Chapter 433 (1/2)

Fox (3)

Athena knew Tigress didn’t mind if she told a few jokes, though it would be different if her jokes involved Ye Lang. And if they were ever mild jabs at him, Tigress would grow defensive immediately.

However, what she couldn’t understand was the fact that Tigress only wanted a simple friendship with Master, to serve and care for him and nothing else.

“You’re such a fox! Tigress, let’s not talk to her. Let’s go out for a walk!” Ye Lang dragged Tigress away, ignoring Athena.

“Hmmph! Wait, what did THAT mean? Master…” Athena decided she had to know what he meant every time he said she was ‘such a fox’.

This wasn’t the first time he told her this. Although she didn’t understand, it was clear from his tone it was meant to be an insult.

Ye Lang also once told her it was indeed an insult used for people who were shameless and annoying.

However, he never told her what ‘being a fox’ meant. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to tell her, he just wasn’t too sure either.

During the earliest days, the fox had the most positive image. A tribe even took the fox as their symbol, and legends denote how a nine-tailed fox blessed Yu the Great with children, hence founding the first dynasty, Xia dynasty, where the lands prospered for years to come.

The fox was one of the most revered mystical creatures during the Qin and Han dynasty, placed on the same level as the Long dragon, the Qilin and the Pheonix as the four symbols of prosperity!

There were often depictions of the nine-tailed fox, rabbits, toads, birds crowding around the Queen Mother of the West (a Chinese Tao goddess/deity) during artwork from the Han dynasty to symbolise prosperity.

There were even elaborated descriptions of the three virtues symbolised by the fox: its soft fur represented moderation and flexibility; its stature being small in the front and larger in the back meant remembering your ancestors and being humble before them; and when foxes died their heads always faced their caves, representing always remembering your roots.

The foxes enjoyed a great reputation for two thousand years from the Xia to the Han dynasty!

However, after the Han dynasty, its reputation fell from the skies. The praise and worship suddenly disappeared and the Chinese vocabulary was left with phrases like as suspicious as a fox, the stench of a fox etc. From this time on, the fox became the symbol of suspicion, manipulation and seduction. Unfortunately, they have yet to turn their names around.

Poor foxes, it was probably going to be difficult for them to clean their reputation again.

Once, a great writer named Pu Songling wrote such beautiful pieces on the fox and yet he failed to turn around the general perception of them…

Ye Lang didn’t care. If Athena asked him again, he was going to tell her the entire story.

Sometime later, Ye Lang indeed told her the story but to his surprise, she fell in love with it. She went as far as telling him he could call her a fox (in that context). Even Ye Lang was exasperated.

She’s an innocent girl, how could she like being called a fox?

Of course, Ye Lang gave in because it was not a big deal.

No one in this world knew what this word meant anyway!

What Ye Lang didn’t know was that he had completely changed the meaning of ‘being a fox’ in this world. In the years to come, ‘to be a fox’ was a compliment to a girl, praising her to be wise and kind.

One word, two meanings, two different eras, two different worlds!

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