Chapter 37: Picking Up a Fox and Taking It Home

After walking down the mountain for a distance, he suddenly heard a cry:

"Ah~"

Lin Jue was startled and instinctively gripped the firewood knife tightly.

But he saw a clouded leopard jump out from the forest and come before him.

"!"

Lin Jue was alert for a moment, but also puzzled.

This clouded leopard looked somewhat familiar.

At the same time, he looked down at the little thing in his hand.

It did not look like the same species.

Just as he was thinking, two people walked out from behind the clouded leopard.

One was the first senior brother in the Daoist temple, and the other was the fourth senior brother in the Daoist temple, the one who was proficient in the method of gathering beasts and summoning birds.

"Junior brother, why did you climb so high to chop firewood on the mountain? And why haven't you gone down the mountain so late?"

"Two senior brothers."

Lin Jue then put away the firewood knife and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Because there are not many withered branches in this season, and the firewood at the foot of the mountain has been chopped almost clean, so I had to walk up the mountain. And because I saw the scenery at the peak was good, I coveted the scenery, so I climbed up to sit for a while." Lin Jue paused here and held up the cub in his hand. "However, I happened to see a little cub that had lost its parents on the mountain. I don't know what happened, but I waited for a long time from far away, and I didn't see its parents come, so I had to think about taking it back to the Daoist temple. Otherwise, on the top of the mountain, even if it wasn't eaten by other wild beasts, I'm afraid it would have been blown to death by the wind."

"A little cub?"

The fourth senior brother looked at his hand, and with just one glance, he gave a conclusion: "It's a fox cub."

"A fox cub?"

"There are no foxes on this mountain, only in the depths. I don't know how it ran here." The fourth senior brother, who practiced the method of gathering beasts and summoning birds, was obviously extremely knowledgeable about these things and also had a very kind heart. "Meeting it means there is a connection. Just take it back to the Daoist temple. I will ask my friends in the mountain to ask around everywhere tonight to see whose cub was lost. If there is one, I will send it over tomorrow morning."

"That would be great."

Lin Jue did not feel surprised—

Since practicing the method of wood escape requires harmony with grass and trees, then practicing the method of gathering beasts and summoning birds requires maintaining kindness toward birds and beasts, which is also an easy thing to understand. Moreover, there have always been legends that wild beasts have spirit and can smell people's kindness and evil thoughts, which is more worthy of belief than grass and trees.

"Let's go, down the mountain."

"Good."

Lin Jue could not help but lift the little fox cub and examine it carefully twice. So this is what a fox looks like when it's young.

He then followed them down the mountain.

"We thought you were lost on the mountain or bewitched by spirits and monsters."

"Getting lost is not the case, but I have been worrying whether this little fox cub was a trick used by spirits and monsters in the mountain to fool me."

"If there are spirits and monsters on this mountain using this method to deceive people, we will definitely find a way to clean them up!"

"You wouldn't be fake too, would you?"

"Haha..."

The little thing stayed honestly in Lin Jue's hand.

The clouded leopard raised its tail and walked with them. If people at the foot of the mountain saw this scene, they would probably think they were high-ranking people and strange scholars.

But as they walked, the fourth senior brother's clouded leopard seemed to have discovered something, stopped, and turned to look into the distance.

"Ah~"

A cry.

The fourth senior brother also stopped and looked with it.

"Third Shixiong Yun, what's wrong?"

"Ah~"

A person and a leopard were actually asking and answering.

Lin Jue watched curiously from the side.

This large cat covered in spots looked quite majestic, but he did not expect its cry to be so strange.

"What's wrong, senior brother?"

"It should be a wild beast in the mountain."

The fourth senior brother smiled slightly and continued to walk down.

Carrying the firewood, they soon returned to the temple.

There were still a few cats lying on the stone steps at the door, lazily enjoying the sunset glow. The black thin dog sat upright and also had some majesty. The clouded leopard walked through them, and they were not afraid. He thought they must have been familiar with each other for a long time. It was Lin Jue carrying the little fox cub that made them curious for a while.

Most of the senior brothers were waiting in the outer courtyard, and the old Daoist was also sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion under the pine tree in the outer courtyard. For some reason, after returning to the temple for only one day, he seemed to have aged quite a bit.

Only after the three returned did he open his eyes:

"Why did it take so long to come back?"

"Reporting to Master, because the scenery on the mountain was too good, and it just so happened that I encountered a fox cub by connection, so I sat on the mountain for a while longer and looked at the scenery for a long time."

"You have quite the elegant interest."

"I just haven't seen such a beautiful mountain before."

"The days are still long, I hope you won't get tired of looking at it in the future... But when did our Fuqiu Peak have foxes?"

The old Daoist raised his eyelids and looked at his hand.

He saw that the gray and dull little thing was tucking its tail to cover its vital parts, being held by Lin Jue, with an honest expression, also looking at him, which was quite pitiful.

"I don't know, fourth senior brother said he would ask his friends in the mountain tonight. If he can find out, I will send it back tomorrow."

"It doesn't matter, meeting it means there is a connection, the temple doesn't lack this mouthful of food for it. Even if we can't find where it came from, just release it back to the mountain when it grows up." The old Daoist just took a look, then withdrew his gaze, stood up, took the meditation cushion, and walked toward the inner courtyard. "It's time to eat."

This little fox cub was really too small, and Lin Jue was afraid that the cats in the courtyard would treat it as a mouse, so he carried it into the refectory.

"Don't run around, wait until I finish eating."

Strange to say, after listening to his words, the little thing really stayed there honestly. He did not know if it was honest or timid, but it just opened a pair of round eyes and kept staring at him, following him as he turned, without making a sound, and did not run around.

Looking at it, it was a small lump, and one could step on it to death with one foot.

"This little thing is also pitiful, you go and get a tile for it to use as a bowl, and get something for it to eat first." The old Daoist said slowly.

"What does it eat?"

"Foxes eat everything."

"Good."

Lin Jue went under the eaves of the outer courtyard to find a clean tile. There was a pile here, which should have been left over from building the house before. When he came back, the food was already set on the table.

It was exactly the same as last night. Not only were the dishes the same, but even the degree of stickiness of the pot of rice was about the same.

The nutrition was sufficient, but there was no flavor.

Otherwise, why say life on the mountain is hard?

"It's cool outside, I'll go outside to eat, you guys do as you please." The old Daoist served the rice, picked up a little bit of vegetables, and carried it slowly outside, like an ordinary old man in the village.

"I'll go outside to eat too!"

"Me too!"

The two senior brothers carried their bowls outside one after another.

Lin Jue thought about it, then also scooped some rice, served a little bit of vegetables, and carried the bowl and the tile outside.

The little fox actually followed him, running clumsily.

It was just difficult for it to cross the threshold.

The threshold was a head taller than it.

When Lin Jue walked outside the refectory, he happened to see the sunset, the sky was full of clouds, the courtyard was inevitably a bit dark, the two senior brothers were chatting under the pine tree with their bowls, the old Daoist was looking into the distance alone with his bowl, watching the ink-like overlapping mountains where the sunset fell, chewing food in his mouth, not knowing what he was thinking.

Looking back, that little fox cub was struggling to climb over the threshold, and then fell down solidly from the threshold.

Then it climbed up, as if it did not know pain, and hurriedly ran toward him.

"Sitting for an afternoon, you actually recognize me."

Lin Jue could not help but smile, then found a step to sit down, placed the tile beside him, and picked up a little bit of rice, cabbage, and egg respectively and put them on it.

"See what you like to eat."

This little thing was really too small, as if it had never eaten solid food before, opening a pair of round eyes, looking down at the food, a kind of bewilderment of not understanding anything revealed in its eyes, then it turned its head and stared at Lin Jue, silent and helpless.

Lin Jue did not look at it, but looked at the beautiful sunset mountain scenery in the distance, holding the bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, also lowering his head to eat.

Swallows were chasing and playing overhead, and bats were flapping their wings with dull hollow sounds. A few cats in the courtyard were playing with each other, and some were standing in high places with their heads tilted, staring at the birds in the sky without blinking. The black thin dog was following the two senior brothers, looking up and begging for food.

The evening here was the same as the summer in Shu Village, and also about the same as Lin Jue's childhood in his memory.

There was a kind of simple and honest feeling that made the heart calm.

It would be even better if the food tasted better.

Lin Jue glanced at the fox and suddenly froze—

The little fox cub beside him was no longer looking at him, but was extending a claw, turning its hand over and hooking at the edge of the tile, actually as if imitating his appearance, wanting to grab the tile and lift it up.

After discovering that it could not lift it, it was obviously stunned on the spot, sluggish for a moment, then turned its head to look at Lin Jue, and the bewilderment in its eyes became heavier.

"?"

Lin Jue suddenly realized.

This little thing seemed a bit different.

At least it was exceptionally clever.

And at this moment, this little thing was actually continuing to observe him, shifting its gaze from his left hand holding the bowl to his right hand holding the chopsticks, so it also lowered its head and looked at its other claw.

Seeing that there was nothing on its claw, it actually searched around the tile, and when it looked up at Lin Jue again, besides bewilderment, there was a feeling of not knowing what to do.

"?"

Lin Jue felt surprised and puzzled.

It took a lot of time to finally teach it how to lower its head to eat, but he still could not see what it liked to eat.

This little thing seemed to know nothing about this food. Lin Jue gave it whatever he ate, and it ate whatever he gave in order, without its own opinion.

However, dealing with it was also interesting. If he used it to eat, he would finish a bowl of rice without realizing it.

After the meal, Lin Jue originally wanted to help the sixth senior brother wash the bowls. Being diligent was not a bad thing, but he was beaten to it by the more diligent junior sister. This was also good, saving effort, so he went to the courtyard to sit cross-legged and practice the Qi-Nurturing Method.

At dusk, it was time to practice.

Compared with various Spirit Methods, although the Qi-Nurturing Method was primitive and simple, it was also the five kinds of Qi of heaven and earth between breathing, and closing one's eyes to feel it was also the spiritual aura of the world. There was no essential difference in what was absorbed and realized, it was just not as pure and efficient as various Spirit Methods.

The little fox still followed him closely, lying beside him, staring at him while looking weakly at the cats and dogs beside it.

Early the next morning, in the Mountain-Moving Hall.

It was morning class time.

"Without Yang, things cannot be formed; without Yin, life cannot be transformed. Yin and Yang interact, and all things grow and multiply endlessly..."

Lin Jue was still sitting on the meditation cushion, reciting the *Yin-Yang Scripture* that explained the Yin-Yang Great Dao. The junior sister was wearing the clothes she came in, looking at the fabric, which was quite good and looked quite nice, sitting on the meditation cushion beside him and listening earnestly, but she was a bit closer to Lin Jue's position than yesterday morning.

There were still cats walking leisurely on the altar, and if they were in the mood, they could give the founder a slap.

The biggest difference from yesterday was that outside the Mountain-Moving Hall, a little fox cub was leaning against the threshold that was taller than it, sitting honestly, as if waiting for the people inside to come out, occasionally lowering its head and dozing off.

"This is the Dao of Yin and Yang."

Lin Jue finally finished reading and closed the book.

The junior sister seemed to understand but not understand, staring at him blankly.

"Thank you, senior brother..."

"It's what I should do."

Just at this moment, the fourth senior brother happened to walk past the door.

"Junior brother, you are doing morning class here."

"Fourth senior brother."

"Fourth senior brother, good morning!"

"How is it? Can you recognize all the characters?"

"I can recognize them all."

The junior sister lowered her head weakly and did not make a sound.

"It's good that you can recognize them all. Read the book a hundred times, and its meaning will naturally reveal itself. Cultivating the Dao cannot be anxious, and it is most taboo to be anxious. You recite the *Yin-Yang Scripture* every day, and you will always have some realization. Even if you don't have realization, remember it, and one day a certain sentence will become your true realization. The words of the sages are just like this."

"Thank you, senior brother."

"Thank you, senior brother..."

"It just so happens that I'll tell you, last night I asked my friends nearby to help look for it, and there was no fox that had just moved in within a few miles of Fuqiu Peak. I don't know where this little fox came from. Looking at it like this, I'm afraid it's also somewhat unusual. You should raise it first. If you want to learn the 'method of gathering beasts and summoning birds', it just so happens that you can start from this. It doesn't matter if you don't want to raise it, I can raise it just the same. Anyway, many friends send me all kinds of prey every day, and many friends come to me to ask for food, so it doesn't lack this little bit."

"It has a connection with me, so I will raise it." Lin Jue said, paused, and asked along the way, "May I ask fourth senior brother, what are the wonders of the method of gathering beasts and summoning birds, and how should it be practiced?"

"As the name suggests, the method of gathering beasts and summoning birds is the method of gathering and summoning birds and beasts in the world and communicating with them." The fourth senior brother stopped at the door and said, "There are naturally tricks to it, but the most important essence is to let them feel your kindness and to hold a heart of courtesy and kindness toward them."

"So that's how it is."

No wonder the fourth senior brother was so attentive to this little fox cub and called all the wild beasts in the mountain friends.

It did not exceed Lin Jue's expectations.

"You need to know that gathering beasts and summoning birds is not just for wild beasts. If you practice to a high level, as long as the intelligence has not reached the level of 'monster spirit or divine spirit', whether it is a strange beast or a monster beast, it can be gathered and summoned. In addition, even if you encounter a monster, as long as they know you have learned the 'method of gathering beasts and summoning birds', they can know what kind of person you are according to the depth of your attainments, and they will naturally have some good feelings for you."

The fourth senior brother boasted for a while:

"You can slowly consider whether to learn it. However, you must also know that spells in the world are valued for their quality, not their quantity. Everyone's time and heart are limited, so choose carefully and don't be too greedy."

"I have been taught."

"Since you have finished reciting the scripture, come and eat. I am just going to ring the bell for the seventh junior brother."

"Good."

Lin Jue stood up and followed him. ===== CHAPTER 38 =====

The junior sister also hurriedly followed.