Chapter 216: Wu Ning, Spoiled
Gong Mengbi stood outside the window and took a look. Seeing that the foxes were quite attentive and none of them were too naughty or lazy, he left with satisfaction.
The sunlight in the winter month was very warm, but Gong Mengbi was in a trance and could not see the sun.
Using a rosy robe to block out the sunlight, Gong Mengbi followed the wind to the county seat of Wuning County. Although it was a cold winter, the people of Wuning County still lived in peace and there were no homeless people on the streets.
The county magistrate sent by the King of Wu was indeed capable. Regardless of whether he was seeking fame or not, at least he was practicing benevolent governance. He did not blindly squeeze the people's wealth, but always put people's livelihood first.
It cannot be said that the City God has no contribution to this. After all, the City God represents the gods and often has a certain warning and guiding role for those in power.
Qu Chenghuang has finally set up a simple framework. When Gong Mengbi travels to the county town, he can see the ghost messengers patrolling in the shadows with oil umbrellas.
Among them were a few foxes from Wuning County. The foxes headed by Li Taoyun were quite dedicated to their work, but as soon as they saw them practicing, Gong Mengbi couldn't help but frowned.
Li Taoyun was talking to a resentful ghost in a well, trying to resolve his grievances and lead him to the underworld so that he would no longer have to suffer in the well.
But the resentful ghost was unwilling to give up, explaining that his hatred in his life was that he was seduced by his wife and murdered by a man outside his home. Later, his wife remarried, sold his house, and moved to another place with her adulterer, living a carefree and happy life.
Li Tayun asked him to identify the person. If he had evidence, he could seek justice through the mortal realm. However, the vengeful ghost had no evidence, so Li Tayun said, "You have no evidence, so I can't listen to your one-sided story. I will come back to talk to you after I have thoroughly investigated. Please be patient."
Li Taoyun left the well, but did not completely leave him there alone. He sent a fox to secretly monitor him from a distance to prevent the vengeful ghost from causing trouble.
Gong Mengbi followed him not far away and nodded slightly, then said softly: "After handling this case, ask for leave from the City God. Until the New Year, you must all practice well in the Fox Courtyard."
Li Taoyun suddenly heard Gong Huzheng's voice beside his ear. His face turned bitter and he replied, "Yes."
Li Tayun turned around and looked at the fox standing not far from the well. He was immediately furious. "I told you to study hard but you didn't. You practiced hard but you were lazy. Now that Master has caught you, I will be implicated too."
The fox looked at Li Taoyun with a silly smile on his face. Li Taoyun glared at him. He was still confused and didn't know why the boss suddenly got angry.
Gong Mengbi did not stay with Li Taoyun for long and went to Shen's house again.
Mrs. Shen was sewing a jacket, muttering to herself, "I don't know how those two evildoers are doing now. There has been no letter for a month. I don't know if they are cold now or if they have enough money to spend."
Shen Shan comforted him: “With your uncle taking care of you, nothing will happen.”
Madam Shen was sad and said angrily, "It's not like we can't study at the Stone Cave Academy in Wuning County, why do we have to send them both to Yuhang County?"
Then she shed tears and said, "I don't want them to become successful, I just want them to live a peaceful life."
Chen Shan went up to his wife, hugged her, wiped her tears, and said, "You can say this now that they are young, but when they grow up, you will probably worry that they will not be able to marry suitable wives because they are not good at either literature or martial arts."
Mrs. Shen was just venting her longing for her child. How could she not understand what was truly good for the child?
But he left home at a very young age. Although he was taken care of by his cousins, he was still living under someone else's roof. How could that be pleasant?
Gong Mengbi took a look and sighed in his heart.
Yuhang County was too far away. Although his soul was strong before he reached the sixth rank, he was not yet able to sense things happening thousands of miles away. Although he left fox beads for Shen Qiao and Shen Yan, they could only scare off some small ghosts and could not deal with large situations.
Now that I have reached the sixth level, I am in a much better position than before. I can try to enter their dreams from afar to see how they are doing.
Chen Shan hugged his wife and said, "The New Year is coming soon. When the time comes, we will all visit our uncle in Yuhang County and then bring them back to celebrate the New Year."
Mrs. Shen wiped her eyes and said, "Get out of the way and wait for me to finish sewing this coat."
Shen Shan then let go of his hand and chuckled.
It’s not long until the twelfth lunar month, and the Chinese New Year is indeed coming soon.
Gong Mengbi didn't continue listening and went back to Fox Hill.
While concentrating in the quiet room of Fox Hill, Gong Mengbi found the guidance from Tianhuyuan.
In the past, those who had not yet reached the sixth level of cultivation could not feel this kind of guidance and could only be summoned by Dr. Huang or other fox fairies in the Tianhu Academy using talismans.
Now that he had reached the sixth level of cultivation, he could sense the location of the Heavenly Fox Court through the immortal scroll, and he did not have to be summoned to go there.
Following the guidance of Tianhu Academy, it seemed like crossing a long cloud road, or like a dream. When I opened my eyes again, I had arrived at Tianhu Academy.
But it did not fall inside the courtyard, but in the guest house on the side of Tianhu Courtyard.
An old fox-man stood there, wearing a brightly colored jacket and leaning on a dragon-headed cane. He asked, "Who are you, where are you from, and why are you here?"
Gong Mengbi said, "My name is Gong Mengbi, courtesy name Mingfu, and I am the Huzheng of Dongyang County. I have come to pay a visit to Doctor Huang of the Cultivation Department."
The old fox slowly raised his drooping eyelids, glanced at Gong Mengbi, and said, "So you are Gong Mingfu. Now you are traveling here, have you reached the sixth level? It's really not easy."
Gong Mengbi said respectfully, "Thank you for the compliment, Senior."
Seeing his modesty, the old fox smiled with satisfaction and said, "Young talents like you are exactly what my fox clan needs."
The old fox shouted to the sky, "Second Aunt, go inform Dr. Huang that her beloved apprentice has arrived."
"Got it." A magpie flew up from under the eaves, called out, and then disappeared into the clouds.
Since there was no one around, the old fox asked, "How's your Fox Courtyard going? I heard from my little grandson that he's been having a lot of trouble building it lately, and he's feeling quite resentful."
Gong Mengbi replied, "My Fox Courtyard has been built, and I haven't encountered any troubles. What happened to your grandson?"
The old fox said helplessly, "He built the Fox Monastery, and the local practitioners are wary of him. They have spied on him many times, both openly and covertly. I'm afraid a fight will come sooner or later."
Gong Mengbi sighed, "After all, we foxes are weak. Why don't we first send gifts to the local monks and gods to get them to know us? We can go there in the name of the Heavenly Fox Academy. They won't refuse us any respect."
The old fox said, "That's what I said, but he's too proud to bow his head. Asking him to give gifts and bow his head is like asking for his life. He won't listen to anything I say."
Gong Mengbi laughed and said, "Your grandson has a noble character. He is truly a gentleman among foxes."
The old fox scoffed, "What kind of character is that? It's all just spoiled. By giving in to him in everything, he's become this spoiled. We foxes are born weak and powerless, not as ferocious as wild beasts. We rely on wit and agility to get along. We have to learn to be both flexible and adaptable. Back in the day, my cultivation was never this smooth sailing. I wonder how many hardships I had to endure."
"Look at him now. He can't stand hardship or humiliation. I'd think he was a god descended from heaven. Each generation is truly worse than the previous one."
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