The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

As the rain stopped and dawn broke, the morning sun pierced through the clouds, and the forest mist gradually dissipated.

Magistrate Zhang's steps were unsteady; he took several steps but couldn't quite put his foot down. He felt as if his arms and legs were not his own, and his lips trembled for a long time before he managed to squeeze out half a sentence: "Mianli, you're alright..."

Duan Mianli tied Chang Sheng, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, to the horse and hurried to help Magistrate Zhang: "That sorcerer is all show and no substance, how could he possibly hurt me? But you, Magistrate, must be careful. You are a man of great stature, destined for great things, unlike a rough man like me. Don't let him get hurt."

Magistrate Zhang's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he squeezed out the rest of his sentence: "Stop being so glib, hurry up and get going..."

"Okay."

The deserted temple, which had been bustling for a day and a night, finally fell silent, leaving only a heartbroken fox.

"The fox's fur, the fox's tail—"

The fox didn't really pay much attention to these things before, but with the arrival of the sound, the fox's life became much easier. With nothing to do and the contribution of its tail in breathing in the moonlight, its importance in the fox's heart increased day by day, and it even started licking its fur from its tail first.

"You said foxes are becoming less and less afraid of the cold. Do foxes still molt in winter?"

The voice remained silent, letting the fox worry about its own anxieties.

The fox brought its snout to the charred spot, wanting to bite it off, but since it was its own fur, it hesitated and couldn't bring itself to do it. Fortunately, the fox was very clever; its eyes darted around, and a plan came to mind.

The next day.

The sunlight was perfect in the woods, and several deer lay leisurely and lazily on the soft grass, basking in the warm light. A bird, entirely black with a round belly, hopped around them. It stood in front of the deer's tail, specifically pecking at the white hairs at the tip. When one deer couldn't stand it anymore, it got up and hopped to another nearby to continue plucking.

After plucking it all around and disturbing all the deer to their feet, the blackbird was about to flap its wings when suddenly a fluffy tail appeared before it. It turned its head halfway around and met the familiar red head.

"Pinch this." The fox spoke in bird language, pointing its paw at the charred spot.

The blackbird nodded, then went to pluck the intact white fur from the tip of the fox's tail.

"Slap!" The fox slapped the bird's beak open and pointed to the spot: "These black ones."

The blackbird nodded again and continued plucking the white feathers.

"Smack!" The fox stared at the blackbird's innocent eyes and its beak full of white feathers, unable to tell whether the bird had done it on purpose.

The fox tucked the tip of its tail under its body and said, word by word, "Those black fur..."

Before he could finish speaking, the blackbird had already flown back to its nest, letting out two hoarse cries before it left.

"It was intentional, absolutely intentional! All I did was eat your rabbit!"

Fortunately, the fox was very clever, and after a moment's thought, it came up with a new idea.

The next day, the moonlight, like a ribbon, shone brightly on the treetops.

The rabbit kept flapping its nose, tracking the sweet scent of grass in the air. After sniffing for a while, the rabbit determined its direction and cautiously moved forward. The journey was quiet; perhaps due to the heavy fog, everything appeared hazy.

A sense of crisis inexplicably rose in the rabbit's heart. The forest seemed a bit strange lately. Big guys would pass through this area. They didn't have any natural enemies, but Fifth Brother, Eighteenth Brother, and Thirty-Second Brother had all disappeared recently.

As the rabbit pondered this, it decided to eat some grass and head back to its burrow. Strangely enough, it couldn't find any tender grass that was usually everywhere, and even the path back to its burrow had disappeared.

The sweet aroma grew stronger. The rabbit, who had been running all night, looked up and saw a plant hanging down from a tree, its leaves as fine as velvet, layer upon layer stretching outwards. Hunger finally overcame reason, and the rabbit took a bite.

The illusion dissipated, and the fox lying in the tree quickly lifted the base of its tail, pulling up the rabbit that was hanging from its tail.

Inspired by his experience on that rainy night, the fox discovered that by simply shaking his tail and releasing a fragrance, he could immerse other creatures in the illusions he had created. Although the fox was not yet very skilled at it, it was more than enough to catch a rabbit.

Having dealt with the rabbit, the fox approached its tail. The thin layer of burnt fur on the surface had all fallen off, revealing the newly grown downy fur underneath.

"Food's secured, and the black fur on its tail has been plucked off." Satisfied, the fox returned home, speeding along the way, and buried the rabbit in its usual spot.

It was the time of full moon, the moonlight clear and bright, a perfect day for breathing exercises. The fox sat upright in the courtyard, beginning to absorb the moonlight.

"When the moon is full, yin and yang are in balance. When the seasons are in harmony, spiritual energy naturally flourishes."

In an instant, the courtyard was as bright as day, and the moonlight, like water, spilled over the temple eaves, climbed the peach trees, and soaked into every blade of grass.

This breathing exercise continued for an unknown period of time, until the moon set in the west and its gentle light gradually faded.

"What's that poking the fox's butt..."

Everywhere you look is green, with unknown wild grass sprouting from all directions, growing almost as tall as a fox, and even the woodpile by the wall is sprouting tender shoots.

The boundaries of hearing are expanding outwards inch by inch. New buds are unfurling, autumn insects are buzzing, and you can even hear the hoarse voice of a dead bird. No, it's even further away. The sound of footsteps rising and falling, mixed with soft whispers of conversation, is coming back along the mountain path.

"Are we almost there? This mountain road is really steep."

"Even Lord Duan, who was at the head of the group, hasn't said anything, but you're already complaining. I think maybe he never intended for us to come in the first place."

"I was just curious. I've never heard of any mountain god before, and yet it actually appeared."

"Speaking of which, why is Lord Duan carrying a chicken himself?"

"You don't understand. Without the mountain god's intervention, the magistrate might have been harmed by villains. As the magistrate's personal bodyguard, I have to do my part."

"Then why is he carrying a bundle of firewood?"

"You wouldn't know this, would you? I heard that Lord Duan stole firewood from the mountain god last night and was caught red-handed. The mountain god was going to punish him, but Lord Duan said, 'You can punish me, but I used that firewood to save someone. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I can't care about anything else.' The mountain god was moved by his sincerity and not only didn't punish him, but also helped him subdue the demon. In the end, he only asked him to make up for the firewood."

"That mountain god is quite particular, and Lord Duan is also quite, well, a man of his word."

"Hmph." Duan Mianli snorted coldly and withdrew his gaze. He wanted to tear out the tongues of these people, but the magistrate had given orders beforehand. Not only did he not stop them, but he also sent his subordinates to spread the word everywhere, making the clay statue seem like it was flying into the sky. The magistrate himself was in danger, yet he made a big show of sending his guard to fulfill his vow, and even brought along those who had come to join in the fun.

Duan Mianli, feeling uneasy, tucked the chicken in his left hand under his right elbow and beckoned over a yamen runner: "Has the man sent to Taoxiang returned? Did he find the temple keeper?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, we have already sent someone to invite him. I heard that this mountain god temple has been abandoned for decades, and now only a woodcutter named Pu Shunnian is taking care of it. It seems that he has some family matters to attend to recently, which may have caused the delay."

"Where are the artisans?"

"Those things are hard to carry. They're pushing the carts, and the mountain roads are difficult to navigate. They might get stuck somewhere and be delayed. Don't worry, sir, I'll go and urge them on right away. They'll definitely arrive before noon."

During the conversation, the group had already reached the temple gate. Duan Mianli remained noncommittal, pushed open the gate, and suddenly froze.

How did you end up looking like this after just two days?