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

Zheng took the weathered wooden box from the servant's hands. It had traveled a great distance, sent by Ji Chang from his imprisonment, a desperate message carefully concealed. The box, having passed through many hands, was covered in a thin layer of dust, its once-vivid yellow hue now faded. Zheng dismissed the servant and remained alone in the hall, lost in thought. After a moment, he opened the old, battered box and retrieved a silk cloth inscribed with words:

"My son, Bo Yikao, is the reincarnation of the Purple Star, destined for greatness as a ruler. However, King Shou, born under the Star of Destruction, is fated to clash with him. Two tigers cannot share one mountain. I urge you to stay away from Shou. When the Shang dynasty falls, you may rise to take his place. Govern with benevolence and bring peace to the world."

Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xiqi, was renowned for his mastery of divination and foresight. Zheng knew Ji Chang's words were not to be taken lightly. Years ago, Ji Chang had incited a rebellion among the three great lords, aiming to overthrow the Shang dynasty. Though his plans were thwarted, Ji Chang's cunning had nearly succeeded. Now, after seven years of imprisonment, Ji Chang saw Bo Yikao as his last hope.

If Bo Yikao was indeed the reincarnation of the Purple Star, his destiny as a ruler would be Ji Chang's greatest weapon. Ji Chang must have foreseen Bo Yikao's arrival in Chaoge and sent this warning.

In all the world, only a ruler of equal destiny could counter the Star of Destruction. Yet, the Purple Star should not have appeared in this chaotic era. Its name was not on the celestial roster, just as Zheng and Cui, who had intervened, were not listed either.

For whom had the Purple Star come, and why?

Though Zheng did not fully understand the Purple Star's intentions, Ji Chang's inadvertent revelation planted a terrifying thought in his mind. A beast of doubt and madness emerged from the cracks in his heart, devouring his reason and filling him with a reckless desire. He could only think of Shining Li's fleeting smile, and in that moment of unreachable regret, he sank into despair.

Zheng clenched the silk cloth tightly, reopening the wound on his hand. Blood seeped through the bandages once more.

Once love took hold, there was no escape. This cherished bond, unique since the dawn of creation, was something he could never let go of.

The beast within him growled, its madness spreading rapidly.

To escape the swirling chaos, there was only one way...

To use the Purple Star's hand... to destroy the Star of Destruction...

At night, Zheng would come. Silently, he stood outside the window, bathed in moonlight, his gaze filled with tenderness as he watched the figure inside.

The ghostly guards in the courtyard quietly dispersed, knowing that this man, with his celestial grace, would never harm the empress whom King Shou cherished so deeply. He loved him.

The wind was cool, the stars silent, and the flickering firelight cast a shadow on the window. Zheng watched the figure's subtle movements, a faint smile forming on his lips.

The person inside knew he was there, guarding. For days, Shining Li had refused to leave his chambers, as if locked in a stalemate with Zheng.

The night Shining Li left, Zheng had not stopped him, knowing he was still angry. He thought some distance might help, but as time passed, his longing only grew. Restless and anxious, he ventured into the imperial city alone to find him.

But Shining Li's anger was slow to fade, and he stubbornly refused to yield. He avoided the Star-Gazing Tower and Shou, confining himself to his chambers, wearing himself down to exhaustion.

Zheng's impulsive arrival was driven by his burning emotions, but out of respect for Shining Li's feelings, he could only stand guard outside the courtyard each night, watching the silhouette through the window. He watched and waited, restraining himself from taking the next step.

Suddenly, the door opened. Cui, her face streaked with tears, looked at him with red, swollen eyes.

"Star Lord..." she called hesitantly. "He... he says you're in his way. He wants you to leave!"

"He said to get lost! Can't you even relay a message properly?" Shining Li's cold voice echoed from inside.

Zheng had only wanted to see him, but Shining Li's icy tone, laced with an inexplicable allure, easily captivated his soul.

He called Cui over.

Cui, thinking Zheng might take her away, hurried to his side, her eyes wide with hope. But instead, Zheng said, "Go take a walk outside. I need to speak with Shining Li."

His words were gentle, but his tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.

"Take a walk!?" Cui was horrified. "This palace is a ghost town! No matter where I go, those... things will follow me. I can't!"

"They're just the city's guards. They won't harm you. Stay out for a while, let me talk to Shining Li. You see how he's been sulking. He's angry with me. If I let him vent, it'll be better for you too, won't it?"

Cui's hopes were dashed. Zheng had no intention of taking her back to the Prime Minister's residence. Tearfully, she asked, "Will you at least tell him not to keep thinking about eating me? I'm made of stone! It'll give him a stomachache!"

She had no idea why she had been sent to the mortal realm. The nine-tailed fox demon was always eyeing her, making it impossible to sleep or eat. She was on the verge of collapse, yet no one seemed to care about her suffering.

"Don't worry, he won't harm you," Zheng reassured her. He had noticed the subtle affection Shining Li showed toward Cui, which was why he had allowed her to stay. Shining Li must have sensed it too—Cui's essence was reminiscent of the white rabbit he had once adored. He could never destroy something he loved.

"Then you have to tell him!"

Zheng nodded.

Before Cui could leave, Zheng stepped into the room. The days of not seeing Shining Li's face had turned into a heavy unease, evident in his slow, deliberate steps. This longing was unbearable, a torment he could not escape. Like a fool, he had spent nights watching Shining Li's shadow, seeking solace in his presence.

But as he approached, his steps grew heavier, and it took effort to reach Shining Li's side.

"Why are you here? I told you to leave!" Shining Li stared at the flickering firelight, his chin slightly raised, his expression proud and aloof. Dressed in ordinary men's clothing, his brows carried a sharp, heroic air, but his demeanor was tinged with a sinister charm.

His breathtaking beauty was mesmerizing, impossible to look away from.

"I wanted to see you," Zheng's words were as light as a sigh.

Shining Li heard them, feeling the words like a breeze entering his heart, reaching depths he had never opened before.

He was moved by Zheng's unreserved honesty but also angered.

Zheng always had a way of swaying his emotions. Before, no one could influence his joy or anger. After Shou awakened him, he had lived freely in Chaoge, doing as he pleased, and no one dared to stop him. But since Zheng's arrival, everything had changed.

His smile, his gaze, that inexplicable tenderness—it extended and intertwined, weaving a net of longing that bound him tightly.

Zheng made him want to love, to respond to his affection, to willingly drown in this net of emotions. But the figure that lingered in his heart constantly reminded him of the inevitable fate.

If Chaoge fell, no one could escape the disaster. Before Zheng appeared, Shou had given him everything. He had vowed to stay with Shou until the end of the Shang dynasty. But in the days since reuniting with Zheng, he realized that the faint affection he still felt for him had not been washed away by time.

Zheng's presumptuous love was digging up the ashes of his past, binding him, making him lose his usual composure. Zheng made him afraid, even panicked, wondering if tomorrow or the next day would bring another separation, another eternity of waiting.

So he was angry—angry at Zheng's sudden appearance, at his selfishness. He had once wanted to kill him in a fit of rage, but now he found himself unwilling to see Zheng harmed in this impending catastrophe.

He was a demon, a scourge, unworthy of anyone's love.

Yet Zheng had loved him fiercely, despite everything.

Half a thought of longing, ten thousand points of sorrow—Zheng's tenderness came like a storm, its quiet sweetness overshadowed by an inescapable gloom. He shouldn't have, he shouldn't have deliberately ignored Shou's warning, just to spend one night with Zheng. He regretted it, but it seemed too late.

Shining Li remained silent, turning his gaze away and leaning against the window, his face cold and unapproachable. He refused to respond, hoping to drive Zheng away. But Zheng, as if seeing through his thoughts, smiled faintly and watched him. Finally, Shining Li had no choice but to order him to leave: "Go away. I don't want to see you!"

"That outfit looks good on you," Zheng ignored Shining Li's coldness and slowly moved closer.

Without the empress's robes, Shining Li's natural beauty was breathtaking.

Though they were both in male form, Zheng loved Shining Li's unadorned purity, his truest self.

"It's not for you to see!" Shining Li's words were harsh, but when he glanced back, he caught a flicker of sorrow in Zheng's eyes. His heart ached, and he turned away sharply. It was all Zheng's fault—Zheng had come too late, appearing at a time when Shining Li no longer wanted to love or be loved.

Zheng's suffering was deserved, but why did his own chest ache as well...

"This outfit is for Shou. Do you love him?" Zheng's words carried a hint of hidden sorrow and a touch of anger. Though he didn't lash out at Shining Li's indifference, it didn't mean he was unaffected by the cold words.

"What does it matter to you? I don't love you anymore!" Shining Li declared.

"You're lying!"

"You're so annoying! I told you to leave, yet you keep lingering here, chattering away. What will it take for you to go?" Shining Li was growing impatient. He preferred to control everything, to keep it all in the palm of his hand. Zheng's presence was too disruptive, throwing him off balance, making him lose his way in a maze he couldn't escape.

"I know Shou treats you well, and I know you're the type to repay even the smallest kindness. But Shou's kindness is just a ploy. He hopes your destiny will help him achieve his goals. He's been using you all along. Why are you so stubbornly staying by his side?" Zheng's anger didn't last long. Thinking of Shining Li's precarious situation, his heart softened again.

"If he wants to use me, he'll have to do it with my consent. We've always been using each other. That's none of your concern."

"No one can predict what will happen to Chaoge. Shou isn't sincere, and he's dragging you into this conflict without regard for your safety. I'm afraid that if something happens, you'll be the first to suffer." Given Shining Li's stubbornness, persuading him to leave Chaoge would be difficult.

"Chaoge will fall!" Shining Li's silver eyes flashed with cold light. He spoke each word clearly: "Shou has seen it. In twenty years at most, Chaoge will be destroyed!"

"He's seen it?" Could it be that the Star of Destruction was not an ordinary mortal but possessed ancient powers? No wonder Shou's eyes always gazed into the distance, deep and unfathomable. This might also explain how Shou had found Shining Li in the vast marshes of Muye before Zheng could.

This wouldn't do. Though Shou was destined to descend and destroy the Shang dynasty, he had also taught Shining Li to kill. Shou hadn't considered Shining Li's unique nature—he was still a demon. If he became addicted to killing and burdened with sin, no one could save him!

"And I will stay with him until the end!" Shining Li declared firmly.

"I'll ask you one last time—will you leave Chaoge with me?" Zheng closed his eyes, hoping things hadn't reached the worst possible point. "Don't rush your decision. I'll give you time to think."

"I don't love you anymore, Zheng!" Shining Li's words were final, without hesitation. "Leave now. Don't appear before me again!" In the present moment, it seemed Shou held a heavier place in his heart. Perhaps Zheng would think so too. Even Shining Li wanted to believe it...

"I can't do that," Zheng smiled softly.

"It's simple."

"Impossible," Zheng said. "My love for you runs deeper than you can imagine..."

The next day, Zheng summoned Bo Yikao and handed him Ji Chang's wooden box.

Bo Yikao immediately opened the box and read the silk cloth inside.

"When a nation is on the brink of collapse, demons will rise; when a tyrant descends, the people will suffer. The task is heavy, the road long; do not falter. This evil must be eradicated, or it will bring endless calamity."

His face turned pale, disbelief written across it. The cloth was stained with dried blood, a grim reminder of the urgency. Ji Chang, his father, was not one to yield easily. Sending this message from afar meant he was in dire straits, his life hanging by a thread.

"Who sent this?" Zheng asked indifferently.

"From home," Bo Yikao carefully tucked the cloth into his robe, his expression tense but forced into calmness.

"Is that so?" Zheng's usual kindness was absent. His expression was dark, and a strange tension brewed in his eyes.

"By the way, have you seen King Shou during your court visits?" Bo Yikao's voice carried urgency. He was worried about his father's safety.

"He's been staying in the Star-Gazing Tower," Zheng replied briefly, showing little reaction.

"I need to see him, to stop him from continuing down this path!" Bo Yikao muttered, calculating and planning. After a moment of thought, he finally said, "Prime Minister, can you arrange a meeting for me?"

Bo Yikao had entered Chaoge quietly, bypassing the city's defenses without alerting the guards. The journey had been eerily smooth, as if an unseen hand had guided him into this demonic city.

Zheng's head lowered, his gaze fixed on the dusty floor, feeling as tainted as his own heart.

"Prime Minister, I beg you to arrange this! If you can help my father return safely to Xiqi, I will repay your kindness generously in the future!" Seeing Zheng's silence, Bo Yikao quickly added incentives.

The priority was the grand plan for Xiqi. His father had endured seven years of humiliation to gain Shou's trust. He couldn't afford any mistakes, as the fate of not just Xiqi but all the people of Shang hung in the balance. They had a solemn duty to save the people from suffering, as Ji Chang's letter implied. The tyrant must be destroyed to free everyone from endless misery.

Yes, he was Ji Chang's eldest son. This responsibility had long been on his shoulders, impossible to shake off. Compared to overthrowing the Shang dynasty, everything else seemed insignificant.

Even... a long-buried love... a life-and-death vow...

Zheng remained silent, quietly observing Bo Yikao's changing expressions. He had set a trap, knowing the other would fall into it, knowing it would harm others. But he couldn't suppress his selfish desires.

The seven emotions and six desires—love, hate, doubt, anger—these eight words encompassed all his feelings.

He loved Shining Li and could only live for him.

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Star-Gazing Tower," Zheng said calmly.

Apart from Shining Li, nothing else mattered.

At night, Zheng returned.

Eager and anxious, as if time slipped through his fingers too quickly. He walked through the quiet courtyard, climbed the steps, and moved forward step by step. His heavy footsteps betrayed his desperate longing to see Shining Li.

Finally, he reached the deepest part of the palace, stopping before a luxurious, silk-draped cage. His deep, mesmerizing eyes gazed intently at a bird that, though trapped, seemed content to destroy itself, showing no desire for the open sky.

Shining Li lay sprawled on Cui, and as Zheng entered, he saw the scene.

"What's wrong with him?" Zheng asked.

"He's drunk again. He's been drinking nonstop these days!" Cui was afraid to get too close to Shining Li, but when he was drunk, he lost his usual murderous aura. That was why she had mustered the courage to drag him back from the Star-Gazing Tower.

Now she remembered her mission—to disrupt the relationship between King Shou and Shining Li. She couldn't let Shining Li stay by Shou's side all day, plotting how to eliminate loyal ministers.

Suddenly, Shining Li, who had been slumped over Cui, stood up with bleary eyes. His blurred gaze fixed on Cui, and he swayed as he spoke: "Little Li?"

"I'm not Little Li..." Seeing Shining Li wake up, Cui panicked and backed away. She must have bumped his head against the doorframe while dragging him back.

"Little Li... where have you been... I've been looking for you for so long..." He reached out to grab Cui, but the shifting images before him made it impossible.

"You've got the wrong person!" Shining Li's demonic aura began to spread, terrifying Cui, who dodged his grasping hands.

"No, I'm not mistaken..." Shining Li, frustrated by his inability to catch Cui, grew angry. His brows furrowed, and he lunged at her. But just as he leaped, someone grabbed him from behind.

"Leave first!"

A familiar voice reached his ears, warm and soft, slowly permeating his drunken consciousness and soothing his tension.

Shining Li felt a firm embrace around his waist, tight and unyielding, yet gentle, as if afraid to hurt him. The warmth seeped through the thin fabric of his clothes, reaching deep into his heart.

"Thank you, Star Lord!"

He heard Cui's hurried footsteps as she fled.

Why, in this place where everyone saw him as a venomous snake, was there someone who would give him their whole heart and treat him so kindly?

"I told you not to come..." Shining Li's voice was soft, affected by the alcohol, lacking its usual sharpness.

"I wanted to see you," Zheng laid Shining Li on the bed. Shining Li, drunk, collapsed onto the silk sheets, his cheeks flushed, his beauty both enchanting and pure. Zheng smiled helplessly. No matter how much he tried to restrain himself, just seeing Shining Li once was enough to unleash a flood of uncontrollable thoughts.

"Again with that... can't you say something else..." Shining Li rolled over, the alcohol making him soft, his eyes closing.

Zheng's words were filled with the most delicate emotions, making him yearn, making him reluctant to let go.

"I want to kiss you," Zheng said, something different.

Feather-light kisses rained down, but Shining Li seemed to sense something unspoken in Zheng's words. He couldn't refuse Zheng's kiss. Zheng's love was so deep, spanning eternity, reaching the depths of his heart.

He wanted to love, but he couldn't. Tonight would be the last, wouldn't it?

Shining Li parted his lips, allowing Zheng in. Desire burned, endless and unrelenting. Zheng kissed him deeply, as urgently as he had arrived.

Clothes were shed, Zheng's hands exploring Shining Li's skin, sliding through his hair. He lifted a strand and kissed it, his eyes smiling.

Zheng's warmth was like the scorching sun, and Shining Li was a puddle after the rain. Knowing they couldn't be together, he still couldn't let go of this lingering affection.

Zheng kissed him, and Shining Li felt heat spreading through his body. He didn't want to evaporate, his fingers gripping the sheets tightly, turning white as he tried to escape.

"Don't run," Zheng pinned him down, kissing his pale fingers.

The action stirred a deep emotion in Shining Li. Zheng's tenderness made it impossible for him to convince himself to leave.

Zheng smiled, radiant and dazzling. But resenting Zheng for seeing his weakness, Shining Li retaliated by moving his hand downward, pulling aside the fabric and grasping Zheng's heat. Instantly, Zheng's smile vanished, replaced by a sharp gasp.

Shining Li smirked, his nimble fingers mischievously working. He felt the object in his hand swell and tremble.

Then, unable to restrain himself, Zheng moved Shining Li's hand away and took him. In the frantic rush, he brought with him his initial and final tenderness...

Panting, Shining Li welcomed Zheng's desire.

Was it love or lust? He couldn't tell. He only knew that in this pain, Zheng brought him more sweetness. He kissed Zheng, feeling the fiery pulse where their bodies joined. Zheng thrust into him relentlessly, their love seemingly endless.

"Shining Li..."

He heard Zheng's whisper, beautiful as a poem.

Zheng was his everything, his only thought.

No one could take him away... no one...