novelraw Chapter 59: Fox Demon
Chapter 59: Fox Demon
"Your Majesty, your Empress is a Fox Demon."
"National Preceptor, enough of your slander! The Empress is the woman who fought by my side to build this kingdom... When I had nothing, she never abandoned me. Why are you trying to sow discord?"
"Your Majesty, you've known all along, haven't you? After all, no woman of the Mortal World can go through thirty years and remain as youthful and beautiful as she was back then."
"...So what if she's a Fox Demon? I am not some narrow-minded emperor."
"But, Your Majesty... you do not have much time left."
The National Preceptor looked at the ashen-faced, middle-aged man on the Dragon Bed and shook his head slightly.
'In the end, the emperors of the Mortal World can never win against the passage of a few decades. No matter how glorious their reign, this is all it amounts to.'
As if sensing the pity in the National Preceptor's eyes, the proud emperor's face twisted into a ferocious scowl.
"There's nothing... wrong with my body!"
What this terminally ill Emperor hated most was this group of self-important Cultivators.
It wasn't just jealousy of their long lifespans, their unchanging faces, and their ageless bodies.
What he hated most was the decree issued jointly by the Major Sects, who stood aloof from worldly affairs.
"The balance of the Celestial Dao requires sacrifice. As the Royal Family of a Mortal Dynasty has taken hold of power in the Mortal World, they should not, in turn, covet their own immortality.
Those of royal blood are strictly forbidden from cultivation and from consuming life-extending Immortal Elixirs. They must follow the natural cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death."
'My path to eternal life was severed the moment I ascended the Dragon Throne!'
'I can't accept this! I reached the pinnacle of power in the Mortal World. I am the Emperor, a man above all others. I should have everything!'
'Yet I'm forbidden from taking even the most common restorative elixirs that Cultivators use to extend their lives!'
The National Preceptor's expression remained calm, unfazed by the Emperor's furious glare.
He looked at the Emperor, whose life was drawing to a close, with unnerving composure. Like a demon tempting a mortal to offer up his soul, he said:
"Your Majesty, the Sects forbid the Royal Family from any contact with the Cultivation Realm... but under special circumstances, they are willing to make an exception.
For example... Merit granted by the Sects."
"Your Empress's Cultivation has already reached the Golden Core Stage. Her Demon Core is a rare treasure. I'm certain that if it were handed over to the Sect, it would be worth a great deal of Merit.
Enough to extend your reign in the Mortal World by another century, at the very least."
Hearing this, the Emperor slammed his hand on the Dragon Bed in a rage.
"So you've had your eyes on my Empress all along, you fiendish Daoist! You can't defeat her on your own, so you want to use my power to do it!"
But the Emperor was no fool. A lifetime of political maneuvering had made him an expert in the art of intrigue, and he easily saw through the National Preceptor's plot.
And yet... he could not suppress the deep-seated desire to live.
"Your Majesty, after your death, that Fox Demon will still be in the prime of her life. Your dynasty, your family... they will all be at her mercy.
Besides, Fox Demons are notoriously promiscuous.
If she gets lonely and decides to find some young men brimming with Yang Qi, she might just hand over the empire you spent a lifetime building to another man... and from beyond the grave, you'll be able to do nothing but watch.
A woman, when it comes down to it, is merely an accessory to power.
You must consider this carefully, Your Majesty."
...
"Hey, listen up! My mom is Bai Jinshi, and she's the Empress of the Liang Kingdom!"
In the forest, an adorable white fox stood up on its hind legs like a person, placing its two short little paws on its hips. Its big, fluffy tail swished back and forth as it proudly looked down upon a group of dumbfounded rabbits and squirrels.
Seeing the blank looks on the small animals' faces, the white fox frowned.
"Hey, did you guys get that? The Empress! You know, the one who's second only to the Emperor and above everyone else!"
The two rabbits below exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads and went back to nibbling grass as if nothing had happened.
"HOO HOO HOO—"
A monkey gestured wildly at the white fox. It pointed at the rabbits' and squirrels' heads and shook its own in a look of disdain, as if to say:
'They haven't awakened their intelligence yet. They're dim-witted; they can't understand you.'
"..."
The white fox slumped to the ground in frustration, ignoring the monkey who was eagerly trying to curry favor by offering it fruit.
'Why aren't there any other sentient animals around here? It's so boring. Mom doesn't let me appear in front of human children, so now I have no one to play with.'
"HOO HOO HOO—"
The monkey cheerfully pointed at itself again, as if to say, 'Look at me! Look at me! I'm smart!'
But the white fox gave it a look of disdain, and its words were enough to shatter the little monkey's heart.
"You're too ugly. My mom told me not to play with ugly animals."
After the white fox finished speaking, it flicked its tail boredly and lightly leaped into the bushes, disappearing from sight.
It left the monkey standing there, completely stunned.
After a long moment, the monkey threw its head back and let out a long cry, "AWOO—"
'The tides of fortune turn every thirty years! Never look down on a monkey in its youth!'
...
The white fox ran out of the woods and up to a magnificent carriage. When the guards surrounding it saw the white fox approaching, they respectfully cleared a path.
They knew this white fox was the Empress's most cherished pet.
With a *swoosh*, the white fox leaped through the carriage's curtains and bounded into the arms of a beautiful woman with a gentle demeanor.
Bai Jinshi stroked the white fox's head, causing it to let out a few contented whimpers as it squinted its glossy, black eyes in pleasure.
"Jingjing, you mustn't speak in human tongue when we're outside anymore."
"Why, Mom?"
"A new National Preceptor has arrived in the Capital City. He's targeting me."
Hearing this, the fox—Bai Jingjing—bared her teeth, her fur bristling all over.
"Then why don't you have His Majesty kill that wicked National Preceptor right away, Mom!"
Bai Jinshi shook her head and said helplessly:
"The National Preceptor is sent by the Sects to oversee the Mortal Dynasties. His Majesty has no authority to move against him.
For now... I only suspect that he's targeting me. I'm not certain if he has completely seen through my disguise."
Bai Jinshi stroked the white fox's head, the worry etched on her features refusing to fade.
"Then let's run, Mom! We have to get back to the mountains and save ourselves!"
Bai Jingjing said anxiously.
However, her mother, who always indulged her, simply shook her head.
"His Majesty saved my life long ago. I fought by his side as he conquered the world, and before I knew it, I had fallen in love with this human... He has treated me very well. I swore an oath to stay with him until the end of his short, mortal life."
"His Majesty's time is short now... I cannot abandon him at a time like this.
At the very least, I want to be the last person he sees before he draws his final breath on the Dragon Bed."
As Bai Jinshi spoke, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
She ruffled her daughter's fur and said gently, "Jingjing, go back to the mountains for a while and lay low. After some time has passed, Mom will come back for you.
After His Majesty passes on, my karmic ties to the Mortal World will be severed. When that time comes, the Empress of the Liang Kingdom can 'die' along with her Emperor. I will leave this kingdom with you."
Bai Jingjing looked up at her mother with a puzzled expression.
She didn't understand why her mother, a Great Demon of the Golden Core Stage, would take an oath to a mere mortal so seriously.
Despite her confusion, Bai Jingjing obeyed her mother. She secretly left the Liang Royal Capital and returned to the forest.
But three days passed, and there was still no sign of her mother.
An inexplicable anxiety gripping her heart, Bai Jingjing cautiously approached a town near the Royal Capital, hoping to gather some news.
Since she couldn't yet take on human form through Transformation, she didn't dare approach the main gate. Instead, she circled the outer walls, looking for a hole to slip through.
By chance, she lifted her little fox head and saw a notice pasted on the city wall. It was written in a startlingly fresh, red liquid.
"The Demon Queen has been slain. The Emperor proclaims a grand amnesty for the realm. Let the nation rejoice and prepare to welcome the Immortal, to whom the Demon Queen's Golden Core shall be presented."
"..."