Chapter 792: Expectations
Gong Mengbi only had time to ask the goddess a few words before Fairy Qingyao left and returned.
As Gong Mengbi expected, the Tianhu Academy may not have any files on foxes other than the immortal path, but the rumor envoy must have them.
Fairy Qingyao said, "Goddess, I have already found out."
"Since the establishment of Tianfu Taiyin Palace, there have been a total of seven fox gods serving there. Three are from the Yousu clan, three from the Chunhu clan, and one from the Huangfu clan. Three are from the Tianhu Courtyard, one fox fairy from the Su clan, one fox fairy from the Chun clan, and one fox fairy from the Huangfu clan. The appearance described by Mingfu should be Huangfu Cong, the fox fairy of the Huangfu clan."
Gong Mengbi's brows jumped and he asked, "Huangfu?"
Fairy Qingyao nodded and said, "It is indeed the Huangfu family."
"This man practiced Taiyin Immortal Arts at the Sky Fox Academy for over four hundred years, was granted immortal status, and then was appointed Lord Salu at the Taiyin Palace. He has served in this capacity for one hundred and thirty-two years."
Gong Mengbi looked at Xun Jijiu, who also had a frown on his face.
Fairy Qingyao naturally understood what they were thinking.
Of the four great families, the Huangfu and Hu families are both relatively young. The Hu family was the first fox spirit to be enlightened by the goddess, taking the surname Hu and relying on the Heavenly Fox Court to establish their family. The Huangfu family is a fox that later came to the Heavenly Fox Court, originally living in the Emperor's father's mausoleum.
Of the four great families, only their two had a more moderate attitude towards the wild fox. If they said that the Huangfu family was responsible for this annihilation, it would be unreasonable.
Fairy Qingyao continued, "The other one isn't a fox fairy, but a fox demon that cultivates in Lingying Temple on Mount Wutai. Because he can subdue demons thousands of miles away and doesn't harm anyone, he's quite spiritual. Therefore, he's widely worshipped and is called the Lingying Fox King by the local people."
"The Spirit Fox King never trained in the Heavenly Fox Academy. We only know of this person, but we don't know the specific details."
The goddess said, "Now that we know who it is, let's investigate. Xun Jijiu, since you can't sit still, go investigate Huangfu Cong."
Xun Jiji nodded and said, "I'll go talk to Huangfu Dianji."
"Mingfu, I'll leave the Spirit Fox King to you."
Gong Mengbi bowed and accepted the order.
"If you find out who is behind this, please let me know. If it is really a quarrel between fellow disciples of the Sky Fox Academy, I will not let them off lightly."
Xun Jijiu and Gong Mengbi accepted the order, and seeing that the goddess had no intention of speaking, they said goodbye to her.
Xun Jijiu went ahead. When Gong Mengbi was about to leave, Fairy Qingyao winked at him, so he did not go far and waited for Fairy Qingyao outside the Jade Palace.
Not long after, Fairy Qingyao came out of the Jade Palace and took Gong Mengbi for a stroll in the goddess' back garden. Finally, they stopped on a suspended stone platform where flowing clouds were surging.
"There are some things that are not suitable to be said to Xun Jijiu, but I want to talk to you."
"I'm all ears."
"The goddess has high hopes for Xun Jijiu. With his talent, he should have reached the third level long ago, ascended to the heavens, and sought a wider world. However, he was burdened by worldly affairs and could never calm down to practice, so he is still stuck at the fourth level."
"He's incredibly gifted and gentle, a promising prospect, but not truly exceptional. He can't bring about radical change, so he's stuck in this position, unable to let the goddess let him go, and unable to make things easier for himself. But you're different. Both I and the goddess have high hopes for you."
"What Xun Jijiu couldn't do, you can definitely do."
Fairy Qingyao looked at Gong Mengbi with a very heavy gaze, which made Gong Mengbi feel heavy in his heart as well.
"Originally, I shouldn't be telling you these things now, but the Goddess has told you that Xun Jijiu will train you, so it's okay to tell you. The Goddess cherishes talented people and couldn't bear to see Xun Jijiu guarding the Sky Fox Court alone, while she herself is trapped there because of her early fate. A transcendent great celestial being, she is trapped in Lingxu Biyuan Heaven, guarding this small Sky Fox Court."
"The Queen Mother of Mount Tai governs the foxes. Because of her connection to foxes, the Goddess built the Heavenly Fox Court to oversee the assessment of the foxes' ascension to immortality on behalf of the Queen Mother. If the Heavenly Fox Court could operate smoothly, without the Goddess's supervision, then the Goddess could naturally escape without any problems. But unfortunately, the Heavenly Fox Court has gone astray and is like a chicken rib. It can't bear such a heavy responsibility, but it's not completely useless either."
Gong Mengbi said, "With the aristocratic families controlling the Sky Fox Academy, it's like stagnant water, unable to truly benefit the foxes. However, thanks to the goddess, there are always gaps for some wild foxes to crawl in. At least it was through the Sky Fox Academy that I was able to grow to where I am today."
"That's right. When the goddess built the Heavenly Fox Academy in the early years, the noble families played a vital role. Not only did they contribute to its construction, but they were also the representatives of the foxes. At that time, wild foxes were either scattered in the mountains and wilderness as demons, or wandered into the human world and caused chaos. They were not a force to be reckoned with, classified as demons and monsters, and could not be trusted or relied upon. They themselves did not trust the Heavenly Fox Academy, believing that it was built to control them. It was only with the intervention of the noble families that the Heavenly Fox Academy truly became the place for foxes to ascend to immortality. Unfortunately, things later turned sour."
"With such a powerful weapon as the Tianhu Academy in their hands and such great authority, how could the aristocratic families let it go easily?" Gong Mengbi really understood the subsequent consequences. This was really nothing new. Such things would happen again and again every moment.
Fairy Qingyao said, "The goddess has long recognized the dangers of the aristocratic families getting involved, so she specifically enlightened the wild foxes and bestowed the surname Hu, allowing them to hold the aristocratic families hostage. Unexpectedly, these wild foxes gained power and became the new aristocratic families, becoming a hindrance to the wild foxes."
Gong Mengbi sighed and said, "It's just like the change of dynasties. Those emperors who came from humble backgrounds will only become nightmares for the common people in the end."
"But the goddess is not the emperor. If she really wants to change the world, it should be easy. Do the noble families have the ability to stop her?"
Fairy Qingyao shook her head.
"Precisely because the goddess is not an emperor, she cannot regard thunder and rain as grace, nor can she decide life and death at the will of a single heart. The Queen Mother of Mount Tai rules over the foxes, and the goddess ascends to heaven and undergoes assessments, not to become an emperor herself, but to enlighten all living things, educate spirits, and promote good and eliminate evil. Killing those who disobey and annihilating those who disobey is not the way of an immortal."
"But the goddess is trapped in it."
"There's more to this matter, but I can't tell you." Fairy Qingyao looked at Gong Mengbi and said, "I shouldn't have told you so much. This is a problem that the goddess and I have to deal with, not yours. But I still feel a little unwilling, and I have higher expectations for you."
Fairy Qingyao realized that she had said too much and that her heart was in turmoil.
"I don't know how far I can go." Gong Mengbi looked at the swirling sea of clouds, then shifted his gaze to Fairy Qingyao. "But we foxes have always cultivated by forming bonds. Forming a bond with a goddess, and with you, is no less a blessing for me."
"Fairy Qingyao, my ambition is not just to become a fourth-rank fox fairy."
Fairy Qingyao looked at Gong Mengbi and saw that his eyes were curved. He did not feel overwhelmed by hearing these words.
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