Chapter 37 Pick up a fox and take it home After walking down the mountain for a while, I suddenly heard a voice shouting: "Ah~" Lin Jue was startled and instinctively tightened his grip on the hatchet. But then he saw a clouded leopard jump out of the forest and come in front of him. "!" Lin Jue was alert, yet confused. This clouded leopard looks familiar. At the same time, he looked down at the little thing in his hand. It doesn't look like a species. Just as he was thinking about it, two people walked out from behind the clouded leopard.

One is the eldest senior brother in the Taoist temple, and the other is the fourth senior brother in the Taoist temple, the one who is good at gathering beasts and training birds. "Junior brother, why did you climb so high up the mountain to chop wood? And why haven't you come down the mountain yet so late?" "Two senior brothers." Only then did Lin Jue put away the hatchet and breathed a sigh of relief. "Because there are not many dead branches this season, the firewood at the foot of the mountain has been almost cut down, so I had to go up the mountain. And because I saw the beautiful scenery on the top of the mountain, I climbed up to sit for a while." Lin Jue paused here and picked up the cub in his hand, "But on the mountain, I happened to see a little cub whose parents were lost. I don't know what happened. I waited for a long time from a long distance, but didn't see its parents come. I had to think of taking it back to the Taoist temple. Otherwise, even if it is not eaten by other wild animals on the top of the mountain, it will be blown to death by the wind." "Little one?" The fourth brother looked at the thing in his hand and concluded at a glance: "It's a fox cub." "Fox cub?" "There are no foxes on this mountain, only in the deepest part. I don't know how it got here." The fourth brother, who practiced the art of gathering beasts and taming birds, was obviously very knowledgeable about these things and was also very kind-hearted. "It's fate that we met it, so just bring it back to the Taoist temple. I'll ask my friends in the mountains to ask around tonight to see if anyone has lost a cub. If there is one, just send it over tomorrow morning." "that would be great." Lin Jue was not surprised—— Since practicing Wood Release requires harmony with plants and trees, it is easy to understand that practicing the method of gathering beasts and taming birds requires being kind to birds and beasts. Moreover, there have always been legends that wild beasts have spirits and can smell people's kindness and evil thoughts. These are more believable than plants and trees. "Let's go down the mountain." "it is good." Lin Jue couldn't help but pick up the little fox cub and took a closer look. It turned out that this is what foxes look like when they are young. Then he followed them down the mountain. "We thought you were lost in the mountains or bewitched by a spirit." "I'm not lost, but I've been worried that this little fox cub is a trick used by the mountain monsters to fool me." "If there is a monster on this mountain that uses this method to deceive people, we must find a way to get rid of it!"

"You guys aren't fake too, are you?" "Ha ha……" The little thing stayed obediently in Lin Jue's hands. The clouded leopard walked with them, with its tail raised. If the people living down the mountain saw this scene, they would probably think that it was a great and extraordinary person. Just as they were walking, the fourth senior brother's clouded leopard seemed to have discovered something, stopped, and turned to look into the distance. "Ah~" A shout. The fourth senior brother also stopped and looked in the direction it went. "Brother Yun, what's wrong?" "Ah~" The man and the leopard actually asked and answered each other. Lin Jue watched curiously from the side. This big cat with colorful stripes looks quite majestic, but I didn't expect its cry to be so strange. "What's wrong, senior brother?" "It must be a wild beast in the mountains." The fourth brother smiled slightly and continued to walk down. He took the firewood and quickly returned to the temple. There were still a few cats lying on the stone steps at the door, lazily enjoying the afterglow of the sunset. The black greyhound was sitting upright, looking quite majestic. They were not afraid of the clouded leopard walking among them. They must have been familiar with each other for a long time. However, Lin Jue's approach with the little fox cub made them curious for a while. Most of the fellow practitioners were waiting in the outer courtyard. The old Taoist also placed a cushion under a pine tree in the outer courtyard and sat cross-legged. For some reason, he seemed to have aged a lot after only one day back in the temple. He waited until the three of them came back before he opened his eyes: "Why did you take so long to come back?" "Master, because the scenery on the mountain is so beautiful, and I happened to meet a fox cub, I sat on the mountain for a while longer and looked at the scenery for a long time." "You are quite elegant." "It's just that I've never seen such a beautiful mountain." "There's still a long way to go, just don't get tired of it... But when did we get foxes in Fuqiu Peak?" The old Taoist raised his eyes and looked at his hands. The gray little creature was seen tucked in its tail to cover its vital parts. It was caught in Lin Jue's hand. It had an honest expression on its face and was looking at him, which made people feel pity for it. "I don't know. Fourth Brother said he would ask his friends in the mountains tonight. If they can find out, they will send it back tomorrow."

"It's okay. Meeting is fate. The temple doesn't need a bite of food. Even if we can't find where it came from, we can just raise it and release it back to the mountain." The old Taoist just took a look and then retracted his gaze. He stood up and walked towards the inner courtyard with the futon, "It's time to eat." The little fox was so small that Lin Jue was afraid that the cat in the yard would mistake it for a mouse and eat it, so he brought it into the dining hall. "Don't run around, wait until I finish eating." Strangely enough, after hearing what he said, the little thing really stayed there obediently. I don't know whether it was out of honesty or fear, but it just stared at him with its pair of black eyes and followed him around without making a sound or running around. It looks like a small lump, but it can be killed with one step. "This little thing is so pitiful. Go get him a tile to use as a bowl and give him something to eat first." The old Taoist said slowly. "What does it eat?" "Foxes eat everything." "it is good." Lin Jue went to the eaves of the outer courtyard and found a clean tile. There was a pile of tiles there, which must have been left over from the previous house construction. When he came back, he saw that the food was already on the table. It was exactly the same as last night, not only the dishes were the same, but even the rice was almost as sticky. The nutrition is sufficient, but the taste is lacking. Otherwise, why do people say that life in the mountains is hard? "It's cool outside, I'll eat outside, you guys can do whatever you want." The old Taoist served the rice, picked up some dishes, and walked outside slowly, like an ordinary old man in the village. "I'm going to eat out too!" "I'm going too!" The two brothers took their bowls and went outside one after another. Lin Jue thought about it, then scooped up some rice and some dishes, then walked out holding the bowl and the tile. The little fox actually followed him, running very clumsily. It's difficult for it to just cross the threshold. The threshold is even higher than that. When Lin Jue walked outside the canteen, he saw the sun setting. The sky was full of clouds and the courtyard was inevitably a little dark. Two senior brothers were chatting under a pine tree with bowls in their hands. The old Taoist was alone with his bowl gazing into the distance, looking at the ink-like mountains where the sun was setting, chewing his food, not knowing what he was thinking. Looking back, I saw the little fox cub struggling to climb over the threshold, and then falling down heavily from the threshold. Then he turned over and got up, as if he didn't feel the pain, and ran towards him quickly. "You've gotten to know me after sitting here for an entire afternoon." Lin Jue couldn't help but smile, so he found a step to sit down, put the tiles next to him, and put some rice, vegetables and eggs on them. "It depends on what you like to eat." This little thing is so small, as if it has never eaten solid food. It opened its round eyes and looked down at the food. There was a kind of confusion in its eyes as if it didn't understand anything. Then it turned its head and stared at Lin Jue, silent and helpless. Lin Jue didn't look at it, but looked at the beautiful sunset mountain scenery in the distance. Holding the bowl in one hand and chopsticks in the other, he also lowered his head and started eating.

Overhead, swallows were flying, chasing and playing, and bats' wings were flapping, making dull sounds in the air. In the yard, a few cats were playing with each other, while others were standing on high places, looking up at the birds in the sky without blinking. The black spaniel followed the two brothers, eagerly begging for food. The evening here is similar to the summer in Shu Village, and also similar to what Lin Jue remembers as a child. There is a sense of simplicity that is calming. It would be better if the food tasted better. Lin Jue glanced at the fox and was suddenly stunned - The little fox next to him didn't look at him anymore, but stretched out a claw, turned his hand over and hooked the edge of the tile, as if he was imitating him, trying to grab the tile and lift it up. After finding that it couldn't lift it, it was obviously stunned on the spot. After a moment of stagnation, it turned its head to look at Lin Jue, with even more confusion in its eyes. "?" Lin Jue suddenly realized. This little thing seems a little different. At least exceptionally smart. At this time, the little thing was still observing him, shifting its gaze from his left hand holding the bowl to his right hand holding the chopsticks, then it also lowered its head and looked at its other paw. Seeing that there was nothing on its paws, it actually searched around the tiles. When it looked up at Lin Jue again, there was confusion in its eyes and a feeling of not knowing what to do. "?" Lin Jue was suddenly surprised and puzzled. After spending a lot of time, I finally taught it how to lower its head to eat, but I still couldn't tell what it liked to eat. This little thing seemed to know nothing about the meals. It would eat whatever Lin Jue gave it and would eat in order. It had no opinions of its own. But it is quite interesting to deal with it. If you eat it with rice, you will finish a bowl of rice without realizing it. After the meal, Lin Jue wanted to help his sixth senior brother wash the dishes. It’s not a bad thing to be diligent. However, he was beaten to it by the more diligent younger junior sister. This was also a good thing as it saved him some effort. He then went to the courtyard to sit cross-legged and practice the Qi-nourishing method. It is time to practice at dusk. Compared with various spiritual methods, although the method of nourishing qi is primitive and simple, the five qi of heaven and earth are still between your breath, and when you close your eyes and feel it, it is still the spiritual charm of the world. There is no essential difference between what you absorb and feel, but it is not as pure and efficient as various spiritual methods. The little fox still followed him closely, lying beside him, staring at him and weakly glancing at the cats and dogs around him. …… Early the next morning, in the Banshan Hall. It's time for morning classes. "Without Yang, nothing can be created; without Yin, nothing can be transformed. With the interaction of Yin and Yang, all things are born and grow endlessly..." Lin Jue was still sitting on the cushion, reciting the "Yin Yang Sutra" which talks about the Yin and Yang. The little junior sister was wearing the clothes she wore when she came. The fabric looked good and pretty. She was sitting on the cushion next to him and listening attentively, but her position to Lin Jue was a little closer than yesterday morning. There are still cats strolling around the altar, and if they feel like it, they will slap the ancestor.

The biggest difference from yesterday was that outside the Moving Mountain Hall, a little fox was leaning against a threshold that was taller than itself, sitting there obediently, as if waiting for someone inside to come out, and occasionally dozing off with its head down. “This is the way of yin and yang.” Lin Jue finally finished reading and closed the book. The junior sister seemed to understand but not quite, and stared at him blankly. "Thank you, senior brother..." "It should." Just then, the fourth senior brother happened to walk past the door. "Junior brother, you are doing morning lessons here." "Fourth senior brother." "Good morning, Fourth Brother!" "How's it going? Can you recognize all the characters?" “I can recognize all of them.” The junior sister lowered her head weakly and said nothing. "It's good enough if you can recognize all of them. Read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear. You can't be impatient when practicing Taoism. In fact, you should avoid being impatient. You will always have some insights when you recite the Yin-Yang Sutra every day. Even if you don't have any insights, remember it. In the future, one of its sentences will become your true insights at some time. This is what the saints said." "Thank you, senior brother." "Thank you, senior brother..." "I just wanted to tell you that I asked my friends nearby to help look for it last night, but there were no newly moved foxes in the area of ​​Fuqiu Peak for miles. I don't know where this little fox came from, but I think it looks a little unusual. You can keep it first. If you want to learn the 'method of gathering beasts and taming birds', this is a good place to start. It's okay if you don't want to keep it, I can do the same. Anyway, many friends send me all kinds of prey every day, and many friends come to me for food, so I don't need it." "It's destined for me, so I'll take care of it." Lin Jue paused and asked, "May I ask Fourth Senior Brother, what are the benefits of the method of gathering beasts and taming birds, and how do I practice it?" "As the name suggests, the method of gathering beasts and taming birds is a way to gather and tame the birds and beasts in the world and communicate with them." The fourth brother stopped at the door and said, "There are tricks, but the most important thing is to let them feel your kindness and have a kind heart towards them." "I see." No wonder Fourth Senior Brother cares so much about this little fox cub and calls all the wild beasts in the mountains friends. This was just as Lin Jue expected. "You need to know that the art of gathering beasts and taming birds is not limited to wild beasts. When practiced to a high level, any beast whose intelligence has not reached the level of 'demon spirit', whether it is a strange beast or a demon beast, can be gathered and tamed. In addition, even if you encounter a demon, as long as they know that you have learned the art of 'gathering beasts and taming birds', they can tell what kind of person you are based on the depth of your attainments, and naturally they will have some favorable impression of you." The fourth brother boasted: "You can take your time to consider whether you want to learn it. But you should also know that in this world, magic is more about quality than quantity. Everyone has limited time and energy. Choose carefully and don't be too greedy." "Been taught a lesson." "Now that you have finished reciting the sutra, come and have dinner. I am going to ring the bell for my seventh junior brother." "it is good." Lin Jue stood up and followed him.

The junior sister also hurriedly followed. (End of this chapter)