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

The old story of the fox demon patriarch, the rebellious son cried while reading it in the scripture pavilion?

Chen Xuan stood at the entrance of the three-story scripture pavilion.

The stairwell behind them was blocked by an invisible force.

He turned around and placed his hand on the broken sword.

The force was gentle, but it was like a wall, preventing him from moving forward.

Su Chang'an is still down there.

Although that old ancestor looked amiable, who knew what this ancient monster who had lived for thousands of years was thinking?

Chen Xuan was a little anxious; he wanted to go downstairs.

"No need to look anymore. The ancestor won't let you go down; you can't go down."

A voice came from behind the bookshelf.

Chen Xuan suddenly turned around.

A chubby little boy wearing a red bib crawled out from a pile of jade slips.

The child looked to be only three or four years old, barefoot, with two pigtails on his head.

He sat on the bookshelf, swinging his legs, holding a half-eaten spirit stone in his hand.

"Who are you?"

Chen Xuan did not loosen his grip on the sword hilt.

"I am the spirit of this place."

The chubby boy rolled his eyes, stuffed the spirit stone into his mouth, and crunched it to pieces.

"The ancestor said that the magic seal you are looking for to break the seal, as well as the sword technique you are looking for, are both on the third shelf on the left."

Chen Xuan was taken aback.

He hadn't told anyone, except Su Chang'an, why he came here.

Even Luo Qingxue and the others only thought he was there to choose a cultivation method.

How could this ancestor know that he was looking for something to break the seal?

"How did the ancestor know I wanted these?"

Chen Xuan stared at the artifact spirit and asked.

The spirit patted the stone chips off its hands and jumped off the bookshelf.

"Our ancestor has lived for so long, what could possibly be hidden from him about what happens in the Northern Region?"

"He said you smelled like a fox and had a strong aura of breaking formations, so he could guess what you were up to."

"The thing is right there, go get it yourself, and leave quickly after you're done, don't keep me from sleeping."

Chen Xuan frowned and walked to the third shelf on the left.

Two jade boxes were placed on top.

He opened the first one, and inside was a roll of yellowed parchment.

The inscription reads "Transforming Calamity and Breaking Forbidden Seal".

This method of hand seal is recorded in great detail and is specifically designed to deal with ancient formations.

Chen Xuan glanced at it and had a better understanding of the situation.

With this item, combined with his sword intent, his chances of breaking through the sealed cave increased even further.

He then opened the second jade box.

Inside was a thin booklet with the words "A Sword That Severes Emotions" written on the cover.

This sword technique has only one move.

The key is to abandon distracting thoughts and concentrate all your energy and spirit on one point.

Chen Xuan put the two items into his pocket.

He looked at the spirit and asked again, "Ancestor, you really won't hurt her?"

The spirit yawned.

"If the patriarch wanted to kill her, he would have done it right at the door. Why wait until now?"

"You little rascal, you're really cunning."

"If you're still not comfortable, stay here a little longer. You can read any of the books here."

"But you can't take anything else with you except those two things."

After hearing this, Chen Xuan felt a little more at ease.

He knew that a powerhouse of this caliber had no reason to lie to him.

Since he couldn't go down, he simply wandered around these three floors.

There are many bookshelves here, filled with secrets of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect and some ancient classics.

Chen Xuan walked to the innermost corner.

The bookshelves here are covered in dust, as if no one has touched them in a long time.

He found a tattered book at the very bottom of the bookshelf.

The book is missing its cover; the paper is dark and crumbly, and it crumbles at the slightest touch.

Chen Xuan pulled it out.

The book is only in fragments, containing only scattered text.

He turned to the first page, and the text on it was not written in the modern style, but had an ancient feel to it.

Chen Xuan composed himself and read on carefully.

"In the Northern Sea dwells a demon, its form resembling a fox, with nine tails and divine powers..."

fox?

Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

He continued reading.

This appears to be a collection of essays, or perhaps someone's autobiography.

"...In a time of chaos, humans and demons could not coexist. A fox wandered among humans and encountered a boy in the wilderness. The boy's constitution was mixed and his five elements were all deficient. He was rejected by the world, and even his own father wanted to kill him as a sacrifice to the heavens."

Chen Xuan's fingers tightened slightly.

This story seems so familiar.

He patiently continued reading.

"...The fox took pity on its loneliness and took it under its wing. Others laughed, saying, 'How can a demon teach a human? Besides, this child is hopeless.' The fox remained silent, feeding it with its own essence and blood, and cleansing and strengthening its muscles and bones day and night."

The boy asked, "Master, people say I am a demon, why did you save me?"

The fox laughed and said, "There are three thousand great paths, all leading to the same destination. There are bad people among humans, and good demons among demons. My lineage of the Supreme Beings of Forgetfulness does not ask about origins, but only about one's true heart. If Heaven is unjust, then I will shatter it; if the world is drunk, then I will be the only one sober."

"...A century later, the boy mastered the art of swordsmanship, suppressing the Northern Region with his sword alone, and was bestowed the title..."

The writing abruptly ends here.

The following pages had been forcibly torn off, the cuts jagged, as if the person who tore the book did so in extreme anger or grief.

Chen Xuan stared at the torn paper, remaining silent for a long time.

The fox in this book behaves in a manner exactly like that of the female rogue Su Chang'an.

They spout grand principles, but are actually fiercely protective of their own.

Using one's own essence and blood to nourish disciples...

Chen Xuan subconsciously touched his chest.

How many years of Su Chang'an's cultivation flowed in his bones and blood?

That silly fox, in his attempt to carve this "rotten wood" into useful timber, ruined himself, and was eventually sealed in that hole for four years.

"This book..."

Chen Xuan pointed to the tattered scroll and asked the shadow beside him, "What happens next?"

The shadow drifted over and glanced at him, its tone somewhat strange.

"That's all."

"That's it?"

"This was originally an incomplete book. It is said that when the sect suffered a great calamity, half of the library was burned down, and only a few pages of this book were salvaged."

The shadow paused, then added, "But nobody reads this book. The author is insane, portraying the patriarch as a fox demon—it's utterly outrageous. If the patriarch hadn't stopped it, the book would have been thrown into the fire long ago."

Chen Xuan remained silent.

He carefully closed the book, his fingers tracing the character for "fox".

Is that outrageous?

If the founder of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect really was a fox...

When the patriarch said that Su Chang'an resembled an "old friend," was he referring to this patriarch?

Chen Xuan's mind was in turmoil.

He suddenly had a strong urge to see Su Chang'an.

I want to pinch her cheeks, hear her curse "rebellious son" a few times, or see her greedy and calculating over a few spirit stones.

"Time is up."

The shadow's voice interrupted his thoughts.

The surrounding space began to distort, and that force that wanted to repel people reappeared.

"Can I take this book with me?" Chen Xuan asked.

"no."

The shadow refused decisively, "Besides those two jade slips, you can't take a single piece of paper from here. That's the rule."

Chen Xuan didn't insist.

He put the tattered book back in its place and even carefully patted off the dust.

Then, he respectfully bowed to the book, as if performing a junior's salute.

Regardless of whether what's written in this book is true or false.

Regardless of whether that patriarch was a fox or not.

Just for that spirit of "education for all," and for that similar kindness of raising a seemingly useless person into a successful one, this bow is worthwhile.

Thank you.

Chen Xuan straightened up and nodded to the shadow.

The next moment, the world spun around.

When his vision cleared again, he had already returned to the first floor of the library.

The musty smell was gone, replaced by a faint milky fragrance emanating from Su Chang'an—the scent left behind after she had just stolen and eaten the Vermilion Fruit.

"The traitor!"

Su Chang'an's voice came through, tinged with annoyance, "Where have you been? My legs are numb from sitting!"

Chen Xuan looked up.

Su Chang'an was sitting cross-legged in the armchair, holding a handful of melon seeds in his hand, with fruit peels piled up on the table in front of him.

The blind old man was still lying by the door, snoring loudly.

Chen Xuan strode over, scooped Su Chang'an up from the chair, and held him tightly in his arms.

"Hey? What are you doing?"

Su Chang'an scattered the sunflower seeds in his hand all over the ground, startled. "What's wrong with you? You're strangling me!"

Chen Xuan remained silent.

He simply buried his face in the crook of her neck and took a deep breath.

Fortunately.

She's still here.

Still acting like he has no heart or soul.

Chen Xuan looked at the ancestor and bowed in respect.

"Thank you for the book, Ancestor."

The old ancestor didn't turn around, he just waved his hand.

"Go."

Chen Xuan said no more and pulled Su Chang'an outside.

Su Chang'an was pulled a few steps, and couldn't help but look back.

The old ancestor still stood there, his lonely figure resembling a stone statue eroded by wind and snow.

......

The old ancestor returned upstairs, stood by the window, and watched the two figures struggling in the snow, a gentle smile appearing on his lips.

"picture."

"It really looks like it."

He turned around and looked at the tattered book in the corner, which Chen Xuan had dusted off.

A gust of wind blew by, and the pages of the book turned.

At the torn break, a line of small, indistinct characters was faintly visible:

"...Fox Madman, the boy swore that he would not pursue immortality in this life, but only to awaken his master. Thus he founded the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect, to await their reunion."