Chapter 108: Secret News of the Fox Demon

Watching the large fox's indignant expression, Li Tongya felt a stir in his heart. He tapped his storage bag, took out a bag of spirit rice, and said with a beaming smile:

"Big fox, take a look at this."

The large fox's crimson fur stirred. It lowered its head to sniff, blinked its eyes slightly, and chirped:

"It actually smells quite fragrant... This must be some kind of spirit grain or spirit rice. It's rarely seen in these mountains. I've heard you cultivators love to eat this!"

"If you want me to... do some work for you, I won't lift a finger for less than a hundred or eighty catties!"

Li Tongya smiled lightly, calculating for a moment. A hundred or eighty catties was only worth one spirit stone. If he could trade that for the help of a Qi Refining entity, it would be a massive bargain. He immediately kept his wits about him and laughed:

"Answer me a few questions, and this bag of spirit rice is yours."

The large fox immediately raised its head and chirped in agreement. Li Tongya tossed the spirit rice in his hand over and asked:

"Do you know the specific situation of that demon general?"

"Naturally, I do."

The large fox let out a cry and explained with eager eyes:

"That pig demon is at the Foundation Establishment realm. Under his command are eight lesser demons, all at the Qi Refining realm, who gather spirit items for him. They live in a demon cave two hundred miles to the south. Any demon in this territory that reaches the Qi Refining realm is captured, branded with a bit of spiritual essence between their brows, and then sent back to stand guard."

After speaking, it sniffed the rice bag, looked up at Li Tongya with vigilance, and its speech became more fluent as it chirped:

"Is there really such a good deal? You didn't poison this, did you?"

Li Tongya was listening with great interest and hurriedly asked:

"What is the use of that branded spiritual essence? Were you also branded by the pig demon?"

"Hmph!"

The large fox raised its head in defiance and cried:

"Among the six caves of Great Lishan, one of the cave masters is our fox demon grandmother. How would that pig demon dare to take our spiritual essence? He truly doesn't value his own life."

"As for this spiritual essence..."

The fox demon sighed and said dejectedly:

"So that's how it is."

Li Tongya nodded, gaining some understanding of the demon's methods. Seeing the large fox pacing around the spirit rice, he said softly:

"Are there any Qi Refining demons in this area that you know of who haven't been captured?"

"There are six left in this area. As for their locations, you'll have to trade more spirit rice for them!"

The large fox blinked craftily, and Li Tongya laughed:

"How long have you lived, fox?"

"About three hundred years, I suppose."

The large fox leaned against the roots of a large banyan tree and chirped:

"The first sixty years were spent in ignorance. It wasn't until I was over sixty that I cultivated my fifth tail and gained some memories. Later, at two hundred and seventy-seven years old, I condensed a breath of spirit energy in my belly and broke through to Qi Refining. Only then did I gain human-like intelligence. I've cultivated alone for another hundred years, barely reaching the fifth level of Qi Refining."

"Nearly four hundred years?!"

Li Tongya was suddenly envious and whispered:

"You demons really can live long. Even after we break through to Qi Refining, we only have a lifespan of two hundred years."

"What is there to envy about that!"

The large fox chirped loudly and said forlornly:

"My fox kin only have a lifespan of five hundred years at the Qi Refining realm. I've almost used mine up. The time I've had intelligence is only the last hundred-plus years. The first few hundred years were spent in ignorance—it's not as good as you immortals!"

Li Tongya nodded as well. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he said in a deep voice:

"Three hundred years ago, there was a great battle at the northern foothills. Do you have any impression of it?"

"A great battle?"

The large fox was stunned and whispered:

"It seems there was a great battle..."

"That night, I was curled up in my cave. The earth shook incessantly. The voices of those immortals were like thunder, saying they had to hand over something or other..."

Seeing Li Tongya's anxious expression, the large fox's speech became slightly stuttered, and it stammered:

"They said it was... the... the secret decree of the era. I was just a fetal-breathing lesser demon back then; how could I... remember so much stuff..."

Li Tongya questioned it carefully for a while but couldn't get anything out of it. He had to give up and shook his head in disappointment. He then saw the fox lower its head in guilt and answer:

"I have heard a rumor about the northern foothills."

Li Tongya raised his head with interest, and the large fox opened its mouth:

"I once heard a fox brother passing by talk about the grandmother in the cave. When she was over three hundred years old in her early years, she was also begging for food at these northern foothills. She was sleeping soundly in a tree hole when a white-haired immortal suddenly dragged her out."

"That white-haired immortal had unfathomable cultivation. He opened his mouth and asked: 'Little fox, have you ever eaten a human?'"

"At that time, the northern foothills had just experienced a great battle and there were no people around, so grandmother said: 'I have never eaten one.'"

The large fox was telling the story with fascination, and Li Tongya was listening with equal fascination. The large fox mimicked the voices vividly—the immortal's voice was ethereal and detached, while the fox's voice was stuttering. Li Tongya almost wanted to applaud it.

"The white-haired immortal said: 'There is a group of villagers at the foot of this mountain. Watch over them for me and protect them for two hundred years, and I will grant you a stroke of fortune.'"

"Grandmother nodded repeatedly, and the white-haired immortal tapped her between the brows, leaving behind a stroke of fortune, then drifted away."

Li Tongya hurriedly asked:

"What fortune?"

"How would I know!"

The large fox rolled its eyes and continued:

"That is why the fox clan of Great Lishan never eats humans. Although two hundred years have passed, grandmother still restrains the demon clan of Great Lishan. A few years ago, a large bird ate a human at the foot of the mountain, which displeased grandmother. She drove it out of the mountain and forbade it from coming within a thousand miles of Great Lishan, or else she would eat it."

"Hoh."

Li Tongya nodded and thought to himself:

"My Li family has also been farming at these northern foothills for three hundred years, and I've never heard of any immortal in our ancestors' history. I don't know if this story is true or false, but I'll listen for now."

Looking at the fox, Li Tongya asked:

"Does fellow Daoist have a name?"

The large fox curled its lips and chirped:

"I have lived under this large banyan tree for many years, and they all call me Bai Rong Fox. As for a surname, we demons don't pay attention to such things."

Li Tongya nodded, cupped his hands, and said:

"I am Li Tongya. Thank you for your guidance today; I have benefited greatly. I will come to visit fellow Daoist again in a few months."

Watching Li Tongya ride the wind away, the large fox let out a long sigh, sat down on the ground with a thud, picked up a grain of spirit rice, put it into its mouth, licked it carefully, and muttered to itself:

"So fragrant..."

————

Li Tongya spent most of his time in seclusion when he returned to the mountain, while Li Xuanfeng buried himself in killing demons and cultivating. Li Xuanxuan had become the nominal and actual controller of the Li family. In his early twenties, he was cautious and arranged the family affairs perfectly.

Sitting at the head of the main courtyard, with Li Xiewen standing to his side, Li Xuanxuan looked at Chen Donghe below and said softly:

"Have you considered it?"

Chen Donghe frowned, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice:

"The matter of marrying into the family is of great importance. Donghe cannot make a rash decision; I must go home and ask my father before we talk further."

Li Xuanxuan put down his teacup and said warmly:

"That is as it should be. Donghe, do not have any concerns. After all, the family rules are such that only the main branch of the Li family can cultivate the 'River and Sea One Qi Art'. I, too, had to beg my uncle bitterly to get this opportunity..."

Chen Donghe nodded hurriedly, thanked him repeatedly, cupped his hands, and retreated. Li Xiewen called someone to take away the tea from his seat and said respectfully:

"Not bad."

Li Xuanxuan nodded slightly, spread out the wooden slip in his hand, calculated for a few breaths, and asked:

"How many talismans did uncle send down the mountain this month?"

"Reporting to the family head, five."

"The talisman ink and talisman paper in the family are running low. Xuanfeng must make a trip to the market this month."

Li Xuanxuan gave the order. As the number of people in the clan gradually increased, the spirit fields in their territory were basically fully developed. Every year, after paying tribute to the Qingchi Sect and supporting the cultivators in the family, there was still a considerable surplus.

"Every year, after paying tribute, the spirit rice can still produce three hundred catties. The annual clan stipend for a main branch cultivator is ten catties, five catties for a minor branch, and one catty for a collateral branch, totaling eighty-six catties, and there can still be a surplus of two spirit stones."

Originally, the Li family did not have so many main family cultivators, but now those with spirit apertures in the four towns had integrated into the Li family through marriage and other means, and most had become minor branch cultivators, hence the spirit rice rewards.

"Every year, uncle can draw about sixty talismans, which sell for twenty spirit stones. After deducting costs, he can earn two or three spirit stones. Added to the spirit beasts killed by Xuanfeng and Donghe in the mountains, the annual income can reach seven spirit stones, roughly the price of a fetal-breathing magic weapon."

The family's spirit stone reserves were still over seventy. The Li family had been saving up to set up a large array for Lijing Mountain, and every spirit stone of income made Li Xuanxuan happy.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 109 =====