Chapter 63: Concomitant Sacrifice
Foxes are born with wisdom, are the easiest to enlighten, are cunning by nature, and are full of clever tricks.
But great wisdom requires long-term training and formal teaching, and is filled with vision and experience.
Gong Mengbi said, "Some of you may have doubts, thinking that I don't care about the feelings of my fellow tribesmen."
"Whether cultivating immortality or being a human being, the first thing is to cultivate the mind. If the mind is not upright, there is no point in doing anything; if the actions are not upright, there is no point in being a human being."
"If cultivating immortality is all about tempering magical power, then how can the shortness of human life be longer than a divine tortoise or a mountain? But among today's immortals and gods, how many are divine tortoises, and how many are mountains?"
"A fox's life is short, even shorter than a human's. If you still can't set your mind and thoughts straight, you will spend your whole life wallowing in the mire."
"Heaven and earth are our parents. Even Heaven is kind and benevolent. How can we, as foxes, go beyond Heaven's way and treat all living beings as ants?"
Gong Mengbi looked at the foxes and said, "I hope you can understand that committing crimes and indulging your desires may bring temporary pleasure, but when retribution comes, don't blame the strictness of the law or the lack of justice."
The foxes gradually quieted down. Regardless of whether they were persuaded by Gong Mengbi or not, at least it seemed that they had no objection and did not leave.
The bonfire in front of the altar was burning fiercely, shining on Gong Mengbi's beautiful face, with light and shadow intertwined.
But after such an incident, in the eyes of the foxes, his unparalleled style became somewhat cold and sharp.
Gong Mengbi said, "I summoned you here with the fox talisman for two things. The first is to enforce the law and eliminate the fox demons. But there aren't many of you here. Only half of the 156 foxes are here. Only five of the guilty foxes are here. One is hiding among you, and the rest are hiding in the woods."
Immediately, a shadow fled from the woods at a rapid speed.
But in a flash, the five ghost gods chased them into the forest, pulled them out, and threw them in front of the campfire.
The four sinful foxes trembled in fear and cried out, "Spare our lives!"
Gong Mengbi said, "Kang Wen, come up and identify yourself."
Kang Wen immediately came over to identify them. "The Fox Society, these four are a gang. They worked together to build a garden, specifically to seduce men and women and steal their essence. Those whose essence is stolen by them often fall seriously ill. If they can't make it, they die. If they make it, they will be weak and sickly from then on."
Gong Mengbi asked, "Do you plead guilty?"
The four sinful foxes had already seen the consequences of not confessing their crimes, so they kowtowed repeatedly and said, "We confess our crimes and are willing to repent. Please spare our lives."
Gong Mengbi said, "I want to kill you, but too much blood will be shed tonight."
Gong Mengbi said, "Since you have confessed your crimes, you must accept your punishment. First, you must find the men and women who stole your essence in the past, admit your mistakes, and make amends. If anyone died because of you, you must compensate their families. Second, you will be prisoners of the Sin Fox Division. When you have made meritorious contributions, you will be set free."
The four sinful foxes exchanged a subtle glance and said quickly, "We are willing to accept the punishment."
There was no way Gong Mengbi could hide their little tricks like this.
Gong Mengbi sneered, stretched out his hand and grabbed them, and they rolled on the ground with their heads in their hands.
Gong Mengbi captured some of their souls and put them in his sleeves, saying, "Who can you hide your little thoughts from? I said I would punish you, but I still let you run away?"
The sinful fox's face turned pale and he was driven aside by Kang Wen, silently shedding tears.
Gong Mengbi said, "There are still twenty-six sinful foxes that haven't come yet. I will go catch them myself."
"Where are the five ghosts?" Gong Mengbi shouted.
The five ghost gods floated closer and said, "The five ghosts are here."
"Catch all the criminal foxes that haven't come yet." Gong Mengbi said.
One by one, straw men fell out of Gong Mengbi's sleeves, lined up as soldiers, and turned into warriors with fox heads and human bodies.
Each of the five ghosts led five straw fox warriors, and for a moment they felt like they had a strong army.
The five ghosts led their troops through the fox pack and disappeared in front of the altar.
These poor foxes have been through too much tonight. It's only a step from fear to numbness.
Gong Mengbi lowered his eyes and said, "The first thing is to enforce the law and punish the guilty fox. The second thing is to establish a fox academy and hire teachers to teach you."
This rekindled the interest of the foxes.
"Master Fox Club, I wonder what is taught in the Fox Academy?" the white-footed fox asked immediately.
Why is it you again?
The foxes looked over and thought that this beast was too scheming.
Gong Mengbi said, "There are currently two subjects. One is Literacy, which teaches you how to read and behave. The other is Taoism, which teaches you the principles of spiritual practice."
"I have invited two talented men to teach you the liberal arts. I will take charge of the moral studies for now, and we will discuss this later when we find a suitable teacher."
Kang Yunu immediately stood up and asked, "How do I get into the Fox Courtyard?"
The white-footed fox half stood up and then sat down again in disappointment, but he didn't expect that Kang Yunu got there first.
Gong Mengbi said, "It's up to you whether you come or not. There's no threshold for admission. Anyone who wants to come can come. But once you come, you must abide by the rules. Otherwise, if you are punished, don't say I didn't warn you in advance."
The white-footed fox seized the opportunity and said, "Sir, please allow me to enroll in school!"
The foxes echoed, "I want to go to school too!"
Gong Mengbi said, "Don't make any noise."
The fox who was trying to stir up the atmosphere fell silent.
"Three months from now, classes will begin once Fox Hill's Fox Courtyard is completed. You can come back after it's finished. But I hope you'll think carefully about whether you want to come. Don't just yell about enrollment today and then refuse to concentrate."
“It’s easy to get into school, but it’s not easy to complete the course.”
The foxes pondered among themselves, whispering and chattering.
Gong Mengbi said, "I have said all that needs to be said. Come, follow me to pay homage to the Goddess of Mount Tai and the Jade Fairy Goddess."
The foxes were solemn.
Regardless of whether they agree with Gong Mengbi's fox society or not, the foxes' reverence for the Queen Mother of Mount Tai is natural.
Gong Mengbi stood before the altar, and the foxes stood behind him in several rows.
Even the four criminal foxes who were held as prisoners stood behind the fox group, not daring to be disrespectful.
Gong Mengbi led the worshippers and said, "Goddess of Mount Tai, Jade Fairy Goddess, I, your disciple Gong Mengbi, lead the fox tribe of Wuning County in this worship. I hope the Goddess and Goddess will bless the fox tribe with prosperity and long-lasting blessings."
"I hope the empress and the goddess will bless the fox clan to prosper and have long-lasting blessings."
For a while, the fox howled continuously, long and short, like birds singing in the forest and ghosts singing in the desolate grave.
Led by Gong Mengbi, after offering sacrifices to the Goddess of Mount Tai and the Jade Fairy Goddess, the fox group's demeanor immediately changed.
Fox spirits are psychics, and each of them is working hard to make a living. They may interact with each other, but it is only a brief interaction because foxes are also in competition with each other.
Like roving soldiers, they have nothing to do with each other.
But after the joint sacrifice, an invisible cohesive force naturally arises, and there is an atmosphere of gathering together as a group and sharing the same spirit.
Gong Mengbi lowered his eyes slightly, with a hint of smile on his face.
This was something he had expected.
"The ceremony is over."
Gong Mengbi turned around and said, "The rest of the matter has nothing to do with you. If you want to stay and watch the execution, you can stay. If you don't want to stay and watch the execution, you can leave."
"I summoned the foxes this time, but only half showed up, so I won't pursue the matter. You can keep in touch with each other. As long as you don't violate the fox laws, we'll be safe in the future. If you do something evil, don't blame me for being unreasonable."
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