Chapter 17: Door
All sounds intertwined, a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts and the last vestiges of Demon Fox’s sanity clashing and tearing apart. Yu Sheng could hear Foxy’s pained whimper beside him, but his mind roared with more maddening voices—Demon Fox’s insatiable hunger on the brink of losing control, a gut-wrenching, bone-deep Hunger, the seductive murmur of chaotic darkness, and… the urgent cries telling him to run.
Yu Sheng sucked in a sharp breath, crouched low, and darted into a gap between Demon Fox and the monstrous creature. Contrary to Foxy’s desperate urging, he didn’t flee. Instead, he scooped up a shattered slate of green stone from the ground and charged toward the beast’s flank.
Of course, he knew he probably couldn’t defeat this creature, but he also understood that no mere Human footspeed could possibly escape from here. The crumbling ruins and obstructing debris made a hasty retreat a quick path to death, especially since the sole exit from the dilapidated temple was sealed off by the beast’s massive bulk. Reckless running would only hasten his demise.
Better to steel himself and charge—fighting was hopeless, but if he wasn’t afraid of dying, there was a chance to land a blow before falling. Besides, if he could somehow distract the creature, maybe Foxy could break free from that dreadful bondage. She was still struggling to maintain her sanity—if there was a chance to liberate her, perhaps they could fight back…
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Yu Sheng knew his plan was far from thorough, but he had no time to think deeper. With no options left, he resolved to unleash his desperation. His body once again erupted with a strength that baffled even him, and he hurled the heavy slate like a cannonball at the bloodied flesh monstrosity.
The next moment, he had no time to check the impact. A sudden, foreboding chill surged from his core, and Yu Sheng anticipated the monster’s retaliation a heartbeat early, leaping sideways in response.
A black, whip-like shadow struck the ground where he had just stood—a serpent’s tail splitting from the monster’s body. Dust and stone exploded outward, and the solid green slate and crumbling bricks turned to powder. In mid-air, Yu Sheng felt a powerful shockwave, debris battering his body like bullets, ringing out with metallic clinks.
He ignored the pain, landing and rolling to evade the serpent tail’s follow-up strike, his eyes catching a glimpse of Foxy’s position.
The silver-white Demon Fox thrashed violently among countless black spikes and skeletal fragments, her ghostly blue foxfire flickering intensely near her tail, as if it would explode at any moment. Yet, despite her fierce resistance, she remained trapped—those restraints seemed designed explicitly for her, and Yu Sheng’s interference had proven futile.
In truth, Yu Sheng could easily tell that this Fox Girl was far stronger than he was. Still, before the monster, she appeared utterly helpless. There was a clear… suppression between them.
But back then, when they first encountered the beast outside the ruined temple, she had rushed forward without hesitation, intending to save him—even if the rescue failed, she had genuinely tried to help.
That memory flickered through his mind, and Yu Sheng bit down hard, planning to charge again and see if sacrificing his life might tear another piece off the creature.
He didn’t know where his newfound strength and healing ability had come from, but he remembered one thing: before these changes first occurred, he had bitten a chunk of flesh from the monster.
He wasn’t sure whether there was a connection between the two, but since he feared no death, he would test every daring hypothesis that crossed his mind.
“Leave… me!” Foxy’s voice rang out again, strained and desperate. “It can’t… kill me. You… run!”
“It’s fine. It can’t kill me either.” Yu Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood from his busted chin, hit by airborne debris earlier. He glanced back at the silver-white Demon Fox with a carefree grin. “I might die soon, but don’t worry. I’ll come back for you.”
Foxy’s struggle paused, as if momentarily bewildered.
Yu Sheng offered no explanation, stepping forward with a spring in his step, his face breaking into a wider smile—a smile carrying the joy of attending a grand feast.
“Didn’t you always love to urge others to eat?” he muttered to himself, looking at the monstrous banquet laid before him. “Fine, I’ll eat!”
He leapt through the air like a ravenous wolf descending on the grand feast.
The Flesh Monster’s many eyes trembled violently for the first time, a hint of hesitation and fear breaking through their chaotic gaze. Its grotesque mouths emitted muddled roars as several serpent-like tails, covered in pitch-black scales, lashed out from the flesh heap, piercing through the airborne Yu Sheng.
He felt his body being impaled—several fatal wounds, though he couldn’t count them. His life force drained rapidly, warm blood spilling and dragging his vitality away.
Yet an indescribable… hunger surged from deep within. He ignored the pain, pushed past his instinctive fear of death, and clutched one of the tails that had pierced his abdomen, baring his teeth as he sank them into the serpentine flesh—
The monster let out a bizarre, piercing wail, violently flailing the tail as though attempting to shake off a deadly parasite.
Yu Sheng gripped the serpent tail with unwavering determination, refusing to let go despite its violent thrashing. The monstrous force dragged him across the ground, smashing him into the earth and toppling a crumbling wall nearby. Yet, his resilient body withstood the brutal impact, and instead of breaking, the pain only sharpened his focus.
Just then, the serpent’s tail arched high once more, aiming to hurl him through a dilapidated hole in the temple wall. At the edge of his vision, a strange golden light flickered.
Amidst the roaring wind, Yu Sheng forced his head up, struggling to glimpse the approaching glow. Before he could make sense of it, instinct took over—he reached out, and his hand grasped something: a handle.
“…What?” Yu Sheng muttered.
A faint creak intermingled with the howling wind, and a vivid image of a door—a plain, unassuming door—flashed through his mind. It seemed to lead somewhere… to a place he subconsciously desired.
The thought barely took shape before he yanked the door open.
In the next instant, Yu Sheng and the serpent tail, covered in black scales, vanished through the door. A piercing screech rang out as the massive door slammed shut behind them.
The serpent tail, abruptly severed by the sudden appearance and disappearance of the door, lay twitching on the ground. An earsplitting, maddening wail reverberated through Night Valley, the sound of pure frenzy from the Flesh Monster as it roared and rampaged through the ruined temple, gnawing on everything within reach—even its own body. The chaos continued until, gradually, it stilled, its form dissolving into a dark, shadowy mist, merging with the night.
The jagged black spikes and scattered bone fragments vanished without a trace. The battered silver-white Demon Fox collapsed onto the ground, motionless, as if lifeless.
Minutes passed before Foxy slowly opened her eyes, her golden-red pupils dull and void of human awareness. Her gaze wandered aimlessly for a long while before finally focusing on a specific spot amid the rubble.
It was the step where she had sat earlier with her Benefactor.
Dragging her massive Demon Fox form, she crawled over to the steps. The plastic bags and rotting leaves scattered below caught her attention, and she bowed her head, devouring the remnants while emitting pitiful whimpers. But even after consuming it all, the gnawing hunger remained.
In the depths of her mind, a seductive voice whispered, like an unrelenting Demon at the core of her Hunger:
“Eat… you know where to find more…
“You buried them in the forest…
“Bones, flesh, and blood…
“Go on, eat… eat until you’re no longer hungry…”
Lowering her head, the Demon Fox whimpered like a sobbing child. Curling up beneath the steps, she stretched her neck to gnaw on the broken bricks and rotting wood beneath the ruins. She bit into the dirt, chewing desperately, as if to fill the void inside her.
“I’m not hungry… I’m not hungry… Someone gave me food… He’ll bring more soon… I’m not hungry…”
And so, she chewed and gnawed like this, gradually falling into a faint, much like in the countless years past.
The feeling of plummeting jolted Yu Sheng from his stupor, his hand still tingling with the sensation of gripping the door handle. Yet, he quickly realized that he had already crossed some threshold.
Wide-eyed and bewildered, he found himself sprawled on the roadside, familiar streetlights and utility poles in view, with the old houses of Wutong Road lined along the path.
Just ahead stood Wutong Road No. 66, its aged façade and massive door bathed in the faint morning glow.
Turning with difficulty, Yu Sheng caught sight of a lingering door silhouette fading away—a hazy portal through which he glimpsed Night Valley’s dark, ruined temple and the struggling figure of the white fox among the wreckage.
Desperately, he stretched out his hand toward the fox.
But the last trace of the shadow vanished before his fingertips could touch it.