Chapter 694: Fox Friends and Dog Foes

As Ji Yuan’s words faded, the golden-armored figure from the other side of the pond slowly walked around it, returning to Ji Yuan’s side. As he came back, his golden armor gradually dimmed, and his body simultaneously shrank. By the time he reached Ji Yuan, he had already reverted to his previous form as the burly, red-skinned man.

Ji Yuan had originally been ready to leave, but halfway through turning, he looked back, taking a few more glances at the pond.

At this moment, Hu Li’s courage had grown slightly, and he carefully approached the edge of the pond. Seeing that Hu Li dared to approach, the large black dog immediately followed suit, not wanting to be left behind, slowly drawing closer.

“Mr. Ji, what was that demon just now?”

Xiezhi's voice was very hoarse, and he often spoke only to Ji Yuan, so Hu Li and the black dog, being farther away, heard him vaguely.

“Demon?”

Ji Yuan turned to look at Hu Li, shaking his head gently as he spoke.

“You can’t say it’s entirely wrong, but it’s certainly not correct. Legend has it that a Qiuchi is a celestial dragon that committed a great sin and was transformed. They typically cultivate in places rich in Yin energy, hoping to one day regain their celestial dragon form. As for this one…”

Ji Yuan did not continue speaking. This particular Qiuchi had been reduced to an almost instinctive mode of behavior; its mind was no longer clear, and it was unknown what it had gone through. If the City God of Luping was truly unlucky enough to be bitten and killed by its potent venom, that would indeed be utterly dreadful luck.

Ji Yuan kept his gaze on the pond, for with the Qiuchi's departure, the pond, under his spiritual sight, began to slowly undergo new changes.

“Indeed, this is a place where spiritual and Yin energies converge. With the Qiuchi occupying it for cultivation, it had almost completely absorbed and blocked the spiritual Yin energy here. However, now that I have taken the Qiuchi away, this pond has become a minor issue.”

“Uh, what kind of minor issue? Will there be a new demon?”

“Not exactly, but the water here is excessively cold and Yin, which isn’t good for ordinary people.”

Although this pond had likely become associated with ominous beliefs among the local villagers, meaning few people would approach it in most circumstances, Ji Yuan still decided to take precautions.

With that thought, Ji Yuan reached into his left sleeve, pulled out two magical coins, and then took out his wolf-hair brush again. He bent down, dipped the brush into the pond water, and then wrote a few characters on both sides of the two copper coins.

Hu Li, standing by, was extremely curious but dared not pry too much, only stealing glances from the side. The little paper crane on Ji Yuan’s shoulder, however, had no such reservations; it craned its neck and peered intently, scrutinizing every movement of Master Ji Yuan’s hands.

Before long, Ji Yuan finished writing, and a brass-colored glow flashed from the two coins. The next moment, Ji Yuan casually tossed them forward.

“Plink!” “Plink!”

The two coins splashed a little water as they entered the pond.

Rumble… Rumble…

A faint trembling sensation emanated from the pond; the water at the edges continually vibrated and splashed, not with great force but at a high frequency. Beneath the surface, the coins slowly sank, and as they did, a significant amount of earth and stone at the bottom center of the pond surprisingly converged and collapsed towards the middle.

By the time the two coins neared the bottom, the vibrations had subsided. The two coins landed perfectly, one on top of the other, but their central square holes were rotated by a right angle from each other, creating an intersecting diamond shape. They settled exactly at the pond's center, leaving only a tiny coin-sized opening between the pond and the cavern below.

Although the pond's appearance remained unchanged after the coins settled, the spiritual aura Ji Yuan perceived with his spiritual sight was now vastly different.

“Good, this should do it,” he murmured. “Perhaps in the future, harmless water spirits might even emerge here.”

After murmuring to himself, Ji Yuan raised his head, looking around as he spoke softly.

“Everyone, come back now.”

As his words fell, streams of inky light flew back from all directions. The little characters were still on their way, but their incessant chirping could already be heard.

“Master! Master! That snake just now was so strange!”

“Master, did that snake demon go into the painting?” “Master, is that snake demon called Qiuchi?”

“How do you write the characters for Qiuchi?”

“Little Paper Crane, you haven’t played with us lately.” “Little Paper Crane can talk now!”

“Master! Master!…”

Ji Yuan waved his hand.

“Alright, alright, you don’t need to go back into the calligraphy scroll for now. You can wander around outside, but you must be quiet.”

“Got it, Master!” “We’re very quiet!”

“Yes, we’re the quietest.” “We promise to be quiet, Master!”

“Exactly! Anyone who dares to be noisy, I’ll take them on!”

“I’ll join you.” “Me too!” “Count me in!”

“So who do you think won’t be quiet?” “Many of the characters might not be quiet!”

“These troublemaking characters must be severely punished!” “Right!” “Agreed!”

Ji Yuan let out a soft sigh and smiled helplessly. He had intended to tell the little characters to be silent, but then he remembered it had been a long time since he'd let them out. So, he said no more, knowing they understood boundaries and would quiet down once they saw more people.

As night fell, Ji Yuan returned to the Wei family estate with Hu Li and the golden-armored figure. The little paper crane, surrounded by a large swarm of tiny characters, flew and darted around the spacious estate.

The room where the banquet had been held a few days ago was now brightly lit. The foxes, who transformed into human form at night, were all dressed and had arranged the tables and chairs. They eagerly awaited Ji Yuan and Hu Li's return, knowing that today was not just about settling a debt but also about enjoying a feast, especially since there would surely be meat from the Lu family's butcher shop.

However, Ji Yuan and Hu Li didn't return with the exact same company they left with. A large black dog followed closely behind them. As the trio approached the house, they could already see the reflections of foxes moving inside and distinctly smell their presence.

“Woof… woof…”

The large black dog began to growl softly; with so many unusual fox scents, growling was its instinct.

“Woof woof woof… Woof woof woof woof…”

This fierce barking made Hu Li, who was nearby, tremble, but he managed to maintain his composure. Inside the house, all the human figures froze, yet surprisingly, none immediately cried out in alarm, nor did any of the foxes attempt to flee.

“Hahahaha… Mr. Ji and the others must be back!”

“Yes, yes, yes, hearing that dog bark, we know it’s Master Crane!”

“Is the delicious food coming?” “Hehehe… I’m drooling!”

“Set the bowls and chopsticks, quickly!” “And chairs!”

“I’ll open the door!”

It turned out that having been frequently startled by the little paper crane's imitation of dog barks recently, this group of foxes had developed a certain immunity to dog barking within the Wei family estate. Although they would still be initially startled, they no longer panicked to the point of losing their wits and fleeing in disarray upon hearing it.

Ji Yuan was slightly surprised by this and spoke to Hu Li and the large black dog.

“Since that’s the case, Hu Li, you can introduce Dahei in a moment. And you, Dahei, stop barking for now; the foxes inside will be scared.”

“Yes, yes!” “Woof…”

Just then, the flurry of activity inside the house ceased, and a fox sister who had transformed into a tall woman stepped forward to open the door. Ji Yuan and the others happened to arrive at the doorstep at that very moment.

“Mr. Ji, Grandpa, you’re ba…”

The fox sister's eyes slowly widened as she saw the large black dog beside Ji Yuan, her fur standing on end in fright. She could only slowly retreat, and the other foxes also gradually noticed the enormous black dog entering through the doorway, its fierce appearance terrifying.

“It’s fine, it’s fine, this dog won’t hurt us, don’t…”

“Ah… A big black dog…”

The fox sister shrieked, a puff of smoke rose, and her clothes instantly deflated and fell, as a startled fox sprang out of them and fled. Inside, there was a crashing sound as the foxes scurried about, bumping into each other; some jumped out windows, some burrowed into holes, some climbed onto beams, and some, after being bumped a few times by their companions, simply lay flat on the ground, playing dead.

Ji Yuan paused for a moment, then his lips curved upward, unable to suppress his smile any longer.

“Hahahahaha… hahahahaha…”

No wonder the little paper crane sometimes enjoyed playing this trick; it truly was amusing, especially the two foxes playing dead. They lay flat on the ground, completely motionless, not even breathing, striving to appear stiff—truly master actors.

A misunderstanding is just a misunderstanding, and the false alarm quickly ended. As more and more wine and meat were laid on the table, the gluttonous foxes and the equally gluttonous dog grew familiar with each other at a pace that even surprised Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan emerged from the house alone, carrying his Thousand-Measure Gourd. He walked around for a bit, then lightly leaped onto a willow tree by the small river. He lay diagonally on a branch, gazing at the stars in the sky.

The banquet inside the house was in full swing, with the foxes affectionately calling the large black dog “Lord Dog” with every address. The big black dog, in turn, accepted every toast, drinking more readily than water, showing not a trace of intoxication.

“A clear night sky, starlight like frost…”

Through Ji Yuan's eyes, he saw the projection of starlight over the land of Zuyue; the light of the Ziwei Star was already very dim here, signaling that Zuyue’s destiny was nearing its end.

Pouring some wine into his mouth, Ji Yuan turned his head towards the other side of the small river, where a few nimble figures were indeed approaching in their direction.

“Sure enough, there are still some minor interludes tonight…”

Ji Yuan smiled, paying no mind to the shadowy figures on the other side. Those few shadows lightly leaped over the small river, landing on the bank on this side, and then continued deeper into the Wei family estate. Not a single one of them noticed a person sitting nearby, drinking wine and watching them.