The Little Fox's Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia

The last rays of sunlight faded into the horizon, and a full moon hung in the night sky, its clear light shining on the fox's puffed-up face.

A titmouse fluttered its wings and landed beside the fox, pecking at its fur in a comforting manner: "Don't be angry. So what if you're mistaken for a monster? We are monsters, after all."

"People call birds and beasts like us, who have developed intelligence, demons."

"Has it gained intelligence?" the fox asked, its tone tinged with doubt.

The titmouse spread its wings and gestured, "It's smarter than most birds and beasts. I'm smarter and bigger than other titmousees. I've even heard that some monsters can use magic. You fox, didn't you come from the mountains? Haven't you seen any? Everyone says there are far more monsters in the mountains than in our city."

It glanced at the fox and continued, "Besides, people have opinions about ordinary foxes, especially male foxes like you."

"I?"

"Because foxes are cunning, greedy, and love to sow discord while hiding behind others to reap the benefits. They are also..." Sparrow paused deliberately, lowering her voice, "and petty."

The fox's eyes widened in disbelief. It was the first time it had ever seen sentences arranged in so many different ways, and every single one of them was directed at the fox and meant to insult it!

"No, no, people like foxes, they even bring them food," the fox protested.

The titmouse scrutinized the fox, a knowing look on its face: "You mean they just put the food on the ground or the table and then walk away and leave it there?"

"Yes, yes." The fox head nodded, leaving a lingering shadow.

"That's not for us either. I have a member of my kind who went to eat piles of food that humans left lying on the ground and ignored. He got caught and is still locked in a cage."

"Let's not talk about that. I came to see you because we think we've found the little person you're looking for."

The fox pricked up its ears.

"We searched the area but didn't find anything. But I saw that big yellow dog from before, with a few people chasing after it. It kept circling around them. So I followed it and found that no matter how it circled, it was always running in this direction."

The titmouse fluttered down and landed on the fox's head, using its wings to point the fox in the right direction.

"I flew a little further ahead. There was a cemetery over there, and I asked the birds there. They said they'd been seeing that dog a lot these past few days. It would come with food in its mouth, but it would leave without it."

"A cemetery, lots of graves, are they old?" the fox asked, as if remembering something.

"The people of this village have been buried there for generations; it must be very ancient. Why are you asking?"

"Fox spirits mostly dwell in ancient tombs and abandoned shrines, which are also their dens!"

"?"

Without explaining, the fox darted away, disappearing into the night, and headed towards the cemetery.

A moment later.

Moonlight filtered through the peach branches, casting shadows on several figures. The fallen leaves on the ground creaked underfoot. The forest was quiet, save for the hurried footsteps and breathing.

Duan Mianli walked at the front, followed by four yamen runners, all dressed in short clothes and looking vigilant.

The yellow dog lay under the tree with its ears drooping, its tongue lolling out, panting heavily, clearly unable to run anymore.

"Sir, this dog is too fast! It must be a spirit!" Elder Niu leaned over and poked the dog with his scabbard, flattering him. "As expected of you, sir. If it were anyone else, they would have been fooled by this beast long ago. By the time they realized what was happening, it would have already run away."

"Stop talking nonsense." Duan Mianli leaped onto a branch and looked into the distance. "There's a cemetery ahead. Maybe the person is hiding there."

His gaze swept downwards, and suddenly his expression changed drastically: "Watch out!"

A dull thud exploded, the sounds of branches snapping and trees falling echoing through the forest, and a monster suddenly leaped out of the darkness.

The fist, the size of a human head, carrying a foul stench, slammed towards Chief Niu. He only had time to straighten his scabbard and hold it in front of him.

"Bang!"

In a flash, Duan Mianli jumped down from the tree and stomped hard on the monster's arm. The monster's arm sank and slammed into the ground, sending dust flying.

"Scatter!" Duan Mianli ordered, grabbing Niu Qichang by the collar as he collapsed to the ground and throwing him backward.

One of the constables stepped forward, grabbed Niu Qizhang, and dragged him away forcefully. The remaining constables drew their long swords and surrounded Duan Mianli with solemn expressions.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, the monster pulled its arm out of the ground, slowly raised its head, and revealed its face.

His hair was jagged and disheveled, his body was dark blue-black, his arms were like the roots of a camphor tree, and his legs were like iron blocks.

"Playing tricks!" Duan Mianli's eyes narrowed, and instead of advancing, he retreated, brandishing his knife and stepping forward.

The monster roared, its two-zhang-tall body suddenly leaning forward, its right arm slashing down.

Duan Mianli lightly touched the ground with his feet, exerted force with his waist and abdomen, spun around to the side, and slashed the monster's wrist joint with his right steel knife.

"Clang—"

Despite being made of flesh and blood, their movements were like the clash of metal. The monster moved without hesitation, its left arm sweeping across Duan Mianli's face with a force like a knife. Duan Mianli pushed off with his feet, his upper body falling to the ground, his back almost touching the ground, the fist grazing past the tip of his nose.

"Be careful, sir!"

Seizing the opportunity, the constables behind him launched an attack, simultaneously wielding their swords, both steel blades slashing towards the monster's neck.

The monster's neck retracted at an odd angle, its mouth opened wide, and in a flash, the blades of their knives were gripped tightly by its serrated teeth.

"Let go!" Duan Mianli shouted sharply!

late.

The moment the words were spoken, the monster reacted. It raised its arms, and in the next instant, its fists rained down in all directions.

Centered on the monster, the surrounding trees were snapped in half, the ground was churned up with soil and rocks, and deep furrows were plowed out, startling a flock of birds.

Blood trickled from the corner of Duan Mianli's lips. In the nick of time, he kicked away the yamen runner and could only roll over like a donkey. Although he barely managed to save his life, he had no feeling in his back and his internal organs were in excruciating pain.

The moonlight, no longer blocked by the branches and leaves, shone down coldly, illuminating everyone's pale faces.

The fox and the titmouse hid themselves, crouched at a distance, and stared intently.

The titmouse shrank its neck and said in a barely audible voice, "Maybe we should move further away? I've never seen anything like it before!"

"A sound, what is that?"

"Sculpted from earth and wood, with a soul hidden inside, and sacrificed with yin blood, it can travel at night and devour people, possessing immense strength and fearlessness against ordinary swords."

"It can be broken from the outside, defeated head-on. It can also be scattered from within, causing it to collapse on its own."

The titmouse couldn't hear any voices, but kept yelling, "It must have been that dog! It must be a powerful demon that's been hiding in the village, eating people behind their backs!"

"Look, fox! There's that dog over there!"

The yellow dog, with its tail between its legs, tumbled and crawled towards the cemetery, its limbs no longer resembling its own.

"It wasn't it." The fox squinted, looked up at the unobstructed, pouring moonlight, and had an idea.

The fox leaped onto a branch, stood high up, and looked down at the battlefield.

"Tiger, come help the fox."