How to Catch a Celestial Fox

The village of Baoshen wasn’t situated between eight mountains as its name suggested, but rather eight hills that were sort of large considering the terrain they were on. It gave way to many creeks with small waterfalls, beautiful sections of forests and many valleys, but it was not treacherous to climb. Like Anyang valley, Baoshen was a flat plain situated between these eight hills.

 

Following the main road to the village, Huo Huli made a quick mental checklist to assess things. He could see that while it was a farming community, they did not utilize the irrigation from the nearby creeks efficiently. There also looked to be crops that weren’t faring too well, which may be an indication of poor soil. Elder Huo Guowang also mentioned that there was a lack of quality medicine in the village. He stopped to stare out at the fields and lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the sun.

 

“See anything special?” Huo Ningjing stopped to stand beside him, squinting in the distance.

 

“Mmm...just looking at the farms. I can see a possible spot for a watchtower.” Huo Huli dropped his hand and picked his pace back up, not wanting to fall too far behind the rest of the disciples.

 

“Do you think we’ll need one?” His brother asked, walking in step with him, despite Huo Huli’s larger stride.

 

“We might. From what the Elders said, there have been too many missing persons to be considered normal. If it’s not bandits, it’s something else, and Huo Cheng might have a clue.” Huo Huli didn’t need to point out the obvious that a prime suspect was whatever the being that stole the skin off that corpse and fed it to the jiangshi nest. His cousin didn’t share more details with the others, but they had yet to meet in private to discuss what his vision entailed.

 

Huo Ningjing nodded and rubbed the back of his hand against his eye, letting out a loud yawn. His brother hadn’t slept that well in the makeshift camp, complaining of too many rocks poking at his back. He too was also a little tired, and from the looks at the other faces in their group, many others were too.

 

Ahead of them at the road were a group of children playing with a leather ball, kicking it to one another. Huo Cheng shouldered his way through the other disciples and jogged ahead, stopping to talk to them. Several of the kids ran off but a few stayed beside Huo Cheng and stared at them as they approached.

 

When they reached Huo Cheng, his cousin smiled, “I asked the kids to go get the village elder and let them know we are here.”

 

One of the children, a young girl, tugged on Huo Cheng’s long sleeve. “Daozhang, are those friends of yours? They look mean.” 

 

She pointed a pudgy little finger at the Seven Star disciples. His brother snickered loud enough that he had to bump Huo Ningjing with his hip to get him to hush. Bai Luo’s ears turned scarlet and he chuckled nervously as he intervened, “Oh, no one here is mean! I promise! We are also disciples here to help.”

 

The other child looked less convinced and narrowed his eyes. He glared up directly at Zhou Rong, who stared down impassively back at the child. Neither one flinched, and Huo Huli found the little staring contest amusing. He bit the inside of his cheek to hide his smile as two older women came up to greet them with children in tow.

 

The eldest of the two women, who was hardly that elderly, was a beta. Her stiff bun only had a bit of grey around her temples and hairline, so perhaps her position was one given to her by the villagers rather than being a true elder. She had one eye and wore a leather eye patch covering the other, and a few teeth missing from her grin. The younger woman beside her was an alpha, and from the looks of their faces and shared strong shape of their nose, they must have been related.

 

Both of them bowed, and the younger one spoke. “Thank you all for coming. When Minister Gong said he was sending you here, we were beside ourselves.”

 

Huo Huli froze his face into a polite smile at the mention of Minister Gong and said nothing, letting Huo Cheng take the lead. 

 

“We are happy to help. Please call me Huo Cheng. I am a disciple from Anyang Huo Clan, and these are my two cousins.”

 

Everyone made polite introductions and though he, his brother, and Huo Cheng insisted on being called just by their names, the other disciples insisted on a more formal address. The older woman was Wei Ming and as he guessed correctly, the alpha named Wei Jin was her daughter. Wei Jin ushered the children away while Wei Ming continued to speak with them.

 

“Is there an inn we may stay in, or perhaps some other lodgings?” Bai Luo asked, sneaking a glance at the rest of them. “I don’t know about you but I could use a rest.” 

 

“Of course, of course.” The older woman said, motioning with her arm for them to follow.

 

The village was modest in size but was bigger than those typically found in the rural outskirts. It had a diverse market, some decent houses, and the inn that Wei Ming brought them to was sizable. They walked in single file through the door, but Wei Ming stopped him and his brother from entering the inn.

 

“I’m sorry, but the inn does not accept omegas as guests.” The wrinkles around her lips were more pronounced as she pinched them together, genuinely looking upset. “I am sorry for inconveniencing you. We did not know you would be coming, but I promise to find suitable lodgings before nightfall.”

 

The beta from Heavenly Lake was still outside with them and he looked far more offended than Huo Huli was. Huo Cheng was just inside the door watching, though the other alphas were off, most likely securing a room. He was used to some discrimination, but Wei Ming did not appear to be a woman who was prejudiced.

 

Huo Ningjing’s never-ending stomach growled and he pouted. Huo Huli smiled, “Would we still be allowed to take a meal in the inn?”

 

Wei Ming’s frown deepened and she wrung her weathered hands together, “I am sorry, but I think the small restaurant by the market would be best suited.” 

 

Huo Huli’s eyes drifted over to the inn and he extended his senses to reach into it. He quickly found what the issue was by the back rooms, where one omega was servicing a gentleman in one room, and a different one with a woman in another. It became clear to him that it wasn’t the inn that had an issue, but that Wei Ming did not want to disrespect them.

 

Once he pulled his senses back in, he stepped up to her and gently took her hand and held it between his. “Thank you Elder Wei Ming. I understand your concern, and please know I am not offended. If you feel worried about us staying there, I trust you will put us in safe hands.”

 

The old beta woman still looked pitiful and apologized, “I am very sorry.”

 

He patted the back of her hand and smiled brightly to try and cheer her up. “Would you be so kind enough to show my brother and me the restaurant?”

 

Looking a little less weary, she gave a slight squeeze back to his hand and a faint smile. Huo Huli slid his arm through hers and followed her to the restaurant, where she gave a small tour of the village along the way. By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Huo Ningjing’s belly was groaning at full force.

 

“I will go find a suitable home for you to stay during your visit,” Wei Ming parted with a smile and shuffled off. 

 

The restaurant itself was small, quaint, and from the looks of the other patrons’ food, it had plenty enough portions to satisfy his brother. He dropped his sack down beside a table that was next to the window and sat across from his brother.

 

Huo Ningjing rubbed his belly, his eyes wide as he looked at other plates being served. “Mmm! We still have our money pouch, right?”

 

“Yes,” he answered slowly and tapped on the table. “But we are going to be mindful of how we spend it, aren’t we?”

 

“Yeeeees…” His brother reluctantly answered and waved to the woman attending to everyone now that she wasn’t busy. She made her way to the table and served them tea first and asked what they would like to eat. Huo Ningjing started ordering by pointing at various plates that patrons were eating. “I would like that one...that one...oh, two of those!”

 

Huo Huli sighed and shook his head. How he can eat so much and still be so small is only an answer the gods could provide.

 

Some heads turned towards them, and one man mid-bite of some soup paused to gawk as the list went on and on. Huo Ningjing pointed at that exact soup next, “And what he’s having!” Finally, his brother looked at him. “What are you having, Li’er?”

 

The patient woman who had been taking the rapid-fire, bizarre series of orders paused. She looked between them both, “T-t-this isn’t for both of you?”

 

Huo Huli leaned towards her, “I will have a small bowl of fish soup and nothing more.”

 

She clutched her chest and let out a sigh of relief. “Oh goodness. Thank you.”

 

He pulled out a silver tael from the pouch in his robes and gently pushed it into her palm. He was grossly overpaying, but sometimes showing generosity earned a bit of trust and he owed it to the woman for having the willingness and patience to feed his brother. She looked down at it and her eyebrows met her greying hairline. She whispered a hurried thank you and rushed back through the open door in the back, calling out to whoever was cooking to hurry.

 

“We finally have a moment to ourselves! So while our food is cooking…” Huo Ningjing set his palms on the table and leaned forward, dropping his voice. “Who do you think is the cutest in the bunch?”

 

“None of them,” he answered simply and lifted his teacup to his lips and blew on it lightly. Huo Ningjing whined.

 

“Llliiiii’eerrrrr…” Huo Ningjing fidgeted in his seat. “You have to have an opinion on somebody.”

 

“My opinion of our cousin is that he needs to strengthen his upward swing,” Huo Huli took a sip, then continued, “The beta from Heavenly Lake has a good head on his shoulders, but I think he hesitates too much. Mu Yi waits to deliver the final blow, taking the credit for himself.”

 

“Oh, is that all?” Huo Ningjing crossed his arms and huffed.

 

Huo Huli paused to think and tilted his head. He thought about Zhou Lieren and how he helped earlier with a show of impressive reflexes and skill. A beat later, he shrugged one of his shoulders. “The other alphas were competent.”

 

“Why can’t you be a normal person for once?” Huo Ningjing rattled the teaset by banging his elbows on top of the table to hold his cheeks in his hands.

 

“I think what you’re asking for is why can’t I be more like you, Xiao Huo.” He smiled despite his best efforts and Huo Ningjing sulked even more.

 

“What is wrong with that?” Huo Ningjing’s face brightened when their soup arrived. They said their thanks to the woman and Huo Huli swirled his spoon in the soup before sipping it. “Don’t you want to get married, gege?”

 

“No,” he said flatly because he learned a long time ago that the families asking after him were expecting someone to look like Huo Ningjing. His first match when he was sixteen fell through because the alpha son thought his portrait was a mistake. When he saw that he really was like this, he called things off. Alphas and families wanted a pretty omega with a flashy title, not him. Since then, he just flatly denied any that came to his parents, not wanting to deal with the rejection or hassle. 

 

Huo Ningjing only changed the subject slightly. “I think I like Bai Luo. He’s quite handsome, and do you see how big his arms are? I want to ask Papa to look into him.”

 

He choked on his mouthful of soup and dropped the spoon. He coughed into the crook of his elbow, sputtering some of the milky broth onto his sleeve. 

 

The woman rushed over and grabbed the sleeve of his opposite arm, “Daozhang! Are you alright? Do not tell me there were fishbones in the soup? Oh no, oh no!”

 

She knelt down and began to prostrate herself when Huo Huli had another round of coughs. He shook his head and reached down to touch her shoulder.

 

“No, no. It is my fault, kind Miss.” Huo Huli smiled through a tiny cough and cleared his throat, “It was just so pleasant that I took too large of a sip. Having such a wonderful meal after a long journey, I was too eager.”

 

“Daozhang, you are much too kind.” She gave one more bow before she finally stood up, “Your generosity knows no bounds. This humble person thanks you.”

 

Huo Ningjing watched with a pleased smile on his face, having already slurped up everything in his bowl. Huo Huli exchanged a few more thank yous, and once he was finally able to get some peace, he glared at his brother.

 

“What?” He had to gall to look innocent and bat his eyelashes.

 

“You will not send a message to our parents asking them about a man you just met.” His appetite lost now, he set the spoon aside.

 

“We didn’t just meet. It’s been two days!” Huo Ningjing huffed indignantly and carefully watched as someone brought out a plate, tracking its movement. The young boy carrying the plate set it down on a different patron’s table, and Huo Ningjing slumped back in his seat. “Gege, I just want to get married before I am twenty. I am in the prime of my youth - I would like to have children before then!”

 

Huo Huli frowned and he picked up his teacup to give himself something to do while he thought on his brother’s words. Guilt made the otherwise decent and delicate tea taste bitter. It was Huo Huli that needed to leave the city, so his mother and cousin Huo Guowang pushed his father into letting him join the sect. Huo Ningjing begged to come along since he did not want to be apart from him, and because of all this, his brother was having a hard time finding prospective marriages.

 

Have I done wrong by my brother? He wasn’t sure if he did the right thing, but he could not change the past. He set his cup of tea down but kept his hands around the cup, enjoying the warmth.

 

“After this trial, would you like for me to ask Elder Huo to let you go back home?” 

 

“Whaaa?” Huo Ningjing spoke around a large mouthful of rice with his cheeks puffed out. From the food and his glare, Huo Huli’s brother looked like an angry mouse who found its way into a cupboard.

 

“Chew your food!” He quickly reminded Huo Ningjing before he opened his mouth. Huo Ningjing complied, rolling his eyes as he made a show of exaggerating his chewing.

 

Once done, Huo Ningjing's glare returned. “Why would you do that? I love being in the valley!”

 

That eased some of the aches in his belly. At least he doesn’t resent me for that.

 

“I just want to do what’s in your best interest, Xiao Huo.”

 

“I just want to live happily in the valley, with a husband, a lot of good food, and children.” Huo Ningjing’s sigh was wistful, his eyes far away like he was imagining it right in front of him. “Why can’t I have it all?”

 

“I want that for you too, but why can’t you settle down with a nice alpha from the valley?” At least he could sort of trust some of the alphas from there. If he had his way, none of the alphas in their current group besides Huo Cheng would be within twenty paces of his brother.

 

Huo Ningjing whipped his head side to side, his face scrunched up. “No! They are all so boooring.”

 

He sighed. Well, I tried. He did not have the energy to argue about it anymore, so he resolved to just watch his brother much more carefully than he originally planned. He picked up his spoon again and went back to his soup.

 

With the last plates of food polished clean of any crumbs, the restaurant owner came back to see them off. He cupped his hands and bowed to her.

 

“Kind Miss, may I trouble you for some information?”

 

“Yes, Daozhang, what would you like to know?” She brushed off her apron and stood up straighter.

 

“Please, kind Miss, you may call me Huo Laoda if I may call you Aunty?” At her shock, he was quick to reassure her. “I will be here for many weeks to come, and I would appreciate making friends with such lovely people like yourself.”

 

Her crooked smile was very sweet, and it made Huo Huli feel less weary from all the traveling. “Yes, Huo Laoda. Please call me Aunty Li. What is it that you would like to know?”

 

“As such a successful business owner, you must hear all about the goings-on in the village,” Huo Huli started with the compliments before going for his ask. In his experience, being polite and giving a little bit of praise went a long way.

 

“Certainly! Yes!” Aunty Li nodded eagerly. “I am sure that I can help you find what you need.”

 

“Thank you, Aunty Li. Is there a building or room suitable enough for us to build a clinic? One of the things my Elder told me before coming is there was not enough medicine or knowledge.” Huo Huli turned his body to allow his brother to step closer. “This is my brother, Huo Dier. He is a skilled physician, and if men and women are willing, we would be happy to help and teach as much as we can while we are here.”

 

Huo Ningjing bowed, “Hello Aunty Li!”

 

“This is all wonderful news! Thank you very much, Huo Laoda, Huo Dier. Come, come.” Aunty Li led them outside, back onto the main road that cut through the middle of the villager and pointed towards the fields. “There is an old barn that held horses a long time ago. It is still sturdy but may need a new roof and a good cleaning. I think I can get some strong people to come help with the repairs.”

 

“That would be much appreciated, Aunty Li.” He took a hold of her hands and squeezed them affectionately. “If you hear of anyone with an interest in medicine, please send them to one of the disciples in town.”

 

They shared their long goodbyes then parted ways, and he and Huo Ningjing made their way back to the inn. Outside of it near the door was Huo Cheng leaning back against the building with his arms crossed. He had his eyes closed but opened them when they reached him, and Huo Huli waved at him.

 

“I think our first step for the clinic is underway. How are things here?”

 

“Well…” Huo Cheng clucked his tongue and shook his head. “The Heavenly Lake boys passed out instantly, and when I suggested to the Seven Star sect that we should go ask about the farming situation, they laughed.”

 

Huo Ningjing’s plump cheeks turned bright red. “Those good for nothing--”

 

“Hush,” Huo Huli put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Complaining about them will just get us more upset, and we also don’t want the villagers to think there’s any discord between us. We can take a day to rest and recharge.”

 

“Then what happens after that?” Huo Ningjing huffed. “Are we just going to let them off the hook?”

 

“We can lead by example, and they’ll learn soon enough that serving the greater good is more than just vanquishing some ghosts.” He fished for the money pouch inside his robe and took it out to hand over a few coins to his brother. “Here, see if you can go find us some things we need. You can do what you want with any remaining money, okay?”

 

“Yay!” Huo Ningjing clutched the money to his chest, hugging it tightly before slipping it into a pocket inside his robe. “I’ll be back soon!”

 

Full and pacified, his brother skipped away down the road towards the market. Huo Huli didn’t like to do something so underhanded as to manipulate his brother, but he needed to speak to Huo Cheng alone. He looked to his cousin, “Let’s take a walk.”

 

Huo Cheng lifted himself from the wall and crossed his arms as he walked leisurely beside him. Huo Huli waited until they were far enough from the inn to ask his questions.

 

“What did you see that was so troubling?”

 

Huo Cheng arched a brow and cast a sidelong glance at him, “You picked up on that?”

 

“If it was something like a corpse fiend or a jiangshi, you wouldn’t have hesitated about letting us go after it. I’ll ask again, what is it that you saw?”

 

His cousin was silent so he turned his head to look at him, but he looked more contemplative than reluctant to share information. Huo Cheng rubbed his chin with a hand and sighed.

 

“I am still piecing together what it is I actually saw. I was watching through its eyes, which means it was human. The reason I know it sensed us was because it sensed me. It was like it knew I was inside.” Huo Cheng’s brow lowered with a frown, “I think whoever it was may have purposefully pulled me in.”

 

Huo Huli stopped in his tracks at that revelation. Huo Cheng paused as well and turned to face him, sharing the same look of worry that Huo Huli was sure he had on his face too. “If they did that...do you suspect it’s a demonic cultivator?”

 

“It has to at least be a person who knows the basics of manipulating the mind. It could be a regular cultivator, or a rogue one, too. I don’t want to sound alarmist by mentioning the possibility that it is a demonic cultivator, because you know I can’t control these visions, but I would rather not underestimate an enemy.”

 

He agreed. If it was a fluke that Huo Cheng was able to pick up on the cultivator and scared it off, they must have tried to cover its tracks with the jiangshi. But if it wasn’t a mistake, and the demonic cultivator was strong enough to force a vision, then it meant they may have purposefully lured them to the mine. Either scenarios were troublesome, but the latter made things even more complicated. It would mean their enemy was smart, and they’d have to be smarter.

 

Sighing, he stepped closer to his cousin and gently patted his arm. “Let me sit on this for a few days before we share this with the others. We don’t have any more information to go on right now, so until we do, we can continue with what we planned from the start.”

 

“Would you like to prioritize the clinic first or watchtowers?” Huo Cheng asked.

 

“Mmm…” He turned and started walking again, and Huo Cheng fell in step with him. “A woman in the village is already looking for able bodied people to come help us build. Which would you advise first?”

 

“One watchtower to start, at the weakest line of sight in the south. It would not be hard to split the work to construct the clinic and first watchtower simultaneously.”

 

“Where should the others be placed?”

 

They stopped again and Huo Cheng surveyed the hills that surrounded them. He pointed out a few specific locations in the distance, such as the fields, towards one of the larger hills against the valley, and in the direction of one of the two rivers adjacent to the village. “It would be easy for the villagers to manage it themselves even after we are gone, and with a fire signal we can know where the threat is coming from immediately.”

 

Huo Cheng was a good tactician, and he trusted his opinion. If he thought things should be done in this order, Huo Huli was more than happy to follow.

 

“I’ll make the necessary preparations.” He touched his cousin’s arm again and squeezed, hoping to reassure him, even though he was nervous as well. “We’ll be alright.”

 

“Huo Laoda!” Wei Ming’s raspy voice called out. They both turned and she waved to them before shuffling to meet them. She paused to catch her breath once she was standing in front of them. “Hello to you both. Huo Laoda, I was able to find a kind family that will let you stay in their home for the time being. I ran into Li Biyu and she said that you were interested in making the old barn into a clinic? If that’s the case, we can probably put together a room in there too.”

 

Huo Huli smiled brightly, “Thank you very much for your hard work, Elder Wei Ming. It is very much appreciated, and I thank you on behalf of my brother as well. I think it would be a fine idea for us to make a room in the clinic, don’t you agree, Huo Cheng?”

 

“I think that would be excellent.” Huo Cheng joined in the round of smiling with his own charming one. “I saw quite a few pregnant people, and it would be best to have someone available on call, and to be able to stay throughout the night.”

 

“Then it’s all settled!” Huo Huli clapped his hands together. “Cheng’er, would you be so kind to escort Elder Wei Ming? I would like to have a nice quiet walk.” To Wei Ming, he added, “I will come by before dark so you may introduce me and my brother to that family, alright?”

 

It was another set of extended goodbyes before they finally went their separate ways. Huo Huli wanted to go on a walk alone to think about all this information, but his instincts guided him to the edge of the village towards a small river.

 

There was a strange feeling of being watched as he walked along the river bank. He tried to extend his senses and look around casually as to not raise suspicion, but he could not find anyone. Am I just anxious? He never second guessed his instincts before, but he also knew that this was a situation he wasn’t used to.

 

When he went on night hunts or missions to villages, he was only with the people in his sect. There was a buffer between him and villagers, or him with strangers. The alphas in the Huo Clan sect he could trust - the ones outside, he could not. Now he was forced to work alongside five other alphas who, for the most part, varied wildly in terms of skill and temperament. Trying to remain calm stretched his breathing exercises to its limits, and there was a bundle of pent up energy inside that made it hard for him to be still.

 

As he pondered about how to help with his nerves, his eye caught something lazily floating down the river and he bent down. It was a delicate, pretty pink blossom of some kind traveling along the gentle current like a little boat adrift at sea. He dipped his hand in the water to catch the pink flower and cradled it gently in his palm, then slowly transferred it to the other so the water fell away. At closer inspection, he realized it was a little plum blossom.

 

Droplets of water clung to the frail petals of the plum blossom, looking like dew or remnants of melting snow during the time the blossoms start to bloom. He looked up along the path of the river and tilted his head. Are there plum trees nearby?

 

He shifted his attention back to the flower and speculated out loud, “Where did you come from, I wonder.”

 

He liked leaves and flowers, and this would be an excellent specimen to press in his journal once it dried off, but he could explore the area once things quiet down to try and find where this blossom came from. If he would have to be around so many people for three months, having a quiet retreat among a grove of plum trees would be heaven.

 

Inspired now, he felt like he had something to look forward to. Standing back up, he stroked the blossom petals with the back of his pinky and spoke to the flower again, “After we get the clinic done, I’ll look for your tree.”

 

With the promise of a little safe haven, his tension eased and he turned and made his way back to find his brother. There was still the subtle sensation which made the skin on the back of his neck prickle, but he still could not sense or see anyone watching. The feeling didn’t disappear until he was well into the village. He couldn’t explain it, but one thing was certain for Huo Huli - he had to be on alert against the other disciples, but to whatever was outside too.