Love & Redemption
Chapter 79 - 36: Zi Hu’s Secret (5)

Chapter 79: Chapter 36: Zi Hu’s Secret (5)

Rain and hail pattered against the cave entrance, their sound crisp and clear. The hem of Ting Nu’s bridal attire was already drenched, revealing the fish tail like a layer of white gauze. He gazed quietly at the deep night, lost in his thoughts.

The fox in his arms, too, seemed lost in thought, its whiskers twitching and tickling his palm, itchy yet numb.

"Still crying?" His lips curled slightly into a tender smile.

But suddenly, she began to sing softly, "There are crows on South Mountain, on North Mountain nets are spread..."

Her voice was ethereal and lingering, with a hint of sorrow. Ting Nu gave a wry smile, "Here it comes again. Zi Hu, I’ve heard this story many times already."

Ignoring him, she continued to sing, "There are crows on South Mountain, on North Mountain nets are spread. The crow soars high, what can the net do? Fate not made, how can blame be laid?"

The melody was poignant and persistent; although soft, it could penetrate stone. At first, Ting Nu was smiling, but gradually, his expression grew somber. He stared blankly at the rainy night outside, falling silent.

Zi Hu sighed, "If it weren’t for that capture a thousand years ago, why would I suffer so today? Always talking about correcting fate, correcting fate, yet the right fate seems ever out of reach. Perhaps those are just lies to deceive people."

Ting Nu softly said, "He might not remember you, why bother holding on?"

Zi Hu, however, flaunted her ears and bushy tail in a coquettish manner. "How could he forget such a beautiful fox as myself?"

Ting Nu merely smiled.

After nuzzling for a while, Zi Hu laid her paw on his hand, asking in a darling tone, "Ting Nu, dear Ting Nu, won’t you tell me where he’s locked up, please? For the sake of my injury."

He shook his head, his voice deep, "I don’t know. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. Demons like you going there would just be courting death."

Zi Hu became frantic and shouted, "You won’t let me gather yang to supplement yin and increase my power, nor will you tell me where he is. Are you trying to agitate me to death on purpose?! You see me upset and you’re happy about it, aren’t you?"

Ting Nu spoke gently, "I don’t want you to be anxious because it’s futile. It’s his own tribulation—back then... he chose to stay there of his own accord. He has his reasons, and no one can force him."

"Well, I have my own reasons too! Can my reasons be easily forced upon?!" Zi Hu continued to yell, "I want to save him! I want him to accept my love!"

He could only shake his head. After half a day of shouting, Zi Hu too grew tired and lay down on his lap, both of them without words.

"That girl..." Zi Hu suddenly spoke softly, "she’s not an ordinary person, is she?"

Ting Nu was taken aback and nodded hesitantly.

"What is she, a reincarnated Shura star? I’ve never encountered someone so terrifying." She was still sore over her lovely claws and fur burnt black.

After waiting a long time for him to play dumb, Zi Hu sighed despondently, "Even if you refuse to speak, the least you could do is give me some face and humor me with a few words."

Ting Nu spoke softly, "I don’t know either."

Zi Hu was taken aback, then listened as he said, "I never knew either, what exactly she is. Immortal or ghost, demon or Shura... because she never told me."

"What’s this, all shrouded in mystery?" Zi Hu lost interest, yawned widely in his embrace, and murmured, "You old folks... act like having a secret is such a big deal. Extremely annoying..."

Ting Nu gave a bitter smile. Some secrets are not mysterious because they are secret, but because someone refuses to speak. Over time, they become real secrets.

Outside, the rain showed no sign of abating. Instead, it grew stronger, and the hailstones larger. Just now, one as big as an egg had fallen. If Ting Nu hadn’t dodged quickly, Zi Hu’s head might have been smashed with a large lump.

"I wonder how they are doing, whether they’ve safely descended the mountain." Most importantly, whether they encountered any demons that they shouldn’t have.

"Why worry so much? They’re human, aren’t they? If they are not of our kind, why care? Even if that girl had some connection with you in a past life, she has long forgotten it in this one; she’s a stranger now. Why burden yourself with worry!"

Zi Hu always took pride in being a demon, and looked down upon mere mortals.

"You can’t say that..." Ting Nu gazed intently at the pitch-black night sky, sensing a bad premonition in his heart.

"I’m sleepy, I’m going to sleep for a while, watch if you want to." Zi Hu yawned again, burrowed her head into his embrace, and was about to fall asleep against the cold skin of the Merfolk.

Suddenly, a sound resembling firecrackers came from the base of the mountain. Muffled by the tremendous curtain of rain, it was not quite clear. Ting Nu was startled, stuck his head out to look, but saw a deep red firework slowly rising, crackling as it burst open, trailing thousands of red streaks that slowly descended in the air, like blood.

"That’s a warning signal!" Zi Hu woke up with a start, her ears flapping, and she spoke loudly.

Xuanji and the others must have run into danger! Ting Nu threw her to the ground and started moving in his wheelchair, saying as he went, "I’m going to have a look. You stay here and take care of these people."

Zi Hu bit hard on his clothes, anxiously saying, "What can you do? Going there is just seeking death! It must be other demons coming to destroy the Sea Stabilizing Iron Chain. Let them destroy it! That’s exactly what I want!"

Ting Nu frowned and said, "Even if the chain is broken, he can’t get out. Besides, those demons claiming to save him only want to use his Magic Power for themselves! If you truly care about him, you should stop them!"

Zi Hu was stunned, slowly opened her mouth, and let go of his clothes. After a while, she hurriedly said, "Don’t go!... or let me go with you!"

"You stay here to take care of these mortals, and don’t let anyone else discover them."

Ting Nu pushed away her paw, and sped out of the cave entrance in his wheelchair. Zi Hu yelled frantically in the pouring rain as she ran out, leaped onto his thigh, and shouted, "The immortal told them to train, and they’ll just follow orders! Let them stay like this! I’ll go with you!"

Ting Nu could only sigh, "Forget it, you go and release the spells on those people first, and tell them to go home. They can return to South Mountain in three months to continue their Cultivation."

Zi Hu rushed back, rolled on the spot, her Primordial Spirit left her body, and Purple Smoke slowly turned into a stunning beauty. She stuffed her real body into her sleeve, then finally released the spells on the people, and without caring whether they were bewildered or not, she hastily ordered them to go home, and to return to the mountain in three months to continue their Cultivation.

After she finished speaking, she ran off, transforming into a Little Fox, and lay on Ting Nu’s leg, racing down the mountain at breakneck speed.

When the two arrived at the shore of Hongze Lake, the area was deserted. Ting Nu searched along the river bank and only found a Ruyi knot tied with a Jade ring, which was an ornament Zhong Minyan wore.

"They really encountered those demons!" Ting Nu’s complexion turned pale, whether from the cold or from panic.

Zi Hu, soaking wet, shook herself violently before saying, "Why do you care so much about those mortals? Their life or death has nothing to do with us!"

As if he didn’t hear her, Ting Nu simply stared at the night-scene of Hongze Lake, murmuring, "I just hope they didn’t fall into the lake... It’s better if the demons didn’t capture them."

Before he could finish, Zi Hu shouted, "Watch out!"

She leaped like lightning, caught a shooting object in her mouth, and landed on the ground with a painful clack of her teeth. She spat it out and it was an iron thorn.

"Come out now! This is Gao Mountain, my territory! Who dares to act recklessly here?!"

Zi Hu roared with authority, looking quite the ruler of her domain.

But a light snigger came from the woods, followed by a groan like a sob. A burst of green light appeared, shooting straight towards the sky.

Ting Nu’s face changed, and he hurriedly said, "They’ve brought the Bi Fang Bird! We need to leave!"

Zi Hu was still confused, but when she looked back, she saw the dark forest twist suddenly, as if a giant beast had bitten off its edges. The greenish strange fire was slowly melting them. Almost in an instant, the strange fire spread right before their eyes.

Zi Hu felt a bone-chilling chill and finally remembered what the so-called Bi Fang Bird was. It was a famous demon from Ancient Times, a monstrous bird that could burn entire forests with its strange fire, leaving them barren forever.

Ting Nu grabbed her in one motion, leaped over the vividly beautiful strange fire like a sheer curtain, and with a splash, jumped into Hongze Lake. The water splashed in all directions and they vanished in a blink of an eye. (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available there. Support the author, support genuine reading!)