ENG
A fox beside the mountain stands, in sorrow deep and long,
With caring heart and hopeful wish, for her savior to belong.
With steadfast heart, it seeks the path, to rise and journey far,
Yet fate unknown, her end draws near, before it sees the star.
According to ancient texts, a fox that lives for a hundred years can transform into a human and gain knowledge of happening a thousand miles away. After a thousand years, it can communicate with the ones above and become a fox immortal.
There was once a young fox who harbored a deep aspiration to become a fox immortal from a very young age. Driven by this dream, it practiced diligently and tirelessly, never allowing itself to rest. In its quest for knowledge, the young fox frequently sought advice from its kin, asking, "How can I become a fox immortal?" Some experienced fox guais responded with cautionary wisdom, saying, "Becoming a fox immortal is no easy feat. Each year, the Lady of Mount Tai holds a rigorous examination. Only those who demonstrate exceptional skill in both arts and philosophy can ascend to immortality. Those who fail the examination are destined to remain as ordinary wild foxes, forever barred from achieving immortality."
The young fox asked, "But how can I excel in arts and philosophy? I don't even have anything to write with."
The fox guai replied, "Once you can transform, you can take the form of a beautiful woman or a handsome man and go to human towns to study and learn. But remember this: the Lady of Mount Tai oversees all foxes and despises those who seduce and consume humans. You must know that absorbing human essence is the quickest way for yaoguais to become powerful. If you wish to become a fox immortal, this path is forbidden, and you must set off on much more perilous and arduous path."
The young fox said, "I understand now, but I am not afraid of the perils and ordeals. I will discipline myself and follow the path to true immortality."
From then on, the young fox relied solely on the essence of the sun and moon for cultivation. Decades passed in the mountains. As she gradually accquired the ability to transform, she often approached human villages to observe their way of life. One day, it accidentally stepped into a hunter's trap and was rescued by a young scholar who took it home...
This story takes place in a world with specific rules for fox spirits. A fox that lives a hundred years can transform into a human and gain long-distance awareness; at a thousand years it can communicate with higher beings and become a fox immortal. The Lady of Mount Tai supervises foxes and each year holds a strict examination. Only those who excel in arts and philosophy at that exam can ascend to immortality; those who fail remain ordinary wild foxes forever.
The main character is a young fox who wants to become a fox immortal from a very early age. She asks older, experienced fox guais how to achieve that goal. They warn her that becoming immortal is difficult and that the Lady of Mount Tai despises foxes who seduce and consume humans. Those who follow that quick path to power are barred from true immortality.
Faced with that warning, the young fox asks how to learn the necessary arts and philosophy, noting she has nothing to write with. The fox guais tell her that once she can transform, she can take human form and go live among people to study, but she must never take the forbidden route of absorbing human essence. That route makes a yaoguai powerful quickly but ruins any chance at becoming a true fox immortal under the Lady’s rules.
Determined, the young fox vows to follow the harder path. She relies only on the sun and moon’s essence to cultivate, trains for decades without rest, and gradually gains the ability to transform. As part of learning, she often approaches human villages to observe people and their lives.
A turning point happens when she accidentally falls into a hunter’s trap. A young scholar rescues her and takes her home. The text ends there: she is saved and now in contact with a human who might influence her studies and future, but the story does not say what happens next.