Fox Demon Queen

In the Ancient Land of a Hundred Demons, a secluded region a thousand li (TL Note: A traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 meters or 0.3 miles) away from the Demonic Emperor’s Immortal Mountain.

Along a winding ancient path, deep within a dense bamboo forest where one could easily lose their way, stood a small house and courtyard.

Veiled by the morning mist, it was imbued with an even deeper aura of mystery.

Inside the small house, a plump, grey civet cat lay resting on a bamboo bed, blowing snot bubbles and snoring softly.

To the right of the bed, a stick laden with numerous candied hawthorns (TL Note: Bingtang hulu, a traditional Chinese snack consisting of fruit, typically hawthorn, coated in a hard sugar candy shell) leaned casually.

Everything was quiet and peaceful.

But then—

“Thump, thump, thump!”

A series of short, rude knocks shattered the tranquility.

The plump civet cat scratched an ear, smacked its lips twice, and in the same motion of rolling over, pulled the pillow over its head.

Clearly, he had heard the sound, but he had no desire to leave his bed or engage in any activity during his precious rest time.

Alas, the knocking grew louder, intensifying to the point where faint sounds of wood splintering could be heard.

The civet cat finally couldn’t take it anymore; he sat up abruptly, tossing the pillow to the floor, his eyes wide with fury, teeth clenched, clearly on the verge of an outburst.

Or rather, his mouth had already erupted.

“Damn it all, knocking and knocking first thing in the morning! I finally get one day off a week, can’t a guy get some proper rest?!”

He cursed under his breath as he flung open the cottage door and strode towards the main gate of the courtyard. “You better be the Empress, or I swear I’ll give you a slap that—”

With a ‘creak’ as the gate swung open, he looked up at the visitor, still in his original form.

He hadn’t known until he looked, but the moment his eyes landed on her, he froze on the spot, the rest of his intended tirade caught in his throat, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

‘No way… Am I not a civet cat? How did I become a jinx?’

Before him, a woman in a magnificent golden-red phoenix robe gazed down, her alluring fox eyes nonetheless filled with imperial majesty.

Her waist-length dark hair was swept up into an elaborate coiffure with a peach blossom hairpin, leaving only a few strands to cascade over her chest, while a delicate, petal-shaped cinnabar mark graced her brow, exuding an air of dignified elegance.

He instinctively averted his gaze, closing and opening the gate several times, unable to believe his eyes.

Yet, after repeatedly confirming the seven fox tails, reddish-pink at their tips, swaying behind the woman, he immediately dropped to his knees, on the verge of tears.

‘Damn it, it really is the Empress. No more peaceful rest for me…’

“What? Hú Délù, are you not welcoming to my daughter and I?”

Seeing the civet cat’s half-dead expression, the red-robed woman lowered her eyes but did not speak aloud, instead asking with a resonant, ethereal ventriloquism, “Or perhaps, you were up to something nefarious early this morning?”

‘Mother and daughter? The little princess is here too? No, I should explain myself first!’

“No, no, how could I not welcome you? I, Hú Délù, have been eagerly awaiting your arrival every day!”

‘Hoping you’d come and change my six-day work week into a one-day work week, so I could have more time to sunbathe and sleep…’

With a shimmer, he transformed into his usual human guise, bowing and scraping as he spoke, making a gesture of invitation that seemed overly solicitous.

“Oh? Awaiting my arrival? This Empress hears such words for the first time, and they are rather pleasing to the ear.”

She gracefully stepped through the gate, surveying the surrounding flora before heading directly towards the pavilion. “However, humans have a saying: ‘Loyal advice grates on the ear, while pleasing words are often flattery.’ My dear minister, what is your opinion?”

“Well… one cannot generalize too much, after all, some humans aren’t particularly good either.”

Hú Délù replied as he poured her tea. “But my loyalty to Your Imperial Majesty is absolute and unwavering.”

As he spoke, he pushed forward a cup filled seven-tenths with tea.

“You see, tea poured seven-tenths leaves three-tenths for human sentiment (TL Note: A cultural saying implying leaving room for future interactions or showing modesty). This is excellent tea; please, have a taste.”

The red-robed woman glanced at the tea, then, channeling a wisp of spiritual energy, brought it to her lips.

Her red lips parted slightly for a sip, and she nodded in approval.

The aroma was rich yet not overpowering, seeming to echo a lingering ancient melody within her mouth, captivating her senses.

“It is rather good.”

“Heh heh, as long as you like it! I have plenty more; I’ll fetch some for you to take with you right now…”

Hú Délù’s expression brightened with joy at her words.

He straightened up, patting his chest proudly, but as he turned, his face immediately fell.

By the small house not far away, the Empress’s daughter, who had yet to appear, now stood, a candied hawthorn in her left hand and a jar of tea leaves in her right, leaning against the bamboo house’s doorframe, her face alight with joy.

The young girl wore a long white dress, and as she raised her hand, intricate embroidery on her sleeves shimmered into view.

Her glossy, raven-black hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders.

Her fox-like eyes, though the same amber hue as the Empress’s, lacked their domineering aura, holding only a clear, pure light, like the bright moon in the heavens or a gentle breeze on earth.

“Uncle Hú, your candied hawthorns taste wonderful. I just took quite a few; you don’t mind, do you?”

The girl raised a hand in greeting, her pink tail swaying adorably behind her. “And this tea of yours, I heard you wanted to give it to Mother, so I fetched it for you. How about that? Aren’t I clever?”

The sweet voice rang out, causing the somewhat speechless civet demon to let out a long sigh and wave a hand in resignation.

Honestly, he didn’t care about the candied hawthorns; they were plentiful, and he could always make more.

But the tea leaves pained him immensely—three hundred years of dormancy, three hundred years to sprout, and another three hundred years to mature; they were truly rare.

He had originally intended to give the Empress only a small pouch, but given the current situation, his entire hoard was likely emptied by the young girl, and he wouldn’t even gain any benefit from it.

It was truly a case of ‘losing both the wife and the army’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘peilei furen you zhebing,’ meaning to suffer a double loss or to embark on a venture that results in significant losses without any gains), leaving him in a difficult predicament.

‘Fine… after all, she is a princess. Let her be mischievous; besides, she calls me Uncle, sigh…’

“Huáizhǐ, as long as you’re happy, Uncle is fine with it.”

With that, he turned to the Empress, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it, no longer bothering with his earlier ‘humble minister’ pretense as he spoke.

“Tell me, have you come this time to ask about that human, Yún Mù?”

The Empress nodded, not particularly bothered by his sudden change in demeanor.

“Indeed. The day of the prophecy is fast approaching. Is he well?”

“Ah, rest assured, he is completely fine. I resolved the minor troubles he encountered earlier, it’s just…”

Hú Délù recalled the words he had overheard, casting a furtive glance at Túshān Huáizhǐ, who was playing with the medicinal herbs in his courtyard, and lowered his voice. “Are you certain you want to wait until the appointed day to retrieve him? By then, he will be completely blind.

While we have ways to extend his life, are you sure you have a method to restore his eyes?”

“Since the prophecy dictates the timing, it means this is Yún Mù’s destiny.

Naturally, this Empress cannot arbitrarily alter it, can she?”

She paused briefly, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Moreover, this Empress never said there was no way.

When the time comes, as long as he is willing, not to mention one pair of eyes, even a dozen pairs would be no trouble.”

‘Uh, is she really that… ruthless?’

Hú Délù’s lips twitched, and he offered a helpless smile.

“This destiny… sigh… Alright, fine.

In any case, you should first figure out a way to keep this from the little princess; she probably wouldn’t want him to be blind.

As for the rest, you needn’t worry… I will bring him back when the time comes,”

Though he didn’t entirely agree with her words, he said no more. “At any rate, once this matter is resolved, my debt of gratitude will be repaid, so don’t you dare forget that, alright?”

“Rest assured, ‘a word spoken is a team of horses hard to overtake’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘yī yán jì chū, sì mǎ nán zhuī,’ meaning a promise once made cannot be retracted or broken).

This Empress never goes back on her word.”

The red-robed woman stood up, glanced at the young girl not far away, and with a faint smile, walked towards the gate.

“Let’s go, Huáizhǐ. That young man is fine; you can rest easy now, can’t you?”

Though her voice was not loud, it caused Túshān Huáizhǐ’s pretty face to flush crimson.

She immediately dropped the medicinal herbs she had just picked, glancing at Hú Délù not far away, feeling utterly mortified.

“Mother! There are other demons here, what are you saying?! Honestly!”

She pouted coquettishly, then trotted to catch up.

In the courtyard, only the civet demon was left, a dark line forming on his face (TL Note: A visual representation in manga/anime indicating embarrassment, exasperation, or speechless frustration).

‘What do you mean ‘other demons’? She was just calling me ‘Uncle’ a moment ago, that brat…’

He grumbled a few silent complaints but didn’t go to see them off, merely watching the two women depart, finding certain thoughts that came to mind rather amusing.

‘Túshān Yúnxī, oh Túshān Yúnxī, if you are so reliant on destiny, then why did you disregard the prophecy back then, killing the sister who was meant to become Empress and taking her place?’

‘And why did you defy the objections of all the demons, sacrificing an entire grand realm and using one of your tails as a medium, to give birth to this so-called daughter, Túshān Huáizhǐ?’

‘Acting this way now, it’s so contradictory that even I, a civet, can’t comprehend it…’

‘Enough, why bother thinking so much? My brain isn’t good to begin with; time to go back to sleep.’

Hú Délù waved a hand, just about to head back inside, when he heard the knocking sound again.

“Damn it! Is there no end to this?!”

Again, a vein throbbed in his temple.