Moonlight draped Xuanling Sect in silver.
Nine translucent tails swayed in the courtyard, stirring the mountain's spiritual veins as if heaven itself were listening.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Immortal stood barefoot upon cracked stone, her presence ancient enough to warp Qi unconsciously.
Her lips curved into an amused smile as she looked at Xuán Wèi.
"So this is Xuanling Sect," she said lightly.
"A place forgotten by the world… yet bold enough to summon me."
Xuán Wèi did not respond immediately.
He let silence work.
The First Lie
After a moment, he said calmly:
"Xuanling Sect was not forgotten."
The fox raised a brow.
"Oh?"
"It chose to disappear."
Her tails slowed.
That single sentence carried weight.
Immortal Pride Tests the Water
She stepped forward.
The air thickened.
"Do you know who I am, Sect Master?"
Xuán Wèi nodded, as if this were obvious.
"An Immortal who survived three Heavenly Tribulations."
"A survivor of clan extinction."
"Someone who shattered her Dao Heart once… and rebuilt it."
The fox froze.
Her playful smile vanished.
"…Those records no longer exist."
Xuán Wèi met her gaze calmly.
"The world forgets."
"Sects don't."
Bullshitting with Confidence (The Dangerous Kind)
She circled him slowly.
"Interesting words," she said.
"But words don't bind Immortals."
Xuán Wèi did not deny it.
"Correct."
"What binds Immortals is choice."
He gestured toward the faintly glowing summoning marks beneath the courtyard.
"You crossed worlds because something answered you."
"Call it curiosity."
"Call it fate."
"Call it unfinished karma."
He paused.
"Xuanling Sect simply gave that call a name."
When a Lie Feels Too Old to Be Fake
The fox's eyes narrowed.
She could feel it.
No chains.
No seals.
But a boundary — ancient, subtle, unquestionable.
Not domination.
Recognition.
"…This sect," she murmured,
"feels like something that has survived before."
Xuán Wèi nodded once.
"It has."
Not a lie.
Not the full truth.
The most dangerous kind of answer.
Drawing the Line
The fox leaned closer.
"If I teach here," she said softly,
"it will be because I allow it."
Xuán Wèi smiled faintly.
"Of course."
Then he added:
"And if you stay, it will be because this sect does not abandon its own."
His gaze shifted to Yin Yue, unconscious but breathing steadily.
"She was abandoned once."
"Xuanling Sect does not repeat the world's mistakes."
For the first time, the fox's expression changed.
Not pride.
Recognition.
The Second Lie (Bigger Than the First)
Xuán Wèi spoke again.
"This sect was not built to dominate heaven."
"It was built to shelter those heaven discarded."
The wind stilled.
The fox laughed quietly.
"You're dangerous, Sect Master."
"You don't speak like a ruler."
"You speak like a survivor."
Submission Without Force
The Nine-Tailed Fox Immortal knelt.
Not because she was forced.
Not because she was bound.
But because she chose to believe.
"Very well," she said.
"I will teach her."
"And if this sect truly remembers what the world forgets…"
Her eyes gleamed.
"Then perhaps I wish to be remembered too."
The Manual (The Lie Deepens)
Xuán Wèi produced a jade slip.
"This cultivation method was once used by those who walked under the moon."
The fox accepted it.
Her breath caught.
"…This scripture was erased."
Xuán Wèi replied evenly:
"Erased from the world."
"Not from us."
Her laughter was sharp and delighted.
"So that's your game."
"You don't create miracles."
"You unearth them."
Xuán Wèi said nothing.
He let her believe.
Sect Rules (Final Layer of Authority)
"Teach," Xuán Wèi said calmly.
"Guide."
"Correct."
"But do not break."
The fox inclined her head.
"Understood, Sect Master."
Aftermath
As Yin Yue was carried away, the fox glanced back once.
"Xuán Wèi."
"If your sect truly rebuilds its legend…"
She smiled.
"Then your lies will become history."
Xuán Wèi watched the moon.
"That's the plan."