The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

The moon was high in the sky, and the night grew darker. The cool moonlight shone through the cracks in the window and fell on a fiery red tail, silencing all the chirping of insects.

The fox had most of its body tucked into the blankets, with only its furry head sticking out to breathe. Its two tails peeked out from the corners of the blankets, one casually draped over the edge of the bed, and the other curled up beside its head.

As autumn deepens and the weather grows colder, the fox, though unafraid, has become increasingly attached to its warm den. It has even stopped bothering to breathe in the moonlight each day, simply letting its tail casually collect a little moonlight, which it considers a form of cultivation.

As the moon gradually slanted westward, the moonlight filtering into the room shifted accordingly. The fox's tail twitched, extending a few inches further along with the moonlight. It then rolled over, avoiding the light shining into its eyes, and buried its face deep in the blankets. The blankets smelled of sunshine, a pleasant aroma.

The surrounding guests would hang their bedding on bamboo poles in the courtyard to help the sunlight wipe away the moisture, but the foxes were smarter than them. They would simply lie on the bedding and breathe in the sunlight, and in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the whole bed would be warm and cozy.

The fox fell into a deep sleep, and the only sound in the room was its soft, gentle breathing.

Half asleep, the fox's ears twitched. It seemed to hear a rustling sound coming from underground.

Was the fox dreaming of catching rabbits again? The fox hadn't had such a dream in a long time, and it even felt a little nostalgic. The fox slightly raised its head, adjusting its position to avoid kicking and leaping off the bed.

The sound grew louder and louder.

No, there really was a sound. The fox opened its eyes a crack and looked at the ground.

The strange sound came and went, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes intermittent. The fox yawned, about to go back to sleep, but the sound stopped for a few moments, then came towards the fox again, getting closer and closer, finally stopping beside the bed.

"Huh?" The fox came to its senses.

The underground began to make noise again, first the sound of digging, then the creaking sound of tearing bricks. The fox's magic flowed, and it reached down into the pit, pulling out a figure with a little force.

The thing was covered in dust and dirt, floating in the air squeaking, its bean-like eyes looking at the fox in panic.

Another mouse poked its head out from the ground, looking around cautiously. Upon seeing the fox, it immediately shrank back inside. Then, it revealed a long nose that the fox recognized.

"Fox spirit, fox spirit!" the mother shrew whispered, squeezing her way out of the hole. "It's our home, it's our home!"

The fox tossed the mouse out of its hand, squeezed out of bed, and lazily stretched: "What do you want with a fox in the middle of the night?"

"We've dug it through! We've been digging for so long, and we've finally dug the road to Qingling!" The mother shrew easily crawled out of the hole that would have required a mouse to struggle through. She looked at the fox triumphantly and announced the good news.

The fox tilted its head back to avoid the dust scattered by the shrew shaking its fur.

"Good job. Now, gather all the rats in the city and make sure they show themselves in public. Make sure they don't do anything petty or despicable. I'll introduce you to a good job in a while."

"Thank you, fox spirit, thank you, fox spirit." The mother shrew's eyes lit up, and she said, "However, we have something else to tell you, fox spirit."

"Hmm?" The fox lay down again, resting its chin on its front paws, and let out a sound from its nostrils.

"Since we've arrived at the mountain god temple, we went out of our bodies to take a look. We were shocked to find that the temple was bustling with activity."

"Oh." It's perfectly normal for a fox to be so powerful and have so many worshippers. You're just making a fuss over nothing, you little shrew.

"There are so many pilgrims. There are so many people on the mountain road and in the temple. My family counted at least twenty or thirty people."

"Not bad, your counting has improved over this period of time," the fox praised generously.

"Our family can manage so many rats, so naturally we have our own abilities," the shrew said smugly. "But the fox spirits, what they were chanting seemed a bit off."

"What did they say?"

The mother shrew coughed twice, mimicking the tone of the worshippers: "May the mountain god protect us, may the temple-guarding fox protect us, may the temple-guarding soldiers protect us, we have come to fulfill our vow, and we hope that the grandfather will withdraw his magic..."

"Hmm?" The fox sat up, wide awake.

"When did the fox spirit hire temple guards? We've never heard of it before, so we've come to ask the fox spirit."

"Tell me in detail, what soldiers and horses are involved, and what changes have occurred in the temple?"

"There have been changes. Right next to your little temple, Fox Fairy, another small temple has been built. It's very simple, just a small shed made of a few pieces of wood, with a wooden sign inside."

"What does it say on it?"

The shrew didn't answer, but kicked the ground beneath its feet. While the two were talking, the other mice continued to widen the hole. Now, having received orders, they carried a sign out of the hole and brought it to the fox.

The fox glanced at it:

"The mountain god commands the temple-guarding spirit fox, and the spirit fox commands the temple-guarding soldiers."

"Huh?" The fox didn't understand at first glance, but it realized it after a second look.

The fox, by taking advantage of the mountain god's name and the merit of finding people, obtained this temple, thus beginning its exploration of the divine way, which led to the current saying of fox spirits and fox gods.

Unexpectedly, some unknown thing has appeared and, using the fox's name, has built a shed for itself.

"They've gone so far as to steal from the fox! You scoundrel, using the fox's name to steal the fox's offerings on its territory!"

"Fox spirit, are you in a bad mood?"

"The fox is in a good mood. Anyway, it's incense that the fox doesn't want, so let's just give it to him. At least he can help people." The fox slapped the bed with its tail.

The fox skipped over the question: "Has the fox's den been tampered with?"

The shrew suddenly stammered, "It's nothing, it's just that when we were digging the tunnel, we happened to dig into the fox spirit's cave. Before we could dig a second path, we had to borrow the passage from the fox spirit."

The fox remained silent, a picture forming in its mind:

A worshipper was making a devout wish when he looked up and saw a group of rats scurrying out of their hole and running around everywhere...

No, it has to be changed. It's one thing if it scares people, but if rats run rampant in a fox den, wouldn't that ruin the fox's reputation?

The fox doesn't want to be the kind of fox that can't even catch a mouse.

The fox sighed, then suddenly realized, "By the way, how did you know the fox was here?"

"Oh, we didn't want to deal with those bees. We were planning to use our spirit to search for them little by little, but just after we left our bodies, a strange person suddenly appeared. He told me that the fox spirit was here and asked me to pass on a message to the fox spirit."

Why didn't you tell me something so important sooner?

"Because what that person said was so complicated." The shrew tilted its head, thought for a long time, and then stammered, "In short, that person said it wasn't that they didn't want to work, but since it was the fox spirit's dojo, and this matter was related to the fox spirit, the one who tied the knot must untie it."

The fox nodded, and using its tail to think, it knew it must have been Su Yinchai who said it.