The Fox's Eternal Star: A Tale of Love and Fate

The Star-Gazing Tower stood in the western part of Chaoge, rising high into the sky, adorned with pearls and gems. At night, when the stars shone brightly, the tower reflected their light, creating a breathtaking sight.

Shining Li had named the tower when it was completed. He had once loved the stars, but now he rarely looked at them. Their twinkling seemed to mock him for waiting a thousand years for a promise that might never be fulfilled.

The name "Star-Gazing Tower" was ironic. How could he, with his meager power, ever hope to pluck the stars from the sky?

The music of strings and flutes never ceased, flowing down from the tower's heights, leaving only a faint echo in the empty silence. A lump formed in his throat, and he realized he was still the same Shining Li who hated silence. But where was the one who had promised to stay by his side?

He had been lost.

Stumbling, he fell into the imperial garden. Lying on the soft flower beds, he gazed at the stars above.

The stars were dazzling, their light piercing his heart.

He closed his eyes, unwilling to look.

In his heart, a figure lingered, blurred. He didn't know if he had forgotten that person's face because so much time had passed, or if he had chosen to erase it from his memory.

In his heart, there was regret and resentment. What had he done wrong to deserve this?

Even Shou, who now stood beside him, often gazed westward, his thoughts elsewhere. Who was it that Shou longed for?

Shou's heart had never been his, leaving him with the illusion of having everything, when in truth, he had nothing.

Had he ever longed for someone like that?

Where was that person now?

Shining Li covered his eyes with his arm. The starlight was too bright, too painful to bear.

Who had promised to stay with him forever?

Why were they no longer by his side?

He was thoroughly drunk.

The strong liquor he had just consumed had robbed him of the strength to stand. Perhaps he should have listened to Shou and let the guards escort him back to his chambers.

He regretted it now, but he had already descended from the Star-Gazing Tower. To climb back up and call for help was beyond his current capabilities.

Just as he was about to resign himself to sleeping in the imperial garden until the alcohol wore off, he suddenly heard faint, delicate footsteps approaching from a distance.

The sound was careful, each step deliberate and light. If it weren't for the rustling of the crushed grass and flowers beneath the feet of the approaching figure, he might not have noticed them at all.

Gradually, the footsteps stopped quite close to him. Shining Li could feel a burning gaze fixed upon him. He knew the person was staring intently.

"Help me up!" Shining Li called out, assuming it was a guard who had come across him.

Through his blurred vision, he saw the figure stiffen for a moment, hesitating before finally extending their arms.

Shining Li reached out, but instead of helping him up, the person lifted him effortlessly into their arms.

He was cradled against their chest.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked.

Shining Li wondered if he was still too drunk to hear clearly. Everyone in Chaoge knew him, and no one would dare speak to him in such a familiar tone. Yet, there was something in that voice—something achingly familiar, as if he had heard it long ago.

"Take me back to my chambers..." Shining Li couldn't think anymore. He was exhausted. The wine Shou had given him was a celestial brew, potent enough to intoxicate even the gods, let alone a little fox demon like him.

"Where are your chambers?" the voice asked.

"They're..." Shining Li raised his arm weakly, trying to point in the right direction, but his arm fell limp before he could manage it. He was too drunk, too weak.

"Shining Li?"

Hearing his name spoken so gently, Shining Li was startled. Only Shou knew that name! But this voice was different—warmer, softer, unlike Shou's cold, emotionless tone.

Who was it?

Before he could drift into sleep, a vague figure flashed in his mind. He remembered a night of blazing stars and roaring flames.

Who was it?

"And then you brought him back?"

In a secluded room within the Prime Minister's residence, a woman dressed in green widened her eyes in panic, pacing back and forth nervously.

"He was drunk as a mudfish. I couldn't just leave him there!"

"Star Lord, he's the Empress of Chaoge, the beloved consort of King Zhou! If you bring him here and the king can't find him, he'll turn the entire city upside down!" The green-clad fairy, named Cui, was one of the five-colored stones under the command of Xiang River Goddess, daughter of the Heavenly Emperor.

She had been sent to Nuwa after causing trouble, and Nuwa had passed her on to Tianxiang Star. Together, they had descended to the mortal realm through illicit means, reincarnated as mortals with memories of their past lives but no divine powers. Their unauthorized descent had already been noticed by the heavens, and celestial soldiers patrolled the skies above the Prime Minister's residence daily, waiting for their mortal bodies to fail—what mortals called "death"—so they could be taken back to face judgment.

"I couldn't leave him," Tianxiang Star said with a smile, repeating the same words. He had kept his name from his past life, "Zheng," and carried forward the emotions of that time. He had rejected the name given to him by his mortal parents, clinging instead to the name "Zheng" as his true identity.

Yes, he was "Zheng," but he was also the Prime Minister of the Shang Dynasty, a blood relative of Emperor Yi, the uncle of King Zhou, and the most beloved official in the kingdom—Bi Gan.

"Shouldn't we have taken a more gradual approach? First, drive a wedge between King Zhou and this nine-tailed fox demon, make the king distance himself from her, and then, without anyone noticing, expel the fox demon from Chaoge? If you reveal your identity to the king now, all our plans will be ruined." She had even thought of a beauty scheme to seduce King Zhou, but now Tianxiang Star had lost his composure and disrupted everything.

"I don't know what to do," Zheng replied lightly.

She had heard rumors that Tianxiang Star and the nine-tailed fox demon had once shared a deep bond, and that Tianxiang Star had been imprisoned in Youdu for nearly two thousand years because of the fox demon. But she couldn't understand why Tianxiang Star still cared for him, even after all the harm the fox had caused.

Celestial beings were not supposed to be shortsighted or driven by desire. They were meant to uphold the harmony of heaven and earth, to save all suffering beings from their plight. How could this star, even after being punished, remain so stubbornly attached?

She didn't understand. She truly didn't.

Cui turned around, eager to see what kind of beauty this nine-tailed fox demon possessed, to have enchanted both King Zhou and Tianxiang Star, and even drawn the attention of her mistress and Nuwa herself. It wasn't jealousy—just curiosity!

But the moment her gaze fell upon the figure on the bed, she locked eyes with a pair of cold, silver fox eyes. The icy, predatory gaze sent a chill through her, freezing her in place.

"You're awake," Zheng's warm, gentle voice flowed as effortlessly as ever, his smile as soft as it had always been.

"Go out for now," Zheng whispered into Cui's ear, giving her a gentle push to help her stiff body move out of the room.

After Cui left, Zheng hesitated for a moment before approaching Shining Li.

He saw the cold arrogance swirling in Shining Li's silver eyes. He didn't understand where it came from, and he knew he should leave, but the person he had longed for was finally before him. He couldn't bring himself to turn away.

He walked closer, meeting Shining Li's gaze as if nothing had happened, his voice steady and natural. "How are you feeling?"

Ever since he had heard that Shou had deposed the former Empress Jiang in favor of a daughter of a feudal lord, he had suspected that the stunning beauty the courtiers spoke of—Daji—was none other than Shining Li, whom he had parted from so many years ago.

He had wanted to see Shining Li, but Shou had kept him secluded deep within the palace, where no one could enter. He had searched in vain, his eyes longing for a glimpse of Shining Li.

Yesterday, as he wandered the imperial city of Chaoge as usual, he saw the Star-Gazing Tower's jewels glittering under the night sky and noticed a figure lying drunk by the imperial garden. Concerned, he had approached, only to find the very person he had been yearning for.

In a moment of distraction, he had carried Shining Li back to the Prime Minister's residence.

But Shining Li's deep, cold eyes were no longer the clear, innocent ones he remembered. He saw Shining Li narrow his eyes, as if sensing an intruder in his territory, a threat.

Shining Li's crimson lips curled slightly as he spoke in a tone that seemed to look down upon the world. "Who are you? How dare you bring me here?"

Zheng was stunned.

Two thousand years was an eternity. His heart was filled with the ache of separation, the longing that had never faded, only to be met with a single question from Shining Li.

"Shining Li, it's me," Zheng said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. He just wanted to be closer, to make up for the lost time. "Perhaps ten years, perhaps a hundred—I said I would return."

"I don't know you!" Shining Li declared in the haughty tone of someone who stood above all others in Chaoge.

"How can you not know me? I'm Zheng, the star you met on that night of thunder and fire. We named each other. How could you forget?" Zheng's voice was urgent, desperate to唤醒 Shining Li's memories. The innocence in those silver eyes had been tarnished. What had the Star of Destruction done to Shining Li, to turn him into this?

He was heartbroken, filled with regret. Shining Li's smile had once been his most cherished treasure, something he had been afraid to touch. But now, when he wanted to reclaim it, Shining Li no longer smiled at him.

"Zheng..." Shining Li noticed the urgency beneath Zheng's gentle tone. He murmured the name, the figure that had haunted his thoughts slowly becoming clearer.

I'll watch over you every night from the heavens...

The words Zheng had spoken long ago echoed in his mind. His expression had been as kind and gentle as it was now. And then, Shining Li remembered.

What he had thought was forgetting was merely burying the memories in a corner of his mind. This soft, familiar voice was the key that unlocked the chains around his heart.

But after a thousand years, what was unleashed was not the pure, tender emotion of the past. Instead, a storm of anger swept through Shining Li. What he remembered was Zheng leaving him behind, walking away without looking back.

He had waited, through endless nights of rain, gazing at the starless sky until the rain pooled into marshes and the mountains flattened into wetlands. But Zheng had never returned.

For millennia, the stars had twinkled in the cloudless nights. They laughed at his foolishness, so he closed his eyes, pretending he was dead.

If Zheng had been watching over him from the heavens, why had he never come back to ease his loneliness? Two thousand years was not two or three years. The weight of despair could suffocate. In the first thousand years, he had survived the heavenly thunder tribulation, but his heart had grown cold. In the second thousand years, he had chosen to forget, to escape the endless waiting, but his heart had shattered.

Until, finally, there was no one left in his heart. Until he lay in the marshes of Muye, forgetting everything. Until Shou appeared, giving him a new purpose. By then, he was no longer the naive little fox he had once been.

His eyes flickered as he saw the hope in Zheng's gaze. But the anger in his heart surged like a tidal wave, and without thinking, he spoke: "I don't know you, and I've never given anyone a name. My father is the Marquis of Jizhou, and he named me Daji, not the Shining Li you speak of."

Shining Li smiled, a strange, alluring smile that masked his fury. "Now, do you know who I am?"

"Shining Li..." Zheng saw the cold finality in Shining Li's eyes. A love that had been buried for a thousand years—could it truly never be reclaimed?

Zheng reached out, wanting to touch Shining Li's jade-like skin, but as his hand neared Shining Li's face, Shining Li suddenly bit down hard on his finger.

Pain shot through Zheng's finger, coursing through his veins and piercing his heart. Shining Li's eyes burned with unrelenting anger, masked by a seductive smile. Zheng could see the pain beneath it.

Shining Li's sharp teeth sank into Zheng's flesh, blood flowing freely, pooling in Shining Li's mouth before dripping onto the white sheets. The hot blood spread like blooming flowers, vivid and shocking. Zheng couldn't breathe, not from the pain, but from the realization of Shining Li's feigned indifference.

Their eyes locked, and Zheng smiled, a faint, sorrowful smile.

He truly loved Shining Li.

More than Shining Li's so-called "liking" by a thousand, ten thousand times.

The thousand years of punishment in Youdu had not been hard for him; he had endured it willingly. But a single look, a single trace of hatred from Shining Li, was enough to shatter him.

Why had Shou found him first? Zheng blamed himself.

The marshes of Muye stretched for miles, covered in mud and algae. Since he was a child, he had ridden alone to search for Shining Li, believing that Shining Li would wait for him. He had dug and searched tirelessly, but year after year, he found nothing.

He had forgotten he was just a mortal. The exhaustion had taken its toll, and when his family found him, he was already gravely ill.

He had been sick for months, and when he woke up, he heard that Shou had taken a new consort—the very jade he had been searching for.

"Shining Li..." Zheng raised his other hand, gently stroking Shining Li's silken hair.

In a voice so soft only he could hear, he whispered, "Don't worry. I'll never let anything happen to you."

A love that had endured since the dawn of creation...

His most cherished one...

In early spring, before the third month, the city of Chaoge was already in full bloom. In the Prime Minister's residence, fields of crimson peonies had burst into flower, their beauty almost bewitching.

Shining Li, dressed in pristine white robes, his long hair tied up with a jade hairpin, bent to pluck a peony.

Without the heavy makeup, he no longer looked like a woman. His narrow eyes, now sharp and piercing, exuded a masculine charm. The peony, like fire, burned around him in the spring sunlight, casting a faint glow on his snow-white face.

Even in Zheng's old clothes, Shining Li's beauty was undeniable.

He was stunning, but his aura was terrifying.

Cui could only watch him from a distance, not daring to get too close. Early in the morning, she had noticed Shining Li wandering around. Afraid he might leave the residence, she kept a close eye on him, determined not to let him escape.

Suddenly, Shining Li noticed her and beckoned her over.

She shook her head vigorously, backing away. He was a nine-tailed fox demon—getting too close could be deadly!

But Shining Li, with a faint smile, tossed the peony aside and walked toward her.

Cui's eyes widened in panic. Sensing danger, she turned to flee, but before she could take a step, Shining Li was already in front of her.

"Am I that frightening?" Shining Li looked down at Cui, who was trembling like a leaf, tears streaming down her face. Her fear amused him, and he found her reaction somewhat entertaining.

"Star Lord... Star Lord!" Cui stammered, her voice breaking as she cried out, "Star Lord, save me!"

She was going to be eaten, she was sure of it!

Shining Li's cold, slender fingers suddenly cupped her face. His deep, silver eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. There was something familiar about Cui, something that reminded him of the white rabbit that had died so long ago. Had it returned to him, just like Zheng?

"What's your name?" Shining Li asked slowly.

"My name is Cui... no... my parents called me Ximei... yes, I'm Ximei..." She trembled like a leaf in the wind, on the verge of collapsing.

"How long have you been with Zheng?"

"A... a long time... since we reincarnated..." Tears streamed down her face as she thought, Master, I'm not afraid of death. Dying would mean I could return to you. I'm just afraid of the pain, of being bitten and devoured by this fox demon. Why does being mortal have to be so hard?

"Does Zheng treat you well?"

"Star Lord... treats everyone... well..."

Suddenly, she saw a flash of anger in Shining Li's silver eyes. Her heart raced, and she felt like it might leap out of her throat.

"As well as he treats me?" Shining Li's lips curled into a smile, but his eyes burned with fury.

"Huh?" Cui stopped trembling for a moment, sniffling as she stared at Shining Li. There was something absurd in his tone—was this fox demon... jealous?

Impossible. He was the Empress of Chaoge, the infamous Daji who had devoured the loyal officials of the Shang Dynasty without remorse.

How could such a demon have feelings? How could he care for Tianxiang Star?

He was supposed to be a heartless, bloodthirsty monster!

She was utterly confused!

"Does he treat everyone as well as he treats me?" Shining Li pressed.

"Probably... about the same..." Cui's mind was a jumbled mess, and she could only stammer out a vague answer.

But Shining Li's eyes burned brighter with anger. His cold fingers, like pale creatures from the depths of a dark swamp, slid from her cheeks to her slender, vulnerable neck. The alternating heat and chill made her nerves scream, and she cried out again, "Star Lord, if you don't come soon, I'm really going to die!"

Cui's cries were so loud and desperate that they rivaled the frantic chirping of the little rabbit from long ago. Shining Li raised an eyebrow, his anger momentarily quelled by her outburst.

"Did I say I was going to kill you?" he asked.

"But you're choking me... what else could you be doing..." She had just stopped crying, but now the tears flowed again. "I can't die yet! Not until I've completed the task Nuwa gave me!" Otherwise, even if she returned to Dongting Mountain, her great and noble mistress would never let her back into the house.

"What task did Nuwa give you?" Shining Li was curious.

"I... I can't say..." She sniffled.

"Really?" Shining Li's long fingers tightened around her neck.

Cui felt her throat constrict, cutting off her air. Her face turned red as she struggled to breathe.

"Will you tell me now?" Shining Li smiled.

"...Yes... I'll tell you..." Cui gasped, knowing resistance was futile.

When Shining Li released her, she coughed for a while before finally speaking:

"It's... cough... it's about a bet among the celestials. Half are betting on Chaoge's rise, and the other half on its fall. My mistress... cough... Princess Xiang, sent me to accompany Tianxiang Star to find you because you are destined to be the key to Chaoge's fate. The Star of Destruction, King Zhou, cannot bring about the fall of Chaoge without you. Your destinies are intertwined. Both of you were once sealed stars in the heavens, but Nuwa used you to mend the sky, while the Heavenly Emperor sent the Star of Destruction to the mortal realm. And so, things have unfolded as they have... cough... do you understand?"

It is also said that the Heavenly Emperor himself is the biggest stakeholder in this bet.

Cough... But this concerns his reputation... I really shouldn't say more...

"I always thought I was just a fox," Shining Li murmured, his eyes flickering with a mix of emotions. Today, by sheer coincidence, he had stumbled upon this secret. All this time, he had been kept in the dark, a mere puppet at the mercy of fate, unable to take control of his own destiny.

"You are a fox," Cui explained hurriedly, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Before you took form, you absorbed the spiritual energy of a celestial fox, which made your demonic aura too strong. That's why you were transformed into a beast. The Book of Life and Death also states that you are inherently tainted with demonic energy, so until you transcend to immortality, you must remain a fox. Moreover, you must endure the heavenly thunder tribulation every thousand years. Only after surviving three of these trials can you ascend to the heavens and shed your demonic nature."

"You know so much," Shining Li remarked, his tone laced with both curiosity and suspicion. "What else?"

"What else? That's all!" Cui replied nervously, her voice trembling.

The rest of it was nothing but unspeakable secrets—gossip about who had secretly cut down the Queen Mother's peach trees, which celestial being had caused a drunken ruckus, or how the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were plotting rebellion. These were just rumors, passed around like wildfire.

Having served under Princess Xiang for so long, Cui hadn't learned much, but she had mastered the art of collecting rumors.

There were few things in the heavens or the mortal realm that could escape her sharp eyes and keen ears. Besides, her mistress had a vast network of connections, and any significant event would be reported to her by the lesser immortals.

Though she was just a small green stone, she lacked neither the power of the Red Jade Qilin Stone, which could traverse three thousand worlds, nor the charm of the White Jade Glass Stone, which could captivate all living beings. But if you asked her about a hundred celestial secrets, she could easily answer a hundred and one—the extra one being a bonus.

"So, you're saying that Zheng didn't come to find me because of our promise? He just wants to stop Shou from destroying the Shang Dynasty?"

"That's one way to put it!" Cui replied, clearly remembering Nuwa's instructions. The goddess had tasked Tianxiang Star with taking the nine-tailed fox demon away from Chaoge to prevent further disaster and protect the people.

Shining Li's phoenix-like eyes narrowed to slits, his sorrow breaking free and spreading uncontrollably through his body. His heart ached with pain and confusion, his brows furrowed in distress.

Why had Zheng abandoned him? He had waited faithfully in the marshes of Muye for a thousand years!

"Everything he's done is just to protect the people of Yin, isn't it?" Shining Li pressed, afraid he might have misunderstood.

"Yes..." Cui was about to elaborate when she noticed a figure hurrying toward them from the main hall.

"Star Lord!" The savior had arrived!

Cui breathed a sigh of relief, her legs giving way as she collapsed into the flowerbed beside her. But the nine-tailed fox demon, upon seeing Tianxiang Star, turned his head away and began to walk off.

"Shining Li!" Seeing the troubled expression on Shining Li's face, Zheng knew that Cui had spoken too much. He quickly followed Shining Li, ignoring Cui, who had collapsed from exhaustion.

"Wait!" Zheng grabbed Shining Li's arm through his sleeve, holding him in place. His voice was calm and gentle as he asked, "Who made you angry?"

"What do you think?" Shining Li sneered in response.

"If I've upset you, you can tell me!" Zheng's tone was soothing, as he always seemed to know what Shining Li was thinking.

"I want to return to the palace. Shou will be worried if I'm not there," Shining Li said, shooting Zheng a cold glance as he struggled to free himself from Zheng's grip. His eyes were icy, tinged with anger. At this moment, he wished Zheng would never return. If Zheng stayed away, he wouldn't have to remember him, and he could bury those lonely, desolate days forever—along with the longing that had consumed him.

"I thought you might stay a little longer. We've finally met again after so long!"

"That's just your wishful thinking. I never agreed to stay!" Shining Li's beautiful, enchanting face smiled as he refused, but his voice, cold as an autumn breeze, betrayed the anger simmering beneath the surface. His trembling tone revealed the depth of his fury.

Zheng sighed, glancing back at Cui with a look of exasperation. She was truly more of a hindrance than a help.

Cui, meanwhile, shivered, still recovering from the overwhelming pressure of the nine-tailed fox demon's presence.