The old granny turned the little white fox into a little girl, so that she may embark on a journey of her own in the world of mankind. Perhaps she would grow up to be more humanly, with the judgment to distinguish vice from virtue, and evil from good. There were good foxes and bad foxes, as there were good people and bad people.
And sometimes, humans were a lot scarier and more complex than a simpleminded fox.
The little white fox arrived at the world of mankind a guileless and naïve child. It was a dismal world plagued by droughts, floods, and epidemics.
The little white fox took pity on the unfortunate, and so she dropped her blood into the well. A gout of blood meant one year of cultivation. Ten gouts meant ten years.
She used all but one drop of blood to save others, relying on the last drop to stay alive.
As a result of using up almost all of her cultivation, her appearance became more humanly, as that of an ordinary little girl.
Later on, a county lord took her in and raised her as a stepdaughter along with his own.
She grew up as a human, and as the days went by she learned that the world of mankind was not the utopia she imagined it to be. There was war, illness, birth, and death.
These were things that might never have been seen by a little fox living on a snowy mountain, but this was the mysterious world of human that had drawn and fascinated her.
Even so, she loved everything here: her stepfather, as well as her blind stepsister.
Since young, she became her sister’s eyes.
And they were the best of sisters, despite not being related by blood. One day, two guests arrived at her stepfather’s court; one being the incumbent prince, and the other being an undefeatable general who bore many scars.
Perhaps all humans, including her, who had forgotten her identity of a little fox, loved pretty things.
And so the little fox fell in love with a mortal, the young and capable prince, who regrettably took an interest in the little fox’s step sister instead. The general, on the other hand, was an icy man that reminded her of a block of ice on the snowy mountains that she had come from. She didn’t like the cold, and in turn, didn’t like the general either.
Still, the general’s sword dance was splendid, as was his skills on the flute.
Under the moonlight, the little fox often listened to the melody of the general’s flute while fantasizing about the other Adonis.
But the Adonis only had an eye for her eyeless sister.
The little fox was brokenhearted, but she couldn’t bring herself to hurt either of them. They were both close to her, and she loved them much. Little foxes shared the same abilities as fox spirits, so she could very well murder her sister, or use her seductive arts to charm the general into submission.
Seductive art was an inherent ability among the fox race, which meant that she could use it even after losing the ability to cast spells.
Yet she never thought about using them on anyone.
Before the general left, he stroked her head and told her, “Beware of the prince.”
Not knowing what he meant, the little fox gave him a broad, clueless grin and followed him for a long time. When he was far off, she stood at the same spot for a long time, feeling as though she had lost her best friend.
From then on, no one played the flute for her, or told her any stories.
She began to feel lonely.
However, soon after the general left, the prince began treating her better. Innocent as she was, she figured that the prince might’ve fallen in love with her.
“Would it make sister mad if I go out with the prince?” she asked her blind sister.
Her sister brushed her hair gently.
“Of course not. I never liked him in that way.”
The little fox took her words at face value, thinking that she had found happiness and love, like in the love stories. She plunged right into the love trap weaved by the prince, forgetting that she merely had the appearance and heart of a human. Beneath this, she was just a fox, and the love trap of humans could make them lose their wits and wisdom. To a fox, losing its wits was a disaster that potentially brought death.
“Why?” asked the little fox, wide-eyed and bounded by tight ropes. The prince stood at the side, staring at her coldly. There was nothing but coldness and contempt in those eyes she used to love.
“Why are you doing this, sister?” The little fox asked her blind sister, who was supported by the prince.
Her sister’s eyes were hollow as usual. On her face, there was always an expression of tenderness, and eyes that could not contact the light.
“Why, you ask?” replied her sister, her voice still as gentle as a drizzle, as tender as spring flowers, as refreshing as summer rain, as ripe as autumn fruits, and as pure as winter snow.
She extended a hand, and the prince supported her by the arm.
Walking forward, she placed a hand on the little fox’s face.
“I couldn’t say why either. All I want is to look at this world with my own eyes. Sister, we have grown up together. You’ve always been the best to me, haven’t you?”
The little fox whimpered wordlessly.
“Dad said you were my eyes,” she said as she traced her fingers across the little fox’s face. “So will you be good and give me your eyes? You have seen all there is that the world has to offer, but I haven’t. My world has always been dark and colorless. Is that fair to you, sister?”
The little fox had beautiful eyes, initially brimming with happiness and anticipation she held for this world. She never expected to be met with such cruelty and deceit. She never thought she would see so much malice playing before her eyes.
She looked up and stared at the prince, scouring for something in his eyes, but she found nothing but calmness. Calmness that made her see him for who he was.
“Have you been using me all along? Were you always after my eyes?” she asked.
She didn’t even know why she asked that. What was the point in asking? She had seen with her eyes and felt with her heart that the man had always been using her.
And what did she even need these eyes for anymore? Granny had told her that humans were the cruelest and fakest; cold-blooded creatures that could lay hands on their own kind without the blink of an eye. She didn’t believe it in the past, but now she did.
Not just their own kind, but also the ones closest to them.
