Its nine tails rose at the same time and, in the next instant, shot toward her like gigantic spears, charged with devastating intent. Hong Jiu'er let out a small cry; instinctively, she covered her face with her arms and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the impact... for death...
But nothing happened.
The silence stretched on, heavy and strange. Confused, she slowly opened her eyes and, barely a few centimeters away from her, the fox's tails had stopped dead in their tracks, completely motionless, as if something invisible were holding them back.
Then—
From the ground of the Sea of Consciousness, countless chains emerged. They rose like living serpents and entangled themselves around the black fox's body, trapping it forcefully.
"Cursed witch!" the creature roared, struggling furiously.
But it was useless. The chains tightened, dragging it back mercilessly, sinking it little by little into what appeared to be a dark lake that had appeared out of nowhere. The water enveloped it, and its figure slowly disappeared... until nothing was left. The world fell silent.
"W-what... what is this...?" Hong Jiu'er murmured, trembling, completely unable to understand what had just happened. The only thing she wanted at that moment... was to get out of there.
But the space began to change. The darkness faded, and the turbulent lake transformed into tranquil waters, clear as a mirror. The air became warm and serene, as if nothing from before had ever occurred.
"Hello, granddaughter."
The voice was soft, familiar. Hong Jiu'er turned immediately. A beautiful woman with red hair and eyes of the same color was observing her with a maternal smile. Upon seeing her, the girl's eyes filled with tears.
"Grandmother!" she cried out, running toward her and throwing herself into her arms.
The woman received her calmly, gently stroking her head as she wiped away her tears.
"Calm down, little Yue'er..." she said sweetly. "Didn't I tell you that you shouldn't cry so much? Wrinkles will form on your face."
Hong Jiu'er sobbed a bit more, but gradually calmed down. She nodded while clinging to her.
"Grandmother... what was that?" she finally asked, still with fear in her voice.
The woman shook her head gently.
"You cannot know yet," she replied calmly. "But that thing... cannot harm you, even if it tries."
Hong Jiu'er nodded, though a small pout appeared on her face.
"I thought you had gone very far away... why didn't you visit me after so much time?" she asked, with a tone that mixed sadness and reproach.
The woman immediately denied it.
"It's not that I didn't want to, it's that I couldn't," she answered softly. "The Heavenly Laws bind me. Right now, I can barely manifest myself using a trace of my Divine Sense."
Her words were complex, full of concepts that completely escaped Hong Jiu'er's comprehension. The girl frowned slightly, clearly unable to understand even half of it. The woman smiled tenderly upon noticing her confusion.
"Don't worry," she continued. "That young man outside will eventually teach you those things. For now, just know that I am behind you... and that I will protect you from all harm."
Hong Jiu'er nodded, clinging to her more tightly.
"You won't leave again?" she asked in a low voice.
The woman remained silent for an instant. A faint sadness crossed her gaze, but she neither denied nor affirmed it. Instead, she simply stroked the girl's head gently.
"It is time for you to go," she finally said. "This space was created using that beast's authority. Now that it is chained again, it won't be able to harm you for a while."
As she spoke, her voice began to grow distant, as if fading away little by little.
"I don't want to go... grandmother," Hong Jiu'er said, shaking her head as she reached out her arm, trying to grasp her. But the woman's figure was already beginning to vanish. "I don't want to go... grandmother!" she cried out, with tears pooling in her eyes.
The woman only nodded sadly, saying goodbye in silence.
In the next instant, Hong Jiu'er snapped her eyes open in the real world.
"Grandmother!" she screamed.
Wu Huang, who was by her side, was slightly startled by the sudden shout. His eyes swept the surroundings by instinct, assessing any potential danger, before turning his attention back to her.
"An inner demon or a mental problem...?" he murmured to himself as he approached, observing her cautiously.
However, after quickly checking her condition, he detected no obvious anomaly in her energy. Hong Jiu'er said nothing; she only wept inconsolably. Tears fell uncontrollably, accompanied by sobs that seemed difficult to contain.
Wu Huang remained silent for a moment, feeling somewhat awkward. They did not have that kind of closeness and, to be honest, he did not desire it either. Even so, he could not simply ignore her. He opened his mouth, but found no suitable words. He found it easier to explain cultivation techniques than to comfort a child.
Finally, after a while, Hong Jiu'er gradually calmed down. Her sobs diminished into short, sharp breaths. She seemed to hesitate, as if she were about to say something; she was ready to tell him everything that had happened in her Sea of Consciousness. But before she could speak, Wu Huang stopped her.
"There is no need to explain it to me," he said calmly. "Unless it is something that interferes with your cultivation, your secrets are yours."
His tone was direct, devoid of curiosity or insistence. He did not want to get involved. After all, dealing with a Daughter of Destiny, the secrets surrounding her were no simple matters... and the less he knew about them, the better for his peaceful life.
Hong Jiu'er visibly deflated. She had hoped to be able to tell him, perhaps receive some guidance or help, but seeing his direct refusal to listen, she could only swallow her words and fall silent, looking down.
Wu Huang shook his head and formed a faint, ironic smile.
"Congratulations," he said calmly. "You have entered the first stage of Qi Refining. It is quite impressive."
His tone, however, showed not the slightest surprise. To him, dealing with the so-called Children of Destiny, that could barely be considered remarkable. In fact, he found it stranger that she had not made an even greater leap.
I thought she would advance directly to the final stage of Qi Refining... he reflected to himself. His eyes rested on her with a hint of analysis. Oh... so she's the slow-progress type... or perhaps she will have an explosive increase later on.
He did not delve any further into it. To Wu Huang, those kinds of things were not something he needed to get too involved in.