The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

"What fox spirit goddess? Are you out of your mind?" Wang Zhenhuan asked worriedly upon hearing the girl's words. He squatted down and carefully examined the large pit in the ground with his lantern.

"It really is the Fox Fairy, she even talked to me." Seeing that Wang Zhen really didn't believe her, Lin Qingyan stamped her foot and answered seriously.

"What did she say to you? Did she dig the hole for you herself? I think you're just too tired these past few days and are hallucinating. Let's go back quickly, it's the middle of nowhere, we might run into something bad."

Wang Huanzhen stood up, grabbed Lin Qingyan's hand, and started to walk down the mountain. Lin Qingyan pulled her hand away from his and pointed to the large pit in the ground, saying, "Brother, take a good look at the marks in this pit. What I said is true."

Wang Zhenzhen couldn't refuse her, so after handing the lantern to the girl, he jumped down into the pit. He then took the lantern and examined it carefully, and what he saw revealed some clues.

The pit wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't small either. The walls were covered in claw marks, and the bottom was densely covered with animal footprints, resembling those of dogs.

As far as he knew, foxes should be canines. Could it be that this huge pit was really dug by a fox? But everyone knows how big a fox is, how could it possibly dig such a big pit?

There would need to be at least twenty or thirty foxes to make it possible. Twenty or thirty foxes specifically to help Lin Qingyan dig a burrow—is that even possible? As for the fox spirit she mentioned, Wang Zhenhuan had only heard of her.

Legends about fox spirits have existed in China since ancient times. Even in the northeastern region of the Song Dynasty, there is still the concept of shamanic spirits. The fox in the saying "fox, yellow, white, willow, gray" refers to fox spirits.

Legend has it that these fox spirits attained enlightenment in the mountains, and after being worshipped, they could grant people's wishes or become guardian spirits, protecting the peace of the area. In Wang Zhenhuan's view, this was just a legend.

But the situation in the pit was inexplicable. So he climbed out of the pit, looked at Lin Qingyan, and asked, "I just went down and looked. The bottom of the pit was full of animal claw marks and footprints. It was definitely the work of animals."

"See? I told you I wasn't lying. A few days ago, when I went up the mountain, I met the Fox Fairy. She said that my father had some connection with her in his previous life, so she could help me with something."

I was quite surprised, because there was clearly no one in front of me. The voice seemed to appear suddenly in my mind. I asked her if she could help me dig a grave for my father and mother so I could bury them.

The fox spirit agreed and told me to come back the next day. I came back today, and to my surprise, the excavation was already complete. Brother, this fox spirit is real!

Lin Qingyan, in a clear and melodious voice, recounted the whole story. Wang Zhenhuan frowned, and after listening to her, doubts arose in his heart. The story sounded bizarre no matter how you looked at it.

But now the facts were laid bare before him. After thinking for a moment, Wang Zhenhuan asked, "Did you ask that fox spirit why, since she and your father were old acquaintances, she didn't come down the mountain to save your parents when the Jurchens came?"

"When I met the Empress, the first question I wanted to ask was this very question. The Empress's answer was that she was in the south at the time and had not yet returned. By the time she returned, the incident had already occurred," Lin Qingyan replied.

"Why such a coincidence? And why was she not home when this happened?" Wang Zhenhuan frowned; the whole thing seemed incredibly strange. It happened the day after Lin Qingyan's parents had just passed away.

This fox spirit, claiming to know her father, suddenly appeared. What was she after? Wealth? The Lin family had been completely looted by the Jurchens; if she were truly a fox spirit, she wouldn't be unaware of this.

"Oh, forget about it. Let's go back first, and after burying my parents tomorrow, we'll head south. Whether the fox spirit is real or not, at least she didn't harm me, right?"

Lin Qingyan clung to Wang Zhenhuan's arm, pulling him down the mountain. Wang Zhenhuan, hearing her words, thought about it and realized she was right. Since she had kindly offered help, it would be inappropriate for him to maliciously speculate about her.

The two of them, carrying lanterns, retraced their steps and returned to the Lin family home. It had been six days since the Jurchens marched south, and tomorrow would be the seventh day after Lin Qingyan's parents' death.

After the two returned home, Lin Qingyan decided to keep vigil for her parents that night, but Wang Zhen was worried that her health wouldn't be able to handle it. However, keeping vigil for one's parents is a matter of course, so he had no reason to stop her.

So he had no choice but to stay with her in the main hall to observe mourning for her parents. The village was quiet at night, save for the light emanating from the Lin family's house. Occasionally, an autumn breeze would blow, bringing a chill.

Nothing was said that night. Before dawn the next day, Wang Huanzhen and Lin Qingyan had packed their things. Lin Qingyan carried the luggage on her back, while Wang Huanzhen wrapped Lin's parents in a straw mat and half-dragged it on his back.

The two of them climbed the mountain in the dark. The dew was heavy in the autumn morning. After walking for only fifteen minutes, Wang Huanzhen's trousers were almost completely soaked, and the remains on his body continued to emit a foul odor.

But Wang Zhen didn't say a word, silently following behind Lin Qingyan. After passing through the woods, the two finally arrived at the cemetery on the back mountain. He was surprised to find...

Sometime during this time, a blue stone tombstone appeared in front of the grave pit that had been dug for Lin Qingyan's parents. The tombstone was about an arm's length tall, and the edges were not very neat, but it could be vaguely seen that it was in the style of a round sky and a square earth.

Wang Zhen carefully lowered Lin Qingyan's parents into the pit along the edge. Then, he and Lin Qingyan used the wood they had found to gradually cover the surrounding soil again.

Neither of them spoke throughout the entire process. Although Lin Qingyan's eyes were a little red, she didn't shed a tear. The events of the past few days had nearly dried her up.

Even the saddest thing is that the deceased are separated by death. After sealing the grave with earth, Wang Zhenhuan took out the dagger he had found at the Lin family's house and carved the names of Lin's father and mother on the bluestone tombstone.

Lin Qingyan knelt before the grave, and after Wang Huanzhen finished doing all this, he also knelt beside her. After bowing and kowtowing three times, Lin Qingyan stood up, wiped her eyes, and bowed to the tombstone.

Then she turned around, her eyes red, and smiled at Wang Zhenhuan, saying, "Let's go, Brother Zhen. From now on, it'll be just the two of us relying on each other."

At that moment, the sun rose in the east, its rays falling from the mountaintop onto the girl's shoulders. In that instant, Wang Zhenhuan looked at the girl before him, a girl as beautiful as the sunset.

He instantly understood that from then on he would no longer look forward to day or night, sunrise or sunset. Because the girl before him had completely filled his heart.

Wang Zhenhuan placed the girl's hand in his own and nodded firmly: "Yes, let's go..."