Chapter 69 Overcoming Tribulation and Repaying Kindness
"Chief! I've survived the tribulation!"
Little White sidled up to the clan leader, nuzzled him gently, and looked on with excitement.
As he spoke, he turned to show the chieftain the nine fluffy tails behind him: "Chieftain, look, I have nine tails now!"
The clan leader's hands trembled as she reached out to touch it. When she touched the tail, she realized she wasn't hallucinating, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.
"It's true! Little White, you actually have nine tails! Heaven has eyes! Our clan finally has a nine-tailed fox!"
The clan leader quickly calmed down and looked at Little White, saying, "Little White, what exactly happened? Weren't you sold to a cook by humans? How did you escape? And how did you survive the tribulation?"
Speaking of the tribulation, she asked with a suspicious look, "With your current strength, you shouldn't be undergoing the tribulation yet. What happened? Why are you undergoing the tribulation ahead of schedule?"
Xiao Bai shrank back guiltily: "Um, Chieftain, I sneaked out of the clan to play. I saw a red fruit on a mountain wall. It smelled very sweet, so I ate it. My strength suddenly increased a lot. At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck down. I was caught off guard and got injured. That's how the humans captured me and sold me."
He rubbed gently against the clan leader's arm, saying in a somewhat ingratiating tone, "Clan leader, Little White was wrong. Little White will never sneak out of the clan's territory to play again."
The clan chief tapped his little head with a hint of annoyance: "Why are you so naughty? If you want to go out and play, why don't you ask the other members of the clan to take you? Also, how many times have I told you not to eat unfamiliar things? It seems I'll have to give you a good lesson from now on."
Xiao Bai stuck out her tongue, not wanting to listen to the clan leader's nagging anymore, so she spoke up to divert her attention: "By the way, clan leader, I was able to survive that cook thanks to a scholar. He bought me, otherwise the cook would have killed and eaten me."
The clan leader's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and she was about to say something.
But Xiaobai didn't notice the change in the clan leader's expression. Instead, he continued, "Later, the scholar took me back. I hid under his bed to sleep. Unexpectedly, another lightning tribulation came that night. The lightning struck down, but it disappeared before it touched me. That's how I inexplicably grew nine tails and became a fox spirit."
The clan leader stared blankly at Little White, who wore an expression that said, "I'm so lucky!" He felt as if the sky were about to fall.
Seemingly sensing something was wrong, Xiaobai tentatively asked, "Chieftain, what's wrong?"
The clan leader looked at Xiaobai with a complicated expression. She sighed and said, "Xiaobai, is what you just said true? A scholar saved you and helped you survive the tribulation of lightning?"
Xiao Bai thought for a moment and nodded firmly: "It's all true! Is there a problem?"
The clan chief said, "This is a big problem. If what you said is true, then if you want to truly become a fox spirit, you need to repay that scholar's kindness."
Xiao Bai was stunned, tilting its head and looking at the clan leader with a blank expression: "Repay a debt of gratitude?"
"Yes, that's how we demons are. If we receive a favor from a human, we must return it, otherwise it will hinder our cultivation," the clan chief explained.
"Can't I just not repay your kindness? I'm a fox spirit now anyway," Xiaobai asked hesitantly.
Repaying a debt of gratitude sounds like a lot of trouble, and he hates trouble the most.
The clan chief shook his head: "Of course not. You may look like a fox spirit now, but that's only on the surface. You're not a fox spirit inside. Haven't you noticed that your strength is stuck at a certain stage?"
Xiao Bai then carefully examined his body and discovered that his strength was exactly the same as before he survived the tribulation; he had not become much stronger after surviving the tribulation.
"Clan leader, does this mean that I can only possess the power of a fox spirit after I have repaid my debt of gratitude?"
The clan chief nodded: "That's right, you have a karmic entanglement with that human scholar, which prevents you from completely becoming a fox spirit."
"Then how can I repay this kindness?" Xiaobai looked bewildered, as he knew nothing about these things.
The clan chief patted his head and said, "That's up to you now; I can't interfere."
She looked at Xiaobai gently: "Now that you are a nine-tailed fox and can protect yourself, you can leave your clan. Remember, you are only going there to repay a debt of gratitude. Do not linger in the human world, for that is not your final destination."
"Yes! Clan Chief, I've got it!" Little White nodded earnestly.
The clan chief watched T Xiaobai leave, the gentleness in his eyes slowly fading. He turned to look at the village southeast of Baiyue Peak, his expression gradually turning cold.
"If you do something wrong, then you have to pay the price."
Little White skipped and hopped through the mountains. He first found a cave, intending to rest for a while and then descend the mountain once he could transform into human form.
Perhaps because he was saved by Shao Yanzhe, when he transformed into human form, his human form subconsciously resembled him by about 50%. However, his face was much more youthful, and he looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old. He had baby fat on his face, and when he smiled, small dimples appeared on both sides of his cheeks. He looked youthful and lively, and was lovable at first glance.
He skipped and hopped towards Jiangzhou City, standing on the bustling road, unsure of what to do.
The clan chief told him to repay the scholar's kindness, but he didn't know how to do so.
He's just a fox, how would he know how humans repay kindness?
Thinking of this, Xiaobai's eyes lit up, and he suddenly had an idea.
He truly didn't know, but those humans must have known very well how to repay the debt of gratitude.
He then grabbed a scholar and asked directly, "Brother, do you know how one person should repay a debt of gratitude to another?"
The person he stopped was a fair-skinned scholar in his early twenties. Hearing the question, he sized up the young man in front of him.
The young man's white robes were brand new, with faint dark patterns still visible on them. The jade pendant hanging at his waist was smooth and translucent. This outfit alone was worth at least a thousand taels of silver.
Why did this young man only ask himself, while so many others did? Could it be that he himself was the benefactor he spoke of?
An idea flashed through his mind, and the scholar snapped open his folding fan, shaking his head as he said, "They say saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, so even repaying a debt with one's body wouldn't be too much, but..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiaobai immediately exclaimed in realization, "Okay, I understand now. So repaying a debt of gratitude requires offering oneself in return!"
After he finished speaking, he frowned and left.
The scholar reached out to stop him, but Xiao Bai quickly walked away.
"Hey! What bad luck! It wasn't me after all!" He was extremely annoyed. He had just been thinking that if he were the benefactor the boy was talking about, he would ask for some money.
I didn't expect it to be like that!
I wonder who this boy's benefactor is. He's really getting off easy!
At this moment, Shao Yanzhe, the young man's benefactor mentioned by the scholar, put down his book and sneezed loudly.
He will be taking the imperial examination next February. Although Liu Fusi said that his current level is more than enough to pass the examination, he is still worried.
In order to fully understand his current level, he planned to accompany Zhou Jiming to visit the great Confucian scholar.
Ming Daru was a famous scholar in Jiangzhou City. He was learned in both ancient and modern times and taught many students, many of whom passed the imperial examination and became officials in the court.
Zhou Jiming's father knew and was very close to the great Confucian scholar, and had visited him several times before.
He then suggested that he bring a few friends along, hoping that the great Confucian scholar Ming would provide some guidance.
The great Confucian scholar did not refuse and granted his request.
I was supposed to visit them a few days ago, but I was delayed because I encountered the willow tree spirit.
Zhou Jiming then suggested that Shao Yanzhe and the others rest properly in three days so that they could face the great Confucian scholar Ming in better condition.
After putting down his book, Shao Yanzhe felt a bit tired, and since it was almost time, he decided not to continue.
He stood up and walked towards the door, strolling in the garden to relax his eyes. Every now and then, when he saw something pleasing, he would compose a poem to improve his poetry skills.
A moment later, the sky darkened, and after he and Zhou Jiming finished their dinner, they returned to their room.
He glanced around the room but didn't see Xuan Yao. He wasn't worried, figuring he must have gone out to play. With his abilities, he wouldn't be in any danger.
It's good to get out and about more; I've noticed my body getting bigger and bigger these days.
Shao Yanzhe sat down at his desk, spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, and began to write on it.
He was writing down the book copying job he took on at the bookstore. Although he was only responsible for his own food and drink and hadn't spent much money, he couldn't just sit around and do nothing.
Moreover, it's not good for him to always take advantage of Zhou Jiming. When they go to Kyoto, it will be another big expense. He can't keep shamelessly staying with Zhou Jiming forever.
He needs to earn enough money before heading to Kyoto.
While silently calculating the amount of silver he needed, Shao Yanzhe copied the books at a fairly fast pace. He could copy three books in the evening, earning a considerable amount of money.
If you accumulate them gradually, they will eventually come in handy.
Just then, something suddenly hit the window next to the study, making a dull thud. The window paper trembled and made a rustling sound.
Shao Yanzhe was completely unaffected. After finishing the last few strokes, he put the brush away and then got up to check.
He pushed open the window and looked outside, but didn't see anyone. He glanced down at the window but didn't see anything amiss, so he assumed that some bird had accidentally bumped into the window.
The window was only half closed when something hit it again from outside.
Shao Yanzhe frowned and suddenly opened the window: "Who's outside?"
The moment the window opened, he saw a white figure standing outside.
The white figure's robes fluttered gracefully in the night breeze, as if it were taking flight into the air.
If this scene were to happen during the day, it would be absolutely stunning.
But it was nighttime, and the surroundings were pitch black. Suddenly, a white figure appeared, and Shao Yanzhe was so frightened that he shuddered.
"A ghost!"
He slammed the window shut, turned around, grabbed the jade hairpin pen, and stared at the window warily.
A moment later, a faint female voice sounded from outside the window: "Young master, don't be afraid, I am not a ghost."
Shao Yanzhe remained silent.
A voice continued to come from outside: "I have come to repay a debt of gratitude. In my past life, you saved my life, and in this life, I have come here specifically to repay you by marrying you."
Shao Yanzhe: ...
"Thanks!"
"unnecessary!"
"You can leave now!"
The person who was hit with the triple punch: ...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
