Chapter 80: The Run
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
What’s beyond the valley?
Yu Sheng couldn’t help but wonder. It felt like such a natural curiosity. The hills rolled on quietly in the distance, not impossibly high and definitely climbable. The sky didn’t seem to hide any dreadful barriers either. It was only right for someone like him to be curious about what lay beyond those hills.
“Have you ever tried climbing over those mountains?” Yu Sheng asked Foxy with genuine curiosity.
“I… I tried a long time ago, back when the Immortals were still here,” Foxy nodded immediately. “Back then, I tried with some adults. We made it partway up, but we couldn’t reach the top. Halfway up, the sky began making this terrifying noise. If we climbed higher, we’d lose our strength, and shadows appeared everywhere—frightening, dark shapes. Even the Immortals tried to send stone puppets up, but they lost control halfway, and the next day, their broken pieces rolled back down. Each fragment bled, and the adults said they saw bits of flesh and bone growing out of the stones.”
“The sky made noises…” Irene muttered, thinking aloud. “That sounds like the influence of the ‘Dark Angel’ that covered the sky before. I just don’t know if it was deliberate or just some sort of side effect. I mean, with something that sinister, just existing can have a huge effect.”
“The Dark Angel is gone now. Maybe we can try again,” Yu Sheng said, looking at Irene and Foxy for their opinions. Foxy nodded without hesitation. “I’ll follow you, Benefactor,” she said earnestly.
Irene just waved her hand nonchalantly. “Sure, whatever. You’re always up to something weird, so I’ve gotten used to it.”
Yu Sheng grinned, “That’s a unanimous vote then! Let’s go.”
“How do we get there? By opening a portal?” Irene eyed Yu Sheng skeptically.
“We’ll have to walk,” Yu Sheng shook his head. “I’ve never been there, so opening a portal isn’t accurate enough. Plus, if that really is the edge of the Otherworld, the environment might be too strange to handle with a portal. Walking gives us time to observe any changes and react accordingly.”
Irene’s eyes widened in surprise. “You actually care about safety?” she teased.
Yu Sheng rolled his eyes. “I’ll throw you off if you keep talking like that! Sitting on my shoulder and yapping away…”
Foxy looked at the two of them bickering again and hesitated for a moment before speaking up. “Um… the valley isn’t easy to navigate, and you don’t know the way up the mountain. Should I lead you there?”
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “Lead us? How?”
Foxy took a few steps away, then crouched low to the ground. A gust of wind swept past as a glimmer of light enveloped her. Before Yu Sheng could even react, Foxy’s form began shifting, and suddenly, a massive silver fox stood before Yu Sheng and Irene.
Yu Sheng had seen Foxy transform before, but Irene hadn’t. The little doll’s eyes widened in amazement, and she let out a loud “Wow!” before exclaiming, “Goodness! She’s bigger than two vans put together!”
“That’s how you describe her?” Yu Sheng shot Irene a glance but couldn’t help agreeing, “Though you’re not wrong… Those tails alone are bigger than a car.”
The enormous silver fox approached them with graceful steps. She lowered her head, nuzzling Yu Sheng’s hair affectionately. “I can carry several people like this!” she said happily.
Yu Sheng didn’t answer right away.
He was too busy trying to stay conscious after that “light” nuzzle almost knocked him out. His head was spinning, and it felt like his brain had rattled around in his skull.
“Hey! If you’re going to talk, watch your strength a little!” Yu Sheng exclaimed, grabbing a fistful of fur to steady himself. “You almost knocked my head right off!”
Foxy’s ears drooped instantly in apology. “Sorry, Benefactor…” She dipped her head, and Yu Sheng quickly jumped aside to avoid her nose from bumping into him again. Finally, he took a moment to properly look at her transformed form.
There was no denying it—she was elegant, truly beautiful. He never thought he’d use the words “national beauty” to describe a fox, but here he was. Yet more than her beauty, what stood out to him was her unique aura.
The giant silver fox stood tall, her golden-red eyes shining with a strange brilliance. Her long tails swayed behind her, small wisps of foxfire occasionally appearing, floating in the air like ethereal spirits around her tails before fading away.
Perhaps it was also because she’d eaten well these past few days and had gotten a proper bath. Her fur looked sleek and glossy—far better than when they had first met.
Foxy crouched down, one of her tails gently lowering beside her. Its tip rested in front of Yu Sheng. “You two can climb on,” she said cheerfully.
“This is a first…” Yu Sheng hesitated, then cautiously stepped onto her tail. Her fur was so soft and pristine that he almost considered taking off his shoes. “This doesn’t hurt, does it?” he asked.
“I can barely feel it. It just tickles a bit,” Foxy assured him, watching as Yu Sheng awkwardly climbed onto her back. “Feel free to grab onto the fur; otherwise, you might slip.”
“Nah, I’m pretty agile,” Yu Sheng said, making his way up with Irene clinging to him. He found a comfortable spot and settled in. “Alright, I’m ready.”
The fur was soft and warm.
Yu Sheng stroked the fur around him, feeling like he was sitting on an incredibly luxurious, fluffy carpet. Before he could fully appreciate the comfort, several of Foxy’s tails curled around, forming a protective barrier beside him.
Irene poked Yu Sheng’s head. “Look, you’ve got armrests and a backrest too!”
Then she added, “Think we could put a seat for me on your shoulder? Even a hard seat would do…”
“What do you think?” Yu Sheng shot back dryly.
“Fine, fine,” Irene grumbled.
The gentle swaying beneath them started as Foxy slowly stood up, turning toward the distant mountains.
“We’re setting off now!” Foxy said, her voice brimming with excitement. “Benefactor, hold on tight! We’re going to run!”
“I’m holding—” Yu Sheng barely got the words out before he felt himself lurch backward, almost losing his balance. Foxy shot forward like an arrow from a bow.
One of her tails whipped around just in time to catch Yu Sheng and Irene, preventing them from toppling over. Another tail stretched out in front to block the oncoming wind. As the ground rushed beneath them, all Yu Sheng could see was a blur of shapes flashing by. Gullies and ruins on the ground were nothing but obstacles that Foxy effortlessly avoided, her speed only increasing.
The massive silver fox ran freely through the wide valley.
“Waaaaah-hahaha!” Irene screamed in exhilaration, gripping Yu Sheng’s head with both hands and opening her mouth wide as the wind—greatly lessened by Foxy’s tail—blew past them. “We’re—almost—flying!”
“I love running!” Foxy called out, her voice full of joy. “It’s been so long since I’ve run like this!”
Yu Sheng clung to the fluffy tail beside him with one hand, using his other to steady Irene. “Watch where you’re going! Don’t hit… a mountain! There’s a mountain!”
“Got it!” Foxy replied gleefully, accelerating as they approached the slope. Wisps of foxfire began swirling around her tails, glowing brightly as they gathered into fiery clusters, igniting in bursts that sent them rocketing forward. Trails of flame formed behind her like blazing comets.
Yu Sheng glanced back, eyes widening in disbelief. “Holy—Rocket-boosted fox!”
He barely had time to react before another surge of acceleration hit, almost knocking the breath out of him. Foxy had reached the foot of the mountain.
She wasn’t climbing it.
She was gliding just above the ground, soaring up the slope!
In what felt like a blink, the rocket-powered fox reached near the middle of the mountain. Foxy’s voice cut through the wind as she called to them. “Last time, this was where we heard strange noises. Beyond this point, we lost our strength and started seeing weird things. But now, we’re going over it!”
Without anything stopping her this time, Foxy crossed the boundary that had once held back the Immortals, her parents, and all the other survivors.
Nothing could hold her back now.
She could almost see the summit—the jagged stones standing like ancient sentinels under the sky. She began to slow down, the foxfire fading from her tails. Her agile paws touched the rocky terrain, steadying her stride.
Near the peak, she finally slowed to a brisk walk, hopping nimbly from rock to rock before stopping in an open space.
Her tails slowly uncurled like the opening of a compartment, revealing a rather frazzled Yu Sheng. It took him several seconds to snap out of his daze. He lifted his head and looked out into the distance.
“Benefactor,” Foxy’s voice reached him, “It’s still more mountains. Just mountains, one after another.”