At home, Thach Anh was hanging decorations on the cherry tree, while her parents prepared offerings for the ancestral altar. On the altar were flags depicting the Earth God and the God of Wealth; one protected the land and warded off evil spirits, while the other brought good fortune to the house.
"Tun, quickly take the fish to the river or lake and release them" - Mom Thuy
"Yes! Let's go, Huli." - Thach Anh
The fox jumped onto her head and they left the house. Their apartment was a nine-story building, mostly occupied by families. In front of the building was a large playground where children played and adults strolled.
Although not in the city center, near the outskirts, it was at least quiet and peaceful.
The place where she released the fish, according to legend, is where the Kitchen Gods ride golden fish to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about life on Earth over the past years.
When she got near West Lake, many people were already releasing fish, so she looked for a slightly quieter spot to release them. Huli licked her lips as she looked at the fish in her bag.
"Come on, we've already prepared chicken at home, what else do you want to eat?" - Thach Anh questioned.
"Hmm, I just feel sorry for these fish being released. Wouldn't it be better to grill or fry them?" - Huli
"Nonsense, this is a tradition of the holiday. To send the Kitchen Gods to heaven. If you eat these, how will the Jade Emperor know what's happening down here?" - Thach Anh
"That sounds even more nonsense. You don't even know where the Jade Emperor is." - Huli
"As if you know where the Jade Emperor lives." - Thach Anh
Holding the bag of fish in her hand, Thach Anh sat down carefully, leaning forward to release the fish into the lake. The fish swam out of the bag and disappeared into the water.
Having finished, Thach Anh turned and left, a dark shadow from beneath the lake watching her go.
Huli wagged her ears and turned her head to look towards the lake, but there was nothing there.
On the way home, the street became deserted, only the streetlights still shining down. A little girl and a fox were walking normally, unaware that the lights they passed were gradually going out. The lights ahead, which they hadn't yet passed, also began to go out. Soon, the lights above them went out, plunging everything around them into silent darkness.
Looking around, there wasn't a soul in sight, only large trees and concrete roads, accompanied by a cold wind. Huli began to cautiously observe, noticing a foul, fishy smell in the air, like the smell of seafood.
"Little one, get ready. A demon is about to appear." - Huli
"I know, but it seems this demon is very good at hiding." - Thach Anh
"Then, little one, let me show you a trick. Close your eyes and focus on the ground and your surroundings, ignore the minor noises and listen for any strange sounds." - Huli
Saying this, Thach Anh took a deep breath, closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and relaxed her mind and body.
She could see everything around her, though it was colorless, she could see the shapes of the objects around her. Suddenly, she saw something moving, the sound was like something walking on water, and it was approaching.
"Why the rush?" - Thach Anh
With a flick of her hand, a metal blade cut through the approaching creature. Thach Anh opened her eyes and saw a pitch-black creature cut in half and vanish.
"That was just the first one; there are others" - Huli.
"Then let them come" - Thach Anh.
She closed her eyes again. Sure enough, after killing the first demon, the others followed, attacking their kind. She remained calm, her body moving swiftly, her hands moving gracefully and smoothly, allowing the metal blade to cut through the demons decisively and silently.
Only when the last demon was destroyed did she open her eyes, and there was no trace of them left.
"It seems these little demons want to attract attention. Little one, use the technique I taught you," said Huli.
"Alright." - Thach Anh
Her two fingers clasped together, performing a spell. A teardrop-shaped mark appeared on her forehead, and golden patterns appeared on her body.
"Open!" - Thach Anh
The sword hovering before her eyes instantly multiplied, and many more swords appeared. Thach Anh moved her fingers, and the swords flew into the air, then rained down upon her at her command.
The creature hiding in the shadows, sensing danger, fled, fearing it would be struck by the falling swords.
"Unbelievable! It's just a child, yet she can perform such a powerful spell!"
"I've got you!" - Thach Anh
A sword pierced the shadowy figure, causing its blood to splatter black, revealing its true form as a black tiger. It writhed on the ground with the sword embedded deep in its leg.
"What? How did you do that?"
"It's simple, because only one of those blades is real." - Thach Anh
The surrounding blades disappeared one by one, leaving only the blade embedded in his leg intact. Although it didn't inflict any damage, it looked real and could deceive.
"But you know, I have to go home, and besides, the holidays are coming up, so... sorry." - Thach Anh
The metal fragment pierced deep into the demon, causing him to vanish.
Huli turned to look at her master, her face beaming with excitement.
"I did it!... This is the first group of demons I've personally eliminated..." - Thach Anh
"You did well, little one. Although you still have a long way to go and need to adjust your emotions, you've proven that you can fight." - Huli
"Are you praising me?" - Thach Anh
"You've been trained by me for so many years, of course I, as your elder sister, should feel proud." - Huli
"Huli..." - Thach Anh immediately hugged the fox to her chest.
"Okay, okay, don't hug me too tightly. Otherwise, the fox fur will fall all over you." - Huli gently patted the fox's paws against her chest.
The fox nestled against Thach Anh's chest, its eyes showing pride, though also a hint of worry.
When they got home, Thach Anh was exhausted, so she quickly climbed onto her bed and fell asleep.
Outside, her parents were having some private time together.
Huli was in the garden, watching the golden rays of light rising into the sky; these were the fish that had been released. It was time for them all to fly up into the sky after many families burned joss paper.
"Today is the day, it's time for that child to overcome the tribulation," Huli said.
The fox returned inside the house, jumped onto the bed, and gently patted Thach Anh's cheek. Something patted her, and Thach Anh opened her eyes, yawning a long yawn.
"What's wrong?" Thach Anh asked.
"It's time, wake up and get into meditation." Huli said.
"Now?" - Thach Anh immediately became alert.
"That's right, hurry up!" - Huli
Hearing this, she quickly ran out into the garden, crossed her legs, and sat in a meditative posture. The energy around her began to converge, starting the process of transcending the realm.
Huli jumped into Thach Anh's the inner world and saw that the spiritual root was absorbing a lot of spiritual energy. However, something still made the fox suspicious: Why was this child's progress in cultivation so slow? More than several years had passed, and he was still stuck at the Qi Refining level.
"It seems I still need some time to observe." - Huli
A halo surrounded the small figure, and the spiritual energy in her body condensed from a gaseous to a liquid form.