Chapter 172: Fox Words, Child Yuan Sheng

Jiyuan had actually conducted some theoretical research on the stage of demonic creatures refining the 'transverse bone'. Essentially, the 'transverse bone' isn't a literal bone growing in the throat; it's more of an abstract concept.

It primarily refers to spiritual beasts gaining control over their tongue's sound and vital energy. Like a fishbone stuck in the throat, an impediment that prevents speech, refining the 'transverse bone' opens the tongue's aperture, allowing the vital energy to control vocalization.

Some also say the 'transverse bone' refers to the so-called "hyoid bone," but it's certainly a double influence, both physiological and metaphorical. In any case, refining the 'transverse bone' is considered the first major hurdle in an animal's transformation into a demon. Strictly speaking, only after passing this stage can a creature be truly called a demon spirit.

Jiyuan experienced this rare process vividly through the chess piece, as if he were sitting beside and listening to every change in the red fox Huyun's coughs.

On the Red Summit of Cloud Mountain, Jiyuan, lying on his side with eyes closed, smiled. The little fox had awakened from its dream, and the connection with the chess piece gradually faded.

Inside Juyan Pavilion, Yin Qing heard a cough and turned to see the red fox on the stone table coughing. He had never heard an animal cough before, and his first thought was whether it had choked on a date pit.

"Cough... cough cough cough... cough cough cough cough... a-cough..."

After taking just a few steps closer, he realized the little fox was coughing more and more violently, to the point where he almost had the illusion of seeing wisps of dust being coughed out.

"Little fox, what's wrong? Do you want some water?"

Yin Qing quickly went to the stone table, poured a cup of water from the kettle, and held it to the red fox's mouth.

"Drink some water to soothe your throat!"

After coughing for a while, the red fox finally calmed down. It held the teacup Yin Qing had placed nearby and continuously licked the cool, plain water.

At this moment, the red fox's heart was beating very fast. It continued drinking water to calm its current excitement, knowing full well what hurdle it had just overcome.

Waves of spiritual energy now surged through its body, and its perception of the surrounding spiritual energy had also become much sharper.

However, vaguely, the red fox felt that what was even more important than refining the 'transverse bone' in its dream was remembering the name it had forgotten while wandering in the wilderness for years: "Huyun," a name bestowed upon it by the Great Master!

"Hu... Huyun..."

A clear voice emerged from the red fox's mouth, instantly startling Yin Qing. He pointed at the little fox, speechless, his astonishment mixed with a faint hint of fear.

After speaking its name, the little fox instinctively covered its mouth with its two paws, staring wide-eyed at Yin Qing, a mix of apprehension and even more excitement on its face.

"You can talk now?"

Yin Qing calmed down a little and asked cautiously, yet with surprise.

Then the red fox instinctively mimicked his words.

"You, can talk now..."

"I can already talk; I'm asking about you!"

"I, can already talk; I'm asking about you..."

The joy in the red fox's eyes became increasingly difficult to conceal. It mimicked Yin Qing's tone like a parrot, and although its pronunciation was still a bit off, its voice was clear and pleasant to the ear.

Yin Qing was amused; he seemed to understand something and pointed to himself.

"Are you learning to talk like me?"

"Learn, talk, speak!"

The red fox nodded vigorously, then pointed a paw at itself.

"Hu... yun!"

Yin Qing paused, then, after a moment's thought, recalled the details of that past event, his face beaming with even greater joy.

"Yes, yes, yes, your name is Huyun! Mr. Ji gave you that name. You are Huyun!"

"Huyun, Huyun, your name is Huyun!"

The red fox happily clapped its paws.

"No, no, my name is Yin Qing, you are Huyun! Never mind, I'll teach you to talk!"

"Teach, talk! Teach talk!"

The red fox could already understand some human speech, at least distinguishing "you," "me," and "him." However, speaking was different from listening, so it instinctively repeated Yin Qing's words. With Yin Qing teaching it, its language acquisition speed wouldn't be slow.

The man and the fox were both exceptionally happy in the courtyard of Juyan Pavilion, as if they had found a fun game, exchanging words back and forth.

Meanwhile, the large jujube tree in the courtyard shaded them from the fierce autumn sun. Its branches and leaves swayed gently with the breeze, and the entire tree seemed to exude a sense of tranquility.

At the Wei family estate in Desheng Prefecture, a fair, plump toddler, clad in a red bellyband, was currently scampering barefoot down a corridor within the mansion.

The child was clutching a large, fabric tiger doll made of cotton, its head oversized, and was sprinting down the corridor on its short legs.

"Young Master... Young Master, where are you?! Please don't scare me, Young Master!"

A maid's anxious voice came from the other end. She hurried through this inner courtyard corridor, then immediately returned. The chubby boy in the bellyband was still running forward, causing her to let out a huge sigh of relief before quickly giving chase.

"Young Master, Young Master, stop running, be careful not to fall!"

This child in the bellyband was none other than Wei Wuwu's cherished son, Wei Yuansheng—or rather, the apple of the entire Wei family elders' eyes. The one chasing him was his personal seventeen-year-old maid, tasked with looking after and playing with him.

"Studying isn't fun, not fun at all! I want to find Mama, I want to find Papa!"

The young maid was agile; she caught up to the child within a dozen paces and scooped him up.

"Young Master, please don't cause trouble. It's the tutor's first day teaching you; let's not leave a bad impression!"

Ignoring the young maid's earnest pleas, the child wriggled, kicked, and punched in her arms, his chubby little hands and feet occasionally hitting her face.

"Xiaocui, let go of me quickly! I'm going to find Papa to complain! Who makes a three-year-old start studying? I won't go, I won't go! The tutor won't even let me pull his beard!"

Behind them, the old tutor also came running, breathless, clutching a book.

"Hoo... hoo... Miss Xiaocui, have you found him?"

"I found him, Tutor, don't worry. There are many hidden guardians inside and outside the Wei mansion; the Young Master will be fine. Hey, hey, hey... Young Master, don't pull there."

The old tutor quickly turned his head, covering his eyes, muttering, "Look not at what is contrary to propriety!"

Half an hour later, Wei Yuansheng was back at the desk in the study, where the maid Xiaocui held him down on a chair padded with multiple cotton cushions.

"Tutor, this time Xiaocui will have to stay by your side; I can't leave you two alone for lessons anymore."

After the previous incident, the old tutor had been quite startled and naturally dared not object.

"Of course, of course..."

Just now, Wei Yuansheng, a child said to be three years old but actually not yet two full years old, had jumped directly from such a high cushioned chair, scaring the old tutor half to death on the spot. Not only was the child unharmed, but he then skipped class.

"However, the young master of this household is the most intelligent child I have ever seen. If he studies diligently, he might very well become the second Duke Yin of our Desheng Prefecture."

Yin Zhaoxian's standing among the scholars of Desheng Prefecture was currently very high. Even a septuagenarian scholar like the old tutor respectfully addressed him as "Duke Yin" in private, demonstrating the immense influence of achieving 'triple success' (winning top honors in all three imperial examinations).

The old tutor stroked his beard, looking at the reluctant child sitting before the desk. The boy was plump all over, fair and chubby, with red lips and white teeth. Being sensitive to heat, he wore only a red bellyband, which made him appear even more adorable.

Most of Desheng Prefecture knew that the young master of the Wei family was born in the eleventh month of the Year of the Rabbit. By the Chinese traditional age reckoning, he was one year old at birth, and having passed two New Years, he was now considered three. In actuality, he was only about one and a half years old by Western reckoning.

For a child like this, in any other family, the primary concern would still be matters of toilet training. Yet, the Wei family had already invited him to teach reading and writing.

Initially, he had only accepted for the money, but after meeting and interacting with the young Master Wei for a while, the old tutor was utterly astonished by his brilliance.

Was this a three-year-old child? Although his speech was still childish, his intelligence was extraordinary. If one had to describe it, it was as if he possessed spiritual insight.

"Xiaocui, go away! If you don't go away, I won't study!"

Wei Yuansheng was still pouting, refusing to let the maid stay by his side.

Xiaocui glanced awkwardly at the old tutor, then hesitated before speaking.

"Then, Young Master, you must not run. I'll be right outside the door. And the Master will definitely ask you about today's events tonight. If you run again, I won't cover for you!"

"You! You!"

Wei Yuansheng pointed his chubby little finger at Xiaocui, wanting to scold her but having no harsh words to use.

"You're mean!"

"Thank you, Tutor!"

Xiaocui bowed to the tutor before leaving, and the old tutor returned the gesture.

"I will certainly do my best!"

Once the maid was gone, the old tutor looked back at the child, revealing a smile he believed to be benevolent.

"Young Master, do you know what the zodiac animal of this year is?"

"Of course it's the Year of the Snake!"

"Hmm, and since you are three years old now, Young Master, what is your zodiac animal?"

"I'm a Rabbit!"

"Good, then what if..."

"Stop, stop, stop..."

Wei Yuansheng waved his small hand.

"Asking this and that, knowing neither one thing nor the other, yet you dare to teach me?"

The old tutor was taken aback.

"The young master is exceptionally intelligent, the likes of which I have never seen in my life. These past few years, the star of culture and literature has truly shined upon our Desheng Prefecture."

"When I was just a month old, I drank the juice of an immortal fruit mixed with milk, so of course I'm amazing."

Naturally, the old tutor just smiled at such words.

"Heh heh, Young Master is jesting."

"See? You say children's words are innocent, but you don't believe what a three-year-old says."

But the child still feared his father, so the toddler could only endure the tedious boredom and try to read and study.

The old tutor stroked his beard and picked up a copy of "On Birds - A Child's Reply" from the desk. Yin Zhaoxian's masterpiece had already circulated widely in Desheng Prefecture. The brilliance of the first volume lay in its engaging and accessible nature, especially the new revised edition, which was even more catchy and highly suitable for elementary education.

Having just tested the young master's comprehension, the old tutor believed the boy would understand if he read it aloud to him.

That evening, upon his return, Wei Wuwu first inquired about the teaching situation from the old tutor, whose surname was Li. Predictably, he heard nothing but effusive praise for his son's intelligence.

Afterward, he questioned Wei Yuansheng alone.

In his principal wife's bedroom, by the oil lamp, Wei Yuansheng sat on the bed in his mother's arms, while Wei Wuwu sat in an armchair nearby. This was the first time Wei Wuwu would confide in his son.

"Yuansheng, you behaved quite well today. Do you know why your father is making you learn to read and write so early?"

Wei Yuansheng, clutching his favorite fabric tiger doll, opened his mouth to reply.

"Because I'm smart!"

"You rascal... Your intelligence is certainly a prerequisite, but it's also because before you turn five, I will take you to a certain place. It would be best if you can read and recognize characters by then."

"Five years old?"

Wei Yuansheng counted on his fingers. Wasn't that by the end of next year?

"My Lord... Yuansheng is still so young..."

Lady Wei felt a pang of reluctance, but before she could finish speaking, Wei Wuwu cut her off.

"Womanly compassion! This matter concerns Yuansheng's future, and also the Wei family's future. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity."

At this point, Wei Wuwu stood up, walked to the bed, and slowly crouched his corpulent body, looking intently at his son as he spoke.

"Tonight is the first time your father will tell you a secret of our Wei family. Though you are small, your father knows you understand discretion. This matter cannot be spoken about carelessly, as you do during the day. At least not for the next year or two. If it gets out, the Wei family's fortune could turn to disaster. Do you understand?"

Wei Yuansheng was a little scared. He snuggled against his mother, giving a childish reply.

"Understood..."

Wei Wuwu nodded, then squinted his eyes, recalling and beginning to speak.

"Our Wei family possesses a precious jade. It has been passed down through generations along with a certain legend, though for many years, our clan members never truly believed it. But then something unexpected happened... This story begins in Ning'an County..."