On August 17th, Xu Milu got ready early, watered the wisteria tree, and changed into a newly made outfit, waiting for the fox clan to come and pick her up.
The Tang Dynasty did not have the concept of "Mid-Autumn Festival". According to the calendar, August is the second month of autumn, which is "Mid-Autumn". The fifteenth of August is in the middle of Mid-Autumn, so it is called Mid-Autumn Festival.
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, wealthy families often enjoy the moon and admire it. Literati and scholars also write poems about the moon, but there is no custom of offering mooncakes. Instead, daughters often "worship the moon" and offer prayers and blessings to the Moon Goddess.
Xu Milu did make some mooncakes with five-nut filling, but unfortunately, it was her first time using the fire spirit as an oven, and she didn't control the heat well. The mooncakes she baked were not only hard, but they couldn't even be cut with a knife.
The last basket of mooncakes became Mo Xuan's teething snack. He had to have one in his mouth before going to sleep, just like a child who was lacking sugar.
Xu Milu always had a subtle illusion that she owned a large dog that cleaned up leftovers.
After being enlightened by Sun Wukong, Ah Chou slept soundly and stayed in his shell all day without moving. He would only peek out at night to eat a little something. Xu Milu was worried that he wouldn't get enough nutrition, so she prepared food for him that contained spiritual energy.
Mo Xuan was green with envy, wishing he could put on a tortoise shell and lie there.
...
Today is the wedding of Mr. Hu's granddaughter, so Xu Milu shouldn't dress too plainly.
She wore a fashionable light ochre-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with morning glories and parrots embroidered in silver thread on the hem. Even the shoes had a more understated orchid pattern. She didn't know how to do her hair, so she specially asked Yin Wenjiao to style her hair into a "Wangxian" bun.
Having been neighbors for so long, Yin Wenjiao had more or less guessed that Xu Milu was no ordinary person. As a result, she felt closer to Xu Milu and no longer needed to worry that her unchanged appearance would arouse suspicion.
Not long after Xu Milu finished tidying up, there was a knock at the door. She opened the door and saw four scruffy little foxes standing outside.
These foxes were all incredibly clever, dressed in yellow and red, and even mimicked human attire. When they saw Xu Milu, they would bow softly and sweetly.
"Greetings, Madam Xu."
"Greetings, Madam Xu."
The leader was a slightly larger fox, dressed in men's clothing, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, and whose demeanor exuded a certain elegance.
"Little demon Hu Silang greets Madam Xu. My father sent us to escort Madam Xu into the mountains to help with the cooking and to send my Eleventh Sister off to her wedding!"
"It is said that the fox clan is skilled in transformation, and their illusion magic is unparalleled. Seeing it today, I can confirm it."
Xu Milu glanced at the passersby outside the door, who were staring straight ahead, and couldn't help but marvel.
In broad daylight, a fox dressed in clothes swaggered around the street, and no one seemed to find it strange. Even the wandering spirits of the day only glanced at it from afar and then ignored it.
“Our fox clan is skilled in transformation, and some mortals naturally cannot see through this illusion. Tomorrow is the wedding of our fox clan's daughter. We have informed the local lands inside and outside Chang'an in advance. My father also burned paper money at the City God Temple to report. Therefore, the Day-Roaming God made an exception and allowed us little foxes who have not yet become powerful to enter Chang'an.”
Hu Silang twitched his tail, pulled a paper sedan chair from his sleeve, and gently blew on it. The sedan chair suddenly grew larger, like an inflated balloon, and rolled on the ground to become an antique wooden sedan chair.
"Please get into the sedan chair, Madam Xu. We have prepared everything on your list, just waiting for you to take a look."
Hu Silang covered his slender fox mouth and lifted the sedan curtain, gesturing for Xu Milu to sit down.
Xu Milu was extremely curious, so she bent down and sat inside. Once inside, she found it both funny and absurd. The sedan chair looked like it was made of wood on the outside, but the inside was made of paper, as if she could puncture it with a little force.
Standing outside the sedan chair, Hu Silang looked slightly embarrassed, his large tail drooping, and he said with a crestfallen expression:
“Madam Xu, my skills in transformation are not very good, and this paper sedan chair cannot be transformed into anything. My father can fold a crane out of white paper and bring it to life by blowing on it. It can travel thousands of miles away. I am sorry that my skills are not very good, please forgive me.”
"With your level of cultivation, I'm afraid my wife will fall out of the paper sedan chair and land flat on her back before you even get there!"
Mo Xuan, growing impatient, stepped forward and made a hand seal over the sedan chair. In the next instant, the sedan chair solidified, appearing as if it were real.
"Alright, let's go. I haven't eaten breakfast yet."
Mo Xuan muttered something, rolled on the spot and transformed into a small black snake, coiling around the pillar of the sedan chair and refusing to move.
"Alright! Men, quickly lift the sedan chair!"
Hu Silang was overjoyed. He called to three scruffy foxes, who carried the sedan chair and swaggered out of the city gate.
"The little phoenix has left the city... Hmm, this isn't good... Oh well, it has nothing to do with the old dragon anyway..."
High on the stone wall, the sleeping dragon statue opened one eye, mumbled something, and then fell into a deep sleep again.
...
...
Old Hu's house was not far from Weicui Mountain outside the city. Four foxes carried the sedan chair, and they walked quickly. They arrived at the foot of Weicui Mountain in a swaying manner, but the sedan chair did not stop. It was carried straight into the mountain.
Xu Milu's hand had already touched the Vermilion Bird Yin-Yang Blade when she heard Hu Silang call out from outside the sedan chair:
"Madam Xu, Madam Xu, we've arrived, please come down quickly."
She held her breath and lifted the curtain, only to find that what lay beyond was not the ambush she had imagined, but a paradise-like fairyland.
The vegetation is lush and green, mountain streams flow, and a huge waterfall hangs in the distance above the cliff, cascading down like a silver river. Water droplets splash and spray, and the banks are lined with red flowers and green willows, ancient pines and cypresses, and strange rocks.
Passing through the waterfall, you'll find yourself in another quaint garden, with exquisite pavilions and towers, red ribbons hanging from the long corridors, and bright red "double happiness" decorations on all sides. There are also several apricot and plum trees in the courtyard, and the maple trees are already covered with red leaves, making it look extremely festive.
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