The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

A large group of people entered and piled up in the courtyard, carefully examining everything.

The grass and trees in the courtyard, laden with morning dew, swayed gently without wind, reflecting a soft glow in the sunlight. The cool air seeped into my lungs with each breath, yet I felt no cold, only a sense of refreshment.

The murmurs subsided quietly, and everyone turned around solemnly, staring at the Taoist priest in the blue robe in the crowd.

He was just over twenty years old, but his figure was already quite upright, and he still had a bit of a childish air about him.

"Master Qingzhu, thank you for your help." Duan Mianli looked at the master and nodded slightly.

The Taoist priest nodded and directed everyone to perform their duties. They set up an offering table, lit lamps, and burned incense. Those who didn't know what to do simply squatted on the ground and pulled weeds.

The offering table was quickly set up. Qingzhu washed her hands, turned around, picked up a celadon bowl from the table, and lifted the lid.

The bowl is filled with clear spring water drawn in the early morning, so clear that you can see the bottom.

The Taoist priest, carrying a bowl of water, slowly walked to the statue of the deity, lowered his eyes and bowed respectfully, inserting three incense sticks into the incense burner. Once the smoke curled around the statue, he solemnly spoke:

"The Mountain God of Qingling commands you to temporarily reside here, with water as the medium; we humbly request your presence."

A talisman slipped from her sleeve and was caught between her fingertips. Qingzhu's palm gently swept across the water, and the talisman dissolved into the water.

The sound echoed in the hall. Qingzhu frowned slightly. The water in the bowl was calm, without any sense of being drawn by the gods. It didn't seem like her own power was too weak to dispel the spirit, but rather like the clay sculpture in front of her.

He hesitated for a moment, but still respectfully held the bowl of water and placed it on the table.

"Begin the worship ceremony."

The fox used illusions to hide itself, crouching on the eaves of the palace, letting people disturb its den, while keeping its eyes fixed on the bamboo food boxes on the ground.

A woman in simple clothes and with a clean face lifted the lid of the food box, releasing a sweet aroma. The top layer was neatly arranged with golden, crisp peach shortbread. Lifting the second layer revealed steaming hot, snow-white rice cakes alongside peach blossom cakes. Then came the third layer…

"Wow, it smells so good! Wow, this looks delicious! Wow, there's more! Voice, thank you so much this time. I wish you could eat too." Voice rarely spoke on its own initiative, only answering the fox's questions, but it never made a mistake. If Voice could sit next to the fox, the fox would definitely lick its fur hard until it was bald.

The offering table was piled high with offerings. Finally, Duan Mianli reached out and tossed the whole chicken into the center of the table.

The fox raised its rump, arched its body slightly, and was ready to dive in at any moment.

The Taoist priest stepped forward, opened the wine jar in his hand, poured the wine on the ground, and said loudly, "Mountain God above, we wish to repair this temple, and we apologize for disturbing you."

The Taoist priest lit an incense stick first, and the crowd followed suit, offering their prayers one by one.

The fox's fluffy tail swished restlessly. It had been basking in the moonlight all night and was now craving food, but these people wouldn't leave. There were even yamen runners guarding the offering table with serious expressions, their intentions unclear.

The fox patiently waited until the last person had finished their offering. But the crowd still didn't disperse.

The fox remembered what he had heard earlier: 'What does "sound" and "noon" mean?'

"Noon is called midday, the sun is at its zenith, or the middle of the day, when the sun hangs high in the sky."

The fox looked up and gestured with its paws, indicating that the sun was still far from the center.

"The fox saved that magistrate, so some of this food is for the fox. Since it's for the fox, it can eat it whenever it wants!"

The fox silently flicked its tail, and a fragrance spread, enveloping the courtyard.

The fox's methods were still incomplete, and it was broad daylight, bright and sunny, with a bustling crowd and a noisy atmosphere in the courtyard, offering unobstructed views. The fragrance originated from the fox's body, which was easy to conceal from the fox itself, but to think that this method could fool everyone was undoubtedly a fool's dream.

The Taoist priest's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly looked up, scanning his surroundings.

The fox proceeded slowly and deliberately, focusing its attention on distinguishing each incense stick in the courtyard.

"This one's the fierce one, this one's the one carrying food..." The fox fiddled with the incense, making sure each person only took a small sip.

The scent of incense varied in strength and lightness. The fox inhaled a little more, and its subtle connection with the crowd varied in depth and lightness, but it was enough. An invisible sense of being watched enveloped everyone present, and the noise abruptly ceased.

"The mountain god has appeared!" The old man in the front row suddenly collapsed to his knees with a thud. The sounds of kneeling echoed one after another.

Qingzhu was slightly nervous. She lowered her body and, using her long sleeves as cover, secretly made hand seals.

Duan Mianli subconsciously focused his gaze on the Taoist priest Qingzhu. Seeing that he also lowered his body, Duan Mianli's expression changed, but he ultimately knelt on one knee, looking directly at the offering table.

The fox leaped up and headbutted the table. First, it snatched a piece of candied peach, then it lowered its head and nibbled on a sweet rice cake. The fox tasted each item, its whiskers covered in crispy bits and rice flour, and it snorted contentedly. Finally, it didn't forget to lick the wine off the ground a couple of times.

"What a strange smell." Caught off guard, the fox sneezed. He prepared to eat some more, but found he couldn't bend over. Looking down, he saw his belly was round and full.

"Where did humans hunt these things? It's a pity the fox can't eat them all. Let's leave the rest for the mountain god." The fox ate to its heart's content, but since it couldn't jump onto the eaves of the palace, it had no choice but to crawl behind the wooden platform again.

Duan Mianli quietly raised his eyes and quickly scanned the eaves and under the offering table, trying to find any trace of someone hiding there, but unfortunately he found nothing.

As the stares faded, the crowd looked at each other in bewilderment, and for a moment, all was silent.

"The offerings have been taken by the Mountain God!" The scene became lively again. The Taoist priest slowly stood up, his brows furrowed, and shook his head slowly at Duan Mianli.

"Strange, it carries a sinister aura, yet it is righteous and pure, like a mountain spirit. It also exudes the pure power of incense offerings, its quantity slight, yet its purity exquisite. This subtly aligns with the signs of a deity."

He intended to perform another divination, but the secrets of heaven remained shrouded in mystery. The Taoist priest had no choice but to set the matter aside for the time being and return to his temple to consult the scriptures.

The fox ignored the two, feeling increasingly sleepy, so it stretched out its body and began to doze off. This continued until the sun was high in the sky.

The craftsmen arrived one after another, their conversations reaching the fox's ears.

"The courtyard walls are crumbling, the roof tiles of the main hall are rotten and leaking, and the beams and pillars are also loose."

"The altar and offering table are old and damaged, and the statues of the gods are also somewhat dilapidated."

"These places all need to be rectified one by one. We estimate that it will take at least half a month."

"Half a moon? There's no moon. It's time to eat moonlight again." The fox opened one eye.

The voice patiently explained.

"What!" The fox woke up with a start. So many people, does it really take this long to dig a burrow and build a nest? Half a month would be enough for the fox to dig all the way back to its original burrow from this temple. Besides, the fox has been living here for so long, and the rabbits here are stupid and impervious to wind and rain. Now that it hasn't been able to come back for so long, where could the fox have gone?

"Oh, now the fox can be satiated by consuming moonlight, and with its increased strength, it can even use illusion magic, so it can go anywhere." The fox shifted its position, suddenly realizing, "Doesn't that mean the fox could already go wherever it wanted?"

Whether it's the source of the mountain streams or the various peaks, the fox could go anywhere. In fact, an even more adventurous idea, one that went against the wishes of its ancestors, even crossed the fox's mind.

Down the mountain!

"What's that sound down the mountain? Should the fox come down?"

The fox remained silent, unconcerned, its heart brimming with uncontrollable excitement. It couldn't wait to leap down the mountain and see what new and exciting creatures and delicious treats lay hidden below.

But where to go down the mountain? The fox remembered the village surrounded by peach trees. That ball of incense should still be nestled inside its belly. Where was it? It was all a bit blurry. The fox pressed its paw against its belly, searching inch by inch.

"Is this it? Oh, this should be the chicken leg. And here? Maybe it's those sweet and sticky things." The fox felt warm and bloated all over, and couldn't quite make out what was going on.

"Sir, Pu Shunnian is unwilling to come." The yamen runner who went to Taoxiang hurriedly returned and reported the news.

"Um?"

"He has a son named Pu Caiyu, who went missing the day before yesterday."

"Missing?" Duan Mianli, having shaken off his earlier disappointment at failing to catch the deity, became intrigued and asked, "Isn't he the temple keeper here? Since the mountain god is so effective, why didn't you go and help him?"

"Perhaps the mountain god doesn't concern himself with trivial matters, or perhaps his younger brother has simply gone off somewhere to make a living..."

"Since the mountain god doesn't care, then I will. You've got nothing better to do waiting here, so why don't you come down the mountain with me?" Rather than wasting time with this clay sculpture, he decided to do something useful. Duan Mianli turned to leave.

The constable quickly stopped him: "Sir, the village head is in charge of that."

Duan Mianli ignored them and went straight out the door. The yamen runners had no choice but to call a few of their brothers and follow along with the fox.