The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

As soon as the fox emerged from Peach Blossom Pavilion, the skinny servant hurriedly approached: "Young master, what skill you possess! Your snake-handling technique has truly astonished all the nobles of Peach Blossom Pavilion. May I be so bold as to ask, is there any fortune I might have to learn a few tricks from you?"

The fox pointed to Liu Guishou inside the building and said truthfully, "He taught me."

The broker quickly looked in the direction the fox pointed, memorized Liu Guishou's appearance, and then turned back: "Where is the young master going now? I'll take you there."

The fox didn't answer, but rummaged through its backpack. Scattered copper coins and silver coins were mixed together, leaving the fox momentarily perplexed.

"How much is half a string of cash? And what is this white stone?"

"Silver and copper, circulating in the marketplace, gather the spirit of the people and can assist in the affairs of the Dao." The voice suddenly came out.

"That's not what the fox wanted to ask." The fox pondered for a moment, then picked out a few pieces of silver of moderate size from the loose silver and handed them to the broker.

"Here's your money." The fox carefully observed the broker's reaction.

"Oh my, young master, this is too much! Thank you for your generous gift!" The broker, without checking the quality, happily accepted the gifts. "Young master, where to next?"

The fox noted down the amount and left with Big Willow, saying, "I'll take a look myself; don't follow me."

The broker could only stand there, watching regretfully as the generous young master left. He was just about to go into Peach Blossom Pavilion to wait for Liu Guishou when he turned around and saw the fox had returned.

"You come with me."

"Alright!" The broker was overjoyed and quickly agreed.

"Don't follow so closely." The fox pointed to a spot about a step behind him, slightly to the left. "You stand here and follow me. Don't let anyone else get close to you, and don't follow directly behind me."

The man, not understanding why, obediently did as he was told.

The fox was then relieved.

There are too many people in this city. The fox's true form is long with a tail trailing behind it, but the person it transforms into is tall and thin. Just a few steps into the crowd, it was followed by people several times, and its tail was almost stepped on.

The fox continued south, and since it was nearby, it decided to go and check out the peach tree first.

After walking a short distance, I came across a green teahouse by the roadside. It had gray tiles on its roof and lacked the elegance of the Peach Blossom Pavilion, but it exuded a lively, down-to-earth atmosphere. A strange smell of grass wafted from it.

The fox was about to walk around the teahouse when it suddenly heard a loud noise from inside, which startled it.

"Snap—"

Fortunately, Magistrate Zhang had a good friend, a brave man with superb skills and a fiery temper, who drew his sword and gave chase.

Ok?

The fox stopped and its ears perked up.

"That sorcerer was not to be trifled with. He opened the scroll and summoned a monster eight feet tall with arms big enough to run a horse. When the steel blade struck it, sparks flew, but it didn't cause the slightest injury."

"Although Duan is highly skilled in martial arts, how can he possibly defeat this ferocious beast?"

The fox listened with great interest and asked, "Is this a story about foxes?"

"It is indeed the story of the fox spirit. If you are interested, young master, why not go in and find a seat?"

The broker led the fox inside. The hall was filled with dozens of square tables and long benches, most of which were occupied by people.

A wooden platform about half a foot high was set up by the window, with a table on it. A storyteller sat there, telling a story.

The two found a quiet table and sat down. The waiter handed them tea cards, but the fox wasn't paying attention to them and casually pointed to the card with the strongest personal touch.

"Before even half an incense stick could burn, Duan Zhuangshi was being forced into retreat, covered in wounds, and on the verge of becoming the monster's meal!"

"Swords and fists are useless; life hangs by a thread, trapped in a cage!"

"But as the saying goes, good people are always blessed by Heaven, and the loyal and virtuous will surely encounter divine assistance!"

The fox listened intently, its tail tip swaying slightly; it was time for the fox to make its appearance.

"You think this temple is deserted? Not at all! The mountain god has been waiting for quite some time!"

"Um? 』

"Snapped!"

The gavel slammed down: "At the crucial moment, a miracle occurred!"

"The mountain god had long suspected the evil spirits were causing trouble, and had been waiting patiently, ready to strike at this critical moment to eliminate the scourge!"

"The scene was like a sudden burst of divine light..."

The fox frowned and asked, "Wasn't it the fox spirit who made the move? Why is it the mountain god?"

"Oh, young master, you don't know this, this is only the first part. The mountain god first subdues the monster, and then the fox spirit appears—that's the main event!"

"We've already fought all the earth and stone monsters, haven't we finished explaining everything?"

"this……"

The two weren't speaking loudly, but the place wasn't large to begin with, and people were packed together. A guest at their table heard them, turned to look at the fox, and chuckled, "First time hearing this, young master? The rest is quite exciting!"

"That demon was unwilling to give up, so he summoned 100,000 ghost soldiers and occupied Qingling, kidnapping people to be sacrificed. To save the people, the fox spirit bravely broke into the mountain peak alone and fought the ghost soldiers for three days and three nights, breaking the demon's bewitching array. In the end, she even followed the demon to the South Heavenly Gate to ask the Heavenly Emperor to bestow a demon-suppressing talisman, thus completely eliminating the scourge." The guest told the story in one breath, and it was quite well-organized.

"Ah, the fox didn't do those things."

The guest shook his head: "Who can tell whether these ghost and spirit legends are true or false? I think it's just that people are tired of hearing stories about mountain gods and water gods, so they like to hear about fox spirits now."

The fox sensed something was wrong: "You know what happens next, so why are you listening?"

"Every time I listen, I gain new insights." The guest smiled. "And the story isn't static; when I first came to hear it, there was only the first version."

The waiter had already brought over the teacups, steam rising gently.

The fox remained silent, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and grimaced from the bitter taste.

"Humans are strange; they listen to lies, yet spend money to suffer."

The fox had no interest in such nonsense, so he followed the others and arranged the coins on the table before getting up and leaving.

A few steps further, and you come to a square. Crowds throng the area, and many vendors have set up stalls and vendors. The fox looks up, and there stands the peach tree, which he has long heard of but has never seen before.

"Wow, that's huge!" was the fox's first reaction.

The fox took a light breath, the scent of peach mixed with the fresh fragrance of herbs and trees, inhaling it into its lungs.

The tree is alive.

A thought inexplicably surfaced in the fox's mind and wouldn't go away.

It doesn't live the ignorant life of ordinary trees, but rather a life imbued with intelligence, like that of a fox or a sparrow.

It stood there quietly, silent and still, observing the myriad aspects of human life in the square.

It is already mid-autumn, but the tree still looks lush and leafy, with new buds just beginning to sprout, fresh and green, full of vitality.

But the fox had a strange feeling.

It's dying.

A gentle breeze rustled through the peach blossoms, intensifying their fragrance, yet the fox discerned a faint, almost imperceptible scent emanating from them.

The fox had smelled it many times; the foul, filthy odor clung to the roots like a bone-deep infection, impossible to shake off.

That's the aura of Yin and evil.