Chapter 42. The person who brought up the topic sneered...
The person who brought up the topic chuckled twice and had their own explanation: "No matter how powerful the fox spirit is, she can only manage matters within our territory. Other territories are the responsibility of other deities. The child has been missing for two months; she may have already left this area."
The man took a small sip of wine, a longing look on his face: "I saw it with my own eyes when the Fox Fairy cast her spell. A beam of light floated down from the statue and landed on the Wang family's daughter. The Wang family's daughter, who had been delirious, immediately regained her clarity and stopped constantly mentioning her son, Abao. Isn't that a cure?"
“If even the Wang family’s daughter’s madness can be cured, I should go and pray for peace too,” someone in the crowd echoed.
The man then launched into another boast about the Fox Fairy Temple.
...
Rong Feng looked away. He remembered that Xie Zhuo's lost youngest son's name on the list also contained the character "Bao".
His gaze shifted to Xie Zhuo, who was sitting at the same table.
Xie Zhuo held the teacup, his eyes blank and staring straight ahead, his expressionless face revealing nothing of his thoughts.
"What does Lord Xie think of this so-called fox spirit?"
Rong Feng's voice wasn't loud in the noisy hall, but it was loud enough for Xie Zhuo, who was sitting at the same table, to hear.
Xie Zhuo put down his teacup and looked at Rong Feng. His dark eyes were deep and unfathomable. Although he looked somewhat travel-worn, he didn't appear embarrassed and said calmly:
"I am not an expert in this field. In fact, it is Young Master Rong who is the real expert. I should ask Young Master Rong for guidance."
Rong Feng, without suspecting anything amiss, shared his own perspective:
"After a cultivator achieves immortality, they usually don't appear in the mortal world, let alone 'manifest' so frequently. It's mostly because some demon cultivators are trying to cultivate by taking advantage of incense offerings. They may not have harmed anyone, but they've gone astray..."
"What are you saying, you outsider?" A loud shout interrupted Rong Feng. "The Fox Fairy has saved lives. We are happy to offer incense to the Fox Fairy. If you don't believe us, don't spout nonsense."
"Hey, hey, don't be angry, don't be angry. These outsiders don't believe in the Fox Spirit, so the Fox Spirit won't protect them." The person next to him noticed that Rong Feng's clothes were not something an ordinary person could wear, and hurriedly pulled the already drunk man back.
"Please don't blame me for these words, Fox Fairy... hiccup. We people from Lian'an Town, these disrespectful words are said by outsiders."
The words, tinged with the smell of alcohol, continued to reach Rong Feng's ears. His expression was not good. If this "fox spirit" continued to be like this, so be it. But if one day the "fox spirit" developed evil intentions, it would be these people who would suffer.
He summoned his subordinates and ordered them to bring him the list of registered fox spirits in the area.
Turning to look at Xie Zhuo, the latter was eating his meal without a care in the world. Upon receiving his gaze, he calmly put down his chopsticks.
"Young Master Rong, you must be careful with your words and actions when you are out and about."
—
As dawn broke, Amei, seemingly unable to wait, slipped out of the carriage.
Xie Baoqiong lifted her eyelids to glance at Amei's back, and the next moment a magnified face appeared in front of her.
"Ah Qiong, Xie Baoqiong, why did you choose this name?" Su Xiaochun pressed him down, pulling his face with both hands and shaking it.
Xie Baoqiong still looked sleepy, and her eyes were about to close when Su Xiaochun pried them open: "I even made a bet with Senior Wu that you might have the surname Su."
Xueyan was still asleep in her sleeve, so Xie Baoqiong had to use one hand to push Su Xiaochun's hand away, and mumbled sleepily, "This wasn't the name I originally wanted to choose."
Su Xiaochun lay down beside Xie Baoqiong, tilting her body to the side, and asked about the point of concern: "Is it the same as me?" She then added quietly, "You were picked up and raised by me."
After waiting for a while, there was no sound from her side. Su Xiaochun looked up and saw that Xie Baoqiong had closed her eyes again.
Seeing that his friend was asleep, he lay back down and didn't disturb him anymore, feeling somewhat depressed.
He wasn't Xie Baoqiong, so he could understand what his emotions were. It was the same feeling he had when his older sister abandoned him and ran off to the mortal world—a panic of being unwilling to be abandoned by someone close to him.
Lost in thought, Xie Baoqiong's voice suddenly reached his ears:
"His original name was Lin Mushi."
Just like in her original form, Su Xiaochun rested her head on Xie Baoqiong's neck, her expression wistful, her tone no different from usual, except for a hint of lightness: "Your original name was more like you. This name doesn't really suit you. Why did you choose this name?"
"It was given to his child by someone else; I'm just borrowing it for a while."
Xie Baoqiong had given a vague answer in her dream, and in reality, she opened her mouth and continued, "Bao means to like, although I don't know what 'like' means, but Qiong is also a stone, the same..."
Hearing Xie Baoqiong's explanation, Su Xiaochun didn't have time to feel upset. She just wanted to ask where the former got the annotation from, since neither of the two words was correct.
"However, the word 'treasure' is always used in books to describe precious objects... Xiaochun is also a treasure."
The two sentences are completely unrelated, more like sleep talking when one is not fully conscious.
A tickling sensation came from her neck. Xie Baoqiong raised her hand and scratched it. The feel of the fur on her fingertips was somewhat familiar.
He gradually regained consciousness. In the darkness, two fox tails emerged from behind Su Xiaochun. One swayed behind him, while the other wrapped around him, burying his entire head within it.
He pulled off the tail covering Su Xiaochun's head, puzzled: "Xiaochun, why are you covering yourself?"
After the fluffy tail was pulled off, Su Xiaochun's flushed face was revealed. Su Xiaochun snatched the tail back and placed it on the ground: "It's for you to use as a pillow."
"Oh, thank you, Xiaochun." Xie Baoqiong didn't think anything of it and happily rested her head on the familiar soft fox-shaped pillow.
—
The tightly closed courtyard gate was knocked on.
A rough voice came from inside:
Who is it?
The dilapidated wooden door was pulled open from the inside, and a rough-looking man poked his head out to look around.
The person who knocked stood tall and elegant, a long sword at his waist, its tassel adorned with a piece of fine white jade. He stood silently outside the door, and a gentle voice rang out as the door opened:
"Is this the home of Butcher Wang?"
Butcher Wang eyed the man in front of him warily.
Although the other person was dressed simply, upon closer inspection of the white jade on the sword tassel, even though he was a rough man, he could tell that it was of better quality than the thumb ring of the county magistrate in the town, which was obviously related to their family by no means.
"I am Butcher Wang. May I ask what brings you here, sir? If you wish to buy meat, I will not be setting up my stall for the next two days. There is another butcher shop at the end of the street in the West Market."
The man in front of him didn't look like someone who would buy meat himself; this was just an excuse. As he spoke, Butcher Wang was about to close the door.
"Please wait a moment, sir." Xie Zhuo raised his hand to stop the door from closing. "I heard your grandson is missing..."
The words had barely left his lips when the door slammed shut in front of him.
With a "click," it must have been Butcher Wang lowering the bolt from the inside.
Xie Zhuo reluctantly withdrew his hand.
Hearing about the fox spirit at the inn yesterday, he and Rong Feng split up the next day. Rong Feng led a group to explore the fox spirit temple, while he followed the information he had gathered and went to Butcher Wang's house to inquire about the missing child.
Judging from Butcher Wang's reaction, there was clearly something fishy going on.
But after glancing at the closed door in front of him, he decided to start with the neighbors nearby.
Before he could turn around, a voice suddenly came from behind him: "Young master, is there something you need at my door?"
Xie Zhuo turned around and saw a woman with a strip of cloth tied in her hair and a basket hanging from her arm behind him. Judging from her age, she should be Wang the butcher's wife.
Thinking of Butcher Wang's reaction, he changed his words: "I heard that the fox spirit temple on the outskirts of town is very effective, and your daughter was cured by the fox spirit."
Xie Zhuo sighed:
"To be honest, my wife and I have a young son who went missing at the temple fair a while ago." As he said this, he deliberately observed Aunt Wang's expression.
The other person's expression naturally conveyed a sense of empathy and sorrow, unlike Butcher Wang's intense reaction.
"Since the news of her son's disappearance, the lady has been crying every day and her health has gradually deteriorated. She has sought medical help everywhere but to no avail. After making inquiries, she heard about your daughter's situation and wanted to ask if there was any way to make the fox spirit appear."
Aunt Wang's expression softened: "Sigh, let's go inside and talk."
She stepped forward and pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. She patted the door and said, "Honey," then complained, "Why lock the door in broad daylight?"
A sound came from inside the courtyard, and the door was quickly pulled open again from the inside, but it wasn't Wang the butcher's rough face that was revealed.
"Mother." A pale, thin face peeked out and reached out to take the basket from Aunt Wang's hand.
Aunt Wang quickly stopped her hand, saying, "You're not fully recovered yet, let me carry you."
Who is this?
Xie Zhuo followed Aunt Wang through the courtyard gate. The pale-faced girl looked puzzled as she saw a stranger enter.
"Yingying, go boil some water to entertain the guests." Aunt Wang put the basket aside and pushed her daughter toward the kitchen on the west side.
Before leaving, Wang Yingying glanced at Xie Zhuo curiously, then turned and went to the kitchen.
The courtyard wasn't large; Xie Zhu could see it all at a glance.
The washed clothes were hanging in the corner of the yard; there were only clothes for three adults, no children's clothes.
Or rather, there was no trace of a fourth person living in the entire courtyard.
Even if Miss Wang married into another family, she wouldn't never bring her child back to visit her parents' home.
Xie Zhuo was still observing when a menacing figure suddenly rushed out of the kitchen, wielding a boning cleaver, and headed straight for Xie Zhuo.
Why haven't you left yet?
Before Xie Zhuo could even sit down on the stool that Aunt Wang had brought out, Wang the butcher shooed him out.
"Master, I'm the one who invited people in," Aunt Wang hurriedly came over to stop Wang the butcher.
Butcher Wang grabbed his wife's arm. "This man is here to inquire about A Bao. What kind of good person could he be?" He then turned to Xie Zhuo and yelled, "Get out of here! You're not welcome here!"
"He didn't come for A Bao's sake. This young man's family has also lost a child, and his wife is also sick like Yingying. He came to ask the Fox Fairy for help," Aunt Wang explained quickly.
Xie Zhuo chimed in, "I didn't explain it clearly just now."
Wang the butcher's anger gradually subsided. Ever since his daughter Yingying was cured of her illness by the fox spirit, people had been coming to his door asking how to make the fox spirit appear. They asked him everything, from which cushion to kneel on to which direction to face and what kind of incense to burn. It was normal for the person in front of him to be really concerned about this.
Even healthy people desire wealth and status, let alone someone like Yingying who has a wife who is seriously ill.
But there was still a hint of suspicion in his eyes when he looked at Xie Zhuo.
A figure appeared in the corner of the courtyard at some point: "Mother, Father, what are you talking about, A-Bao?"
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