A fussy, old-fashioned worrier and his fierce, beautiful fox immortal ancestor~
Idealistic, long-winded, loyal, upright official gong x conceited, lawless fox immortal ancestor shou
"I would cast aside the Eight Virtues, defy the whole world, and ask to marry my ancestor."
*
He Lang'an is descended from royalty.
Unfortunately, the He family of Hengcheng has had only one heir per generation, and by the time his father was born, the family had fallen into ruin.
Then the plague claimed a few lives, and famine took a few more. Soon, he was the only one left at home.
*
Every family has its rules. Even in their darkest days, the He family still burned incense and paid their respects to their ancestors. But the one they worshipped was not some illustrious royal forefather. They worshipped a shrine.
His parents told him that the shrine housed the He family's guardian spirit, an ancestor who was a fox immortal.
So when he was all alone, he could only talk to his ancestor, chattering on and on for seven or eight years.
*
A long time passed without him visiting the ancestral shrine.
Then one day, he came back in a daze, holding a torch.
He said, "The world is too dark, and your grandson can't go on. I fear outsiders will disturb your peace, so I have no choice but to let the ancestral shrine burn. I'll beg your forgiveness in the underworld for this sin."
But just as the fire reached one corner of the shrine, something pitch-black crawled out of it first.
His ancestor had appeared.
Not white at all,
so... so black!
He survived because he had to take care of his ancestor.
*
His ancestor soon cultivated a human form.
But he found it a little disappointing. He loved his ancestor's fluffy form. It was so soft to touch, and especially warm to cuddle on winter days.
But ever since his ancestor saw through his thoughts, he rarely turned back into a fox.
His ancestor was the most handsome man he had ever seen.
His ancestor's silver hair flowed like a waterfall, his face was fair and pale, and his peach-blossom eyes were utterly captivating, like a pool of spring snow.
He was sure his ancestor could charm the souls out of countless people, just like in the opera. And in truth, many people admired him, both men and women.
*
His ancestor had his own habits.
At midnight, he would always pick up the ever-burning lamp before the shrine and kneel naked on a cushion, using only his snowy-white tail to cover himself a little.
At first, He Lang'an could only marvel at his ancestor's otherworldly beauty, too sacred to profane.
But later, he found himself less and less able to look directly at the sight.
He felt that his thoughts were impure, and if he kept looking, he would surely commit some shocking offense against his ancestor.
So he stopped looking.
Instead, he became even more eager for his ancestor to turn back into a fox, so he could hold him in his arms.
Hold him... in his arms?
He heard that his ancestor had recovered much of his power and could once again protect the He family as before.
His ancestor said he would soon meet a good match.
And he did.
But on the eve of his wedding, he thought of that snow-white fox.
That fox had been gazing toward the green mountains north of the river for a very long time.
*
He also remembered a snowy night long ago, when he had asked his ancestor, "Do fox immortals also have emotions and desires, and experience birth, aging, sickness, and death?"
That night, he hadn't heard his ancestor's reply clearly. Later, he thought his ancestor had deliberately kept him from hearing it, because after his ancestor left, he remembered the words:
"Yes, yes. I've been dead from illness for many years. Isn't my memorial tablet right there in the shrine?"
Once his ancestor left, he never came back.
He rose through the ranks and made a fortune. If he had obediently married, his children would be running all over the place by now.
But he still waited, yearning for the day he could hold that fluffy white fox again.
He thought that his ancestor had been so good to the He family, and would not blame him even if he defied all convention. So he wanted to make a few more greedy wishes.
First, he wished for his ancestor to come back.
Second, he wished for Mei Cuixue to stay with him for the rest of their lives.
Mei Cuixue: Stop touching my tail all the time :)
He Lang'an: I'm not :(
He Lang'an x Mei Cuixue
[Reading Guide]
1. One-on-one romance, happy ending
2. Alternate history with plenty of original worldbuilding. No historical research needed~
3. Synopsis captured on 2024.4.23
Theme: Give kindness without expecting anything in return, and never forget the kindness you receive.
