Going Home

Hu Li told everyone with utter certainty that she had buried her mother and father deep beneath the woods. Even though pits and trenches of all sizes now covered the ground everywhere, the spot where she had buried them had to still be there. Now, she began to dig. With the strength of a fox spirit, and unburdened by the effects of starvation, she dug quickly even with her bare hands. Loose soil was tossed continuously out of the pit. Yu Sheng and Irene stood nearby, quietly watching, while not far off stood the trio of Li Lin, Xu Jiali, and Little Red Riding Hood, who had gradually pieced together an idea of what was happening despite not knowing the full story. Sitting on Yu Sheng's shoulder as she watched Hu Li shovel out dirt below, Irene could not resist speaking up again. "Hey... how about we come back to look next time? It's been a while, and the Hunger entity might pop up again any second. If that happens, we'll have to fight it all over again..." "It won't. I can sense it... when it will appear. I've been here for many years," Hu Li said, looking up from the deep pit. "Not in this pit. It should be... next to it." With that, the fox-spirit girl climbed out of the pit, stood in the center of the wasteland to get her bearings, and soon moved to a nearby patch of ground to resume digging with all her might. Irene parted her lips, seemingly wanting to say something more, but Yu Sheng gently patted her arm. "Don't say anything. Let her dig. If she doesn't find them, she'll remain trapped in this place forever, even if she leaves." Irene pursed her lips, but her voice sounded in Yu Sheng's mind. *I'm not afraid of what she might dig up. I'm afraid that, in the end, she won't dig up anything at all.* *I know,* Yu Sheng replied in his mind as well. *Then why...* *Because I believe she'll find them.* Irene fell silent for a moment. *But you saw her mental state earlier. When the Hunger's influence was at its worst, she could barely form coherent thoughts. And considering what was deep inside that dream...* Yu Sheng merely shook his head. He then stepped forward, walking over to Hu Li. "Do you need my help?" Hu Li shook her head stubbornly as she dug at high speed. "No, I'll dig myself. It's right here. I saw it... the strip of cloth I buried before. It's just a little further down." Yu Sheng nodded and took two steps back. "All right, then I'll wait for you nearby." He stepped aside with Irene to a spot where the bottom of the pit was out of view, quietly waiting for the fox-spirit girl to finish what she needed to do. Yu Sheng had no idea how long he waited. He stood by calmly and patiently, yet every second that ticked away began to feel as long as a year. He couldn't resist the urge to check on the situation in the pit, but his legs felt rooted to the ground beneath him. He didn't know if Irene on his shoulder felt the same way, but he could sense that the little doll's body had been tense the entire time. "Once we get back, the first thing I'll do is fix your body," Yu Sheng said, breaking the silence in an attempt to divert Irene's attention. "Okay, sounds good," the doll replied absently. "Though we might be low on clay at home. I'll probably have to use some flour or something instead. You don't mind, right?" "Don't mind." "What if I use two lotus root segments?" "Don't mind." "Are you sure? I said two lotus root segments." "Don't m—wait, I do mind!" Irene snapped to her senses and glared at Yu Sheng with a fierce—or what she considered fierce—look. Right at that moment, she suddenly realized the digging sounds from the bottom of the pit had stopped. It had gone completely quiet down there. No more dirt was being tossed out, yet there was no sound from Hu Li either. Irene froze, then exchanged a sudden glance with Yu Sheng. "Oh no! It can't really be empty down there, can it?!" Without a word, Yu Sheng broke into a run toward the pit. He saw Hu Li. The fox-spirit girl was curled up quietly at the bottom of the pit—her body bent, cradling two fluffy tails in her arms, while the rest wrapped around her like a blanket. Beside her lay two neatly arranged skeletons. Curled into a ball between the two sets of bones, her body rose and fell slightly, resembling a young beast nestled beside its mother to sleep. Yu Sheng let out a breath and sat down amid the gravel and rubble beside the pit. Irene let out a breath as well, flopping directly onto Yu Sheng's head. A few minutes later, the fox curled up at the bottom slowly clambered to her feet. She looked at the two skeletons beside her, then raised her head to look at Yu Sheng sitting above, a faint smile gradually appearing on her face. Yu Sheng looked down at Hu Li. "Ready to go?" "Mm, ready to go." The fox spirit nodded, then bent down and carefully snapped off a sharp, inhuman canine tooth from each of the two skeletons before straightening up and walking over. Yu Sheng reached into the deep pit, grabbed Hu Li by the arm, and pulled her out. "Is taking just these enough?" Irene asked, staring curiously at the two canines clutched tightly in Hu Li's hand. "What about the rest...?" Hu Li shook her head. "Taking just the teeth is enough. Mother and Father said it's the fox way... when the teeth return home, they have returned home." "Then that's all that matters." Yu Sheng nodded, raising his hand to open the door to the mortal world. But just as he was about to do so, Hu Li seemed to remember something and tugged at his sleeve. "Benefactor, wait a moment, there's also..." Before she could finish, Yu Sheng caught on and slapped his own forehead. "Oh, right! I almost forgot something. Wait here for a second." The moment the words left his mouth, he pulled open another door and slipped inside, leaving Li Lin's trio not far away watching in utter bewilderment. He was not gone long. After just a dozen seconds, another door materialized in the exact same spot. Yu Sheng walked out carrying Irene on his shoulder, a slightly torn plastic bag clutched in his hand. Inside was the food that had been left behind in the ruins of the ruined temple. "Some of it got ruined by those monsters, but I brought back everything with intact packaging." Only then did a wider, happier smile spread across Hu Li's face. She immediately took the plastic bag and meticulously counted the contents, relaxing only after checking through everything twice. "All right, that really takes care of everything. Let's go home, then," Yu Sheng said with a smile. Reaching into the empty air beside him, he gave a casual pull, and a door leading to No. 66 Wutong Road materialized and swung open. In the center of the shimmering phantom image was his familiar living room. "Li Lin, you three hurry on over, too. Let's head back together." "O-Oh, okay!" Li Lin hastily responded, hurrying over alongside Little Red Riding Hood. Xu Jiali, following behind them, couldn't help casting a rather strange look at the door Yu Sheng had opened. Uncertain of what she was thinking, a hint of hesitation flickered in her eyes, but she quickly took a few brisk steps to catch up. Passing through the door, the chill wind of the Hunger Valley was blocked on the other side. The familiar scent of home brought a comforting atmosphere, prompting Yu Sheng to take several deep breaths the moment he returned. Without realizing it, he had truly come to feel that this place was home. Hu Li's eyes went wide as she marveled at a place that looked strange in every possible way. She had lived in that desolate valley for far, far too many years, to the point where she was no longer accustomed to "houses" like this. The intact, enclosed ceiling and the bright electric lights left her feeling at a bit of a loss. After freezing for several seconds, she set down the food in her hands and sat directly on the floor nearby, vigilantly guarding the instant noodles, biscuits, and eight-treasure porridge. Only occasionally did she steal curious glances at her surroundings, or turn her attention toward Yu Sheng. Li Lin, Xu Jiali, and Little Red Riding Hood were likewise observing the space with caution. Through the living room window overlooking the street, they had immediately confirmed that this was somewhere deep within Old Town along Wutong Road. Yet judging from the perspective looking out the window... Even as a professional Special Affairs Bureau operative, Li Lin could not identify which building on Wutong Road this was. At the same time, their spiritual intuition thrummed faintly in their chests, constantly reminding them that this was not the truly stable mortal world, but an abnormal space with a depth greater than zero. The three exchanged glances, reading contemplation and gravity in one another's eyes. Something was wrong with this place. Still, they couldn't just blatantly pull out a depth detector to measure the environment. While the man named "Yu Sheng" appeared quite friendly, his bizarre method of obliterating the Hunger entity and his uncanny ability to open doors between the foreign domain and reality at will all pointed to one thing: he was powerful and dangerous. Provoking such a mysterious and hazardous figure would be foolish. If they genuinely enraged this seemingly friendly "human," none of the three could expect to leave this place alive. "Is this... your home?" After hesitating for a long while, Li Lin was the first to break the silence. "Yeah," Yu Sheng nodded. "Make yourselves at home and have a seat wherever. I'll grab you some bottles of water. Things were hectic today, so I don't have anything prepared for guests. Don't mind the lack of hospitality." "Ah, don't trouble yourself," Li Lin said, waving his hands hurriedly. The more ordinary and friendly Yu Sheng seemed, the more uneasy Li Lin felt—after all, the sight of the entire valley's Hunger entity devouring itself had left a profound impression. "We'll be on our way shortly, on our way shortly..." He paused for a beat, then asked as casually as possible, "By the way, what place is this? Are we still in Jiecheng?" "Of course we are," Yu Sheng said as if it were obvious. "One look outside and you'd recognize it. It's Wutong Road—weren't you guys tailing me here specifically?" Cold sweat immediately broke out on Li Lin's forehead. "Uh... don't take that the wrong way. We didn't have a clear grasp of the situation back then..." "No big deal." Yu Sheng waved it off; he genuinely didn't mind. "I was actually looking for you guys, too, but I could never track you down." Li Lin and Xu Jiali were both taken aback, blurting out in unison, "Huh?" "You were looking for them, right?" Little Red Riding Hood reacted instantly, pointing a finger at Xu Jiali and Li Lin. "I'm just a student working a holiday job..." "No, I was looking for all of you," Yu Sheng said, his expression turning serious. "'Professionals' like you."