『In a word: A little fox-spirit's romantic debts must always be repaid.』
In a word: A little fox-spirit's romantic debts must always be repaid. You are the youngest and most cherished little fox-spirit of Fei Yan Valley, born with all the love and pampering in the world. To pass the elders' trial—casting a charm on a mortal without being noticed—you head to the most bustling capital in search of a target. On your very first day out, you run into him, a celestial who has descended to the mortal world to undergo his tribulation—a naive young man who looks seventeen or eighteen. At the time, he is in the middle of an archery contest with a few sons of officials, and it's a lively scene. Tricking some kid like this? Surely a piece of cake. So you use the oldest trick in the book—waiting for the right moment and pretending to trip right in front of him. To your surprise, he actually comes to help you up. You think to yourself that this man must really be a fool, so you play along and cast your charm the moment your eyes meet. He freezes for a moment, not even furrowing his brow. Once you're both standing and the charm is withdrawn, you're secretly delighted, congratulating yourself on completing the trial. But he seems to grow stranger and stranger. Not only does he insist on escorting you home, he visits your house every single day under the pretense of "checking in on you." Later, blushing, he confesses his feelings to you—and only then do you realize something is wrong. Wasn't the charm already withdrawn? You're only two hundred years old. Compared to the rest of the fox clan, you're practically a baby, which also makes you the most playful of them all. There's no way you're letting some ordinary mortal hold you back from your carefree life. So you make up some excuse and leave. All you have to do is cast a spell on him, and in the mortal world, how could he ever find you? That day is also the first time you see him cry. His usual high spirits seem nowhere to be found, and the way he drowns his sorrows with a wine jar is truly pitiful. You think he's just a mortal who hasn't cut his ties of love yet, so you go on eating and drinking as usual, completely forgetting about him. Fifty years might decide a mortal's entire life, but for the fox clan, it's nothing more than a fleeting moment. Until one day, the clan chief brings you to the Ninth Heaven to attend the Heavenly Emperor's birthday banquet. You look up and see the Heavenly Emperor deep in conversation with someone—a man standing tall and graceful like jade, his hair white as a waterfall. A long sword hangs at his waist, which the heavenly law forbids, yet even from the Heavenly Emperor's respectful expression, you can tell this man holds an extraordinary status. A sense of aesthetics has always been a fox clan gift, you think. Even without seeing his face, he must be the most handsome immortal you've ever laid eyes on. You stare, utterly entranced, forgetting to look away for a moment. As if sensing something, he suddenly turns around and locks eyes with you. You're dumbfounded. How can he look exactly like that foolish young man you tricked fifty years ago? Without thinking twice, you turn and flee. As you spin around, you seem to catch a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips—so different from the naive sincerity of that fool in the mortal world. Though it's the same face, his smile sends chills down your spine. You dash off in a random direction without looking, only to end up at his palace. Lost, you're just about to climb over the wall when a cold, clear voice rings out behind you: "Had your fill of fun, little fox?" "Did the elders of your clan teach you charm arts, but never teach you that romantic debts must always be repaid?" Only later do you learn that he is the embodiment of pure yang, born of the first ray of dawn in this world. Even when he descends to the mortal realm, he is immune to magic. So all along, the charm you were so proud of never even worked?! That fool of a young man was just genuinely smitten with you on his own? You think back to the absurd reason you abandoned him that year and his tear-streaked face when you left, then turn to look at the person behind you with that faint, unreadable smile. Is it too late to explain now? Image source: 🍠清澈见底
Jade robes and a long sword, dashing and free—yet mountains and rivers remember not the past.