[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-fox-has-no-malicious-intent":3,"chapter-the-fox-has-no-malicious-intent-the-fox-has-no-malicious-intent-chapter-177":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Fox Has No Malicious Intent",{"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},2340630,4575,"Chapter 177: Technique","the-fox-has-no-malicious-intent-chapter-177",177,"\u003Cp>“Ying ying ying!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the villagers of Zhangxizhen lifting him up, An Sheng’s sedan was raised high; the little fox stood upright, arms raised, bouncing humanlike atop the sedan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the crackling of firecrackers and the clamor of gongs and drums, one of the opening rituals of the Tea Duel— the Divine Procession— reached the part where the Master was invited to his seat and worshipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fuli Master of Zhangxizhen, as the first-place deity, occupied the second position on the Divine Shelf ranking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the divine shelf stood several traditional orthodox deity statues arranged at the top.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You guys really haven’t lost your edge!” Old Chen beamed as he stepped forward, clapping the shoulders of Yu Zhenghong and several other elder sedan-bearers:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You didn’t bring shame to our village. Quick, quick, tea’s been prepared over there— go rest, then you’ll be the ones to light the first incense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At any other time, the Divine Procession ranking meant nothing to Old Chen, but this year the Tea Duel was hosted by Zhangxizhen, and worshipping deities from other villages in one’s own village felt strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, first place didn’t go to another village, and no repentance rituals followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, when the other villages’ divine processions returned home, they’d likely have to kneel before their ancestral halls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young, vigorous men lost a three-kilometer flat race to a group of old men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who nearly toppled the Master must kneel too!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Village chief! There’s a snake! King cobra!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zhenghong was nearly collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath as he told Old Chen about the king cobra hidden in the grass outside the agricultural market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yu Zhenghong explained the full story, Old Chen’s expression turned slightly odd as he gazed at the Fuli Master, muttering inwardly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our village’s Fuli Master”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder he’s seen it all—he’s the boss of the wildlife crime network.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One word, and he calls in professional assassins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Chen groaned, face dark with exasperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Divine Procession ended, each village’s cultural deity took its place on the Divine Shelf according to competition ranking; a massive rectangular bronze incense burner, lifted by young men, was moved into the temporary shrine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shrine stood at the entrance of the venue, facing the Tea Duel grounds; the Masters seated above could enjoy incense offerings while watching the tea competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As runner-up, An Sheng had an excellent position— seated squarely in the center, the incense burner directly before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zhenghong’s team led the way, holding incense sticks nearly half a meter long, walking first to the burner and respectfully offering incense to the deities in the shrine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other members of the procession followed Yu Zhenghong to offer incense, then came the respected elders and ordinary villagers from other villages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“. Is this incense really mandatory?” Mo Yiqing stared blankly at the incense burner now resembling a spiky hedgehog, turning to A Qing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once lit, incense sticks remain untouched unless fully burned or cleared at scheduled times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When younger generations came to offer incense, the burner before them had become a blazing, smoke-wreathed hedgehog— any touch would burn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From my experience, when you see a flame-hedgehog, you have two choices: first, grit your teeth and scrape your hand along the ash-covered sticks to plant your incense— it’s hot, but you won’t get burned by the flame.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second, clear the ash— less chance of brushing against it, but if you do, you get burned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To avoid getting burned while offering incense, every household has its own special technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Xueqing wore a peculiar smile, her eyes tinged with weary sarcasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Xiadong, offering incense is a skilled art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are even specialized incense-offering techniques— but these aren’t about how reverent or formal your posture must be; they’re about avoiding getting burned by the incense in the burner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Yiqing: “.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, is this incense really mandatory?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking that since she was already there, Yu Xueqing invited her father, Yu Zhenghong, to teach her the proper way to burn incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zhenghong studied the burner, running geometric equations in his mind, instructing Yu Xueqing and Mo Yiqing to use the parabolic incense technique— launching the incense sticks like darts, “thud-thud-thud,” straight into the burner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all villagers had paid their respects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Xueqing took a red paper slip to the Fuli Master’s runner-up position and lifted the little fox down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On An Sheng’s original spot lay a red slip in his unmistakable style, inscribed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Master has taken leave for a joyous outing— for matters, contact him at the Tea Duel venue.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After An Sheng left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Villagers from other villages, tea merchants, and tourists stared blankly at the runner-up shrine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shrine stood at the venue entrance precisely for tourists to offer incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The runner-up Master had taken leave...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Master had taken leave for a joyous outing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grandpa, Grandpa, can Masters take leave? Can we carry Big Mama around too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A child from another village beamed up at his cane-wielding grandfather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man gazed at the river goddess statue above the shrine, the one his grandson called “Big Mama,” swallowed hard, and said: “. Grandson, that won’t hold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? Why not, Grandpa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because... Big Mama’s statue weighs over two hundred jin— literally, it won’t hold.” The old man grumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget whether a spiritual being could carry a deity— even ordinary people couldn’t lift two hundred jin, let alone carry it into the Tea Duel venue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Sheng, fur and all, weighed fourteen jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Qing could lift him effortlessly with one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tourists, unaware of this, saw only that the runner-up Master had taken leave— carried off for fun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tourists offered incense while muttering inwardly: the people of Xiadong were getting more and more extravagant in their worship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First came Mazu getting her ID card and flying globally, riding a Ferrari through the streets; then photos surfaced of Mazu sitting in a private movie theater, left hand holding a family-sized popcorn tub, wearing 3D glasses to watch a foreign film.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, a Master taking leave for a joyous outing seemed perfectly reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s red! The wish list is glowing red again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Life is truly getting more prosperous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little fox, carried back by A Qing, sat happily at their tea stall, scrolling through the flashing wish list in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was normal for villagers to pray and make wishes to the deity statues during incense offerings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Sheng’s wish list copied every single wish onto his own panel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Sheng casually tapped one, curious to see what it was about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【F***! First you want me to pay federal tax, then state tax, then local tax— never mind why there’s farmland cultivation tax, or why I’m fined for keeping five chickens— but that farm? It’s not even mine! I just watered it for someone— why am I being forced to pay back taxes for the past three years? — Chen Nian, imprisoned in jail, baffled, yet as if sensing something, his eyes slowly hardened with menace.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Wish fulfilled: $500,000.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1175,"2026-06-20T23:19:16.017Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2e6d9c7e41782c31064b8390c3e195005f979a1503f7b05416136bbda8b2d3c6","the-fox-has-no-malicious-intent-chapter-178","the-fox-has-no-malicious-intent-chapter-176",354,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-fox-has-no-malicious-intent-cover.jpg"]