Chapter 37: Disobeying the King
The one who spoke to them was naturally not Ma Shenpo, but the fox that Ma Shenpo worshipped.
Kang Wen said, "It's not me who came here, but the Shangguan envoy came here for inspection and happened to come to your place today."
"Shangguan Envoy?" The fox looked at Fox Heart Xiaoqi through the eyes of the witch Ma and said, "Which Shangguan? What envoy? What are you inspecting?"
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said: "The superior is the Fox Association of Wuning County of Tianhuyuan, the messenger is the Fox Fairy Messenger, and the patrol is to check whether you wild foxes have committed crimes."
"The Heavenly Fox Institute is far away in Mount Tai," said the witch, "how come they have an official in Wuning County? I've lived for over a hundred years and have never heard of any fox society."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said, "The Heavenly Fox Court is in charge of all fox affairs in the world, and the Fox Records Department monitors all foxes in the world. The Fox Association of Wuning County is a newly established position and is under the jurisdiction of the Fox Records Department."
Witch Ma laughed and said, "Haha, it turns out this is a newly created position. The Heavenly Fox Court manages all fox affairs in the world. It manages foxes that cultivate immortality and seek the Tao, and controls those who are supreme saints and masters. I am a wild fox in the human world. I neither seek immortality nor seek the Tao. I am afraid you can't control me."
Kang Wen frowned and said, "Are you not submitting to the king's rule?"
Fox-hearted Xiao Qi thought he was in trouble and was about to speak when the witch Ma sneered.
"King Hua?" Ma Shenpo feigned shock and said, "When did my fox clan have an emperor? Why have I never heard of him?"
"You!" Kang Wen was frustrated and said angrily, "The Heavenly Fox Academy is in charge of fox affairs. If you don't accept the Heavenly Fox Academy's discipline, aren't you also not accepting the king's rule?"
The witch Ma laughed heartily. "The Queen Mother of Mount Tai is the Queen Mother of Mount Tai, the Heavenly Fox Court is the Heavenly Fox Court, and the Fox Society is the Fox Society. If the Heavenly Fox Court issues an order, I naturally wouldn't dare disobey. But how can this newly established Fox Society control an old country fox like me?"
"You cultivate immortality as a form of self-cultivation, and I cultivate myself as a god as well. I am not inferior to you, so why do you control me?" Ma Shenpo waved her hand and said, "Go away, you are not welcome here."
Kang Wen was furious: "Troublemaker!"
"Bitch!" A green light flashed in Ma Shenpo's eyes. She waved her hand violently, sending out a gust of cold wind that pushed Kang Wen and Hu Xin Xiao Qi out of the door.
"Get out!"
The door slammed shut and didn't open again.
Kang Wen fell, but Fox Heart Xiao Qi landed safely. Ma Shenpo's two sons immediately stepped forward and stared at them, threatening to attack them if they dared to pester them again.
Looking at the two tall, fat and strong brothers, Kang Wen swallowed the last words in dissatisfaction.
Fox Heart Xiao Qi didn't say anything, but took her out and said, "No wonder Kang Yunu can't stand you when you talk like that."
Kang Wen was immediately furious: "I'm helping you, but not only are you not grateful, you're even speaking coldly to me."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said, "But you couldn't beat her, and you were so arrogant, so we were kicked out. We didn't accomplish anything, and we didn't find a place to stay."
Kang Wen hesitated immediately: "If you can speak, why don't you say anything?"
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said, "How can I ruin your show in front of others? You're so quick-witted, and I can't stop you."
Kang Wen gnashed his teeth, feeling unwilling to accept the consequences: "This old bastard, he refuses to be inspected, he must have something to hide."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said, "If you want to know this, just ask around and you'll find out."
"She refuses to be inspected, but if we ask around in the village about Ma the Witch's deeds, we'll know if she's done anything wrong. If we can't ask the real person, can't we ask others?"
Kang Wen's eyes lit up and he praised, "Smart."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said, "Then I'll trouble you."
Kang Wen shouted, "Why me?"
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said, "I'm a human, and you're a fox. Although I have some magical powers to protect myself, they're not as advanced as yours. Besides, if I'm the one who came up with the idea and I'm the one who does it, then what are you going to do?"
Kang Wen was first praised a little by him, then provoked a little, and he let out a long breath through his nose and said, "Then you wait!"
Kang Wen went to inquire about the news.
The advantage of foxes is that they are naturally charming and can easily attract others' favor. If they cast a spell, ordinary people will find it even more difficult to escape.
As long as you don't encounter a tough opponent, you generally won't end up making things worse.
After sending Kang Wen away, Fox Heart Xiao Qi looked up at the air. A bit of white air emerged from Fox Heart Xiao Qi's spiritual platform and turned into a fox shadow, looking towards Ma Shenpo's house.
There was a slight smell of incense in Ma Shenpo's house, which barely covered up the fox spirit. Although the aura of Ma Shenpo's house was mixed, it did not have any evil appearance, so it looked quite good.
The fox's shadow entered Fox Heart Xiaoqi's mind, and Fox Heart Xiaoqi's eyes regained their luster.
Soon Kang Wen returned with a report: "I inquired with many families, and they were somewhat wary of matters concerning gods and ghosts, and at first they were reluctant to speak. I pretended to be asking for directions and to find a horse-witch to perform a ritual, and only then did they agree to speak."
"Ma Shenpo is quite effective. She performs rituals, exorcise evil spirits, and delivers babies, and she's done quite a few lives. But generally speaking, no one says she's evil. On the contrary, she's quite a good person."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said: "Then there's no need to worry about her. We can find a place to stay for the night."
It was already getting dark.
Kang Wen said proudly, "I also found out about an abandoned house. Although it is shabby, it is still suitable for temporary shelter."
Fox-hearted Xiao Qi and Kang Wen went to spend the night in an abandoned house.
After settling down, Kang Wen was puzzled and asked, "Since she has done nothing wrong, why doesn't she want you to investigate? Is she really unwilling to obey the king's rule?"
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said: "Didn't you hear her say that Queen Taishan is Queen Taishan, Heavenly Fox Court is Heavenly Fox Court, and the Fox Club is the Fox Club?"
Kang Wen said, "I don't understand."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi asked, "Since you boast of your culture, do you know how the government is governed today?"
Kang Wen shook his head and hesitated, "I've only seen the tax collectors, but they were quite rude. The farmers often complained, but they dared not speak out."
"The harsh policies and excessive taxation are so severe that even the gods and ghosts are afraid of them." Fox Heart Xiao Qi sighed.
Kang Wen finally understood: "She's not unwilling to submit to the king's rule, but she's afraid that if she's governed by him, she'll be like the common people under a harsh government, struggling to survive."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi nodded and said, "Indeed."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi pointed out the problem: "The imperial court governs the common people. Even when the government is clean and honest, there are inevitably corrupt officials. If the government is not clean, then there will be corruption from top to bottom."
Kang Wen asked again, "So she said that the Heavenly Fox Court is the Heavenly Fox Court and the Fox Club is the Fox Club. Then why does the Taishan Goddess also mean the Taishan Goddess?"
Fox Heart Xiao Qi said, "The foxes from Ma Shenpo's family are quite knowledgeable, otherwise they wouldn't say such things. The Queen Mother of Mount Tai governs all the foxes in the world, so she established the Heavenly Fox Court. Do you know how many fox families there are in the Heavenly Fox Court?"
Kang Wen shook his head, but vaguely, he understood what Hu Xin Xiao Qi meant.
Fox Heart Xiao Qi simply said, "Foxes are descendants of Tushan, offspring of Qingqiu, with a long heritage and a long history. Just as there are many noble families in the human world, foxes also have many lineages. Although they are under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Fox Court and dispatched by the Taishan Goddess, the interests of the noble families are not always completely aligned with those of the Heavenly Fox Court."
"The Queen Mother of Mount Tai is the Queen Mother of Mount Tai, the Heavenly Fox Court is the Heavenly Fox Court, and the Fox Club is the Fox Club." Fox Heart Xiao Qi sighed and said, "Let's remember this insightful fox first."
Fox Heart Xiao Qi took out the notebook from the cloth bag and wrote down the fox's name. Because he didn't know the fox's real name, he temporarily recorded it as the guardian deity of the Ma Shenpo family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com