Chapter 316: Chapter 315: The Secret Beneath the Swarm of Snakes (10) Chapter 316: Chapter 315: The Secret Beneath the Swarm of Snakes (10) The winters in the north were bone-chilling, with fierce winds and heavy snowfall that sealed off the mountains, deterring anyone from venturing in.
The snow blanketed the grave that the Tomb Owner had prepared, while the city on New Yearâs Eve was always ablaze with firecrackers and fireworks filling the sky.
A man kept watch over a fox, a plate of sliced pigâs ears, and a pot of warm wine.
The masterâs wish unfulfilled, he watched the sparks fly across the sky, and exceptionally, he poured a small plate of white liquor for the fox too, not caring whether it could drink or not, and while stroking its head, he said.
âThe centuryâs ending, we, father and son, have at least spent over half a year together, if we canât see tomorrowâs sun, then tonightâs drink will be our farewell. Come on, letâs have one!â
With that, he clinked his little wine cup against the liquor plate in front of the fox.
The fox looked up at him, took a lick, found it spicy, shook its head, and stuck out its tongue, much to the amusement of the Tomb Owner beside it, who burst into laughter.
That was that, who cares whether heâd live or die tomorrow, his destiny in this life was just to be an ordinary man, too much contemplation was needless, as there were no such things as miracles in this world.
And so, as he sipped the white liquor shot by shot, his senses began to blur, while on the television, the new millenniumâs bells tolled, âdongââdongâââ.
In this city too, the ringing of the bells, which could be heard throughout, emanated from a distant mountaintop temple, deep and lingering.
The fox sitting beside him, having heard the bells, suddenly turned its head towards him and spoke, âDo you have a wish? I can grant you one.â
âWhat?!â
His face flushed with drink, his eyes foggy, a fox that could speak startled the Tomb Owner.
In time, the Snow Fox fulfilled the Tomb Ownerâs wish made beneath that nightâs fireworks, hoping for a peaceful death in his own prepared grave, awaiting another miracle.
In the pitch-black snowy night, with the warm lights of many homes, the Snow Fox led an unsteady old man toward the mountain. Where the Snow Fox stepped, the snow instantly melted, and the man seemed unaffected by the cold of the winter night. In this way, they reached the grave he had prepared. Not fully sober and still not quite lucid, he lay down and swallowed a Golden Core given to him by the fox, which then spoke.
âI have fulfilled your wish, can you fulfill one of mine?â
At that time, before the drug had taken full effect, the Tomb Owner asked out of curiosity, âWhat wish? Iâm going to die anyway, what do you want?â
The fox said, âWould you help me grow my ninth tail?â
Then, with a shiver of its body, another tail emerged from behind, turning the eight it had into a fan that waved behind it.
Pfftâ
The Tomb Owner died of fright.
The blind old man said, âAfter itâs all done, he should set that fox free.â
Unfortunately, before he had a chance to release it, he was scared to death by it.
The fox squatted next to the coffin, quite perplexed as to how he could die when the drug had not fully dissipated yet.
Though this master hadnât been able to help, the fox was obliged to fulfill its end of the deal. Although with both seeking death, the fact that the master didnât die naturally but was scared to death by it, left the Snow Fox feeling guilty. After much thought, it found a way to make amends by digging out a tiny red snake from some hole in the mountain, much smaller than Little Red Snake, and moved it to be buried right above the otherâs head.
Perhaps it was an unlucky year for the fox; it might have dug the wrong hole, for a small Red Snake attracted a swarm of snakes, a sight that it still does not like to recall.
In any event, because of the foxâs actions, the little snake was left with barely a breath of life, and the swarm of snakes, in order to protect it, trapped the little snake there and used their energy to sustain its fragile life.
And so, they were trapped for over a decade.