The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

A group of swordsmen and knives, looking wary, filed into the teahouse. Just as they crossed the threshold, the sound of a gavel echoed from the inner hall.

"Am I fit to sit in your position as the Peach Goddess?"

The first person to lead the group was a kind-looking man. He looked around and saw that every table was full of people, except for a seat in the corner.

He walked straight there and asked, "Could we share a table?"

The guest nodded casually, listening attentively to the storyteller.

"Oh dear, everyone! If anyone else had said that, it would have been considered extremely disrespectful! But when the Peach God heard it, he not only wasn't angry, but he actually laughed out loud."

Behind the honest-looking man were two companions: one with delicate eyebrows and eyes and calloused palms, and the other a woman with a youthful face and round eyes, her sword tassel drooping red.

"Brother Lu, how did we get to this place?" The female knight asked, her eyes scanning the guests intently.

A porter in simple clothes with rough hands, a pot-bellied merchant, a woman lightly adorned with pearls and jade, and a handsome young man.

"This place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, perfect for us to gather intelligence," Brother Lu said in a low voice after ordering three cups of tea.

The storyteller struck his gavel: "Ladies and gentlemen, as the saying goes, a new broom sweeps clean."

"This fox spirit's first act of violence was directed at the Autumn Festival!"

"The offering tables stretched out from under the peach trees, one after another, filling the entire street. To be honest, those weren't offering tables; they were mountains of rice and forests of meat!"

"But gentlemen, have you ever heard the saying 'extreme joy begets sorrow'?"

"Ten thousand lights illuminate the red sky, a thousand delicacies fill the city. The fox spirit is about to devour the offerings when a hundred thousand ghost soldiers arrive in the east of the city!" The storyteller slammed his gavel and shouted.

The woman's eyes sparkled as she whispered, "I heard this legend on my way here. It says that on the Mid-Autumn Festival, demons attacked the city."

"Not only that," the man with thin eyebrows and narrow eyes added, "I saw soldiers on the road, carrying tiger-head copper bells, heading towards the capital."

"Are there really demons?" the woman asked with some doubt.

"A blue-faced beast with fangs, its eyes blazing with ghostly fire. Its feet never touch the ground, its mouth spews frost. Its blade is a soul-piercing blade, its spear a bone spear; wherever it passes, grass and trees wither, and all who touch it lose their souls!"

The woman's voice was soft, and drowned out by the storyteller's voice, but the guests at their table still heard it and turned to look at the group:

Is this your first time hearing this?

The young master Shaoxiu, standing in the distance, also turned his head and glanced at the man who had spoken, taking a small sip of tea.

"That's exactly what I've heard. Are you a local, sir? Could you tell me about it?"

"Hey, later on, the fox spirit plucked a hair from its tail, which grew in the wind and fell to earth as a human. It was during a battle between two armies, with the sounds of battle shaking the heavens, when a sinister general appeared and roared, making the city walls tremble."

"The Yin General fought the Fox Fairy for three hundred rounds. Although the Yin General was no match for the Fox Fairy, the Fox Fairy couldn't defeat it for the time being. So the Fox Fairy had to send a wisp of Yin spirit to find the Peach Goddess and return her divine position to her."

"Then the Peach God blew a breath, and the whole city was filled with the fragrance of peaches. Not only did it kill the Yin General, but it also broke the division between Yin and Yang, separating humans and ghosts, and allowing people from all over the world to reunite in their dreams."

The guest recounted the story in one breath, and surprisingly, he did so in a very organized manner.

The kind-hearted man remained unfazed: "Is there really a ghost appearing in the world? No offense intended, but we have traveled all over the country and have seen many strange and extraordinary people who can use illusions to create all sorts of miracles."

"No matter who you ask, it's true. Don't just ask in Tao County; go ask in other counties. As long as it's in the prefecture, there are people there who can corroborate it." The guest shook his head, as if remembering something. "If you want to see a ghost with your own eyes, it's not difficult."

"Oh? Could you show me the way?" Brother Lu took out a piece of silver and quietly handed it over.

The guest glanced at it and refused to accept it: "It's nothing, it's nothing. Have you heard of Mr. Xu? He's the one who just passed the imperial examination this year. He has a fiancée who mysteriously disappeared a while ago, but she returned safely on the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Now she comes to see Mr. Xu every night, and many neighbors have seen it. I heard that she is getting married soon, and everyone in the city knows about it."

The man frowned: "A ghost marriage?"

"It can't be considered a ghost marriage. The man and woman were in love, a match made in heaven, and they should be married in a proper ceremony."

Brother Lu nodded without saying anything more, and continued to ask, "I wonder who wrote these storytelling tales, and if there's a script for them?"

The guest shook his head: "It's all based on oral accounts, and each family has its own version. Where did the author come from? But I do know this version; I heard it was written by a young master surnamed Qing."

Just then, the storytelling came to an end.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is truly a case of a peach tree's fragrance lasting a hundred years, and from now on, the spring breeze will be a familiar companion!"

"good!"

After the storyteller finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted. The audience, still wanting more, chatted and laughed with those around them for a while before gradually leaving the venue.

The woman, who had been looking around, suddenly realized that the young man had not left, but instead had gone into a private room deep inside with the storyteller.

Inside the private room.

The table was laden with meat, but there was only one bowl and chopsticks.

The storyteller bowed and said, "Thank you for coming, Young Master Qing. I have a few more details I would like to ask you about."

The fox unceremoniously reached out and grabbed the food, chewing it while nodding slightly.

"Since the Peach Goddess defeated the Yin General, how did she turn into a withered tree?" The storyteller looked somewhat troubled. "Many new customers who came to see it came back to me and said that I had exaggerated too much."

"Ignore it. I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, send them to the county government to ask Zhang Enhuai."

"Young master is too kind."

"For the Peach God, a cycle of sixty years is a season. Now, three cycles of sixty years have passed, and it is winter. Trees wither and flourish, and the Peach God is also a tree, so it has become like this."

"Wonderful! Young master, you are indeed a learned man." The storyteller glanced at the young master in front of him again. He never used utensils when eating, but tore meat with his bare hands. Yet, he was not vulgar at all, but rather had a bold and unrestrained air about him.

"However, seeing the Peach Goddess's current state makes me uneasy. If we wait like this, I fear I'll be buried before I see her revive. Does the young master have any way to quickly awaken the Peach Goddess?"

"It's simple. Peach God is old and his hearing isn't good. Just do as I say and have more people go to him to pray for him to wake up soon. Maybe it will work."

The storyteller pondered his words, finding them increasingly plausible. Suddenly inspired, he bowed to the fox in farewell: "Then I won't disturb your meal any longer, young master. I'll take my leave."

The fox nodded and continued eating and drinking.

On Mid-Autumn Festival night, the fox sent a telepathic message, separating itself from the image of the Peach God. Its newly grown tail, though appearing slightly ethereal, did not disappear. Ultimately, whether it was the Peach God, the Fox God, or a fusion of both, the people, having witnessed the illusions of Mid-Autumn Festival and seen firsthand their benevolent acts of protecting all living beings, already held it in high esteem and naturally did not care about its true identity.

After experiencing this ordeal of borrowing a human's identity, the fox inexplicably gained the ability to completely transform into human form. Although it was through illusion magic, it was able to touch objects and walk freely in the human world.

Foxes are not used to walking in human form, and will not deliberately transform into humans unless necessary.

And now is the time when it is necessary.

The fox finished the roast chicken in its mouth and then reached for the next one.

After transforming into a human, the fox can eat three chickens in one go!