The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

The snake's head slithered down his face, half inside his eye and half outside. The young master's expression remained unchanged, still maintaining a faint smile.

The waiter serving tea forgot he was still pouring water, and the scalding tea overflowed from the rim of the cup, burning his hand. He lost his grip and dropped it on the ground.

Liu Guishou's legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud.

He opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out of his throat, and his eyes were so wide that even the willow tree could fit inside them.

"Sir, I was just saying it offhand..."

All the dignitaries' eyes were fixed on the fox, and the hall was deathly silent.

The fox was puzzled. Liu Guishou was laughing non-stop during his performance, but why was the fox silent when it was the fox's turn?

What's wrong?

The fox realized that, given Da Liu's size, with so much of its body inside its head, its skull should have been burst open long ago.

So the fox made an urgent correction.

The green snake's head peeked out from the fox's right eye again, its tongue flicking in and out. Then, the entire snake began to slowly crawl outwards.

The snake's tip was still outside the left eye, while its head had already emerged from the right eye. Where could one now see the eyes on that handsome face?

Silence reigned.

Finally, a young nobleman clapped his hands sharply, breaking the silence: "Excellent! Truly divine skill!"

The atmosphere came alive, and thunderous cheers erupted throughout the hall. Applause and shouts of approval rose and fell, drawing curious glances from passersby outside. Guests on the second and third floors also peered out.

Under the fox's illusion, the real Da Liu was still wriggling on the table, completely unaware that the fox had switched the tables and turned into a fake snake, having a great time there.

"Fox, see? I told you I'm a great dancer."

"Yes, it's incredibly powerful." The fox tried to control its tail so it wouldn't swing too much and affect the illusion's effectiveness while dealing with Da Liu.

The fox was having fun, but fearing that Da Liu would be heartbroken if he knew the truth, he kindly didn't tell him.

The nobles readily opened their purses, throwing copper coins and silver fragments onto the stage in a continuous stream; some even threw silver ingots directly onto it.

The fox's eyes narrowed. Although money was a good thing, how could it be thrown away like this? Its inner core trembled, and its magical power surged out like a tide, enveloping the money and attempting to retrieve it from afar.

Wait a minute, the fox suddenly realized that the man had said that snake charmers had to use snakes to carry copper coins.

Before the audience could retract their tossed coins, the green snake suddenly darted out from the young master's eyes. With a flicker in the air, it transformed into countless snake shadows, nimbly weaving through the rain of coins. Some snakes opened their mouths to lightly pick up copper coins, while others flicked their tails to catch silver coins. With a swift movement, all the snakes disappeared into the bag behind the young master.

"Acrobatic performance! Truly living up to its reputation!"

"No, this isn't a circus act at all!"

The fox hadn't had enough fun yet, but having exhausted all the tricks it had just learned, it looked at Liu Guishou, hoping that the man would understand its meaning and tell it some more snake-twirling tricks.

But the man's eyes were filled with horror and despair.

Immortal, please retract your supernatural powers!

The fox shook its head regretfully and slowly led Big Willow down the wooden platform.

"DaLiu, have you found Erlang?"

"No, it still doesn't have Erlang's scent." Da Liu carefully examined it, somewhat disappointed. "It's so lively here. If Erlang were here, he would definitely come to see it."

The fox put away its playful mood and comforted him, "The performance just finished. Even if Erlang were here, how could he know the news so quickly?"

"Besides, it's not even certain that Erlang is here. Maybe Erlang has a den somewhere else?" The fox's eyes showed anticipation, and his tone was slightly guiding.

"Then I'll go to other cities, jumping all the way!"

The fox received the answer it expected and nodded in satisfaction.

"We can play again."

The fox's figure disappeared through the doorway, and only then did the waiter realize what was happening, shouting loudly, "Master, please wait! Perform another act! We'll reward you handsomely!"

The only response they received was the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.

"It's alright, there's one more." The waiter patted Liu Guishou on the shoulder, "It's your turn. Go for it, perform well. You look like a seasoned veteran, don't let a young guy outshine you."

Liu Guishou's voice trembled: "Me, me?"

……

At the same time, in the northern part of Tao County, at Huaxinfang.

The shops in the neighborhood are mostly white-walled and black-tiled, and most of them have sachets with signs hanging at their entrances, some even with freshly picked flowers inserted.

A gentle breeze carries the scents of perfume and flowers.

A black ebony carriage slowly approached and came to a steady stop in front of the Flower Fragrance Pavilion.

Before the driver could lift the curtain and put down the pedals, a simply dressed man jumped off the carriage.

His movements were slightly stiff, and he staggered when he landed before barely managing to regain his balance. An unusually strong fragrance emanated from him.

The coachman quickly stepped forward, carrying a heavy money bag, and stuffed it into the man's hand, saying respectfully, "This is a gift from my master to the immortal, and I hope the immortal will accept it."

The man paused, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out, "It was nothing."

"My master said that he has no way to repay the life-saving grace, and he would never dare to forget this small token of his gratitude."

The driver insisted, and the man's fingers twitched, before he finally gripped the money pouch tightly.

As the carriage drove away, the man turned and walked straight into the neighborhood.

His walking posture was unusually strange, with each step a pause and his arms stiff and motionless.

After walking for a while, the man stopped in front of an incense shop.

Li Ji Incense Shop.

The storefront was still fairly tidy, but it exuded a desolate, deserted atmosphere. Only one waiter sat blankly in the dining area.

The man paused for a few moments, then went into the hall. In the short time he waited, the waiter had already slumped onto the table and fallen asleep.

He walked to the west shelf, gently pressed a hidden spot, and the shelf moved, revealing a secret door.

Inside sat a young man, dressed in a blue robe, with refined features.

Hearing the door open, the young man turned his head and his gaze fell on the man.

The man walked to the table, sat down stiffly, and took out a bag of incense powder. He painstakingly wiped it on his face and body, rubbed his cheeks, and slowly said, "I went to Taoxi Temple, but I didn't feel any divine power."

The young man pressed on, "What about the Qingling Mountain God Temple?"

"It's too far. My body is rotting. I can't hold on any longer."

"Shen Erlang, we don't have much time left. Don't do anything unnecessary."

The man removed his disguise, revealing his true face: "On my way to rescue people, I saw Abbot Yun."

"I told you long ago, they can't be trusted. The first time those demons showed up was in Qingling."

"What about the government? They've been investigating."

The young man scoffed, his tone dismissive: "A bunch of vulgar people, good-for-nothings, all they do is cause trouble."

The man sighed, "Li Lang, you are too arrogant. We are now isolated and helpless; every additional helper brings us more hope."

"I'm just being cautious."

Silence fell over the store.