The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

"The rule of the underworld is governed by the three mountains, which manage all affairs and oversee all the souls of the dead."

"The underworld officials, also known as the messengers of the netherworld or ghost messengers, are the lowest-ranking officials in the bureaucratic system of the netherworld. They are ordered by their superiors to perform specific duties and are the direct executors of the order of the netherworld. They belong to the various departments of the Three Mountains and each has its own responsibilities, which must not be overstepped."

"So this is the Three Mountains. There's actually a place like this that governs the souls of the dead. Why didn't we see them when the ghosts were causing trouble before?"

The fox pondered for a moment, recalling the officials it had met, all working in the same government office, yet the differences between them could be as vast as heaven and earth. It seemed the underworld officials were the same.

Furthermore, the voice had previously stated that if one becomes a ghost immortal, one can remain nameless even in the Three Mountains. Therefore, it seems there must be some souls beyond their control.

However, the fox still didn't have much affection for these guys who didn't come out to help and even caused the situation where they should have been reincarnated as humans but were instead reincarnated as pigs. The fox suppressed these thoughts for the time being and instead recalled how Magistrate Zhang handled the case, and slowly began to speak:

"Since that's the case, listen carefully. I will punish you by making you work as a butcher to atone for your sins. As for your reincarnation, don't rush into it. Whether it was the underworld official who carelessly messed up his job or there is another hidden reason, we must find out before we talk about it."

"Thank you for your grace, Immortal." The shadowy figure bowed and said yes.

"Huh, you want me to raise him?" Butcher Zhu thought to himself, feeling disgusted at the thought of being with this creature that was neither pig nor human.

That wasn't all. The fox spoke up again, "Since he has the body of a pig and the heart of a human, then treat him according to human rules. He doesn't have to eat and sleep with you, but he still needs to eat human food and live in a human dwelling. Isn't your woodshed empty? Clean it up and give it a place to live."

"Yes," Butcher Zhu replied with a bitter face.

The shadowy figure looked at the fox gratefully, its lips trembling slightly.

"Alright, don't rush to thank me. You should thank Butcher Zhu first." The fox paused, then reminded him, "This matter hasn't been investigated yet. If someone is behind it, I will find the culprit myself. If it's an oversight by the underworld, we'll have to deal with it when we meet again. You'll have to stay in this pig's body for a while longer. Work hard for Butcher Zhu and don't cause any more trouble."

"By the way, do you still have the strength to run someone over?"

The dark figure lowered his head, his tone sincere: "As the immortal commands, I will never hit anyone again."

"No, I want you to run over someone else."

"what?"

The illusion dissipated, and Butcher Zhu suddenly opened his eyes. Lu Zhi and Shen Guan sat on either side of him behind him, one hand on his back, a warm feeling spreading from his spine.

They were channeling their inner energy into the butcher's body to help him calm down. Seeing that he had woken up, the two men withdrew their attacks and took a half-step back.

Chen Atang approached and asked, "Old Zhu, are you alright? You weren't seriously injured, but we couldn't wake you up no matter what we did. It's all thanks to the heroes here."

Zhu the butcher propped himself up and sat up, rubbing his still aching forehead, and met the eyes of the black pig that was tightly bound.

"It's alright, it's alright." Butcher Zhu wiped his sweat, walked to the slaughtering bench, and was about to untie the rope binding the pig.

"Hey, what are you doing? Haven't you been hit by the pig enough yet?" Chen Atang was startled and quickly went to pull him away.

"It's alright, I'm just a pig butcher, no pig can hurt me. And look at this, how quiet this pig is now." Butcher Zhu deliberately glossed over the word "pig".

Chen Atang stood to the side, somewhat skeptical, watching as Zhu the butcher quickly untied the rope. The black pig stood up, neither making a sound nor causing a fuss, simply standing quietly beside Zhu the butcher.

"Huh, it really is..."

"Old Chen, walk over there and see what's at the gate over there?" Butcher Zhu suddenly interrupted him, pointing to the courtyard gate.

Chen Atang did as instructed, craning his neck to stare: "There's nothing there?"

He turned his head and saw a huge black head rushing towards him, and a great force slammed into him.

"Ouch—"

Chen Atang's vision went black, and he fainted.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he groggily opened his eyes and saw a figure in blue standing quietly, looking down at him with a strikingly bright amber eye.

"You, you are... "

"Didn't you long to see me?"

Chen Atang knelt down with a thud: "Fox Immortal, I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. Please, have mercy on me this time."

"Spare you?" The voice held a hint of amusement. "What wrong have you done that you need me to forgive you?"

"This..." Chen Atang stammered, "Didn't the Fox Spirit come to retract the punishment?"

"I was just passing by when I saw a black pig hurting people, and since you have foul air about you, I took the opportunity to enter your dream to take a look," the fox lied through its teeth.

"This, this..." Chen Atang couldn't form a complete sentence for a long time.

The fox chuckled inwardly, then withdrew his playful mood and spoke calmly, "There's no need to hide it. I remember you. I saw you back when you were exchanging geese. But your current state is not my doing."

Chen Atang was stunned, then kowtowed repeatedly: "I have wronged you without cause, and I deserve to be punished."

"Alright, I'm asking you, have you ever seen such a person?" The fox's tail flicked, and a figure appeared before him.

Approaching fifty, his beard and hair were half-gray, but he was neatly combed, and his eyes were bright and clear, showing no signs of old age.

Chen Atang looked up, examined it carefully for a while, then shook his head and said, "I've never seen it before."

"Think about it again. He was nearby that day when you were slaughtering pigs and geese, watching you the whole time." The fox remembered very clearly that when the fox used the wishing lamp and the two tails to connect with all living beings, it saw the scene of Chen Atang exchanging geese through the old man's eyes.

"Well, I really can't remember, and I really don't know this person."

"Very well, I'll help you get rid of the turbid air." The fox pondered for a moment and then stopped asking questions.

The fox had already vented its anger by having the black boar give Chen Atang a hard butt.

Chen Atang was stunned. Before he could react, he saw the man in blue step forward and gently place his palm on Chen Atang's head, a cool sensation flowing into him from the top of his head.

The feeling was strange, like an autumn breeze sweeping away all the sweat. Chen Atang felt a lightness all over his body, and the white down all over his body suddenly started to itch. He couldn't help but want to reach out and scratch.

But as soon as he raised his hand, he saw the fluff falling off in clumps.

"Go out."

He opened his eyes again and saw the black pig in front of him, which was now bound even more tightly. Butcher Zhu was also tied up, his mouth stuffed with a rag, and he was trying hard to wink at him.

Completely unaware, he frantically tore open his black robe, looked down, and saw that all the downy hair on his body had disappeared. He trembled as he touched his face, finding it smooth to the touch.

"Hahaha..." He laughed loudly, overjoyed.

The fox lay on the wall, admiring its masterpiece, feeling quite satisfied, when suddenly it was startled.

Under the moonlight, Chen Atang's face was smooth and bare, without eyebrows or beard.