Only I Walk Alone

Wu Ge retracted his previous thought; his sister didn’t need the freedom to grow up unrestrained, but strict supervision instead.

“I’ve said it before, Heishan is where the barrier is located, you can’t just run around!” Wu Ge glared at the little girl.

The little Li stuck out her pink tongue: “I know, let’s hurry out of here!”

Wu Ge was angry. He asked, “Then tell me, which way should we go?”

Rewinding to a minute ago, at that time, Wu Ge was chopping wood, but suddenly, Xiao Li darted into a cave. Wu Ge, alarmed, quickly followed her in, and as a result, as soon as they entered the dark cave, they lost their way.

It seemed Heishan had barriers and formations, intended to confuse humans from outside, but there were also foxes who had gotten lost on Heishan and never returned.

The little girl’s eyes darted around, and she pointed towards the distance: “Let’s go that way!”

Wu Ge knocked on the Xiao Li’s head: “We fell from above, and you still want us to go down?”

She held her head, looking wronged: “But the passage above has disappeared, there’s only one way to go. If not this way, then which way?”

Wu Ge stood up, his right hand holding the wood-chopping axe, and his left hand pulling Xiao Li’s hand, they began to move along that path.

Xiao Li muttered: “See, we still have to go this way.”

Wu Ge gave her a look.

The two foxes continued forward and hadn’t gone far when they saw a glimmer of light.

XIao Li exclaimed: “It’s the exit!”

Wu Ge was also very pleased, he sped up, the light became larger and larger, and finally, they ran out of the cave.

The glaring sunlight made them squint their eyes, and only after gradually adjusting to the light did they clearly see the scenery in front of them.

In unison, the two foxes exclaimed: “Oh my Nine-Tailed Fox Grandma!”

What Wu Ge and Xiao Li saw was not the familiar small mountain village, but an incredibly bustling human city, with skyscrapers buildings everywhere and cars one after another on the streets.

“What is this?” Xiao Li couldn’t believe it, she had never seen such a scene before.

Wu Ge pulled her, saying: “Let’s go back, this is the outside world, the world of humans.”

Xiao Li stood still, she said: “Brother, I want to take a look at the human world.”

Wu Ge said sternly: “No!”

Xiao Li  coaxed: “Brother, we just need to hide our tails, please? Please?”

Wu Ge frowned, he looked towards the bustling metropolis, suddenly feeling a faint sense of familiarity, he said: “Alright, but only this once!”

The two foxes hid their tails and then started descending the mountain. Although they saw the bustling city, it took them several hours to walk from the mountain down to the city.

They were on a winding mountain road, with many cars coming and going. Xiao Li had the look of a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time, her eyes fixed on the moving vehicles, filled with curiosity.

Wu Ge held her hand tightly, his face alert.

“What is this metal box magic treasure?” Xiao Li asked.

Wu Ge answered: “That’s a human’s means of transportation, a vehicle… How do I know?”

“Brother, what is that thin brick in humans’ hands?”

Wu Ge answered: “It’s a cellphone… Strange, how would I know that?”

Wu Ge seemed extremely familiar with the city and the life of humans. He quietly used his psychic powers to steal a human’s wallet, then took Xiao Li to change into modern clothes, and they began to wander around the city.

“Brother, you’re amazing. How do you know everything?”

Wu Ge looked puzzled: “I don’t know, it’s like, I am a human.”

Wu Ge and Xiao Li stood on a pedestrian bridge built over the roadway, watching the vehicles and pedestrians coming and going. The little girl continuously licked her ice cream and said, “Brother, are humans really cruel and brutal creatures?”

Wu Ge stared blankly at the people on the street and said, “Perhaps they are, perhaps not.”

A hint of sadness suddenly appeared in his heart, as if everything he saw was an illusion, all unreal.

Wu Ge turned his head and said seriously, “Xiao Li, we should go back!”

Xiao Li coaxed again, “No, let’s play a little longer!”

Wu Ge said, “It’s getting dark!”

Reluctantly, the Xiao Li prepared to leave the city with Wu Ge.

Wu Ge was very afraid of the dark, extremely afraid, as if something terrible would happen once it got dark, so he wanted to flee, to take his sister and escape from this city.

But just as they reached the mountainside, a huge sound came from the city, and they turned around to see brilliant fireworks blooming in the sky.

Xiao Li’s eyes sparkled, she asked, “Brother, look, what is that? It’s so beautiful!”

Wu Ge was stunned for a long time before he slowly said, “That’s… fireworks, set off by humans during celebrations.”

“Bang! Bang!”

The fireworks bloomed in the sky, the sun gradually set, and all the streetlights in the city lit up, as did the decorative lights on the high-rise buildings, turning the city into a colorful spectacle for a moment.

Xiao Li stared blankly at the scene, saying, “So beautiful!”

Wu Ge muttered to himself, “Too bad, humans will disappear before long.”

The little Tanuki turned her head, “Brother, what did you say?”

Wu Ge suddenly came to his senses, “What did I say? I don’t know what I said. Let’s go back!”

Xiao Li asked, “Brother, can you bring me here again? Next time, let’s come here to watch the fireworks!”

Wu Ge patted her’s head, “As long as you behave, I’ll bring you here next time.”

“Okay!”

Wu Ge took Xiao Li back to the cave, and as they progressed, he felt the temperature around them rising. When they passed through the cave back to Heishan, what they saw was a sea of fire, an endless sea of fire.

The village of the past was buried under the sea of fire, the entire world was enveloped in flames.

“Chirp!” Wu Ge and Xiao Li heard a phoenix cry, and then they saw a firebird descend from the sky, spitting countless flames, setting the sky ablaze.

The flames fell on Heishan, turning into firebirds that seemed to consciously fly towards Wu Ge and Xiao Li.

Wu Ge suddenly pushed the her into the cave they came from, shouting, “Go quickly, I’ll stay behind to fend off these monsters!”

As he spoke, Wu Ge’s psychic power suddenly emanated, forming a wall to block the firebirds.

Xiao Li fell down the cave, which began to shrink, her voice continuously coming out, “Brother, brother, weren’t we going to watch the fireworks together? Brother, don’t leave me!”

Countless flames enveloped Wu Ge…