Chapter 5 Little Fox
The last bit of sunlight was swallowed up by the mountains, leaving only a dark red line on the horizon.
The sound of wheels grinding against stones stopped, and the sounds of people's voices, horses' snorting, and the clinking of iron objects mixed together.
After walking for a day, the caravan decided to rest in this wilderness.
The fire was quickly lit, and the orange flames danced, illuminating the figures sitting around it, casting long, swaying shadows on the tent.
The dripping fat from the barbecue fell into the fire, making a sizzling sound, mixed with people's loud chatter and laughter, adding a bit of vitality to the desolate night.
Bai Qingchen sat alone on a large rock beside the camp. It was cold, and the noisy voices in the distance were only vague background noises to him.
The firelight could only cast a faint halo on his gray old cloak, and he was like a silent stone, melting into the deeper darkness.
The people in the caravan were all very curious about this taciturn gentleman, but the escort leader Zhao Tie was strict and no one dared to come and ask.
He usually spoke very little and deliberately lowered his voice, which was low and hoarse, like sandpaper grinding wood, making people always feel that there was a weathered old face under his hat.
The aloof air he exuded was totally out of place in this bustling caravan.
A figure approached cautiously, breaking the deliberate silence.
It was Xiaoyun, the young girl who cooked in the caravan. She was holding a bowl of steaming broth and two coarse flour buns, with a simple look of worry on her face.
"Sir, dinner is ready." Her voice was respectful and a little nervous. "You...you're so far away from the fire, don't catch a cold."
The figure on the stone moved, and he slowly raised his head. Instead of answering immediately, he reached out and untied the knot under his chin.
Under the flickering firelight and Xiaoyun's curious and slightly nervous gaze, he gently took off the old hat and placed it on the stone beside him.
The veil still covered the lower half of his face, but the exposed eyebrows and eyes showed his youthfulness, and his voice was no longer hoarse, but clear and bright, like a boy's voice.
"Thank you very much."
Xiaoyun's fingers holding the bowl suddenly tightened, almost spilling the soup. She subconsciously held her breath and her eyes widened.
This...this is actually a young man, he looks to be only sixteen or seventeen years old at most!
The huge contrast made Xiaoyun's mind confused, and her face suddenly became hot and red.
She lowered her head in a hurry, not daring to look into those clear eyes again.
"You...please enjoy your meal." Xiaoyun stuffed the bowl and chopsticks to Bai Qingchen, turned around and ran back to the crowd around the campfire like a frightened little rabbit, causing some good-natured laughter.
Watching Xiaoyun running away, Bai Qingchen looked around, a little puzzled, as he would not eat people.
As the night deepened, the camp gradually became quiet, with only the low voices of the night watchmen and the crackling sound of the fire.
Bai Qingchen was still sitting on the cold stone, eyes closed, as if resting, his mind lost in a place only he knew. He adjusted his breathing, making it long and thin.
A stream of air, so weak that it was almost imperceptible, slowly and with difficulty traveled through the thin veins in his body.
He had just started to draw Qi into his body and was only in the initial stage of Qi Refining. His spiritual power was pitifully small and he could only use the most basic little spells. He had to improve his cultivation as soon as possible.
The road was very peaceful in the next few days. Led by the experienced leader Zhao Biao, the caravan walked steadily along the familiar road.
But underneath the calm, danger always likes to jump out when everyone is most relaxed.
That afternoon, the caravan found an open area near a stream in the woods to rest.
After traveling for several days, several escorts decided to go to the stream to wash their faces. One of them just bent down to scoop up some water.
“Ouch!”
A furious roar like a wild beast tore apart the tranquility of the afternoon!
A white shadow suddenly jumped out from the dense bushes beside the stream and rushed straight towards the unsuspecting escort!
It was a slender white fox, moving as fast as lightning, with the tips of its claws flashing coldly in the sunlight.
"Be careful!" exclamations exploded.
Everything happened so fast that the young escort could only raise his arm in time to block it.
"Swish!" The sound of cloth tearing and a short cry of pain rang out simultaneously.
The white fox's sharp claws scratched his left arm, leaving three wounds deep enough to see the bone, and blood gushed out instantly.
The severe pain made the escort stagger back, his face pale.
The white fox did not catch up immediately. It crouched low, making threatening growls from its throat. Its golden vertical pupils stared at the frightened crowd, filled with extreme vigilance and fear.
"You beast, you're looking for death!" The escort leader Zhao Tie roared and drew his sword.
Several experienced bodyguards also reacted quickly and showed their weapons.
The air was instantly filled with a strong smell of blood and a tense murderous aura.
"Wait a minute!"
A clear voice, not loud, pierced through the angry roars and growls of the beasts like a needle, with unquestionable power.
Everyone stopped moving. Bai Qingchen had stood up from his resting place at some point, walked past the crowd in a few steps, and walked straight towards the fallen bodyguard and the fox that was still baring its teeth and growling.
His movements seemed neither hurried nor slow, but in fact they were very fast.
"Sir, you're in danger!" Zhao Tie shouted anxiously, trying to stop him.
Bai Qingchen seemed not to hear it. He stopped a few steps away from the white fox.
He didn't look at its bared fangs and clenched claws, but instead looked closely at the hind leg behind it that was still bleeding.
"It didn't attack us intentionally." Bai Qingchen explained to the frightened crowd that gathered around him.
He raised his hand and pointed at the still vigilant fox. "Its hind leg is injured. We were resting too close to it, and it felt threatened, so it fought back desperately."
Bai Qingchen turned to the crowd, his eyes sweeping across the hesitant and angry faces. His tone was calm and earnest: "All living things have spirits. We disturbed it in this conflict. Please give it a chance to live."
Zhao Tie stared at Bai Qingchen's calm face, then glanced at the white fox, which was still growling but seemed to be slightly hesitant because of Bai Qingchen's words, and finally let out a long breath.
He said in a deep voice: "For your sake, sir, I will spare this beast this time, but if it dares to hurt anyone again, I will skin it alive and tear out its tendons!" His clenched fists loosened, but his eyes remained alert.
Bai Qingchen nodded slightly, ignoring the surprise and suspicion in everyone's eyes, and slowly took another small step forward.
Just when everyone's heart was in their throat, thinking that the angry fox would pounce on them again, something unexpected happened.
The white fox, with a low growl rolling in its throat, seemed to relax a little in its tense body when it met Bai Qingchen's calm gaze.
A hint of hesitation flashed across the golden vertical pupils, and the threatening growl weakened a little.
It seemed a little confused, and its nose twitched vigorously, as if it was smelling something special in the air.
Bai Qingchen gently extended his hand, palm facing up, without any intention of attack, only a pure, gentle invitation.
The first time Bai Qingchen saw the little beast, he was attracted by its big, wet eyes. It was trembling with fear, yet it pretended to be fierce.
It was the same when he first met Yoyo in his previous life. He was seriously injured and still bared his teeth at anyone who approached him.
At that time, he was moved with compassion and rescued the fox. If he had not spoken out, the already injured fox would have been caught and skinned by the angry crowd.
The low growl in the white fox's throat gradually stopped. It tilted its head, with vigilance still in its eyes.
It tentatively took half a step forward, its wet nose almost touching Bai Qingchen's fingers.
Bai Qingchen's eyes softened, and he gently lowered his hand to the top of the white fox's head, which was covered with grass debris. His movements were so light that it seemed like he was stroking a feather.
The white fox let out a low whimper-like sound, and rubbed its furry head obediently against Bai Qingchen's palm. It even narrowed its eyes slightly, revealing a gentleness that was almost dependent.
The crowd was in a dead silence, a pin drop audible. Disbelief was written all over everyone's face. They only knew the master was a skilled doctor, but they hadn't expected his beast taming skills to be so impressive!
Bai Qingchen first treated the injured escort's wound. After applying some medicinal powder, the bleeding stopped immediately. He then carefully bandaged the fox's injured hind leg.
Feeling that the pain in his legs was gone, the white fox happily lay on his back in front of Bai Qingchen, revealing his snow-white belly.
Bai Qingchen shook his head helplessly and touched the little fox's head with a doting look.
"Your injury has healed, go away now. Stay away from people from now on."
The white fox looked back at Bai Qingchen reluctantly, then jumped up, and its white figure disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
The days slipped away quietly as the wheels of the car rolled on. After the wild beast attack, another six or seven days passed.
Counting the days, it has been ten days since we left Linshan City, and it is still about half a month away from our destination, Fenglin City.
Bai Qingchen sat on the swaying shaft of the cart, closing his eyes as if to rest, but his mind was elsewhere.
He silently calculated the direction and distance in his mind. His destination was not Maple Forest City, and the road he had been traveling with the caravan was almost over.
The memories of his previous life were coming back little by little, but Bai Qingchen didn't want to just sit and wait. He wanted to remember the past as soon as possible. Going to Yaowang Valley was just the first step of his plan.
The escort leader Zhao Tiezheng and a few old friends were talking loudly about the next arrangements in front, and Bai Qingchen heard a few fragments of words.
"After passing the Black Rock Pass ahead, we'll reach Hongtu Town in two days. There's an inn we're familiar with."
"I heard that Hongtu Town is under the jurisdiction of Yancheng? My uncle's neighbor's son lives in Yancheng! I heard that there are many immortals there, and ordinary people have the opportunity to get a little bit of immortal energy!"
"Alas, it's a pity that I didn't find out my spiritual roots when I was seven years old, otherwise I would have become a disciple long ago!"
"Come on!" his companion joked, "You're still cultivating immortality? Do you have spirit stones at home for you to become a disciple? I heard that only the most gifted disciples don't have to pay. Even if you have spiritual roots, you're probably at the bottom five. Even if you pay to go in, you'll just be a menial servant~"
After saying that, everyone burst into laughter. Bai Qingchen, who had the genuine Five Spiritual Roots but couldn't afford to become a disciple, felt like he had been shot in the knee for no apparent reason...
Bai Qingchen waited patiently for the opportunity. After days of traveling, everyone was exhausted and went to bed early.
He stood quietly in the shadows at the edge of the camp, without saying goodbye, and quietly merged into the darkness.
As soon as he left the firelight and noise of the camp, the silence and cold of the wilderness immediately enveloped him.
The night wind was bitingly cold and blew through his thin clothes.
From here, walk east for six days and you will reach Yancheng.
There was a slight rustling sound from behind, and a nimble white figure whizzed into Bai Qingchen's arms.
He touched the little fox's head helplessly. This little thing had actually followed them quietly all the way. Bai Qingchen had already discovered it with the weak spiritual sense he quietly released.
The white clothes fluttered gently in the night wind, and a small animal followed beside the thin but straight figure.
The moonlight sparingly cast a few rays of light, barely outlining their outlines, but was soon swallowed up by the undulating hillside and the thick night.
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