The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

"Chang Sheng, may I ask you, what is an immortal?"

Chang Sheng lowered his head and said respectfully, "This subordinate is foolish and does not understand the true meaning of the immortal."

"People generally understand that treating all things as straw dogs is the fair way of Heaven, but I insist on taking it literally. In the eyes of the immortals, all things are inherently straw dogs; whether they live or perish, what does it matter?"

"So what if we let those ignorant mortals, who are always trying to use petty tricks to rebel against us, jump around and cause trouble?" A wisp of Yin energy lingered on the incense master's hand, but he gently stroked it and it dissipated.

"Why bother guessing or defending? It's not worth it. What immortals do is never to deal with those straw dogs, but to crush them with a wave of their hand."

"In the end, the birth and death of all things in this world are never in their own hands," the incense master said coldly. "Their existence is because the immortals don't care about them, and their destruction is just because the immortals are in a bad mood or find them an eyesore."

"Immortals are the rules of heaven. Chang Sheng, if you don't have this understanding, you will never become an immortal."

Chang Sheng looked enlightened and bowed deeply: "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Master. I will certainly keep the true meaning of the Great Dao in mind."

The incense master nodded slightly, his expression softening somewhat: "You made a mistake before, but it's not too late. Now is the perfect opportunity for you to atone for your sins."

"The time has come. Take the ghosts from outside to Tao County. Those ordinary people have already gathered in one place. You don't need to bother searching them one by one. You can settle things all at once."

"Tonight is the night when this place sheds its mortal state and ascends to the realm of immortals."

Chang Sheng's smile froze almost imperceptibly: "Master, what day is it today?"

"Mid-Autumn Festival." The incense master stood up, patted Chang Sheng on the shoulder, "Although you have lost your physical body, you have also benefited from this misfortune, taking another step towards becoming a ghost immortal. My promise to you still stands. After today, I will attain immortality and ascend to heaven, and you will be the next incense master."

"Idiot! You've ruined your brain by absorbing yin energy! This is the Mid-Autumn Festival!" Chang Sheng barely managed to maintain his composure, and asked with a glimmer of hope, "So, how long until moonrise?"

The incense master looked displeased: "You've already forgotten the secrets of the Great Dao that I just told you? I only explained it to you in detail because I thought you had potential. Don't ask any more irrelevant questions!"

"Never mind, you haven't attained immortality yet, so it's fine for you to worry about these things." The incense master paused, then his tone returned to its casual tone. "Yin ghosts are inherently afraid of light, so it's naturally already night."

"Don't delay, set off quickly, I'll be watching you from the shadows."

"Fool! You arrogant fool, if it weren't for me planning things for you, you would have died a hundred times over!"

Chang Sheng's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, sank completely.

……

As dusk enveloped the entire Tao County, a full moon peeked out from behind the treetops.

The moonlight spilled down, illuminating the smoke rising from every chimney. The streets were nearly deserted, mostly with people not yet home. Everyone held a lantern, its warm glow swaying in the moonlight.

The sky is high and the earth is vast, the moon is full over the earth, the city is quiet and peaceful, and every family is reunited.

The city walls stood tall, with guards every five steps and sentries every ten. Moonlight shone on the iron armor, giving it a cool feel.

Their weapons were already in their hands, and not a single person spoke; even their breathing was barely audible, leaving only an atmosphere of grim determination.

"The time has come, close the city gates—" The general on the city wall shouted, and the soldiers moved in unison, and the city gates slowly closed.

"Don't close it! Don't close it!"

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar, and a tall horse galloped towards them. A broad-faced man rode on the horse, shouting loudly, his face full of urgency.

The soldiers continued their efforts, pushing against the city gate. The commander glanced at the prayer lantern before him, its flame burning straight and bright.

"Let him in," the guard said, waving his hand.

The man spurred his horse to the city gate, dismounted, and, with a smile on his face, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir."

"Enough with the nonsense." The guard picked up a lamp from a nearby table and shoved it into his hand. "Light it and get home quickly!"

"Alright, alright. Why is this lamp…?" He glanced at the guard's face, decisively shut his mouth, fiddled with the lamp a few times, then couldn't help but speak again, "Sir, there's still a quarter of an hour left. Why are you closing the gate so early?"

"The county magistrate issued a notice long ago, and the prefect also sent messengers to other prefectures and counties. How could you be completely unaware?"

"I know, I understand."

"You knew that, yet you're still so late?"

"Sigh, I didn't want to either, but it's a friend's request, how can I ignore it?" The man opened his package, inside which was a letter and a blood-stained garment.

The guard's expression shifted, revealing a complex look: "Of all days?"

"Alas, God is blind," the man sighed.

"Alright, you can go now. Don't stop or say anything along the street. Stay home and behave yourself." Another guard shoved the man and reached out to close the door again.

"Hey, don't close it, don't close it!"

"Swoosh—" The guard who had closed the gate drew his sword and shouted sternly, "Say another word, and I'll chop you down!"

"No, no, I have a fellow villager who's not very fast on horseback; he's still behind." The man bowed and scraped. "Hey, he's here, he's right there!"

The guard looked into the distance and indeed saw a figure on horseback slowly approaching. He sheathed his sword and was about to speak when he suddenly noticed the flame of the wishing lantern flicker a few times.

"Close the city gates—"

The garrison commander gave a sharp shout, and the soldiers' expressions changed. They rushed forward and pushed the city gate with all their might. The city gate closed quickly, and the figure in the distance saw this scene and immediately spurred his horse to charge.

The man was taken aback, but suddenly lunged forward and reached out to grab the guard's arm.

"Oh dear, Mo—"

The guard kicked the man to the ground, plucked a hair from his head, and stuffed it into the lamp. The light came on, the man's eyes flickered, and suddenly terror appeared on his face.

"Where would I find fellow countrymen?"

"Tsk." Chang Sheng stopped his horse, looked at the tightly closed city gate and sighed inwardly, cursing the sect leader in his heart. He reached for his waist and said, "Come out, all of you."

Suddenly, a crack appeared on the jade pendant, and countless ghosts rushed out from it. Their figures were ethereal, their faces were ashen, some were missing limbs, and some were emaciated. Sharp shrieks and wailing sounds mingled together, incessantly filling the air.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness behind them, and one after another, earthen and stone golems emerged from the shadows. Their hair was disheveled, their muscles twisted and knotted, and they carried swords, clubs, axes, and spears.

"Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!"

The scene in the commander's eyes was quickly transmitted through the communication to a pair of amber eyes, and then clearly imprinted in the eyes of every soldier through their senses.

The people in the city were completely unaware and remained immersed in peace and tranquility.

"Hey, Dad, look, the moon seems to be getting dark!" the child exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the night sky.

His father put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked up.

The bright, round moon hung quietly in the night sky, with a few dark clouds drifting in from afar, floating beside it, and obscuring some of its radiance.

"Eat quickly, it might rain." He gently rubbed the child's head and said softly, then picked up another piece of food for him.