The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

"Shen Erlang has also disappeared?" Liu Guishou was somewhat startled. He glanced at the fox, then suddenly realized, "Master, you already knew Shen Erlang had disappeared?"

"I'm here to find him." The fox looked up and gazed curiously into the distance. This was the main road of Tao County, paved with stone slabs, with shops lining both sides, their eaves connected.

The fox took a deep breath. The air was filled with a mixture of scents. The fox patiently discerned the human scent, the animal scent, the fragrance of flowers, and the aroma of various foods.

When a fox arrives in a new place, it first smells the local scents; this is a fox's habit.

Da Liu remained in the car to avoid being stepped on. It kept flicking its tongue, trying to collect Erlang's scent, but to no avail.

"Oh, sir, could you please tell me what you do for a living?" Liu Guishou was a little scared. Could he have encountered a ghost in broad daylight?

Before he could finish speaking, he was surrounded by a group of tooth-wielding men who rushed up to him.

"Hey buddy, you're into performing, right? The best performance spot at Peach Blossom Pavilion is reserved for you, twenty coins a day, I'll take you there!"

A bearded man reached out and grabbed the handlebars, ready to pull forward.

"Don't listen to him! Qingfeng Teahouse has plenty of talent. If you don't want to work there, they can even set up a tent for you for just fifteen coins!"

Liu Guishou had been to Tao County many times, but this was the first time he had been so popular. He was at a loss and could only hold on tightly to the cart, shouting, "Don't pull, don't pull! One by one, one by one."

The fox stood aside, quietly observing the chaos before him. A thin, small-statured broker who hadn't managed to squeeze through saw the fox and hurried over to greet him: "Young master, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time in Tao County? I've been running errands here since I was a kid, I know the place like the back of my hand. Just tell me what you want to ask or where you want to go, and as for the price, just give me whatever you think is fair."

The fox turned its head and said frankly, "I have no money on me."

The broker smiled and said, "That's alright. Let me tell you about the scenery here, young master."

"Can you listen even if you don't have money?"

"No trouble at all, just a couple more sips of water." His gaze swept over the beads on the fox's body, and he guessed, "Judging from your attire, are you a Buddhist?"

"Buddha?"

The broker immediately changed his tune: "Sir, with all these Buddhist beads, even if you don't worship Buddha, you must at least worship a god, right? If you, young master, wish to go and pay your respects, you must go to the south of the city. There is a temple built there for the Peach Creek Water God. Although the incense offerings have decreased recently, it is still a respectable place."

'So there are other temple gods.' The fox secretly noted this down, planning to visit this fellow fox when he had time.

"If you want to have some fun, whatever you want, just stay in the North City. Tao County is divided into four wards, and three of them are in the North City, it's very lively there."

The fox looked east and sniffed: "There are so many fragrant flowers over there, what are they for?"

"You can smell it even here, sir? That's Flower Fragrance Shop, which specializes in flowers, herbs, and fragrances. If you take a fancy to any young lady, go there and pick out some fragrant flowers and sachets. I guarantee you'll win her heart."

That's not what the fox really wanted to ask: "Are there any people with the surname Li there?"

The broker paused for a moment, then realized, "Young master, you must be talking about Li's Incense Shop. That shop used to be very successful, accounting for half of the business in the city. But a few days ago, the shopkeeper suddenly disappeared, and the shop became deserted. I heard that it was about to close down."

The fox remembered it.

"Is the Peach Goddess over there?"

"You've heard of that century-old peach tree, sir?" the broker chuckled. "That's the liveliest area in the city, with restaurants and teahouses all there."

After asking these important questions, the fox was about to casually inquire about the smell of meat and food wafting from afar when it suddenly heard a loud shout from ahead:

"This is free! I'll even give you extra money!"

It looked up and saw Liu Guishou grinning as a broker dragged him away by the arm. Da Liu leaned out of the cart and was pulled along as well, disappearing into the distance.

"fox--"

Where did they go?

"Young master, would you like to see some acrobatics?" The broker pointed at Liu Guishou, who was being dragged away, and said with a pout, "The county magistrate suddenly announced that peaches would not be sold this year, and the imperial court also postponed the moon worship ceremony. The nobles have come all this way, but they have nothing to do and are extremely bored, so they are clamoring for the manager to put on some entertainment."

"Both the Peach Blossom Pavilion and the Tea House have set up prices. For each person they bring over, if they please the important guests, they can earn half a string of cash. They're just taking advantage of newcomers and trying to charge double!"

"Let's go," the fox said, taking a step. "You come too."

"Alright! You're going to see a play too?" The young man smiled genuinely; he knew this young master looked wealthy.

"No, my snake is still in the car."

"what?"

……

Taozhilou is the only three-story wooden building in Taoxian County. It has a green tile roof and slightly upturned wooden eaves. Although it lacks the carved beams and painted rafters of the restaurants in the capital, it is still simple, elegant and exquisite.

A bright yellow wine flag fluttered in the wind at the entrance, and two bunches of peach branches hung above the door, reflecting the plaque.

The lobby on the first floor was filled with dozens of tables and chairs, already occupied by wealthy people dressed in fine clothes and adorned with gold and jade. They spoke in an arrogant tone, occasionally interspersed with a few soft laughs.

Liu Guishou was practically pushed in. The broker led the man behind a wooden platform in the northwest corner, where the staff had already cleared out the area for the man to perform.

Liu Guishou felt a little apprehensive. In all his years of playing the game, when had he ever been looked at directly by so many important people in such a setting? He swallowed hard. "Let me prepare myself."

"Oh dear, the esteemed guests are getting impatient. There's no time for you to prepare. Hurry up and get on stage!" The waiter in the building urged repeatedly, his tone full of impatience.

Liu Guishou mumbled in agreement, but his feet remained still. Suddenly, he caught sight of a familiar figure walking in through the door, with the green snake following at its feet.

"I'll play with snakes." How could such a fun activity be complete without a fox?

"Hey, another one!" the waiter said happily. "Which of you two wants to go first?"

The man was already hesitant, and he was also afraid of the fox from the bottom of his heart, so he waved his hands repeatedly.

Without any hesitation, the fox led Big Willow onto the stage.

"DaLiu, it's your turn to perform."

Speaking of which, shouldn't the fox say something?

So the fox opened its mouth expressionlessly: "It's an ancestral skill of taming insects and beasts. I wouldn't dare call it a unique skill, just something new and fun! If you have money, please support us financially; if you don't, just stand by and cheer, it'll be a good thing for us!"

Foxes have excellent memories.

Liu Guishou's eyes widened.

"Watch closely! Today, with this sudden increase in size, even the Snake Immortal will be heading to the Jade Pool!"

Big Willow climbed up the table leg, spiraling in circles. Once on the tabletop, it arched its body slightly and began to sway from side to side.

Da Liu jumped with all his might, but the fox could see that without Erlang's cooperation, Da Liu could only perform some twisting, coiling, and wandering moves. The nobles below the stage had little interest and were already tired of watching.

No fun, we should let the fox do it.

The inner core trembled slightly, and magical power surged forth.

Since you want to find Erlang, let's make this acrobatic performance even more exciting.

The fox, in a playful mood, declared: "The second act is the snake crawling through the seven orifices!"

The crowd below watched in disbelief as the two-foot-long snake crawled up the young master's body and plunged into his left eye.