Chapter 24: First Encounter

After entering Ping Province territory, Bai Heng clearly sensed a change in the surrounding atmosphere.

The mountain terrain gradually flattened, and between the rolling hills appeared neatly cultivated farmlands and scattered villages.

The official roads were wide and smooth, with merchant caravans and carriages passing by from time to time. The smoke from tea stalls and wine shops beside the road rose in curls under the morning light.

The mortals here seemed to carry a bit more ease than the mountain folk of Lan Province. Their fear and curiosity toward mountain spirits and creatures had also faded considerably.

They cared more about the harvest in the fields, the prices at the market, and the marriages of their sons and daughters—these mundane, everyday matters of the human world.

Bai Heng continued southeast along a secluded mountain path.

She followed the map in her mind, drawing closer step by step to the destination she had never visited but absolutely had to reach.

One afternoon, she entered a stretch of undulating shallow hills.

The woods were not particularly dense, consisting mostly of pine trees, oak trees, and mixed shrubs. A stream wound through the mountains, its water clear and pure.

Occasional wild animal tracks could be seen, and birds would fly past.

Bai Heng slowed her steps, extending her divine sense to carefully examine the area.

Yun Qing had only said that Yun Zhuo had been placed in Qingxi Village, staying with the hunter Qin Shi’s family under the alias Qin Yun. He had not specified the village’s exact location or how to identify the boy.

She could only search slowly.

Following the mountain stream downward, she passed several valleys and finally spotted a cluster of houses at the foot of the mountain in the distance. There were roughly several dozen households, with cooking smoke rising and the sounds of chickens and dogs intermingling—a typical mountain village.

At the village entrance stood a faded wooden sign, on which the words “Qingxi Village” could faintly be seen.

Bai Heng did not enter the village rashly.

She hid on a concealed hillside outside the village and began observing patiently.

For several consecutive days, she remained hidden there, using the Heavenly Fox Concealment to suppress her aura while watching the comings and goings in the village from afar.

She saw farmers carrying hoes to the fields, women washing clothes by the stream, children chasing and playing, and the occasional hunter carrying a bow and arrows into the mountains.

Yet she did not see any youth who matched the description of “Yun Zhuo.”

According to Yun Qing, Yun Zhuo had been placed here three years ago, when he should have been a little over ten years old. Now, more than three years later, he would be a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy.

What would he look like?

Could he have gone into the mountains with his hunter foster father to learn the trade and simply not be in the village at the moment?

Bai Heng decided to expand her search area.

Early one morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, she left the hillside where she had been hiding for several days and headed deeper into the mountains along the path.

Just as she crossed a ridge and passed through a sparse oak forest, her divine sense suddenly caught faint movement not far ahead.

There was a human presence.

Moreover, it was a moving person with light, quick footsteps, steady breathing, and the ease of someone who walked the mountains regularly.

Bai Heng immediately stopped. She activated the Heavenly Fox Concealment to its fullest, blending her figure into the tree shadows. Through the gaps in the branches and leaves, she looked forward.

A slender figure emerged from behind a large tree not far away.

It was a boy of about thirteen or fourteen. He wore a faded brown short coat, a hunting knife at his waist, and a wooden bow nearly half his height slung across his back. A quiver holding over a dozen feathered arrows hung at his side.

He had delicate, handsome features, with skin tanned to a light wheat color from long days under the mountain sun. His eyes were bright and spirited as he vigilantly scanned the surrounding woods.

The boy moved with very light steps, barely making a sound when he walked—clear proof that he had learned well from his hunter father. He advanced in starts and stops, occasionally bending down to examine tracks on the ground or looking up to observe movement in the treetops.

Bai Heng watched him quietly.

Those eyebrows and eyes, that facial contour… they bore a subtle resemblance to the deep affection and pain that had appeared on Yun Qing’s pale face when he spoke of his son at the end of his life.

Was it him?

She was about to examine him more closely when the boy suddenly stopped.

His gaze shot straight toward the bushes where Bai Heng was hiding.

Immediately after, without a word, he reached back, pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked it, drew the bow, and released—all in one fluid motion.

Whoosh—

The arrow shot through the air, flying straight toward Bai Heng’s hiding spot.

Bai Heng shifted her body with a flash and easily dodged the arrow.

The arrow brushed past her fur and embedded itself deeply into the tree behind her, its shaft still quivering.

She felt no anger, only a slight sense of helplessness.

Being shot at with an arrow on their first meeting was hardly a pleasant experience.

The boy did not panic after his shot missed. He quickly drew two more arrows from his quiver, nocking them one after another on the string. His eyes remained fixed on where Bai Heng had appeared as he called out in a deep voice.

“Who’s there! Come out!”

His voice still carried the clear tone of a youth, but his steady and vigilant manner already had the bearing of an experienced hunter.

Bai Heng did not speak.

She simply stepped out slowly from behind the bushes.

A pure snow-white fox with fur as clean as fresh snow stood quietly in the dappled morning light of the forest clearing. Her clear, lively eyes calmly regarded the boy who still held his bow drawn.

The boy was clearly stunned.

He had obviously not expected that what was hiding in the bushes was not a wild beast or a villain, but such a beautiful white fox.

Yet his grip on the bow did not loosen. The arrowhead still pointed steadily at Bai Heng, and the wariness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

“You… are you a fox?”

He asked a rather obvious question, his tone uncertain.

Bai Heng did not respond, simply watching him quietly.

The boy frowned, seeming to think hard about something. After a moment, he spoke again, his tone slightly gentler than before but still cautious.

“I’ve heard the elders in the village say that there are spirit creatures in the mountains who have awakened their intelligence. They understand humans and don’t harm people. Are you… one of those?”

Bai Heng still did not speak. She merely tilted her head slightly, as if studying him.

To the boy, this reaction looked more like an admission.

He hesitated, then slowly relaxed the bowstring a little, though he did not remove the arrow.

“My name is Qin Yun. I live down in Qingxi Village at the foot of the mountain.”

He introduced himself first, his tone probing.

“You… where did you come from? What are you doing here?”

When Bai Heng heard the name “Qin Yun,” her heart gave a small jump.

Qin Yun.

The alias Qin Yun.

Yes. Yun Qing had said that Yun Zhuo was staying with the hunter Qin Shi’s family under the name Qin Yun.

The boy before her should be the one she was looking for.

She carefully examined the boy’s body with her divine sense. A moment later, she understood.

There were indeed traces of spiritual energy having once existed in his body, but those traces were mottled and dim, with almost no detectable affinity or attraction to spiritual energy.

More importantly, deep in his sea of consciousness lay a very faint yet extremely resilient seal. It had been placed using a special technique and would be nearly impossible to detect unless one was deliberately searching for it.

Yun Qing had indeed made preparations.

He had likely feared that his journey to find a solution would be fraught with danger, and even if he found a way to repair the spiritual root, he could not guarantee Yun Zhuo’s safety. So he had sealed all of Yun Zhuo’s memories regarding him and his wife, as well as the matter of cultivation, allowing the boy to live peacefully as an ordinary person in this quiet mountain village.

If nothing unexpected happened, Yun Zhuo would never know in this lifetime that he had once been the son of a Golden Core cultivator, that his Heavenly Spiritual Root had been stolen, or that he had such a complicated past.

Bai Heng silently observed the boy who called himself “Qin Yun.”

His eyes were clear, carrying the curiosity and vigilance typical of a teenager, yet without any shadow or heaviness. He appeared to be doing well. He had likely been treated as a son by his hunter foster father, had learned the skills to survive in the mountains, and had grown into a cheerful and sharp-witted youth.

He knew nothing of those heavy past events or of the immortal path that had been taken from him.

Perhaps this was for the best.

Bai Heng did not immediately reveal herself or take out the storage ring Yun Qing had entrusted to her.

She simply stood there quietly and gave the boy a slight nod.

Seeing this, the wariness in Qin Yun’s eyes receded further. He fully relaxed the bowstring and returned the arrow to his quiver, though he kept the bow in hand, now holding it with one arm.

“You can understand what I’m saying, right?”

He asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

Bai Heng nodded again.

Qin Yun’s eyes lit up.

“I knew it! The village elders were right after all!”

He took two steps closer, then stopped cautiously and looked Bai Heng up and down.

“Your fur is really beautiful—prettier than any fox I’ve seen in the mountains. Have you been cultivating? Are you one of those legendary… fox immortals?”

When he said the words “fox immortal,” there was no fear or reverence in his tone, only a childlike innocence and yearning.

Bai Heng looked into his bright, clear eyes and remained silent for a moment.

Then she spoke softly.

“You could say that.”

Her voice still carried a slight awkwardness, but it was clear.

Qin Yun’s eyes widened abruptly.

“You—you can talk!”

He cried out in surprise, then quickly covered his mouth and looked around before lowering his voice.

“You really can talk! Oh my god, I actually met a fox that can really talk!”

His excitement was written all over his face. He had completely forgotten that he had just pointed an arrow at her moments ago.

Watching his reaction, the faint displeasure Bai Heng had felt from being shot at quietly melted away.

This child was quite optimistic and cheerful.

After his burst of excitement, Qin Yun suddenly thought of something. His smile faded and he looked at Bai Heng seriously.

“You just said ‘you could say that’… so did you come here for some specific reason? Or are you just passing through?”

He paused, then added earnestly.

“If you need any help with something, as long as I can do it, just tell me!”

His words were sincere, his eyes clear and free of any ulterior motives.

Bai Heng looked at him and stayed silent for a moment.

“Just passing through.”

She said softly.

“And… taking a look while I’m here.”

Qin Yun tilted his head, looking a bit confused, but still nodded.

“Oh… Have you finished looking then? Do you want to come to our village and rest for a bit? My house is the third one at the village entrance. My dad makes really delicious wild game!”

He invited her enthusiastically, completely forgetting that the one before him was a talking “fox immortal” rather than an ordinary small animal.

Bai Heng shook her head.

“No need.”

She paused, looking at Qin Yun.

“Your name is Qin Yun?”

Qin Yun nodded.

“Yeah! Qin Yun! My dad said a great expert gave him this name when he was young. It means ‘clouds part to reveal the sun’ and ‘clouds light, wind gentle.’ Nice, right?”

When speaking of his name, there was a hint of pride in his tone.

Bai Heng watched him silently without replying.

Clouds part to reveal the sun, clouds light, wind gentle.

Was this what Yun Qing had in mind?

“Qin Yun.”

She whispered the name once.

Then she turned around.

“I’m leaving.”

Qin Yun was startled.

“Huh? You’re leaving just like that? Won’t you stay a little longer?”

Bai Heng did not turn back, only tilting her head slightly.

“Mhm.”

With a few leaps, her white figure disappeared into the depths of the mountain forest.

Qin Yun stood in place, scratching his head as he watched the direction she had vanished.

“What a strange fox…”

He muttered, readjusted his bow and arrows on his back, and turned to head down another mountain path.

Morning light bathed the forest as birds chirped merrily.

As if the scene that had just occurred was nothing more than a brief dream in the mountains.