The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

Shuai Shuai seemed to be in high spirits, constantly refilling the fox's wine jar. Only after most of the wine was gone did he suddenly realize what was happening and reseal the jar.

"I can't give you any more. I'm going to show the rest to the old wine connoisseur." Shuai Shuai was still a little unsatisfied. Her gaze swept over the other pottery jars, and she took the opportunity to introduce them to the fox.

"This was brewed by Uncle Ah-shao. Drinking it will make you grow as tall as him. All the uncles on guard duty have drunk this."

"This is my mother's recipe. After drinking it, your mind is very clear and you can learn things very quickly. It is said that she used to make a lot of mistakes and was scolded severely by the wine master. In a fit of anger, she figured it out herself."

"This one, that one, and a whole bunch over there..." The little monkey pointed to a large area, "They're all brewed by the old man, but I haven't tasted any of them. I heard they're remedies for treating illnesses, but I'm healthy and never get sick, so I haven't had a chance to try them."

He suddenly leaned close to the fox and said mysteriously, "Actually, these are not good things. The real good wine is all hidden away. As for where it is, I can't tell you."

The fox spoke up: "Hidden behind the waterfall."

"How did you know!" the little monkey exclaimed, its eyes wide.

"Guess," the fox said, seeing Shuai Shuai scratching his head in confusion, deliberately not explaining and letting him fret. Then, changing the subject, he asked, "What kind of monkey is that old wine seller?"

"The old man is the oldest, smartest, and most powerful monkey in our area. He knows everything." Shuai Shuai was indeed distracted and patted his chest, looking quite proud.

"It was the previous monkey king, and it's over thirty years old now, longer than any other monkey in the valley!"

The fox secretly noted it down and decided to include the old man in its observation list: "Do you know where he lives? The fox wants to go and meet him."

"The old man is getting on in years, and it's too late now, so he must have gone to bed early. I'll take you there tomorrow morning," the little monkey said, scratching his head.

The fox nodded, not in a hurry. This little monkey couldn't keep a secret, so it was good to find out more about the truth.

"Are you learning winemaking from the old winemaker? Your wine is already quite good, surely his wine must be even better?"

"Hehe, of course! Let me tell you..." With a slight beckoning from the fox, the little monkey began to chatter on and on.

As the last rays of golden light sank below the mountain, the little monkey, after talking for a while, wrapped his clothes tighter around himself and said to the fox, "Let's go, let's go back to my home, it's warm there."

After the Frost's Descent, the outside gets colder day by day, but this valley is still relatively warm. The three cliffs act as a barrier, hiding the warmth of the sunlight during the day and slowly releasing it at night.

However, being near a waterfall, it's not noticeable during the day, but once night falls, the water vapor carrying a chill rises up, and it becomes quite cold.

Emerging from the cave, the little monkey led the fox up the cliff face. The cliff was riddled with holes of all sizes, whether dug by the monkeys or naturally formed, it was unclear. According to the little monkey, the most sheltered and sunny caves were reserved for young and old monkeys, while the monkey king lived on the side closest to the valley entrance.

The fox had observed the valley entrance; beyond it lay more cliffs, but much gentler than those above. If someone were careful, they could probably climb in.

The fox pondered for a moment, then together with the little monkey, they crawled into a middle-level cave.

As soon as it went in, before it could even see what was inside, a pair of hairy hands reached out and grabbed the little monkey.

"At least you know how to come back!"

It was a female monkey, who looked strong and healthy. She used her elbow to hold the baby monkey's back, flipped it over so its rear end was in the air, and then slapped it down without any mercy.

"Mommy, Mommy, there are outsiders here..." the little monkey begged repeatedly.

"Now you know how to be shameless? Where was your shamelessness when I was scolding you before?" The mother monkey slapped him repeatedly. "You'd go out for three or four days at a time and then sleep for three days straight. After waking up, you wouldn't even settle down for two days before running off again!"

"You think I didn't know that an eagle almost snatched it away today? I'll beat you to death today!" The monkey mother kept working with her hands, her eyes looking at the fox, her voice becoming kind and warm again, "You must be the new friend I met, right? Don't be shy, make yourself at home, come in and sit down, it's windy and cold at the cave entrance."

The fox readily complied, moved a few steps closer, sat down properly, and watched the little monkey get beaten up up close.

After all, it was her own child, and with the fox around, the mother monkey only held on for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea before letting go of the baby monkey.

"Come, come, this way." The mother monkey led the fox deeper into the cave.

The cave was deeper than I had imagined, with unknown plants growing on the walls and glowing with fireflies. It branched into two passages; the one on the left looked like a sleeping area, with a bed woven from vines suspended in mid-air and covered with freshly picked leaves.

"You can sleep here. If you're not comfortable, just tell me." The mother monkey welcomed them warmly, settled the fox in, and then used her elbow to restrain the little monkey who wanted to come in. "You, go to bed early. We can talk about it tomorrow."

The fox watched as the little monkey was dragged away, flailing its arms and legs. Instead of going to sleep, it listened intently for a while, and when it couldn't hear any sounds of being beaten, it clicked its tongue in disappointment.

It closed its eyes, and a phantom little fox emerged from above its head, flew into the air, overlooked the entire Monkey Valley, and then flew out along the valley entrance.

After the moonlight shifted a few inches, the illusory figure slowly returned, carefully traversing the valley once, and upon finding no one paying attention, returned to its original form.

The fox slowly opened its eyes, took out an incense stick from its tail, and it lit itself without a flame.

As the smoke curls upward, the fox's white tail flicks, and an invisible connection follows the smoke, linking the distant horizon.

……

In Tao County, Pu Shunnian had already fallen asleep, but when he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in the courtyard.

A full moon hung in the sky, its light bright and clear. A red fox slowly emerged from the moonlight, its bushy tail pushing aside the weeds as it trudged through the moonlight.

"The fox needs your help."

The crisp sound startled the man awake, and he quickly bent down, not daring to look directly at it.

"Leaving Peach Village and following the mountain range, you will see a towering ancient tree. Follow the path beside the tree upwards..." The fox explained in detail how to enter Monkey Valley. "...A group of clever monkeys live in the valley. They can understand human speech and are spiritually aware. The fox wants you to ask them for a pot of wine."

"You must not mention the fox, nor reveal your true origins. You must explain your reasons for seeking the wine and how you found this valley yourself. You must not tell anyone else about this matter."

"There is no need to be afraid; the fox will hide in the shadows and stay by your side."

Pu Shunnian subconsciously raised his head, and as soon as his gaze reached the steps, he saw the fox's figure gradually fade away, along with the moon in the sky, and even he, the person in the courtyard, turned into smoke and dissipated together.

Pu Shunnian suddenly woke up. He gently stroked his sleeping son beside him, and looked at the lingering moonlight outside the window, lost in thought.