[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-book-of-strange-tales":3,"chapter-the-book-of-strange-tales-the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-98":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Book of Strange Tales",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317378,4532,"Chapter 98: The Fox Has Turned White (Requesting Monthly Tickets)","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-98",98,"\u003Cp>“Splash…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thatched boat gently rocked, ripples spreading across the mirror-smooth river, as the little girl knelt, carefully scrubbing away bloodstains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her, the junior brother lifted his bowl of fish porridge and ate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thatched boat jolted, as if colliding with something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister turned her head to look, then quickly looked away again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third junior brother crossed over from the neighboring boat of wandering martial artists, carrying a pile of items. He glanced at the girl cleaning blood, then at the junior brother eating, and dumped everything onto the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three long swords, two long blades, five longbows, numerous arrows, several spears, bottles, silver, jewelry, and jade artifacts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a Bagua mirror and a copper-coin sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The world’s becoming more dangerous by the day! How many monsters could be more treacherous than human hearts?” the third junior brother sighed. “On this river, how many have they killed? If not for us three brothers, who knows how many more they’d have claimed—many cultivated Daoists wouldn’t even survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister heard him say “us three brothers,” and couldn’t help glancing up at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue nodded in agreement, holding his bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister looked at him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These swords and blades aren’t bad—probably worth a few taels in town,” Lin Jue muttered, prodding through the loot with his foot. “I threw the temple’s long sword into the river. Just leave me one long blade.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll pick a good one too—better than what we had back at the temple,” the third junior brother said. “What about the bows and arrows? Good for hunting rabbits in the mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anything else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing else I want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third junior brother tossed all the spears overboard, dumped the bottles and jars into the river, then picked up the jewelry and jade, frowning in thought, before finally sighing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Their owners are probably at the bottom of the river now—let’s return these to their rightful owners. Consider it a burial offering.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plop, plop, plop—the sounds echoed as items sank, sending ripples across the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single fishing lantern lit the interior of the cabin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister finished cleaning the floor and returned to sit inside. The two of them and the fox sat in silence, watching Lin Jue eat alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This poison is strong—if not for the Yin-Yang Spirit Method allowing me to sense it beforehand, even the third junior brother’s cultivation might’ve failed,” Lin Jue continued eating, savoring the poison in the food. The more he ate, the more his tongue burned—unexpectedly, this trip offered a chance to practice ingesting toxins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do we do tomorrow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else can we do?” the third junior brother sighed, leaning back and turning away from him. “We’ll have to row ourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A little.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you handle rowing—I’ll handle cooking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about tonight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I checked—we’re out of rice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fishing lantern went out; the boat grew quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the end of the month again, the sky filled with stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they woke, the river was calm. The several boats anchored far off had long since departed; the three set off as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the third junior brother said, he could row—just a little. The boat lurched and staggered across the great river, bumping the banks several times, nearly colliding with other vessels. To the three, it was just part of the journey’s charm; to the fox, merely human folly; to the donkey brother, it was terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, the return trip was downstream, with the current and wind both in their favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, small and large docks appeared—some bustling, where they could buy rice, flour, oil, salt, salted meat, and pickled fish. Most ordinary boatmen would skip these docks, but the third junior brother always stopped to check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In late autumn, the scenery on both banks was magnificent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After days of rowing and adjusting the sail, the third junior brother grew skilled—and seemed to enjoy it. The boat steadily became more stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior brother cooked inside the cabin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the junior sister sat cross-legged on the deck, eyes closed, meditating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, she reached out and rolled up her sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pale, delicate arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She strained hard—tendons tightened along her wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still not enough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister released her grip, murmuring softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was practicing the “Mountain God Body Protection Method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This technique suited her well—at least it shared nearly the same origin as the Crushed Stone Method, just with opposite effects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she’d always had a natural talent for the Five Elements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Senior Shao said that when mastered, the method could turn one into a stone statue, or even transform oneself into a boulder among the mountains—not just fooling the eye, but concealing one’s aura entirely, merging with the mountain. Even an opponent in battle might not be able to break it, let alone find it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The senior brother said that at the level of a great cultivator, one could even use this method to become an entire mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning into a stone statue was merely a basic application.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after ten days on Mingchao Mountain, Senior Shao had only explained the core principles to them and made them memorize them. The two had merely felt faint traces of the technique when channeling their Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether this counted as learning it was unclear—they simply couldn’t activate it yet. More time for insight and practice was needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad they were traveling by water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This technique required contemplation among mountains and rocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister thought this, yet didn’t slack off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She and her senior brother had entered the sect together, and without realizing it, he had already mastered so many techniques, while she knew only one: Fire-Spitting, one: Wind-Summoning, and one: Crushed Stone Method. And except for Crushed Stone Method, her proficiency in all others lagged behind his. If she didn’t work harder, wouldn’t she seem lazy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She must work twice as hard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her came the sizzle of hot oil and the scent of cooking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister turned her head—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her senior brother was also cooking porridge, fish and shrimp porridge, but he’d first fried the shrimp, carefully removing all fish bones. He’d filled an iron pot with charcoal, propped it up on wood to avoid burning the boat’s bottom, and placed several skewers of small river fish and river shrimp on top, threaded with fine bamboo sticks and dusted with spices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charcoal and fresh river delicacies—the aroma was irresistible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s effort was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister rose and walked over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox waited by the stove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister glanced at the fox and asked, puzzled: “Have you noticed Fuyao’s shedding its fur?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course I have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And have you noticed that after shedding, it’s turned almost white?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It has, a bit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue flipped the skewers and turned to look at the fox.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox looked up and met his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the junior sister said—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once fiery red fox had become mottled; its crimson hue faded gradually, bit by bit. Now, little red fur remained—its body appeared more like a dull, speckled white, not dazzlingly pure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the tip of its tail was still red. But the new fur growing in was no longer the old fox-red—it resembled the autumn leaves along the riverbanks, strangely mystical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue handed her the skewer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unnoticed, the thatched boat glided past fishing villages, past the crimson leaves lining both shores.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carefree young Daoist often rowed while singing loudly, his voice echoing among the mountains; the girl in her Daoist robe frequently sat in meditation at the bow or stern, tended to the donkey, or practiced sword forms and body techniques by walking perilously along the narrow gunwales with her long blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue often came and went from the cabin, or sat on the deck, stroking the fox, admiring the autumn light and river view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frequently called out to people on nearby boats to ask for directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re approaching Niaoshu Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third junior brother told them uncertainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue lifted the curtain and stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really,” the third junior brother pointed ahead. “Look—that dock, doesn’t it look like the one we boarded at in early August?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It does.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I told you so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’d have thought you’d be right once?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean ‘who’d have thought’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third junior brother frowned slightly, but didn’t care—he could finally set foot on land. He laughed heartily and tossed the oar aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue also returned to pack his belongings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the group reached the shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These days, traveling long distances by boat is indeed more comfortable than land routes, but after drifting on the river for too long, one inevitably feels ungrounded; thus, whenever they spotted a dock, they often landed—not just to buy supplies or enjoy the bustle and local customs along the banks, but also to touch the earth again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that they had landed, they were naturally pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for this boat, we bestow it upon whoever on the river is destined to receive it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A donkey, three Daoist priests, a fox, accompanied by laughter, followed the path they had taken on their way here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They found a place without human traces, and now there was one more donkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue carried his empty book satchel, his steps light and brisk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were now within Huizhou’s borders; villages lined the water everywhere, white walls and blue tiles reflected in the water, already feeling familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something’s off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue said as he walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When we came, we stayed overnight thirty li from the dock, then reached the dock the next morning. Today we arrived at the dock in the morning, and we’re about to reach the place where we stayed—yet it’s only just past noon. Should we keep going forward?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course keep going.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we won’t be following the same waypoints as before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what? We’ll just find another place to spend the night,” said Third Master with a smile. “Besides, Brother, you’re overthinking it—our memories aren’t so sharp we’d walk the exact same path twice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, dusk was fast approaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it was different from before—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we came, it wasn’t yet Mid-Autumn; nights were cool but not cold. Now it was deep autumn, and the night chill had grown heavy, especially in the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Master saw a farmer swinging a hoe by the roadside and walked over to ask:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old man, greetings. We are Daoists from Yishan, passing through. Is there anywhere nearby where we may spend the night?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spend the night? An inn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man paused his hoe and looked at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An inn would do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ten li back, there’s a village called Rabbit Inn—it has a thatched inn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Master turned around, gazing toward the direction they had come from, frowning: “We don’t want to retrace our steps. Is there anywhere ahead to stay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahead? There is,” the farmer said, leaning on his hoe and pointing into the mountains ahead. “You’re Daoists—up ahead in the mountains is a temple. It’s highly efficacious; Bodhisattvas often manifest there, and the monks are kind. You can ask if they still have spare rooms or sleeping mats.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm? Bodhisattvas often manifest?” Third Master’s interest stirred. “Which Bodhisattva?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How would I know? Even the monks don’t know—it’s just a Bodhisattva. Many people have seen it,” the farmer said. “Many come to the temple. If you’re going, go early.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can they accommodate female guests?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not? Wealthy families from the city often send their womenfolk to stay there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Master smiled his thanks and turned to Lin Jue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lin Jue had first left Shu Village, he had once stayed overnight in a mountain temple, and thus held a favorable impression of temples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three made their decision, gazing ahead—no temple in sight, but smoke rising from the mountains, likely the temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They set off toward that direction, searching for the path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By dusk, they reached the temple gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three halted, raising their heads together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This temple was called Songyin Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below the gate hung a couplet:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the sandalwood hall, worshiping Buddha, one forgets worldly dust;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid pine and cypress, the meditator awakens to heaven’s mystery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temple seemed large; the scent of incense and candles drifted from within, and faint voices could be heard—truly lively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youngest Sister stepped forward and knocked on the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dong dong dong…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a monk came to open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing several Daoists outside, the monk froze in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>",2108,"2026-06-20T14:45:35.226Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c9e1c7a120dc27a8d6144886e549097ce77cdea4b341f4b4c07bc49408649827","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-99","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-97",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]