Chapter 17: The Sounds of Heaven, Miracles on Earth

Yet everything in this world must have an end; where there is a beginning, there must be an end—no exception. (Gu Long)
……
It was a dark cave, but this “darkness” applied only to a short distance near the entrance. Once inside, one could see that it was quite spacious and bright.
It could compare to the halls of any wealthy family. Above the cave hung a white night pearl, and under its light, the entire cave resembled daylight.
From within the cave came the sound of a woman crying—so sorrowful, so desperate. Following the sound, one saw the fox demon, holding the corpse of the black bear as if it were her lover…
Liu Yi stood opposite the fox demon, watching her cry sadly. He wanted to say something but didn’t know what. After a moment of silence, Liu Yi said, “Mourn in peace. Since he has left this world, why cry any longer?”
Hearing Liu Yi’s words, the fox demon suddenly raised her head and shouted loudly, “It’s all of you! If not for you, he wouldn’t have died!”
Liu Yi turned his head and said, “Hmph! Those who commit evil deserve to die. This is heaven’s punishment for you.”
The fox demon gently placed down the black bear, stood up, and slowly walked toward Liu Yi. A strong wind blew suddenly, blinding Liu Yi. When the wind passed, he opened his eyes and saw that the fox demon had transformed into a beast—covered in red fur, with a fluffy tail standing upright behind her. Her ten fingers, along with long claws, resembled ten sharp daggers. Her beautiful face was twisted, revealing sharp teeth.
The fox demon angrily said, “You killed my husband. Now, I’ll tear out your heart to honor his soul.”
Liu Yi tilted his head, unafraid, and snapped, “Hmph! Since I’ve been captured by you, I never intended to live. Heaven is fair—you’ll receive a worse fate.”
Upon hearing this, the fox demon lowered her sharp claws, grew even angrier, and screamed, “What did you say? Is heaven fair? Is it really fair? If there is a heaven, I really want to ask why it treats me like this.”
Looking at the nearly frenzied fox demon, Liu Yi said, “What? Isn’t it fair? You monsters treat human lives as worthless. How many people have you killed? Can you even count them? The black bear spirit merely received its punishment earlier.”
The fox demon shouted loudly, “No, that’s not it! Why? Is this what you call fairness? Humans slaughter us, skin us, and eat our flesh as if it’s perfectly normal. But when we kill or eat humans, it’s unacceptable? Is this what you call fairness?”
“Six hundred years ago, I was just a little red fox still in training. I happened to be caught by a hunter, but he didn’t kill me. Instead, he locked me in a cage. When he was happy, he gave me food; when not, he threw things at me and beat me. Finally, when he got tired of playing, just as he was about to skin me, the black bear saved me.”

“That’s how we lived together for six hundred years. We swore an oath to each other to never leave, through life and death. I forgot everything about the mortal world. We lived happily, never harming a single person. Perhaps you don’t believe it, but demons also have feelings. Don’t think that only humans understand emotions.”

“Ten years ago, we met a Taoist priest who called us demons and sealed us in this cave. But what had we done? We just lived in the forest. Had we hurt anyone? The black bear was locked up by the priest, while he abused me in every possible way. Look…”

A gust of wind blew, and the demon fox turned back into a beautiful woman. Her outer robe tore off as she struggled. Liu Yi quickly opened his folding fan to shield his eyes and shouted, “If you’re going to kill me, just do it. Stop this nonsense.”

The demon fox seemed insane, shouting loudly, “Look! Look at this! This is what that priest did to me. Don’t we demons have the right to enjoy life? Is life only for humans? Look!”

Liu Yi slowly lowered his fan and looked at the demon fox. Her body was covered head to toe in scars, a sight that was truly shocking. Who could be so cruel…

The demon fox continued to shout, “Is this what you call fairness? It’s okay for humans to eat us, but it’s not okay for us to eat humans? It’s okay for humans to hurt us, but it’s not okay for us to hurt them? Is this fairness? Is it really fair?” The nearly mad demon fox kept shouting.

Liu Yi shook his head.

The demon fox continued, “Do you know why I and the black bear killed people? Why we dug out hearts? We wanted revenge. I wanted to see if your hearts are black or red, cold or warm!”

Liu Yi said, “Isn’t heaven unfair too? Humans harm you without reason. But what about you? Are you any better? You’re even more cruel and heartless. Have you ever thought about it? The innocent you hurt all have wives, children, parents—they all have happiness. How much happiness has your revenge destroyed?”

After a pause, Liu Yi continued, “I have to admit that human nature does have a wicked side, but human nature is inherently good. One person doesn’t represent ten, ten don’t represent a hundred, a hundred don’t represent a thousand, and ten thousand don’t represent everyone… Haven’t you hurt enough innocents? Isn’t that unfair?”

“Have you ever thought about it? You suffer so much when hurt… But what about those you hurt? Their families? Their parents? Why don’t you open your heart, look at the world with sincerity, learn to care for the lives around you, face everything honestly, and avoid hurting anyone?”

“Demons are called demons because their nature is cruel, cunning, deceitful, and wild. Human nature, on the other hand, is kind. That’s the difference. If you want fairness, why not start on the same footing as humans? If you can do that, I believe your lives might be more valuable than human lives, rather than sinking lower and lower…”

The demon fox seemed to calm down after hearing Liu Yi’s words and asked blankly, “Is that true?”

Liu Yi walked over, stretched out his right hand, and said, “Look. What is this?”

The fox demon widened its eyes and said, “This is… your right hand.”
Liu Yi shook his head and slapped the table beside him, saying, “This is karma… you can’t slap with one hand only.”
The fox demon murmured, “Karma? Karma?” Looking at Liu Yi’s right hand, it seemed to understand much more.
Liu Yi continued, “Some things are predestined. Perhaps he doesn’t want to leave either, but can you fight against fate? Since he’s left, do you want him to be happy or unhappy?”
Gradually, the fox demon stood up, walked over to the black bear, and sat down slowly, its eyes empty and lifeless…
Liu Yi looked around and saw a zither there—probably used by the fox demon in daily life. He said, “I think I can’t do much. Let me play a tune for him as a farewell.”
The fox demon seemed not to hear Liu Yi’s words; it only hugged the black bear. Unfazed by its reaction, Liu Yi walked over to the zither and sat down…
The sound of the zither arose—soft and gentle, giving a sense of floating above the heavens, overlooking the earth. A gentle breeze passed through his fingers, white clouds drifted by, settling among the beautiful mountains and waters. Withered grass slowly grew green, flowers bloomed, all things revived, and the air was filled with warmth and life. The world was so beautiful that it made one forget everything. It seemed… as if there was only this wonderful music in the world.
It was a tune composed by Liu Yi himself, titled “Spring Breeze.” It had been a long time since he had played the zither personally. Seeing the true affection between demons, Liu Yi was also moved and deliberately played “Spring Breeze” for the dead black bear.
When the tune ended, the sound of the zither seemed to linger in the cave. In a corner, a green blade of grass emerged from the rocks. A little bird, drawn by the music, flew into the cave and landed beside the zither.
The cave returned to silence, filled only with sorrow and endless regret. Liu Yi gently walked up to the fox demon and sighed, “Do you understand? That zither is like our lives. Whether we’re humans or demons, whether we practice for thousands of years or become immortals or gods, we all have an end. It’s just that the ways of expression and the duration differ.”
The fox demon’s eyes gradually regained some brightness. Looking at Liu Yi, it said, “Why? Why did heaven treat us like this?”
Liu Yi only shook his head and said, “There aren’t many whys. Perhaps it was all predestined. What’s meant to happen will happen. How can we avoid it? Are you sad? Maybe it’s better to face it. Perhaps now, in peace, free from the noise of the world, isn’t that a kind of enjoyment? Open our hearts, and everything will become clear.”
The fox demon, with its blurred eyes, looked at Liu Yi and said, “But we’re separated in two worlds, never to be together again. How can I face it? Without it, I’ll die alone and lonely.”
Liu Yi shook his head and said, “As long as it’s in your heart, there will be no distance between worlds, because your hearts are together, forever, forever.”
The fox demon asked doubtfully, “Really?”
Just then, a loud shout came from behind: “Damn it, you monster! Take this punch from me…”