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

At the end of the Bone Palace, there was no road.

There is only one door.

This door was ridiculously tall, pieced together entirely from the leg bones of an unknown behemoth, with the gaps filled with a dark red gelatinous substance that looked like blood that had dried up for thousands of years.

The door panel had no handle or keyhole, it was completely bare, exuding a deathly aura that kept strangers away.

Chen Xuan stopped and pulled up the cloak in his arms to cover Su Chang'an's exposed half of his ear.

"No way out?" Su Chang'an poked his head out, tugging at Chen Xuan's collar with his paws, and muttered, "This crappy place doesn't even have a road sign, it's really shabby."

Chen Xuan didn't reply. He took two steps forward, carrying his broken sword, and raised his hand to knock on the door.

"If I were you, I wouldn't bother."

That clear, cold voice rang out again, echoing throughout the hall, its origin unclear from any particular corner.

Immediately afterwards, a wave of red light, like ripples on water, appeared on the white bone door, and the figure of the red-eyed girl slowly emerged.

She still wore a hood to cover her face, revealing a head of pale white hair, and was hanging in mid-air with her arms crossed, looking down at Chen Xuan.

"Since you refuse to let go of that fox demon Su Chang'an, then I must fulfill my duty." The girl pointed a finger at the bulging mass in Chen Xuan's arms.

Chen Xuan remained expressionless, slightly raising the broken sword in his hand, its tip pointing directly at the girl's brow.

"Get out of the way."

The girl raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by the threat: "This door is protected by a restriction left by our ancestor. Even if your sect leader came, let alone a mere brat at the Foundation Establishment Realm, he'd be badly injured trying to force his way in. Do you want to take this fox with you to die?"

Without wasting words, Chen Xuan's spiritual power surged, and his broken sword hummed, indicating that he was about to make a move.

Su Chang'an was startled and quickly reached out to press down on Chen Xuan's hand.

This unfilial son, why does he always shout for violence and killing?

This is a restriction at the quasi-emperor level. If they really hit it, they would both become decorations on this wall!

"Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive!" Su Chang'an reassured her telepathically, then poked most of his body out of Chen Xuan's arms, waved his claws at the girl in the air, and put on a flattering smile.

"Um... let's talk this over."

As Su Chang'an spoke, he laboriously pulled an oil paper package out of his storage bag.

That was half a roast chicken that she had been saving, intending to keep it for a late-night snack.

"Look, everyone's having a tough time. This chicken may be a little cold, but the taste is absolutely authentic, made by the chef from Shen Du Zui Xian Ju." Su Chang'an held the roast chicken above his head, looking pained. "If you can do me a favor, this chicken... is yours."

The girl's eyes twitched as she looked at the greasy roast chicken.

Is Su Chang'an out of his mind?

He bribed the quasi-emperor with a broken roast chicken, despite her restrictions?

"Put away your disgusting thing." The girl sneered, flicking a blue arc of electricity from her fingertip.

"Snapped!"

An electric arc struck the bone plate beside Chen Xuan's feet, blasting a charred crater that emitted black smoke.

Su Chang'an shuddered in fright, almost dropping the roast chicken in his hand. He quickly shrank back into Chen Xuan's arms, leaving only his eyes darting around.

"Why are you being so fierce... If you don't want to eat, then don't eat. It's a waste of food."

Chen Xuan glanced down at the deep pit, pulled Su Chang'an closer to him, and looked up at the girl: "What do you want?"

The girl felt inexplicably annoyed by Chen Xuan's protective attitude.

Why?

Why is this fox, who is full of lies, doing this?

Why couldn't she... back then?

"Since you are a disciple of the sect, I might be able to make an exception for you." The girl's eyes darted around, and a playful smile appeared on her lips. "Our ancestor once set up seven gates to the heart here, called 'Questions of the Heart.' As long as you can answer the questions on the gates correctly, I will let you pass."

"Question your heart?" Su Chang'an's ears perked up.

This question looks familiar!

In most cultivation novels, the "trials of the heart" are just easy questions like "What is the Dao?", "What is love?", and "Save all living beings or save one person?"

As long as you project a sophisticated image, no matter how high-end or extravagant you make it sound, you'll definitely pass!

"Okay," Chen Xuan readily agreed.

With a wave of her hand, the white bone gate rumbled loudly, and a line of blood-red characters appeared on the originally smooth door panel.

Question 1: [All things in the world have different appearances. What is the most beautiful?]

Su Chang'an laughed when he saw the question.

Isn't this just a sycophantic exercise?

There are only two standard answers to this kind of question: either praise the person who set the question as the most beautiful, or praise the person guarding the question as the most beautiful.

"Son, listen to me," Su Chang'an quickly transmitted his voice, speaking with the tone of someone who had been through it all. "Just say: 'The Supreme Being transcends emotions, the Great Dao is formless; the Ancestor's appearance is the ultimate beauty in the world.' That's a surefire way to flatter him!"

Chen Xuan ignored her.

He stood in front of the door, staring at the line of blood-red words, without even frowning.

"Su Chang'an".

Three words, loud and clear.

The air suddenly became quiet.

Su Chang'an was dumbfounded.

The girl was stunned.

"What did you say?" The girl thought she had misheard.

"Su Chang'an," Chen Xuan repeated, his tone as calm as if he were asking what to eat for dinner, "She's the most beautiful."

Su Chang'an covered his face with both hands, feeling too ashamed to face anyone.

It's over.

This unfilial son has completely gone mad.

This is a true test of one's conscience!

This is a test left by the quasi-emperor!

What's with answering with the name of a fox?

And this fox is still a ball!

"You…" The girl pointed at Chen Xuan, her finger trembling with anger, "You're absolutely unreasonable! What's so beautiful about this fox? She's as fat as a pig and covered in grease, and you call that beautiful?"

"Boom—"

Before the girl could finish her rant, the large white bone door suddenly made a loud bang.

opened.

Su Chang'an: "???"

Girl: "???"

Is this broken door?

How did this pass?

Ignoring their shock, Chen Xuan stepped inside.

Behind the door was a long corridor, and after walking a few steps, another door blocked the way.

Question 2: [What is ultimate good?]

This time, Su Chang'an learned his lesson and didn't dare offer any rash advice. He just prayed frantically in his heart that his unfilial son wouldn't say anything more. This is a moral dilemma! Shouldn't he at least say something about "selflessness" or "saving all living beings"?

Chen Xuan stopped and glanced at the question.

"Su Chang'an".

These three words again.

Su Chang'an almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

No, bro, could you use a different word?

Am I even associated with the word "good"? I'm a nine-tailed fox!

It's a demon! I was just thinking of bribing the examiner with roast chicken!

however.

"Boom—"

The door opened again.

Su Chang'an was completely bewildered.

Is this door voice-activated?

The password is "Su Chang'an"?

The girl's figure reappeared, this time with a somewhat distorted expression: "Are you sick? She's kind? What's kind about her? She just tried to steal my roast chicken!"

Chen Xuan glanced at her, continuing on his way: "She's cooked for me."

Girl: "..."

Is cooking the ultimate form of excellence?

Has your standard for goodness sunk to the dust?

The third door.

Title: [What is ultimate strength?]

This time, even Su Chang'an had given up hope.

Supreme?

That must be power!

It's power! It's the emperor!

It can't be me again, can it? I'm so weak now I can't even beat a chicken!

Chen Xuan: "Su Chang'an."

The door opened.

Reason: "She can make me stronger."

The fourth door.

Title: What is the Tao?

This is the ultimate philosophical question in the world of cultivation! It's a Dao that countless powerful beings have pondered for a lifetime without ever fully comprehending!

Chen Xuan: "Su Chang'an."

The door opened.

Reason: "She is my path."

……

We walked and answered questions along the way.

The fifth door, the sixth door.

No matter what the question is, no matter how grand or profound the question is, Chen Xuan's answer is always just those three words.

Su Chang'an.

Su Chang'an.

It was still Su Chang'an.

Su Chang'an huddled in his cloak, feeling a strange mix of shock, disbelief, numbness, and now... a pang of sadness.

She listened as Chen Xuan repeated her name over and over again.

Every time, it was so resolute, so natural.

It's as if, in Chen Xuan's world, the ultimate answer to everything points to her.

What truth, what great principle, what right and wrong?

None of them are as important as her.

Finally, we reached the seventh door.

That was also the last one.

This door was smaller than the previous ones and looked ordinary, like the wooden door of an ordinary person's woodshed.

There were no words on the door.

The red-eyed girl stood in front of the door, her face ashen as if she had swallowed a fly.

She looked at Chen Xuan as he walked towards her step by step, her eyes filled with extremely complex emotions.

"The last question." The girl took a deep breath, her voice a little hoarse. "This question has no words; I'll ask it."

Chen Xuan stopped and looked at her quietly.

"If one day she wants to kill you," the girl pointed at the fox in Chen Xuan's arms, staring intently into his eyes, "she will rip your heart out in order to prove her Dao, to become an immortal, and to survive."

Will you give it to me?

The moment the question was posed, the air around us seemed to freeze.

Su Chang'an's heart skipped a beat.

She instinctively tried to wriggle out of Chen Xuan's arms, to cover his mouth, and to tell him not to answer.

Because she knew that if it were the nine-tailed fox spirit from her previous life, she might actually do it in order to survive.

But Chen Xuan didn't let her move.

His hand rested on her head, his palm warm and reassuring.

He looked at the girl and a smile suddenly appeared on his face.

It's very light.

But it was very easy.

"Give."

One word.

Clean and efficient.

The girl was stunned: "You...you don't hate me?"

"Why hate?" Chen Xuan retorted. "She saved my life. Thirteen years ago, if she hadn't pulled me out of that river, I would have become fertilizer in the secret realm long ago."

"These thirteen years are what I've earned."

"Since it's profit, why not give it back to her?"

As Chen Xuan spoke, he looked down at the cloak in his arms, his eyes filled with tenderness.

"and."

"I believe she couldn't bear to part with it."

Su Chang'an nestled in his arms, unsure of what to say.

That idiot.

That complete idiot.

Who wouldn't want to part with it?

I value my life the most! I'm the most selfish person! If you dare to die, I'll immediately go find another one!

but……

Why do I feel so reluctant to part with it?

The girl remained silent for a long time.

She looked at the boy in front of her and it was as if she saw that person.

Knowing it's a pit of fire, you still jump in; knowing it's poison, you still eat it like candy.

And yet they ate so happily, so willingly.

"They're all crazy," the girl cursed.

Then, her figure began to dissipate, turning into specks of red light that merged into the wooden door.

"Squeak—"

The door slowly opened.

The blinding sunlight streamed in from outside the door, illuminating Chen Xuan's blood-stained face.

That was the long-awaited sunlight that belonged to the ground.

"Passed."

The girl's last words drifted away in the wind, carrying a barely perceptible sigh.

"Su Chang'an, you're really lucky."

Chen Xuan stepped over the threshold and into the sunlight.

They came out.

Chen Xuan took a deep breath, looked down at the fox in his arms who was still trying to curl up into a ball, and reached out to pinch her ear.

"Why are you crying?"

"Who's crying!" Su Chang'an yelled, his voice trembling with tears. "The wind's too strong, it got in my eyes! You unfilial son, quickly find a place to get your father some food, I'm starving!"

Chen Xuan smiled.

He laughed freely and unrestrainedly.

"it is good."

"Let's eat roast chicken."

He embraced his entire world and strode into the depths of the snowstorm.

Behind.

The door leading to the Palace of Bones gradually disappeared, leaving only a barely perceptible crack in the space.

Only the answers on those seven doors seem to still linger in the void.

Who is the most beautiful? Su Chang'an.

What is the Dao? Su Chang'an.

This lifetime.

Only Su Chang'an.

【Green Jade Table - Seven Questions from the Heart, All Are About You】

Before the Hall of White Bones, a path of life and death unfolds; red-eyed eyes, the object of human envy.

Seven gates of the heart block the way.

What is ultimate beauty? What is true home?

Only Chang'an remains.

The young man, sword in hand, glanced back lightly, asking not of the common people, but of the fox spirit.

Even if it costs my heart, I will never betray you.

A mouth full of lies leads a life astray.

They cherished her dearly.