Chapter 26: A Fool, a Mute

A passing old woman in the Wilderness rescued you.

The old woman brought you to a dilapidated tribe.

The people in the tribe all called the old woman Yin Po.

A Clan Elder of the Yin Po Tribe discerned your abnormality and asked, "Child, are you from the Yuling Master Lineage?"

On the Tianyuan Continent, demons and monsters wreak havoc, the Human Race is weak, and only the four line cultivators can balance the demons and monsters.

These four lines are the Yuling Master Lineage, the Array Master Lineage, the Sword Cultivator Lineage, and the Thunder Arts Lineage.

The other schools had long lost their transmission in the demon‑monster chaos; occasionally a prodigy appears, but ultimately cannot shoulder great responsibilities.

You are from the Yuling Master Lineage, yet were born under ill omen, abandoned by your clan, a fate full of misfortune; the elders of the Yin Po Tribe all lament for you.

"I fear this child won't live to eighteen; even if they barely survive, they'll be a foolish idiot."

Yin Po rescued you, but is not optimistic about your condition.

Time flies like an arrow, days and months like a shuttle; in the blink of an eye, you are ten years old.

There are eleven other children of your age in the Yin Po Tribe; they have all been enlightened by the tribe's treasured artifacts, gaining cultivation aptitude.

You are born lacking One Soul One Po, unable to learn cultivation methods.

Your body grows increasingly weak.

Yin Po, kind‑hearted, lets you enter the tribe's academy to study other knowledge, hoping to add a hint of color to your life.

"Monster!"

"You are not Human Race at all."

"You are a Demon Tribe's curse; go die now."

The academy youths, however, are full of malice toward you; their malice is simple and pure, seeing you as ill omen.

In the academy, you are often bullied.

Until that day, you meet someone who is also bullied like you.

She is a girl with a fox tail, a Half-Demon.

You think her fox tail is beautiful, but others disagree; the fox tail is exactly why she is bullied.

You rush to protect her.

Immediately, you both get brutally beaten.

Lin Chuan's subconscious mutters curses.

This is undoubtedly the bleakest start he has faced, perhaps due to the influence of the Both Good and Evil tag, making his childhood miserable.

Even though Lin Chuan's subconscious wants to rebel, the Lin Chuan in the dream is too weak, lacking One Soul One Po, unable to cultivate.

His body is also utterly feeble.

He only has the share of being beaten.

"A fool, a mute, die on whichever side you wish."

The academy youths mercilessly mock you.

You and the fox‑tailed girl curled up for a long time, until all the academy youths left.

You and the fox‑tailed girl exchanged a glance.

Her eyes are clear and innocent, her looks also beautiful, making you feel the beating was not in vain.

The real reason you help her is that you both are pitiful victims of bullying.

You take the initiative to ask, "What is your name?"

The fox‑tailed girl gestures; indeed she is truly mute.

"I am called Wu You."

In this life you have no surname, and Yin Po gave you the name Wu You, hoping you may be safe and joyful, carefree and without worry.

"We are friends now, aren't we?"

You long for a friend.

The response is a pair of smiling eyes; she nods, agreeing.

From then on, you often keep each other company.

The fox‑tailed girl cannot speak, so you keep talking; she responds with smiles or gestures.

You still get bullied.

You support each other, getting through hardships.

In the Darkness, you seem to become each other's sole light.

Flickering glimmers are the hope for each other's remaining lives.

At sixteen, you sit beneath the ancient sunset tree, gazing at each other, hearts racing, faces flushed.

Your faces draw ever closer.

You kiss each other.

Her lips are soft, fragrant, sweet; your life has never felt such bliss.

After a long while, your lips part, you embrace each other, with no further action.

You recall Yin Po's words.

"Born lacking One Soul One Po, you cannot live past eighteen."

You feel you have no future, let alone give the beloved girl a bright future; you can do nothing.

Another year of spring and autumn passes, and Yin Po dies.

She died at the hands of the Demon Tribe.

For over a decade, the territory where the Human Race survives has been further compressed, and the world is plunged into deep suffering.

People's hatred toward demons and monsters increased with each passing day.

You, who were labeled as ill‑omened, and the girl bearing a fox tail became the objects of their vented fury.

"Demon creature! Get out of the tribe!"

Someone raised a torch and shouted in front of the dilapidated hut where you and Xiao Yaba lived.

"These two calamities, ever since they arrived, the tribe's days have not been good; they even caused the death of the old crone!"

"Burn them to death!"

"Burn these two demon creatures to death."

More and more people in the tribe joined the denunciation against you.

The old crone had looked after you while she was alive; now that she is gone, no one can protect you any longer.

The tribe's people captured you, erected a towering pyre, and intended to incinerate you and Xiao Yaba completely, to soothe their own fear.

Xiao Yaba cried.

You could only see her tears; her sobs had already been drowned out by the tribe's shouts.

The flames grew ever more intense, scorching you all over, the fire leapt up intermittently, burning the soles of your feet.

You were bound to a wooden post, unable to struggle.

"Woo woo woo."

Xiao Yaba's crying grew louder.

Your consciousness grew increasingly hazy.

In the haze, you saw another tail sprout behind Xiao Yaba, then a second, a third, a fourth…

Finally, she grew nine fox tails.

You recalled the once‑generation ruler among the Demon Tribe — the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.

The tribe's people kept roaring, unaware of Xiao Yaba's transformation.

The flames shot up into the sky, completely enveloping you, yet you had never felt so clear‑headed and refreshed; you sensed not a single sting of heat.

The tribe's roars continued until the flames waned, until your bodies reappeared.

Someone noticed the anomaly of you and Xiao Yaba and exclaimed in terror, "Demon! The demon creature hasn't died!"

Seeing you both intact as before, the tribe's people were thrown into panic.

"Quick! Shoot arrows! Cast spells! Kill them!"

At this moment, the tribe's people could not bother with any Yushi, they only wanted to eradicate you and Xiao Yaba.

With a booming sound! The wooden post that bound you and Xiao Yaba shattered, and the NineFoxTails surged rapidly, covering the entire tribe in an instant.

You passed out.

When you awoke again, you were in a warm embrace, and a pleasant fragrance lifted your spirits.

You opened your eyes, and before you were familiar yet unfamiliar faces.

In just one night, that Xiao Yaba had become a completely different person.

……

……

Xiao Yaba·Fox Clan girl