EPILOGUE
Lord Lao heaved a satisfied sigh and leaned back against the trunk of a heavenly dragon tree. The young fox spirits in front of him stared up at him, their eyes expecting more.
"That's it?" one of the older ones asked. "It ends with the human woman killing the one she loves?"
"Yes. At least, that's where I end this story." Lord Lao explained.
"You mean, there's more, but you're not telling us?"
"There is always more, little one. But we storytellers must decide where to begin, and where to end."
"But that's a terrible place to end!"
"I don't think so," Lord Lao replied. "It's a rather good place. Poignant, touching, even a little tragic."
They all shook their heads in unison. "But what happened to the demon?" one asked. "What did the human woman do afterwards?" another implored. "What does poignant mean?" the littlest one asked.
"It's a story, not a mechanical diagram! You're not supposed to have all the answers!"
"Tell us! Tell us! We want answers!" they began chanting.
"Sorry. No."
They began wailing, their voices combining into a chorus of pitiful cries. Lord Lao put his hands to his ears.
"Fine! Fine! It's clear you foxes can't appreciate a good dramatic ending, so… I'll continue!"
The fox spirits broke into a raucous cheer. When it quieted down, Lord Lao spoke again.
"Dawn Star waited over the slain body of Furious Ming for an over an hour, crying softly. She was so attuned to the spiritual world that she knew his spirit had not risen. The demon Ya Zhen would not let his body die without another host to inhabit."
The fox spirit children began hissing at the mention of the name Ya Zhen. "What did she do?" one of the younger foxes called out, her voice plaintive.
"She had her students prepare a grand funeral pyre, and placed his slain body upon it. She figured if she destroyed the body, the demon would be forced to leave."
"But wouldn't the demon just jump to another dead body?" one of the boy foxes asked.
"When I said I would continue, I didn't mean you could keep asking questions! But yes, you are very observant, little one. Dawn Star had realized that possibility, and she had the area carefully cleared, except for one small dead rat she hid near the base of the funeral pyre. As the blazes consumed Ming's body, she felt his spirit finally rise and knew he was free. Then she rushed to where she had hidden the dead rat, and sure enough, it was alive!"
"Did they catch it?" several foxes cried.
"They didn't have to. The students had built a trap around it, so that as soon as it moved, a metal cage fell on it. Humans can be really quite clever sometimes."
"Not as clever as fox spirits!" they all chimed.
"Well, no, perhaps not as clever as a fox spirit. Or as talkative. Now please, no more questions!"
"So what happened next?" the littlest one asked.
Lord Lao sighed, then laughed good-naturedly. It was hard for him to remain cross, especially at fox spirit children. "They burned the rat, too! There was a tremendous explosion--I wish I could have been there--but everyone was safe because, you know, you generally don't stand next to a funeral pyre while it's burning."
"But did they really kill the demon?"
"I've checked with the Celestial Bureaucracy, and they are quite certain the demon was banished. Without a host, its kind cannot remain in the mortal realm."
The fox children gave a satisfied sigh of relief. But the littlest one still looked troubled. "But the human woman, she didn't get to be with her true love?"
"Look, I'll tell you a little secret, but you have to promise not to tell any humans."
"We never tell humans anything!" they all chimed together.
"Oh yes, I suppose that's correct. Well, as you know, Furious Ming was quite the Celestial celebrity, since he defeated the Terrible Mother and restored the Water Dragon and all that other good stuff from last week's story, right?"
They all nodded.
"Well, his spirit traveled from the funeral pyre and arrived at the Great Wheel, which as you know is presided over by the Water Dragon. She had already returned him to life once, so she couldn't send him back again. But so great was her appreciation to Furious Ming--and really, he did more in his time than most minor deities do over an eternity--that she convinced the Celestial Bureaucracy to allow him to live out his normal life in his own personal slice of heaven."
The fox spirits smiled and cooed. "Hey, we can go visit him!" one of the older boys shouted.
"Yes. I suppose, if you wanted to."
"But what about the human woman?" the littlest fox girl demanded.
Lord Lao took a deep breath, then shook his head.
"Look, Lord Lao is a little out of breath and not ready to tell the whole story of "The Ascension of Furious Ming," so why don't we just go visit him now and you can see for yourself?"
The fox spirits all cheered and clapped their hands.
Lord Lao took a small triangular contraption from one of his many bags, and a blinding flash of light enveloped them all.
Ming's heaven looked a lot like that of the fox spirits. There were grassy knolls floating above and below them, and strange plants sprouted at all angles from them. But on the main knoll, there were terrestrial plants as well, and an abundance of earthly flowers.
Ming was weeding a bed of midnight primrose--weeds, in heaven!--when the flash of light announced the arrival of his old friend Lord Lao. This time, however, Lao was followed by no fewer than nine small fox spirits, their small eyes gleaming brightly behind their rosy pointed noses.
"Mad Kang!" Ming called, using Lord Lao's old name.
"Hello friend," Lord Lao replied with a wave, and then motioned to the fox spirits around him. "Hope you don't mind, I brought some friends."
"Not at all." Ming turned to a small house built out of red rosewood. "Visitors!" he bellowed.
There was a pause, and then came the sound of running footsteps. A small boy and girl, no more than three years old, emerged in the doorway. Their eyes widened at the sight of the fox spirits, and they rushed forward with a shout of glee.
The fox spirits, too, laughed and ran to meet the small humans.
"Children!" came another voice from within the house, and a second later, a beautiful woman dressed in red emerged.
"You must be the human woman!" the littlest fox spirit shouted.
She smiled warmly at the small fox spirits. "And you must be friends of Lord Lao."
They all nodded. The small boy and girl pulled up in front of the closest fox spirit, and they watched each other with great interest.
"These are our children, Ming Sky and Ming Lian. The guy over there with all the tattoos is Furious Ming, and I am Dawn Star."
Ming Sky and Ming Lian held out their hands in greeting. The fox spirits sniffed them.
"Ah, before I forget," Lord Lao said, "and you know how often I do that, the Empress wanted me to invite you to the annual Sun Festival."
"She couldn't ask us herself?" he asked.
"Now dear, there's no need for that," Dawn Star said. "She is the Empress and very busy as such. Tell her the children and I will attend, as always."
"Very good." Lord Lao turned to Ming. "You know, I really am sorry you can't leave here. I've talked with the Celestial Bureaucracy but--"
"Lao, it's okay. I have everything I need here." He looked over at Dawn Star. "But sometimes I wonder why she stays with me."
Dawn Star merely smiled back.
"Won't you all join us for tea in the garden?" she asked.
The fox spirits tittered their approval, and Lord Lao herded them towards a gazebo nestled in a flourishing bed of crimson dragon tulips. The children Ming Sky and Ming Lian skipped after them, trying in vain to grab hold of their bushy tails.
Dawn Star reached out and took Ming's hand. Before she could lead him towards the gazebo, he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her quickly, surprising her. He put his other hand on her waist, then let it drop to her thigh.
"Ming!" she said, looking over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching. "Sometimes I think the Water Dragon restored too much of your vitality."
"The Water Dragon seeks balance in all things. There's nothing wrong with lust when it's balanced by love."
"Well, I guess that makes sense--"
"Good! Then I'd like a moment with you after our guests are gone." And he looked into her eyes with a mixture of both affection and desire.
She blushed and dropped her eyes, but couldn't deny the joy in her heart.
From the gazebo, the fox spirits peeked around a sparkling fountain as Lord Lao tactfully looked the other way. He cleared his throat.
"Someday I will tell you the whole story of the 'Ascension of Furious Ming.' But for now, you can see that it has a happy ending. Are you satisfied?"
The fox spirits all nodded in unison. "I hope I can find as true a love someday," the littlest one gushed.
"Just remember all the difficulties and challenges they faced," Lord Lao said with a hint of warning in his voice. Then he snuck a quick glance at the happy couple, and couldn't help but smile. Indeed, they had found peace at last; at least as far as the last or most recent story he could tell of them.
The future was anyone's guess, even for a minor deity like Lord Lao. The only certainty was that if there were more stories to come, he would tell them.
THE END