Chapter 159: At Home
Passing through the great Door, they returned home. Wutong Road No. 66 still looked just as familiar—the items were cheap but useful, the decor was worn but spacious. The warmth inside was comforting, lights were bright, windows clean. The old television hadn’t crashed yet, and Irene was perched at the table, engrossed in some utterly brainless variety show. The other Irene darted into the living room the moment they got home, leaped onto the coffee table, and turned on another TV to binge her urban drama.
Truth be told, this little doll was surprisingly impressive—Yu Sheng felt his brain physically tremble just glancing at the nonsense she watched, yet she could split into two and follow both shows without losing her mind… No wonder her head didn’t work right.
Miss Foxy trotted off to the kitchen to wash her hands, then returned with half a Ham Sausage hanging from her mouth, wandering into the living room while fiddling with the old phone Yu Sheng had given her, still trying to figure out how it worked.
Yu Sheng changed into more comfortable clothes. From the television came the sounds of laughing hosts, Irene’s scathing commentary, Foxy’s occasional complaints about the little doll being too loud… He watched this cozy scene in the living room and suddenly felt something surreal.
He had lived in this Big Manor for two or three months now, and during most of that time, his mind had been set on leaving—on returning to the home etched in his memories. But now, just for this moment, these few minutes… he truly felt like he was home.
This place, though strange, now felt familiar and calming.
Irene jumped from the coffee table to the sofa, wriggling into a comfortable position among the cushions. After a moment, she suddenly raised an arm and turned to complain to Miss Foxy: “When will you stop shedding!? The couch is covered in fur from your tail—it’s even in my joints.”
“Can’t help it. We Demon Foxes are just like that,” Foxy replied while tapping her phone, munching on her sausage, and responding to the complaint all at once. “Give it two months.”
“So in two months you’ll stop shedding?” Irene asked as she plucked fox hairs from her spherical joints.
“You should just get used to it.”
Irene sprang up and shouted, “Yu Sheng, aren’t you going to do something about this dumb Fox!?”
Hearing the little doll’s flustered complaint, Yu Sheng couldn’t help but smile. He suddenly felt that this life wasn’t so bad after all. He walked over and sat between them, enjoying the moment of peace, and conveniently acting as a barrier.
Miss Foxy happily shuffled closer on the couch, flopping one of her tails over Yu Sheng’s legs. “Benefactor, here! Tail for you!”
Immediately, Yu Sheng felt a sharp sting—snaps and crackles like tiny needles pricking his limbs. It was static electricity.
In winter, static is a blooming flower, whispering, Time to turn on the humidifier.
Yu Sheng was stunned. He had just gotten used to the idea of a Demon Fox shedding all over the house. Now he discovered that, in dry weather, the Demon Fox also generated static shocks?! None of the legends had warned him about this!
Foxy showed no sign of distress. Her other tails kept rubbing against the sofa, occasionally sparking with blue flickers like a Lightning Cultivator.
Yu Sheng shivered from the shock, gingerly placing his hand on the Demon Fox Maiden’s tail. Shocked and bemused, he muttered, “Your tail has static too?”
“Yep!” Foxy nodded cheerfully. “When the lights are off at night, it’s super pretty! Rub it real good, and it’ll snap-crackle-pop for minutes!”
Yu Sheng was equal parts amazed and exasperated. He hesitated, then asked, “I don’t mind the shedding, really, but don’t you fox spirits have some spell to eliminate static in winter?”
“Sure we do.”
“Then why don’t you…”
“I never learned it.”
Yu Sheng had no idea how to respond. He continued cautiously stroking Foxy’s tail—still getting shocked now and then, but the texture was undeniably pleasant. As he did so, his thoughts wandered: maybe he should buy a few large humidifiers, or find some grounding slippers for her, or try brushing her tail with a damp comb… One sensible or absurd idea after another floated by.
Sleepiness crept in.
He had gotten up early, and recent days had been overwhelming. With comfort washing over him now, drowsiness came quick.
His eyelids drooped as he sighed softly. Vague echoes of his conversation with Bai Li Qing stirred in his mind—about Miss Foxy’s origins, about what lay Beyond The World.
“Foxy,” Yu Sheng murmured, his voice hazy with sleep, “Are you happy living here?”
Miss Foxy paused, looked at Yu Sheng who seemed on the verge of dozing off. After a moment of silent thought, a gentle, genuine smile lit her face. “Yes. I’m happy.”
“Oh… that’s good. As long as you’re happy…” Yu Sheng yawned, adjusted his position on the sofa, and lay down. “I’m sleepy. I’ll nap a bit. I’ll cook for you when I wake up.”
“Okay,” Foxy whispered. When she looked down again, Yu Sheng was already asleep, using one of her tails as a pillow.
The television volume dropped to its lowest.
Irene leaned in from the side, peeking at the already slumbering Yu Sheng and muttered under her breath, “Why didn’t he just ask me too…”
Foxy considered this and replied with a serious expression, “Probably because you always look too cheerful. Benefactor figured there was no need to ask.”
Instantly, Irene bared her teeth at Foxy in mock annoyance, then glanced down at Yu Sheng. “Fine, he’s been through enough the past couple of days. Humans are troublesome creatures—stress keeps them from sleeping, and lack of sleep causes more stress. At least he’s eating and resting. Better than insomnia.”
Foxy nodded in agreement and then looked up at the clock on the opposite wall. Something flickered in her eyes, a spark of mischief. “Hey, it’s almost time to cook.”
Irene froze, then glared. “You only ever think of food! He just fell asleep! Weren’t we going to wait until he woke up—”
“I know, I know,” Foxy waved off the Doll Lady’s complaint. “That’s why I thought maybe we should cook instead? Benefactor works hard every day preparing meals. Let him rest this once.”
“The reason he works so hard is mostly you,” Irene rolled her eyes. “And you say it like you can cook. Can you even cook?”
Foxy puffed her chest proudly. “I’ve watched him cook every day. I’ve learned it all!”
“You’ve only ever been stealing bites while he cooks. When did you ‘learn’?” Irene looked suspicious, though her eyes betrayed some wavering. After pretending to be serious for a few seconds, she shuffled forward slightly. “It’s not impossible… Even if you’re unreliable, I am at least blessed by the Ancestor of the Dolls. Dolls from Alice’s Little House have natural cooking bonuses. I’ll cover for you.”
“Yes!” Foxy beamed with joy and started to get up—only to realize Yu Sheng was still using one of her tails as a pillow. She gently pulled it out, then thoughtfully detached two more tails from herself and draped them over him like a blanket.
A crackling static hum sounded from beneath the fluffy tails. Yu Sheng twitched violently twice—but didn’t wake.
Irene, watching in stunned silence, couldn’t help but murmur, “He really is exhausted…”
Then she noticed Foxy still pulling off tails. She quickly raised a hand. “Hey, hey! That’s enough! Damn, are you trying to care for him or electrocute him!?”
“I’m laying them on the floor,” Foxy explained without looking up, tail in hand. “Just in case he rolls off the couch while asleep.”
Irene looked at the Static Fox Tails being arranged neatly on the floor, fully charged from their earlier nestling. She couldn’t decide whether falling onto them would hurt more or less than hitting the ground. On second thought… probably the ground.
After all, she was a Doll. She didn’t conduct electricity.
And so, the elementary school dropout and the prenatal-educated kindergarten correspondence student trotted off to the kitchen with unshakable confidence.
Yu Sheng, deep in sleep on the couch, knew nothing of their plans.
His consciousness had long entered Dream Entry—drifting amidst a cascade of surreal visions and muddled memories.
It was like his emptied thoughts floated and churned on the surface of a wind-rippled lake. Yet he didn’t mind the sensation. He vaguely knew he was dreaming, and welcomed the rare experience of simply letting go.
Then, after an indeterminate time, he felt his mind-boat—that tiny vessel adrift on the spiritual waters—reach shore.
The chaotic imagery cleared. A stable scene took shape before his eyes.
He saw a vast, dim wilderness beneath a gloomy sky. Endless gray plains stretched in every direction, covered in unknown grasses. Heavy clouds loomed low, and everything was hushed. When wind passed through, it sounded hollow and forlorn. In the distance, a small hill stood alone, its presence strangely unreachable, no matter how close it seemed.
Yu Sheng stood silently amidst the grass. It took him a moment to recognize this place.
It was from his dreams. Not just once—he had dreamt of it multiple times. Once, he’d even encountered Foxy’s “dream projection” here.
Yu Sheng frowned.
He didn’t know why he had returned to this strange dream again. But the repetition itself was suspicious. And lately, everything he faced was suspicious.
Another gust of wind swept through. Amid the hollowness, he suddenly heard a distant, vague sound.
It was the unmistakable howl of a Wolf—an echo that had no place here.