My family tree hollow connects to the modern era : Chapter 1

“Little Highness, little Highness…”

A young man with white jade tied at his waist and slightly curly long hair that still held two strands of red fox fur looked somewhat anxiously as he gently called out to the person in bed hugging a quilt and sleeping soundly.

In a luxurious bedchamber, a young boy rolled about on the wide white jade bed unwilling to get up. His sleeping clothes woven from heavenly cloud silk loosened a bit with his movements, revealing the snowy white skin hidden beneath his clothes.

The boy who had yet to fully grow up was already strikingly beautiful, standing out even among the fox clan who were naturally blessed with good looks. As the only little prince of the fox clan, he had been raised with the utmost care and pampering, and his brows and eyes held nothing but carefree innocence and sweet naivety.

Watching his little master roll away from his urging and try to bury himself completely under the quilt, Beishan leaned down slightly and stood by the bed calling out anxiously: “Little Highness! The Imperial Princess is leaving Qingqiu today, going out for training!”

Still drowsy and unwilling to get up, Bai Zhizhi suddenly threw off the quilt, both snowy white ears perking straight up. When he saw clearly who was speaking by the bed, his wide round eyes relaxed again, and he yawned lazily: “You’re lying again, Beishan. You’ve grown bolder lately, using such tricks to coax me out of bed. My sister said before that she wouldn’t leave until after the fifteenth.”

Beishan hurriedly said: “I’m really not lying this time! The Imperial Princess suddenly decided to set off, and this morning she took Xifeng to the Cave Heaven Stone…”

Before he could finish speaking, a flash of white light passed before his eyes, and when he looked again, there was no longer anyone in the bed.

Beishan turned around and chased after him: “Little Highness, wait for me!”

The Cave Heaven Stone, the gateway for entering and leaving Qingqiu.

Since the great war between the heavenly and demon clans a thousand years ago, Qingqiu had sealed its realm gates, and clan members could not easily go out. To enter or leave, one must have the Fox King’s permission.

Originally, the various races of the three realms lived in peace and stability. Even if there were conflicts, they were internal matters of each race. But the heavenly clan, responding to the call of the heavenly way, gave birth to a Heavenly Emperor. At first he was quite diligent and hardworking, but as time passed, the immense power of ruling over the three realms stirred human hearts, and the heavenly clan began to claim themselves as the destiny’s chosen ones, trying to make all races of the three realms submit.

Among the demon clans, there was a special race called the Spirit Clan. The Spirit Clan was born from the Tree of Life and had always lived in a blessed land of cave heavens. The heavenly clan coveted their blessed land, and also coveted their Tree of Life, so they directly pinned a false charge of secretly colluding with the demon clan to bring chaos to the three realms onto the Spirit Clan, exterminated them, and seized their blessed land.

It was also because the Spirit Clan had few members, living in their blessed land just like Qingqiu, as a self-contained lineage. By the time the demon clans received their call for help and rushed over, the great battle had already concluded.

This battle brought the heavenly clan great benefits, fattening their courage and boosting their morale, so they soon wanted to use the same old trick again, attempting to seize Qingqiu’s blessed land.

The number of demon clans was far greater than that of the heavenly clan. They did not dare to directly confront the entire demon clan, so they wanted to break them apart from within one by one.

The heavenly clan people thought simply, believing that by facing just one clan they could replicate their success with the Spirit Clan. But they did not realize that the Spirit Clan’s destruction was because no one had been prepared, and the incident happened suddenly, which was why they got their opportunity.

This time, wanting to use the same old trick against Qingqiu was naturally impossible. Although Qingqiu was also a self-contained clan, as fellow demon cultivators, they were still part of the demon clan. So when the heavenly clan came looking for trouble, they were not just facing Qingqiu, but the entire demon clan.

This battle lasted for several hundred years. The entire demon clan gathered their strength to fiercely peel off a thick layer of skin from the heavenly clan. If it were not for the demon realm having no emperor, they would have long since overthrown the Heavenly Emperor’s position and taken it for themselves.

However, their clan had not entirely escaped unscathed from that great battle. At that time, their Fox King gave birth to twins during the battle. The fox clan followed a matrilineal line of succession; the royal daughter was born as the Imperial Princess and the next heir to the Fox King, so naturally she received more attention during the chaos.

The cunning heavenly clan people took advantage of the confusion and their neglect of the little prince to abduct him. By the time they finally managed to rescue the little prince, they discovered that the heavenly clan had severed one of his fox tails.

The royal fox clan was born with nine tails, and each tail was extremely important. Losing one tail like this greatly affected both his lifespan and his cultivation talent. The fox clan had finally produced offspring, one royal daughter and one royal son, yet they nearly perished at the hands of the heavenly clan. The enraged Fox King led the entire Qingqiu and nearly overturned the heavenly clan’s stronghold.

But no matter how many treasures they seized from the heavenly clan, nothing could make up for the little prince’s lost fox tail. At that time, although the heavenly clan was showing signs of defeat, the great battle had not yet been completely settled. Fearing that their clan’s children would be harmed again, the Fox King specially sought out the Cave Heaven Stone to seal Qingqiu’s entrance and exit.

To leave Qingqiu, one needed to obtain the Fox King’s written order to open the Cave Heaven Stone. Even if Bai Zhizhi wanted to sneak out to play, he could not.

He and his sister had just turned a thousand years old. Although they were already adults, this age in the fox clan was still just a little cub. The clan members usually kept a close watch on him. Forget about leaving Qingqiu even within the clan, he always had to have someone following him at all times.

The fox clan had finally produced offspring, and they were a royal daughter and a royal son, yet they nearly perished at the hands of the heavenly clan. The enraged Fox King led the entire Qingqiu and nearly overturned the heavenly clan’s stronghold.

Bai Zhizhi did not really have any complaints about this. Qingqiu was huge, and he could play everywhere, but the premise was that everyone was treated the same.

Now something different had happened. His sister, the Imperial Princess of Qingqiu, was going out for training!

He and his sister were the same age. Even if he was younger, it was only by a few hours. Yet because he had lost one tail, even his sister treated him like a baby cub to be watched over at all times. They were clearly the same age. His sister could go out for training but he could not.

He had planned everything out before. When his sister reached the time to leave Qingqiu, he was definitely going to see her off. He would act well behaved, and while the adults were off their guard, he would run out together when his sister left. When it came to speed, no one in the entire Qingqiu could match him.

Once he got out with his sister, he would act spoiled and throw a little tantrum. He did not believe his sister would have the heart to send him back.

But plans cannot keep up with changes. He had not had time to prepare anything, and his sister was already leaving?!

Outside the Cave Heaven Stone, the Fox King looked at her daughter and earnestly instructed: “This is your first time going out for training. I am not worried about your own strength, but the hearts of people outside are unpredictable. This time you are going out to train in the ways of the human heart. No matter when, no matter what happens, remember that your safety comes first.”

The Imperial Princess of Qingqiu, Bai Jiushuang, had slightly curly long hair with a strand of pure white fox fur in it. Unlike her brother whose brows and eyes were round and sweetly naive, Bai Jiushuang had a cold and proud expression, her bearing sharp and fierce, very similar to her mother’s imposing presence that needed no anger to command respect.

Facing her family’s instructions, Bai Jiushuang showed not the slightest impatience. She listened obediently, only the look in her eyes glancing behind her parents from time to time held a few traces of worry: “Sneaking away without telling Zhizhi, he will probably make quite a fuss when he finds out later. I will trouble Father and Mother to coax him more.”

The Fox Father patted his daughter’s shoulder: “It’s fine. You can go with peace of mind. Zhizhi is easy to coax. Take good care of yourself out there.”

The various elders of the fox clan also followed with all kinds of advice, and even gave their respective magical treasures to Bai Jiushuang, instructing her to be careful out there: “The heavenly clan is greedy and malicious, the demon clan is cunning and arrogant, and the human clan is treacherous and sinister. None of them can be fully trusted.”

Bai Jiushuang nodded: “I will be careful.”

She had just finished speaking when out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of white speeding toward them. She grabbed Xifeng and said: “I must go. Father, Mother, Uncles, take good care of Zhizhi!”

Bai Zhizhi ran at flying speed, his hand almost grasping his sister’s red skirt, but his father caught him around the waist, his mother stepped forward to block the entrance, waved her hand to reseal the Cave Heaven Stone, and the elders hurriedly gathered around to seal off his path layer by layer.

Bai Jiushuang, who had nearly been caught by Bai Zhizhi, stood outside the Cave Heaven Stone. Before she even had time to look at the world outside Qingqiu, she first let out a big sigh of relief and patted her chest: “Good, good. I almost could not get away.”

Xifeng followed beside her and said: “Actually, it probably would have been fine to bring the little Highness along.”

Although the little Highness had lost a tail since childhood, his abilities and talent were not bad at all. Walking about outside relying on his own abilities would definitely be no problem. Not to mention that now the heavenly clan had been beaten into hiding. Even if you gave them a hundred guts they would not dare to lay a hand on the little prince of Qingqiu, or else the next clan to be exterminated would definitely be the heavenly clan.

But Bai Jiushuang shook her head, her eyes faintly carrying killing intent: “No. The first place we are training at is the Valley of Ten Thousand Weapons.”

Xifeng fell silent upon hearing this. The Valley of Ten Thousand Weapons, the number one weapon refining great sect in the three realms. If the nine tailed fox clan’s fox tails were refined and hammered, they could even be made into lifebound divine weapons. The tail the little Highness had lost back then was now in the Valley of Ten Thousand Weapons.

No wonder they could not bring the little Highness along for training.

Bai Jiushuang left the Qingqiu territory with Xifeng without looking back. Since they dared to use her brother’s fox tail to refine weapons, she would take the Valley of Ten Thousand Weapons as her first sacrifice to heaven.

Inside Qingqiu, Bai Zhizhi watched his sister leave with his own eyes, then looked at the pile of relatives holding him and blocking him, and his eyes instantly went red: “You are all biased! I am the same age as my sister! Why do you not agree to let me go out for training!”

Even the usually strict Fox King softened her voice: “Good Zhizhi, your sister’s training is her mission as the Imperial Princess of Qingqiu. If you want to go out for training too, cultivate for a few more years, and Mother promises to let you go out for training as well.”

Bai Zhizhi said: “I am the same age as my sister!”

The elders said: “Little Highness, don’t be sad. Look at what this is. This is a treasure we specially refined for you, the Thousand Feather Fox Fan. This has phoenix feathers on it. With a full strength wave it can even make mountain peaks collapse. Little Highness, try it, do you like it?”

“And this jade gourd. Didn’t the little Highness say he wanted it last time? I have re refined this jade gourd for you. Little Highness, take it to play with, alright?”

Bai Zhizhi flung away the treasures being offered to him: “I don’t like it, I don’t like it!”

Then he turned to look at the person who was most soft hearted toward him: “Father!”

Unfortunately, Father was not soft hearted today either, and even had a disapproving look on his face: “Look at you. You say you have grown up, but you are just the same as when you were little, running out without wearing clothes or shoes. Come, first go back with Father and change out of these sleeping clothes.”

Bai Zhizhi, who was being treated differently, saw that they were all dead set on not letting him go out. He looked again at the already closed Cave Heaven Stone, and ran off barefoot and heartbroken.

Beishan, who had just chased over, saw the little Highness running off again. His breathing had not even steadied yet. He gave a bow to the Fox King and the elders, then hurriedly chased after him again.

The Fox King and her husband exchanged a look. Not letting Zhizhi go out for training, this time he was probably truly furious. But they had only gotten this pair of children after ten thousand years. Their daughter, as the Imperial Princess of Qingqiu, had a path she must walk. They had already hardened their hearts and let their daughter go. How could they bear to let their son go out as well? If something were to happen, how could they endure it?

The Bai Zhizhi who ran off was not as heartbroken as his parents thought. He had long known that his parents would not easily let him go out. Although his plans had been disrupted, he still had a second preparation.

Bai Zhizhi ran into the tree hole where he hid his treasures, casually setting down a restriction so that Beishan would not chase over and make a racket.

The inside of the giant tree’s hole was not small. He had already remodeled it into a big tree house, also his private treasury for hiding treasures.

Bai Zhizhi sat on a vine chair woven from tree roots. With a wave of his hand, balls of spiritual light wrapped around various treasures floated over from all directions, all of which he gathered into his storage ring.

They would not let him go out, so he would sneak out. Wasn’t it just Mother’s written order? He did not believe he could not steal it!

But he was not that reckless either. He could go out, but he had to bring some things that could guarantee his safety. Otherwise if he accidentally got hurt outside, his parents and sister would probably be heartbroken.

He had prepared many things in advance, all so he could go out with his sister. Who knew his sister would change the time and disrupt his plans? But it did not matter. Now he would carry all the prepared things on him, and look for an opportunity to sneak out at any time.

While packing his things, Bai Zhizhi heard Beishan’s shouts from outside. He picked up a horn shaped magical artifact and shouted toward the outside of the tree hole: “So noisy!”

Beishan was nearly flipped into the sky by a burst of spiritual power, but since he was certain the little Highness was in the tree hole he did not need to worry. He sighed and found a place to sit down. He could not blame the little Highness for being so angry. He also really wanted to go out. He envied Xifeng for being able to follow the Imperial Princess out to play.

Bai Zhizhi sat cross legged on the vine chair thinking things over. His parents understood him and knew he would definitely not accept this willingly. They would definitely hide the written order and such. He had to make a fuss to lower their guard. After getting out of Qingqiu, he could not go find his sister either. His sister would definitely send him back.

Where should he go after getting out? He would discuss it with Beishan later.

After fussing about for the entire morning, Bai Zhizhi, who had not gotten enough sleep in the first place, inexplicably started feeling drowsy. After a yawn, he sleepily closed his eyes.

When he woke up and opened his eyes, looking at the completely unobstructed sky, feeling the thin spiritual power around him, and the noise that was different from Qingqiu’s quiet, his eyes went blank. Was he not in the tree hole? Where was this place? Who had stolen him out of Qingqiu while he was sleeping?