The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

By the time the wedding procession returned to the Xu family home, it was already dark.

Unlike when they arrived, strings of lanterns were hanging along the streets and alleyways, and people were already waiting there. As soon as they saw the procession in the distance, they lit the prepared firecrackers.

The sounds of paper scraps clattering and crackling filled the air as they landed on Xu Sheng's shoulders, spread on the ground, and were then picked up by the horses' hooves and carried all the way to the front door.

There was a brazier by the door, with charcoal burning brightly inside, and the heat was intense.

The crowd entered the courtyard first, where tables were already set up inside and outside the courtyard. In the center of the courtyard, a small altar was set up, on which were placed the shrine of the Lord of Mount Tai, the ancestral tablets of the Xu family, and the spirit tablet of Xu's father.

Incense and candles flickered, and wisps of smoke rose.

Xu Sheng dismounted, helped E Niang out of the sedan chair, stepped over the brazier, and the two slowly walked to the offering table.

The old man in plain clothes had appeared beside the offering table at some point. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and cleared his throat.

The crowd quieted down and all eyes turned to him.

"On the 23rd day of the eighth month of the 21st year of Jinghe, the son of the Xu family dares to proclaim this to the spirits of Heaven and Earth and our ancestors."

"The peach tree is young and tender, its blossoms are bright and beautiful. This maiden is going to her husband's home, she will bring harmony to her family. Now, I am with the daughter of the Cheng family, our hearts are in accord, our families are united, and we will follow the rules of the six rites to form a marriage that will last a hundred years."

"With incense and candles prepared, we respectfully offer our prayers, humbly beseeching Heaven and Earth, and our ancestors, to witness our sincere hearts and bless you both. May your love be harmonious and peaceful. May you be united in life and death, your hearts unwavering. May your love transcend life and death, and may you vow to grow old together."

"May you enjoy this feast!"

The fox finished reading in one breath, put the paper away, and nodded to Xu Sheng and E Niang.

"First bow to Heaven and Earth."

Xu Sheng's gaze wandered over the memorial tablet. He was only one person's distance from the offering table, but he could not quite see the contents of the tablet. He took a deep breath, blinked, and slowly bowed down.

The fox nodded, but didn't continue reading. Instead, it waved to the crowd from afar.

Mr. and Mrs. Cheng also came. According to custom, they shouldn't have come, but they were so worried about their deceased daughter that they had to hide in the crowd, only showing their eyes, looking at the newlyweds with blessings in their eyes.

The fox has sharp eyes and never cares about human rules. The fox continues to wave.

The crowd parted to make way, and Cheng's parents walked out silently, standing beside Xu's mother. The fox was finally satisfied and continued shouting:

"Paying respects to one's parents."

Xu Sheng and E Niang turned around together and bowed to their parents. The fox stood opposite them and accepted the bow as well.

"Husband and wife bow to each other!"

Xu Sheng looked at the girl in front of him, and E Niang's gaze seemed to meet his through the veil.

The two bent down at the same time.

The fox pursed its lips, shifted its gaze, and felt a little regretful that it hadn't seen the two of them touching heads.

The crowd erupted in cheers and thunderous applause.

"good!"

May you have a long and happy marriage!

"Let's begin the feast!" That was the cry of the fox.

Plates of hot dishes were brought out from the kitchen and placed on the tables: braised pork, whole fish, roasted chicken, meatballs, lotus seed and lily bulb sweet soup... The food was steaming hot, and the aroma wafted everywhere on the wind.

E'niang did not return to the inner hall to wait, but obediently sat at the entrance of the hall. This was the fox's instruction, to let her absorb more human presence and also to look at Xu Sheng more often.

Jars of wine were brought in, and once the seals were removed, the aroma of the wine filled the air, making one feel slightly intoxicated just from the smell.

Xu Sheng, holding the wine, wanted to first offer a toast to the old man in plain clothes, but when he turned around, the man in plain clothes had disappeared again.

At a corner table, the fox was already seated. He had changed back into his blue robes, no longer wearing red, to avoid drawing attention. The fox looked up at the waiter serving the dishes and smiled. The waiter, seeing this elegant young man, instinctively served the dishes to this table first.

"Stop looking, let's eat." The people at the table turned their attention away from the groom, and as soon as they picked up their chopsticks, they saw that the plates on the table were already empty.

They looked up, and then looked at each other.

"Where's the meat?"

Their gaze swept over the fox, noticing that the chopsticks in front of it were still in their original positions and there wasn't a trace of oil or meat in its bowl, before they looked away.

"Could it have been eaten by the bride?"

"That's nonsense. Even a ghost can't reach that far."

"Strange, strange indeed! My friend, did you see anyone eat the meat?"

The fox wiped its paws clean with the tablecloth hanging down from the edge of the table, shook its head, and told the truth: "I didn't touch the chopsticks."

While it was making excuses, it was still savoring what it had just eaten. It had eaten too fast and hadn't seen the last thing clearly. It had only smelled the meat and stuffed it into its mouth, but it tasted like meat but wasn't.

The fox smacked its lips, stood up, and walked casually toward another table. It wasn't that the fox was greedy; it just wanted to figure out what it had eaten.

Xu Sheng went from table to table toasting, and by the time he reached the seventh table, he had already drunk quite a bit and was slightly drunk, even unsteady on his feet.

E'niang looked around worriedly, and seeing that no one was watching, she quietly floated a few steps closer to Xu Sheng, took a deep breath towards the wine cup in Xu Sheng's hand.

The unseen aroma of alcohol was inhaled by E'niang, but Xu Sheng was completely unaware. Only after taking a sip did he realize that there was no aroma of alcohol in his mouth, and it tasted like plain water.

He subconsciously turned around and saw E'niang secretly nodding at him. The corners of her mouth curled up, and she pretended that nothing had happened, and continued to serve the next table.

E'niang chuckled to herself and continued to cooperate with Xu Sheng. She was so focused that she didn't notice her surroundings, and suddenly stretched out a pair of small hands from the side.

E'niang was startled. She looked up and saw that it was a little girl with bright, sparkling eyes staring straight at her.

"Sister, are you hungry? Have some candy." The child's face was full of anticipation.

E'niang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You eat, I'm not hungry."

"Oh." The little girl pouted, then looked at E'niang expectantly. "Then, sister, would you like something else? I'll go get it for you."

The little girl's face betrayed her true feelings. E'niang saw through her intentions, smiled, picked up the candy, sniffed it, and then returned it to the girl.

"That counts as me having eaten."

The girl hurriedly unwrapped the red paper and found that the candy inside was unchanged. Before E'niang could stop her, she licked it.

"Hey, it's really not sweet anymore." She looked on with envy. "It's so nice to be a ghost, that way you can sneak a bite without getting caught."

"You," E Niang chuckled, gently touching the girl's head. The little girl didn't flinch; instead, she leaned her head forward even more.

"Become a ghost..." E'niang earnestly advised, correcting the little girl's dream in time and nipping it in the bud.

As night fell, the banquet gradually came to an end.

Xu Sheng led E Niang into the bridal chamber, and the crowd gradually dispersed. The waiters and helpful neighbors began to clear away the dishes.

The fox had somehow reappeared on the wall. He squatted there for a while, then dangled his legs down.

I ate too much, and squatting makes my stomach hurt. It's more comfortable like this.

Having read this far, the fox simply lay down, gazed at the bright moon in the sky, and slowly inhaled, preparing to swallow some more moonlight to fill the gaps in its belly.

"what?"

Wisps of mist appeared out of nowhere, obscuring the fox's vision.