Red Snow

Chapter 4

Bai Qian had found herself appearing in the mortal realm. They had mentioned the gates of the Ghost Realm will take you wherever she needed to go. She wanted to go to Qing Qiu. Bai Qian yearned to know what her homeland was like.

Instead, the fates had landed her here in this frozen forest in the middle of nowhere. Bai Qian looked around, tall black trees reached out to the sky. The branches weighed down by snow. Every step she took, her feet sank into the thick snow. It was so cold, her mortal clothes just won't do.

Frustrated, Bai Qian turned into her fox form. Thick fur protected her from the harsh winter. In this form, she was much more light on her feet. She would be able to walk better in the snow.

Her white fur blended seamlessly into the background. In the forest, all of her senses tingled. The snow was soft beneath her paws. Crisp, clean air filled her nostrils. She could hear the scurrying of mountain rats burrowing in the deep sound below.

Her stomach crunched, she hadn't had anything to eat since the Ghost Realm. She honestly missed hunting in the forest. When they had no choice but to live in burrows, Da Ji would often take Bai Qian out hunting in the woods. They would transform into their fox forms and sprint across the forest floor. It was her who taught Bai Qian to be patient and trust her senses.

With one pounce, she drove headfirst into the snow. She bit down a mountain rat hiding beneath the layers of snow. Gleefully, she dragged the struggling mouse to the surface. Her aunt liked to play with her food before she ate them. She would slap it about, bite down on its head and shake it around. The unlucky animal was alive during all of this. Once her aunt had her fun, she would champ its head off with just one bite.

Seeing how her aunt had done it, Bai Qian followed suit. But right now with this mouse barely alive between her jaw. Bai Qian thought of the words Yan Zhi said to her. She had lost her appetite completely. She let go of her prey, and the mouse ran scurrying away from her.

Apparently, having a conscience made you starve. No wonder, Da Ji preferred to burn down cities.

Bai Qian whimpered, she walked around the forest, hoping to at least find some fruits or berries to eat. Who was she kidding, it's the middle of a freezing winter. She would be lucky to find a single blade of green grass.

Bai Qian was in the immortal realm for almost a month. Therefore three decades had passed in the mortal realm. She wondered what changes the mortals came up in such a short period.

Bai Qian spent a couple of weeks hunting in the forest. Heavens, it's harder than she thought it would be. Things were more straightforward when Da Ji was around. Bai Qian never had to assume, she just followed, and everything always turned out alright.

She had dug a den to sleep in and braced the chilly winter storm every night. This was the lowest she had ever been. She had no family, no friends, nobody to rely on. Bai Qian didn't dare to go to the nearest town, she was afraid she would mess it up again. It's much safer for everyone if she remained alone here.

Another day, another empty forest. Animals tended to hibernate in the winter. It would be a miracle if she ever caught anything. Bai Qian crept silently across the powered snow. Then she had noticed it, hoof prints embedded in the snow. These looked like horses hoof prints, that would only mean one thing. Humans are nearby.

Bai Qian immediately went full alert. She knew exactly how much hunters desired for her pelt. She also hid eight of her tails quickly, those things attracted way too much attention.

That's when she heard it, a swooshing of an arrow. She quickly dodged it, but the arrow tip grazed her left hind leg. Pain exploded across her body, she struggled to run away.