The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Chapter 149 Dream Prophecy

Wisps of smoke swirled and gradually spread in the air, enveloping the sleeping merchant.

The fox closed its eyes and concentrated, neither transforming into a fox nor appearing in human form, but recalling the appearance of the red fish in its mind.

It followed the path paved with smoke, step by step entering the merchant's dream.

A cool breeze swept over him, and the merchant opened his eyes to find himself standing in a strange place.

Water flowed in from all sides, lifting his limbs, passing through his clothes, and making him float in the water as if he were floating in the air.

Looking up, the water was turbulent and the sun and moon were nowhere to be seen, but a faint light, seemingly from nowhere, spread from below, illuminating the entire bottom of the water in a crystal clear state.

"Where am I? Aren't I in an inn?"

The merchant should have felt panicked, but the ripples on the water carried away all his anxiety and distractions. Following his inexplicable feeling, he looked down.

Suddenly, the water surged, and shrimp soldiers and turtle generals, holding long spears and wearing armor, emerged majestically from the bottom of the water.

They did not look at the merchant, but bowed slightly and paid their respects to the center of the river.

A palace, seemingly crafted from white jade, rises from the water, its green tiles and vermilion eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, shrouded in the ripples of the water, a scene of dreamlike beauty, otherworldly.

The palace gates opened, and the merchant, surrounded by shrimp and turtles, stepped into the palace.

The main hall was equally magnificent, with a jewel hanging overhead that emitted a soft light. At the very top, a curtain was drawn, behind which a huge shadow could be vaguely seen sitting on a chair.

The merchant was stunned, his knees buckled, and he was about to kneel down.

"No need for such formalities."

The maids on either side of the curtain came forward and slowly pulled it open. The merchant looked up and suddenly froze.

It was a huge red fish, its scales as red as jade, shimmering in the light, majestic and awe-inspiring, not to be profaned.

But it really was just a red fish. Neither human-headed nor fish-headed, it was just a red fish lying on its side on a stone seat.

It hunched over slightly, its fish tail dangling below its seat, revealing only half of its body, staring at itself with its bulging round eyes.

"I am the water god of the Lanjiang River." The mouth on the top of the red fish's head opened and closed, and the voice came from there.

The merchant stood there dumbfounded for a moment before hurriedly cupping his hands in greeting: "This humble commoner greets the Water God!"

"No need for further explanation. I have summoned you to my residence today because there is something I need to discuss with you."

The merchant respectfully said, "Please speak, Your Excellency Water God."

"You've been floating around in the manor for half a day, so naturally I've been paying attention to you. I've seen everything you've done in the mortal world. I've summoned you here now to compensate you for the property you've lost."

The merchant hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, the Water God, are too kind; I am unworthy of such praise. My boat capsized on the river, and I am already extremely fortunate to have survived. It is all thanks to the Water God's protection; how dare I ask for any further compensation?"

"Do you know how your boat capsized?" The water god casually made up a story, "A group of turtle demons became spirits and lived in the Lanjiang River for a long time, harming passing ships."

"This incident occurred in Lanjiang. Protecting passing ships is my duty, but now demons are running rampant, causing you to lose your goods."

Therefore, this compensation is not a favor, but rather my duty. You need not refuse.

"This, this humble subject—" The Water God's words struck a chord with him. He hesitated for a moment, then finally cupped his hands and said, "This humble subject will accept this without hesitation. Thank you, Water God."

The water god leaped up with a splash, spitting out a bubble that gently floated towards the merchant.

The merchant opened his eyes wide and saw the bubble gradually expand, revealing the shadow of a dilapidated house within it.

"If you walk five or six li east from your inn, you will find this place. There is a pottery jar under the wall behind the house, and several hundred taels of silver are buried under it. You can take it out yourself."

"The goods I lost this time amounted to only a little over a hundred taels of silver. Why would I need several hundred taels?"

"You can go to the county government office and distribute the extra money to those who were cheated. If there is any left over, you can distribute it to the poor. If there is still any left over, you can buy some fun things for your daughter."

The ill-gotten gains were swindled from all corners of the country by those two petty thieves. Since it's impossible to return them all, it's better to give them to the merchant. What was acquired unjustly should be used wisely.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty the Water God, this humble subject will certainly not fail in your trust!" The merchant, unaware of how the Water God knew he had a daughter, only felt that divine power was unfathomable. He immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily, "What virtue or ability do I possess to receive such favor from Your Majesty—"

The water god tilted his upper body slightly, as if nodding: "In this world, good people should be rewarded."

"Go."

The water palace suddenly trembled, the water surged and churned, obscuring the scene before him. The merchant struggled to open his eyes, wanting to see the water god's face again, but found that its figure had become hazy, with only its round, bulging eyes still faintly visible.

The merchant felt himself falling, and then suddenly opened his eyes.

"call"

He exhaled a breath of stale air and looked outside. The bright moon hung in the sky, and the surroundings were quiet, with only the faint chirping of insects.

He sat up, staring blankly ahead, feeling as if he had just had a dream. But as soon as he closed his eyes, the scene from the dream appeared vividly before him: the river, the palace, the fish eyes—

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore.

He didn't light a lamp, but dressed by the moonlight, and tiptoed to open the door, not wanting to wake the guests around him.

The merchant came downstairs, where his shop assistant was sitting in the living room, propping his head up with his hand. Startled awake by the footsteps, he looked over sleepily and said, "Manager Li, why are you leaving so early today? Why don't you wait until you've had breakfast?"

The businessman smiled and said, "No, I have something urgent to attend to. I'll be right back."

The waiter trusted him and got up to open the door for him.

"Squeak."

The businessman strolled out, the cold wind blowing on his face, making him shiver. His mind seemed to clear up a bit, and he suddenly thought of a question.

If it were several hundred taels of silver, how could I possibly carry it back by myself?

"Da da————"

A tall, jet-black horse emerged from the night, walked straight up to the merchant, looked him up and down, and breathed on his face.

"This—" A look of realization dawned on the merchant's face; this must be the help sent by the water god.

But isn't this horse the young master's? He hesitated for a moment, wanting to go and inform him first, but he was afraid of disturbing the young master's rest.

The horse pawed at the ground and sneezed, seemingly urging the horse on.

Without further hesitation, the merchant stepped onto the stone block in front of the door, mounted the horse, and then realized that there was no saddle on the horse's back. Before he could react, the horse neighed and carried him into the night.

He crouched low, gripping the reins tightly, barely daring to breathe, lest he be thrown off. A whooshing sound filled his ears, and after what seemed like a short while, he heard the horse neigh and slowly come to a stop.

The merchant looked up and saw the dilapidated house in the distance, exactly the same as the one the water god had shown him.

He jumped off his horse, took a deep breath, his heart pounding, and with a mixture of anticipation and worry, slowly stepped inside.