Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Inside the Broken Heart Residence, the charcoal fire was burning just right.

Su Chang'an took a very deep nap after his second nap.

She groggily turned over and buried her face in the soft pillow.

As she slept, she felt her body become lighter.

It wasn't the kind of lightness you feel when you're sound asleep, but rather a feeling of floating, light and airy, as if your feet weren't touching the ground.

The warmth around us was gone, replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

Su Chang'an shivered, thinking to himself, "Did that unfilial son Chen Xuan take away the charcoal brazier? Why is it so cold?"

She wanted to open her eyes and yell at people, but her eyelids were too heavy. When she finally managed to open them a crack, the sight before her stunned her.

There was no carved wooden bed, no warm yellow curtains.

The sky above was a hazy gray, pressing down low as if it were about to collapse.

Beneath my feet lay dark brown earth, exuding a musty smell of decay.

In the distance, a stark white palace stood in the gloom, exuding an eerie aura.

Su Chang'an blinked.

Why does this place look so familiar?

Isn't this the Floating Pagoda Secret Realm we went to during the Inner Sect Competition?

She had a very deep impression of that palace of bones; she almost died there.

Wasn't I sleeping at the Broken Heart Abode? How did I end up in this godforsaken place?

dream?

Su Chang'an reached out and pinched his thigh.

Unconscious.

Well, it really was just a dream.

Since it's just a dream, there's nothing to be afraid of.

Su Chang'an grew bolder and floated towards the palace of bones.

Just as I floated behind the huge stone pillar at the palace entrance, I heard people talking over there.

The sound wasn't loud, but in this deathly quiet place, it was heard very clearly.

"Are you crazy?"

It was a woman's voice, filled with barely suppressed anger, and somewhat shrill.

Upon hearing the voice, Su Chang'an immediately perked up.

There's some juicy gossip!

Adhering to the principle that it would be foolish not to take advantage of a good opportunity, she huddled behind a stone pillar, peeking out with half her head sticking out.

On the steps in front of the Palace of Bones stood two people... no, a human and a fox.

The man was dressed in a drab gray Taoist robe, with his hands behind his back and a tall, upright posture.

It was none other than Li Changgeng, the patriarch of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect.

Opposite him sat a snow-white fox, its tail swishing impatiently behind it, making a clattering sound as it swept the broken bones on the ground.

Su Chang'an recognized the fox as the real form of the red-eyed girl from the palace.

At this moment, the fox was baring its teeth, its ruby-like eyes fixed on Li Changgeng, as if it wanted to pounce on him and bite him.

"I'm not crazy."

Li Changgeng's voice was very flat, without any inflection, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"Not crazy? If you weren't crazy, would you even have that thought?"

The fox was furious, its front paws carving deep gashes into the ground. "That was her life! How could you do this to her!"

Su Chang'an was completely confused.

She? Which "she"?

Li Changgeng remained silent for a while, then sighed.

The sigh was extremely long, as if it had expressed the vicissitudes of thousands of years.

"She is not herself after all."

The old man turned around and faced the void. Although there was no light in his blind eyes, they exuded a chilling indifference.

"No matter how similar the appearance is, they are not the same person."

"You're talking nonsense!"

The fox couldn't help but swear, "The aura is the same, the soul is the same, even that annoying laziness is exactly the same! What makes you think it isn't?!"

Li Changgeng shook his head and did not argue further.

"A flower in a mirror, the moon in the water—you can't get them out of there."

After he finished speaking, his figure began to fade, like smoke being blown away by the wind.

"Li Changgeng! You old bastard! Come back here and explain yourself!"

The fox roared in the direction he had disappeared, but only an empty echo answered her.

Su Chang'an huddled behind the stone pillar, not daring to breathe.

Although she didn't quite understand what the two were talking about, her intuition told her that this matter was related to her.

After all, the fox had just mentioned "laziness".

These days, laziness has become a characteristic?

Just as she was contemplating whether to slip away, the fox suddenly turned its head and stared straight at her with its bright red eyes.

"Have you heard enough?"

Su Chang'an's body stiffened.

Was discovered.

Now that we've been discovered, hiding would seem petty.

She chuckled twice and floated out from behind the stone pillar.

"Well... just passing by, nothing more."

Su Chang'an waved his hand, trying to ease the awkwardness, "The soundproofing here isn't very good, please pay attention next time."

The fox neither spoke nor got angry.

It just watched Su Chang'an quietly.

That look in his eyes was strange.

It didn't look like looking at a thief eavesdropping, nor did it look like looking at a stranger.

It looked through Su Chang'an as if it were looking at someone else.

His eyes held a mixture of nostalgia, heartache, and a hint of inexplicable grievance.

Su Chang'an felt a chill run down his spine from its gaze.

Why does she look at him like he's a heartless man?

"Um... if you're done, I'll be going now?"

Su Chang'an pointed behind him, "There's still soup simmering at home, I'm afraid it'll burn."

The fox remained still, only its tail drooped down and stopped wagging.

It took a long time before it spoke.

"My name is Chunxian."

Her voice was soft, no longer as sharp as when she had argued with Li Changgeng, but instead gentle.

Spring Strings.

The strings of a zither in spring.

The name sounds elegant, but it doesn't match this gloomy palace of bones at all.

Su Chang'an paused for a moment, then nodded subconsciously: "Oh, good name, I'll remember it."

"Go."

Chunxian withdrew her gaze, lay back down on the steps, buried her head in her two front paws, and stopped looking at her.

"Don't forget once you're awake."

As soon as those words were spoken, Su Chang'an felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and that feeling of weightlessness returned.

……

"call--"

Su Chang'an suddenly sat up in bed, panting heavily.

My forehead was covered in cold sweat, which soaked the stray hairs at my temples.

She looked around blankly.

The familiar carved wooden bed, the familiar curtains, and the faint smell of charcoal in the air.

came back.

Was that... an out-of-body experience?

Su Chang'an touched his chest; his heart was beating very fast.

What exactly did that fox named Chunxian and all those inexplicable things Li Changgeng said mean?

"She is not herself after all."

That sounds really awkward.

Just as she was sitting on the bed in a daze, the door was suddenly kicked open with a bang.

A cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, swept in, dissipating much of the warmth from the heating system.

"Boss! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhao Tiezhu rushed in like a rolling gourd, his face full of panic, scrambling and crawling inside.

Chen Xuan was sitting on the soft couch by the window, wiping the broken sword. Hearing the noise, he frowned and a cold glint flashed in his hand.

"What are you yelling about?"

His voice was cold, carrying annoyance at being disturbed.

Zhao Tiezhu was so frightened by the murderous aura that he almost knelt on the ground.

But he didn't care about being scared; he pointed outside and shouted breathlessly.

"They're here! They're here!"

"Who?" Chen Xuan didn't look up, continuing to slowly wipe his sword.

"Central Continent! The Chen family of Central Continent!"

Zhao Tiezhu swallowed hard, his voice cracking, "They're right outside the mountain gate! They specifically asked to see you! They say... they say they've come to retrieve the Chen family's bloodline that's been leaking out!"

Chen Xuan's hand, which was wiping his sword, suddenly stopped.

His eyes, which had instantly turned as black as ink, were reflected on the once smooth sword.

The temperature inside the room dropped to freezing point in that instant.

It was even colder than the wind and snow outside.

Su Chang'an sat on the bed, watching Chen Xuan's back.

The boy's back was ramrod straight, like a spear that would never bend.

But the energy emanating from him was disordered.

That was hatred suppressed for twenty years, pain etched into the bones.

The Chen family of Zhongzhou.

The place that gave birth to him and then destroyed him with its own hands.

They finally came knocking on our door.

Chen Xuan slowly stood up and put the broken sword back into its scabbard at his waist.

The movements were slow and steady.

"understood."

He said it in a calm, almost eerily so, tone.

But Su Chang'an knew that beneath this calm lay a madness that could tear the sky apart.

Chen Xuan turned around and looked at Su Chang'an on the bed.

The hostility in his eyes dissipated considerably the moment he met her.

He walked over and reached out to tuck the blanket around Su Chang'an; his fingertips were a little cold.

"Sleep a little longer."

He said, "I'll be right back."

Su Chang'an looked at him without saying anything, but simply reached out and grasped his wrist.

"Chen Xuan".

"Um?"

"Don't die."

Su Chang'an stared into his eyes and said, word by word, "If you die, take your family fortune and hide somewhere you'll never find again."

Chen Xuan was stunned for a moment, then a very faint smile appeared on his lips.

He grabbed Su Chang'an's hand and squeezed it hard.

"Dream on."

After saying that, he released his grip, turned around, and strode out.

The black hem of her dress fluttered in the wind, resolute and sharp.

Zhao Tiezhu glanced at Chen Xuan's back, then at Su Chang'an on the bed, gritted his teeth, and ran out after him.

The room fell silent again.

Su Chang'an leaned against the headboard, looking at the wide-open door, where the snow was falling even harder.

"Spring Strings..."

She kept repeating the name in her mouth, but her mind was filled with Chen Xuan's look from just now.

This rebellious son is probably going to fight tooth and nail this time.

She threw back the covers and got out of bed barefoot.

What a load of bullshit, the Chen family.

Anyone who dares to touch the child she raised, no matter if you're from the Central Continent Imperial Clan or the Heavenly King himself.

They all have to die.