Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Home

Foxy told them, with absolute certainty, that she had buried her dad and mother beneath this grove—very, very deep. Even if the ground was scarred with pits and trenches now, the place she’d buried them had to still be there.

So she started digging.

With demon fox strength—and with hunger no longer gnawing at her—she tore through the earth quickly, even with bare hands.

Soil flew from the pit in a constant spray. Yu Sheng and Irene stood to the side, watching in silence, while Li Lin’s group kept their distance. They didn’t fully understand what was happening, but the shape of it was becoming clear.

Irene sat on Yu Sheng’s shoulder and couldn’t help herself. “Um… maybe we should come back another time. It’s been a while already. What if the hunger entity shows up again and we have to fight it all over—”

Foxy lifted her head from the pit. “No. I can feel… when it will appear.” She paused, as if choosing words carefully. “I’ve been here many years. It isn’t here. It should be… nearby.”

She climbed out, stood in the middle of the wasteland to judge direction, then moved to another spot and began digging again with all her strength.

Irene opened her mouth, ready to argue, but Yu Sheng gently patted her arm.

“Stop,” he said quietly. “Let her dig. If she doesn’t find them… then even if she leaves, she’ll stay trapped here forever.”

Irene pressed her lips together. Her voice sounded in Yu Sheng’s mind. [I’m not afraid she’ll dig up something. I’m afraid she’ll dig for nothing and end up with nothing.]

[I know,] Yu Sheng replied.

[Then you…]

[I still believe she’ll find them.]

Irene fell silent for a moment. [But you saw her state before. When hunger was at its worst, she could barely think straight. And considering what we saw in that dream…]

Yu Sheng only shook his head.

Then he walked over. “Do you need me to help?”

Foxy kept digging, stubbornly shaking her head. “No. I dig. Myself. It’s here. I saw… the cloth strip I buried before. It’s just deeper.”

Yu Sheng nodded and stepped back. “Alright. I’ll stay beside you.”

He took Irene and moved to a spot where they couldn’t see the bottom of the pit. Then they waited.

Yu Sheng didn’t know how long it took. He forced himself to stay calm, but each passing second stretched thin and sharp. He wanted to look, to check, but it felt like his feet were slowly rooting into the ground.

He didn’t know if Irene felt the same way, but the Little Doll’s small body had been tense for a while now.

“When we get back,” Yu Sheng said, breaking the silence, “I’ll fix your body first.”

“Y-Yeah. Sure,” Irene answered, distracted.

“But we might be out of clay at home,” Yu Sheng continued. “We’ll probably have to use flour or something. You don’t mind, right?”

“I don’t mind.”

“What about two pieces of lotus root?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure? I said two pieces of lotus root.”

“I don’t mi—no. I mind!”

Irene snapped to attention, glaring up at him with what she probably thought was ferocious intensity.

And right then, she noticed the digging had stopped.

Below, everything went quiet. No more soil, no more scraping, no sound from Foxy at all.

Irene froze, then met Yu Sheng’s eyes. “Oh no. Don’t tell me it’s really empty down there!”

Yu Sheng didn’t answer. He bolted toward the pit.

He saw Foxy.

She was curled at the bottom, bent over and hugging two fluffy tails to her chest. The rest of her tails wrapped around her like a blanket.

And beside her lay two neat sets of bones.

She had curled herself between the two skeletons, her chest rising and falling softly—like a young beast sleeping beside its mother.

Yu Sheng let out a slow breath and sat down on the gravel near the pit.

Irene exhaled too and flopped flat onto Yu Sheng’s head.

After a few minutes, Foxy slowly stood. She looked at the two skeletons, then lifted her eyes to Yu Sheng above. A faint smile appeared, small and fragile—and then steadied.

Yu Sheng looked down at her. “Ready to go?”

“Mm.” Foxy nodded. “Go.”

She bent down and carefully snapped off one sharp canine from each skeleton. The teeth didn’t look human.

Only then did she straighten and walk over.

Yu Sheng reached down, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up.

“Is it enough to just take those?” Irene asked, peering at the two canines clenched in Foxy’s hand. “What about the rest…”

Foxy shook her head. “Only teeth. Enough. Dad and Mother said… fox rules. Teeth go home means go home.”

“Then that’s fine,” Yu Sheng said.

He lifted his hand, ready to open the door back to the real world—when Foxy tugged his sleeve again, as if remembering something.

“Benefactor, wait. There’s also…”

Yu Sheng slapped his forehead. “Right. I almost forgot.” He glanced at the others. “Wait here a moment.”

He opened another door and slipped through, leaving Li Lin’s group staring from a distance, dazed.

He was gone only seconds. Another door appeared in the same spot, and Yu Sheng stepped out carrying a slightly torn plastic bag in one hand, Irene balanced in his other arm.

Inside the bag was the food they’d left at the ruined temple.

“Some of it got messed up by those monsters,” Yu Sheng said. “I brought back everything that was still sealed.”

Foxy’s smile brightened. She took the bag immediately and counted everything inside, carefully. She went through it twice before she finally relaxed.

“Alright,” Yu Sheng said, amused. “Now nothing’s missing. Let’s go home for real.”

He reached into the air beside him and pulled casually. A door appeared out of nowhere and swung open. In the shimmering mirage at its center was a familiar living room.

“Li Lin,” Yu Sheng called, “you three too. Hurry over. We’re going back together.”

“O-Oh… okay!” Li Lin answered quickly. He and Little Red Riding Hood hurried over.

Behind them, Xu Jiali couldn’t help shooting the door a strange look. Something like hesitation flickered in his eyes, but in the end he quickened his pace and followed.

As they stepped through, the valley’s cold wind was cut off behind them. The familiar scent of home brought a comforting warmth, and the moment Yu Sheng returned, he couldn’t help drawing several deep breaths.

Without realizing it, he already felt like this place truly was home.

Foxy stared around, wide-eyed. Everything was strange from every angle.

She had lived in that desolate valley for far too many years—so long she no longer fit the idea of a “house.” An intact roof, enclosed walls, bright lights… it all left her at a loss.

After a few seconds of standing there blankly, she set the food down and sat on the floor nearby. She guarded the instant noodles, biscuits, and porridge like a dragon on a hoard, only occasionally stealing curious glances around—or checking where Yu Sheng was.

Li Lin, Xu Jiali, and Little Red Riding Hood were just as cautious as they observed the space. Through the street-facing window, they quickly confirmed they were somewhere deep within the Old Quarter on Wu Tong Road. But judging by the viewing angle…

Even Li Lin, a professional agent, couldn’t tell which building this was supposed to be.

At the same time, their instincts kept twitching, warning them again and again—this wasn’t truly stable reality. It was still an abnormal space, with a depth that wasn’t zero.

The three exchanged looks and saw the same heavy thoughts reflected in each other’s eyes.

Something was off.

But none of them dared pull out a depth probe. The man called Yu Sheng seemed friendly enough, but the way he’d dealt with the hunger entity—and his eerie ability to open doors between the otherworld and reality at will—made one thing painfully clear.

He was powerful.

And dangerous.

“It’s… your home?” Li Lin asked at last, after a long hesitation.

“Yeah,” Yu Sheng said, nodding. “Sit wherever. I’ll grab you a few bottles of water. Today got… unexpected. I didn’t prepare anything to host guests, so don’t mind the mess.”

“Ah, no need to trouble yourself,” Li Lin said quickly.

The more Yu Sheng acted friendly and ordinary, the less steady Li Lin felt. He couldn’t forget the sight of the hunger entity devouring itself across the valley.

“We’ll leave soon,” Li Lin added. “Soon…”

Then, as if casual, he asked, “By the way, where is this exactly? Are we still in Boundary City?”

“Of course we are,” Yu Sheng said as if it were obvious. “Just look outside. Wu Tong Road—weren’t you specifically tailing me here?”

Cold sweat broke out on Li Lin’s back. “Uh… don’t take it the wrong way. Back then we didn’t have the full picture…”

“It’s fine,” Yu Sheng waved it off. He genuinely didn’t seem to mind. “Honestly, I wanted to find you too. I just couldn’t.”

Li Lin and Xu Jiali froze at the same time.

“Huh?” they blurted together.

“You were looking for them, right?” Little Red Riding Hood reacted instantly, pointing at Li Lin and Xu Jiali. “I’m just a holiday temp…”

“No,” Yu Sheng said seriously. “I was looking for all of you. Professionals like you.”