23 Obscuring Fate

This single step by Cha Ming took only a single second, but that second felt like several lifetimes. From the start of his step to the moment it landed, Cha Ming seemed to have become a completely different person. His eyes now contained a certain charm, one that contained the vicissitudes of life. Wang Jun noticed the change but decided to put it aside for now. After all, they were in front of a legendary beast, and any loss in focus could result in their death.

After walking forward a few dozen steps, Cha Ming noticed a small figure moving around near the fox's belly. This small black figure looked around, scared, and darted to a nearby protrusion. It latched on to the protrusion with its little teeth for thirty seconds, after which it fell to the ground along with a drop of white liquid. The small black figure quickly lapped up the white puddle. The fox was clearly a mother. The little critter did indeed resemble a fox. Unlike its mother, however, it only had a single tail. It was black and white in seemingly equal proportions.

The little baby fox didn't seem to realize what was going on; it continued lapping up the same puddle of milk joyfully, oblivious to its surroundings. It only stopped when it heard Cha Ming's steps, and it looked at him cautiously. After all, his mother had not prevented him from coming, so he must not be a threat. Perhaps a new friend? He immediately started dancing around Cha Ming, as if trying to play.

Cha Ming finally realized that he was alone. His friends had not been allowed through and had been forced to stay behind. He frowned but couldn't resist the temptation to kneel down and pet the baby fox. It playfully nipped at his hand while Cha Ming wrestled it and rubbed its stomach. The little fox was a lot like a playful dog, and he had played with many dogs as a child.

After a few moments of playing with the baby fox, Cha Ming suddenly realized that he was, in fact, in paw's reach of a giant three-tailed fox. In this moment of distraction, the baby fox pounced on him, knocking him down. He shot the baby fox a surprised look. The level of power it demonstrated was that of a second-level spirit beast. While he greatly outstripped the fox in power, the fox was merely a newborn! Demon beasts typically took a long time to mature, with some taking several tens of years to reach this level.

Finally, he sat down and kept the baby fox busy with his hand. He then looked at the giant three-tailed fox's eyes, which were almost closed. He could tell she was dying. This mighty demon beast's breathing had become shallower and shallower. While the beast could speak, he already knew what the fox wanted to convey. It was as though they had spent a long time together and had a tacit understanding.

She had been mortally wounded by that hound, and she was reaching out to him to take away her baby. She was not sure what would happen, but if the baby fox stayed in the forest without her protection, it would surely die. Other demon beasts would hunt it down for nourishment. Out of the group of five humans, the mother fox had the best impression of Cha Ming. This was why only Cha Ming was able to move forward and approach her young cub.

After giving Cha Ming an imploring look, she closed her eyes. He noticed a bit of a bewitching smile on the fox's face. Her red coat reminded him of the young lady in his dream. They were clearly one and the same. Finally, she let out her last breath, and the suppressing mists surrounding them started to fade. The baby fox was none the wiser and fast asleep. He had fallen into a deep sleep right before his mother's death. The mother fox had purposefully put him asleep to spare him the memory of her death.

Once he picked up the little baby fox, he noticed that the large red figure of the fox started shimmering. After a few breaths of shimmering, the powerful beast completely transformed into a red mist, which then floated out and rushed into the baby fox's forehead. The fog formed a faint red imprint on the baby fox's head. Looking closer, he noticed that the imprint formed a few characters:

Do not let worry

color the landscape

His instinct had been right all along. The large fox and the girl in red was the same creature. He pondered for a bit. Why did she ask to play that game? Could she have been testing him in some way? He shrugged and made his way toward the group. Initially, they seemed shocked that the fox had disappeared. A few seconds later, a glazed look appeared in their eyes, and they seemed to have forgotten the three-tailed fox. Clearly there had only been a baby fox lying on the ground. There had been no blood stains or pools of blood, only mist.

--

Women were always attracted to small baby pets, and Hong Xin and Gong Lan were no exception. Cha Ming didn't let go of the fox as they petted him while walking away. They were now unrestricted and could move anywhere they wanted. They decided to move away swiftly, as there were many hounds at the perimeter nearby, and there was no telling when the hounds would manage to get past the suppression that held them at bay.

Their group was finally able to move about freely, so they fled toward the east. They traveled twenty li before finally stopping at an abandoned cave, where they lit a fire. They then ate from their stockpiled rations, and soon enough, Feng Ming, Gong Lan, and Hong Xin were sound asleep in the back of the cave. Seeing that they were asleep, Wang Jun made a few gestures with his hands to indicate he wanted to talk. Outside, their surroundings were fully obscured, and Cha Ming could no longer make out the sleeping bodies of their three companions.

"That giant fox was a three-tailed fox. I'm sure you have heard the legends. However, I am sure that you have not heard the details behind these special foxes."

Cha Ming looked at Wang Jun, surprised. None of the other three had remembered the giant fox. Why was Wang Jun the exception? Wang Jun noticed his surprise and chuckled.

"Small tricks like this can't affect me. Only I can affect my own karma. Only I can even see my own karma. That fox was not a foundation-establishment demon beast. It was a pseudo-core-formation-stage demon beast."

Cha Ming gasped at the revelation. Core formation was beyond the foundation-establishment stage. To his knowledge, there were no core-formation experts in Green Leaf City.

"The reason I can conclude that this mother fox was a pseudo-core stage beast is that it was fatally wounded by the mid-foundation-establishment spirit hound and its brood. A core-formation beast would have surely been too powerful for the hound to fight against in any circumstance. However, a demon fox can only have three tails in the core-formation stage. There is only one exception: A demon fox will not truly step into the core-formation stage until it withstands heavenly tribulation. It would only undergo the tribulation after it grew its third tail, as every additional fox tail arouses the jealousy of the heavens.

"The black hound must have found the fox after it was weakened by the tribulation lightning but before it formed its beast core. This beast core is fundamentally different from the beast crystals that you often call a beast core, and only core-formation spirit beasts have such a beast core."

Wang Jun had at some point taken out a pot of tea. He poured Cha Ming a cup while explaining. Wang Jun, who would normally drink tea several dozen times a day, had not made a pot in several days. As usual, the tea that Wang Jun brewed was the best tea.

"Cha Ming, I will be blunt with you. This little fox, while a worthy companion, is doomed to die."

Cha Ming frowned.

Seeing his concern, Wang Jun sighed and continued. "I will explain to you why, and you can decide what to do. It is only fair that you understand the situation."

Cha Ming nodded, letting Wang Jun continue.

"There are some secrets that you surely are not aware of yet. It is complicated, but I will do my best to explain." Wang Jun then made a waving motion toward their sleeping friends, who were slightly visible through their obscured surroundings. To Cha Ming's surprise, some faded characters made of shadows appeared above Feng Ming's head. "My cultivation method is a little unique. I cultivate two elements. One is darkness, which you are aware of. What you are not aware of is that I also cultivate fate. I dual cultivate in shadow and fate, a very rare combination. It would be easier to find a kilin horn or a phoenix feather than someone with these affinities. Not even one person might be born with this combination on this continent in a hundred years. People like you who cultivate five elements are as common as grass in comparison."

This revelation surprised Cha Ming quite a bit. After all, a talented individual such as Zhou Li, who cultivated fire and fate, had been handpicked by the imperial family. Such a person would eventually be able to overturn the kingdom with a few words. Ignoring his shock, Wang Jun continued.

"What you see floating above Feng Ming is his name. This is his true name. It is obscured, but people with a certain cultivation level would be able to see it. As you know, names hold a great deal of power. What you might not know is that every person, every living thing, and every non-living thing, has a story that accompanies their name. Every true name is unique. His true name is not Feng Ming, because many people cannot have the same true name. If another person were to share his true name, he would also have the exact same story. However, how would it be possible for two of the same individual to exist in the same time, the same place, and with the same story? This would be a contradiction. Therefore, it is impossible for anyone else to have the same true name."

Wang Jun waved his hand again. This time, several other characters appeared beside Feng Ming's name. Some characters appeared blurry, and others seemed crystal clear. Despite their clarity, he could not read them.

"Much of Feng Ming's story has already been written. As you can see, many characters are written very clearly. This only happens when someone's fate is stable. On the bright side, while I will not reveal everything that I can see, I can assure you that Feng Ming will not die in these woods. For that matter, neither will Gong Lan or Hong Xin. However, certain people's stories are not easy to read, and not easily determined. For example, my own fate is obscure by nature, as is my true name. My apologies, Cha Ming, but due to my skill level I am unable to read your fate." He shot Cha Ming a meaningful glance. Clearly, this was a rare result.

Finally, Wang Jun waved at the fox. While a lot of things were obscure, a character appeared after the first few sentences. This character was crystal clear. The story below was blurred, and the characters almost seemed to crumble. He paused for a while, after which he pointed to the only clear character.

"This character has a name. Its name is Death."

--

Cha Ming was lying down, trying to sleep. His mind was racing. He kept repeating what Wang Jun said. This character has a name. Its name is Death. It was difficult to accept such a thing. The fox was still sleeping soundly, and it was helpless and innocent. He was sure that it would wake up given enough time. Until then, at least, he had a responsibility to take care of the baby fox. How could he simply abandon it?

As he looked out of the cave entrance, he could make out Wang Jun's silhouette. He, too, couldn't sleep, and he chose to stand outside near a dead tree, looking at the moonlight peeking through the trees. Sighing, Cha Ming took the fox into his arms and softly made his way out of the cave. Wang Jun did not turn toward him and kept staring out at the full moon, sipping tea. Quietly, he poured a second cup and held it out. Cha Ming accepted it and stood beside Wang Jun, drinking it quietly. An hour passed, after which Wang Jun spoke up.

"Your fate is strange, Cha Ming. While I can see many people's stories, I cannot see yours at all. This is a very rare thing. My fate is obscure because of what I cultivate. Yours is obscure for different reasons, which I do not know."

Cha Ming pondered for a bit, unsure of what to say. He was usually a quiet person.

"My friend," said Cha Ming, "you are very mysterious, and don't know what to say. I have had certain lucky encounters in my life, but I don't feel I will ever be able to share these secrets with anyone in my life." Cha Ming paused. "However, have you ever asked yourself if you would risk your life for someone else? I felt a deep sense of mourning in the mother fox's eyes. I felt that I somehow owed that fox. I owed it to take its child out of these woods. Is that a strange thing? I clearly never knew this fox, nor had I ever dealt with it. How can it be that I feel that I owe the fox?

"Perhaps… this is something that I can't explain. However, I have a feeling in my heart that I will regret it forever if I do not try to save this fox. As such, I can only try, even if you say that the fox is fated to die. This fox's fate changes nothing. I have a choice to make, and I would rather try and fail than never try, even if that means risking my life."

They continued drinking tea quietly, and the chilly wind swept across the desolate forest. A layer of frost was beginning to accumulate on the dead branches. This would continue until sunrise.

Unbeknownst to Cha Ming, Wang Jun's eyes were a little misty. He thought of a smiling, young girl's pretty face. She was happy, even though she had been wounded and blood was sleeping on the floor. She had tried to save a mother and her baby and had been mortally wounded in the process. Yet she had no regrets. Shaking his head, he turned toward Cha Ming.

"I can give the fox a way out. Heaven never seals off all exits. However, I must warn you. This is his fate, it's his story. I have a way to obscure this fox's fate, but there is no telling what the consequences are. After all, something must change in order for this fox to survive. Perhaps you are meant to live, and letting the fox live could cost you your life. If you are lucky, nothing special will happen, like a pebble in a steady stream. I truly don't know what the consequences will be.

"At a great cost to myself, however, I can make sure that this fox is not fated to die. In fact, this is the greatest secret of our family. Whenever our family members have encountered a certain and ill fate, those fated individuals in the family have interfered at key moments to give us a turning point. Every time our family is fated to fall, we obscure fate and use our wisdom to reverse an unfavorable situation.

"However, I have my own difficulties. I can't use this ability very often. In exchange, I want you to promise me a favor. You don't have the power to accomplish this now, but I am making a bet for the future. Can you owe me such a heavy favor for this fox?" Wang Jun looked at Cha Ming sternly.

"I promise you, Wang Jun. You are my friend. How can I not help?"

Looking at Cha Ming profoundly, Wang Jun closed his eyes. After a few breaths, he opened his eyes wide; his eyes were black, blacker than the deepest shadows. He then held out his hand, and the blackness in his eyes slowly traveled like tears down his face, eventually accumulating on his open palm.

After about an hour, the trace of shadow in his palm had grown into a ball of darkness the size of his fist. Finally, the last of the darkness in his eyes drained away. Following this last trace of darkness, all the color in the world seem to drain way. His golden hair, which had been shining in the light of the full moon, started losing its color. Wisps of white could now be seen in his hair, as if his very life itself was draining away! The ball on his palm started compressing with a golden hue. As Wang Jun continued to compress it, he continued to grow paler and paler. When he seemed like he could no longer endure, the ball condensed into a single, three-dimensional character—Obscure!

Once this character was formed, Wang Jun collapsed from exhaustion. Cha Ming rushed over to help him. As he stood up with Cha Ming's help, Wang Jun waved out his hand and exposed the fox's story. He then threw the solidified character at the character for death. As Death faded, so did the story. The story was now unknown to anyone. Wang Jun panted for a while, and finally his face regained some color. His golden hair, however, remained white.

"Obscuring fate for this fox has cost me ten years of my life, Cha Ming. Although in the long run it's not that much, depending on how much I achieve in my cultivation, that could be as little as one percent, but as much as ten!"

Cha Ming was shocked. When Wang Jun had told him he needed to pay a heavy price, he never imagined that the price would be so great.

"I hope you now appreciate how big of a favor this is. But what I will ask you to do in the future is worth so much more to me. I would give up on my life to accomplish this goal." He looked out at the moon, glaring. "But," he continued, "you are my friend, Cha Ming. I will not put you in any danger. To do this favor for me, you will need to be much stronger. You will need to be at least in the rune carving realm to help me, the realm above core formation!"

Finally, Wang Jun walked back toward the cave. "You should get some sleep, Cha Ming. We need to leave early tomorrow morning. This place will get very dangerous. Once the suppression of the three-tailed fox completely fades, the hounds will be back. They will chase us as long as they have to. Their true goal this whole time was that baby fox in your hands."

Despite Wang Jun's warning, Cha Ming did not sleep that night. He kept wondering what price he would need to pay for having Wang Jun change the fox's fate.