Facing the White Moon Fox's fierce gaze, Xiaohua, who had already fainted, struggled to wake up from Lu Qingjiu's hands and said with difficulty, "I think... I can still be saved..."
Lu Qingjiu: “…”
Seeing that Lu Qingjiu had no intention of giving up on the little black pig, Bai Yuehu sighed slightly in disappointment and said, "He's just like an ordinary pig. Just give him some water."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qingjiu carried Xiaohua back to the house. Yin Xun fetched ice water from the refrigerator and gave Xiaohua a wet towel, finally saving her life. Looking at his own ice pack, which had survived the White Moon Fox's clutches, Yin Xun practically cried with joy. He hugged Xiaohua and said, "I'll definitely treat you well in the future."
Xiaohua was almost fainted by his hug and said, "Just be nice to me... just stop hugging me..."
Yin Xun said: "Sake, Xiaohua said he likes me!"
Xiaohua: "..." He had never seen such a shameless person in his life.
Lu Qingjiu let them make a fuss and went to the kitchen to cook. The little fox followed Lu Qingjiu happily like a little puppy.
When Lu Qingjiu was cooking, he would occasionally throw a few pieces of meat to the little fox to satisfy its cravings, and sometimes he would ask the little fox to help carry out the trash. The little fox was very smart in helping out.
Because Yin Xun had previously mentioned a craving for jelly, Lu Qingjiu made some himself using pea starch. The jelly turned out off-white, springy, and smooth. Cut into strips and sprinkled with a specially prepared dipping sauce, it was spicy and incredibly appetizing. Lu Qingjiu also steamed a few baskets of homemade steamed buns filled with pork and vermicelli. They were a complete success, delicious and fragrant, with a juicy bite. Because the pork was from farm-raised farmers, all grain-fed, it was particularly fragrant. Lu Qingjiu boiled all the remaining fat into lard and stored it in a large jar. This oil has a wonderful texture, and whether used for cooking or stir-fries, it makes dishes taste much better than regular blended oil.
Lu Qingjiu prepared the meal and called them over to eat.
The three of them sat at the table, and the atmosphere was very lively. Little Fox, Little Black, and Little Flower also had their own small tables next to them. Minced meat and Little Black and Little Flower's special food were placed on the tables. For a while, the only sound in the room was the sound of chewing.
A few people were eating when there was a rumbling thunder outside. Lu Qingjiu looked outside and saw thick dark clouds hanging in the sky. The wind was blowing, and it looked like it was about to rain heavily.
"Oh, the windows at home are not closed yet." Yin Xun said, "The weather is really changeable." He said he was worried, but he was still reluctant to put down the bun in his hand.
"Aren't you a mountain god?" Lu Qingjiu said, "Don't you have any special skills?"
Yin Xun: "...What skills?"
Lu Qingjiu: “Thousands of miles away…close the window?”
Yin Xun glared: "Who said that a mountain god would be able to close the windows a thousand miles away? It's not that difficult for us..."
Before he could finish his words, he heard the windows of his house clattering shut. Bai Yuehu glanced at Yin Xun indifferently and said, "Yours is closed too. No need to thank me."
Yin Xun: “…”
Lu Qingjiu sighed: "Why did I give birth to such a useless son like you..."
Yin Xun burst into tears.
Summer downpours are nothing compared to winter rains. Though brief, they're incredibly destructive. If you didn't close the windows, everything in the house would be blown to pieces. Shuifu Village doesn't receive much rainfall year-round. This summer, there were a few rains, but they stopped quickly and didn't cause any significant damage.
"This rain is coming in full force." Yin Xun stuffed the last bite of the bun into his mouth, "I guess it's going to rain for a long time."
Lu Qingjiu said, "How about you stay at my house for one night?"
Yin Xundao: "That's fine."
Lu Qingjiu has many guest rooms at home, but they just need to be cleaned in advance.
Lu Qingjiu had almost finished eating, so he took a mop and a rag to help Yin Xun clean up a room and also prepared clean bedding for him.
As he was working, he heard the sound of raindrops hitting the ground. The large, bean-sized drops fell from the clouds, bouncing and falling again on the scorching earth. The dust and rain combined, and the air began to fill with the distinct smell of rain, a smell that was somewhat reassuring.
It only took a few minutes from the first few drops of rain falling to the whole world being covered by the pouring rain. The heavy rain washed away the dirt in the yard and formed small puddles on the ground.
Lu Qingjiu moved Bai Yuehu's rocking chair to the door. He thought Bai Yuehu would sit on it and eat melon seeds like them while watching the rain outside, but Bai Yuehu stood up, looked up at the outside, with a serious expression.
Lu Qingjiu noticed something was wrong and asked, "Yuehu, what's wrong?"
Bai Yuehu said, "Come out with me."
Lu Qingjiu: "...Go out? Where to?" He was a little surprised. In such heavy rain, an umbrella would definitely be useless. Going out would mean getting wet.
Bai Yuehu said, "A place I've been to before."
Lu Qingjiu asked doubtfully, "What are you doing over there now?"
Bai Yuehu said something inexplicable: "The rain won't stop for a while." After he said this, he went to the utility room next door to get an umbrella, raised his chin slightly at Lu Qingjiu, and motioned him to follow him.
Lu Qingjiu took the umbrella, glanced at Yin Xun and said, "What about you, Yin Xun?"
"Me?" Yin Xun scratched his chin. "Me too... let's go together."
Bai Yuehu didn't say anything, and the three of them walked into the heavy rain with umbrellas in hand. The rain was so heavy that it could almost be described as pouring. The force of the rain hitting the umbrellas soon made people's hands numb.
Lu Qingjiu couldn't see anything and could only follow Bai Yuehu forward. They seemed to be going up the mountain, and the road became winding. Lu Qingjiu didn't know where Bai Yuehu was taking him, but judging from the route, it seemed to be heading up the mountain...
After walking for about ten minutes, the rain gradually subsided. Lu Qingjiu saw the surrounding environment clearly. They had indeed reached the mountain, but this mountain was not the mountain of Shuifu Village, but the place where Bai Yuehu had taken him to fish before.
It was still evening in the mountains at this time. The sky was filled with rosy clouds and the sea of clouds was rolling. There were neither dark clouds nor rain in the sky. Lu Qingjiu liked this place very much. After putting away the umbrella, a slight smile appeared on his face.
"You guys stay here, I have something to do." Bai Yuehu threw the umbrella aside, "Wait for me to come back."
Before Lu Qingjiu could say anything, he watched him turn around and disappear from his sight.
Lu Qingjiu turned her head and met Yin Xun's eyes.
Yin Xun scratched the back of his head: "Since we have nothing to do, let's go for a walk in the mountains?"
Lu Qingjiu said, "Do you know what Bai Yuehu is going to do?"
Yin Xun said, "I don't know." He said it very frankly, and it didn't sound like he was lying.
Lu Qingjiu was a little skeptical. He looked at Yin Xun, but finally said nothing. He nodded and went up the mountain with Yin Xun.
The last time he came here, Lu Qingjiu was led all the way up by the White Moon Fox, and he didn't have much time to observe the scenery along the road. This time, he didn't have a destination anyway, so Lu Qingjiu just walked forward while looking around.
The plants here were all species Lu Qingjiu had never seen before. Some looked ordinary, while others were bizarre. Lu Qingjiu's attention was drawn to a blade of grass. It had only a bare stem, and at the top of the stem, a small white flower grew. Of course, that wasn't the main point. The main point was that within the small white flower, there was a furry little animal the size of a fingernail, lying on it, sleeping. At first glance, this animal looked a bit like a cat, but upon closer inspection, you could see that it was somewhat different from a cat. Its ears hung down on both sides like a rabbit, and its fur was also white. In short, it looked very nice to touch.
Yin Xun saw Lu Qingjiu stop and came over, saying, "What is this?"
Lu Qingjiu said, "I don't know." He had read the Classic of Mountains and Seas many times and was sure that there was indeed no such creature in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Yin Xun said, "Can I touch it?"
Lu Qingjiu studied it for a while and shook his head: "Forget it." He felt it would be better not to touch the things here.
But before Lu Qingjiu could finish her words, Yin Xun reached out his hand, wanting to touch the extraordinarily soft fur on the small animal. However, as soon as he stretched out his hand, the motionless petals of the plant suddenly split open, turning into a huge mouth with densely packed teeth, which bit towards Yin Xun's hand.
Yin Xun was not paying attention for a moment and screamed, and most of his palm was bitten off.
Lu Qingjiu's heart almost jumped out of his chest. He said, "Yin Xun! Are you okay?!"
Yin Xun cried, "Do I look okay?" His hand was gone.
Lu Qingjiu: "...but you're not bleeding." The palm of his hand was clean, without a trace of blood. He looked at the edge and found that the edge was transparent, as if there was no blood in Yin Xun's body and it was all water.
Yin Xundao: "Yes, I am all flowing water."
Lu Qingjiu: “…”
Yin Xun said: "Forget it, forget it, don't touch it, I will be fine in a while, let's continue to go up."
Lu Qingjiu nodded helplessly.
The two continued walking up the mountain, not daring to touch the wildflowers and weeds along the road. Lu Qingjiu had discovered that he and Yin Xun were essentially at the bottom of the food chain here...
Soon, Lu Qingjiu saw the stone tablet he had seen before. On the stone tablet were written three large blood-red characters: Shuifu Village. The stone tablet was very tall, and no one knew who had erected it there.
"Is this the soul of the White Moon Fox?" Lu Qingjiu asked Yin Xun.
"Hmm...how should I put it," Yin Xun said, "This place should be affected by the White Moon Fox, but it's not his soul."
Lu Qingjiu was confused by what he heard. In short, he knew too little about the world of Yin Xun and Bai Yuehu. They followed the path and came to the platform that Bai Yuehu had brought Lu Qingjiu to before. This platform was no different from the previous one. Below was still the churning sea of clouds, and there were manta rays shuttling through the clouds.
Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun were a little tired from walking, so they sat down on the edge of the platform to rest for a while. While resting, Lu Qingjiu noticed that there was a small path next to the platform, which seemed to lead deeper into the mountain.
Lu Qingjiu said: "Tell me, why did Bai Yuehu bring us here?"
Yin Xun was struggling with a weed by the roadside, his head buried. He tried to pull it up, but no matter how hard he tried, the weed wouldn't budge. He heard Lu Qingjiu's question and replied without turning his head, "I don't know. Maybe he's doing something we can't know about."
Lu Qingjiu: “For example?”
Yin Xun: "... secretly ate Xiao Hei and Xiao Hua?"
Lu Qingjiu's expression twisted. To be honest, he was a little afraid that after returning, Bai Yuehu would tell him that Xiao Hei, Xiao Hua and the little fox were all lost.
"You play here, I want to go to the top of the mountain to take a look." Lu Qingjiu had almost rested, so he stood up and patted his butt.
Yin Xun finally gave up fighting with the poor little blade of grass and said, "Hey, wait for me, let's go together."
The road after the platform became a little narrower, and the lush plants seen before were no longer on both sides of the road, but were replaced by some low ferns.
The road behind is hidden in thick fog, but fortunately there is only one road here, so there is no need to worry about getting lost.
Lu Qingjiu continued to climb up the mountain. Yin Xun followed behind him but seemed a little uneasy. He said, "Qingjiu, do we still need to go up?"
"What's wrong?" Lu Qingjiu asked.
"I... just feel a little uncomfortable." Yin Xun said, "The fog here is too thick."
Lu Qingjiu said: "It should be fine."
Yin Xun sniffed and said nothing.
Lu Qingjiu continued to move forward. He was not usually a particularly curious person, but for some reason, today he particularly wanted to go up and take a look to see what was at the end of the fog.
Seeing Lu Qingjiu's firm attitude, Yin Xun stopped trying to persuade her. He just crossed his arms and followed Lu Qingjiu quietly.
After walking for about ten minutes, the fog dissipated.
Lu Qingjiu could vaguely see the surrounding scenery again. Unlike the beautiful scenery below the platform, the environment around them could only be described as desolate. The original soil on the ground was replaced by black rocks, and there was nothing above the rocks except fine sand.
A tall mountain appeared in front of Lu Qingjiu. The mountain was so high that it reached the clouds and the top could not be seen. The mountain was black and there was no trace of any plants on it. The top of the mountain was also covered with black smooth rocks, like the surface of a mirror. It was impossible to imagine how to climb up the mountain.
Halfway up the mountain, there was thick fog surrounding it. Lu Qingjiu's gaze fell on the fog. He was a little lost in thought until Yin Xun said softly, "What are you looking at?"
"There seems to be something in the clouds." Lu Qingjiu said, "Did you see it?"
"No." Yin Xun looked at it for a while and shook his head, "There's nothing."
Lu Qingjiu said: "Did I see it wrong..."
Yin Xun stopped talking.
The weather here was slightly different from that on the platform. The sky was overcast, with occasional flashes of lightning and roars of thunder. The towering mountain was like an isolated island, separated from the land by a sea of clouds.
Yin Xun sat on the ground, looking at the bottomless sea of clouds. He felt a little itchy, so he picked up a stone and threw it into the sea of clouds. But as soon as the stone entered the sea of clouds, he heard a splash from the depths of the sea of clouds - there was water in the depths of the sea of clouds.
"There's water underneath." Yin Xun said, "There's actually water."
Lu Qingjiu asked, “Is it strange to have water?”
Yin Xun said, "It's not strange." He smiled, revealing his cute fangs. "Shuifu Village has water, so how can it be strange?"
Hearing this, Lu Qingjiu glanced at Yin Xun.
Being inexplicably sent here by Bai Yuehu, Lu Qingjiu couldn't figure out what Bai Yuehu was thinking. He guessed that the heavy rain outside might mean something, but he just couldn't figure it out for the time being.
There was another low thunder, and this time Lu Qingjiu finally saw clearly what was hovering above the black mountain in the distance. It was actually a long dragon.
Although he couldn't see clearly, Lu Qingjiu was certain he wasn't seeing things. The dragon, connected head to tail, circled around the black mountain. Its body was extremely long, and it wandered among the clouds, its posture as graceful as a beautiful painting. But the next moment, it disappeared again into the thick clouds, and Lu Qingjiu was almost stunned.
This time Yin Xun also saw it, and his reaction was similar to Lu Qingjiu's, surprised but also a little stunned.
"How could there be a dragon here?" Yin Xun asked, "Shouldn't dragons be extinct?"
Lu Qingjiu said, "Extinct? But even mountain gods exist, so why would dragons become extinct?"
Yin Xundao said, "After I became the mountain god, I also inherited some of their memories." He replied, "The dragon race is different from other races. They exist for a reason, usually to protect something. Since entering modern society, faith has become increasingly weak. It is said that the last dragon became extinct over a thousand years ago..."
Lu Qingjiu: "This is also related to modern society."
Yin Xun felt wronged: "Of course not. If you found ten yuan on the street now, would you consider it your good luck or would you thank the gods for their protection?"
Lu Qingjiu said: "..." Thinking about it this way, it seemed to make some sense.
Yin Xun said: "Without faith, gods naturally cannot survive, so these things are becoming less and less."
Matters concerning ghosts and gods have always been that if you believe in them, they exist; if you don't believe in them, they don't exist.
Lu Qingjiu nodded, agreeing with Yin Xun's words.
Long Lu Qingjiu only took a glance at it, and then he never saw it again. There was no daylight or darkness in this world, and the sun and moon never changed.
Unknowingly, Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun had been here for more than eight hours. Just when Lu Qingjiu was wondering when he could go back, a familiar figure appeared in the thick fog behind them.
The White Moon Fox is back.
He looked drastically different from when they parted. His neat short hair had grown to waist-length, and he wore a black robe with a soaring dragon outlined in gold thread, its eyes inlaid with red gemstones. It looked so vivid, as if it would fly out of the robe at any moment. The bottom of the robe was a little damaged, as if it had been burned. Seeing them looking over, White Moon Fox said nothing, simply raised her arm and waved gently.
Yin Xun stood still, but Lu Qingjiu smiled calmly and walked forward and said, "Yuehu, you're back so soon?"
"Yeah." Bai Yuehu said, "Let's go home."
As he got closer, Lu Qingjiu noticed three very obvious scars on Bai Yuehu's face. These scars looked like they were caused by something scratching, and they were particularly eye-catching on Bai Yuehu's fair cheeks. The scars were very deep, and although the bleeding had stopped, they were still a bloody mess, and it looked like they would easily scar.
"You're injured." Lu Qingjiu exclaimed after seeing the wound.
Bai Yuehu tilted his face to the side and raised his hand to touch his cheek. He raised his eyebrows when he saw the blood on the back of his hand. It seemed that he had not noticed the wound on his cheek before. He said, "It's a minor injury, nothing serious."
Lu Qingjiu said: “Did you go fight with anyone?”
Bai Yuehu: "Yeah." His eyes fell on the bloodstains on the back of his hand.
Lu Qingjiu miraculously understood what he meant. He laughed and then took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket. After grabbing Bai Yuehu's hand, he carefully helped him wipe the blood clean.
Bai Yuehu then showed a look of satisfaction, and his eyes softened.
"Did you win?" Lu Qingjiu asked again.
Bai Yuehu looked at Lu Qingjiu: "Win?"
Lu Qingjiu thought about it and changed the question: “Does it taste good?”
Bai Yuehu showed a look of disgust when he heard this: "It tastes terrible, it has a fishy smell, it's disgusting."
Lu Qingjiu couldn't help laughing. He noticed that Bai Yuehu's body was wet and there was a strong smell of blood. At first he thought that Bai Yuehu was accidentally caught in the rain. Later, he followed Bai Yuehu forward two steps and found that what dripped from Bai Yuehu's robe was not water stains at all, but blood.
The White Moon Fox's black robe was soaked with blood. Judging from his condition and words and actions, the blood obviously came from another creature.
The three of them started walking down the mountain. Lu Qingjiu and Bai Yuehu chatted casually. Lu Qingjiu asked him what happened to his hair. Bai Yuehu touched it and said that he could just cut it short after going down the mountain. It was just a minor sequelae.
Lu Qingjiu joked that he actually looked good with long hair.
"It's troublesome." Bai Yuehu said, "I have to tie it up when I eat."
Lu Qingjiu laughed heartily.
It was just that for some reason, Yin Xun's face hadn't been looking good since he saw Bai Yuehu's appearance. He was usually very talkative, but he didn't say a word the whole way, as quiet as a frightened quail. Lu Qingjiu glanced at Yin Xun thoughtfully, but didn't ask him what was wrong.
They followed the path and left the top of the mountain in Shuifu Village. The rain outside had stopped, and white clouds hung in the sky. The fresh air after the rain made people feel particularly refreshed.
Lu Qingjiu originally thought that Bai Yuehu would change back to his original appearance, but he walked home in this appearance, took a shower, and changed into clothes similar to those worn by humans. Then Lu Qingjiu saw him walk into the yard with a pair of scissors, and with a few snips, he neatly cut off his beautiful long black hair.
Lu Qingjiu: "...You cut your own hair?"
Bai Yuehu said, "Yes."
Lu Qingjiu: "Aren't you afraid it might get damaged?"
Bai Yuehu said, "If it breaks, it will grow back."
Lu Qingjiu: "...Why not use magic?"
Bai Yuehu: "Because it's troublesome."
Lu Qingjiu swallowed his saliva: “Then… why don’t you go to the barber shop to get a haircut?”
When Bai Yuehu heard this question, she paused in her haircutting and uttered two words: "No money."
Lu Qingjiu felt dizzy, as if he saw Bai Yuehu standing at the door of the steamed bun shop and staring at him intently when he first met him. At that time, he really wanted to ask why Bai Yuehu wanted to eat his buns, and now he finally understood this sad reason.
The vixen in his family is a poor fox, so poor that she can't even afford xiaolongbao...
The author has something to say: Lu Qingjiu: What makes you disdain worldly food?
White Moon Fox: It’s poverty.
Lu Qingjiu: ...
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