The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Before even reaching the city walls, one is greeted by a bustling marketplace.

The people in the county town set up simple stalls outside the town to do some business. Many travelers would take a look ahead, then return to find a teahouse, sit down, and gulp down large bowls of coarse tea to relieve their fatigue.

The smoke from the stove mingled with the aroma of food, wafting into the fox's nostrils.

Seeing the food up close smelled much better than looking at it from the sky. The fox smacked its lips, its nose twitching, and it could hardly move.

The man didn't stop, pushing the cart through the noise. The fox quickly followed, its gaze still lingering on the food.

The rammed earth city wall stretched out in a winding manner, with a parapet every few steps. Behind the parapet, one could occasionally glimpse the guards moving back and forth. A water gate was embedded on the east side of the city wall, its sluice gate tightly closed.

The city gate was only half open, and the crowds gathered there, causing congestion.

"Hey, why is the door closed in broad daylight?" the man muttered.

People entering the city had already lined up in two rows, and four guards stood at the city gate with swords, questioning the crowd.

Although it was already autumn and the mornings and evenings were a bit cooler, it was around noon, the sun was shining directly, and there were no clouds in the sky. After standing there for no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the man felt hot all over.

The man finally understood why some people returned; they probably couldn't stand the heat and would come back to queue up after the sun went down.

The man could still endure it, and the tortoise and toad on the cart were soaked in water and were unharmed for the time being. He turned around, wanting to persuade this pampered young master to rest, but upon closer inspection, he saw that the young master's expression was indifferent, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Looking at the snake again, it had long since hidden in the shadows, with only half of its body exposed, letting the sun bask in its back.

"But I am the most precious," the man said with a self-deprecating laugh.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, it was finally their turn.

As they got closer, they could see that there was a table set up outside the city gate, and a soldier sitting behind the table raised his eyelids and said, "Official document."

The man quickly took out a slightly yellowed piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the soldier.

The fox glanced at it and saw several strange black patterns drawn on it, with a vermilion square seal stamped in the center.

The soldier took the official document, brought it close to his eyes, and slowly read: "Liu Guishou, a native of Xipan Township, Tao County, Yunling Prefecture, is thirty-two years old and makes a living by performing acrobatics."

"Oh, it's still the seal of Mangyuan Prefecture."

Liu Guishou smiled ingratiatingly: "Yes, sir, I just came back from over there. It just so happens to be the Moon Worship Festival, so I'm just trying to make a living."

"The Moon Worship Ceremony?" The soldier and his companion exchanged a glance and chuckled. "That's some long gone! It's been over for ages! Now it's all moved to the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August. The county government posted a notice about it a few days ago. You're pretty out of touch."

Liu Guishou's smile froze: "Moved...moved?"

The soldier ignored him and tapped his fingers on the table: "Open the pottery jars and baskets and take a look."

Liu Guishou hurriedly opened all these things. The soldier peeked at the old turtle in the basket and then poked at the bulging-eyed toad in the jar with his scabbard.

"Alright, move on... Hey, is this snake yours too?" the soldier asked, handing back the official document.

"The snake is mine," the fox said, stepping forward.

The soldier looked him up and down, noticing his neat attire, then turned his gaze to the fox-like face, his tone softening slightly: "Young master, the order from above requires your credentials to be verified."

The fox imitated Liu Guishou, reaching out and groping around before pulling out a folded piece of paper and handing it over.

The soldier took it and suddenly felt something was off. He had been guarding the gate for so long and he remembered every document he had checked, but this piece of paper felt like he had just seen it before.

He unfolded it and his brows immediately furrowed: "Liu Guishou..."

Even the handwriting on them is the same!

"Are you kidding me!" The soldier slammed his hand on the table, abruptly standing up, one hand gripping the hilt of his sword. "Who are you? Do you know that forging official documents is a serious crime!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense, and the soldiers nearby all gathered around, causing a stir among the crowd as they peered out.

The fox looked completely innocent.

"This was stolen from Liu Guishou, so why can he do it but the fox can't? Could it be that the fox's illusion magic has been exposed?"

"Please calm down, sir! Please calm down, sir!" Liu Guishou was so frightened that his face turned pale. He hurriedly stepped forward, bowing and scraping. "This young man is a fellow traveler with me. He's also a trickster. It's his first time traveling, and he doesn't know the rules. He must have taken the wrong thing! He took the wrong thing!"

He desperately tried to signal to the fox with his eyes: "Sir, stop playing around and take out your official documents."

The fox paused, wondering to itself, "What's written on this paper?"

"Liu Guishou, Yunling Prefecture..."

The fox suddenly realized that the content should be written differently for each person.

It nodded, put the paper into its backpack, then took it out again exactly as it was and handed it to the soldier.

Foxes cannot write, but they can use illusions to deceive the senses and make soldiers see what the fox wants them to see.

The soldier snorted coldly, impatiently took it, and saw that it was written on it:

Qing Shu, a native of Qingling, was one year and three months old and made a living by performing snake tricks.

"One year and three months?" The soldier stared at the paper, feeling like he'd been made a fool of, his anger flaring even more. "You son of a bitch—"

"Sir!" Liu Guishou almost lunged forward to cover the soldier's mouth, but quick-thinking, he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and explained, "Sir, you don't understand! He, he was referring to the years he's been training! One year and three months! Just kidding, just kidding!"

The fox looked completely innocent.

The soldier slapped the man away and drew his knife with a whoosh: "To mock an official is an even greater offense! Take him to the county office!"

The fox sighed, twitched its tail, and released a fragrance that subtly disturbed the soldiers' senses.

The soldiers rushed forward, drawing their swords, but suddenly realized that the person in front of them had gentle features and a simple, honest air. He was just a young man who was new to the world and a little naive. When they were swept over by those peach blossom eyes, their anger inexplicably dissipated.

It's just a snake charmer; letting him into the city won't cause any harm. Besides, there are so many people queuing up behind us; we can't just dawdle here and waste time.

The soldier waved his hand: "Alright, alright, hurry up and get going, don't block the road!"

Although Liu Guishou didn't know what had happened, he felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly nodded and bowed, thanking him profusely, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

He turned to tug at the fox's sleeve, wanting to hurry into the city, but when he reached out, he grabbed nothing; his fingertips touched nothing. Startled, he instinctively tugged again, but still nothing.

He didn't have time to turn around, and hurriedly pushed the cart, stumbling and staggering, into the city gate. Only when he heard the hustle and bustle of the city streets did he hold onto the handlebars and let out a long sigh of relief.

"My goodness, you're really my dear sir!" The man stared at the fox, a sense of doubt creeping into his heart.

"Humans are so cunning. If only the sparrow were here." The fox, oblivious to the recent danger, was drawn to a row of notices posted on the inner side of the city wall.

There were several notices of varying ages, the top ones being yellowish-white with dark patterns drawn on them. The fox neither recognized them nor cared about them; it was looking at the ones below.

The notice below depicts several portraits. Their features are clearly defined, and their expressions are lifelike.

"It's a fox, it's Erlang!"

The fox saw clearly that it recognized all those people, not only Shen Erlang, but also Li Guimei and her son Li Lang, who appeared in Pu Shunnian's memory.

Liu Guishou followed the fox's gaze and muttered, "According to the Emperor's will, there will be no more worship ceremonies this year for the Autumn Equinox..."

"...Fairy peaches will no longer be sold..."

He looked down again, a look of surprise on his face: "Oh dear, so many people are missing! Ah, Shen Erlang!"