The God of Heavens

Chapter 242 The Book-Loving Fox Spirit

Royal study room.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!" Lin Yu bowed meticulously.

He glanced up casually and saw the emperor, wearing a nine-dragon crown and a bright yellow robe. His temples were slightly gray, his face was as white as jade, and his aura was vigorous. He thought to himself:
"Emperor Qian is starting to look old. Actually, he has cultivated the path of the Ghost Immortal. His physical body can be reincarnated as soon as it decays. I wonder what the Crown Prince and the others are thinking. Are they planning to invite His Majesty to his death in the future?"

"Flat body."

The emperor scrutinized Lin Yu for a moment, then spoke calmly, exuding an air of authority over the world: "I've heard that you've been frequently visiting the Sanhua Pavilion lately, and you even brought a girl out of there?"

Lin Yu kept his eyes down, seemingly lost in thought, wondering to himself, "What's this all about? Showing off a scene of filial piety and parental love?"

"What kind of decorum is it for members of the imperial family to frequent such places!"

After giving him a little nudge, Emperor Qian inquired about his cultivation progress, bestowed some treasures upon him, and said that being a ruler was not easy and that he should grow up as soon as possible.

"You must have heard about what happened at Huanghe Mountain in the south?" Emperor Qian suddenly asked.

Lin Yu nodded.

"There are too many officials from noble and powerful families in the current officialdom. If the court wants to reform and establish an everlasting dynasty, the first thing it must do is to weaken the powerful families and meritorious nobles."

Emperor Qian said, "The powerful families and nobles each have their own agendas. Only when our imperial family is of one mind can we launch a major purge, implement new policies, and reduce the power of powerful families, nobles, and meritorious officials."

"You must perform well in the Huanghe Mountain incident. I won't say anything about your youthful indiscretions, but you can't be careless in martial arts and the military. Holding the power of life and death is a matter of life and death."

……

Upon returning from the palace, Lin Yu immediately summoned his trusted confidants from the Prince's residence. In the study, where candlelight flickered, Xiao Dezi and the others waited in hushed tones.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has summoned you this time." Xiao Dezi carefully poured hot tea.

Lin Yu put down his teacup and glanced at everyone in the hall. As the candlelight flickered, he slowly spoke: "The task of managing Huanghe Mountain and Water Margin has fallen to us."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hu immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This humble general will go and muster the guards in the manor immediately!"

"The situation in the seven southern provinces is complicated. All the officials, from top to bottom, are the Crown Prince's men. Even the governor-general of the seven provinces, Wei Taicang, who controls all military, political and civil affairs in the seven southern provinces, was promoted by the Crown Prince."

"Why would His Majesty entrust this matter to you, Your Highness?" Yun Qing frowned slightly.

Lin Yu shook his head. It's still the emperor's balancing act. After all, the crown prince is getting older now, and the Qian Emperor is afraid that the crown prince will think that his wings have grown too strong. Maybe he wants to let him calm down.

In the classical world, being a crown prince was truly difficult. If you did too well, the emperor would become wary of your growing power; if you did poorly, your abilities would be questioned.

Unless the emperor is incompetent, the crown prince's life might be a little easier. Otherwise, it's common for the emperor to reprimand him from time to time, euphemistically calling it "heavenly grace."

Moreover, Emperor Qian was an immortal emperor who cultivated the way of ghost immortals. The crown prince must have been driven crazy. No wonder he later did a series of outrageous things like killing innocent people to claim credit and developing a cult.

"Zhao Hu, immediately take stock of the armor and horses, prepare bows, arrows and provisions, and take 150 armored soldiers with you. We will set off for the south in three days."

Last time he went to Yunzhou, he only brought a few close followers, and even the soldiers were recruited on the spot. This time it's different. With these 150 armored soldiers under his command, he will have a solid base of support in the army when he goes to the south, and he will be more confident in his actions.

These soldiers, seasoned by battle and trained by Lin Yu, are all physically strong. Many have broken through to the level of martial apprentice and are potential officers. With this core group, a formidable force can be quickly assembled after heading south.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Zhao Hu clasped his hands in response, his armor plates clanging loudly.

Lin Yu turned to Yun Qing, his tone softening slightly: "This time, Xiao Dezi will stay at the Prince's Mansion, so I'm entrusting the business matters to you."

Yun Qing bowed gracefully: "I will certainly do my best to manage this matter. However, the journey to the south is five or six thousand miles, and the official roads are often cut off. We will have to detour through dangerous mountain paths. I hope Your Highness will take good care of yourself."

Lin Yu nodded. He planned to stay in the south for a while. The resources of the thirteen provinces of Zhongzhou had already been divided up by various forces. If he wanted to improve his strength, he had to go overseas, where there were no opportunities to be found.

But before that, he had to go to Xishan. There was a ready-made benefit there, and it would be a real shame to miss it.

……

West Mountain, located outside Yujing City, covers an area of ​​nearly a hundred li. Although it cannot be described as majestic and grand, it is densely forested, with complex terrain and numerous peaks. It features flowing springs and waterfalls, as well as rugged rocks and forests.

The mountains are home to many wild animals, such as foxes, jackals, and wolves. Every winter, some nobles and royalty would go into the mountains to hunt and play.

"I wonder when the Queen Consort of Fragrant Fox entered the palace. Her relatives have been here for quite some time," Lin Yu thought to himself as he walked down the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain stood a dilapidated temple called "Qiuyue Temple," guarded by an ordinary old monk. Lin Yu gave him a few strings of incense money, and the old monk immediately spoke frankly and without reservation.

"Dachan Temple inherits the Taoist tradition of the Holy Emperor Yuan and possesses three volumes of scriptures: the past, the present, and the future. It is said that if the three volumes are combined and thoroughly understood, one can transcend the sea of ​​suffering in this world and truly reach the other shore."

The *Past Amitabha Sutra* cultivates the art of the soul, belonging to the supreme secrets; the *Present Tathagata Sutra* emphasizes martial arts cultivation, using the strongest power to cross the sea of ​​suffering and reach the other shore, stressing the ultimate power. Reaching the highest level of cultivation allows one to coordinate with the soul, cultivating the Tathagata's physical body.
The "Future Unborn Sutra" can condense a halo of faith, cultivate an external avatar and an immortal primordial spirit, and is an extremely powerful method of attacking the soul.

Rumor has it that the Lord of the Future can see through the past and the future, and predict all future changes.

To break through to the highest realm, Lin Yu must read all the martial arts techniques in the world. He needs the legacy of the Daoist of Creation, and he cannot miss the legacy of Yuan.

The north wind howled, making the ancient temple ruins creak and groan. In the courtyard of the side hall, weeds grew wildly, and withered grass swirled in the wind, adding to the desolate atmosphere.

"Woo--Woo--"

A mournful howl echoed from the distant mountains, sounding neither like a wolf nor a fox, carried on the howling night wind, sending chills down one's spine.

The sight of this ancient temple deep in the mountains, with the north wind howling, is enough to terrify ordinary people.

"Squeak-"

Lin Yu pushed open the door and stepped out. Suddenly, he saw several eerie green will-o'-the-wisps, each as large as a fist, floating in the valley a few miles away, rising and falling intermittently. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he strolled into the mountains.

The night was like day to him; wherever his divine thoughts spread, the scenery within a radius of several miles was reflected in his mind, forming a three-dimensional picture.

After traveling a short distance, a dark valley appeared ahead. A campfire flickered in the center of the valley, and in its light, dozens of snow-white foxes sat cross-legged like humans. They held books in their front paws and uttered strange syllables, sounding as if children in a private school were reciting poetry!
A group of foxes are reading like humans!
In ancient times, there was no difference between humans and animals; both ate raw meat and drank blood, and their bodies were covered in hair. The ancient people were no different from apes. Later, they gradually began to walk upright, eat cooked food, and create writing, thus becoming humankind.

For a fox to understand human nature and reason, it must learn from humans, study classic texts, and strengthen its spirit. If the opportunity is right, it can cultivate into a ghost immortal and be reincarnated as a member of the human race.

These are a group of eager-to-learn foxes!

"Chirp chirp. Chirp chirp"

The moment Lin Yu stepped into the valley, a series of urgent cries suddenly rang out. The voice trembled noticeably, like that of a frightened little animal. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw two snowball-like little foxes huddled together, shivering, their amber eyes filled with terror.

Lin Yu swept his divine sense across the group of foxes and saw through their true nature. Although a few of them had a glint of intelligence in their eyes, indicating that they had gained sentience, they were still far from reaching the level of being able to separate their minds from their bodies.

"interesting."

Lin Yu chuckled and casually took out a Sun and Moon Pearl from his robes. The pearl shimmered with gold and silver under the moonlight, immediately causing a stir among the foxes. The two little foxes, in particular, widened their eyes, forgetting even their fear.

A hesitant voice suddenly came from beside the campfire: "Senior."

A gray-white old fox, standing upright on its hind legs with its front paws awkwardly clasped together, staggered toward Lin Yu. Its voice sounded like a bone was stuck in its throat, each word pronounced heavily, yet surprisingly clear and distinct.

The old fox took three steps away, then suddenly its front paws buckled, and it nearly fell. It hurriedly steadied itself and awkwardly cleared its throat: "Your presence, senior, truly brings honor to this secluded valley."

Lin Yu crushed the precious pearl, and in an instant, golden and silver light rained down like raindrops. The white foxes in the valley all looked up, as if inhaling, absorbing the light into their bodies.

Before long, the foxes suddenly awoke, their eyes gleaming brightly. Seeing Lin Yu not far away, they immediately rolled on the ground, letting out joyful cries, overflowing with delight.

Several little foxes cried out, dropped the book with their front paws, stretched out their limbs, and ran over in a flash, jumping around Lin Yu as if they were cheering and jumping for joy.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, senior," the old fox said sheepishly.

Lin Yu looked at it with great interest: "A fox that can speak human language is quite rare."

Upon hearing this, the old fox shook his head like a private tutor: "Humans have human speech, and animals have animal language. Mynas, parrots, and other birds can learn human speech, so why can't we foxes? Language is just pronunciation; what's so strange about being able to learn it?"

"Interesting!" Lin Yu clapped his hands and laughed. Seeing the expert's approval, the old fox's whiskers twitched with pride.

"Was that the legendary Sun and Moon Pearl that you were holding just now, senior?"

"Oh? You recognize this too?"

The old fox said solemnly, "Of course, we pure foxes are not ordinary, unintelligent beasts. We understand reason and know the ways of the world. Years ago, we lived near the Great Zen Temple in Zhongzhou for a period of time and watched the monks there cultivate and chant scriptures day and night, and learned a little about the principles of cultivation."

It suddenly stood upright, and a semi-transparent phantom emerged from the top of its head. "I am not very talented, but I have managed to cultivate the ability to separate my spirit from my body. I often heard cultivators talk about this treasure when I was making purchases. Seeing it today, it is indeed mysterious."

The old fox bowed with his front paws, his whiskers trembling slightly: "Since you are so close to the Jade Capital, if you do not mind our humble abode, you may stay at my secluded valley in the Western Mountains for a while. Although my Pure Fox clan lives in the mountains and forests, we yearn most for the teachings of the human world."

Its eyes gleamed with anticipation; it was a rare opportunity to encounter such a reasonable and powerful human being, and naturally, it wouldn't miss the chance to learn from him.

"hehe!"

Seeing its demeanor like a village tutor, Lin Yu couldn't help but smile: "I have long heard that your family has a rich collection of books, so I came to bother you. I hope you will not take offense at my abruptness."

"Senior, you're too kind." The old fox waved his claws repeatedly, his deliberately formal tone sounding exactly like something he'd stolen from some old scholar in a county school.

(End of this chapter)