The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

"In my opinion, we've been too lenient with these peasants lately, and they're getting too big for their britches. We need to teach them a lesson!"

The shrill voice continued, "I think we should capture them, first administer a drug to make them mute so they can't speak, then strip them naked and tie them up, prick them all over with needles, then kill a dog, skin it, and while the blood is still hot, wrap it around the people so the skin will stick and they can't take it off."

"That's ruthless." A hoarse voice rang out.

"Only ruthlessness can subdue people. I heard this method from the head beggar; he said it was invented by a die-hard Nian. He used this method to get his people to perform, earning far more than ten thousand coins, and they were no longer perpetually poor." The shrill voice laughed. "But this is the first time I've used this method. If it doesn't work, we'll pick a few of the most disobedient ones and..."

The fox felt a chill. It didn't understand the nonsense about "dead bastards" or "flower bastards," but it understood the rest.

"The doll won't do."

"You bastard, you know nothing! Those mortals won't behave unless you scare them. What do you think they're afraid of? They're afraid of pain, they're afraid of death. Let them see blood, and they'll naturally kneel down and call you grandpa!"

"Alright, stop arguing." A rude voice rang out, interrupting them.

"What the madman said makes some sense. We've really spoiled them too much lately. They've been performing miracles and personally fulfilling their wishes. If this continues, we'll become their hired hands!"

Mi Chang quickly chimed in, "Boss is wise, that's what I thought too..."

"But what Ding Chang said wasn't all nonsense. You can't mess with the children, but if you do, ordinary people will be willing to fight to the death. What we want is incense offerings and sacrifices, not a few worthless lives. If we push them too far and they break off all relations, what will we starve to do?"

For some reason, the temple fell silent after these words were spoken. After a long while, the eldest brother finally spoke:

"Alright, it's good that you have the intention. But you have to use your brain when you do things. As for the harvesting and butchering, just pick a few troublemakers to deal with. Scare the others a little, but don't let them smash the bowl."

"Ding Chang, what's the situation on your end?"

"Stay calm, the nails are in place, they can't escape."

"Don't be too harsh. Give them some leeway and let them make incense. If they can't make enough, they can buy it. If they can't afford to buy it, they can borrow it. If they can't borrow it, they can rob or steal it. In short, the incense must not be cut off."

"it is good."

"Hey, you bastard, don't just scare those guys over there. Show them something nice. Conjure up some gold and silver treasures to tempt them and get us to appear in their dreams. Tell them that as long as they sincerely make offerings, they can avoid disaster and even get money. Who doesn't want to get rich? Who isn't afraid of bad luck? Use both soft and hard tactics, understand?"

"The boss is brilliant; he's thought of everything perfectly."

The eldest brother chuckled, clearly pleased: "Has anyone gone to other villages to hire Taoist priests or exorcists?"

Mi Chang replied, "Two of them thought about sneaking out at night. I had the evil spirits block their way, and they wandered around in the mountains all night. At dawn, they returned to the village entrance. When they came back, their legs went weak with fear, and they didn't dare to run away again."

"Good job blocking them. If one of them escapes, the truth will be out. Right now, no one outside knows we're here. Once we've got our hands on this village, we'll go and wreak havoc on the neighboring village."

Mi Changping said, "Boss, you've thought things through."

The leader made empty promises: "Work hard, everyone. We finally have a place with good incense offerings, so you'd better protect it. Once we've taken over the incense offerings from all the surrounding villages, we won't just be wandering deities anymore, we'll be the real gods, and then we can do whatever we want with them."

Mi Chang deliberately put on a gloomy face and sighed, "The boss is right, but we still don't have enough manpower. I've been so worried lately that I can't even eat incense."

"It's alright. When I left the altar, I wrote down where all the other defeated soldiers went. I figured those scoundrels weren't doing too well either. If we call them all over and manage things properly, it won't be long before we can take over Tao County too."

"Hey, I know a place where the incense is still burning brightly!" The fox's eyes lit up as it pondered how to lure the three ghosts to steal the incense that the underworld officials were giving to the Peach God.

"Boss, you're incredibly wise." Mi Chang was secretly pleased, and quickly tried to ease his boss's worries, "But, that vixen seems to be in Tao County..."

"Hmph, a mere fox. If you happen to come across it, it'll be perfect for you to skin."

"You just wait, fox!" The fox's eyes dimmed as it struggled to suppress the fire in its heart.

The eldest brother paused, then suddenly remembered something: "Right, speaking of manpower, when the old brothers arrive, you two need to know how to divide the incense offerings."

"The boss is in charge, so the lion's share naturally goes to the boss. We juniors are content with just getting a sip of soup from the boss."

The leader chuckled and said, "You can't say that. You've followed me through thick and thin, how could I treat you unfairly? I'll take fifty percent, and the remaining fifty percent can be divided among you."

"Other foxes fight while nursing, I don't believe you evil spirits can divide the spoils so peacefully." The fox pondered, secretly making plans.

It listened for a while longer; the group was still discussing how to expand their power. As they talked, they began to talk about everyone they had harmed. The fox memorized every word, then quietly shrank back into the tunnel.

The fox returned to the village, following the three ghosts' instructions, and found those they had harmed with their evil magic one by one. It did not reveal its form to disturb them, but quietly used its energy-gathering and concealing techniques to cleanse them, making them feel more at ease. At the same time, it did not eradicate the harm completely, so as not to give away any clues. As it did this, it sorted out its thoughts in its mind.

By the time he finished his rounds, the sky was already beginning to lighten. The fox had already made up his mind.

It turned and walked towards the village head's house. Without knocking, it leaped into the yard and then slipped through the window.

The village head was still asleep when he vaguely felt someone patting his face. He opened his eyes and saw the handsome young man.

"I have a question for you," the fox said bluntly. "Do you know anyone in Qinglin Township?"

The village head was a little stunned, and subconsciously said, "Of course we know each other. The imperial court has regulations that the village heads and township chiefs of each village will hold regular meetings and often go to the city together to do their duties, such as checking household registrations."

Although his mind was still not clear, he spoke clearly and logically.

"Very good, tell me what they look like?" The fox's mind raced, and he added, "Or perhaps objects they used to carry."

The village head regained some consciousness. Although he didn't know the specifics, he knew that the fox had come for those evil gods. He didn't dare to delay, so he got out of bed in his nightgown and took out a painting from the cabinet.

"This is what he left for me when he came to my place for drinks a few days ago."

The fox took it, sniffed it carefully, and memorized the scent.