The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

"It is fate that we have met. Since you two have already lit a fire, why don't you lend it to me?" Chang Sheng took out a book from his book collection and spread it out next to the fire.

"We are just taking a rest here, Changsheng, please make yourself at home." Magistrate Zhang raised his hand in return. "My surname is Zhang, and this is my friend, Brother Duan."

Duan Mianli casually cupped his hands in greeting, bent down to pick up a book from the ground, flipped through a few pages haphazardly, and scoffed, "You scholar, instead of reading the classics, you only read pictures of ghosts and gods?"

"The books of sages and worthies?" Chang Sheng chuckled, then took out a scroll from his collection and asked, "What is a ghost, and what is a god? You two are staying at this mountain god's temple; is this mountain god considered a god?"

"I observe that this mountain god temple, though dilapidated, is still clean. The incense burner is full of ashes. It can shelter passersby from wind and rain and is often used for worship, so it is naturally a god," Magistrate Zhang said slowly.

"What a joke! Mortals are blinded by a single leaf, how can they presume to judge ghosts and gods?" Chang Sheng poured the scroll out of the painting tube and unfurled it abruptly. The painting depicted black tiles and white walls scattered about, with a bamboo fence surrounding a small courtyard in the center. In the courtyard, stone tables and benches were neatly arranged, and a stunningly beautiful woman smiled and held a cup, seemingly offering a toast to someone outside the painting.

"Zhang Enhuai, get into the picture now!"

"Thump." Magistrate Zhang, his expression blank, fell backward and crashed heavily to the ground. A phantom image emerged from his body and disappeared into the painting.

"Swoosh—" The sound of the sword being drawn and the sound of it hitting the ground rang out simultaneously. Chang Sheng's vision blurred, and the blade was already close at hand. He ducked and pulled back, avoiding the tip of the blade.

Duan Mianli glared angrily, his movements shifting as he cleaved the painting in Chang Sheng's hand in two with undiminished force: "You fiend, how dare you!"

Chang Sheng grasped half of the painting scroll, lightly touched the ground, and leaped out of the hall. Cold rain poured down, and thick fog filled the courtyard. Chang Sheng appeared and disappeared in the rain and fog, his clothes fluttering.

Duan Mianli wanted to give chase, but worried about the magistrate behind him, so he hurriedly held the remaining half of the scroll up to the firelight. Upon closer inspection, he saw that a man in brocade robes had appeared in the painting, being led by the sleeve by a woman in the painting, as they raised a cup to drink.

The man had no time to ponder why the magistrate was simultaneously depicted in the painting within the palace. He gripped the painting tightly, his blade flashing, slicing the woman in the painting to shreds. Silk fragments flew everywhere, yet the woman remained smiling.

Duan Mianli's eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed to want to grind his teeth to pieces. Holding a painting in one hand and a knife in the other, he rushed into the rain.

To shoot a man, shoot a horse first; to capture a thief, capture the king first!

The noise subsided, the firewood crackled, and a furry head peeked out from behind the wooden platform.

"Humans are terrifying. We were just sitting together by the fire, and suddenly they started fighting." The fox lingered, stopping every few steps, as if its ears were sticking up to the sky, sneaking away furtively.

"The path of spiritual cultivation should involve purifying the mind and clarifying one's nature, cultivating good relationships, and relieving suffering and difficulties."

"Sound, don't suddenly appear, you scared the fox to death!" The fox was so startled that it almost jumped onto the wooden platform, stopped, and thought for a moment.

"Humans are bigger than foxes, and humans are stronger. The wood humans can move, foxes can't; humans are stronger. Humans can start a fire, foxes can't; humans are stronger. Humans can…" The fox licked its paws, carefully comparing the options, and concluded, "More importantly, what does the fox have to do with those three humans fighting? Hmm, if it were that person from before in danger, the fox would definitely help."

So the fox continued to pupate.

The voice paused for a moment, then continued: "Whenever a benevolent deity manifests and protects against calamities, one must respectfully build an altar, burn incense, kowtow, and offer a hundred delicacies to express one's sincere reverence."

"Charcoal-roasted chicken has crispy skin and tender meat. Steamed goose breast has firm meat that is fresh and not greasy. Roasted mutton breast has a crispy skin and a rich, fatty aroma..."

"Strange, why is the rain falling into the fox's mouth?"

The fox smacked its lips, nudged the person lying down, and found that the body was warm and breathing, but the person wouldn't wake up. The afternoon's events flashed through its mind. The fox looked at the incense burner; the earlier fight hadn't affected this area, so it brought its nose close and took a deep breath.

The fragrance smelled strong, but the inhalation was faint, and the strange connection was barely perceptible. The fox closed its eyes to clear the distractions and finally saw the figure of Magistrate Zhang. His features were blurry, as if seen through a fog. Following the direction of the connection, the fox found the fragments of the painting on the ground.

"Illusions arise from the mind, and circumstances change with the mind. What is seen as a painting is actually an illusion. Objects are used to imbue souls, and birth dates are used to control people. The soul governs spirit, consciousness, emotions, and spirituality. When a person loses their soul, they become confused and demented. Therefore, this is an evil art, which can be broken with righteous energy."

The fox remembered the voice saying that incense was righteous energy. It tried vomiting a few times, but the ball of incense in its stomach remained firmly in place, unmoved. It then tried to draw upon the incense that had been absorbed into its body, but to no avail.

"Is incense not incense, just as a fox spirit is not a fox?" Thoughts raced, the words in his voice strung together with his own experiences like pearls, and a flash of inspiration appeared.

"The divine way is formless, yet it communicates through fragrance. Fragrance is a way for the divine to reveal itself, just as a fox rubs its face against a tree, and rabbits and field mice smell the fox's scent, knowing of its presence even though they cannot see it."

"If the gods can do it, then the fox is a fox spirit, and it has absorbed incense offerings. There's no reason why a fox can't do what the gods can."

Its fluffy tail spread out, every hair from the base to the tip unfurled, shimmering with silver light. The crisp scent of grass enveloped the fox, and it stretched out a paw, pressing it against the fragments of the painting.

The world in the painting.

"Who am I? Where am I?" The headache was getting worse. Magistrate Zhang covered his head and stared blankly into space.

"Young master, please have another cup of wine." The woman's eyes crinkled as she poured the magistrate another cup. "Young master, you've come from the capital, a long and arduous journey. You must be here in this remote and impoverished place to carry out important business, right?"

"Yes, I am the county magistrate, and I am going to take up my post in Tao County."

Zhang Enhuai barely managed to regain his senses and stared at the woman: "No, I won't drink anymore. Recently, the evil sorcerers in the south have been rampant and may become a major force. The county cannot be without a leader for even a day. I must keep moving without delay."

Upon hearing this, the woman covered her lips with her sleeve and chuckled softly.

"Young lady, why are you laughing?"

"My lord speaks so foolishly, and I'm not even allowed to laugh?"

"Young master, you have good ambition, but alas, you are neither the true master of this place nor have you displeased the master. You keep saying that evil Taoists are rampant, but you don't know that we are right before your eyes. Drink one more cup; it won't delay your journey to the Yellow Springs..."

"Crack—" Something seemed to shatter, and the earth shook violently. The woman's smile froze. Looking up, she saw a giant, flower-shaped claw covered in black fur burst forth from the air, its nails as sharp as knives.

The blade flashed, and Chang Sheng awkwardly turned his head away. Raindrops fell, staining his clothes with dark red spots.

I miscalculated. This Duan fellow is impulsive and reckless, as stubborn as a mule, and he has also mastered excellent martial arts skills. I can't shake him off no matter what I do. After several exchanges, I was at a disadvantage.

He dodged another attack, and in the midst of the chaos, unfurled the scroll: "You evil spirit! Forget about that Zhang fellow, come and help me! I'll give you three coins' worth of essence blood!"

Perhaps the profits were too great; before the scroll was even fully unfurled, the usually compliant but secretly defiant ghosts rushed out. Before Chang Sheng could even show a smile, he saw claws following closely behind the ghosts.

"?"

The blow was powerful and heavy, making Chang Sheng dizzy and almost fall to the ground. Fortunately, a strong fist caught him in time to support his chest.

"You monster! Take another punch!"

Inside the mountain god's temple, the fox's mouth stretched to the sky: 'Sound, isn't that amazing! Although no matter how hard I tried, I could only fit one paw in, but I still... Hey, what's on fire?'

The fox turned its head and saw its tail draped beside the fire.

"Eek—"