Chapter Two: It Truly Exists

“Fox?” Shi Fei was taken aback. How could someone call themselves a “fox”? Unless...

“I really am a fox!” she nodded, then added, “Haven’t you ever heard of a ‘fox’ in this world?”

The moonlight streamed in faintly, illuminating her face, which was both beautiful and pale—so pale it seemed almost translucent, as if she had never seen the sunlight before.

How could anyone have never seen sunlight?

Only a “fox” would have never seen the sun.

Shi Fei nodded slowly. “I have heard of it. Not only have I heard, but I also know what it means when someone says they are a fox.”

Curious, she asked, “What does it mean?”

Shi Fei replied, “Have you ever heard the phrase ‘fox friends and dog friends’?”

“Foxes and dogs are both canines, so dogs can be friends with foxes,” she said with a smile.

Shi Fei sighed. Earlier, he had thought her intelligence was lacking, but now it seemed he was the smarter one.

He said, “There are only the two of us here. You are a fox, so what am I?”

“Oh?” Her eyes gleamed with amusement. “Then are we friends? Does that make you a dog?”

Shi Fei shook his head. “I can be an ox, I can be a horse, but I am not a dog.”

“Haha!” she laughed, her voice clear and melodious. “My name is Qingqing, and I am a fox! A fox that is cut off from the mortal world!”

“Are you really a fox?” Shi Fei asked.

“Absolutely genuine!” she affirmed.

Qingqing—the fox—so she must be a blue fox!

No wonder she was unimaginably beautiful, no wonder she seemed not of this world.

That made sense.

Could it be that this dream had brought him into a world of divine and strange beings?

Shi Fei felt his dream growing more and more absurd.

But between a turtle-man and a blue fox, it was hard to say which was more bizarre.

At least this time the blue fox hadn’t stabbed him with her fork.

Yet, at her waist hung a curved blade, its scabbard made of pure silver, with a bright pearl embedded in the hilt.

Seeing the knife and Qingqing, Shi Fei felt as if he recalled something, but upon closer thought, he realized he hadn’t.

That’s how dreams are—sometimes one cannot control their thoughts and forgets many things.

“Where there are foxes, are there also gods and monsters?” Shi Fei suddenly asked.

Qingqing replied, “Of course. There are all-powerful gods and wicked monsters.”

Shi Fei asked, “So, is a fox a god or a monster?”

Qingqing shook her head. “A fox is just a fox. A fox is a being isolated from the world.”

“Oh?”

“But foxes do have magic; they can grant people’s wishes,” Qingqing said. “Do you have any wishes?”

There are many tales about foxes—some beautiful, some terrifying—because foxes are elusive.

Foxes can also fulfill wishes.

---

“Wishes?” Shi Fei murmured to himself.

What wishes could one have in a dream?

Shi Fei couldn’t think of any, nor did he need any, but deep down, he did have a wish.

He asked, “Any wish?”

Qingqing smiled—she seemed to love smiling.

She was beautiful, and even more so when she smiled. Her eyes, when smiling, were more beautiful and gentler than pearls.

“Of course!”

Shi Fei’s eyes brightened. “I’m always criticized for typos in my proposals. Can you make it so I never make typos again?”

Typos were his torment.

He could never control his hands!

Having no typos was his greatest wish.

“...” Qingqing paused.

Gold and silver treasures, power, beauty, martial arts manuals—all these she had imagined, but never that someone’s wish would be so mundane.

She didn’t know what a proposal was.

But making someone stop making typos? That was beyond her.

Not that she couldn’t do it, but no one in the world could.

Seeing Qingqing remain silent, Shi Fei realized the truth. He showed a disappointed expression and said, “I understand.”

Qingqing thought this man truly was odd. She said, “I have a solution!”

Shi Fei hurriedly asked, “What solution?”

Qingqing said, “I can cut off your hand.”

If your hand is gone, you can’t write.

If you can’t write, there will be no typos.

That was Qingqing’s solution.

Shi Fei was stunned; he hadn’t expected a fox spirit’s solution to be so bizarre.

One could only say that fox spirits were indeed “spirited.”

It is said some people make wishes to evil spirits, and these spirits grant the wish in a twisted way.

For example, wishing to become king of the world, and the spirit casts you into a desolate, empty world.

Was this fox the same?

Shi Fei asked, “Do fox wishes come with a price?”

Qingqing shook her head to deny it, but then her eyes flickered, and she said, “It depends on the kind of wish.”

“A small wish shouldn’t have a price, right?” Shi Fei tried.

“Of course not.”

“Please help me light this pile of firewood!” Shi Fei pointed to a heap of damp sticks beside him.

Qingqing said, “Oh? Just that?”

“That’s enough. I want to rest,” Shi Fei said.

Qingqing smiled, “Why do you want to rest?”

---

“Because it’s dark,” he replied.

When it’s dark, it’s time to sleep.

Very reasonable.

Unfortunately, reasonable or not, Qingqing didn’t have any fire oil, and she couldn’t light the damp firewood.

Especially since some of the sticks had been soaked; they were definitely impossible to ignite.

From this, one could see how careless he was.

She said, “You can’t light such firewood!”

Shi Fei sighed. “So fox wishes aren’t all-powerful after all.”

Neither of his two wishes could be fulfilled by the fox.

Qingqing said, “Though I cannot light this fire, I can take you to a place.”

“What place?”

“A place to sleep!”

Shi Fei asked, “Can’t I sleep here?”

Qingqing replied, “Sleeping here would be cold; there, it won’t be cold!”

Cold was indeed a problem.

Shi Fei had already felt this problem.

Sleeping here might make him sick, might freeze him to death—these weren’t his main concerns.

He was more concerned with whether he could sleep comfortably.

A place where it isn’t cold to sleep was undoubtedly appealing.

Shi Fei asked, “Is that place far from here?”

Qingqing shook her head. “Not far! If you’re willing, come with me!”

With that, she began walking into the cave.

She knew Shi Fei would follow.

For the sake of sleeping in warmth, Shi Fei certainly followed.

The cave was very dark; Shi Fei couldn’t see the blue fox’s figure, nor hear her footsteps, only catching a faint fragrance.

Probably the scent of the fox.

There are many kinds of foxes; some smell foul, naturally, some smell sweet.

He walked an unknown distance, to the point he didn’t want to continue, when suddenly he caught the scent of flowers.

A few more steps, and the space opened up.

He emerged from darkness into a valley.

In the valley bloomed countless flowers—red, yellow, green, blue—competing in color.

Beneath the moonlight, the valley was beautiful, as if a dream.

Indeed, only in dreams could so many flowers bloom simultaneously.

Where flowers bloom, it would not be cold.

This was the perfect place for Shi Fei to sleep!