Village School Fox Companion

# Chapter 1: A Village School with a Fox as a Study Companion

The Ode to the Eastern Capital says: "Within the four seas, schools are as numerous as the trees in a forest, and the Village Schools overflow with students."

This sentence describes the flourishing state of education in the Yuanshuo Kingdom.

Since Emperor Yuan's reign, the Yuanshuo Kingdom has established Official Schools throughout the country. The Official Schools in rural villages are called Village Schools; those in counties, circuits, towns, and marquisates are called County Schools; those in commanderies and kingdoms are called Academies; and the Official Schools in the Eastern Capital are called Imperial Academies.

Qiu Shuijing traveled from Shuofang City to Tianshiyuan, but the scenery he saw along the way was quite different from the records in the Ode to the Eastern Capital.

The Village Schools in the towns and villages along the way not only didn't overflow with students, but were practically deserted. Some Village Schools had even closed down, overgrown with weeds and infested with wild foxes, many of which had become Spirit Monsters.

For nearly thirty years, people from the countryside had been flocking to the cities, leaving behind only women, children, and the elderly to eke out a living on meager fields, which gave rise to many problems.

The countryside in Qiu Shuijing's heart carried the beauty of his childhood. In his memory, the countryside was picturesque, with outstanding talents emerging. But what he saw along the way was a scene of collapsing etiquette, decaying morality.

To say nothing else, the education in the Village Schools alone had become a major problem.

The young and middle-aged people in the towns and villages had all gone to the cities. Couples with some money would often take their children to the city and send them to Official Schools. Those who were left behind were the ones without money. With their parents working away from home, how could the grandparents possibly manage those children?

The children left behind in the countryside without parental supervision not only didn't go to the Village Schools to study, but even gathered friends, formed gangs, and ran rampant in the neighborhood.

In the past, the Village Schools in the countryside were full of students, but now, it would be considered good if there were three or five teenagers studying there.

"Without Scholars, the rural Village Schools cannot continue to operate. Without the Village Schools, the children in the countryside will have nowhere to study, and the number of ignorant people will increase, which may lead to chaos in the countryside."

After entering the uninhabited area, Qiu Shuijing shook his head repeatedly.

However, his purpose in coming to Tianshiyuan this time was not to investigate the people's conditions in the countryside, but for another reason.

"Mister Shuijing, it's getting late. Why don't we temporarily settle down in this Village School, have something to eat, and make plans when the Heavenly Gate appears?" A Scholar behind Qiu Shuijing said.

Qiu Shuijing looked at the setting sun and nodded. He and a group of Scholars walked into a dilapidated Village School. It was covered in thorns, and it seemed to have been abandoned for some years.

Several Scholars tidied up and were about to start a fire to cook when they suddenly heard the faint sound of reading coming from the inner hall of the Village School.

Qiu Shuijing's expression changed slightly. He raised his hand to make a silencing gesture, quietly got up, and followed the sound of reading to the inner hall of the Village School.

Several Scholars tiptoed behind him. The sound of reading gradually became clearer, and everyone was puzzled: "This Village School has clearly been abandoned for some years, and the surrounding area is an uninhabited zone. How can there still be a teacher teaching and educating people here?"

"The one teaching in the Village School may not be human," Qiu Shuijing seemed to guess their thoughts and said in a low, cold voice.

The Scholars were shocked and looked into the inner hall. They saw an old yellow fox, more than half a person tall, standing upright, holding a teaching whip in its left hand and a book in its right, pacing back and forth in the hall.

And below the hall were more than a dozen foxes, yellow, white, red, and spotted, each sitting upright, shaking their heads and reciting scriptures!

"Demons are causing trouble, opening their minds, clarifying their Logic, and beginning to recite the Sage's articles. In the future, they will definitely transform into humans, wreak havoc on the world, and even compete with humans for the world!"

Qiu Shuijing's Heart stirred with killing intent, and he was about to take action when his gaze suddenly paused, and the killing intent in his Heart gradually faded.

He saw that there were foxes everywhere in the classroom, and among the foxes, there was a yellow-shirted boy sitting upright, shaking his head and reciting articles with the foxes.

The boy was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with delicate features, red lips, and white teeth, studying very seriously.

In this classroom, except for this boy, no one was human!

"The people of Tianshiyuan are destitute, the Village Schools in the countryside are collapsing, people no longer teach children, and children no longer seek knowledge. Instead, Fox Demons teach and educate people, reading and writing."

Qiu Shuijing was filled with emotion: "And it is rare to have a studious person. Forget it, let them go. This boy is actually studying with a group of Fox Demons in an uninhabited area, and he is not afraid. It's really strange..."

He turned and left.

The Scholars were surprised and quickly followed him quietly to the courtyard of the Village School.

Qiu Shuijing didn't speak, and the Scholars didn't dare to ask.

After a while, they suddenly heard the sound of a bell. The children in the classroom cheered, shouted, and clamored. Many Fox Demons poured out, making a lot of noise. When they saw the crowd in the courtyard, more than a dozen Fox Demons stood there on two legs, staring with their eyes wide open, at a loss.

The Scholars all looked at Qiu Shuijing. Qiu Shuijing smiled slightly, not taking it seriously.

Footsteps came from the Village School, and a slightly childish voice said, "Hua Erge, Li Sange, don't run too fast, wait for me!"

The Scholars followed the sound and saw that the human boy was one step behind, just walking out of the classroom.

A female Scholar saw the boy's movements clearly and exclaimed softly, saying to the Scholar next to her, "He's blind..."

The other Scholars looked closely and suddenly realized.

The boy's Eyes were snow-white, without pupils, and he couldn't see. He was indeed blind.

"No wonder he's taking classes with the Fox Demons."

Everyone thought to themselves, "He can't see, he can only hear sounds, he mistakenly thinks that everyone around him is human, but he didn't expect that the ones studying and reading with him are all Demons!"

Although the boy couldn't see, his ears were very sharp. He smiled and said, "Teacher, teacher, there are guests in the Village School!"

Tap, tap.

The sound of a cane hitting the ground came. The old yellow fox who taught the class walked out of the classroom with a cane, and an old voice came from its mouth: "Distinguished guests have come from afar, I have failed to greet you properly, please forgive me."

After saying that, the old fox's expression darkened, and he said to the little foxes, "Class is over, it's getting late, you all hurry home."

The little foxes hurriedly scattered.

Qiu Shuijing looked at the blind boy, but saw that although the boy was blind, he seemed to be able to see clearly around him, bowing slightly to him and the Scholars, and leaving this dilapidated Village School with the foxes.

Qiu Shuijing was slightly surprised, turned his head to look at the boy's back, and pondered.

"His name is Su Yun."

The yellow-skinned old fox coughed and raised his hand, leading Qiu Shuijing into the inner hall, saying, "He's from Tianmen Town, Tianshiyuan, and thirteen years old this year. When Su Yun was seven, his family suffered a misfortune, and his eyes went blind for some reason. It's quite pitiful. But he's a studious child. One day, he came here and couldn't tear himself away from the sound of reading, insisting on listening to the lectures. Seeing how eager he was to learn, I let him stay."

Qiu Shuijing responded with an "Oh," and said blandly, "He's from Tianmen Town? As far as I know, there hasn't been a living soul in Tianmen Town, Tianshiyuan, for a long time. Not only is there no one in Tianmen Town, but the area within a hundred miles of Tianmen Town is also a no-man's land."

The yellow-skinned old fox stopped and turned his head to look at him. The fox revealed a smile, his whiskers twitching slightly, "What you heard, sir, is mostly just rumors."

Qiu Shuijing surveyed the inner hall. He saw a painting hanging in the main hall, depicting plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, corresponding to the Four Gentlemen. It had an inscription that read "Be a Teacher and a Model," but it was unsigned, and it was unknown who had painted it.

The yellow-skinned old fox came to the painting, sat upright in front of Qiu Shuijing, placed his cane across his lap, and said solemnly, "Sir from the city, please leave a complete corpse."

Qiu Shuijing withdrew his gaze from the painting and asked, "How should I address you?"

The old fox said, "They call me Mister Wild Fox. How should I address the sir from the city?"

"Qiu Shuijing."

Qiu Shuijing bowed slightly, "Shuijing is leading his students through this Treasure Land, and we are weary from our journey. We would like to borrow your Treasure Land to rest. Please be accommodating."

The old fox raised his head, looking at him in surprise, "You're not going to kill me, subdue demons, and eliminate evil?"

"Confucius said that in teaching, there should be no distinction of classes. Isn't that precisely what Mister Wild Fox is doing?"

Qiu Shuijing said solemnly, "You are a demon, and Su Yun is a human. You did not refuse to teach him because he is not of your kind. This is precisely the conduct of a teacher. Now, the countryside is disordered, and education is difficult. Humans may not even be able to achieve teaching without discrimination, let alone demons? Therefore, Mister Wild Fox's actions are all the more precious."

The old fox breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiu Shuijing changed the subject, "However, I just listened to Mister Wild Fox's lecture, and it was about the classics of the Old Saints, ancient teachings from thousands of years ago. The classics of the Old Saints are good, but they are no longer suitable for the current era and cannot keep up with the times."

The old fox was taken aback, "What are you saying, Mister Shuijing? Weren't these the books taught in the Village School before? These are what have been studied for thousands of years..."

"That was before, and even a few hundred years ago, or even thirty-five years ago, it was still the case. But now..."

Qiu Shuijing revealed a trace of bitterness, paused, and said, "Sir, the times have changed."

He repeated, "The times have changed. Hehe, clinging to the past will only lead to a beating. It's not like it used to be..."

He shook his head and didn't continue.

The old fox stood up tremblingly, somewhat bewildered, "May I ask Mister Shuijing, if we don't teach the classics of the Old Saints, then what should we teach? You speak of the Old Saints, is there a New Saint now?"

Qiu Shuijing shook his head, revealing a mocking expression, "New Saint? There are no New Saints in the world today... Perhaps there are, but they are not in the Yuanshuo Kingdom..."

He composed himself, not in the mood to continue, and said, "The village schools in the countryside cannot keep up with the times. If you want to learn something useful, you still have to go to the city. Relying on the classics of the Old Saints will only lead to a beating, and what you learn will only be things from thousands of years ago. Mister Wild Fox, although you teach without discrimination, you are only misleading your students if you continue to teach. The things of the Old Saints cannot survive in the city."

The old fox was dumbfounded.

Misleading his students?

What was he talking about?

Had the knowledge of the Old Saints fallen to this extent?

After a moment, the old fox cupped his hands towards Qiu Shuijing, transformed into a cloud of demonic Qi, and disappeared.

Qiu Shuijing stepped out of the hall.

At the third watch of the night, Qiu Shuijing was meditating and dozing when he suddenly perked up and opened his eyes, whispering, "Wake up! The Heavenly Gate has opened!"

In the Village School, all the Scholars were sleeping on the ground. Hearing this, they turned over and got up, their faces filled with excitement.

"Extinguish the bonfire!"

Qiu Shuijing ordered, and immediately a Scholar extinguished the bonfire.

Whoosh--

Qiu Shuijing leaped up and jumped onto the roof of the Village School. Several Scholars moved like rabbits and falcons, landing beside him.

The villages of Tianshiyuan at night had no lights, completely different from the brightly lit cities. Only the stars and crescent moon adorned the night sky.

The cold wind was bleak.

Qiu Shuijing whispered, "Open your Heavenly Eyes, otherwise you won't be able to see the Heavenly Gate!"

The Scholars behind him all took out a jade-like leaf. The leaf was shaped like an eye and was placed on their foreheads, like a Vertical Eye.

"Open!" The Scholars all whispered.

The jade leaves on their foreheads gradually disappeared beneath their skin.

Something rolled under the skin of one Scholar's forehead, and then the skin split open, revealing a rolling eyeball.

The other Scholars' Heavenly Eyes also opened one after another, and as they looked around, their bodies shook, and they whispered, "The Heavenly Gate has really opened! The Ghost Market, the Ghost Market has also appeared!"

Zhai Zhu's new book, Walking the Abyss, walking in the abyss in the dark night, as if walking on thin ice, I ask for the support and recommendation of all book friends!!!