The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

The queen bee looked at the sullen fox in front of her and suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I just feel that the Immortal looks completely different from that Young Master Qing now."

"When the immortal transformed into human form, he was truly handsome and dashing; everyone who came would praise him as a refined gentleman. But now that he has revealed his true form..."

The queen bee and the fox had become quite familiar with each other. She had figured out the fox's temperament, and although she still spoke respectfully, she was no longer as distant and polite as she had been at the beginning.

"If you want to blend in with the crowd and live freely, and see more novel things you can't see elsewhere, you have to learn their rules. Foxes are very dedicated; whatever form you take, you have to look exactly like it. Otherwise, if you give yourself away immediately, wouldn't all your transformation be for nothing?"

"And don't you think it's hilarious? A fox is sitting right in front of them, strolling through the market, tasting snacks, listening to stories, and drinking tea right in front of them, and they're completely unaware."

The queen bee just smiled.

"What are you laughing at? You're the same." The fox tilted its head to look at her, then suddenly changed the subject, "You manage such a large swarm of bees, but in order to integrate into the human community, you still have to do the work yourself, doing accounting and greeting guests. You have to deal with so many people every day, it's much harder than the fox's job."

The queen bee paused, then laughed even harder: "What the immortal says is true. But sometimes when I look at you, I just feel that you live such a carefree life. You can use human form whenever you want, and reveal your true form whenever you want. You don't have to care about those worldly rules, nor do you have to care what others think."

"You're such a strange bee. You chose to stay in the city, but you complain about this and that, and no one is stopping you from going home."

"I know, but..." The Queen Bee stopped talking and changed the subject, "Let's not talk about this. Didn't you say you were going to check on the butcher shop? If you're any later, I'm afraid something will happen again."

"Oh right, I almost forgot."

The fox leaped and transformed into a crimson ribbon, disappearing into the night.

Zhu's Meat Shop.

The fox lay on the wall, its eyes scanning the surroundings.

Chen Atang huddled in the corner, his black robe splattered with mud, while Zhu the butcher lay unconscious on the ground beside him.

The black pig lay on the ground, panting and grunting. Its limbs were tightly bound. He Ying pulled on the hemp rope and tied it to the table.

The fox's gaze lingered on Chen Atang for a few moments, its ears perked up, listening intently to the conversation that followed.

"How come he fainted after only two thrusts? This butcher looks tall and strong, how come he's so weak?"

"To be precise, it was three hits. The first hit was on my lower back, then when I got up I was hit in the stomach, and finally the pig headbutted me on the forehead," Shen Guan added.

"Huh, even the pig is dizzy," He Ying exclaimed in surprise.

The fox shifted its gaze to Butcher Zhu, whose face was flushed, his breathing rapid, and fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

"No, she didn't faint, she fell asleep."

The fox flicked its tail, its magic flowing, capturing the faint connection, and slipped into the man's dream.

……

"You butcher, you promised so readily, why did you go back on your word!"

Zhu the butcher's eyelids felt heavy, and his head felt dizzy. Hearing that familiar voice, he muttered to himself.

"You were stuttering before, how come you're so fluent now? It seems patience really can cure stuttering."

Only then did he snap out of his daze, barely opening his eyes a crack to look at the dark figure: "Wait a minute, are you a human or a pig? Am I dreaming or in reality?"

The dark figure rushed up and swung his fist at him. The fist was incredibly powerful, making the man wince in pain.

"It's true! It's really true!"

The man covered his head and tried to dodge, but although the area looked like his shop, it was only a few meters wide, leaving him nowhere to run. He took several more blows and hurriedly shouted, "Let's talk this out! Let's talk this out!"

The shadowy figure remained silent, wanting to give chase, but suddenly froze in place.

The darkness of the world was shattered by a burst of white light, which spread across the ground, making everything as bright as day.

A blue figure with an obscured face blocked his way, its two fiery, moon-like tails pushing away the mist.

The figure spoke calmly, its voice clear and crisp, asking the same question: "Are you a human or a pig?"

The shadowy figure felt a chill run down its spine and involuntarily spoke.

"Of course I'm a human being, I just lived like a pig for two years."

"continue."

The shadows parted, revealing a plain-looking human face: "At first, I forgot I was human. I just mingled among them, eating pig feed and sleeping in the pigsty day after day. But just a few days ago, I suddenly remembered everything."

"Does the immortal know what that feeling is? It's like something suddenly shattered. Then everything, all the memories, even things from before I was reincarnated, all came rushing out at once."

A voice rang in the fox's ear: "The mystery of the womb, also known as the mystery of the veil of death or the obscuration of the womb, is the phenomenon that when sentient beings are reincarnated and their consciousness enters the mother's womb, they forget all their past lives."

There are two ways to break through: one is through proper cultivation, and the other is through opportune circumstances.

"Buddhists cultivate precepts, concentration, and wisdom to attain the ability to know past lives. Taoists achieve the perfection of the Yang spirit, free from the constraints of form."

The fox looked the pig-man up and down. He didn't look like a Taoist priest, nor a Buddhist monk, and by all accounts, he didn't seem to have any spiritual cultivation.

How did you break the mystery of the womb?

"So this is the mystery of the womb." The shadowy figure realized, and after thinking for a while, he said, "The underworld official must have made a mistake."

"A messenger from the underworld?"

"Although I can't remember how I died or how I was reincarnated, I clearly remember that when I was still a ghost, a voice told me that I should be reborn as a human!"

The shadowy figure repeated the judgment, trying to prove its words were true: "Now that his lifespan in the mortal world has ended, the underworld has examined him. His merits and demerits have balanced out, and his good deeds far outweigh his evil deeds. He is permitted to re-enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn into a family that has accumulated good karma."

"But when I woke up, I found that I had turned into a pig."

The fox nodded: "So you want to die?"

"My lord, please bear witness. After I broke free from the mystery of my birth, I clearly remember that I am a human, yet I have to compete with pigs for food and sleep with them. I can't stand it for even a day. I just want to die quickly so I can go back and ask the underworld officials for an explanation. Unfortunately, the farmer is watching me closely, and I can't get out."

"I'm afraid of the pain, and I can't bring myself to kill myself. So I can only suffer day after day."

"Today I can finally be sold, so I asked the butchers in town beforehand and chose the one with the fastest knife to save me from suffering."

"But this butcher was dragging his feet and wouldn't do it, so I..."

The fox shook its head: "He saved you out of kindness, to prevent you from being a human in disguise, thus needlessly taking a life."

The dark figure raised its head, its eyes pleading, "Immortal, I was momentarily confused. Please have mercy! I will never dare to do it again!"

The fox remained silent.

The shadowy figure bowed his head and begged, while Butcher Zhu didn't dare to breathe.

The fox remained expressionless, its mind a complete blank: 'How should this be judged?'