52. Junxing Mountain · 2 · Little Fox Hu Xiaoyun

Ascending the mountain path for over a hundred meters, one encounters numerous stone statues of various shapes and sizes on both sides of the road. Most are human-shaped, but there are also many monstrous statues of different sizes and exquisite forms. There is a Ruishan boar carrying a shoulder pole and wearing a straw raincoat, a Jingzhi magpie applying a blue fish stone to a mirror, and a human cultivator holding a magic weapon. All the stone statues are covered with moss and dust, and their gazes, whether slanted or straight, are all directed toward the mountain path in the middle.

So much so that the four of them had the illusion that the stone statues on either side were watching them.

Zhang Benyi rubbed his arms awkwardly. "Am I remembering wrong? These stone statues weren't always facing the middle of the road... Could they come to life?"

"How could that be?" Tang Xichun scoffed. "Coward, what are you afraid of?"

"Come on, I'm not a martial arts major, of course I'm scared!"

Zhang Benyi pulled out the strange compass and said angrily, "Even the compass needle has broken down! It's been spinning around aimlessly ever since we entered Junxing Mountain!"

A mysterious compass?

Tangxi's eyes lit up; how could she have forgotten about this magical artifact!

"Zhang Benyi, bring out the Strange Qi Compass and let me see it."

"Huh? But it's broken..."

Zhang Benyi obediently took out the strange compass and showed it to everyone, saying, "Look, he's gone mad."

Four heads crowded together, and the compass needle spun wildly in the center, unable to pinpoint a specific direction.

Bei Chen suddenly realized what Tang Xi was thinking. "Wait! Zhang Benyi, it can only search for special auras that are 'non-spiritual energy', right?"

Zhang Benyi nodded.

Tang Xi pressed further, "Then, can your eerie compass find the Ghost Fang Wu Di?"

"certainly."

Zhang Benyi nodded affirmatively, "However, there's almost no need to look for him. He's either in the cultivation room dedicated to the Ghost Qi system or in Teacher Qin's office... Wait, weren't you guys in the blessed land with Gui Fang? Where is he?"

"He's at Langji Mountain. I'll take you there later."

Tangxi answered him hastily, her gaze meeting that of Beichen, who seemed lost in thought.

—Is the Weird Compass actually pointing to 'poisonous gas' and 'demonic energy'?

Bei Chen suddenly realized something and murmured, "Then this magical artifact can't be called the Strange Qi Compass, it should be called the Poison Qi Compass... No, it can only find special auras other than spiritual energy!"

"If demonic energy and poisonous gas appear in different directions within the same area, wouldn't this compass become ineffective?"

The danger level of this area under our feet seems to have increased to a new level.

Bei Chen had a strange, ominous feeling.

Zhang Benyi was stunned for a moment. "Beichen, what are you talking about? Have you gone mad too? Eerie energy is eerie energy."

Tang Xichun had already misheard it as "mosquito coil eyes," saying, "It's so annoying, it makes my head spin."

So Beichen recounted everything that had happened since entering the blessed land, from the golden labyrinth to the fragrant graveyard, from the Four Star Emperors to the Nine-Headed Chapter, until his throat was dry. "...But we can't ascend to the Immortal Realm, and we don't know where the Azure Dragon is now, and we want to do something for the Azure Dragon."

"So Tangxi, Lai Junxing, and I went to check on the situation, while Guifang stayed at the Wandering Inn for the time being."

The two were stunned.

Tangxi patted his brother on the shoulder and said, "Your life is truly full of ups and downs and so much color."

"I want to lie down," Tang Xi said weakly.

It felt like once we entered this blessed land, our footsteps never stopped... even though we rested for a few days at the Wandering Inn along the way.

"Even the Four Star Emperors cannot freely enter and leave the Immortal Realm?"

Zhang Benyi was somewhat worried, "What about Teacher Qin? It's such a pity. She was originally a person of the Immortal Realm. She knew that once she went down to the Secret Realm, she couldn't return to the Immortal Realm. So why did she go to the mortal world?"

"She can go down? Why!" Tang Xichun exclaimed in surprise, "Don't you need to queue up and draw lots to return to the human world?"

"I don't know." Zhang Benyi shook his head. "The teacher has her own methods."

Tang Xi couldn't help but ask, "Didn't she consider that she might not be able to come back after going down there?"

“I’ve thought about it,” Zhang Benyi said, taking out his Wind-Listening Ruler and searching through recent chat messages. “So she has a backup plan. Don’t worry, Teacher Qin and I have been keeping in touch. The last time we spoke was the day before yesterday. It seems she unexpectedly found a way to return to the Immortal Realm.”

Tangxi nodded and said, "It's good to stay there; the human world is relatively safe for now."

Bei Chen asked, "Did you teleport in directly?"

"No, we're being teleported outside the territory."

Tang Xichun gave Zhang Benyi a thumbs-up, "But he can reverse the technique."

Bei Chen was in an uproar and said sincerely, "Zhang Benyi, you can even use the Reversal Technique! Your investigation team is full of talented people."

"Besides fighting, I'm also somewhat skilled in other tricks..."

Zhang Benyi paused, his embarrassed smile froze on his face, and he stopped in his tracks.

The other three stopped and turned to look at him.

Bei Chen asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with you?"

A look of horror crossed Zhang Benyi's stiff face as he pointed to a stone statue by the roadside, "That fox statue...it seems to have moved!"

Following the direction Zhang Benyi pointed, there was indeed a stone fox statue by the roadside.

This fox, dressed in an academic gown and with its eyes squinted, is sculpted with remarkable realism. It feels more "alive" than the other stone statues around it, and you can almost feel its fluffy, soft fur. Its large tail is as long as its body and is hidden among the many stone statues. Its hind legs are supporting it on the ground, and it stands at an angle towards the mountain path, mimicking the posture of a human. Its left front paw is raised in front of its body, while its right front paw is pressed against its cheek. The movement is frozen in the moment of washing its face and grooming its fur.

Moreover, if Zhang Benyi hadn't pointed it out, no one would have noticed that this fox statue was different from the other stone statues:

All the stone statues are looking towards the mountain path, except for this fox dressed in an academic gown, whose eyes are closed.

"What are you moving about? You must be too nervous and misread it!"

Tang Xichun was getting impatient with Zhang Benyi's overreaction. She rolled up her sleeves and strode forward, saying, "I'll kick you for you, don't be so paranoid!"

With a "crack," a crack appeared on the stone statue.

Tang Xichun suddenly stopped in her tracks, staring wide-eyed at the fox statue.

"Click-click-click..."

The fox's skin was even more chapped, and it was trembling slightly.

Everyone immediately became extremely vigilant: Tang Xihe raised her arms and lowered her shoulders, her body surrounded by spiritual energy; Bei Chen summoned his mace, layers of silver-green lightning swirling around her; Zhang Benyi was grabbed by the back of the neck by Tang Xichun and forced to retreat.

Seeing this, the fox statue's pupils dilated in shock. Unable to keep up the act any longer, it suddenly knelt down on the ground. This action cracked and shattered the moss and "stone shell" covering its body. Large and small stone shells, along with moss and dust, fell off with a clatter, revealing a body of soft, turquoise-green fur and chocolate-colored, dusty paws underneath.

"Immortal Master, spare me! Immortal Master, I was wrong! I didn't mean to scare you!"

Tang Xichun took a deep breath: "It's really alive!"

The little fox, lying on the ground, was trembling, its voice filled with grievance, and it sounded like it was about to cry.

"I didn't mean to! I smelled human scent, so I used invisibility to secretly follow the two immortals. I'm a fox here alone, and I'm unfamiliar with this place, so I was very scared..."

His cowardly appearance doesn't resemble that of a villain.

Everyone immediately dropped their guard, and Tang Xi asked, "How did you get in?"

"I...I was with my master, but we got separated during the teleportation..."

The little fox secretly glanced up and, finding that the immortals had no intention of ganging up on him, gradually straightened up and honestly confessed while still kneeling.

"Ahem, my name is Hu Xiaoyun. I am a contracted beast. I followed my master back to the secret realm, but for some reason, the formation separated me from my master. This is my first time in Junxing Mountain. The aura here is terrifying. I don't know where my master is..."

The four fell silent, Zhang Benyi clutching his chest to catch his breath. He was terrified; he had thought all the stone statues were alive!

Tang Xi looked at Zhang Benyi and then at her younger sister, keenly sensing something was wrong. "Why are the other groups also having teleportation problems? Who teleported you?"

Zhang Benyi shook his head: "I don't know, it was too chaotic at the time."

Tang Xichun pondered: "A senior who looks a bit eccentric and is dressed in tattered clothes."

Tang Xihe: "..."

Tang Xihe: "Was he holding a small, chipped bowl with two dice inside?"

Zhang Benyi immediately remembered the appearance of the teleporter and clapped his hands excitedly: "Yes! It's him! I remember, when he was teleporting, he had a few words with Xuan Yingxian, and it was Wei Xue who went to mediate! Tang Xichun, your observation skills are really good. In a crowd of people, you can still spot the teleporter at a glance."

Tang Xichun put her hands on her hips and laughed heartily: "It's nothing!"

“Bu Chengzhi…”

Tangxi and Beichen, who had been wrongly teleported and persecuted, silently covered their faces, not wanting to speak.

That scoundrel!

Out of the corner of his eye, Bei Chen noticed the little fox trying to crawl away. He reacted quickly, grabbing the turquoise-colored fox fur and kneeling down in front of the little fox.

"You, uh, Hu Xiaoyun? What's your master's name?"

Hu Xiaoyun was helped to her feet by Bei Chen. Once she started talking about her master, her eyes shone brightly as she said reverently, "My master is a gentleman of impeccable character! He is incredibly learned, incorruptible, gentle and kind, devoted to scholarship, and unconventional..."

Tang Xichun crossed her arms and said coldly, "So what's your master's name?"

Hu Xiaoyun choked, lowered her head, and obediently said, "Extensive knowledge."

"...Ah?" Zhang Benyi was overjoyed but secretly relieved. It turned out that there were other bookworms who had also been sent to the blessed land!

"Guangbo Shi is also in the secret realm? Who is he in a group with? Wait, why did he bring his contracted beast back to the secret realm?"

"Do you know my master?"

Hu Xiaoyun chuckled foolishly, "Actually, I wanted to come back. I have things I need to do... Master was just worried about me, so he came with me."

"Extensive knowledge...extensive knowledge?"

Tang Xihe remembered that he had heard the name before; it belonged to Xuan Yingxian's roommate. Back then, when Tang Xihe was investigating what kind of monster Pipi was, Guang Boshi had enthusiastically exchanged contact information with him.

Tangxi said, "Since we've run into each other, why don't you come with us? It would be even better if you ran into Guangboshi."

Hu Xiaoyun happily performed a grand salute.

"Thank you so much! Thank you, Immortal Master Tang! May you have abundant wealth!"

Tang Xichun glared at him: "Hey! How do you know my brother's last name?"

"Well……"

Hu Xiaoyun scrambled to her feet, nervously fidgeting with her fingers, then knelt down and slowly moved behind Bei Chen, saying, "Xiaoyun... Xiaoyun... I've heard of Immortal Tang..."

That guilty look was really suspicious. Tang Xichun narrowed her eyes, "Confess! What wrong have you done? If you don't tell the truth, I'll peel off your fox skin!"

"Uh no no no no! I'll talk! I'll talk! I'm sorry!"

Unfazed, Hu Xiaoyun immediately confessed: she closed her eyes and raised her front paws in a gesture of surrender: "It was me! I did it! But I really had no other choice! This was the only way to get Immortal Tang's attention!"

Tangxi's heart skipped a beat. Was it coming for me?

"What do you mean? Have you really done something wrong?"

Hu Xiaoyun buried her face in her hands: "It's my fault... I shouldn't have posted things randomly at Immortal Tang's house, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

!!

Tang Xi was shocked: "Did you put that locksmith ad on the dining table?!"

A locksmith ad? Beichen vaguely remembers it.

Not long ago, Gui Fang was furious with Tang Xi and Xiao Fa because of this, and went to wander around the forest in a huff. When he came back, he suddenly said that he had a divine inheritance.

Hu Xiaoyun knelt down again, sobbing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"So it was you!"

Tang Xichun glared at him and said, "You climbed in through the window? Why use a dog hole when there's a door! No, my house has a protective barrier, how did you get in! Why did you put up that advertisement!"

Only Zhang Benyi was oblivious to the situation, looking left and right, piecing together the fragmented conversation.

"I...I don't know! What advertisement? I picked that piece of paper up from the ground...I didn't want to use it! The paper was sticky, it looked really useful..."

Hu Xiaoyun secretly observed everyone's expressions, straightened her back little by little, and honestly confessed.

"I know the art of invisibility. I stole the pills my master used to conceal his presence, and while Immortal Tang was taking that clumsy tortoiseshell rabbit home, I sneaked into Immortal Tang's house..."

"But! But! I really have something to tell Immortal Master Tang! That's why I did this!"

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" Tang Xi asked. "You can still tell me now."

"It's too late, never mind... I already left a message above."

Hu Xiaoyun bit her paw and said aggrievedly, "I... I haven't learned human writing yet, so I left a message on it with my saliva... Immortal Tang, didn't you see it...?"

"With just a slight spell, the saliva will display fox demon script."

"saliva!"

Tang Xi's vision went black, and she collapsed, clutching her head in despair. "From now on, neither you nor Pipi are allowed to step into my house!"