Chu Yang gazed at the little fox before him and said softly, "My sword heart is destroyed, my foundation gone. I'm no better than an ordinary person and have nothing of value for you to exploit. So don't think you'll gain anything from me."
For the demon clan, humans were merely prey, but this little fox hadn't acted that way, clearly harboring some ulterior motive.
The little fox's face showed a hint of helplessness. She sighed and said, "Why overthink it? I have no other motives in saving you. Just focus on recovering."
Her voice was ethereal and beautiful, bringing an unusual calm to Chu Yang's heart.
After speaking, the little fox left the cave on her own.
After saving Chu Yang, the little fox had brought him to this cave.
Watching the little fox's departing figure, Chu Yang remained silent.
He found himself pondering.
He had lost everything, alone, devoid of cultivation, no better than a cripple.
Was there any reason to continue living?
He knew it was impossible to cultivate again; his Dao Palace was destroyed, his sword heart shattered. He couldn't think of any way to return to the path of cultivation.
The deep-seated grudge he bore seemed impossible to avenge.
Chu Yang smiled bitterly, thinking that it would be better to die than to live a degraded life.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Yang calmed himself down.
No matter what, as long as he was alive, there was still hope.
Chu Yang tried to circulate the spiritual energy within him.
But he found that the vast, ocean-like spiritual energy he once had was now untraceable.
There was no power left in his body to control.
As expected.
It was unrealistic.
After several attempts, Chu Yang gave up, choosing to lie down and let things take their course.
At that moment, an ancient, yellowed piece of paper inadvertently slipped from Chu Yang's chest.
It was a scroll of the Book of Heaven from the Map of Rivers and Mountains.
Years ago, in a small town, Shopkeeper Chen had personally handed this scroll to him.
This book was a family heirloom for Shopkeeper Chen.
Chu Yang was always grateful to Shopkeeper Chen. If not for his guidance into the cultivation world, Chu Yang would never have achieved his later successes.
Although they had never formally taken the master-disciple relationship, Chu Yang regarded Shopkeeper Chen as a mentor, someone who had guided him selflessly.
Chu Yang's gaze fell on the Book of Heaven, and his eyes suddenly froze.
The scroll, which had always seemed like blank paper, now had lines of golden script emerging.
This left Chu Yang astonished!
Chu Yang quickly picked up the book and began reading its contents.
The more he read, the more shocked he became.
The scroll recorded a method of cultivating the Dao.
Unlike ordinary cultivation techniques, the scroll described the way of the Dao, a method of cultivating the Dao of Heaven!
The cultivation of the Dao of Heaven differed from traditional cultivation. Even if the Dao Palace was damaged and the foundation destroyed, one could still cultivate, focusing on the Dao of Heaven and drawing the laws of the Dao upon oneself.
At the pinnacle of this practice, he would become the Dao of Heaven, and the Dao of Heaven would become him.
However, after memorizing all the contents of the scroll, Chu Yang noticed a blank section in the corner of the scroll.
Chu Yang was certain that this blank area contained more content, which he couldn't currently see.
Perhaps the final hidden content of the scroll was the mission Shopkeeper Chen had mentioned.
Chu Yang's heart was in turmoil. He never imagined that this book contained an alternative cultivation system.
For a moment, Chu Yang's eyes were filled with hope again.
At that moment, there was a commotion outside the cave.
The little fox returned with some wild fruits.
She placed the fruits in front of Chu Yang. "Eat something to fill your stomach."
Chu Yang remained motionless, looking at the little fox with a complex expression. In this icy, snowy wilderness, he wondered where the fox demon had found these fruits.
The little fox seemed to sense Chu Yang's wariness. She opened her mouth and spoke in human language, "Don't worry, they're not poisonous."
Chu Yang picked up a fruit and began to eat. He knew they weren't poisonous. If the little fox wanted to kill him, there was no need to go through all the trouble of saving him.
However, he still harbored doubts and confusion. Why had this fox demon saved him, and what was her motive? Chu Yang didn't press further, believing that it wouldn't be long before the little fox revealed her true intentions.
That night, the temperature outside was frigid with the falling snow.
Water droplets on the cave walls had long frozen into ice, and the cold air continuously seeped into the cave.
Having lost his cultivation and severed an arm, Chu Yang's physical condition was dire.
How could he withstand the biting cold?
Chu Yang curled up tightly, lying in the deepest part of the cave to rest.
But the cold, like a sinister claw, kept gnawing at him, making sleep elusive.
Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a bright flame.
A wave of warmth enveloped Chu Yang's body. He instinctively moved closer to the fire, inching nearer to the bonfire.
The next morning, Chu Yang felt an itch on his face and instinctively reached to scratch it.
Instead, he grabbed a handful of fur.
Opening his eyes, he found himself lying in the little fox's embrace.
The little fox seemed to have been awake for a while, watching Chu Yang.
Seeing him awake, she said, "You must be hungry. I'll go find something for you to eat. You're in too bad a shape to go out."
...
And so, half a year passed.
During this time, Chu Yang never left the cave.
The little fox brought him food every day, and on cold nights, she used her fur to keep him warm.
Whenever Chu Yang's injuries worsened, she would use her blood to heal his wounds.
Throughout this time, Chu Yang could sense the little fox's innocence and kindness, but he still believed that there was no such thing as unmotivated love in this world.
During these six months, Chu Yang frequently studied the cultivation methods recorded in the Book of Heaven.
But the more he practiced, the more despair he felt.
The reason was simple.
No matter how hard he tried, he saw no results. There was no power within him.
The spark of hope that had been reignited was once again mercilessly extinguished.
Chu Yang's spirit began to break.
He trusted that Shopkeeper Chen wouldn't deceive him, so the alternative cultivation method in the Book of Heaven had to be feasible.
Why, then, could he not make any progress? One day, his injuries flared up again.
The immense pain swept through Chu Yang's body: the dark injuries left by his supreme bone being dug out, the hidden wounds from his destroyed Dao Palace, and the agony from his shattered sword heart...
All at once, the pain surged like a tide, overwhelming Chu Yang.
The little fox, seeing Chu Yang in such agony, didn't hesitate to draw her essence blood and feed it to him.