The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

After descending the mountain and passing through the peach grove, a village came into view. The village was not large, with rammed earth walls covered with blue tiles. The houses were not arranged neatly, and there were no regular streets, only a few winding dirt roads connecting the households.

We've arrived in the land of peaches.

Officials had already hurried down the mountain to give advance notice, and many villagers were waiting at the village entrance. Upon seeing Duan Mianli and his entourage arrive, several elderly men in the crowd stepped forward and bowed to their luggage.

"I am the township head here, Tao Shougen."

"I am Tao Shierlang, the village head of this village. I greet you, sir."

"I am……"

"Who are they? Who are they all?!" In the fox's eyes, these people all looked alike. Their beards were of similar length, they all hunched over, their clothes were almost identical, they all carried canes, and even their names were similar.

Duan Mianli didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to inquiring about the situation: "Where does Pu Shunnian live? How is he doing now?"

"It's just north of the village, near the outskirts." The township head sighed and continued, "Caiyu was such a lovable child, but she suddenly disappeared without a trace. Shunnian has lost his appetite and become very thin."

What's to the north?

The fox tilted its head in distress, deciding to rely on the incense's power to find Pu Shunnian directly, and then follow the clues to find his son. Although the voice didn't provide much information, the fox had a premonition that as long as it helped the man find his tiny child, the incense in its belly would be digested.

Most of the villagers were busy with the autumn harvest and storing grain, while the rest gathered at the village entrance. The fox found a quiet spot and walked along the edge of the wall.

In front of every house, there were grasses that the fox didn't recognize, and some doors had other things that it didn't recognize hanging there. The fox even smelled meat in them, but its belly was too swollen, so it had to give up.

Before even reaching the place, the faint scent of incense wafted over. The fox lightly leaped onto the wall and surveyed the courtyard. Pu Shunnian looked haggard; his once dark complexion was now sallow, and his hair was disheveled. He was kneeling before a small shrine in the courtyard, praying.

"I pray to the mountain god to protect my son and bring him back safely..." His voice trembled uncontrollably as he kowtowed repeatedly to the ground.

A faint fragrance, seemingly from nowhere, wafted on the wind. Pu Shunnian groggily looked up and saw a courtyard with a layout roughly the same as his own, but which looked like it hadn't been tended to in a long time.

His unfocused gaze suddenly hardened and returned to its resolute expression: "This is Granny Li's home. The last people in the village saw Caiyu here."

The man was clearly taking steps, his feet outstretched, but his whole body was retreating, from the courtyard to the gate, then to the road, and finally back into his own house. Completely unaware, he walked towards the side room and picked up a garment from the bed. The garment was finely made, and although the material wasn't of the highest quality, it was much softer than the man's.

"Caiyu..." the man in the courtyard murmured softly before falling into a deep sleep.

'Still so clumsy, my heart aches. You need to get more sun and sleep more.' The fox retracted its tail and silently landed in the yard. It pushed open the side door, carefully sniffing the clothes, memorizing the scent.

Several days passed, and the scent in the air had become very faint. Even though the fox's sense of smell had become much more sensitive than before, it could no longer detect anything. Fortunately, guided by the path Pu Shunnian had taken in the illusion, the fox slipped back into the courtyard.

"Woof woof woof!" Before the fox could even stand up straight, a series of urgent barks came from behind. The fox instinctively turned its head, and a yellow figure rushed into view.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!" The fox slapped the thing three times in a flash, sending it flying backward, the thick rope binding it taut.

"Waaaaah—"

The yellow dog lay on its back for a while before regaining its senses. It tucked its tail between its legs, rolled over, and stared pitifully at the fox with its big, watery eyes.

"What is this thing? How did it get caught?" Upon closer inspection, the thing still had a faint human scent.

"Dogs are beasts, and their forms vary. They are loyal, brave, and docile, understanding human intentions and speech. They roam the world, accompanying humans for thousands of years."

"This idiot can even talk?" The fox looked at the yellow dog, which was stretching its neck and bringing its mouth close to its tail, its nose twitching, and slapped it again.

"Don't listen to the fox!"

Since the dog and the man were in cahoots, the fox felt relieved and ignored it, instead scanning its surroundings. The stone table in the courtyard was covered in a layer of dust, and there were no items hanging at the entrance to the kitchen. Everything was just as Pu Shunnian remembered, unchanged.

The scent had completely disappeared by then, and the fox, somewhat annoyed, slapped the yellow dog that was sticking out its tongue and trying to get closer.

As the sun set, the sky turned a golden-red hue. Scattered tits flitted through the sunlight, scattering in all directions, their chirping echoing along the way.

The fox immediately had an idea.

A clear chirping sound rang out from the courtyard, rising upwards. The flock of birds stopped moving, flapped their wings, and fell into the courtyard like rain, surrounding the fox, with even a few perching on the dog's head.

"The fox is looking for someone!" the fox chirped, then suddenly paused.

"Speaking of which, what does Caiyu look like?" The fox's mind flashed with Pu Shunnian's appearance, and it thought to itself, "She should also be dark-skinned, with thick limbs and a beard around her mouth."

As the fox pondered, it communicated in bird language, reciting the size of the garment and adding, "It's a tiny person, about the same size as a fox."

"I have no beard," a titmouse called out first.

"No, no!" the other tits echoed.

"Big foxes have whiskers, and so do little foxes. Adults have whiskers, and little people certainly have them too!"

The chirping continued incessantly, creating a lively scene, until the sound of footsteps came and drowned out all the chirping.

"People! People are coming! Run!"

The flock of birds scattered with a whoosh, fleeing in all directions. Only the fox and the dog remained, staring at each other blankly.

"Woof?"

……

"Bang!"

The door was pushed open, and Duan Mianli strode in, knife in hand: "Search."

"Yes!" The constables went inside and began searching for clues.

The township head respectfully followed Duan Mianli and introduced Granny Li: "This Granny Li is called Li Agui. She has a son who does business in the city. I heard that his business is doing very well, so he took Granny Li to live in the city. She hasn't come back for a long time."

"Shunnian and Granny Li were very familiar with each other. After Granny Li left, she gave Shunnian the key. Shunnian often came over to clean, and sometimes when he was busy, he would call Caiyu to help."

"Since you moved to the county seat a long time ago, why did you still keep someone to clean the house?" Duan Mianli looked around, his gaze landing on the yellow dog. "Does this dog belong to Li Agui?"

The township head nodded hurriedly: "Yes, sir. Granny Li said that the dog is used to being wild, and it's not very convenient to stay in the county, so she'll keep it in the village. Her son will send some money regularly, and she's asking Shun Nian's family to help take care of it and feed it."

"I think something's not right," Duan Mianli said, his expression turning cold as he pointed to the overflowing dog bowl. "Pu Caiyu has been missing for three days, her fate unknown. Pu Shunnian is overwhelmed with worry and searching for her day and night. He certainly wouldn't have time to feed this dog, so why is its bowl still full?"