1
Yun Li was a nine-tailed fox. As usual, she had skipped class with her friends and played wildly in the mountains until dark before heading home.
When she got home, there were no fragrant, big chicken legs waiting for her. Her parents weren’t home either, only dark, silent air greeted her.
Yun Li called out for her parents, but no one answered.
With a flick of her finger, the house instantly lit up.
Not a soul was there.
A piece of paper was left on an old century-old elm table, with a small bundle beneath it.
“Li’er, your parents have gone on a trip. Take this bundle and head down the mountain to your brothers! This money is enough for you to find them. Here’s their contact information, once you’re in the human world, give them a call, and they’ll come pick you up.”
Yun Li picked up the paper and was so furious that her tail fur puffed up.
The letter was clearly from her dear father, Yun Che. Just a few short sentences, the handwriting exceptionally sloppy and perfunctory, it was obvious they were in such a rush to leave for their little gateway that they couldn’t be bothers to consider their youngest daughter.
How dare they usually claim so brazenly that she was their most beloved daughter, yet go off on a trip without her.
Opening the bundle, she found a stack of money used in the human world. Yun Li had seen such money a few times before at her friend Lailai’s place.
Lailai was a little lion, a few hundred years older than her, who had been to the human world several times.
Every time Lailai returned, she would brag about all sorts of things from the human world.
Yun Li’s favorite food was chicken. Whenever Lailai talked about the various fried chickens and roasted chickens in the human world, especially the big, plump chickens that flew exceptionally high, she couldn’t help but drool with envy.
Yun Li had always yearned for the human world. Over a hundred years ago, she had wanted to sneak over there, but every time she tried to leave, her parents would catch her and bring her back home.
Now, at nearly three hundred years old, she still hadn’t been to the human world and had no idea what it was like.
For her three-hundredth birthday this time, she absolutely had to taste one of those big, plump chickens that flew so high.
Yun Li was both upset that her parents had gone on a trip without her and excited about her upcoming journey to the human world. She was so thrilled that she couldn’t sleep all night.
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Yun Li got up with dark circles under her eyes, grabbed her bundle and set off.
Going to the human world wasn’t a simple or easy task.
She had to go to the Demon Realm Administration Bureau to register for entry and exit. Only after obtaining a pass could she enter the human world, otherwise, it would be considered illegal smuggling.
Feeling quite nervous, Yun Li went early in the morning to visit another good friend of hers, a little bluebird.
When Qing Ling learned that she was heading to the human world to seek refuge with her brothers, he glanced at the letter Yun Che had left, then at Yun Li. “Are you really going to the human world to find your brothers?”
“Of course!”
“Are you sure you can find your way? And find your brothers?”
“…”
Yun Li felt that little bluebird was looking down on her. She puffed out her chest defiantly. “Of course I can! This is my brother’s contact info, they’ll come pick me up!”
Qing Ling had a lot he wanted to say, but he also knew Yun Li had longed to go to the human world for a long time. Now that her parents had finally allowed her to go, there was no way she would stay put at home.
Still, he couldn’t help but worry.
This naive little fox had no idea about the dangers of humans. She could easily be deceived by some wicked human, skinned, and turned into a fur scarf.
Qing Ling was deeply concerned about Yun Li, but he had recently reached a critical point in his cultivation and couldn’t accompany her to the human world.
Yun Li, however, was carefree. She patted the little bluebird on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, just focus on your training. I’m going to my brothers—nothing will happen.”
Qing Ling accompanied Yun Li to the Demon Realm Administration Bureau to register.
Especially many demons were heading to the human world, and the line of those applying to go stretched on like a long dragon.
After a full hour, it was finally Yun Li’s turn to fill out the form and register.
In about ten minutes, Yun Li obtained her pass to the human world.
The pass recognized its owner, swiftly transformed into a thin white thread, wrapped around Yun Li’s wrist, glowed briefly, and then vanished.
Qing Ling’s expression was grave. As he escorted Yun Li toward the human world, he gave her stern instructions.
“Once you’re in the human world, you must be careful. Whatever you do, don’t let humans discover you’re a little fox!”
“Huh? Why?”
Yun Li looked utterly bewildered. Compared to her human form, she much preferred her fluffy, furry appearance.
“You still ask why!” Qing Ling was so exasperated he gave her a sharp rap on the head. “If humans find out you’re a fox, they’ll definitely kill you, skin you, and turn your fur into a scarf.”
A fox scarf?
Yun Li’s heart gave a jolt, and she instinctively touched her fluffy fox tail.
What she loved most was her own coat of fox fur—snow-white like a little ball of cotton.
Although she had never been to the human world, she couldn’t believe that all humans were bad, wanting to skin her the moment they saw her. Maybe Qing Ling was just trying to scare her so she wouldn’t go to the human world.
Yun Li puffed out her chest to bolster her courage. “I’m still small. I can’t even be made into a scarf!”
Qing Ling shot her a look of disdain. “Fox scarves are made from the whole animal, head to tail. Even if you’re a bit small, those humans will see your beautiful fur, raise you until you’re bigger, then butcher you. They’ll peel off the entire pelt in one piece… Especially since you’re a nine-tailed fox. They might even turn you into nine separate fox scarves!”
For a young fox who had never seen the world, his words were incredibly gruesome and cruel.
Yun Li found them terrifying and her face paled. What she cherished most was her pure white, unblemished fox fur.
Her voice trembled slightly. “You’re just trying to scare me! I won’t let any human catch me! I have magic. I can escape!”
Qing Ling snorted. “Haven’t you read the Demon Code?”
“Huh?” What Demon Code?
Following Qing Ling’s gaze, Yun Li looked at the Demon Code in her hand. It was just a single sheet of paper with only three rules written on it.
First, do not reveal your identity as a demon in front of humans.
Second, do not use magic in the human world. Violators will suffer backlash. The stronger the magic used, the more severe the backlash, which may even force you back into your original form.
And, third do not use magic to harm humans.
“This?” Yun Li bit her lip. “I can’t use magic?”
“Uncle Yun never mentioned this to you?”
Yun Li shook her head. Her parents had never allowed her to go to the human world, let alone tell her about this.
Qing Ling sighed heavily, growing even more worried that this little fox would be deceived once she left the mountain.
“Anyway, just remember: don’t reveal your true form in front of humans!”
Yun Li thought about being skinned and turned into a scarf and nodded vigorously. “My brothers will come to pick me up.”
Qing Ling considered that—Yun Li might be unreliable, but her three older brothers were all extremely powerful foxes.
Further ahead was the bridge leading to the human world.
Qing Ling didn’t have a pass and couldn’t accompany her further. He could only see her off here.
“Alright, you go on.”
Having known the little bluebird for several hundred years, parting so suddenly made Yun Li feel reluctant. Her eyes reddened. “Ah Ling, I’ll miss you! Once I’ve had my fill of fun in the human world, I’ll come home. Then I’ll bring you ten big, fat chickens.”
The first part was quite touching, but at the last sentence, Qing Ling’s mouth twitched. All she could think about was fat chickens; she had absolutely no ambition.
“Alright, alright, just go already!”
Yun Li sniffled, waved goodbye reluctantly, and left with her bundle on her back.
The Demon Realm Administration Bureau was situated deep in the mountains, connecting the human world and the demon realm, making it convenient for demons to travel back and forth.
To prevent humans from discovering them, the Bureau was also protected by a natural barrier. Humans could only see a dense forest—the Demon Realm Administration Bureau itself remained invisible to them.
As soon as she stepped out, many demons, already transformed into human forms, passed through the barrier and headed out.
Yun Li quickly tucked away her fox tail and set off with her bundle.
She pulled out a small, square slab from her bundle. This, she was told, was a phone—a device that could contact her brothers.
It was her first time using a phone. She pressed the screen, but nothing happened. Unaware that the phone had simply run out of battery, Yun Li fiddled with it for nearly an hour before realizing she had no idea how to use it. How was she supposed to call her brothers now?
On the verge of a meltdown, she felt like smashing the phone.
But then she reconsidered—if she broke it, she would truly have no way to reach her brothers.
Many demons were traveling from the demon realm to the human world. Yun Li decided to find one who looked experienced and ask for help with the phone.
Just as she was about to approach a passing demon, a voice suddenly came from behind a large tree.
Yun Li’s hearing was sharp. She turned her head toward the sound.
A small, grayish-yellow dog shot out from the bushes and came running toward her at full speed. “Sister, please save my master!” the dog barked.
Yun Li was stunned. She looked at the little dog, utterly confused. “Your master?”
The dog nodded vigorously, grabbing Yun Li’s pant leg with its mouth and tugging her forward. “My master is a little girl. Please save her, or she’ll be kidnapped by bad people!”
Yun Li was taken aback. She hadn’t expected humans to be so wicked as to abduct young ones. That was utterly heinous.
Naive and brave as she was, filled with a strong sense of justice, Yun Li didn’t overthink it. “Where? I’ll go save your little master.”
“There’s a warehouse ahead. My master is locked in there.”
So, a fox and a dog set off, weaving through a dense thicket until they soon arrived at a warehouse.
The warehouse was strategically located, surrounded by towering trees that perfectly concealed it from passersby.
Yun Li and the little dog hid behind a waist-high bush, observing the entrance. A man with dyed yellow hair, wearing a black T-shirt, stood guard outside.
He was sitting on a chair, playing a game on his phone, with an iron rod resting beside him.
The little dog whispered, “My master is locked inside. We have to save her!”
“But how? I can’t use magic.”
The guard was right at the entrance, armed with a weapon, while they were just a fox and a dog. How could they possibly take him on?
If they were back in the demon realm, it would be easy for Yun Li. A simple spell, and she could immobilize him.
Yun Li and the little dog exchanged a glance. The little dog was also aware of the Demon Code. After a moment of thought, he said, “Create a diversion. I’ll lure him away, and you sneak in to rescue her!”
“You have to be quick, or if his accomplices show up, neither of us will escape!”
This was the only plan for now. Yun Li nodded. “But with your injuries, will you be okay?”
The little yellow dog was battered and grimy, with blood matting the fur on its back and its right hind leg broken. When it had darted out from behind the big tree, it ran with a noticeable limp, yet its speed remained undiminished.
The little yellow dog rushed up to the warehouse and barked fiercely at the guard, letting out a deep, menacing growl.
The guard recognized the familiar stray dog at once. Grabbing his iron rod and spitting on the ground, he snarled, “You damn dog, you still dare to come back? I’ll beat you to death today and turn you into braised dog meat!”
The little yellow dog barked loudly as if to say: Come and get me if you can!
Seeing the guard about to give chase, the little yellow dog turned and ran, making sure to glance back at Yun Li.
The guard gave chase, hurling curses as he ran. “Damn it, you broken-legged mutt, how can you still run so fast? I’ll break every last one of your legs!”
Once the man had run off after the dog, Yun Li quickly dashed to the warehouse entrance and found the door secured with a heavy, coarse lock.
Without the key, there was no way to open it anytime soon.
Nervously scanning her surroundings for any sign of other villains, Yun Li knew she had to act fast to save the girl. Gritting her teeth, she made up her mind and used magic.
The lock opened on its own, but as it clattered to the ground, Yun Li was struck by the backlash from using magic. Her entire arm throbbed with such pain that she couldn’t lift it.
But there was no time to worry about that now. Saving the girl was all that mattered.
Gritting her teeth, Yun Li stepped inside. The warehouse was sealed tight, pitch-black all around.
Fortunately, her night vision was excellent. She spotted an iron cage in the corner containing a little girl, maybe five or six years old.
This must be the little yellow dog’s owner.
**