Chapter 68: Memories of Foxy’s Hometown
A beautiful young lady with clear, dark eyes, dressed awkwardly in ill-fitting men’s clothing, wandered the bustling streets, her gaze darting around curiously. In her arms, she cradled a doll that exuded an eerie atmosphere, as if trapped in eternal unrest—an odd and conspicuous duo to anyone passing by.
To be honest, Yu Sheng felt he had underestimated the challenge of taking both Foxy and Irene out of the house. He had lost count of how many curious glances swept over them along the way. Some were undoubtedly drawn by Foxy’s wandering eyes and peculiar attire, but the rest of the stares were directed at him.
Nevertheless, Yu Sheng had no choice but to brace himself and stay by the side of the Fox Girl, for she truly understood nothing about the world around her. She didn’t even know what money looked like—granted, it was impressive enough that she knew things had to be purchased at all. This bit of awareness likely stemmed from her having once lived in a civilized society many years ago.
However, the societal norms ingrained in Foxy’s fragmented memory clashed so fiercely with the reality of Boundary City that it inevitably caused unexpected trouble. For instance, while passing by a parking lot, Foxy became intensely curious about the neatly parked celestial vehicles, marveling at how they remained so quiet and patient. It took Yu Sheng a moment to even comprehend her confusion.
“In my hometown, all carriages and ships have artifact spirits,” Foxy whispered softly to Yu Sheng, trying to explain. “The artifact spirits of transportation love to move and rarely stay put outside the mountain door. So, whenever immortals or demons travel, they entrust their vehicles to caretakers, who take them for a run nearby. Some places even have massive spaces with their own pocket dimensions, where vehicles can roam freely. Those are called ‘self-service parking lots.’”
As she spoke, she pointed to a car by the roadside, driven clumsily by a novice driver struggling to park. “That one,” she said, “so rigid and lifeless. Where I come from, such a vehicle would be mocked by children riding their wooden horses.”
Yu Sheng quickly pushed her hand down, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. “It’s different here. Don’t point randomly.”
Foxy tilted her head and nodded, looking perplexed. “Oh.”
He couldn’t help but feel a surge of curiosity about Foxy’s hometown. When they first met, he assumed it was one of those classic celestial or demonic cultivation civilizations. But then came the Peacekeeping Immortals, followed by the spectacle of “hundreds of them capturing a forest-protection-violating demon fox and sentencing her to five hundred years.” Now, even children’s toy horses had artifact spirits. His mind felt muddled, as if trying to grasp something beyond comprehension.
[Is that even a normal universe?] he wondered.
Unfortunately, Foxy herself could barely recall what her hometown truly looked like—not only because she left as a child but also due to the prolonged torment of the Otherworld, which eroded her memories.
“I can’t remember much,” Foxy confessed, trying to dig up fragments from her faded memories. “I only remember the elders saying that our hometown wasn’t always like that. One day, beings of immense power—the Celestial Beings—descended from the sky and enlightened the chaotic, warring mortals. After that, we eventually lived alongside them, traversing a million miles in a heartbeat among the stars. The stars themselves shifted positions every few years—that was the Celestial Beings adjusting the star lanes… My father worked there too, pushing things out of the lanes and issuing fines when needed.”
Her eyes brightened as she spoke, excitement creeping into her voice. “My father drove a massive Celestial Shuttle, larger than a building! He called it a ‘Star Vessel.’ Its artifact spirit was so powerful that one could simply lie in a pool and command it to soar. It could even catch things faster than light using a treasure called… something like ‘Moon Before Orbit Disruptor’…”
Yu Sheng glanced at Irene, who lay motionless in Foxy’s arms, pretending to be an ordinary doll. He couldn’t help but wonder, [Can you make sense of any of this?]
“Nope,” Irene’s voice echoed in his mind. “You actually believe her? She’s probably just making things up… Wait a couple of months until her mental state stabilizes, and her version might change entirely.”
Yu Sheng frowned, uncertain. Part of him doubted Foxy’s fantastical tales, yet another part found it hard to believe she could invent such elaborate and consistent stories while still in a muddled state. Regardless, her words lingered in his mind, painting a vivid yet surreal picture of a world unlike any other.
“Stop overthinking,” Irene’s voice cut through his musings. “You should focus on getting Foxy some normal clothes—that’s your next challenge.”
Yu Sheng’s face instantly turned bitter as he heard that. Plans always seemed so smooth when they were just ideas, but as soon as the details needed consideration, that’s when the real trouble began.
He had no clue how to pick out clothes for a girl! He hadn’t even set foot inside a women’s clothing store before! Yet, there was no escaping it—he had been the one to declare he would take in Foxy, and it was far too late to regret it now.
Gritting his teeth, Yu Sheng led Foxy towards the Shopping Mall with an expression akin to a man facing his doom. Just as they approached, a familiar figure flashed in the corner of his eye.
It was a petite, short-haired girl who looked around seventeen or eighteen, with her lips pressed tightly together. Her demeanor held a maturity and silence that didn’t quite match her youthful appearance. At first, Yu Sheng didn’t recognize her, but after a few seconds, it dawned on him where the sense of familiarity came from.
It was that young lady who called herself “Little Red Riding Hood”—except today, she wasn’t wearing her signature dark red outfit. Instead, she had on a brightly colored jacket, which made her hard to recognize at first glance.
Yu Sheng instantly knew he had found his savior.
Almost at the same time, Little Red Riding Hood, walking across the street, sensed his gaze and lifted her head. For a fleeting moment, her eyes gleamed like a wary wolf’s, but that predatory look vanished so quickly that no one could possibly notice. Once she recognized Yu Sheng, her expression shifted to one of mild surprise.
She crossed the street effortlessly, making her way over to him. After giving him a once-over, she blurted out, “…Are you shopping too?”
“…Is it that strange for me to shop?” Yu Sheng asked, a bit puzzled.
“Oh, sorry,” Little Red Riding Hood immediately lowered her head in apology, realizing her words might have sounded odd. Yet the doubt in her eyes didn’t fade—after all, she knew that Yu Sheng lived in an Otherworld known as Wutong Road No. 66.
The moment she left that place, she had suspected that this “human” named Yu Sheng might not actually be human at all—at least, not in the usual sense. His convincingly human behavior was likely some kind of elaborate mimicry.
Never had she expected to see this so-called human—who practically resided in an Otherworld—show up on a public street… shopping of all things.
[Could he actually eat human food?] An absurd thought popped into Little Red Riding Hood’s mind.
Then, she noticed Foxy standing beside him, holding a doll in her arms. Her brows furrowed slightly as she took in the sight of Irene—motionless, eyes dull and lifeless.
“Is this one dead?” Little Red Riding Hood pointed at Irene without much tact.
Yu Sheng noticed Irene’s eyes almost regain their usual gleam—just a slight twitch in Foxy’s arms—and his mind was suddenly filled with a cacophony of colorful curses: “Dead? Dead, my ass! I’ll explode right here eight hundred times! She’s the one who’s dead—Yu Sheng! Insult her back!”
“She’s cursing you,” Yu Sheng said calmly, pointing at the still motionless Irene. “Pretty vicious stuff too. I’m a cultured person, so I won’t repeat it.”
Irene’s cursing grew even more intense.
Though Little Red Riding Hood couldn’t hear it, she could easily imagine it.
“That’s… pretty creative,” she said, giving Irene another curious look. “Using this method to openly carry her around… smart move. Judging by the way you’re out here, I’m guessing you’re shopping for clothes for her?”
“Bingo,” Yu Sheng shrugged, his mind deftly muting Irene’s ongoing tirade. “I was just stressing about it when I spotted you—lend me a hand?”
Little Red Riding Hood thought for less than two seconds before piecing it together. Her gaze swept over Foxy’s ill-fitting clothes, and a faint smile appeared on her face. “That’s… something I haven’t done before.”
Yu Sheng’s eyes lit up. “You’ll help?”
“Of course, it’s no big deal,” Little Red Riding Hood replied nonchalantly. “But later, you’ll have to help me out with something too.”