Picking Up a Fox to Take Home

As he walked down the mountain for a while, he suddenly heard a cry:

"Ah~"

Lin Jue jumped in fright and instinctively tightened his grip on the Firewood Knife.

But then a Cloud Leopard leaped out of the woods and came to stand before him.

"!"

Lin Jue tensed up, though he was also puzzled.

This Cloud Leopard looked somewhat familiar.

At the same time, he lowered his head to look at the little thing in his hand.

It didn't look much like the same species.

As he was thinking this, two people emerged from behind the Cloud Leopard.

One was the Senior Brother from the Daoist temple, and the other was the Fourth Senior Brother, the one skilled in the Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts.

"Junior Brother, you went up the mountain to chop firewood. How did you end up climbing so high? And why haven't you come down even though it's so late?"

"Senior Brothers."

Only then did Lin Jue lower his Firewood Knife and relax.

"There aren't many dead branches this time of year, and most of the firewood down the mountain has been chopped, so I had no choice but to head farther up. Then I saw how beautiful the view was near the peak and couldn't resist climbing up to sit for a while." Lin Jue paused, then lifted the cub in his hand. "But while I was up there, I happened to find a little cub whose parents were missing. I don't know what happened, but I waited a long time from far away, and its parents never came. I thought I'd bring it back to the Daoist temple. Otherwise, up on the summit, even if another beast didn't eat it, the wind might blow it to death."

"A little cub?"

The Fourth Senior Brother glanced at the thing in his hand and identified it at once. "It's a fox cub."

"A fox cub?"

"There are no foxes on this mountain, only deeper in the mountains. I don't know how it ended up here." The Fourth Senior Brother, who practiced the Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts, clearly knew a great deal about such things and was also very kindhearted. "Since you've met, it must be fate. Just bring it back to the Daoist temple. Tonight, I'll ask my friends in the mountains to look around and see if anyone's lost a cub. If they find its family, we'll take it back tomorrow morning."

"That'd be wonderful."

Lin Jue wasn't surprised.

If practicing the Wood Escape Method required harmony with plants and trees, then it made sense that practicing the Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts required one to be kindhearted toward birds and beasts. Besides, people had always said that wild beasts were spiritual and could sense human kindness or malice. That seemed even more believable than plants and trees sensing such things.

"Let's go. Back down the mountain."

"Okay."

Lin Jue couldn't help lifting the little fox cub for a closer look. So this was what foxes looked like when they were young.

Then he followed the two of them down the mountain.

"We thought you'd gotten lost up there, or been bewitched by Spirits and Monsters."

"I wasn't likely to get lost. But I was worried that the little fox cub might be some trick by a mountain Spirit or Monster to toy with me."

"If there's a Spirit or Monster on this mountain that tricks people that way, we'll definitely find a way to deal with it!"

"You two aren't fakes too, are you?"

"Haha..."

The little thing sat quietly in Lin Jue's hand.

The Cloud Leopard walked alongside them with its tail held high. Anyone down the mountain who saw the scene would probably have taken them for remarkable masters.

As they walked, the Fourth Senior Brother's Cloud Leopard seemed to notice something. It stopped and turned to look into the distance.

"Ah~"

A cry rang out.

The Fourth Senior Brother stopped too and looked in the same direction.

"Brother Yun, what's wrong?"

"Ah~"

The man and leopard actually seemed to be asking and answering one another.

Lin Jue watched in fascination from the side.

The large, spotted cat looked quite imposing, but he hadn't expected its cry to sound so strange.

"What's wrong, Senior Brother?"

"Must be a wild beast in the mountains."

The Fourth Senior Brother smiled faintly and continued down the mountain.

With the firewood in tow, they soon returned to the Daoist temple.

Several cats were still sprawled on the stone steps by the entrance, lazily enjoying the last rays of the setting sun. The black Slim Hound sat upright, looking rather imposing too. It wasn't afraid when the Cloud Leopard walked among them; they must have known one another for a long time. But when Lin Jue came over carrying a little fox cub, they watched him with curiosity for a while.

Most of the Senior Brothers were waiting in the outer courtyard. The old Daoist was also sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion beneath the pine tree there. For some reason, after just one day back at the temple, he already seemed much older.

Only when the three of them returned did he open his eyes.

"What took you so long?"

"Reporting to Master, the scenery on the mountain was beautiful, and by chance I came across a fox cub. So I sat up there for a while and enjoyed the view."

"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself."

"I'd just never seen such a beautiful mountain before."

"You've got plenty of time ahead of you. Let's hope you don't get tired of the view... But since when have there been foxes on Floating Hill Peak?"

The old Daoist lifted his eyelids and looked at the thing in Lin Jue's hand.

The little gray creature tucked its tail over its vulnerable parts as Lin Jue held it. It wore an utterly meek expression and looked up at him, making it hard not to feel sorry for it.

"I don't know. The Fourth Senior Brother said he'd ask his friends in the mountains tonight. If he finds out where it came from, we'll take it back tomorrow."

"That's all right. Since you've met, it must be fate. The temple can spare a mouthful of food for it. Even if we can't find where it came from, we can release it back into the mountains once it's grown." The old Daoist glanced at the cub, then looked away, stood up, and carried his meditation cushion toward the inner courtyard. "It's time to eat."

The little fox cub was so tiny that Lin Jue worried the cats in the courtyard might mistake it for a rat and eat it, so he carried it into the dining hall.

"Don't run around. Wait until I'm done eating."

Strangely enough, after hearing him, the little thing really did stay right where it was. Whether it was well-behaved or timid, it kept its round, glistening eyes fixed on him as he moved, not making a sound or running around.

It was so small that one stomp could kill it.

"This little thing's pitiful too. Go get a roof tile to use as a bowl and give it something to eat," the old Daoist said slowly.

"What do foxes eat?"

"Foxes eat anything."

"Okay."

Lin Jue went to the eaves of the outer courtyard and found a clean roof tile. A pile of them had been left there, probably unused when the buildings were constructed. When he returned, the food had already been set out on the table.

It was exactly the same as last night—not only the dishes, but even the sticky consistency of the rice was about the same.

It was nutritious, but tasteless.

Wasn't this what people meant when they said life on the mountain was hard?

"It's cooler outside. I'll eat out there. Do as you like." The old Daoist served himself rice, picked out a little food, then carried his bowl outside at an unhurried pace, like an ordinary old man from some village.

"I'll eat outside too!"

"Me too!"

Two Senior Brothers followed with their bowls.

Lin Jue thought about it, then served himself rice and a little of each dish before carrying his bowl and the roof tile outside.

The little fox actually ran after him, though it was terribly clumsy.

The threshold was another matter entirely.

It was higher than the cub.

By the time Lin Jue stepped outside the dining hall, the sun was just setting. The sky was filled with rosy clouds, and the courtyard had grown a little dark. The two Senior Brothers sat beneath the pine tree with their bowls, chatting. The old Daoist sat by himself, bowl in hand, gazing toward the distant layers of mountains where the sun had set, their outlines like ink wash paintings. He chewed his food, lost in thought.

Looking back, Lin Jue saw the little fox cub struggling to climb over the threshold, only to tumble heavily back down.

It scrambled to its feet as if it hadn't felt a thing, then hurried toward him.

"You sat by me all afternoon. I suppose you know me now."

Lin Jue couldn't help smiling. He found a step to sit on, set the roof tile beside him, and put a little rice, greens, and egg on it.

"See what you like."

The little thing was so small, it looked as if it had never eaten solid food before. It stared at the food with round eyes, a bewildered look in them, as though it understood nothing. Then it turned its head and looked at Lin Jue, silent and helpless.

Lin Jue didn't look at it. Instead, he gazed at the beautiful sunset over the mountains in the distance. Holding his bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, he lowered his head and began to eat too.

Swallows chased and squabbled overhead, while bats beat their wings with dull, hollow thumps. Several cats played with one another in the courtyard. Some stood on high perches with their heads tilted back, staring unblinkingly at the birds in the sky. The black Slim Hound followed the two Senior Brothers, craning its neck in hopes of getting a bite.

Evenings here were much like summer evenings in Shu Village, and much like the ones Lin Jue remembered from his childhood.

There was a plainness to it that put the mind at ease.

It would've been even better if the food tasted good.

Lin Jue glanced at the fox and suddenly froze.

The little fox cub beside him was no longer looking at him. It had stretched out a paw and hooked it around the edge of the roof tile, trying to grab it as if it wanted to lift it, just as he did.

When it realized it couldn't lift the tile, it plainly froze in place. After a moment, it turned to look at Lin Jue, its eyes filled with even more confusion.

"?"

Lin Jue suddenly realized something.

There seemed to be something unusual about this little thing.

It was especially clever, at the very least.

Just then, the little thing continued watching him. Its gaze shifted from the bowl in his left hand to the chopsticks in his right. Then it lowered its head to look at its other paw.

Seeing that it held nothing, it even searched around beside the roof tile. When it looked back up at Lin Jue, there was something beyond confusion in its eyes—a sense that it didn't know what to do.

"?"

Lin Jue was surprised and confused.

It took quite a while to teach it to lower its head and eat, but he still couldn't tell what it liked.

The little thing seemed to know nothing about the food. It ate whatever Lin Jue gave it. If he gave it everything, it ate each item in order, without any preferences of its own.

Still, it was fun to interact with. With it there to keep him company, Lin Jue finished a bowl of rice before he knew it.

After the meal, Lin Jue had wanted to help Sixth Senior Brother wash the bowls. There was nothing wrong with being diligent, but Junior Sister, who was even more diligent, got there first. That suited him just fine; it saved him the trouble. He went to the courtyard and sat cross-legged to practice the Qi Nourishing Method.

Dusk was the perfect time to cultivate.

Compared with the various Spiritual Methods, the Qi Nourishing Method was primitive and simple. But as one breathed, one still took in the Five Qi of heaven and earth, and with eyes closed, one could still sense the Spiritual Resonance of the world. There was no fundamental difference in what one absorbed and comprehended, just that it wasn't as pure or efficient as the various Spiritual Methods.

The little fox still followed him everywhere. It lay beside him, watching him while occasionally glancing timidly at the cats and dogs nearby.

The next morning, in Mountain Moving Hall.

It was time for the morning lesson.

"Without yang, nothing can take shape; without yin, nothing can be born. When yin and yang interact, all things reproduce without end..."

Lin Jue still sat on his meditation cushion, reciting the Yin Yang Scripture, which explained the Great Way of Yin Yang. Junior Sister wore the clothes she had arrived in. The fabric looked fine, and they suited her well. She sat on the cushion beside him, listening attentively, though she sat a little closer to Lin Jue than she had the previous morning.

Cats still wandered leisurely across the altar platform. When the mood struck, they might even slap the Patriarch.

The biggest difference from yesterday was that outside Mountain Moving Hall, a little fox cub leaned against the threshold, which was taller than it. It sat obediently, as if waiting for the people inside to come out, and occasionally nodded off.

"This is the Way of Yin and Yang."

Lin Jue finally finished reading and closed the book.

Junior Sister looked at him blankly, seeming to understand but not quite.

"Thank you, Senior Brother..."

"It's only right."

Just then, the Fourth Senior Brother happened to walk past the doorway.

"Junior Brother, are you having your morning lesson here?"

"Fourth Senior Brother."

"Good morning, Fourth Senior Brother!"

"How's it going? Can you recognize all the characters?"

"I can."

Junior Sister only lowered her head and stayed silent.

"Good. Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning will reveal itself. Cultivation is not something to rush; in fact, rushing is the worst thing you can do. Keep reciting the Yin Yang Scripture every day, and you'll eventually gain insight. Even if you don't, memorize it. One day, one of its lines will become a genuine realization for you. That's how the words of sages work."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Thank you, Senior Brother..."

"By the way, I asked my friends nearby to help look last night. There are no newly arrived foxes anywhere within several miles of Floating Hill Peak. I don't know where this little fox came from, but it looks like it might be a bit unusual. You can raise it for now. If you want to learn the 'Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts,' this is a good place to start. If you don't want to raise it, I can do it instead. Plenty of friends bring me all kinds of game every day, and plenty more come asking me for food. One more mouth won't make a difference."

"It and I are fated to meet, so I'll raise it." Lin Jue paused, then took the opportunity to ask, "May I ask, Fourth Senior Brother, what's the benefit of the Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts, and how does one practice it?"

"As the name suggests, the Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts is a way to gather and guide the birds and beasts of the world and communicate with them." The Fourth Senior Brother stopped at the doorway. "There are tricks to it, of course, but the most important thing is to let them feel your kindness. You have to treat them with a heart of goodwill."

"I see."

No wonder the Fourth Senior Brother cared so much about the little fox cub and called the wild beasts of the mountain his friends.

It was just as Lin Jue had expected.

"You should know that the Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts isn't just for wild animals. Once you've mastered it, you can gather and guide any creature whose intelligence hasn't reached the level of Spirits, Monsters, or Deities, whether it's an exotic beast or a demon beast. Besides, even if you meet a demon, as long as it knows you've studied the 'Method of Gathering and Taming Beasts,' it can tell what kind of person you are from your level of attainment. Naturally, it'll feel some goodwill toward you."

The Fourth Senior Brother gave it a glowing endorsement.

"Take your time deciding whether you want to learn it. But remember, when it comes to the arts of the world, quality matters more than quantity. Everyone has a limited amount of time and energy. Choose carefully. Don't get greedy and try to learn too much."

"I'll remember your advice."

"Since you've finished reading the scripture, come eat. I'm on my way to ring the bell for Seventh Junior Brother."

"Okay."

Lin Jue stood up and followed him.

Junior Sister hurried after them too.