Chapter 171: Fox Named Hu Yun

The large jujube tree now knew how to hide its bounty. Many dates were concealed beneath its lush leaves; even with a careful look, only a small portion was visible. The actual number of dates wasn't high, and Yin Qing always had to climb the tree to count them.

Five dates dropping at once was not a small number compared to the tree's total yield. What's more, two of them faintly showed a fiery hue on their surface, clearly indicating they were the rare, original 'fire dates'.

After a brief moment of irritation, Yin Qing's mood was swiftly replaced by joy as he looked at the red fox, which was rubbing its nose and head with its paw.

"Little fox, why haven't you come to see me all these years? I've missed you terribly!"

As he spoke, Yin Qing quickly helped the red fox retrieve the large dates that were still rolling on the ground. He would be heartbroken if any passing mouse or wild cat made off with them.

The red fox looked up at the large tree with a mix of confusion and bewilderment, then huddled to the side, carefully scrutinizing Yin Qing. It vaguely recognized the boy he once was, and this realization allowed it to relax considerably.

"Come here, come over here! Didn't you used to love lying on the stone table?"

Yin Qing beckoned to the red fox and placed the five dates on the table. After a moment of hesitation, the red fox approached, then lightly leaped onto the stone table.

The five dates on the table were all similar in size, each as large as a small apple, and their vibrant red color was incredibly enticing. Yin Qing stared at the dates, swallowing his saliva several times.

The little fox also leaned in, sniffing the dates carefully, especially the two more unique ones. Although they didn't emit any discernible scent on the surface, there was a strong urge to bite into them.

"Rustle rustle... rustle rustle rustle..."

The branches and leaves of the large jujube tree swayed gently, as if it were unclear whether the wind moved the leaves or the leaves stirred the wind.

"Woof woof..."

The red fox extended a paw, pressed down on one of the uniquely colored dates, and nudged it to roll towards Yin Qing.

However, after Yin Qing caught the date, he put it back in its original place.

"No, no, I can't eat this! *Gulp*... You must eat it. You haven't been back for so many years; even one per year isn't quite enough!"

Though still swallowing his saliva, Yin Qing had been raised with strict discipline and was deeply influenced by Yin Zhaoxian and Ji Yuan. Despite his young age, he possessed strong principles regarding certain matters.

"Eat quickly! This fruit won't taste good if left for too long. Come on, eat it! Foxes don't refuse fruit, do they?"

Yin Qing tried his best not to look at the dates, urging the red fox repeatedly.

"Rustle rustle... rustle rustle rustle..."

The jujube tree above them trembled again, as if laughing.

With a "thump," Yin Qing was hit on the head. He nimbly reached out and caught a large date that had fallen from above.

Yin Qing immediately became even more excited. He didn't bother rubbing his head, instead vigorously wiping the date on his clothes.

"Hehehehe... I can eat this one! I'll eat it for you to see! *Crunch*, *hiss*... Delicious!"

With that, he grabbed the date and took a bite.

The crisp chewing of the fruit, accompanied by a strange, sweet aroma, wafted from Yin Qing's mouth. The red fox's nose twitched a few times; it could no longer resist, so it grabbed one of the large dates and began to *crunch crunch* its way through it.

For a moment, the courtyard of Jū'ān Study was filled with the rich aroma of fruit. However, the scent couldn't escape the courtyard walls, as it was mostly reabsorbed by the jujube branches.

The fox ate the date quite messily, with crumbs constantly falling onto the stone table. Fortunately, the red fox knew how precious the fruit was and licked up all the fallen crumbs.

The five dates didn't last long; they were devoured in mere moments.

After gnawing down the last bite of fruit, the little fox let out a satisfied "burp" from deep in its throat, a burp infused with the scent of fruit, then lay drowsily on the stone table.

Inside the fox's body, it felt warm and cozy. The circulating spiritual energy was dramatically more potent than what it had managed to absorb during its challenging years in the mountains, enduring sunrises, sunsets, and the waxing and waning of the moon.

Yin Qing, having only eaten one date, felt very energetic. Observing the red fox, he quietly sat before the stone table, occasionally stroking its fur with care.

"Little fox, your fur is so clean, and so thick and soft. Don't let the hunters see it."

This remark made the red fox instinctively shiver, and it woke up considerably. It then sat upright on the stone table, supported by its hind legs and tail.

"Woof woof woof..."

The fox's paw pointed towards the house of Jū'ān Study. Yin Qing looked in the direction the fox's paw indicated, roughly understanding what it was thinking.

"Mr. Ji isn't home. He left many years ago and hasn't returned..."

"Woof..."

The red fox's voice clearly carried a sense of disappointment. Over the years, it had evolved from a spiritual fox that had just gained sentience to one whose cultivation was gradually progressing. It wanted to find Mr. Ji again before refining its horizontal bone. It had hesitated since last year, but this year, it finally gathered the courage to "sneak" into Ning'an County, only to find him absent.

"Little fox, are you very powerful now too? Like, like the big jujube tree?"

Yin Qing chatted animatedly with the red fox, well aware that this was no ordinary wild fox.

The red fox naturally understood Yin Qing's words. However, as it looked at the jujube tree in the courtyard, with spiritual energy slowly gathering in its massive shade, it felt it was nowhere near the same league as the great jujube tree, which had, after all, always been by the great master's side.

"Woof..." This sound seemed even more disheartened.

The red fox lay on the stone table, its body pressed against the surface, its fluffy, fiery-red tail wagging behind it. Its eyes were fixed on the empty space in front of the stone table, but the great master who used to practice his sword there was absent.

As its tail swayed, the red fox gradually drifted off to sleep.

In its dream, the fox felt its thoughts stretch indefinitely. Its consciousness drifted back to the past; the sensation of the stone table on its body remained, but before its eyes, it vaguely seemed to see Jū'ān Study as it once was.

Thousands of miles away, on the peak of Red Cloud Mountain in Bingzhou, Ji Yuan, who lay with closed eyes, suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. He slightly opened his eyes, and an illusory chess piece appeared on his right hand, poised like a sword finger. Within it, a fluffy, soft red fox could be vaguely seen sleeping soundly on a stone table.

"Hehehe..."

After a few chuckles, Ji Yuan closed his eyes again, and the chess piece vanished from his hand.

Within the realm of his conceptual landscape, Ji Yuan, whose body was as vast as the land and sky, held the red fox's chess piece. It seemed that whenever the piece reached a particularly critical juncture, he could sense a connection and significant changes.

The lingering echo of the "Decree" still resonated throughout the mountains and rivers, whistling with the wind, sometimes strong, sometimes weak.

Ji Yuan seemed to hold the very essence of the cosmos within him, gathering its profound power without uttering a sound, as if waiting for a particular moment in his heart.

The moment a familiar sensation arose, Ji Yuan thought, 'The karmic connection has arrived,' and whispered softly to the chess piece.

"Hu Yun!"

Inside Jū'ān Study, Yin Qing, engrossed in his book at the stone table, was unaware that the red fox before him was reliving everything from the past in its dream.

Ji Yuan vaguely caught a glimpse of this dream, but it was not something he had imposed; he didn't possess such power. Instead, it was more likely that the red fox, upon returning to its old surroundings, had thoughts that naturally led to this dream.

In the dream, Yin Qing was still a small child. After the red fox had recovered from its injuries in the study for some time, it yearned to return to the freedom of the great mountains. So, Mr. Ji led Yin Qing and the fox to the foot of Niukui Mountain.

In the dream, the red fox occasionally leaped ahead and sometimes trotted behind the two. Several times it tried to see Ji Yuan's face clearly, but it always remained a hazy blur.

Once they entered the mountain, the red fox squatted on a rock, watching the two prepare to leave. Even in the dream, the red fox desperately wanted to follow, but its dream body felt as if it had been cast in molten iron and couldn't move at all.

In the study, outside the dream, Yin Qing looked at the red fox and noticed that the little fox's body was constantly trembling, as if it were struggling with something or having a nightmare.

Spiritual energy circulated rapidly within the fox's body, and its body temperature was steadily rising. A faint wisp of demonic energy began to permeate its surface.

"Rumble..."

A not-so-loud thunderclap rumbled overhead.

Yin Qing, who had been under the tree's shade, walked a few steps to a better position to look at the sky. Unbeknownst to him, dark clouds had already gathered.

"It's not going to rain, is it?"

The red fox struggled continuously in its dream, desperate to cry out, but it couldn't do anything. Its body lay on the stone table, its paws gripping the stone surface tightly.

Just then, the person in the dream suddenly paused.

The great master from its memory suddenly became clear, turning around and smiling at the red fox on the rock.

"Since we've met, I, Ji, will give you another gift..."

The great master glanced at the clouds in the sky before continuing to speak to the red fox.

"Since you've embarked on the path of cultivation, you are no longer an ignorant wild beast. You can lack anything, but not a name. If you don't mind, from now on you shall be called Hu Yun!"

The two words "Hu Yun" continuously echoed in the dream, as if the very sky had changed.

Outside the dream, Yin Qing had been watching the dark clouds. Soon after, he noticed the clouds seemed to be dissipating, and a corner of the sun appeared. He sighed in relief, knowing he wouldn't have to bring in the laundry.

"Ahem... cough cough cough..."

A strange coughing sound came from the stone table, drawing Yin Qing's attention back to it.