Chapter 41: Street Anecdotes

The morning sun shone upon Ju’an Xiaoge. In the courtyard, jujube trees were covered in yellow-green flowers, and their faint fragrance filled the small yard, wafting out of Ju’an Xiaoge and permeating nearly half of Tianniu Fang.

For the residents of Tianniu Fang, this faint jujube blossom scent, unlike in previous years, along with the new occupant of Ju’an Xiaoge, had become a minor local talking point this year.

Although few people still dared to approach Ju’an Xiaoge, it no longer carried the terrifying reputation it once had. After all, someone had lived there safely for two months, and even Master Yin from the local school frequently visited without incident.

Ji Yuan opened the main door of his residence and emerged, stretching comfortably. Only an unattached idler like him, who was not currently lacking funds, could afford the luxury of sleeping in so late; ordinary households were usually up at the first hint of dawn.

“The sun is high, and I sleep alone; alas, I am no immortal!”

Mumbling a clumsy verse, Ji Yuan leisurely strolled into the courtyard. By the kitchen, he picked up a thin willow branch he had gathered the day before. With a flick of his finger, a stream of water rose from the water tank.

With a subtle tremor of his fingertip, the willow branch, infused with a trace of spiritual energy through internal cultivation techniques, straightened. It moved with the stream of water inside his mouth, and in just over ten seconds, his teeth were clean.

“Gurgle... Ptui!”

Spitting out the cloudy rinse water, he immediately felt even more invigorated!

Ji Yuan’s tooth brushing was far more efficient now than before, and he distinctly felt that the plaque on his teeth diminished each morning. Perhaps one day, he wouldn’t need to brush them at all.

While Ji Yuan would be delighted if a day came when he no longer needed to bathe or brush his teeth, he was absolutely certain he would never give up eating, even if he no longer felt hunger.

This world was already so uninteresting; how much duller would it be without the pleasure of good food?

Carrying his bamboo slips of the *Chess Classic*, Ji Yuan closed his courtyard gate and leisurely stepped out. Recently, feeling that his “strength had greatly increased,” he had begun to contemplate when he might venture out to experience the wider world.

The best evidence was that Ji Yuan had thoroughly mastered two cultivation texts and had made significant progress with two martial arts manuals. However, regarding the so-called “Seventh Tier True Qi” described in the *Iron Punishment Battle Manual*, Ji Yuan was unsure how to classify his own condition, especially since he had begun with “innate true qi.”

Now, without a formal cultivation technique for spiritual energy, Ji Yuan had temporarily adapted the true qi circulation method from the *Iron Punishment Battle Manual* to circulate his spiritual energy, having completely discarded the use of true qi.

While he felt this might be a somewhat inefficient use of spiritual energy, it was certainly better than nothing, and it had demonstrably enhanced his martial arts prowess.

In any case, while he might not be powerful enough to casually challenge demons, immortals, or cultivators, he surely possessed sufficient strength for self-preservation among ordinary people.

Caressing the *Chess Classic* as he walked, Ji Yuan ambled through the alleys and paths of Tianniu Fang. Whenever he encountered residents, they would respectfully greet him with “Good morning, Mr. Ji,” to which he would always respond with a smile.

Having such acute hearing as Ji Yuan did had another advantage: he could identify anyone by their voice, ensuring he never mistakenly greeted the wrong person.

“Woof woof woof... Woof woof woof woof... Grrr... Woof woof woof...”

From the street at the far end of the district, fierce barks echoed, sounding as if multiple dogs were chasing something.

Soon after, Ji Yuan heard a commotion from the crowd up the street.

“Oh dear, whose dog is that, so ferocious!”“Hey, a fox!”“It really is a fox! Hahaha, it’s going to be bitten to death by the dogs!”“What a waste of that fur!”“Make way, make way! Where’s the fox? Catch it, and you’ve got valuable fur!”“It went that way, the dogs are still chasing it. Its fur’s already been torn!”“Woof woof woof...”“Clang!”“Whimper, whimper...”“It’s there! Get it! Get it! It looks like there’s something in the fur on its back! Quick, get the dogs away! Stupid dogs, let go, let go!”“Grrr... Woof woof woof...”

Ji Yuan frowned, inexplicably quickening his pace. After exiting Tianniu Fang, he headed towards the most bustling and noisy part of the street nearby. Circulating spiritual energy and employing his martial arts movement technique, he appeared like a strolling green blur gliding across the street; though seemingly walking, his speed was incredibly fast.

Had Ji Yuan not employed a subtle illusion, the street would likely have erupted in chaos, with chickens scattering and dogs barking in alarm.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered at a street corner.

“You cursed dogs, let go! Let go!”“Thwack!”“Whimper, whimper...”

Two burly men were hitting the two large yellow dogs, which had the fox clamped in their jaws, with wooden sticks. The dogs whimpered in pain and recoiled from the blows.

Over twenty bystanders watched as the red fox lay bleeding and barely alive at the street corner.

“Hahahaha, this fox is ours!”

One of the men was about to reach for the fox’s tail when, to their surprise, the seemingly dying fox suddenly sprang up and darted out of the crowd.

“Wow, it was playing dead!” “This fox is so cunning!”

Someone in the crowd exclaimed.

“Don’t let it get away!” “It won’t get far!”

The red fox limped away, fleeing in utter desperation, while the lingering large yellow dogs resumed their pursuit.

Suddenly, a long-robed figure in green appeared ahead, covering the distance from afar in just a few strides.

He glided forward, carrying bamboo slips, his presence as refreshing as a spring breeze.

The red fox froze on the spot, then, reacting swiftly, bent its front paws and began repeatedly bowing towards Ji Yuan.

“Whimper, whimper... whimper, whimper...”

The fox’s piteous whimpers resembled cries, and its body was covered in still-bleeding wounds, yet it dared not cease its bowing.

The large yellow dogs surrounded them, barking incessantly but not daring to approach. Among the surrounding crowd, some felt fear, while others expressed their amazement.

“Hiss... Could this fox be becoming a spirit? It’s actually bowing and pleading with a person?”“Goodness gracious... it’s true!”“It’s a bit unsettling! Let’s just kill it!”“Who is that man?”“That’s Mr. Ji from Tianniu Fang, a friend of Master Yin!”“Right, right. The people of Tianniu Fang say he’s an extraordinary man. He’s been living in Ju’an Xiaoge for several months now.”

The curious crowd buzzed with discussion, and even the two men with wooden sticks, who had intended to catch the fox, dared not step forward in the face of such a bizarre situation.

Ji Yuan, however, paid no attention to the others. He simply stared at the red fox, which seemed vaguely familiar, and noticed the tiger hair hidden beneath the soft fur on its back.

This red fox had clearly gained intelligence, yet it had almost been killed by dogs, indicating it was likely not a powerful demonic creature. Furthermore, there was no scent of malevolence emanating from it.

Witnessing the fox’s wretched state, as it continuously bowed and whimpered in supplication, greatly moved Ji Yuan to pity. Moreover, it was clear the fox had come seeking him, and its injuries were, in a way, caused by him.

Ji Yuan raised his head, scanning the indistinct ring of people, and in two seconds, he located the two men responsible.

“Gentlemen, would you be willing to part with this red fox and allow me to take it? Its fur has already been ruined by the yellow dogs, so it’s not worth much. I am willing to offer 100 *wen*. Consider it a favor to me, what do you say?”

Ji Yuan gave a slight bow with cupped hands, gazing towards the two men with sticks in the crowd as he spoke. His calm, pale eyes, though seemingly vacant, conveyed a profound presence.

“Uh... it is fox fur, after all, a hundred *wen* is a bit... Hey, what are you doing?”

One of the men was about to haggle, but his companion gave him a sharp nudge. Ignoring the other’s grumbles, he chuckled and nodded towards Ji Yuan.

“Alright, alright. If Mr. Ji wants it, please take it. A hundred *wen* it is.”

“Thank you!”

Ji Yuan took out his money pouch from his sleeve, counted out twenty *dang wu tong bao* coins, and handed them to the two men. Then, he looked at the snarling yellow dogs, feeling a bit vexed.

He could use money for people, but what about the dogs? Meat bones? Who carries those around when they leave the house?

“Uh, how about you all disperse as well?”

Ji Yuan swore he had only intended to try, but to his surprise, the large yellow dogs whimpered a few times, then actually turned and walked away, glancing back every few steps. This left Ji Yuan momentarily stunned and caused the surrounding crowd to gape in disbelief.

Many in the crowd were now too astonished to speak.

Ji Yuan observed the crowd, which showed signs of growing even larger, and sighed. He then reached out and gently lifted the red fox, now weak from its previous burst of adrenaline, into his arms.

“Everyone, please disperse!”

Uttering these words, Ji Yuan, before anyone could react, smoothly maneuvered through the tightly packed crowd, passing by other curious onlookers who were rushing to the scene, and vanished into a nearby alleyway.

Those who turned to look could only see newly arrived busybodies, with no sign of the green-robed figure.