Chapter 77 Chapter 77 Double Update in One

Why is Mr. Fang suddenly so anxious?

Because the left-behind stinky orchid was exposed!

Chou Lan did not follow Lin Xinghuo to the capital from the beginning. Instead, when Tuman was ready to start refining himself, he specially asked this old rival who had the highest cultivation level except him to come out of seclusion and go to the capital to take care of Lin Xinghuo.

At that time, Qingji's cart was not able to carry anything other than fish. The little man, who was not even as tall as his arm, could only let Choulan wrap around himself, and only in this way could he bring Choulan, which had rolled into a ball of seaweed, to the small courtyard.

It was precisely because of Chou Lan's help that Lin Xinghuo dared to leave so easily ten days ago.

Before leaving, Lin Xinghuo placed the pot of the orchid in Fang Tongjian's study. On the west wall of his study stood a large walnut and ash wood treasure rack, presumably built specifically for the room, fitting snugly into the ceiling. It was unknown how it had gotten into the room when it was originally placed, but perhaps for this reason, the treasures in the racks were gone, but the rack itself remained. Lin Xinghuo, dismayed by its bareness, filled it with various items: wooden foxes and cats she had carved, charming little wicker trifles she'd found somewhere, and small baskets and wooden vases filled with flowers and herbs she'd picked from outside. The orchid had originally been placed on this rack, in the compartment closest to Fang Tongjian's desk by the south window.

As a result, when the Golden Crow Stone fell from the sky that day, Chou Lan, who was so far away, could actually sense it.

Choulan can make some sounds, and at that time it uncontrollably made the usual "ying" sound of a fox cub.

But Fang Tongjian, who was writing at his desk, was startled. He had previously disdained this pot of grass, which looked like a wild orchid. It lacked the delicate elegance of a famous orchid, nor the unadorned elegance of a secluded orchid. Its leaves were overgrown and tangled, like a bunch of leeks scrambled together to form a potted plant. The old man had even made a note on the back of his manuscript, reminding himself to cultivate his apprentice's aesthetic taste when he returned. The other items on the shelf could be appreciated for their wild charm, but this pot of weeds, even its ugliness, was enough to lift his spirits. But Fang Tongjian, doting on his young protégé, had grown fond of the stinking orchid after spending half an evening looking at it. He even drew a picture of it and pasted it on the pot. The old man also thought the pot was too small; he felt the grass was squeezing him just looking at it. He would repot it when the sun was better, and then tidy it up and trim it. With his attention, he was sure to give his young apprentice a pleasant surprise.

But does this weed cry out? And its branches suddenly grow so tall that they fill half the study?

Fortunately, Fang Tongjian came from a family of scholars and was a talented researcher of historical relics. In the early years of the capital, there were many tricks among all kinds of people, such as snakes appearing in empty bowls, nectar from Emperor Wu of Han, taking objects from the air, and turning beans into soldiers... He had seen all of them as the young master Fang at that time, and he had also experienced many things like spirit writing, fox spirits, and divine divination that even he could not tell were true or false.

Because he had seen so much, the old man, who was once a folklorist, calmed down immediately when the stinking orchid couldn't control its nature and fluttered its leaves. He grabbed the stinking orchid that was rustling outwards and pretended to be confused to cover up the orchid's voice.

After all, Jing City is far away from Feng Province, so Choulan calmed down after a while of going crazy. Fortunately, it liked the human who drew pictures for it very much, and it had developed a habit at Lin Xinghuo's house. Even when it couldn't control itself, it didn't release the stench, otherwise everyone in the alley would be suffocated, and the matter would become a big deal.

Fang Tongjian looked at the pot of grass that could grow and shrink, and once again deeply realized that his little apprentice was really not an ordinary person.

After the orchid was exposed, the old man, far from being afraid, enthusiastically began studying it. The orchid was surprisingly cooperative, and in just half an evening, the man and the plant had adapted to a unique mode of communication. This involved Fang Tongjian asking all sorts of bizarre questions, and the orchid would raise its precious emerald silver leaf to indicate "yes," "no," and "I don't understand."

Fang Tongjian's embellished painting, with a few orchids added, truly touched Chou Lan's heart. While guarding her beloved little lotus at Lin Xinghuo's house, Chou Lan had tried countless times to bloom a true flower for Jing Lian. But the only flower she bloomed during her advancement was a cyan one. What's the difference between a cyan flower and one formed by its leaves? Furthermore, the flower was thin and crude, not as beautiful as the ones she'd created with her leaves—and certainly not as lively and lovely as the ones Fang Tongjian had drawn! Thus, this old human suddenly became third in Chou Lan's heart, with only her beloved Ling Lian and her oldest acquaintance, Chou Pan, taking precedence.

With Chou Lan's cooperation, Fang Tongjian quickly figured out why it suddenly lost control. The direction Chou Lan pointed was exactly the direction his young apprentice was heading back to Buxiantun.

Fang Tongjian couldn't help but worry. The old man thought that something had happened to Lin Xinghuo, the owner of the stinky orchid.

In particular, three days after Lin Xinghuo's departure, the day after Chou Lan was discovered, a research institute staffer visited the Fang family, inquiring about the whereabouts of the "Falling Star Stone" formerly in their collection, hoping to compare it with the newly discovered stone from Feng Province. Falling Star Stones are meteorites. Fang Tongjian's grandfather, a man of many interests and a scholar of bronze and stone, witnessed a meteorite fall while serving as an official in Shu, and his fascination with them grew. Even after his grandfather's death and his father's assumption of power, Falling Star Stones remained a valuable gift for those seeking to curry favor with the Fang family...

Fang Tongjian, upon learning of the meteor shower in Feng City, Fengtian Province, grew even more anxious about the timing of Chou Lan's exposure. Especially since the researchers from the research institute excitedly claimed that this meteor shower, said to be the largest in a century, had surprisingly caused no casualties, not even a single human or animal, and not even a single house was damaged. The old man's heart leaped into his throat, suspecting his young apprentice must have done something.

The old man was terribly anxious. After all, how could human power defy the will of Heaven? Even the child's abilities were unmatched, and they couldn't withstand the might of Heaven! Hearing these words, "A massive fireball like the sun falling," and "Feng City's preliminary estimate over the phone is that the scattered fire covers five or six communes, a scale unprecedented in the world"... After sending the man away with a sullen face, the old man immediately wanted to send a telegram to He Qing and others in Song County, asking them to help confirm Lin Xinghuo's safety. After his request was rejected, the old man didn't care that a phone call would reveal too much information, and simply insisted on going to the alley entrance to make a call.

It was only because Chou Lan was still alive and well, and Fang Tongjian didn't know that Chou Lan had no direct relationship with Lin Xinghuo, that the old man reluctantly waited for a few more days. However, he couldn't eat or sleep, like a powder keg ready to explode at the slightest provocation. Unless his young apprentice returned, anyone who came to his door in the next two days would be in trouble.

The middle-aged man guarding the door had seen how Lin Qiyun, a very capable person in their unit, was driven out by the old man with his tongue. Well, Lin Qiyun, such a good-tempered man, almost lost his smile.

Now... the middle-aged man kept clicking his tongue in his heart. No wonder the old man was so angry! He glanced at Wu Nian's letter of introduction, and then looked him up and down. Such a handsome young man turned out to be a country bumpkin from the mountains.

"If he wasn't so decent looking, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to fool a young girl." The middle-aged man thought to himself, "So, Lin Zhiqing said he was going to a relative's house in the suburbs just to pick up this kid. He's quite smart, having someone move all their belongings here to seek refuge with him."

He looked at the things on the cart and the cow, and asked in surprise, "How did you get all this?" It's such a long way away, I heard it would take several days and nights to get there by train.

Wu Nian smiled and pointed to his letter of introduction: "I came with the transport team." His identity on the letter of introduction was a salesperson from Buxiantun, and this time they did help to bring back a batch of Buxianshan pine wine.

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow. That's true. The Snow Province transport team is quite famous, known for their daring spirit. They take orders from the northernmost snow country to the southern water towns, and have even been praised in the newspapers. The young man's relationship with the transport team warmed up a lot. These days, transport teams can get anything they want. They're so rich!

Besides, coming from an unheard-of mountain village in Selangor to Beijing, they wouldn't just be familiar with the transport team on one line, especially with so much stuff they brought, which would take up at least half of their train car, right? Thinking about it this way, their relationship was quite close.

"It's been such a long journey, it must have been a lot of hassle, right?" The middle-aged man pulled a pack of Daqianmen from his pocket, took out a cigarette and offered it to Wu Nian. "Working on the transport team isn't easy, especially with live animals. Several groups of sheep were transporting from Xiguan downstairs to our street, and half of them ran away!" They didn't run away, they were robbed. The person guarding the sheep in the back of the car was injured! You... didn't you encounter any road bullies? How could you actually get a cow from Snow Province here?

"That was really a lot of trouble. We changed seven or eight car teams and traveled for more than half a month." Wu Nian took the cigarette but didn't smoke it. He smiled and said, "But this cow was not brought from home. It was given by relatives here. It was an exchange between the two production brigades. The amount of goods our village sent to Beijing this time was too large, and the street could not accept it. We could only borrow the warehouse of the brigade here to store it. This cow will be used to transport goods in the future." He did bring a lot of goods to Bushan Village, and they were all placed in Xinghuo's storage bag and Qingji's cart.

Indeed, Qingji's cart could finally carry other things. Though it still carried very little, spirit beasts and monsters could now ride in it. It only took half a day to get from Buxiantun to Jingshi. This was one of the reasons Lin Xinghuo was determined to "make a big splash" in Jingshi. Once she had established a presence in Jingshi, the spirit beasts would be able to travel back and forth between the two places at will. She could also regularly look after the Nanshan Pass, which served as a granary for the entire family.

The middle-aged man's smile widened, the slight contempt for the country folk in his eyes completely disappearing. He first shouted to Fang Tongjian, who had dragged Lin Xinghuo into the courtyard to speak, "Old Fang, you have a distinguished guest. If you don't welcome him, I'll send him back home!" This young man is so good at getting along, no wonder he's dressed so well. Listen! Not only does he have a background in the transport team, he also has relatives here. The ability to trade the production team's cattle for hauling goods is something that most people can do, and these relatives are probably very close.

Old Ma looked down on country folk, but that didn't include the rural villages outside the "Four Old Cities." Those villages were incredibly powerful, and people like him couldn't even begin to reach them. Look at how Old Meng, the postman on the street ahead, lived so comfortably. It wasn't his salary or the few coupons his company gave him, but rather his brother, an accountant for a brigade on the outskirts of town. The two brothers could easily make a killing by trading their wares, and the profit margins were enough to make anyone drool.

Where can you find a young man who can get supplies like this and get along well? If all the girls in his family were married, he really wants to bring him back to be his son-in-law. What's there to be afraid of with a child? Look at this little quilt, it's at most two years old, and he can be raised well.

Hearing his call, Mr. Fang opened the door with a sullen face and glanced at Wu Nian, who hurriedly carried the tightly wrapped small bag into the courtyard as if he had received an imperial decree. Fang Tongjian snorted coldly, reached out to close the door, and said, "Alright, alright, lock the door. No one is going out of my house today."

This old Fang! You are not allowed to go out even if you want to!

Seeing the pile of stuff piled up halfway across the yard before the trucks were even unloaded, the middle-aged man really wanted to see what goodies were inside. They did have the right to inspect the items entering and leaving the yard, but he was just too lazy to do it himself and wanted to wait until Lin Xinghuo and the others had finished unloading and spread out the items before checking. Now, Old Matt, with great foresight, pulled the gate shut for Fang Tongjian, locking it as he said, "Don't worry, I'll take the key with me. I'll make sure no one disturbs me."

He also said to the young comrade on guard, "If anyone wants to visit, tell them Comrade Fang is here to deliver his manuscript. This is a political assignment and cannot be interrupted!"

Only after nodding through the crack in the door to Wu Nian, who was standing calmly behind Fang Tongjian waiting for instructions, did Old Ma leave reluctantly.

Fang Tongjian turned around and looked up to see his little apprentice coming out with her headscarf. He waved his hand absentmindedly and said, "Come inside, let's talk."

Lin Xinghuo and Fang Tongjian had been talking in the house, and they had used a talisman to avoid being overheard, so Wu Nian had no idea what they were talking about. But just now, he wasn't even allowed into the courtyard, yet now he was free to enter the house. Wu Nian felt that Xinghuo might have revealed some of his secrets to the old man.

It was indeed a reveal. This was the quickest way. Besides, they would have to live under the same roof for at least a few months, so Lin Xinghuo couldn't keep it a secret from the old man, and there was no guarantee he would be able to keep it a secret.

So when the old man quickly threw a lot of questions at him about Chou Lan, Luo Xing Yu... and what was going on with Wu Nian outside, Lin Xinghuo pulled off his headscarf and showed Master Fang his black fox ears hidden in his hair.

The fox ears weren't big, but anyone with a decent eye could tell they weren't fake. They moved. When the little apprentice was nervous, the two fox ears on her head would twitch. Fang Tongjian almost wanted to pinch them, but thinking of his apprentice's gender, he held back. Instead, he patted her shoulder, took a deep breath, and watched the furry ears suddenly stand up again.

"So, what's in here?" The three of them sat down, and the old man first asked about the small blanket that Wu Nian had been holding tightly in his arms. Fang Tongjian remembered that there were a few little fox cubs around his apprentice who were particularly human-like. Could it be that he was afraid of being questioned, so he wrapped the fox cubs in the small blanket and brought them here?

Old Fang was a man of profound knowledge, and after the incident with Chou Lan, he had spent the past few days reciting and reciting the books he had read about strange things. There were many accounts of fox girls in these books, especially Ji Yun's "Notes from the Yuewei Thatched Cottage" from the Qing Dynasty, which contained many traces of fox spirits in its strange stories. Fang Tongjian immediately recognized his young disciple's animal ears as fox ears. His thoughts raced, and he had already determined that the fox cubs were his disciple's relatives.

It was indeed Lin Beiguo in the blanket, and Lin Beiguo did look like a fox. She was wrapped in the blanket to attract attention, so that there would be no difficulty explaining if a child suddenly appeared in the future.

Wu Nian didn't know why he suddenly became so cautious, as if this old man was really Xinghuo's grandfather, but in front of Fang Tongjian he couldn't help but want to behave well.

Moreover, the fearless uncle actually felt a little guilty and nervous when the old man glared at him just now.

"It's Fox..." Hearing Fang Tongjian's question, Wu Nian moved closer obediently and reached out to open the lid of the small quilt to show him.

"Woo!" The blanket in his hand suddenly sank, and Wu Nian's smile froze on his face. Fang Tongjian's face was facing a round and cute little face. The little baby was holding his chubby fingers in his mouth and looking at him timidly.

Fang Tongjian looked at the little girl, then suddenly looked at his apprentice in disbelief. He frowned and glanced at Wu Nian who was holding the little baby, then covered his chest and asked, "What's going on?"

Lin Xinghuo hurried to explain.

But could Fang Tongjian be trusted? The old man pointed at the child in anger, trying to lower his voice and said, "Is this the biggest fox cub next to you? How come he looks 60% like you and 30% like this guy!" In fact, it's not just a resemblance. The child's demeanor is 80% similar to this man who appeared out of nowhere! Especially this man, who pretended to be so scared and worried. How could he have had the heart to kidnap her before?

The old man pointed at Wu Nian with his finger almost poking into his eyes.

It only takes two months for a fox to give birth! Fang Tongjian was heartbroken, blaming himself for being so short-sighted that he hadn't discovered earlier that his disciple was a fox girl. From Buxian Village to Jingshi, his good disciple had been deceived and taken away right under his nose!

Lin Xinghuo and Wu Nian really didn't realize that Lin Beiguo's transformed appearance looked like them. Now the two young men stared at Hu Da closely, and they really saw some similarities between her and them on her face.

"Like you," Lin Xinghuo said, "but not like me?"

Wu Nian lifted the child a little higher and said with a smile, "You will know when you hold Fox Da in your arms and stand in front of the water mirror to look at yourself." It really looked like sparks. Fox Da had quite good taste.

Fang Tongjian coughed heavily, and Lin Xinghuo patted him on the back and said with a smile, "It's really not what you think."

She did not mention that Wu Nian was the caracal, but first revealed some of her identity as the daughter of a human-fox. She was indeed a human before, and now she cannot turn into a fox. The fox ears on her head can be retracted after a while.

After Lin Xinghuo's brief explanation, Fox Big finally found the secret to transforming and turned into a fox. At the same time, Fox Two and Fox Three, who were sleeping in Lin Xinghuo's bag, were summoned by their eldest sister and crawled out to join Fox Big.

Fang Tongjian looked again and again, confirming that these three were indeed the little foxes his young apprentice had raised for several years, and his expression brightened. The old man frowned and taught Lin Xinghuo, "Whether they are human or fox, you must be extremely cautious when it comes to marriage!" He glanced at Wu Nian and asked who he was and why he brought them here.

The caracal's transformation was Wu Nian's own secret, and Lin Xinghuo wouldn't reveal it without permission. However, he also had to give Master Fang a heads-up for the future: "He has demon blood just like me."

"Yeah, a bit of a family relationship."

Fang Tongjian looked at Wu Nian critically and reluctantly agreed with this statement.

However, the old man's wild imagination was beyond the reach of a dull cultivator like Lin Xinghuo. He quickly launched into a discussion of mythological events like the creation of the universe and Nuwa's creation of humans, before arriving at a particularly intriguing conclusion: "...So, perhaps everyone has demon blood hidden within them! Perhaps because there's so much of a mix, one particular branch is too weak? So, it can't display certain characteristics like you do?"

"That's right, there are many legends about gods and immortals among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors... and there are countless unofficial stories about saints who were born from dreams of snakes and dragons... and there's also the 'Notes from the Yuewei Thatched Cottage' that Ji Yun is said to have heard and even experienced firsthand, so perhaps some of it is true." The old man was particularly excited. He thought of the musk deer with earrings that his apprentice had specifically asked him to see. Could that also be a musk deer demon? Musk demons... Xian Chao, Zhi Qiong! That's Fang Hui, who can live a long life if he sees it!

Fang Tongjian, with his old arms and legs, ran as fast as he could, picked up Chou Lan from the study, and asked bluntly, "Is this Zhu Yu grass?"

If this is really Zhu Yucao, then that musk deer must be the legendary Fang Hui!

Lin Xinghuo, who hadn't been able to keep up with the old man's thinking of overtaking on the curve, stared blankly at his extremely excited master: "What is Zhu Yu Grass?"

Fang Tongjian said, "'There's a grass that looks like a leek but is green and shiny. Eating it will keep you from feeling hungry.' 'It grows on Zhaoyao Mountain, the summit of Que Mountain above the Western Sea!' It's the Zhuyu grass from the Classic of Mountains and Seas that 'keeps you from feeling hungry!'"

Lin Xinghuo and Wu Nian looked at the stinking orchid. It did look like a leek and it did have green flowers. So, the stinking orchid was not an orchid grass, but a Zhuyu grass?!

As soon as the stinky orchid saw Lin Xinghuo, its leek-like leaves began to flutter and it kept chirping.

Only Wu Nian could understand its whimpering cries. He pulled a watermelon-sized Golden Crow Stone from Lin Xinghuo's storage bag and stuffed it into the scattered leaves of the stinking orchid. It was a little late, but this Golden Crow Stone was one of the five largest they had found. The caracal, always concerned about its old rival who had missed out on the opportunity, had chosen the roundest and most beautiful stone for the stinking orchid after Lin Xinghuo had sent the large and small stones to the old fairy at Buxian Temple. If time hadn't been tight, Wu Nian would have engraved a picture of a spiritual lotus emerging from the water on it, modeled after Jinglian...

Chou Lan hugged the Golden Crow Stone, extending its precious silver-green leaves to touch Wu Nian's hand. Suddenly, as if recognizing him, it wrapped all its leaves around him, its whimpering growing louder. The leaf kept changing shape, sometimes curling into a flower, sometimes pointing out the door, sometimes forming a trumpet. Lin Xinghuo gestured with his eyes, asking Chou Lan what she was doing.

Wu Nian shook his head. Chou Lan missed Jing Lian and wanted to go home. She even threatened to release a bad smell if he didn't take it home!

But the stinky orchid turned out to be Zhuyu grass? The kind of Zhuyu grass that could be used as spiritual food?

But why does it stink so much? Lin Xinghuo and Wu Nian thought at the same time.

Lin Xinghuo did ask this: "But it can emit a bad smell, a very bad smell." No matter how thin or mixed the blood of other monsters is, at least they don't have any abilities other than blood.

Fang Tongjian disagreed and said as a matter of course: "If we are considered as food by others, then we will evolve some new abilities from generation to generation. It's right that we are smelly! No one dares to eat us because we are smelly."

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The author has something to say: Note:

Zhuyu Grass: "Classic of Mountains and Seas" "The first mountain in the Southern Mountains is called Que Mountain. Its top is called Zhaoyao Mountain (Zhaoyao Mountain), which overlooks the West Sea. It is rich in laurel and gold and jade. There is a grass there, which looks like leek but with green flowers. Its name is Zhuyu. If you eat it, you will not feel hungry." Zhuyu is a kind of grass that grows on Zhaoyao Mountain. It looks like leek with small green flowers. If you eat this grass, you will not feel hungry.

From Flowers in the Mirror: "I saw this grass, which looked like leeks, with tender stems and a few green flowers. I put it in my mouth and nodded, saying, 'This grass has a delicate fragrance and is quite delicious. May I ask, Jiu Gong, what is its name? If I get hungry while traveling in the mountains, I can eat it." Tang Ao said, "I have heard that there is a grass on Que Mountain overseas with green flowers like leeks, called 'Zhu Yu', which can relieve hunger. I think this is it."

"Yuewei Caotang Notes" is a collection of classical Chinese strange stories written by the Qing Dynasty writer Ji Yun in his later years. The work primarily depicts foxes, ghosts, gods, and spirits, karma, and the principles of exhorting good and punishing evil, as well as popular folk tales and personal anecdotes. It is considered one of the "twin gems" of Qing Dynasty strange story notes, along with "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio." The notes depict numerous fox women, and Ji Yun believed that "human beings are different, and foxes exist between them; the living and the dead are different, and foxes exist between them; immortals and demons are different, and foxes exist between them. Therefore, encountering foxes can be considered strange, but it can also be considered common."

Xian Chao and Zhi Qiong: From the Three Kingdoms book "Gezhi Jingyuan", Xian Chao encountered a thing that looked like a musk deer on Mount Tai, but had a woman's head, a bun, and hairpins and earrings. He went back and told Zhi Qiong, who said that this thing appeared once every five hundred years, and anyone who saw it would live a long life.