Chapter 115: Fox Demon’s Secret News

Chapter 115: Fox Demon’s Secret News

Looking at the fox’s forlorn expression, Li Tongya felt a tug at his heart. He reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a bag of Spirit Rice, presenting it with a smile.

“Great Fox, take a look at this.”

The fox’s reddish fur rustled as it lowered its head to sniff the offering. Its eyes blinked with interest before it took a tentative bite. Updated chapters at novelhall.com... it’s rather fragrant... this is Spirit Rice, yes? What a rare treat... I’ve heard that the immortal cultivators are fond of it!”

He paused thoughtfully.

“If you want me to do some work for you, I won’t settle unless there’s a hundred or eighty jin on the table!”

Li Tongya chuckled softly, mentally calculating that a hundred and eighty jin was merely equivalent to a Spirit Stone. If it could be exchanged for assistance from a creature of the Qi Cultivation Realm, it would be a lucrative deal indeed. Suppressing his initial hesitation, Li Tongya countered with a proposition.

“If you can answer some questions of mine... this bag of Spirit Rice will be yours.”

The fox’s ears perked up, and it eagerly accepted the offer. Li Tongya tossed the Spirit Rice to it and asked, “Do you know anything about the demon general?”

“Of course,” the fox replied confidently before beginning his explanation, “that pig demon is a creature of the Foundation Establishment Realm, with eight lesser demons at the Qi Cultivation Realm under its command. They collect spirit items for it and they dwell in a demon cave two hundred li south of here... those of us who have attained the Qi Cultivation Realm within this region are captured, marked with a seal between the eyebrows, and sent back to stand guard.”

After saying that, the fox smelled the bag of rice, then glanced at Li Tongya warily.

“You’re really going to give me this..? You didn’t poison it, did you?”

However, unfortunately for the fox, Li Tongya was too intrigued by its story of the pig demon and was not paying attention, and instead pressed for more information.

“What does the seal do? Did the pig demon do the same to you?”

The fox raised its head defiantly and snorted.

“Hmph, among the six caves in Mount Dali, one of the cave masters is the grandmother of the fox demons. If that pig demon dared to take our spirituality away... it would be courting death.”

However, the fox’s defiant expression soon turned somber.

“About this spirituality... demonic creatures like us absorb the essence of the sun and moon. After condensing the six chakras, a trace of spirituality will form between our eyebrows. If it’s destroyed, so will our cultivation and our essence qi. They too will disintegrate. It is nothing but a vulnerability in the hands of that pig demon...”

“I see.”

Li Tongya nodded in comprehension after gaining insight into the demon pig’s methods.

Observing the fox circling the Spirit Rice, he inquired softly, “Are there any uncaptured demons of the Qi Cultivation Realm in this area that you know of, fellow Daoist?”

“There are six more in this area, but knowledge of their locations will cost you!” the fox replied with a mischievous grin.

The fox squeaked, “I’ve always stayed under this big banyan tree... they all call me the White Banyan Fox. As for surnames, we demons don’t concern ourselves with such things.”

Li Tongya nodded, then cupped his fist respectfully and said, “My name is Li Tongya. I’ve gained plenty of knowledge from today’s conversation. I’ll come back to visit you in a few months, fellow Daoist.”

As Li Tongya rode away on the wind, the fox let out a long sigh and flopped onto the ground with a thud. Picking up a mouthful of Spirit Rice, the fox carefully savored it with a satisfying smack of its jaws.

“Hmm, this is really fragrant...” the fox mumbled quietly to itself in enjoyment.

————

Li Xuanxuan succeeded the position of Family Head, and a year had passed in the blink of an eye. Although members of the major sect still wore white attire, everyone was gradually getting used to Li Xuanxuan’s leadership.

Li Tongya secluded himself in the mountains most of the time, while Li Xuanfeng spent most of his time slaying demons and cultivating. Li Xuanxuan had become the nominal and actual Li Family’s figure of authority. In his early twenties, he handled family matters cautiously, ensuring that everything was arranged properly and in order.

Sitting in his seat in the main courtyard with Li Xiewen standing beside him, Li Xuanxuan smiled and looked at Chen Donghe.

“Have you made a decision yet?” he asked.

Chen Donghe cupped his fist and frowned, saying, “The matter of joining the main family is of great importance... I can’t make a final decision rashly. I need to return home to consult my father first.”

Li Xuanxuan set his tea bowl down and gently replied, “Indeed, but you shouldn’t be so concerned. After all, the family rule states that only those in the major sect can practice the River One Qi Technique. This is an opportunity I have found for you after pleading to Second Uncle...”

Chen Donghe nodded with gratitude, cupped his fist, then left.

Li Xiewen then called for someone to remove the tea cup that had been used by Chen Donghe.

“Family Head, Xuanfeng is also fourteen years old now... it’s time to consider his marriage too.”

“You’re right,” Li Xuanxuan agreed with a curt nod. He unfurled the wooden slips in his hand and calculated for a moment before speaking.

“How many talismans did Second Uncle send to the foot of the mountain this month?”

“Five, Family Head.”

“The talisman ink and talisman paper at home are running out. Xuanfeng will need to make a trip to the market this month,” Li Xuanxuan pointed out.

As the clan’s manpower gradually increased, the spirit fields on the land had now fully developed. After deducting the tributes to Azure Pond Sect and provisions for family cultivators, there was still a surplus.

“Excluding the tributes, we still have three hundred jin of Spirit Rice annually as surplus. The annual clan salary for major sect cultivators is ten jin, five jin for minor sects, and one jin for branches, totaling eighty-six jin. There is still a balance of two Spirit Stones worth.”

Originally, the Li Family did not have many cultivators. However, those with spiritual orifices from the four towns had merged into the Li Family through marriage, mostly becoming part of the minor sect cultivators, and hence were entitled to a reward of Spirit Rice.

“Second Uncle can draw about sixty talismans annually, selling for twenty Spirit Stones each. After deducting costs, he can earn about two or three Spirit Stones. With Xuanfeng and Donghe hunting demonic beasts in the mountains, the annual income can reach seven Spirit Stones. That’s roughly the price of a dharma artifact from the Embryonic Breathing Realm.”

There were over seventy Spirit Stones in the family’s inventory. The Li Family had been saving up to lay a large formation for Mount Lijing, so every Spirit Stone earned brought great happiness to Li Xuanxuan.