The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Chapter 138 Senior Brother Feng, How Have You Been? (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"By the celestial being above, this faithful woman has something to report."

The voice came from the incense burner; it was the queen bee.

"Just now, a large group of people came from Qingling, dressed in official robes and carrying weapons, and have arrived at the Mountain God Temple."

The fox frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before looking towards the direction of Qingling.

Qingling.

"Da da da yi"

The sound of horses' hooves was rapid as several scouts galloped up the mountain path, only to run into a large and impressive procession.

The scout walked straight past the front cavalry and came to a man riding a tall horse with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

"Report—"

The scout dismounted and knelt on one knee: "Reporting to Commander, we have discovered a temple three miles ahead. It has a main hall and a side hall. The courtyard wall looks like it has been renovated in recent years and is still quite new."

Commander Xue asked expressionlessly, "Is there any incense offering?"

"Your Excellency, the incense burner outside the door is covered with incense ash and there are also offerings of fruit, so it must be a place where people often come to worship."

Xue Shouhu narrowed his eyes slightly: "Outside the door?"

The scout looked puzzled: "Sir, the temple gates are tightly closed, and there's a plaque hanging on the gate that reads—"

"I'm taking a break these days. Please don't disturb me unless it's absolutely necessary."

Commander Xue scoffed, "This mountain god certainly knows how to enjoy a life of leisure. Who is enshrined in his temple?"

The scout, who had already inspected the place from horseback, bowed and reported: "The main hall enshrines the mountain god, a human-shaped statue that appears to be quite old. The side hall enshrines a fox god, and judging by the marks, it seems to be even more popular with worshippers than the mountain god."

"A fox?" Commander Xue's interest was piqued. "Where did this wild fox come from, daring to occupy the mountain god's temple?"

"Lord Xue, don't rush to conclusions."

Commander Xue turned around and saw a magnificent carriage approaching from the back of the procession. The curtain was lifted, and an elderly man with completely white hair stepped out, but whose movements did not show any signs of aging. He was wearing an official robe and a crown, and was holding a scroll in his hand.

"Ha, let alone the fox god, even this mountain god doesn't seem to have been officially appointed, does it?" Commander Xue sneered. "Without official appointment or registration, it's just a deity privately created by the ignorant villagers. According to the laws of Da Xuan, this is an illicit shrine."

The surrounding cavalrymen all reached out and pressed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"Private shrines are most likely to attract evil spirits. The disturbance caused by ghosts in Tao County this time may not be unrelated to this licentious shrine. According to the rules of the Demon Suppression Bureau, it should be burned down to eliminate the source of evil."

"Lord Commander, you are mistaken." The old man slowly walked over and unrolled his book.

"Oh? What insightful opinion does Wei Guanzheng have?"

"I have examined the records of investiture since the founding of Dae Hwon. During the reign of King Gojong, the court revered Taoism and built this temple to attract worshippers from the people. However, during the reign of King Yeongjong, Taoism declined, and the temple was temporarily abandoned."

"This record is well hidden; if one does not examine it carefully, it is easy to mistake it for something that was never recorded."

Commander Xue frowned: "Is Wei Guanzheng implying that I'm careless in my work?"

"I wouldn't dare. The Demon Suppression Division has only been established for a few decades, so it's understandable that we haven't seen some of the old files."

Upon hearing this, Commander Xue rode forward on his horse and looked down at the old man: "According to what the official said, the origin of this temple is clear, but the deity enshrined in this temple, and the fox god, couldn't have been erected during the reign of Emperor Gaozong, could they?"

Wei Guanzheng closed the book and nodded, saying, "What you say makes sense, Commander. It is indeed hard to say."

"Hard to say? You can even access the temple's records, yet you can't figure out the origins of the deity?"

Wei Guanzheng shook his head: "The lack of a record does not necessarily mean it is not. I dare not say that it is a true god, but I also dare not say that it is not."

"In my humble opinion, we should wait for Master Feng to return before making a decision. Master Feng works in the Taoist Registry for many years, and this temple was built by the Taoist sect. We should ask for his opinion."

Commander Xue waved his hand, and the surrounding cavalrymen lowered their stances. He snorted and said, "Where did that Taoist Priest Feng go?"

"Of course, we went to Qingling Temple."

Qingling Temple.

A mountain breeze swept by, and peach leaves fell with the wind, covering the ground that had just been swept clean with new leaves in the blink of an eye.

Qingzhu held the broom, showing no sign of annoyance, and simply swept the floor diligently all the way to the front of the hall.

He looked up and saw his master leaning against a pillar in the hall, only half his face visible, his eyes squinting. The sunlight fell on the scroll in his hand, but he didn't find it dazzling at all.

"Master's cultivation must have improved again." Qingzhu sighed in admiration, then stepped back to the front of the temple and began sweeping with undivided attention.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps crunching on fallen leaves came from afar. Qingzhu looked up and saw a middle-aged Taoist priest with graying temples walking towards her.

"Master Feng!" Qingzhu was taken aback and hurriedly bowed.

"Zhu'er," Master Feng nodded slightly, "Where is your master?"

"Master is cultivating in the hall."

"Cultivation?" Master Feng asked indifferently, simply walking over and gently stroking Qingzhu's head. "Let's go, let's go see him together."

Without needing Qingzhu to lead the way, Master Feng walked to the hall on his own. As he looked at the figure in the hall, his face gradually darkened.

Qingzhu was stunned. She walked to her master's position and saw that her master's other eye was closed tightly, and she could hear a faint snoring sound.

"Junior brother, is this how you cultivate?"

Abbot Yun yawned and opened his eyes: "Senior brother, what brings you here?"

"If I hadn't come, I wouldn't have known that my junior brother's cultivation had reached such a level."

Master Feng's expression was serious: "It's fine if you don't cultivate yourself, but don't affect Zhu'er. He's at the crucial stage of building his foundation. If he just drifts along with you like this, what future can he have?"

Abbot Yun wasn't annoyed. He stood up and casually brushed the dust off his robes: "Why is Senior Brother so calculating?"

Spiritual practice is about following the natural course of things.

"Sunbathe when you should, and sleep when you should."

"Senior brother, don't make that face. I learned it from our grandmaster."

Master Feng thought his junior brother was talking nonsense again. He wanted to say something, but he felt it would be like casting pearls before swine, so he changed the subject: "Alright, I came here for the matter of Tao County."

"Oh, why are you asking me, senior brother? I'm neither the magistrate of Tao County nor the mountain god or city god."

Master Feng looked at him and said seriously, "I have calculated that this matter is inextricably linked to you."

Master Yun said, "Senior Brother's divination skills have improved again? These years in the capital have certainly not been in vain."

Master Feng ignored his teasing: "And what about that fox spirit? Tell me the truth so I can explain it to Commander Xue and Officer Wei on your behalf."

Abbot Yun seemed to have thought of something amusing; his lips twitched, and he suppressed a laugh: "Senior brother, you've been in the capital for so long, how come you've even forgotten to respect your teacher?"

"Um?"

"The fox god enshrined in that side hall, according to seniority, we should call it our grandmaster uncle."

Master Feng frowned, about to reprimand his junior brother, when he heard Qingzhu echo, "Master is right."

The wind tunnel is long and stagnant.

Abbot Yun finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

>