I remembered my master once told me I would one day become one of the Greats, fighting the wicked for the greater good.

He was right, of course.

But this wasn't what I'd thought he meant.

The vast expanse of rock and boulder and metal stretched on for what seemed like another few hundred miles, the remnants of mountains that used to line the paths trembling over the roofs of thousands and thousands of caves, all filled with malicious treasure, glaring at me steadily as they whispered coaxing words to me, urging me to grab them and flee this land of death.

I ignored the blink of steel and silver, continuing to trudge through the passage, winding in and out of the field of armor - armor warriors just like me had lost in the swirl of shadow and mist that forever shrouded this place.

She is the chosen one.

The monk's voice still echoed in my head, sonorous and intimidating. I had been tending to the cattle roaming in my father's half an acre of meadow when the imperial soldiers stormed our farm and dragged me through the gates of the palace. Empress Xie's dark eyes shuddered in my memory as I recalled how she'd tossed the decree at me, threatening to slaughter all my kin if I did not obey the prophecy.

A prophecy that should not have been mine.

It was tradition that whenever a woman was to give birth, her family would celebrate and call upon the almighty Qilin to bring them a son to carry on the title and fortune of his ancestors.

I, Fang Ningyue, was supposed to be that son.

Until my father found a daughter swathed in a blanket of red.

I would always see the false love in his eyes when he looked at me and my mother, disappointed that his wife had not birthed him a man to take care of the farm he would inherit. And however they tried, the Heavens would not bestow with a second child.

So that was why I had run, begging on my knees for the Master of Qianyun Sect to teach me everything he knew and help me search for a path of cultivation I could follow.

My mother thought I had found a job in the city. My father didn't care.

Master had, in fact, taught me everything he knew, helped me seek my own path. And now, I was fulfilling a final quest set out for me by the Four Auspicious Beasts, each with their own shrewd wits and own dark scheme.

They had heard of my victory one year ago at the Battle of the Yellow River, joined by both my seniors and juniors as we pushed back the invaders at the border.

But those Beasts had singled me out, told the monks and the Empress and every citizen that resided here in the country of China that I had been selected.

I flexed my fingers, the hard hilt of my blade bouncing between the blades of my shoulders. I'd named it Fengwu, for the phoenix that was carved into the silver and the sword's lethal precision when it danced in my hands. It had been a gift to me from my master the day following the invaders' defeat and the day I finally returned home to my parents after seven long years, accompanying me for the rest of my life.

A sharp screech tugged me from my thoughts, hauling me back into the face of reality, rusted shields and swords littering the ground my boots stood upon. The taste of death was in the air as I twisted my head around, catching the faintest glimpse of white and silver before another shriek filtered overhead.

My hand instantly went to my sword, an instinct that had embedded itself into my bones through the years. The feeling of the steel hilt in my palm was comforting, but that soon vanished when my eyes landed on the white shape perching daintily on a large boulder before me.

I stopped dead in my tracks, the singing of souls in the air.

The nine-tailed fox watched me, white fur like snow and eyes a shade brighter than the red jade  which had adorned the Empress's court. My breathing grew shallow.

Master had forced me to read every book there was on the creatures of myth and legend, forced me to understand everything there was to know.

And nine-tailed foxes hated humans.

I took a slow step backward, my eyes flickering from the creature to the path the White Tiger had created up ahead. Riling up a fox would be the last thing I needed.

With gentle but confident grace, the creature leapt from its spot, padding carefully toward me with a feminine gait. A fox as transfixingly beautiful as this shouldn't be here, a place where death was the only thing that roamed.

I faltered another step.

Some would say being frightened by a mere nine-tailed fox was foolish.

The creature circled my legs.

I knew better.

These charming, cunning beasts should be the most feared.

Slowly, with a waft of bamboo and and chrysanthemums, I watched with prying eyes as the fox arched upward, a cascade of white satin and ribbon dancing across my vision. Fur became fair skin and lambent red eyes glowed a brilliant, rich brown.

A resonant laugh that sounded of wind chimes and an immortal choir reiterated in the graveyard of metal, followed by a face so enticingly alluring that anyone who set eyes upon it would fall to their knees.

I held still.

"Mhm," the young woman hummed, extending a pale finger toward me. "A girl this time."

She had sharp features, honed from centuries of seducing then killing her victims to sustain her own youth and powers. Her nine tails flicked behind her back, then faded like ash.

I flinched when her skin came in contact with mine, an electric shock that felt so alive spider-walking down my spine.

I understood now how so many great warriors had fallen before me.

"You're quite handsome for a girl," the nine-tailed fox chirped, her voice like sugar-coated knives that cleaved the air.

Never interact with a fox demon. Not if you want to die. My master's words ripped through my mind.

"My name is Bai Que," the fox purred. "What is yours, young heroine?"

I kept my mouth sealed.

Another bitter laugh peeled from the woman's lips. I kept my gaze forward, pinned to the stone path as the demon came up behind me, her steps soundless on the rough terrain. I saw her nostrils flare from the corner of my eyes.

She was smelling me.

"Young warrior, where are you off to?" Bai Que crooned, letting her hands wander down my chest, searching, scouring. I didn't move - didn't even dare to breathe.

Her fingers glided across my waist, up through the sheet of silver plating that was my armor and over the fabric of my clothes which concealed the flask of phoenix tears my master had secretly passed to me before I left.

I caught her wrist, rotating on my heel to face her, my eyes narrowed and scalding.

She clicked her tongue. "What's the matter?" she asked sweetly. "Are you scared?"

"Where is the Sheet-Metal Rake?" I questioned, my grip on her vice-like. The nine-tailed fox pouted, her eyes gleaming deviously.

"You heroine," she cooed, "you can't get the Rake just yet." Her skin felt like frost against my palm, but I didn't let her go, my other hand gradually reaching for my sword.

In one swift movement, I had Fengwu out from its scabbard and directed at the fox demon's throat. "Why not?"

Bai Que grinned.

"Because, my darling warrior," she murmured, rounding the tip of my weapon in a hummingbird quick motion that I wasn't able to catch, "you must first defeat Taotie."

Her voice flitted into my ears, wrapping around my heart. "Who is Taotie?"

Again, the woman trailed her fingernail down the side of my face, frowning mischievously.

Then, with the hiss of shadow and darkness, she leaned in, her lips grazing my earlobe as she whispered, "That."

Before I could react, Bai Que disappeared in a cloud of white smoke, her laughter a peal of lightning a thunder that struck the sky.

And when I turned back to the road behind me, scattered with the bones of broken men and jewels that dazzled ominously, I finally heard the growl.

I looked up, but it was already too late.