Building a sect from scratch.

Chapter 193 Eating Three Chickens on the Full Moon Day

After walking for a short while after leaving the stone house, we arrived at a village full of low, thatched houses.

These thatched houses are only waist-high and semi-circular in shape, lying on the ground like a pile of scattered milk coffee-flavored cakes. Some are decorated with wreaths on top, while others are covered with colorful leaves, full of wild charm, as if you are in a fairy tale world.

"Aunt Zijun!"

In the distance, a plump fox called out and ran a few steps toward the group.

Upon seeing Zhao Qing and the others, they greeted them with delight: "It's Fellow Daoist 'Sudden Advancement'!"

When the Jade Emperor heard the fat fox call Zhao Qing that, he immediately showed a strange expression, and laughed so hard he could hardly breathe in the team channel mic: "What the hell is this, Fellow Daoist Su Meng Jin? Hahaha, this is too funny, hahahaha—"

Even Shen Yun couldn't help but chuckle.

Ignoring the Jade Emperor's mockery, Zhao Qing greeted him warmly, even ruffling the fat fox's head as she said, "Moon Lady, long time no see!"

The fat fox didn't understand that this was a polite greeting. With its ears drooping back, it exclaimed somewhat aggrievedly, "Yes, yes! You haven't been here in ages!"

"Here they are!" Zhao Qing coaxed, pointing to the Jade Emperor and Shen Yun beside her, and introduced them to the fat fox: "These are my two junior brothers, the Jade Emperor and Yun Canghai."

Then she introduced the fat fox, saying, "This is Yue Niang, her name is Hu Manyue."

“What a cute name!”

The Jade Emperor smiled and stretched out his sinful claws, trying to stroke the fox's head like Zhao Qing had done, but Hu Manyue dodged with her head.

Hu Zijun laughed and said, "Hehe, this name has a story behind it. Look at her figure, plump like a full moon, so she should be called Full Moon!"

Hu Manyue protested indignantly: "Aunt Zijun!"

Zhao Qing quickly said, "A chubby one is so cute! Foxes should be chubby and fluffy!"

The Jade Emperor nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, that's right!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Manyue immediately adopted a smug look, put her feet on the ground, put her hands on her hips, and said with a smug expression, "Hmph!"

Hu Zijun smiled and instructed, "Alright, Yue Niang, go and call everyone to brew tea and fetch fruit to entertain our guests!"

"Good!"

Hu Manyue responded, turned around, and leaped a few times before disappearing behind the thatched house.

Then, the number of foxes moving around the village suddenly increased, some carrying baskets, some carrying water, some carrying jugs, and so on. Some foxes carefully carried several teacups, walking upright; some foxes carried bamboo baskets in their mouths, walking on all fours; and some foxes worked together, pulling and pushing, moving a large basket full of fruit, struggling to carry it to the river.

The Jade Emperor was astonished by this extraordinary sight and exclaimed, "They are so capable!"

Shen Yun also said, "They look very diligent!" Hu Zijun was quite pleased with the praise from the group and humbly replied, "Foxes are mischievous and can hardly be called diligent. Actually, this is just learning the way of life of your human race, which is quite beneficial to cultivation. Over time, it will also help with transformation."

"Then why not let them settle down in Chang'an?" the Jade Emperor asked疑惑地问道, "Wouldn't that be more convenient! We already have many demon cultivators in Chang'an! I heard that several of them attained enlightenment and transformed into human form not long after settling there!"

Hu Zijun explained, "To survive in human settlements, one must learn to be self-reliant. They are honest and straightforward, and it is difficult for them to support themselves. Therefore, the foxes of Chiyuan Cave who do not transform into human form are rarely allowed to go out."

The Jade Emperor said, "There are many ways to earn a living! I think they can open a Fox Cafe, hang out there every day, and make money while lying down. They'll definitely make a fortune!"

"Fox Cafe?"

"Uh, it's just opening a teahouse, but mainly for customers to... cough, to heal the customers," the Jade Emperor blurted out, quickly changing his description, "to let people touch your head or fox fur or something, and then sell tea and snacks at high prices, guaranteed to make a profit!"

Hu Zijun looked puzzled: "Let a human touch the fox's... fur?"

Zhao Qing secretly stepped on the Jade Emperor's foot and continued, "It's like this, we humans, especially the disciples of the Taiyin Sect, because we don't have any ourselves, especially love furry creatures, like cats, dogs, foxes, rabbits, and the like. We especially like the feeling of stroking their fur, which has a stress-relieving effect..."

"Relief is... well, it's about relieving and releasing stress! As you know, spiritual practice, studying, and even our daily work and life are all very stressful! When stress is high, your mood will be very bad, which can lead to depression and a sense of hopelessness, or even suicide! At this time, if you can touch a furry thing like a fox or a cat, your mood will immediately improve!"
"Well, how should I put it? It's a way to relax! In a way, it's also a kind of 'therapy' for us! That's why we often say that touching something furry will 'cure' you! Uh... I hope our idea doesn't offend you..."

Although Hu Zijun still couldn't quite understand the logic of "petting a fox to improve one's mood," she didn't feel offended. She said, "It's not offensive, but... but can't you human cultivators transform into cats and dogs? Why don't you transform into cats and dogs and pet each other?"

The Jade Emperor said, "Ah, it's mainly because the transformation technique is too difficult to learn; not many people can master it! Secondly, the animals that are transformed look very fake, unlike real, fluffy creatures that are naturally cute and naturally healing!"

Shen Yun frowned and said, "And people touching each other like that... isn't that a bit too strange!"

Zhao Qing said, "Actually, it's not that strange. It's quite common for us girls to pat each other's heads!"

Shen Yun suddenly realized, "Now I understand. Animal fur is probably like human hair, only it feels better and looks prettier?"

The Jade Emperor, however, rather inconsiderately interjected, "Why not leg hair?"

Shen Yun shuddered: "A layer of leg hair as thick as the fur of a fox or a cat or dog? Are you talking about an gorilla or a baboon?"

Hu Zijun pondered, "I remember when you came last time, you seemed to get along quite well with them, and you seemed to really enjoy touching their ears?"

"Ah... well, foxes are indeed, from a human aesthetic point of view... at least from the aesthetic point of view of us Taiyin Sect disciples, they are extremely, extremely, extremely cute!"

Zhao Qing was a little embarrassed and used the word "especially" several times in a row to "exonerate" her past shameless behavior and try to save face.

"Alas! The allure of a fox is irresistible! Who doesn't love something furry!" The Jade Emperor sighed, shaking his head, and emphasized, "It's true, if you were to settle in our Chang'an City, you'd be sought after by thousands! And you wouldn't have to worry about safety! Our Chang'an City is fully networked! Any problem can be reported immediately! To date, the crime rate among residents is zero!"

Zhao Qing couldn't help but complain in the team chat: "What a load of rubbish! That's because all the criminals have either been killed or kicked out, okay!"

Hu Zijun was genuinely intrigued: "Hmm... Is the 'fox café' that you fellow Daoists mentioned really feasible? Unformed foxes cannot abstain from grains; they cannot go without food and drink every day. Take Yue Niang for example; at her peak, she ate three chickens a day!"

(End of this chapter)