You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

The next day, Qi Fei got up as soon as it was light.

He stood by the kang (a heated brick bed), looking down at the white fox that was still sleeping.

It curled up into a fluffy ball, its tail draped over its nose, breathing softly, its belly rising and falling.

His mind was filled with the dream he had last night.

What is this "Eight Extremes Fox Path"? It sounds pretty intimidating.

The dream was fantastical, but his stomach was still important. He turned to start a fire and cook.

The porridge was ready, so he ladled out a bowl and placed it on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) to cool. He then tore off half a piece of mixed flour cake, broke it into pieces, and soaked it in the porridge.

The white fox smelled the aroma, woke up, and pricked up its ears to look at him. He pushed the bowl towards it, and it came closer and ate in small bites.

Days passed by. The white fox's wounds healed quickly; the wounds on its hind legs scabbed over, the scabs fell off, revealing pink new flesh.

Then, Qi Fei released the white fox back into the wild.

The white fox was somewhat reluctant to part with Qi Fei. It stood at Qi Fei's feet, its head tilted back, its amber eyes reflecting his image.

Qi Fei simply said, "You should go back. The mountains are your home."

The white fox remained motionless.

He didn't look at it again, turned around and went into the house, closing the door behind him.

After a long time, he heard a rustling sound outside the door, like something rubbing against the threshold.

Then, the footsteps faded into the distance, softly treading on the snow, growing farther and farther away until they could no longer be heard.

Qi Fei nodded in satisfaction; finally, there was no more freeloading at home.

He can finally do other things.

The white fox returned to the mountain.

It found a cave in the mountains, settled down, and continued its cultivation.

After a few years, it successfully transformed into a human.

That encounter in the snow was its life-or-death ordeal. If it survived, it would have the chance to attain enlightenment; if it failed, it would face a life-or-death ordeal.

For it, this was not only a life-saving grace, but also a grace that led to enlightenment.

According to the rules of the fox clan, such a favor must be repaid with one's own body.

So she transformed into human form, went down the mountain, and returned to Qi Fei's home.

But when she arrived at the place, she was stunned.

The house is still there. But the door is locked, the window paper is torn even more badly, and the yard is overgrown with weeds.

It stood at the doorway for a long time.

A neighbor passing by saw an unfamiliar girl standing in front of the empty house and glanced at her a couple of times.

"Excuse me," she asked, "where are the people who live here?"

The neighbor sized it up: "What's your relationship to him?"

She thought for a moment: "A distant relative."

The neighbor nodded, as if he believed it, but also as if he didn't.

"Qi Fei? He hasn't lived here for a long time. He made his fortune and moved to town. Now he's a big workshop owner, managing a huge workshop with dozens of people working there."

She asked for directions, thanked them, and turned to walk towards the town.

Once she arrived in town, she quickly found the Qi family's large workshop.

The workshop is located at the east end of the town, facing the main street. It is a large courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles, and the facade is very impressive.

Two flagpoles stood at the entrance, with a sign that read "Qi Ji" hanging from them. When the wind blew, the cloth banners fluttered in the wind. Through the courtyard wall, one could hear the sounds of looms, hammers, and voices, all blending into a buzzing noise.

To the white fox's surprise, there was a long queue at the entrance of the workshop.

The procession started from under the threshold, meandered along the base of the wall, bypassed the hitching posts, and stretched all the way to the old locust tree across the street.

There were both men and women, but women made up the majority. They stood in twos and threes, some carrying baskets, some holding handkerchiefs, some whispering to each other, and some tidying their clothes.

The scene was even more lively than the fox gatherings she had seen in the mountains years ago.

She paused for a moment, and just as she was about to walk towards the door, a woman in a blue cloth shirt reached out and stopped her.

What are you doing?

The white fox said, "I've come to find Qi Fei."

The woman looked her up and down, and several people in line next to her also turned to look at her, their eyes filled with an indescribable wariness.

"We're also here to see Master Qi." The woman in the blue shirt put her hands on her hips and gestured with her chin toward the back of the line. "If you want to see Master Qi, you have to wait in line."

"Yes, we have to queue!" The people behind us echoed in unison.

With so many people staring at her, the white fox had no choice but to join the last part of the line.

She queued from noon until night.

The sun slowly slid from overhead to the west, and the people in the group changed batch after batch, but the number never seemed to decrease.

The woman carrying a basket in front of her left, and then a girl holding a handkerchief appeared. The scholar behind her left, and then an accountant in a silk shirt appeared.

While waiting in line, she heard a lot of things to say.

"Have you heard? Master Qi is only twenty-two this year and he's not married yet!" The speaker was a woman in a red jacket, whose voice was so loud that it could be heard halfway down the street.

"Really? Such a large family business, and there's no woman in charge?" someone chimed in.

"Absolutely! That's why people say that whoever marries into that family is incredibly lucky!"

"I heard that Matchmaker Liu went there three times last month, but was turned away each time. Master Qi has high standards; he doesn't look down on ordinary people."

"Of course! Look at his status now! He's the richest man in town! He can't just pick anyone!"

The white fox, standing in the group, felt a jolt in her heart upon hearing this.

She looked down at her clothes, which were still the same ones she had casually transformed into that day: a plain white dress, her hair held back with a wooden hairpin, and no other decorations on her body.

Looking at the girls in front, some were dressed in silk, some wore silver ornaments, some were made up, and some were carrying food boxes; each one was more elaborate than the last.

She suddenly felt that she had come too casually.

The line continued to move forward.

Someone else crowded around from behind, craning their neck to look ahead: "Are all these people in line here to find a match?"

"Not entirely," a scholar-looking man in front said, turning around. "The Qi family workshop is hiring female workers, and the pay is unparalleled for miles around. Many people come to apply for the jobs."

"Ying Gong?" the man asked, puzzled. "Even Ying Gong has such a long queue?"

The scholar smiled and lowered his voice: "Applying for the job is a pretense; my real intention is to see Master Qi. If I could work in the workshop and see him every day, over time, who knows what might happen?"

Upon hearing this, some of the women nearby blushed, some lowered their heads and laughed, and some pretended not to hear, but their eyes all glanced towards the door.

After hearing this, the white fox suddenly felt a strange, indescribable emotion welling up inside her.

It wasn't anger or anxiety, but rather a ticklish, sour feeling that she couldn't quite describe.

Do these people also want to see Qi Fei?

Do these women also want to marry Qi Fei?

She lowered her eyes, looking at her toes, and unconsciously pursed her lips.

A toad trying to eat swan meat—how ridiculous!

They know nothing.

Qi Fei belongs to her.

She wanted to repay the kindness.

According to the rules of the fox clan, a life-saving grace must be repaid with one's own body.

This wasn't a rule she set; it was a rule set by God.