1. Zhang Xiao Dan
Chapter 1
Zhang Xiao Dan
October 22, 2023
Zhang Manor, Connecticut
X iao Dan stepped outside through the door off the kitchen and strolled through the rear garden. The sun had set a couple of hours earlier and the stars were twinkling overhead in a clear sky. The night air had become crisp and cool. Summer was long gone, and autumn blanketed the region. Each morning now woke to a thin white frost covering all the grass and edging the few flowers that remained. The nights were silent except for the occasional hoot of an owl or a fox scream. Leaves had changed to shades of bright yellow, orange, and red.
Following the winding stone path, Xiao Dan wandered over the small, curved bridge into the thicket of trees at the rear of the property. Just as he was about to turn toward the house, he caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye.
A smile grew on his lips. This couldn’t be Leo. He’d heard the cat’s voice echoing down the hall as he’d played with Erik.
Another flash to the left caught his eye. This one looked like the fluff of that multi-tailed fiend.
“Huli, what nonsense are you up to now?” Xiao Dan called out.
But the huli jing didn’t come bouncing up to him. There was a blur of color as he darted from one tree to another, circling Xiao Dan.
“If you’re not in the mood to help me pack…” Xiao Dan left the rest unsaid as he turned to the house.
This time, the fox stepped out from behind the tree, coming between Xiao Dan and the building.
Xiao Dan’s smile tumbled from his lips and his heart sped up.
That was not Huli.
The fox facing him now was mostly white, with touches of orange on its chest and tails. Its eyes glowed a startling red, and its stance was both curious and aggressive.
How had the huli jing—no, jiuweihu—gotten onto their property without them knowing it? All the protective spells they’d put in place against intruders were still there.
“You’re not Huli,” Xiao Dan said sharply. “Who are you? What have you done to Huli?”
The fox blinked slowly at him, its nine tails spread out behind it like a peacock’s feathers raised in a great fan. Without a word, the creature shifted into a tall, slender woman dressed in a form-fitting white gown that shimmered in the moonlight. Her black hair cascaded down her back in an inky waterfall to her waist. She blinked, and her red eyes became a sparkling violet. Everything about her held a flawless perfection that was captivating and unsettling. Nothing about her felt real.
“Who are you?” Xiao Dan repeated.
The fox spirit took a step closer.
“Where is Huli? What have you done to him?”
Xiao Dan’s heart hammered, and he balled his hands into tight fists. Where the hell was Huli? If this creature had harmed even one of his tails, Xiao Dan would skin her and turn her pelt into slippers.
“There’s no need to worry about Huli any longer,” she answered in a low, warm voice. “He’s the one who promised me your soul.”
“What?”
“And now I’ve come to collect.”
Xiao Dan retreated a step, his brain locking up at her cryptic words. None of this made any sense. The only way he was getting to the root of this mystery was by talking to Huli and this creature was not his huli jing.
“Who are you?”
“You may call me Min.”? 1
“What have you done with Huli?”
“I haven’t done anything to Huli other than fulfill my half of the bargain. I have come to collect my payment. That would be you. Or more specifically, your soul.”
Xiao Dan stood his ground, refusing to be unnerved by the magical creature. If she were telling the truth and Huli had struck some deal with her, he needed to have a talk with a certain fox spirit, but his bigger concern was for Huli’s safety.
“You can’t have my soul. Leave here. You’re not welcome,” Xiao Dan bit out.
“I don’t think that matters.”
Min lunged at him, moving far faster than he’d expected. He dodged her outstretched hand. Her long nails were sharp points like claws, and they nearly raked across his face. He continued to block and sidestep each of her strikes while attempting to get to the house. He needed some kind of weapon, even if it was nothing more than a staff.
“Shixiong!”? 2 Yichen’s shout cut across the lawn. Xiao Dan caught movement out of the corner of his eye and lifted his hand, snagging the sword Yichen had thrown at him. He deflected Min’s next strike with the scabbard and pulled the sword.
The fox spirit darted away and went after Yichen, attacking him with those clawlike nails. But Yichen was ready for her, wielding his sword. She spun and slashed at them a few more times yet couldn’t gain a clear advantage. It was only thanks to their vampiric speed that they could keep up with her. A human would have been dead in seconds.
“No!”
The scream echoed through the grove of trees a moment before Huli leaped over the wall. He bounced from tree limb to tree limb and launched himself at Min.
Min dodged and shifted into her white fox form. The two chased each other around the yard, snarling and snapping. The noise was horrific, but the crackle and roar of magic that filled the air nearly drowned it out.
Xiao Dan took a step toward the warring pair, needing to do something but unsure of how he could help Huli. A hand clamped on his elbow and pulled him to the house. He jerked his head to find Kai standing behind him while most of the clan peered out the rear door and windows.
“Forgive me, Shixiong,” Kai murmured. “But if you join in, they might injure you.”
Everything within him screamed to help Huli, but there was nothing he could do. His heart rested like a hard knot in the back of his throat as he prayed for Huli to come out of this battle unscathed.
Then, as suddenly as the fight started, it ended. The white and orange foxes stared at each other, chests heaving as they panted for air. Huli gave an angry snort and Min darted away, jumping over the wall with the help of a couple of low tree branches.
Xiao Dan released a shuddering breath of relief. Huli looked unhurt, though he was definitely pissed, judging by the way his fur was standing up and the snap of his many tails. He pulled free of Kai’s hold and took three steps closer to his fox. “Huli? Are you okay? What is going on?”
In a heartbeat, his grumpy fox changed. All of his tails drooped as if weights had been tied to the ends, and his ears flattened. Huli slowly turned his head toward Xiao Dan.
“Come here, Huli. I need to check that you’re not injured,” Xiao Dan pressed. He only wanted to hold his sweet fox. The rest could wait until Huli had time to calm.
“I…I can’t. Not yet. I need time.” Huli ran off, using a different path across the tree limbs to surmount the wall.
“Huli!” Xiao Dan shouted, but the fox spirit didn’t slow a single step.
“What the hell is going on?” Xiang demanded.
“Just what we needed. Another huli jing,” Chen grumbled only to have his words followed by a loud smack. “Ow! Why’d you hit me, baobei?”? 3
“Because you’re being an asshole,” Moon snapped.
“What?”
“Read the room, Er-ge,”? 4 Meimei? 5 chimed in. “You’re being a prick to Shixiong.”
Chen cleared his throat. “Forgive me, Da-ge.”? 6
Xiao Dan ignored them all and hurried to Kai’s side. “Could you follow him?”
“Do you want me to bring him back?”
“No. Make sure he’s not hurt. If you get the chance to talk to him, tell him I’m not angry. Only worried about him.”
Kai nodded. “I will find him and watch over him until he returns to you by choice.” The dragon had barely finished speaking when he disappeared.
Xiao Dan could finally breathe a sigh of relief. He wasn’t worried about this Min or whatever nonsense deal Huli might have struck with her. His one concern was for the safety of his fox.
1 ? Narrator Note: Min (敏)
2 ? Shixiong – elder martial brother
3 ? Baobei – baby
4 ? Er-ge – second oldest brother. A term of endearment. Referencing Chen Bo Cheng here since he is the second oldest behind Zhang Xiao Dan (a.k.a. da-ge)
5 ? Meimei – younger sister
6 ? Da-ge – senior older brother, a sort of respectful endearment