The Dangerous Fox Hunt

Chapter 10: Dangerous Fox Hunting

If one were an expert at raising horses in the Great Gan Dynasty, they would recognize these as the "Fire Cloud Horses" from the foreign Huoluo Kingdom. They were named for their dark red coats, which looked like clouds of fire when they ran. Having lived in the valley for several days, Hong Yi had learned that this group of foxes had completely abandoned the savage life of eating raw meat and blood. They not only read and wrote, but also learned human speech, farming, cooking, used oil and salt, slept on beds made in the caves, and cleaned and bathed daily, keeping everything spotless. Over these three days, Hong Yi had pored over the classics, gaining an understanding of the supernatural matters that scholars usually left aside as being "beyond the six directions." On the other side, the three little white foxes, Xiao Shu, Xiao Sang, and Xiao Fei, were busy around a large clay pot, from which the scent of chicken wafted. Before this, a practitioner had to rely on fists and kicks for self-preservation. West Mountain. Woof, woof, woof... For the past few days, Hong Yi had been living in this valley deep within West Mountain, playing with tens of thousands of volumes of books, feeling as though he could forget all the troubles of the world. Moreover, Hong Yi understood that the "Martial Classic" compiled by the Great Gan Dynasty likely contained many inaccuracies. Clearly, these people were elite guards raised by noble households. However, wandering during the day was far more dangerous than at night. Hong Yi was sitting in front of the stone chamber, studying and pondering the "Martial Classic." Although Elder Tu, that old fox, was inside the stone chamber, he remained motionless, clearly having sent his spirit out to wander. This group of foxes knew no martial arts; martial arts were a cultivation of the human body, and with their fox bodies, they could not practice them. "According to news from the palace eunuchs, the Emperor once asked his consorts what was the greatest thing in the world. None of the consorts gave a satisfactory answer, but Consort Yuan said that 'reason' was the greatest. The Emperor was greatly pleased and promoted her to Imperial Noble Consort."... The sunlight was fierce; ordinary spirits could not withstand the baptism of daylight, which was essentially death upon exposure. These people were clearly high-ranking nobles with great wealth. This was also the reason why ghosts and spirits generally did not appear in broad daylight. Once a spirit became strong enough to wander by day, it would grow further and be able to manipulate objects. At such a stage, a practitioner could drive a sword to assassinate, much like shooting a crossbow. With this, one could protect oneself... because several large copper basins of charcoal were burning. As Hong Yi read, he closed the "Martial Classic," a sense of loss welling up in his heart. There were several fist-sized holes on both sides of the stone chamber, seemingly carved by hand. They were carved ingeniously, allowing light to enter and providing ventilation without letting in a draft. This woman was a princess from the Prince Rong household in Yujing, granted the title of Princess Yongchun by the Emperor. Night wandering also had many limitations; for instance, one could only start on pitch-black, windless nights, and only after the spirit grew stronger step by step could one gradually wander in moonlight and night breezes. "Have you found the Pure Fox den?" Although practicing martial arts was not a simple matter, Hong Yi did not intend to learn profound techniques; he simply wanted to strengthen his body, taking it one step at a time. "Princess, news came from the palace the day before yesterday. I don't know why Consort Yuan was promoted to Imperial Noble Consort." Amidst the chaotic snow, a group of people entered the mountains, riding horses, carrying hunting dogs, bearing bows, and wearing luxurious fur cloaks. Through his reading and pondering over the past few days, he had roughly grasped some principles of martial arts. "Taking the imperial examinations, gaining fame, achieving military merit, and earning a title. These are all things that must be done step by step. In any case, I must first make my body strong and change my state of being as weak as a chicken." "Was the library of the Great Zen Temple emptied by you? With so many books, how did you bring them out?" The snow was extremely heavy, covering the sky like goose feathers and cotton wool, falling in clumps and cakes. It was freezing outside, enough to turn dripping water into ice, but the stone chamber where the foxes lived in the secluded valley was warm. Now, four men and women had come out to hunt, bringing over a dozen mastiffs, showing their determination to secure their prey. These were "mastiffs," and three or four of them could tear a tiger apart! In the Marquis's mansion, he had no opportunity to practice martial arts. Now, here, he finally had the chance. Hong Yi made up his mind to start practicing. The Great Gan Dynasty was founded on martial arts and governed by literature; one could become an official through literature and earn a title through martial arts. Both were indispensable for Hong Yi, who needed to win a status for his mother. Yang Tong, the heir of Prince Cheng, flicked his hand toward his horse, and a longbow was in his grasp. The collection of books in the valley's stone chamber was richer than that of any wealthy noble family; apart from the Imperial Palace's library, there was almost nothing that could compare. Poor Hong Yi had been reading for over a decade, borrowing and copying books, so how could he have ever encountered such a situation? He had a whole room of books to read as he pleased. Hong Yi had read the "Daoist Classic" for three days, gaining an understanding of immortality cultivation up to the level of manipulating objects. As for the later stages of manifestation, possession, soul-snatching, lightning tribulation, and the Yang God, the "Daoist Classic" contained no records. The first heavy snow of the sixty years of the Great Gan Dynasty finally descended in full force. There was another pair of man and woman who appeared even more noble and graceful. Both were draped in pure white fox fur cloaks; when snow fell on them, a light shake caused it to roll off automatically, like water on a lotus leaf. "Pure Foxes have spirituality, and they might even have some tricks up their sleeves. But this time, they still won't escape our grasp. These mastiffs have the ability to see through ghosts and spirits." However, these horses were also extremely swift when running and had great endurance, capable of carrying a rider a thousand miles a day. Furthermore, they were spiritually connected to humans, never abandoning their masters. They were treasures that wealthy nobles, marquises, and counts would spend thousands of gold pieces to obtain. They were stewing chicken. This was Yang Tong, the heir of Prince Cheng. However, the records within contained many who practiced immortality but never reached the level of spirit manipulation in their entire lives. Princess Yongchun answered Jing Yuxing's question. These hunting dogs were each the size of a calf, with sharp teeth and fierce expressions, looking like lions. After reading for three days, he had finally classified a small half of the books. Taking advantage of a break, Hong Yi sent his spirit out of his body to chat with the three little white foxes. The chicken was a fine mountain pheasant that had eaten pine nuts and fruits in the mountains; the stewed aroma carried the light fragrance of pine nuts. Moreover, cultivating immortality and martial arts were closely related. Hong Yi had read the "Daoist Classic" for three days and knew that the hand seals and movements before sending the spirit out were not useless; they were complex methods for tempering the physical body and breathing. They were also used for physical training. "Heaven granted foxes luxurious fur but did not grant them the means to protect themselves. Sigh, but fortunately, Xiao Sang, Xiao Shu, and Xiao Fei have some means of self-preservation, unlike me, who is as weak as a chicken. I must practice martial arts. Sending the spirit out and reaching the level of object manipulation is definitely not something that can be achieved overnight. According to the "Daoist Classic," practitioners without a deep foundation, or those lacking profound methods for tempering the spirit, might never reach the level of object manipulation in their entire lives." Just then, the dozen hunting dogs running in front began to bark violently. At the same time, as they barked, their bodies arched, and their fur stood straight up like porcupines. Xiao Shu was very sad when mentioning her parents. The three little white foxes, Xiao Sang, Xiao Shu, and Xiao Fei, chatted happily with Hong Yi, calling him "brother" every day, more intimate than real siblings. The simplicity and innocence of the foxes deeply touched Hong Yi's heart. When the spirit could wander during the day and not fear the sunlight, it had already reached a certain level of strength. "There are several methods for initially exercising muscles and bones in the 'Martial Classic'; I should find time to practice them. If I can make my body strong, my spirit can stay out longer." Practicing martial arts was not an easy task; first of all, there were many requirements regarding diet. That was not all; the human body's structure was complex and delicate, and a slight oversight could lead to disaster. For the first step of refining the flesh, the "Martial Classic" recorded nearly a hundred techniques and dozens of martial arts, and one did not know which was superior or inferior, or if practicing them would lead to deformity. The stone chamber was stocked with grain, oil, salt, firewood, rice, and seasonings like soy sauce and vinegar. There was no fear of being snowed in. These horses did not eat grass; they were fed soybeans mixed with eggs at every meal, and the requirements were numerous. In the Great Gan Dynasty, each such horse had to be equipped with three or four grooms to care for it day and night; it was simply not something an ordinary person could afford. On such a snowy day, this old fox, who had practiced quite deeply, was about to go out on patrol, partly to guard against hunters coming to trap them in the snow, and partly to exercise the power of his spirit. This was the wild chicken the foxes had caught in the mountains during the snowfall, saying it was to add a meal for Hong Yi. After the spirit leaves the body, the next step is to go far away from the body to wander. Hong Yi knew he was still young and had enough time. After wandering at night, the next step was day wandering. This old fox had already reached the level of day wandering. And that man was very tall, with a high nose bridge and eagle-like eyes; although he did not have the grace of Jing Yuxing, he possessed an intimidating aura. "The Great Zen Temple has plenty of books; we only brought out a small half. I heard this from my parents, but they were captured on the way while moving from Central Province." "It seems that the path of martial arts is truly difficult to enter. No wonder the Great Gan Dynasty cancelled the archery and horsemanship in the imperial examinations. How would ordinary people have the chance to practice? I'll wait for Consort Yuan to appear and ask her for details; a scholar should not be ashamed to ask questions." Moreover, the stronger the body, the longer the spirit could stay out. For someone like Hong Yi, if his spirit stayed out too long, his body would gradually weaken. If it stayed out for a day or two, the body would die of thirst or hunger, or at the very least, fall into a serious illness. Wandering outside during the day was like swimming in the sea when a storm was coming. He could now calm his mind and send his spirit out, but that was only the initial stage of cultivation, not even considered having entered the hall. It was like someone who had left the boat to enter the water, gradually becoming familiar with the water's nature. Among these four people, one was a youth, the "Duke of Xiaoli," Jing Yuxing. Another woman was Hong Xuejiao. Among these horses, the smallest was over a zhang long and eight feet tall, puffing out thick white steam in the wind and snow, their eyes open against the gale, showing no fear or cold. The strong, powerful horse bodies, slender hooves, and coats without a single stray color, shining brightly, all showed that these horses were not of an ordinary breed. However, in such weather, the deep mountains and secluded valleys had a unique, quiet atmosphere. It was most suitable for reading, writing, and studying. "Moving a den of foxes from Central Province to Yujing is a journey of thousands of miles; the dangers encountered on the road are not few, especially since Xiao Sang, Xiao Shu, and Xiao Fei are Pure Foxes. Their fur has no stray colors; such foxes, even just for their pelts, are worth a hundred gold pieces." At the other end of the stone chamber were several smaller rooms, where some foxes were lazily lying on the ground sleeping, looking idle. The group entering the mountains consisted of two men and two women on horseback, followed by several people dressed in thin clothing who showed no fear of the cold. These people had cold, arrogant eyes and moved like the wind, following the horses without falling behind. Thinking it over, Hong Yi decided not to practice randomly. A "white-haired wind" had begun to blow in the West Mountain of Yujing, and the weather was terrifyingly cold. Pure white fox fur was extremely valuable on the market. This could be seen from the horses they rode. "Practicing martial arts is very difficult, with so many taboos. Without a teacher's guidance, exploring on one's own easily leads to mistakes." Hong Yi was, of course, clear about this. Although it was a den of foxes, there was no fishy or foul smell, and it did not affect Hong Yi's reading. A cotton curtain hung at the entrance of the stone chamber to block the cold wind. There were ten levels of spirit cultivation: Calming the Mind, Leaving the Body, Night Wandering, Day Wandering, Object Manipulation, Manifestation, Possession, Soul-snatching, Lightning Tribulation, and Yang God. Hong Yi also roughly knew some clues about them.