Chapter 726: Fox Gathering

"Come in."

Erqiu and Sanqiu stood in front of the corridor, each holding a pile of rags, watching Gong Mengbi picking rose petals in a bamboo basket.

"What is the Master doing?"

Gong Mengbi said, "If it rains again for two more times, the flowers will die. I thought that instead of letting them wither in the rain, I might as well pick them and make them into fox talismans, which would be a good use of them."

"What is the Fox Talisman?"

"Do you know what a talisman is?"

Erqiu and Sanqiu shook out the rags and wiped the damp wood with them. They replied, "I heard it's a secret text for communicating with ghosts and gods."

"That's not wrong. The Fox Talisman is a secret text used to communicate with foxes."

"To draw a fox talisman, you must invite the Goddess of Mount Tai and the Jade Fairy Goddess as your honored ones, and use the Heavenly Fox Court to cast the spell. However, if you draw the talisman, it is not appropriate to use the name of the Heavenly Fox Court. You can probably only write the name of a fox god or fox fairy you know to be in charge."

Erqiu and Sanqiu pushed the rags to Gong Mengbi's side, one on each side, and asked expectantly, "Can we draw fox talismans too?"

"Have you learned the fox language?"

Erqiu and Sanqiu nodded and said, "I think everyone can recognize it."

Gong Mengbi said: "Then there is no problem."

Second and Third Qiu knelt beside Gong Mengbi and asked, "Can we see how the Master draws the Fox Talisman?"

Gong Mengbi picked out two soft, red petals and drew a fox symbol on each petal with a slender brush tip. He then handed the fox symbol to Erqiu and Sanqiu and said, "That's about it."

Erqiu and Sanqiu took the petals as if they had found a treasure.

Gong Mengbi picked out the withered flowers from the basket, then picked up the bamboo basket and poured it into the drizzle.

"Please, all foxes, come and see me!"

The petals in the bamboo basket were splashed out all at once, but they did not fly along with the force of the splash. Instead, they flew out of the bamboo basket and hung in the air, like a butterfly flapping its scaly wings and dancing in the air.

Under Gong Mengbi's decree, petals spun and Gong Mengbi's fox seal appeared.

Amid the dumbfounded expressions of Erqiu and Sanqiu, the fluttering petals were like a flock of butterflies, floating back to the corridor from the rain and brushing past them.

The wind raised by the flock of butterflies blew Gong Mengbi's robe. The petals were stained with Gong Mengbi's scent and rushed into the rain again, transforming from nimble butterflies into agile swallows, shuttling through the rain like lightning and flying in all directions.

Gong Mengbi put the bamboo basket back on the ground.

Second and Third Hills looked toward the bamboo basket. Only a single petal was stuck on the edge. As they watched, the petal pulled its soft body free from the crack, then, likewise, transformed into a red light and disappeared into the rain.

In just a blink of an eye, except for the faint fragrance of roses lingering in the air, there was no trace of the petals anymore.

"Are these all fox charms?" Sanqiu muttered to himself, feeling dazzled.

Gong Mengbi said, "This is also a fox talisman, but it's different from ordinary fox talismans. I'm issuing the decree in my own name, so it's much simpler."

"The skill of talismans is often not achieved when drawing them, but rather in daily life. You two don't need to delve into them, just a basic understanding will be enough."

"yes!"

Erqiu and Sanqiu put the flower talisman away closely, and deftly used a rag to wipe away the condensed moisture and dust in Gong Mengbi's room.

Whenever these two boys have some free time, they will help out in Fox Courtyard. Today is the first time they have been assigned to clean Gong Mengbi's house.

During the plum rain season, even if the doors and windows are closed, moisture will enter the house and it needs to be cleaned every day, otherwise it will get moldy before the plum rain season ends.

"Where are the five ghosts?"

Five shadows appeared out of nowhere and crawled out from the corner. Erqiu and Sanqiu were startled, and then they realized that these were Gong Mengbi's retainers, and the Fox Court usually called them Mr. Wu.

Gong Mengbi ordered: "Prepare the dojo and gather the foxes at Shouyue Tower in three days."

Erqiu and Sanqiu felt their hearts beating faster and had a hunch that something big was going to happen.

Gong Mengbi looked back at them and said, "You go too."

Three days passed in a flash.

Especially in this gloomy rainy season, there is no sunlight, the days and nights are gloomy, and time has been wasted in a trance.

The Fox Courtyard was empty early in the morning. From the teacher to the fox prisoner, no one was seen.

Gan Rou and Ning Dai were ready to go, carrying their rain gear and quietly walking out of the Fox Courtyard.

But before he could even leave the house, his peers called out to him, "Are you going to Wuhuan Peak?"

Gan Rou turned her head and saw that with the call, all the windows in the fox house opened, revealing fox heads looking at them.

Gan Rou pursed her lips and said, "Yes."

"Wait for us together!"

The fox house suddenly became restless, with bellybands and shorts flying everywhere. In just a moment, all the neatly dressed foxes climbed through the windows or doors and gathered around the two sisters.

Gan Rou said dejectedly, "Who wants to go with you? Can't you just move on your own?"

Two beautiful fox girls placed their arms around Gan Rou's shoulders, one on each side, and said, "Who told you that Junior Sister Gan Rou has been a favorite around the Master lately?"

Ning Dai reached out and pushed, pushing the fox girl off Gan Rou's right shoulder and said, "Senior Sister, you are the senior, you should be leading the team, let Gan Rou go quickly."

The fox girl then hugged Ning Dai in her arms and said, "Don't be so formal."

"I wonder why the Master wants us to go to Wuhuan Peak. Is that his cave?"

Gan Rou became interested and asked, "Is Master's cave on Wuhuan Peak in Longpan Mountain?"

The fox girl said, "That's right. Master Kang and his companions used to go there often, and we only heard about it from hearsay."

A few fox girls led the way in front, and as they left the Fox Courtyard, fine rain began to fall again.

"What annoying weather." The fox girl opened her umbrella and said, "Be careful, don't fall."

Rows of foxes, some holding umbrellas and some wearing straw raincoats, turned into slender gray shadows in the misty rain and headed towards Longpan Mountain.

In the distance, you can faintly hear the howling of foxes.

If there was someone who could understand fox language, perhaps they could hear their more detailed conversations, or even their complaints.

"Why are you two weasels here too? Is this a fox gathering?"

"The Master asked us to come."

"Ah, that's amazing! It was specially authorized by the Master."

It is still a long way from Huziyuan to Longpan Mountain. Because of its location, Huziyuan is not far from the county town.

A row of foxes walked in the rain, and the water flowing on the road reflected the foxes' shadows.

Sister Fox warned, "If you encounter pedestrians or go to a village, you must conceal your body. Do not bump into pedestrians, and do not deliberately scare people."

A fox poked its head out from the back of the group and said, "Senior Sister, I don't know the art of shadow formation yet."

Senior Sister Fox said, "It's hard to tell if you're not falling behind. If you really can't hide it, that's fine, just stay calm."

"In Wuning County, being seen is not a big deal."