Chapter 714: Still Something You Can't Do, Sir?

“Was it truly Master who saved me? It must have been Master who saved me!”

Having reached this conclusion, Hu Yun disregarded his mental exhaustion and raced exuberantly through the mountains. He leaped over ravines and dashed down hillsides, quickly crossing many peaks until he arrived at an outer rocky peak closest to Ning’an County. It was here that Ji Yuan had previously sent the healed little red fox back to Niukui Mountain.

Hu Yun looked into the distance, seeing the outline of Ning’an County clearly. Although it was already sunset—precisely when his "nemeses" in Ning’an County were most active—Hu Yun leapt directly down the rocky slope beneath his feet, heading straight for Ning’an County without hesitation.

The distance from the foot of the mountain to Ning’an County town was nothing for Hu Yun now. Even with some caution, it only took him half an hour to reach the outskirts of Ning’an County.

As Ning’an County boasted a long history and was extremely stable, the county town had not had the custom of closing its gates at night for a long time. At most, there would be two constables guarding the gates. Using his abilities, Hu Yun effortlessly slipped into the city.

The red fox scurried through streets and alleys, trying to choose paths where the scent of dogs was not strong. More often, he chose to run across rooftops, as in his experience, most dogs wouldn't climb roofs. However, he hadn't been to Ning’an County for a while, and he didn't know if his old rivals had changed their habits or if new ones had appeared; these were all concerns for Hu Yun.

Finally, without mishap, he arrived at Tianniu Fang. In a posture more akin to a cat than a fox, he stood before the gate of Ju’an Study. Before Hu Yun could knock, he noticed the courtyard gate was ajar. Looking inside, he saw Ji Yuan drinking tea, and an unfamiliar woman in green sitting nearby, reading a book.

At this moment, countless exclamations arose in Hu Yun’s mind.

‘Master Ji has a woman? No, no, no, that’s impossible!’

Hu Yun indulged in wild thoughts at the gate for a moment. Ji Yuan, already sensing his presence from inside, called out when he saw the fox wasn't coming in.

“Is that Hu Yun? What are you doing out there? Come in.”

“Yes…”

Hu Yun answered, pushed the gate open a little wider, entered the courtyard, and then turned back to gently close the gate. With a few bounds, he reached the stone table in the courtyard.

“Master, you saved me just now, didn’t you?”

Ji Yuan didn't keep him in suspense. He drained the honey tea in his hand, nodded at Hu Yun, and then pointed to the stone stool opposite him.

“Sit down. There’s plenty more honey tea made by Zaoniang.”

“Zaoniang?”

Hearing this, Hu Yun subconsciously looked at the woman in green beside him. She was also looking at him with a smile, a smile that made Hu Yun feel a little warmth.

“Little Hu Yun, I am the great Jujube Tree!”

As Zaoniang took out a teacup to pour tea for Hu Yun, she smiled kindly at him, looking at him as if he were a child.

“Oh, oh, oh! You’re the great Jujube Tree! You’ve finally become a spirit!”

Hu Yun looked up at the jujube tree in the courtyard, then back at Zaoniang, his gaze flitting between the two. He had long understood that there was a big difference between the cultivation of plants and animals, and he clearly distinguished between the concepts of true form and spirit, so he wasn't surprised to see Zaoniang and the great Jujube Tree simultaneously.

“Would you like more honey?”

When Zaoniang asked this, Hu Yun didn’t hold back.

“Actually, I don’t like drinking tea. How about just giving me all honey?”

“Alright.”

Without a word, Zaoniang picked up another small pot from the tea tray and, without adding any tea, poured a full cup of honey for Hu Yun, which made even Ji Yuan glance over.

“Hahahahaha, Zaoniang is the best!”

Hu Yun exclaimed with delight, but seeing Ji Yuan look his way, he immediately added.

“Master is good too, Master is good too!”

Ji Yuan smiled and shook his head, watching the fox lick honey from the teacup. Although he knew that the fox’s understanding of human ways and its cultivation had long surpassed what they once were, he still felt it hadn't quite grown up.

Hu Yun ate the honey by licking it. As soon as the honey entered his mouth, a refreshing current, accompanied by a delightful fragrance, spread through his limbs, and his previous mental exhaustion was greatly alleviated.

Seeing that Hu Yun’s spirits were much better, Ji Yuan asked a few questions he wanted to know.

“When did that nine-tailed fox first appear?”

Hearing Ji Yuan’s question, Hu Yun looked up, licked the honey from his lips clean, and after recalling for a moment, replied.

“It was probably when I had just cultivated my second tail, about two or three years ago. At first, she only appeared in my mental illusions during my inner contemplation, and I thought she was just a figment of my imagination. Later, I realized that wasn't the case, and I felt that this woman was very dangerous. I tried to set up some minor restrictions, but they quickly became ineffective.”

“Oh, Master, what did you do to her? Will she come out again?”

Ji Yuan refilled his tea and added some honey, then pondered and said.

“It’s unlikely she’ll be able to follow your cultivation and appear as an inner demon in your mind again. However, her true identity is Tu Xin, a nine-tailed fox from the Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven. She only suffered a minor loss to her spiritual sense. If you travel outside in the future, you’ll still need to be a little wary.”

“Ah? A nine-tailed fox… Oh no, oh no…”

Hu Yun felt a bad premonition, but didn’t forget to lick two more mouthfuls of honey, while continuously muttering and looking at Ji Yuan.

“Master, she’s a nine-tailed fox, and I’m just a small fox demon. Is this something I can guard against? She could easily strangle me! Unless I always stay with you…”

“You don’t need to worry too much about this. What she saw in your mind was merely your current self, just your fox form, not even your complete aura. When you transform in the future, you’ll undergo a complete metamorphosis, and your human form will be an entirely new creation. Even a nine-tailed fox is not omnipotent; it’s impossible for her to pinpoint your location from afar. Just as you saw her as a dream, she saw you the same way. As long as you try to avoid meeting her face-to-face at close quarters.”

Hu Yun held his honey cup and thought for a moment, deep in thought.

“I’ve always had pretty good luck. I shouldn’t be that unlucky, right?”

“Certainly not.”

Zaoniang smiled from the side, which reassured Hu Yun considerably.

“Exactly! Master and I are so close, and yet we’ve only met a few times over the years. Uh, Master, I’m not saying you don’t visit me; I know you’re busy.”

“Eat your honey. Zaoniang will be here from now on, so you can come visit more often when you have time.”

Hu Yun glanced at Zaoniang, then at the honey in his cup, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

Ji Yuan put down his teacup, took out his brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and other writing tools from his sleeve, then produced a small piece of gold-patterned paper and began to grind gold-scented ink. A moment later, he held his brush and wrote a line of characters on the gold-patterned paper. He picked up the paper, blew on it, and handed it to Hu Yun.

“Here, for you. I originally didn’t think you’d be so unlucky, but you keep muttering about not being unlucky, which makes me think you’re bound to run into that vixen in the future. In case you do encounter her, as long as you don’t lose this paper, just recite the words silently in your mind.”

“What is this? For me? A charm written by Master?”

Hu Yun was extremely excited. Master Ji had given him very few physical objects over the years. Of course, he knew he had learned much from Master, but this gold paper, which looked quite extraordinary, must be considered a very powerful gift, right? He fixed his gaze on the characters on the paper and subconsciously read them aloud.

“I am not that little red fox… Uh, Master, will this work?”

“Hahahahahaha… It will definitely work, don’t worry. When has Master ever lied to you?”

“That’s true…”

Although Hu Yun trusted Ji Yuan deeply, Master Ji’s teasing expression at that moment simply made the fox quite uneasy. He couldn’t help but mutter.

“It would be better if it said ‘You can’t see me’ or ‘You won’t recognize me’…”

“Oh? That’s a good point. Shall I change it for you?”

Ji Yuan asked with a smile, and Hu Yun immediately tucked the gold-patterned paper into his fluffy tail.

“No need, no need! This is perfectly fine, perfectly fine!”

Hu Yun ate honey from the cup for a while, then suddenly asked cautiously.

“Master Ji, do you have any news of Lu Shan-jun?”

Ji Yuan was genuinely impressed with Hu Yun for being able to withstand the inner demon formed by the nine-tailed fox’s spiritual sense for so long without showing signs of distress. Thus, he felt particularly at ease with him and spoke truthfully.

“Yes, I do. However, Lu Shan-jun is no longer called Lu Shan-jun; his alias is Lu Wu. And he has a friend, a simple-minded ox, whose original name is Niu Batian, and whose alias is Niu Mo. They are working on something very important.”

Monsters often have very simple names. Given the name, Hu Yun figured the second one must be an ox demon.

“What important thing? Can I help?”

Ji Yuan smiled at Hu Yun without speaking. Hu Yun immediately understood. However, Hu Yun was not discouraged. At least he now understood that while his talent might not compare to Lu Shan-jun’s, it was by no means poor. With diligent cultivation, there would always be opportunities.

“Huh, Master, are you planning to write something else?”

Hu Yun saw Master Ji lift his brush several times as if to write, but nothing came out. He couldn’t help but feel curious, while Ji Yuan was uncharacteristically awkward.

“Uh, I want to record ‘The Phoenix Seeks His Mate,’ but I really don’t know where to start…”

“Oh… the song of the phoenix…”

Hearing Ji Yuan say this, Hu Yun immediately recalled the phoenix’s call he had heard on the island before. It truly was the most beautiful song he had ever heard. Although he thought something without lyrics couldn’t count as a song, if Master Ji said it was, then it was.

“Master, what instrument would be most suitable?”

“Naturally, the xiao flute. Its sound is most like the phoenix’s call. If it can be composed into a xiao melody, it will be a timeless masterpiece!”

“Oh, then just write the xiao score!”

Ji Yuan gave an awkward smile.

“Jianzi score, Gongche score, Lülü score… or even modern staff notation, Master, I don’t know any of them…”

Ji Yuan had read many books. Of course, he had also seen some musical scores. Sometimes, when looking at a score, he could even faintly hear the melody and singing within it. This was why he occasionally looked at scores; if he was lucky, it was like listening to a song. He had often done this in the archives of the Da Zhen Imperial Astrological Bureau.

But listening to music and composing it were entirely different matters. Only when he tried to put pen to paper did he realize he couldn’t write a single note.