Chapter 729: The Fox in the Grassland
But there are still some people who are willing to be the first to take action.
A fox wearing a round-necked green robe and wrapped in a scarf stood up, looking heroic and with an aura of ghosts and gods.
Some familiar foxes from Wuning County were already shouting "Oh! Oh!" and joining in the fun.
The fox bowed to Gong Mengbi and called out, "Master."
Then, facing Hu Zi, his brows and eyes sharp, he said, "Some of my classmates recognize me, some don't. My name is Li Tayun, and I currently serve as a Hu Patrolman in the Wuning County City God Patrol Office. I can barely be considered a ninth-rank official."
"Back then, there was some unrest in Wuning County. The new City God took office and was short of soldiers and horses. The Master advised me to join him, and I have been in office ever since."
Several foxes around Li Taoyun also stood up and said, "Back then, we went to serve under the City God with Brother Li, but we don't have Brother Li's ability. Now, there is only one of us who is from the ninth rank, and the others are not even of rank and can only be considered minor officials."
Even so, the other foxes were already envious.
Kang Wen followed Li Taoyun and said with a smile: "My name is Kang Wen, and I am the same age as Li Taoyun. After I finished my apprenticeship, I was favored by the master and was admitted to the Sky Fox Academy. Now I stay in the Fox Academy."
Li Taoyun pouted at her. This competitive woman always liked to outdo him in various things.
Among the foxes of Jinhua County, Xiao Niang stepped forward and said, "My name is Liu Xiao, you can call me Xiao Niang. Before becoming your disciple, I wandered the red-light district of Jinhua City. Later, with your guidance, I broke free from my shamanic limitations and began to cultivate again. I was even admitted to the Heavenly Fox Academy, and now I remain at the Fox Academy of Lanyin Temple."
Once someone takes the lead, others will be eager to try.
A heroic fox girl said, "My name is Chen Hao, and I'm also a student at the Heavenly Fox Academy. I currently work as a shaman in Shangnan Village, Jinhua County, offering sacrifices to the Goddess of Mount Tai. Although I don't hold an official position, I've learned a few simple Taoist techniques that allow me to drive away evil spirits in the mountains and cure minor illnesses. I've earned some respect from the villagers."
"I'm not as good as my senior brothers and sisters. I've failed the entrance exam for the Sky Fox Academy for three years and am now preparing for my fourth year. I'm currently serving as an assistant to the community god of Meizi Village in Wuning County, communicating with the gods and barely making a living."
"I'm even worse. I just practice in seclusion in the ancestral tomb of a landlord east of Huagangzi Village. I eat the fruit offerings when they are offered, and go hunting when they are not. If I see anyone possessed by evil spirits or ghosts, I go to save them. It makes my education worthwhile."
"I stayed in the library of an old man in my county whose ancestors were officials. I helped to repair the books. On weekdays, I recited poems and played chess with the old man, and I also picked up some literary spirit."
"You all have jobs? Why don't I have one?"
"You still have to have ability. If you don't have ability, you can only starve in a dry grave."
Once they started talking, they couldn't stop. The foxes asked questions about everything around them and inquired about each other.
The one who has done the best is Li Taoyun. After all, he has squeezed into the orthodox Shinto. Even if he has no chance of promotion, the fact that he is a priest makes him much better than others.
The second is those who stayed in Fox Court. Although they are not true gods, with the support of the Master, it is also an excellent place to go.
Secondly, those who serve as assistants to the gods in the village community can also get some incense.
Secondly, those who are self-employed are the ones who rely entirely on themselves to run the business, with no long-term security and no decent reputation.
Secondly, those who live in the homes of landlords and bureaucrats never have to worry about food and drink.
Secondly, if you are a fox god or a fox fairy and receive incense from people, it is an obscene worship and may be destroyed, driven away or even subdued.
Secondly, you need to have your own way to make a living, whether it is working in the entertainment industry, hunting or farming, and you can support yourself.
Secondly, when you live with others, you cannot make your own decisions and may even have to earn money to support others.
The worst thing is that you live alone in a cemetery, with no job to do, and whether you can have enough to eat depends entirely on the weather.
This is the ranking from Hu Zi's perspective, but it is slightly different from Gong Mengbi's perspective.
Staying in the Fox Courtyard was considered the best option. As long as they practiced diligently, they would eventually be able to advance through the Heavenly Fox Courtyard. Once Gong Mengbi had paved a path, those who followed would never lose their way.
Climbing into the Shinto Path was considered second-class, and climbing up the Shinto Path was even more difficult than climbing into the Sky Fox Courtyard. Even if Li Tayun could outlast the current City God until he left office, he wouldn't be able to reach the eighth rank by the time the next City God came in.
The third category is the shamans who worship the Goddess of Mount Tai and pray for her to manifest spiritual responses. As long as they do not act out of line and bless the people around them, they will always be able to accumulate incense and good deeds for use in their spiritual practice.
The fourth type is to serve as auxiliary gods between villages and communities. Although they can do things, the credit does not belong to them. They must be able to endure hardships and sufferings.
The ones that come after are pretty much the same.
Gong Mengbi raised his hand and pressed it down, and the foxes who were always paying attention to him immediately lowered their voices and focused their attention on him.
Gong Mengbi asked, "When I built Fox Court, I said it had three paths to follow. The highest path leads to seeking immortality and enlightenment; the middle path leads to a life in the imperial court; and the lowest path leads to becoming a fox ghost or a demon."
"Those who seek the higher things need not elaborate on this."
"But if you seek harmony within and achieve the bottom, there are many ways to do that. You are gathered in my temple now, and it may seem crowded, but if you were to pour into the human world, not even a splash would occur."
"I'm now pointing out a path for you. Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on you."
"The City God protects the entire city, but when it comes to the village community, only the community god can still take charge. If the sacrifices are generous, the community god can show his response. If the sacrifices are shallow, the community god may even have to rely on the protection of the household god."
"Disasters are frequent, and evil spirits are rampant. The City God can protect a city, and the Community God can barely protect a village. But what about those in the countryside who don't have the protection of the community gods?"
"I've heard there's a Five-Power God who specializes in inciting people to believe in evil spirits and demons, stealing incense offerings and merits. He was recently punished by Heaven. The Five-Power God was rampant in the countryside, defrauding the common people of their incense offerings and robbing them of their merits."
"It's not that the City God doesn't want to intervene, but he can't. Demons are easy to kill, but human hearts are hard to eliminate. The emperor offers sacrifices to the gods of heaven, and officials offer sacrifices to the City God and other righteous gods. The common people have no way to offer sacrifices, and can only offer sacrifices to community gods and household gods. If there are no community gods, and household gods are separated by yin and yang and have no response, then only wild gods can be offered sacrifices to seek peace and stability."
"In this chaotic situation, besides one Five-Power God, more will emerge. We are born from the wild foxes, and we are originally ordinary people. I wonder if you have such ambitions to return to the grass and fill this gap before more Five-Power Gods emerge."
"Just like Hagi Niang, she is revered as a deity, both a divine witch and a divine messenger."
"If you have other ambitions, you can naturally strive for them. If not, why not return to the countryside and go where you are needed?"
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