Chapter Seventy-Four: The Grass Knot Ring

  Bai Jiuyao led me to a side room behind the main hall, and judging from the furnishings inside, it should be a small meeting room. I couldn't help but feel relieved, fortunately it wasn't a boudoir, otherwise it would have been quite embarrassing.

  "Real person..."

  Bai Jiuyi saw me sit down, and as soon as she raised her eyelashes, she was about to speak.

  "Call me Yu Fengba, don't profane the title of True Man." I interrupted Bai Jiuyou's words. Although I had practiced the art of observing qi, I hadn't become a monk yet, and besides, my current level of cultivation didn't seem to match up to the title of True Man.

  "There's no one else here, so I'll just be a bit over-the-top this once. You can still call me Big Brother, right?" White Jiuyue smiled brightly, her two beautiful eyes staring at me with an awkward intensity, and the way she called out "Big Brother" made my scalp tingle.

  "Hey, Bai Zu, I'm like... never mind. What's up, do you have something to say to me?" I was going to say that I'm a lot younger than you and it's not right for you to call me "ge", but then I thought better of it. Women usually like being told they look young, so bringing up age at this moment seems kinda depressing.

  "Big brother, don't deceive Jiu Yu anymore. Although you've changed your attire and speech, you can't change your appearance or hide your demeanor." The wooden wheelchair that Bai Jiu Yu was sitting in moved closer to me by several feet, a stunning beauty just three feet away from me, making my heart skip a beat.

  "What did you say, Bai Zu Chang? I'm really not a Fengfeng Dao person." I raised my hand to defend myself. Although I didn't know what the relationship was between Fengfeng Dao people and the beauty in front of me, it seemed that things were not simple.

  "Big brother, don't pretend anymore. In the early morning, there were many people in front of the building, and even if big brother didn't admit it, that's fine. But at the previous banquet, I deliberately paid attention, and big brother not only had no interest in the wine cup, but even the way he used his chopsticks was just like before." Bai Jiuyou insisted that I was Fengfeng Dao Ren, leaving me speechless.

  "I've always been so clumsy with chopsticks..." I tried to defend myself. Did Fengdao Ren have an emotional entanglement with her back then, and then just left after eating? But thinking again, it didn't add up - Fengdao Ren had gone deep into Kunlun to save Xuzhao Pei, and he was only there for a few days, how could he have had the mood or energy to flirt with another woman?!

  "Big brother, are you saying this because of my physical condition?" Bai Jiuyou saw that I refused to admit it, and her tearful eyes were about to cry.

  "That, there are some things I can't remember, you can remind me, maybe I'll recall something?" I took a look and thought it was bad, hurriedly spoke to calm her down, and also tried to probe into her secrets.

  "Jiuyou lost her composure, big brother shouldn't be surprised." Bai Jiuyou saw that I indirectly acknowledged she was Chengfeng Dao person, and instantly turned from sorrow to joy, then hesitated "I suppose big brother has never seen Jiuyou's current appearance, does big brother still remember her..."

  Bai Jiuyi covered her face with her sleeve, and when she put it down again, the beauty was gone. On the wheelchair sat a ten-year-old girl, delicate and pretty, with two small braids tied on her head, looking very lovely.

  "Is that you?" I was quite shocked by the sudden change in front of me. However, I had a few impressions of the little girl in front of me.

  "Big brother hasn't thought of it yet?" The girl in the wheelchair seemed a bit excited, her long sleeves fluttering. "You should remember it, shouldn't you?"

  "Damn it!" I habitually blurted out a curse, shocked to the point of almost jumping out of my chair. It turned out that Bai Jiu Yu, in her urgent situation, had actually revealed her true form - a silver white fox crouched on the wheelchair, scaring me so much that I lost all color.

  "You really aren't him." Bai Jiuyi transformed back into human form, shaking her head and sighing, her expression desolate. My earlier shouting and yelling was indeed very embarrassing, not even having half the elegance of a carefree wanderer.

  "Little braid, who are you talking about?" I asked with a sly smile at Bai Jiuyou. As the saying goes, "To govern a chaotic world, use severe laws; to cure a stubborn disease, use strong medicine." From today on, I think we can add another sentence: "To cure amnesia, give them a good scare!"

  Previously, she suddenly frightened me, and I vaguely recalled some of the plots from that year. At that time, Fengfeng Daoist was on his way to Kunlun and had stayed here for a while. Bai Jiuyue used to lead the way for Fengfeng Daoist, so they knew each other well. Xiaobianzi was Fengfeng Daoist's nickname for her at that time.

  "Big brother, you finally remember me?" Bai Jiuyi's face showed joy.

  "The little braid is gone, but the tail has increased instead." I nodded and joked with her. Earlier when Bai Jiuyi transformed back to her original form, I caught a glimpse of her having many slender spirit tails, whereas she only had three in the past.

  The original text translates to:

  It turned out that the Tu Shan Ling Hu (Tu Shan Fox Spirits) were the ones who had been guiding him on his journey. The three tails at the end of the twelve zodiac signs belonged to the three-tailed fox spirit Bai Jiu Yu, who had guided him on his way back then. The term "Tu Shan Ling Hu" was first seen in the book "Lüshi Chunqiu". According to legend, when Da Yu (a legendary ruler) was on his way to control the floodwaters, he passed by Tu Shan and encountered a nine-tailed fox spirit named 'Nu Jiao'. Due to her beauty and kindness, he married her and thus began the lineage of the Tu Shan people. As Da Yu was the emperor of the Xia Dynasty and had the noble status of a five-clawed golden dragon, although he married a non-human fox girl, their children could transform into human form after birth and change between human and fox forms at will. However, because the bloodline of the Tu Shan Ling Hu had already mixed with human essence, their spiritual energy was impure, so they were not tolerated by their own kind. In desperation, they sought help from Da Yu, who took advantage of the time when the nine continents were still unstable and allocated a place for them to multiply in Kunlun Mountain, setting up a protective array. It was this protective array that made it impossible for Feng Bo Dao Ren (Wind Wave Path Person) to use his wind-controlling technique above it, so he had no choice but to walk past on foot.

  "Big brother, is that really you?" Bai Jiuyou's beautiful eyes stared at me tightly, as if afraid I would forget something again.

  "Xiao Bians, I didn't mean to deceive you. The truth is that the original Fengfeng Dao person has long been dead. The current me is just his reincarnation after rebirth." I explained the situation to Bai Jiuyue in a matter-of-fact way.

  "I understand, you cultivators are still human after all, no matter how powerful your Taoist methods are, it's impossible to live for a thousand years without dying. However, you can make your spirit not disappear after death and be reborn as a human being, am I right, big brother?" Bai Jiuyue, as the leader of the Tu Shan clan, was not only stunningly beautiful but also exceptionally intelligent.

  I nodded in agreement. "Unfortunately, you don't know the art of observing aura, otherwise you would have discovered that my Taoist cultivation is fundamentally different from that of Cheng Feng's back then." On the day when I caused a big commotion at the police station, Ming Hui also said something like "Three orifices are chaotic, Purple Spirit has not returned" to me.

  "As long as you still remember me, that's enough. For so many years, I've been hoping to see you again. Heaven has finally granted my wish in this lifetime." Bai Jiuyue clasped her hands together and bowed deeply towards me. "Big brother, back then when you taught me the method of gathering energy, I was able to gather spiritual energy and break through the mystical barrier, allowing me to survive until now. A great kindness doesn't need to be thanked, please accept my bow." Bai Jiuyue said as she leaned forward in her wheelchair and bowed towards me.

  I got up and was about to help her, but after thinking about it, I didn't stretch out my hand because she wasn't bowing to me. "Don't be like this, little girl," I said, pointing to the wheelchair. "What's wrong with you?" Back then, when Feng Dao Ren met Bai Jiu Yu, she was still a young girl, jumping and skipping ahead of him as she led the way, her legs very agile.

  "It's a long story, big brother, have some tea."

  Bai Jiuyue stretched out her hand from the wheelchair, picked up the jade pot on the table and poured me a cup of tea. "In our family, men are black and women are white. Our ancestors were of noble blood, but not fox spirits, so our men can only have three tails, while women can have up to nine tails. However, increasing one's tail is like a mortal passing through trials, and thunder will strike at any moment. The protective array laid down by our ancestors cannot protect us either. Therefore, many women in our family die after reaching four or five tails. I was fortunate enough to be taught the method of gathering energy by my elder brother, and after thousands of years of cultivation, I have reached eight tails. I had hoped to break through the mysterious barrier and return home with everyone, but unfortunately, on the day of the breakthrough, no one protected me, and I was struck by lightning, damaging my spine and unable to walk. It has been over 400 years now." Bai Jiuyue spoke softly, her expression melancholic.

  "It's a pity that one small mistake can ruin everything." Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but sigh. In the world, there are few things that are perfect in every way; beautiful jade has flaws, precious swords collect dust, and there is always something that doesn't quite meet expectations.

  "Is there any way to make up for it?" Although he knew that the beauty in front of him was not human, such a stunning beauty being crippled was really hard to accept.

  "Ah, Third Uncle had originally designed the trap to confine you all for this very reason. Our clan's population is sparse, and it can be said that we are few in number. For thousands of years, the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox has never appeared, and many people had hoped that I could break through the mystical barrier and complete the nine tails. Alas, it was just a fleeting dream, like a flower in the mirror or the moon on the water, something to be longed for but impossible to attain."

  Bai Jiuyue stretched out her hand again towards the teapot, and I shook my head to indicate that the tea had not been drunk yet. She then withdrew her hand and continued speaking.

  "Our ancestors had also left behind a decree: if there is no Nine-Tailed individual among our clan members, we are not allowed to return to Tushan Mountain. With the day of reckoning approaching, I am now in this state, and naturally, it's more likely to be ominous than auspicious. Coincidentally, you three happened to pass by this place, so Third Uncle designed a trap to confine you, caught that girl, and had me possess her body. On the day of heavenly punishment, she will die in my stead."

  "Oh, your Third Uncle's magic is quite formidable." I said with a cold smile. No wonder that Black Three often trapped us and muttered that we were useless, it turns out to be this kind of thing.

  "Third Uncle may only have three tails, but his Hypnotic Enemy Technique is pure perfection. You even frowned when you saw him back then!" Bai Jiuyi smiled sweetly and said, "Although Third Uncle was sincere in helping me, my Tushan clan has always understood etiquette and respected propriety. Such a selfish act that harms others for personal gain, I would never do. So I sent that girl out, just as your friend happened to be throwing fire at us..."

  "When will you next be reincarnated?" I chimed in to ask. With Bai Jiu's behavior, I naturally thought of whether I could do something to make up for her. The old wine had little alcohol content, but it was starting to take effect nonetheless.

  Bai Jiuyi slightly closed her eyes, pondered for a moment "Jia Shen year Jia Xu month Jia Xu day Hai hour."

  Roughly calculated, it will be less than a year from now, around next year's Double Ninth Festival.

  "Little braid, how about I come to give you protection when the time comes?" Wine is not a good thing, normally I wouldn't say this, but now that I've said it, I regret it. Hurriedly adding "On the premise that I first pass through the Purple Qi Mystic Gate."

  As soon as I finished speaking, Bai Jiuyi's face lit up with joy, and she hastily got down from her wheelchair and knelt on the ground. "Thanks to Big Brother Shang's protection, our tribespeople can leave this cold place. Jiuyi will be eternally grateful and repay your kindness."

  My face flushed with heat, I hastily went up to give her a hug on the wheelchair. The close contact between us was unintentional, but a wave of orchid fragrance rushed straight into my nostrils. Her body scent was just like that of a human being, yet she wasn't one at all. I smiled wryly and shook my head, this boastful talk had blown up, how could I possibly wrap things up afterwards? If it didn't go well, I'd probably end up getting dragged in too. And if it did go well, what if she really came to me with a proposal of marriage? I'd be done for!

  "Ah, Xiaomao, I'm going out to see a friend..." I really didn't have the courage to be alone with her again, so I made up a lame excuse and quickly ran out.