Chapter 248: The Companion of the Wandering Solitary

Xī did not hastily name the Nine-Tails.

According to her, a name is an essential and irreplaceable quality of any life; only those closest to one another, with a similar status, qualify to give names. Since both parties were not yet familiar with each other, she wished to understand the Nine-Tails better and get closer to it before fulfilling this promise.

The girl showed no signs of nervousness and was entirely unafraid of the massive silver-white beast that ruled the spirit realm, which could crush her with a single claw. Soon, she struck up a casual conversation with it. The Nine-Tails was delighted to find a being with whom it could communicate openly and did not adopt the airs of a deity.

It was only at this moment that it recalled the name Ming Xi, bestowed personally by itself many years ago, realizing that this girl was the child it had seen in the womb, understanding the origin of her snow-white hair and fox ears, which were similar to its own fur.

Perhaps this was the bond of fate from birth.

They chatted for a long time, from day to night, and then again to dawn. Ming Xi also exhibited traits radically different from ordinary humans—despite having not slept all day and night, she showed no signs of hunger or fatigue.

It was early the next day when the spirit beasts responsible for bringing her felt puzzled. When they came to check on the important president of the Spirit Realm Peace Association, the Nine-Tails finally remembered that humans needed to eat and sleep daily, or they would have a hard time continuing.

What an interesting little creature.

It couldn’t help but think this.

From their open and honest conversation, the Nine-Tails gradually understood her peculiarities.

Since birth, Xi had displayed numerous talents that deviated from the norm. Not only did she possess snow-white hair and fox ears, contrary to her family’s legacy of black hair, but she was able to see things invisible to ordinary people.

The girl referred to her ability as the Yin-Yang Eye, claiming she could see the invisible and intangible souls of living beings—not just humans, but spirit beasts too.

She had taught herself how to discern their identities, statuses, and even predict when they might die by observing these differences. She could even communicate with souls on the verge of passing away and listen to their intentions.

Because of such power, alongside her strange white hair and ears, Ming Xi had been ostracized by her peers since childhood and felt out of place, with many adults keeping their distance.

Some called her a genius, while others deemed her a monster, but Miss Xī didn’t care about the gossip. Instead, upon realizing her talents, she became increasingly eager to develop this seemingly gifted power.

“Huh? What’s there to feel upset about? In the end, those guys are just jealous and afraid. The weak huddle together for warmth, excluding the strong from their circles to protect their fragile self-esteem… They’re the ones to be pitied, aren’t they?”

“I don’t need others’ approval to prove myself. Besides, these ears are clearly adorable; I really like them~”

To the regrets and sympathies of the Nine-Tails, she simply responded like this, stating that she had also established the Spirit Realm Peace Association by herself without relying on so-called family power.

She even spoke candidly in front of the Nine-Tails, who represented the deities and spirit beasts, saying that although humans and the local life of the spirit realm could coexist harmoniously without infringing upon each other now, it was only because the former had not yet restored its numbers and was under the deities’ watchful eyes, and the spirit realm’s abundant resources were enough to meet their needs temporarily.

Humans reproduce quickly; as they develop and grow in number, even splitting into different factions known as nations, philosophical differences are bound to arise. The effectiveness of the agreement made by the first leaders with the Nine-Tails would weaken over time, leading to friction and conflict with the spirit beasts over resource competition.

Because the disasters that forced them to flee to the spirit realm would manifest this way.

Perhaps this would happen in hundreds, thousands, or even longer years, but Ming Xi, through her studies of human history, recognized this possibility and created the Spirit Realm Peace Association. She aimed to transform it into a force capable of maintaining global stability, preventing the worst potential outcomes.

Of course, it was still merely in its early stages.

The Nine-Tails admired her thoughts and decided to offer the girl some assistance after careful consideration.

Indeed, helping her become stronger.

“Let’s sign a contract.”

It said.

“I’ll teach you how to properly use your power, develop your talents and abilities. In return, you must always remember your current will and never show favoritism towards either humans or spirit beasts, doing your utmost to maintain harmony and peace in the spirit realm, becoming the guardian of this world.”

The Nine-Tails expected the girl would take a long time to consider; after all, this was both a benefit and a responsibility and constraint. With her displayed impulsive personality, she would probably dislike trouble.

Unexpectedly, she simply smiled and nodded.

“This is one of the reasons I came to meet you! But the peace of the spirit realm can’t depend on me alone; we have to work together, right?”

It was momentarily stunned, then relaxed with a smile.

“…Indeed.”

The divine fox lowered its head, intertwining its hands with the girl’s.

Thus, the contract was formed, and the bond between her and it was established.

Under the Nine-Tails’ guidance, the girl grew at an astonishing speed, effortlessly breaking through various cultivation realms as if there were no bottlenecks; obstacles that would be nearly insurmountable for ordinary humans or spirit beasts seemed completely nonexistent to Ming Xi.

It seemed she was blessed from birth by the world.

Finally, she reached that ultimate limit, only a step away from standing side by side with the Nine-Tails.

But she ultimately stopped.

“What do I do? It seems I can’t improve anymore. It feels like something’s blocking the top of my head; no matter how hard I try, there’s no change… So strange; clearly, you’re still much stronger than me?”

One day, Ming Xi approached it with this troubled inquiry.

The Nine-Tails understood the barrier she faced.

Although it was a deity, it too did not know how to allow mortals to transform into gods. In fact, ever since the birth of the spirit realm, there had been no new gods besides the born deities like the Nine-Tails and the Ancestor Dragon.

It explained this to the girl, saying that reaching her current level was already outstanding; as long as she didn’t encounter any accidents, she possessed an almost infinite lifespan akin to deities, and this power was enough for her to fulfill her promise of being a guardian of world order.

Though… it wasn’t enough to become its partner.

She felt dissatisfied.

“Hmph, saying it’s impossible is really belittling humans, isn’t it? What’s deemed impossible is simply something that hasn’t happened yet. Just watch; I will definitely achieve it!”

After that day, Ming Xi left and never returned.

And that departure lasted a full thousand years.

The Nine-Tails didn’t know where she had gone, and despite searching for her, it found nothing even after scouring the world. A thousand years should have been merely a fleeting moment for a deity, yet for the first time, it felt the longest loneliness since its creation.

It realized how important companionship was.

It turned out that at some point, it had grown accustomed to her presence and cherished the ruckus she brought, even the warmth of her climbing up its back along its soft white fur and sleeping beside it without any rules or reverence.

Why did she have to leave? Wasn’t it better to continue extending the wonderful times together? Was her closeness to it merely a pursuit of that elusive power?

It didn’t understand. Although it was a deity, in terms of emotions, it was as naive and immature as an infant, left to curl up in the empty temple, licking the wounds of its soul and pondering the reasons for her departure.

Deities were destined to walk alone; no matter how sad and reluctant they felt, mortals remained mere passersby in their eternal lives. It could not easily leave this world, forever standing atop the mountain, overlooking the cycle of life and the beings below.

The heart that had gradually warmed thanks to her presence froze again, and beings grew uneasy due to the Nine-Tails’ silence. The Ancestor Dragon, another deity, had visited several times, but to little effect.

It was locked in a prison called loneliness, only truly experiencing the terrifying darkness after being acquainted with genuine beauty.

Until that day…

Her figure reappeared at the temple entrance, stepping towards it, just as she had done when they first met.

   

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