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

The sandstorms in the far west never stop.

The sand here isn't yellow, it's black, mixed with the malevolent energy left behind by ancient gods and demons after their deaths. When it blows on a person, it feels like countless blunt knives are cutting their flesh.

Bai Yin sat shirtless on a weathered boulder.

His wounds scabbed over, then cracked open again, blood mixed with black sand plastering onto his skin and forming a hard crust.

The broken sword was stuck in the sand in front of him.

The old Taoist priest said he wanted to recast it, but over the past few years, Bai Yin has only been grinding it down with the malevolent energy of the Geng metal here day after day.

The blade was sharpened until it became thinner and shinier, radiating a chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine.

"It's been three years."

Bai Yin looked down at his palm.

The cinnabar mark on his palm had faded somewhat, half of it covered by thick calluses, but he could still clearly trace the outline of the little fox.

The old Taoist priest said, "One day in heaven is equivalent to one year on earth."

He endured three years in this godforsaken place, which, if converted to heavenly time, would only amount to three days.

Three days.

In that cold, desolate Moon Palace, was she still wrapped in that blood-stained cloak? Was she still waiting for him to come and fetch her?

Bai Yin clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.

too slow.

It's still too slow.

He suddenly pulled the broken knife from the ground, his body leaping up, bringing with it a violent, bloody gust of wind.

The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, cleaving through the boundless black sand.

A hundred feet ahead, a giant sandworm lurking under a sand dune had just revealed its compound eyes when it was cleaved in two by the blade of light.

The green insect blood gushed out and was instantly absorbed by the dry sand.

Bai Yin landed and sheathed his sword.

The movements were clean and crisp, without a single unnecessary flourish.

He ignored the sand worm's corpse and turned to leave.

These kinds of monsters are no longer enough to arouse his interest.

"Oh my goodness!"

A sharp scream came from the nearby withered grass.

Bai Yin paused, turned his head, and gave a cold glance.

The bushes rustled twice, and a person emerged.

He was a teenager.

She was extremely fair-skinned, with slender eyebrows and eyes, and had a feminine appearance. She was wearing an incongruous pink long robe and holding a folding fan in her hand.

The boy was terrified; he held the folding fan upside down, and his legs were trembling like leaves.

"No...don't kill me!"

The boy suddenly knelt on the ground, covering his head with his hands, "I was just passing by! Just passing by! My meat is sour, it doesn't taste good! Really!"

Bai Yin frowned.

This far west is a battlefield; those who enter are either desperados or madmen.

How did such a delicate-skinned creature survive until now?

He neither spoke nor made a move.

Killing such a weakling is a dirty trick.

Bai Yin withdrew his gaze, picked up his knife, and continued walking forward.

The boy knelt on the ground and waited for a long time, but did not feel the knife on his neck. He quietly raised his head and looked out through his fingers.

Seeing that the fierce-looking killer had walked away, the boy breathed a sigh of relief, sat down heavily on the ground, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"That scared the rabbit to death..."

The boy patted his chest; the cowardice hadn't worn off, but his smugness had returned.

He stood up, brushed the sand off his bottom, and opened the folding fan with a "whoosh," shaking it twice.

"I knew it! I, Rabbit Lord, am blessed with good fortune. With looks as good as mine, who would dare to kill me?"

The boy watched Bai Yin's retreating figure, his eyes darting around, and suddenly shouted:

"Hey! You brave warrior over there! Hold on!"

Bai Yin ignored him and continued walking.

"Brave warrior! It's fate that we met!"

Undeterred, the boy shuffled after him, shouting as he ran, "I see a dark aura about you... no, it's more like a murderous aura emanating from you! You're definitely destined for great things! Would you like to hear me tell you a story to cheer you up?"

Bai Yin stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the boy.

The boy was provoked by that look and slammed on the brakes, almost hitting his face on the ground.

"roll."

Bai Yin uttered a single word, his voice hoarse as if two pieces of iron were rubbing against each other.

The boy swallowed hard, shrank his neck, but still stubbornly refused to back down.

"Don't be so fierce, brave man."

The young man smiled ingratiatingly, his folding fan flying rapidly in his hand. "I am Yue Tu, the most famous storyteller in this region... no, in the entire Kyushu! Really! I'm not lying to you!"

"My mouth is like iron teeth and bronze fangs; it can talk the dead back to life and make the living seem like gods!"

"No matter where you are, the moment I open my mouth, the story will spread throughout the streets and alleys, teahouses and taverns, everyone will know it!"

Bai Yin's fingers rubbed against the hilt of the knife.

He has no interest in listening to nonsense.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, the boy's next words struck him like a thunderbolt.

"Not to mention the mortal realm, even the highest heavens and the deepest hells, if I want to spread the word, there's no place I can't!"

call--

A gust of wind swept by.

The boy had barely finished speaking when he felt a blur before his eyes.

Immediately afterwards, a large hand, like an iron clamp, gripped his neck tightly and lifted him into the air.

"Cough...cough cough..."

The folding fan in the moon rabbit's hand fell to the ground. It tried desperately to pry open the large hand, but it wouldn't budge.

He stared in horror at the face so close to his own.

Those once lifeless eyes now burned with a flame that sent shivers down his spine.

That's madness.

It was a desperate act of grasping at the last straw.

"You just said..."

Bai Yin stared into his eyes and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Can you hear that from the heavens too?"

The moon rabbit was pinched so hard that its eyes rolled back and its tongue almost stuck out.

He tried to nod, but his neck was stuck and he couldn't move, so he could only blink frantically.

Bai Yin loosened his grip a little.

The moon rabbit collapsed to the ground, clutching its neck and coughing violently, tears and snot streaming down its face.

"Yes...yes..."

The moon rabbit gasped for breath, shrinking back, its voice trembling, "As long as... as long as the story is good enough... as long as someone is willing to listen... then..."

He was actually bragging.

He was just a rabbit spirit who had only recently taken human form, and he only had some special abilities that allowed him to carry his voice a little further.

As for it reaching the heavens?

That's divine intervention; he doesn't have that ability.

But looking at this madman in front of him, could he dare say no?

Speaking out would mean certain death!

Bai Yin didn't care what he was thinking.

He crouched down, his line of sight level with the moon rabbit.

The oppressive feeling made Moon Rabbit feel like a mouse being watched by a tiger.

"I want you to tell me a story."

Bai Yin's voice lowered, no longer so cold, but instead carrying an indescribable sense of sorrow.

"Tell it to the heavens."

The moon rabbit paused for a moment.

He looked at Bai Yin.

The ferocious god who had just been so murderous, cleaving the giant insect in two with a single blow, was now squatting in front of him like a child who had lost his beloved toy.

That look in his eyes was so fragile.

It was so shattered that it was unbearable to look at.

"What...what should we talk about?" the Moon Rabbit asked cautiously.

Bai Yin remained silent for a long time.

He reached out and pulled something out of his pocket.

It was a small straw figure.

The straw figure was very old; in some places it had fallen apart, and there were dark red bloodstains on it.

Bai Yin held the straw figure in his palm, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a rare treasure.

"Let me tell you about a tiger."

Bai Yin said in a low voice, "With a fox."

The sandstorm seemed to have subsided somewhat.

The moon rabbit picked up the folding fan from the ground, but dared not wave it anymore. It sat obediently cross-legged, adopting a posture of listening attentively.

"That tiger is stupid."

Bai Yin looked at the straw figure in his hand, his gaze somewhat unfocused, as if he had pierced through the sandstorm and returned to the damp and warm Yunmeng Marsh.

"He's been to the world, all he knows is killing and cannibalism."

"Then he encountered a fox."

"The fox is beautiful, likes to deceive people, likes to eat fish, and also likes to have his hair combed."

Bai Yin paused for a moment, then a very unpleasant smile appeared on his lips.

"The tiger believed her lie."

"He thought that as long as he washed his claws clean, as long as he didn't eat people, and as long as he learned to live like a human being, he would be worthy of her."

He wanted to watch the stars with her, to wake up with her, and to catch fish for her for the rest of his life.

The moon rabbit listened intently.

He had expected this ruthless man to tell some revenge story filled with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, but he never imagined it would be like this...

These are cheesy, cheesy love words.

But for some reason, the words coming from this blood-covered man made one feel a tightness in their chest.

"And then?" the Moon Rabbit asked instinctively.

Bai Yin's fingers trembled slightly.

"Later, people came down from the sky."

"They say she is a celestial being, a medicine to save all living beings."

"The tiger wanted to protect her, but he was too weak."

"The sword broke, the Dharma image shattered, and even with my life on the line, I still couldn't protect it."

Bai Yin raised his head and looked at the gray sky.

There was nothing there.

There were only endless gales and thick clouds.

"She's gone."

"She went with those people to save the tiger's life."

"She told him to wait for her when she left."

Bai Yin took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the tears welling up in his eyes.

He turned his head and looked at the moon rabbit.

Please tell her for me.

"The tiger is not dead."

"The tiger is sharpening its knife."

"No matter how high the sky is, no matter how thick the door is."

"The tiger will definitely climb up, make a hole in that hole, and bring her home."

The moon rabbit opened its mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

He looked into Bai Yin's eyes.

There were no tears there, only fire.

A fire capable of burning through heaven and earth.

"This story..."

Moon Rabbit swallowed, feeling a dryness in her throat. "This story... could become a hit."

He stood up, patted the dirt off his long gown, and his expression became unusually serious.

"Rest assured, brave warrior."

The Moon Rabbit snapped its folding fan shut and tapped it in its palm. "Although I, your Rabbit Lord, am not very capable, my voice is still somewhat useful."

"I'll tell you this story."

"Even if it doesn't reach the heavens, I will make sure that every inch of this land, every gust of wind, remembers this tiger and the fox."

"As long as many people recite it, this vow will reach the ears of Heaven."

"She can always hear you."

Bai Yin looked at him and nodded.

He took the cloth bag full of demon cores from his waist and threw it to the Moon Rabbit.

"remuneration."

The moon rabbit hurriedly caught it, opened it, and was almost blinded by the brilliance inside.

They're all high-level demon cores!

This bag is enough for him to buy ten opera troupes!

"Alright!"

The Moon Rabbit beamed, tucked the cloth bag into its bosom, and bowed slightly to Bai Yin. "Brave warrior, rest assured, your Rabbit Lord will go and warm up your voice right away!"

After saying that, as if afraid that Bai Yin would change his mind, he took off running and disappeared into the sandstorm.

Before long, a boy's clear and high-pitched voice came from afar, drifting leisurely on the wind.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please hear what I have to say—"

"It is said that the lovelorn soul by the Yunmeng Marsh reforged his broken sword, staining it crimson with blood..."

Bai Yin stood still, listening to the sound grow fainter and fainter.

He lowered his head, put the straw figure back into his bosom, and placed it close to his heart.

The sandstorm is still blowing.

But he felt that there was a hint of osmanthus fragrance in the air.

Did it float down from the sky?

Bai Yin gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and turned to walk deeper into the wilderness.

There are stronger demonic beasts there, and a denser aura of malevolence.

That was his path.

It is also a stairway to heaven.

"Green Jade Table: A Message to the Azure Sky"

Yellow sand swirls in the fierce west wind, a broken sword is cold, and the setting sun is blood-red.

A promise kept will never be broken.

On the banks of the Yunmeng Marsh, in the Guanghan Palace, who can tell of this sorrow?

The foolish child only knows that love is hard to sever, while the hero's courage and spirit are worn down.

May I ask the heavens if they have heard me clearly?

A long howl, a thousand thoughts, soaring straight up to the moonlit tower.