Chapter 17: The Door
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation.
All the sounds around Yu Sheng melded together into a chaotic roar. His thoughts crashed against each other like waves in a stormy sea. The fox spirit’s last thread of sanity hung by a thread, and Foxy’s soft, pained whimpers filled his ears. But beneath it all, a cacophony of other voices clawed at his mind—an insatiable hunger gnawed at him, a seductive whisper of dark chaos urged him on, and an urgent voice in the back of his head screamed at him to run.
Yu Sheng gasped, crouching low, before darting toward the narrow gap between Foxy and the monstrous creature. But instead of fleeing as Foxy had begged him to, Yu Sheng snatched a broken stone slab from the ground and lunged toward the beast’s side.
He knew he couldn’t win. He didn’t have a single doubt about that. But there was also no way out—his human speed alone wasn’t enough. The area was a tangled mess of rubble and ruins, and the only exit from the temple was blocked by the hulking creature. If he tried to run blindly, it would only lead to a quicker death.
Better to grit his teeth and fight. He might not stand a chance, but if he wasn’t afraid to die, maybe—just maybe—he could make a difference. Perhaps his distraction could free Foxy from the beast’s suffocating grip. She was still struggling to hold onto her sanity—if he could just buy her a moment, maybe they could turn the tables.
These thoughts flickered through his mind in an instant. There was no time to hesitate. He surged forward, summoning strength from deep inside, strength that even surprised him, and hurled the heavy stone slab like a cannonball at the beast.
He didn’t wait to see if it hit. A wave of dread flooded his senses—danger. He leaped to the side just in time, narrowly dodging the lashing shadow—a serpent’s tail sprouting from the monster’s grotesque body.
The tail slammed into the ground where he’d stood just a moment before, shattering the stone and sending shards flying in every direction. In mid-air, Yu Sheng felt the impact’s force, the pieces of rock pelting his body like bullets, bouncing off his skin like it was made of steel.
But there was no time for pain. As he landed, he rolled quickly, dodging the serpent tail’s next strike. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Foxy.
The silver-white fox was thrashing in agony, entangled in a web of black spikes and bone fragments. Ghostly blue flames flickered dangerously around her tails, threatening to spiral out of control at any moment.
But she was still trapped—those bindings seemed almost made for her. Yu Sheng’s interference hadn’t changed a thing.
It was painfully clear now: this fox girl, far stronger than he could ever hope to be, was powerless against this creature. There was something sinister between them, a connection designed to overpower her.
Yet, despite that, she had rushed toward him earlier—out there, on the open ground before the temple ruins. She’d come to save him. Even though she hadn’t succeeded, she had genuinely tried.
The memory shot through his mind, and Yu Sheng clenched his jaw, determination burning hotter than ever. He would try again. Maybe he couldn’t win, but he could at least keep fighting.
He remembered the changes in him—the sudden strength, the rapid healing—had started after he’d taken a bite of the monster’s flesh. Could it be connected? He wasn’t sure. But with no other options and no fear of death, he’d try anything.
“Don’t… worry about me!” Foxy’s voice broke through the chaos. “It can’t… kill me. You need to run!”
“It’s alright—it can’t kill me either,” Yu Sheng called back, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Despite the split on his chin, his smile was bright, almost cheerful. “I’ll probably die soon, but don’t worry. I’ll come back for you.”
Foxy’s frantic struggles stilled for a moment, confusion flickering across her face.
But Yu Sheng didn’t offer any more explanation. He stepped forward, a lightness in his stride, and his smile grew wider.
It was a smile that held no fear, only joy—like someone about to feast.
“You like to eat, don’t you?” he muttered to the monster. “Alright then… I’ll come and eat.”
And with that, he lunged toward the creature, like a ravenous wolf.
The dozens of eyes scattered across the beast’s body trembled. For the first time, Yu Sheng saw something new in them—a flicker of hesitation. And fear.
In a panic, the monster’s countless mouths roared incoherently. Dozens of serpentine tails, covered in pitch-black scales, shot out from its body, all aimed at Yu Sheng.
He felt them pierce him—again and again. Fatal blows. But he couldn’t tell how many. Warm blood poured from his wounds, his life slipping away with it.
But then came the hunger. The overwhelming, indescribable hunger that drowned out every other feeling. He ignored the pain, the fear, the growing darkness. He grabbed one of the serpent tails impaling him, grinning—and bit down.
A high-pitched, agonized howl tore from the monster, the tail thrashing violently to shake Yu Sheng off.
But he wouldn’t let go. No matter how hard the tail whipped and flailed, he clung on, even as it slammed him into the ground with enough force to shatter stone. His body, strange and unyielding, took the hit without breaking. The pain, if anything, sharpened his focus.
The tail whipped again, sending him crashing through a crumbling wall. His vision blurred as he flew through the air, but then something caught his eye—a flash of golden light.
Yu Sheng’s hand shot out instinctively. His fingers closed around… a handle.
“What the—?”
A soft creak reached his ears, barely audible over the wind. A door appeared in his mind—simple, plain, but leading somewhere. He didn’t know where.
Without thinking, he pulled the door open.
In the next moment, Yu Sheng and the serpent tail were sucked through the door. It slammed shut behind them with a sharp crack, severing the tail.
The monster let out a deranged howl, its fury shaking the very air. It rampaged through the temple ruins, biting and smashing everything in sight, even its own flesh, until, at last, it collapsed. Its form melted into darkness, dissolving into the night.
The black spikes and bone fragments vanished as if they had never existed. Foxy, battered and broken, collapsed onto the ground, unmoving.
Minutes passed in silence before she stirred. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her golden-red pupils dull and vacant.
After a long moment, her gaze drifted to where she and Yu Sheng had sat before everything went wrong.
She dragged herself over, her large fox body trembling with exhaustion. Beneath the steps, she found the plastic bags and scraps of food they’d left behind. She lowered her head and began to eat, swallowing the remnants hungrily.
But it wasn’t enough. The hunger still gnawed at her insides, a dark, insistent voice whispering in her mind.
“Eat… you know where more food is… in the woods… buried there… bones… flesh… blood… go, eat, and you’ll be full…”
Foxy whimpered softly, curling up beneath the steps. She stretched out her neck and began gnawing at the broken bricks and dirt, slowly, painfully, trying to satisfy the endless hunger.
“I’m not hungry… I’m not… someone gave me food… he’ll be back soon… I’m not hungry…”
She gnawed at the rubble until, finally, sleep took her.
Meanwhile, Yu Sheng awoke, jolted out of unconsciousness by the sensation of falling. The door handle was still in his grasp, and he realized he had crossed some boundary.
Opening his eyes, he found himself lying on a familiar street. The streetlights, the telephone poles, the old houses lining Wutong Road—he recognized it all.
Ahead of him stood the old gate of No. 444 Wutong Road, silent in the morning light.
He struggled to sit up, glancing over his shoulder just in time to see a shadowy door fading from view. Through the fading image, he could still glimpse the valley, the temple ruins, and… the white fox dragging herself through the debris.
Yu Sheng reached out, but before his fingers could touch her, the last remnants of the door vanished into nothing.