand years.”

Recalling what Xia Tian had said earlier, Xie Qingling froze for a moment.

She flexed her somewhat stiff arm, then picked up the blue pearl and examined it in her hand.

The blue of the pearl resembled a living, flowing body of watera vibrant blue that seemed alive, constantly shifting with mesmerizing rays of light and varying shades of blue.

Beautiful, illusory, as if concealing a vast universe within.

Xie Qingling held it up to the sunlight, and under the sun’s rays, the pearl appeared even more beautiful and profound.

【A fox’s thousand-year cultivated Core, condensed with the fox’s millennia of Cultivation and Merit, faintly entwined with a trace of weak Human Qi.】

After a moment’s thought, Xie Qingling activated her earpiece and contacted Ling Fang.

Ling Fang had barely slept the previous night, working on follow-up arrangements until dawn. He had just managed to fall asleep when Xie Qingling woke him.

Still groggy from sleep, his movements were sluggish, and his response wasn’t as quick as usual.

Xie Qingling waited two seconds before hearing Ling Fang’s tired voice through the earpiece: “What’s the situation?”

His tone remained gentle, without any anger at being disturbed.

Xie Qingling asked, “Minister, when will the Talisman water master you requested arrive in Future City?”

Ling Fang rubbed his temples, thought for a moment, and said, “The application was just submitted and needs approval from headquarters. Only after approval can they assign personnel. Talisman water masters are only available in the Old Royal City. It takes about a day to travel from the Old Royal City to Future City. Considering headquarters’ approval and action efficiency, the entire process should take around three days.”

He checked the time and added, “I know someone at headquarters. I’ll try to hurry them along. If things go quickly, it might be resolved within two days. That should be in time.”

With that, Ling Fang got up to turn on his computer, intending to press headquarters for faster processing.

He assumed Xie Qingling was contacting him at this hour because something had gone wrong with the sick person, making him instantly tense and wide awake.

“No need, Minister. I don’t think we need to trouble with requesting a Talisman water master,” Xie Qingling said. “I might have a faster way to solve this problem.”

“Hmm?”

“A fox’s thousand-year cultivated Coreit should be able to return the Human Qi, right?”

“…What did you say?”

“Minister, how about you come to the office and work overtime?” Xie Qingling glanced at the empty Shrine. “Come see for yourself, and you’ll understand.”

Ling Fang: “…”

A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

Noon, twelve o’clock, at the office.

Ling Fang sat at the conference table, rubbing his weary eyes. He thought he was seeing things, but upon looking again, the Shrine that had housed the fox was still empty.

“Where’s the fox?” Ling Fang asked Xie Qingling. “The shrine is specially madeonce inside, you can’t leave until the curse is lifted.”

Xie Qingling said, “Director, you don’t understand. This fox is so cunning! It used the once-in-a-lifetime ritual of Seeking Ascension to deal with me! Even inside the shrine, it could still use it. After all, that’s a rule-based ability!”

“Do you know what rule-based means? It means within its domain, it sets the rules. I had no power to break them and could only be led by the nose. So when it questioned me, I was stumped. But I called it a beast, and then I could move freely. I didn’t expect it to run away instead. It’s no longer an immortal, so of course it can’t stay in the shrine. I didn’t know this would happen, Director! I’m innocent, I’ve been wronged!”

Ling Fang: “…”

He rubbed his throbbing temples, his sleep-deprived face showing a mix of irritation and extreme headache.

“Besides, even when I was cornered, I didn’t forget to help the department.” Xie Qingling took out the blue pearl. “Look, Director. With this pearl I obtained, can we return the lost Human Qi to the sick people?”

“Director, since I performed so well this time, is there any reward?” Xie Qingling asked.

“Go write a self-criticism.”

“What?”

“Go. Write ten thousand words of self-criticism.”

“Why?!”

“Did you know? You talk too much when you’re guilty.”

Xie Qingling: “…”

Screw it, just end me already!

The vibrant colors drained from her eyes, the world reverting to monochrome black and white.

The fox could no longer see the world’s brilliant hues. It sniffed the air and the breeze, relying on its innate keen sense of smell to determine its desired direction.

Its four paws trod on the ground. The sun-baked pavement quickly heated its pads until they burned. Its thick fur trapped the heat, becoming increasingly unbearable. Soon, it had to stop in a shaded spot by the roadside, panting with its mouth wide open to cool down.

“Hey, look! There’s a dog over there.”

“Really? Wait… it’s a fox!”

“It looks like a Samoyed!”

“So cute! I want to pet it!”

“Little sister, don’t touch it! Mom said we can’t randomly pet other people’s dogsthey might bite! If it bites you, you could get rabies, and that’s really painful! You could die!”

“But… it’s a fox.”

“Foxes aren’t safe either. These animals are dangerous. Come here, little sister, I’ll protect you.”

He picked up a sharp stone and hurled it hard at the fox.

The stone whizzed past its face. The fox yelped “Ying!” It bared its teeth, wanting to fight back, but for some reason, held back.

“Waaah! So scary! Big brother, save me! I’m so scared…”

“Quick, quick! Hit it!”

“Get a stick! I’m going to catch it and avenge little sister!”

“It’s running away! Catch it!”

Startled, the fox darted through the bushes and flower beds along the roadside, but it was no match for these human youngsters armed with tools and skilled in using them.

After a frantic escape, the fox finally evaded their attacks, collapsing on the ground panting heavily.

It recalled how, countless years ago during its cultivation, it had to pass the Childhood trial by appearing in places with many children, just like today.

Children, innocent and naive, unable to distinguish good from evil or right from wrong, acted without restraint. Their boundless energy made them particularly troublesome to deal with. Survival depended entirely on fate.

After passing the Childhood trial came the Wheel track tribulation.

The endless stream of vehicles on the road once again obstructed its path.

In this black-and-white world, the fox had lost its ability to perceive colors. It couldn’t see traffic lights nor distinguish when to cross. Though it wanted to follow the crowd, it feared being chased away, blocked, or even captured and caged. It could only hide in the shadows, waiting for the right moment.

Having barely escaped the traffic and crossed the road, overcoming this tribulation, the weather turned foul as rain began to fall.

Summer thunderstorms arrive with roaring thunder, coming and going without warning.

The blinding lightning and rumbling thunder brought terrifying shadows to the fox’s heart.

It seemed to recall the searing pain of being struck by heavenly lightning during the Heavenly lightning tribulation, when its skin split and flesh tore.

Though time had passed, that heart-piercing pain remained etched deep in its memory.

The fox found shelter under eaves, shaking dry its rain-soaked fur. It lay on the ground with all four paws, wrapping its tail around its body, waiting quietly for the heavy rain to pass.

Raindrops falling on its wounds stung with burning pain. The fox dared not close its eyes completely, afraid that if it did, it might never wake again.

To see that person one more time felt like undergoing tribulations again, cultivating once more.

Abandoning a thousand years of cultivation to retrace its path, only this time with a different destination.

Finally, the rain ceased and the sun rose.

The fox climbed up from the ground, shaking its tail and head to dispel the remaining rainwater, then continued its journey.

Places it could once reach in an instant now took days and nights to approach, feeling like an entire lifetime had passed.

At last, the fox’s eyes reflected buildings with white walls and dark tiles, that familiar ebony door right before it.

The fox emitted two delighted “ying ying” sounds before happily running forward.

At the villa entrance, it saw a woman sitting in a wheelchair basking in the sunlight.

Dressed in a white dress with long black hair, the woman bathed in the bright sunlight with closed eyes, her face filled with enjoyment and contentment.

The fox ran over, rubbing against her ankles beneath the dress hem while making two “ji ji” sounds, its voice choked with grievance.

Xia Ke’er opened her eyes and, seeing an unidentified white mass lying at her feet, was momentarily startled.

Feeling somewhat frightened, she instinctively wanted to wheel herself away. But upon seeing those moist eyes filled with boundless grievance, she stopped her escape.

It looked… somewhat cute and innocent.

It seemed… non-threatening?

This dirty-looking unidentified creature with matted fur, completely drenched, only had eyes that remained bright and appealing.

It looked so pitiful.

It placed its front paws on Xia Ke’er’s knees, half-standing up as if asking to be held.

Xia Ke’er’s heart softened. She felt like she had seen it somewhere before, so she crouched down in front of it and asked, “Who do you belong to?”

Perhaps it was a pet from a nearby household that had gotten lostits owner must be very worried.

“Ying ying.”

“It doesn’t seem like a dog… Are you a fox or a Samoyed?”

“Ying ying ying.”

“Where is your owner?”

“Ying…”

Xia Ke’er scanned its disheveled appearance and noticed the wounds on its body. She immediately exclaimed, “Why is your fur missing a patch! Were you bullied? Who hit you?!”

“Ying ying.” The fox couldn’t answer her, only emitting murmurs that sounded indistinct to human ears.

Xia Ke’er glanced aroundno one was walking their dogs nearby. Its fur showed no signs of proper grooming either. It seemed to have no owner, no home, just a pet fox that had been straying for a long time.

After thinking for a while, Xia Ke’er finally sighed and said helplessly, “Alright, consider your ambush successful. You’ve secured a long-term meal ticket.”

“Come home with me.”

“Ying ying.”