Prologue

He Lian's legs were very strong. He could outrun even dogs if he wanted.

This skill was extremely helpful for when the day came and the Red Gate sect was finally destroyed by the alliance of the righteous cultivators.

The siege was devastating. The entire sect area now mostly consisted of fire, exploded or collapsed buildings, and hundreds of demonic cultivators falling in battles and surrendering to the enemy by the dozens.

The first among the attackers was he – a proud, shining figure in flapping white clothes. Yu Xiling, the Sound of Rain in his hands as his loyal demon-slaying sword. With unparalleled grace, he cut through whole buildings and launched into beautiful attacks that nobody could deflect. His strikes were precise and never failed.

Thus, almost nobody wanted to fight him one on one, sure they would be defeated shortly.

"Sect Leader He Lian!" cries came from all sides. "Save us! Only you can fight with Yu Xiling and have a chance to defeat him! Please go and calm him down or he will wreck all of us!"

But He Lian would not be himself if he agreed to do what everyone told him to. His parents had told him not to make fun of powerful yet vile people, and he still did that. His teachers had told him not to be ambitious and try forbidden techniques or it would lead him down wrong paths, yet he still did that.

His friends told him not to think so highly of himself that he would end up alone, yet he still did all of that.

Now they told him to go and meet Yu Xiling face to face?

What for?

To waste his time on a futile battle and lose any chance to escape later?

He Lian saw Yu Xiling approaching and immediately dropped all his ongoing fights with others. He jumped over the wreckage, ducked under falling debris, and ran away.

He ran as fast as his legs allowed him -- which was very, very fast!

Even the disappointed cries of his sect brothers did nothing to stop him. Because they soon faded behind him and he ended up not hearing any.

The ruckus of the battle soon vanished into the background as He Lian weaved deeper and deeper into the Red Gate sect's outer territories. He glanced back and saw smoke rising over the sect grounds and Yu Xiling's figure close behind him, and that spurred him to run even faster.

Why was Yu Xiling so bent on chasing after him?

What a maniac! What had He Lian ever done to him? He Lian wasn't even that familiar with this guy, so he had no clue what Yu Xiling's problem was!

He Lian cut trees and exploded fire talismans to distract Yu Xiling from his pursuit. He hid and used demonic illusions to throw Yu Xiling off. But the longer the chase went, the more He Lian realized that Yu Xiling would not let him go no matter what He Lian did. For some reason, this guy was obsessed with the idea of catching him today!

But ho-ho, He Lian knew of at least one sure way to trick him and get away.

The back caverns of the Red Gate sect.

It was a very lame trick, but He Lian simply had no other choice. He had to try it as the last resort and hope for the best.

Inside the caverns, water rained into chilly puddles on the floor and shadows shifted in waving patterns over the walls. He Lian ran farther and farther from the entrance until all lights died out and there was nowhere to run.

His feet stopped at the edge of the pool with waters so deep, they seemed black.

With one final glance over his shoulder, He Lian inhaled. Then he jumped into the waters.

Only one thought pulsed through him when his head went under the water:

Make me so unnoticeable and harmless-looking, nobody will ever suspect it's me! Hide me! Make it so nobody can find me there! Give me the means of escaping any dangers!

Take – me – away – from – here!

»»————-　/('x')\　————-««

And that was how he ended up hundreds of li away from the Red Gate sect wreckage. He was safe and unharmed and very capable of escaping every danger that might come to him.

The only issue was that he had become... a rabbit!

How had that happened? One might ask. The deal was with the dark spring into which He Lian had jumped so decisively. The demonic essence of that spring had long been studied and explained.

It fulfilled one's wishes, but in such a way that it would strip all the cultivated powers from that person.

And since one of the highest cultivated stages for beings was to be a human, the dark spring simply downgraded everyone who jumped into it – to the stage of an animal. Then it absorbed all their cultivated experience into itself and in the end, was very pleased with the deal.

The person who was now made into an animal could cultivate back into a human with time, of course. And their deepest wish would also be fulfilled by the spring. So, all in all, the deal was not too shabby for either side.

But it still sucked to wake up in the middle of a mossy forest and realize that you were now... a bunny.

How could one live with themselves after such a drastic change?

He Lian met the discovery very stoically.

His long ears drooped down in dejection and his eyes blinked at his own cute round little body as he took a good look at himself. He squeezed his eyes shut and manifested his own human image out of the bunny just to see if he still could.

His cultivation core was still his own and thus, his human spirit could still come out to stand beside him. It could also probably speak to other humans as everyone's souls could. But He Lian knew he shouldn't show his human image to anyone or they would immediately recognize him, so he dispelled his human manifestation shortly, however much it hurt him to do.

He liked his human image. Very much.

He was one hell of an attractive young man. 

Only slightly saddened, he wondered if perhaps he was one hell of an attractive bunny as well? That would be nice.

He was still in the running-away mode in case he was being followed, so he did not waste too much time studying his new body. He simply accepted it and moved on.

There was a lot to accept, though. His long silky black ears, his puffy paws and perky little tail and the overall clumsiness of his run. But he only sighed and went with it. Everything could be worked-around and even improved with time. And as long as he could cultivate back into a human, who cared what he ended up as for the time being?

Besides, He Lian was an optimist and always strived to find new roads to walk and new points of view to appreciate. Maybe he would even learn another demonic technique while being a bunny. Who knew what enlightenment mysteries bunnies hid from the world?

Thinking in this self-satisfied, cheery manner, He Lian hopped cutely alongside the mosses and mushrooms as he sought his way down the thicket. His tiny pink nose twitched as he sniffed the air, already wondering what he should eat and where he should sleep tonight to have a good rest and properly start his cultivation journey tomorrow.

It was evening soon and so cute little He Lian was getting sleepy after spending so much time running and thinking too hard about his tomorrow plans to cultivate.

So he missed it when the bushes behind him parted and someone's very careful white paws stepped on the moss as though on tiptoe.

The paws belonged to someone very graceful and orderly and clean.

Why else would this strange white fox act as though it was disgusted with even the idea of dirt and mud sticking to its pristine-white, beautifully-furred paws?

And yet, however displeased the fox appeared with having to walk on its bare feet across the woods, it still looked like it was in the middle of a very, very intense and devoted search for something.

Or someone – else...