Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The night wind swept across the broken walls of the Chen family's ancestral home.

The shattered ancestral tablet lay buried in the dust, its remaining spiritual veins flowing slowly underground. Su Chang'an stood outside the wall, his white robe billowing in the wind, three mortal marks hovering in his palm.

The one belonging to Su Qing was already far away in the capital, where the Phoenix True Fire resonated with the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart across the void.

The other white mark remained silent.

Su Chang'an closed her eyes, her divine sense traversing the mountains and rivers of Zhongzhou and landing in Yunmeng Marsh. Even across millions of miles, she could still sense the little fox in Bai Yin's palm.

He had nurtured that mark for too long, and held it too tightly, so that it had long since seeped into his flesh and blood from the lines of his palm. Even when he was frozen in ice, even when his destiny collapsed several times, he did not let go.

Su Chang'an did not touch that cause and effect again.

She opened her hand and gently touched the white mark with her fingertips.

"Su Xiaojiu".

"You'll have to walk your own path from now on."

The Nine-Tailed Calamity Formation lit up beneath her feet.

The moonlight shone down, and the ancestral essence of the nine tails flowed into the mark along the array patterns. Old memories, the sound of the water in Yunmeng Marsh, the blood of Guanghan Palace, the fragrance of gardenias, and the emotions hidden in those years were all stripped from the main soul.

It's not about abandoning.

It's not recycling either.

Instead, it means letting go.

The white mark detached from Su Chang'an's palm, transforming into a beam of moonlight that pierced through the night sky of Zhongzhou.

……

The mist over Yunmeng Marsh had not yet dissipated.

The moon's gentle light fell upon the depths of the reeds, and a thin layer of frost silently formed on the water's surface. The Nine-Tailed Origin unfolded from the moonlight, first condensing into garments, then into long hair, fox ears, and bare feet.

A woman in white stood on the water, her nine tails disappearing behind her in a flash.

Su Xiaojiu opened her eyes.

She raised her hand, revealing a small fox mark on her palm. The mark was deep in color, with dark red edges, as if it had been held in someone's hand every day, nurturing a warmth that refused to dissipate.

Su Xiaojiu looked at it for a moment, then clicked her tongue softly.

"Holding it so tightly, aren't you afraid of killing the fox?"

He spoke with disdain, but his thumb slowly rubbed against the mark.

A wisp of malevolent metal energy emanated from the depths of the marshland.

It's weak and chaotic.

She didn't linger; her white robes swept across the water's surface as she followed the scent into the reeds. Moonlight, fragmented by the reeds, fell upon her shoulders. With each step forward, the outline of her old cave became clearer.

The cave entrance was piled with broken wood and rubble, half of the stone door was crooked, and a few blood-stained old clothes were casually thrown on the ground.

Su Xiaojiu stood outside the door, her brows furrowing immediately.

"They still manage to ruin the place so badly."

Deep within the cave, Bai Yin suddenly opened his eyes.

He awoke from his weakened state after being frozen, his chest heaving, his wounds not yet fully healed. The first thing that reached his nostrils was neither the smell of water nor the scent of herbs.

It smells like gardenias.

Bai Yin's pupils suddenly contracted.

The malevolent energy of Geng metal surged out of his meridians, shattering the edge of the stone bed. He propped himself up against the stone wall, staggered a couple of steps, and stared intently at the outside of the cave.

The reeds parted.

A figure in white stood beneath the moon.

Bai Yin did not pounce.

He stood still, his large hands hanging at his sides, his knuckles clenching until they turned white. A malevolent aura swirled around him, yet it never crossed the cave entrance.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Who are you?"

His voice was so hoarse and unlike his usual self.

Su Xiaojiu turned around.

Fox ears peeked out from among her white hair, the tips of which gleamed faintly in the moonlight. She glanced at Bai Yin, but didn't answer. Instead, she kicked away a piece of broken wood at the cave entrance.

"This place is as chaotic as a monster's den."

She then pointed to the tattered clothes on the ground.

"Bai Yin, all you can do after waking up is pant? You don't even know how to pack your things."

A familiar tone of voice entered the cave.

Bai Yin's eyes showed no sign of relaxation; instead, they seemed even more panicked.

He looked at her face again and again, at the hem of her dress that hung down, at the slight lift of her toes as she stepped over the pebbles. Every movement matched his memory, even the look of disdain in her eyes was the same.

That's why he was even more hesitant to believe it.

Three thousand years of obsession can breed inner demons.

The Way of Heaven can create illusions.

Even the river of time can reflect those who have long been lost.

He can't be fooled anymore.

Bai Yin tried to release his divine sense.

The malevolent energy of Geng metal had only approached Su Xiaojiu by three feet when he abruptly stopped it. The backlash struck his meridians, causing a jolt in his chest and blood to spill from his lips, but he did not venture any further.

Su Xiaojiu walked towards him.

Bai Yin suddenly took half a step back.

"Don't come near me."

He tucked his hands into his sleeves, his Adam's apple bobbing laboriously.

I'm afraid I'll hurt you.

Su Xiaojiu paused for a moment.

The Bai Yin of the past would only try to hold onto her, wishing he could chain her to Yunmengze. He would never admit to being afraid, much less back down.

Now, this mad tiger stands before her, clearly recognizing her, yet it doesn't even dare to reach out its hand.

The nonchalance in Su Xiaojiu's eyes faded somewhat.

"Take your hand out."

Bai Yin didn't move.

"Can't understand?"

She stepped forward and yanked his hand out of his sleeve.

That hand was covered in old wounds and calluses, and the little fox mark on the palm was burning red. Bai Yin's body tensed up suddenly, and a murderous aura surged up instinctively, but it all retreated into his meridians the moment he touched her sleeve.

Su Xiaojiu grasped his wrist and pressed his palm against her own wrist.

"Get to the bottom of it."

The pulse beat against Bai Yin's fingertips.

Warm and clear.

Blood flows beneath the skin and flesh, carrying the warmth that only a living person possesses.

Bai Yin's breathing suddenly became erratic.

His hand began to tremble; he wanted to pull it back, but dared not actually leave. His gaze followed her wrist bone down to the newborn little fox mark on Su Xiaojiu's palm.

Two marks lit up simultaneously across their clasped hands.

There is no pull from the projection of the main soul.

There was no deathly aura emanating from the lingering soul.

The person before me has a complete destiny, an independent soul, and a real heartbeat.

The accumulated malevolent energy within Bai Yin's body suddenly surged.

The shockwave swept across the cave and into the entire Yunmeng Marsh. The reeds, which had been slumped low by the malevolent energy for years, rose again, undulating in layers under the moonlight. The lingering killing intent within the cave dissipated with the wind, and the marsh waters began to flow once more.

Baek In finally confirmed that she was alive.

But the next moment, he loosened his grip and took half a step back.

He looked down at his palm, his voice strained.

"If you want to leave, I won't stop you."

That short sentence seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

Su Xiaojiu looked at him, then suddenly raised her hand and tapped him on the forehead.

"Are you out of your mind from the cold?"

Bai Yin was stunned.

Su Xiaojiu brushed aside his messy, tangled long hair, her face full of disgust.

"You woke up and didn't even bother to fix your hair. If you go out like this, even the monsters of Yunmeng Marsh will find you embarrassing."

She passed Bai Yin, entered the cave, and sat down in front of the old stone platform.

White hair slipped down her shoulders, covering her white clothes.

With her back to him, Su Xiaojiu untied her hair tie and found the dusty bone comb in the corner of the stone platform. She wiped it with her sleeve and handed it behind her back.

"What are you standing there for?"

"Comb my hair."

Bai Yin stared at the bone comb but did not take it.

He had thought that after regaining her, he could only watch over her from afar. As long as she was alive, even if she refused to look at him again, that would be enough.

But she handed the bone comb back.

Like every ordinary morning before, I handed my back to him.

Bai Yin slowly reached out his hand.

His fingertips were still trembling as he held the bone comb.

"Say it if it hurts."

"If you stop spouting nonsense, you won't feel pain."

Bai Yin responded softly.

He gathered her white hair and, starting from the ends, gently combed away the tangled strands. His movements were slow, stopping whenever he encountered a small knot and patiently smoothing it with his fingers, careful not to hurt her in the slightest.

Su Xiaojiu sat in front of the stone platform, her fox ears twitching slightly from time to time.

When Bai Yin's fingertips brushed against the back of her neck, she didn't flinch, but only glanced at him in the bronze mirror.

The mad tiger lowered its eyes, its entire focus on the teeth of the comb.

No need to confirm repeatedly.

I'm no longer afraid that she'll disappear at any moment.

Outside the catalpa window, the sound of the Yunmeng Marsh water flowed gently. Moonlight streamed into the cave, illuminating the white robes, the bone comb, and the two fox markings.

After combing her long hair to the end, Bai Yin used an old hairband to tie it up for her.

Su Xiaojiu turned around, grabbed his hand, and gently pressed the little fox in his palm.

"They're all red from being squeezed so tightly."

"Don't squeeze like that again."

Bai Yin looked at her but didn't say anything more about not leaving.

Su Xiaojiu loosened his fingers one by one, and lowered her voice.

"Live well."

Bai Yin's palm trembled slightly, and finally slowly closed, but it did not trap her hand.

"it is good."