Chapter 22: The Fox Clan's Past, Such a Dry Father

  "Thank you, fellow Taoist!"

  In the guest house, Hu Qiuyue's face was pale as she bowed to Hong Haier and sat down in her seat with some awkwardness. Her eyes darted a glance at the two snakes standing upright behind Ruyi Zhenxian, and she felt somewhat apprehensive.

  He turned his head and took another look at Hong Haier, seeing that he was radiant with a healthy glow, looking like he had been doing well these days. However, there was a hint of complexity flashing in his eyes.

  "I wonder how you came to this place?" Red Boy saw that the person was looking at himself, but he was a bit puzzled, and didn't know how this "Shu Hua" immortal had found him and his two companions. And why did she look so disheveled, with a pale face, clearly having suffered a great injury. If it weren't for this, how could she not even maintain her human form? Luckily, Red Boy happened to have some medicine on hand, and took out a Purple Gold Pill to treat her injuries.

  "Alas!" Upon hearing Hong Haier's words, Hu Qiuyue let out a sigh and then said: "It's embarrassing to say this, but if it weren't for my Daoist friend, I'm afraid I wouldn't have escaped this calamity."

  After speaking, she seemed somewhat despondent, as if there were many heart-wrenching things to say, but it was inconvenient to recount them in front of two strange men. Her eyes were bloodshot, her complexion pale, and her breathing weak.

  "Hmm, if it's inconvenient for the immortal, then let's not mention it." Hong Haier saw this and furrowed his brow, also letting out a soft sigh.

  "It's not necessarily so!"

  Hu Qiuyue heard this, but shook her head. In her heart, she couldn't help but sigh and think of another person's shadow. She remembered the kindness that person had shown her in the past, and a pang of pain struck her heart. Two lines of clear tears flowed out, and she smiled miserably: "It's all because I didn't know people well enough back then, and I ended up being deceived by that scoundrel. I almost lost everything."

  Having said that, she clenched her silver teeth and grasped the hem of her own skirt with a pair of jade hands, lowering her head and sobbing softly.

  "It's a long story, but does Master have time to listen to Autumn Moon tell a tale?" After a while, Hu Qiuyue finally stopped sobbing and looked up at the three of Hong Hai'er.

  "Oh? Fairy, since you're willing, Huoyun will listen carefully." Hong Haier saw this, but was speechless and smiled wryly. Looking at the stunning beauty in front of him, he secretly sighed. It's a bit sad, those beautiful and powerful female demons from the great calamity of the Western Journey in his previous life all turned to dust.

  Just like the second daughter of his own family, Yuemiao Fox, and the Poison Enemy Mountain Pipa Fairy, White Bone Lady, etc. For example, this woman in front of him, if guessed correctly, is the white-faced fox princess of the Bhikkhuni Kingdom 500 years later.

  The ancients said, "Beautiful women are short-lived." Is it the fault of beautiful women? The mistake lies not with them, but rather that these female demons were not powerful enough, or did not have a powerful backing, or perhaps they failed to recognize the times, ultimately meeting a tragic end under the rod of the executioner.

  "Sir, do you know why I am called 'Shu Hua'?" Hu Qiuyue gazed at the handsome man in front of her, having already ignored the little cow and the coarse but lovable Ruyi Zhenxian by her side. She felt that this person was just as talented and handsome as someone she knew, yet they were worlds apart. Unconsciously, she changed the way she addressed him, without even realizing it herself.

  "I'd like to hear more about it!" Hong Haier's expression turned serious at this.

  "My real name is Autumn Moon, and I am a Qingqiu Fox Clan..." Hu Qiuyue gazed at Hong Haier's expression, but let out a sigh, then slowly began to speak, as if falling into a very distant memory.

  After a long while, Hu Qiuyue finally stopped speaking, her face calm. It seemed that she had walked out of the excitement and shock from earlier, or perhaps the effect of the purple gold pill given by Hong Haier had taken place, and her complexion was much rosier than before, no longer as pale as it was earlier.

  "Who would have thought that Daoist friend's life experience was so complicated." Hong Hai'er saw that Hu Qiuyue stopped talking, and let out a sigh.

  "It's just making a joke of myself in front of fellow Taoists." Hu Qiuyue heard this and smiled somewhat mournfully.

  It turned out that Hu Qiuyue was indeed, as Hong Haier had previously guessed, the white fox who bewitched the king of Biqiu Country in the great disaster of Journey to the West 500 years later. Its true form was a three-eyed charming fox spirit, which was an anomaly among the fox tribe.

  Since the Honghuang era, a generation of quasi-saintly fox ancestors fell, and the Qingqiu Fox Clan lost its reliance. Moreover, the women of the Fox Clan were born with beauty and charm, enchanting all living things, and became the playthings of the hundred clans. The Qingqiu Fox Clan also naturally relied on intermarriage with various clans to maintain the survival of their clan.

  However, the law of the jungle in the Primordial Era has always been survival of the fittest, where the strong are revered. Can such a state of affairs last forever?

  After the great disaster of the witch, the fox tribe had faced extinction several times, but fortunately, due to various opportunities and the secret care of the saintly woman Nuwa and others, they managed to survive.

  When the human race was born, it became the master of the heavenly way. The Fox tribe finally also produced a strong generation, which is the Tou Shan Shi's daughter, Ya.

  This woman can be said to be extremely beautiful, and it's not an exaggeration to say that she is rarely seen in the three realms. Her talent is also exceptional, relying on her extraordinary innate ability, she has cultivated the Qingqiu Fox Clan's gongfa to the realm of Daluo Jinxian in just a hundred years. Even Nüwa, known as the number one strange woman in the three realms, couldn't help but praise her. She said that if this woman were born in ancient times, she would have had a place in the Purple Palace.

  Unfortunately, the female peak was only a fleeting glimpse, but she fell in love with Da Yu, who was destined to become the human emperor. Da Yu controlled the water for three years, and the female peak went against her family's opposition to find him, but ended up waiting for Da Yu for three years, only to discover that the man had only his people and his imperial position in his heart.

  Already pining away with longing, and now suffering this blow, the pain is almost unbearable, all thoughts are reduced to ashes, and later transformed into a piece of rock waiting for her husband.

  This scene was naturally seen by Da Yu, but unfortunately that heartless man only said one sentence "Return to me!"

  The northern part of Mount Wufu split open and a baby boy flew out from inside. He was indeed the first ruler of the Xia Dynasty, Qi.

  From then on, the Fox tribe was in decline. After Emperor Yu's water management, he also refined the Jiuyao Cauldron to suppress the demons of the world. He didn't think about the old relationship at all and almost exterminated the Qingqiu lineage. If not for Nüwa secretly helping out at the last moment, there might be no more Qingqiu Fox tribe in the three realms today.

  But even if there were a sage to protect, what could be done? Dragging on in a precarious existence, hiding in the tomb of Xuanyuan, is nothing more than being a plaything like the carp in the Dragon Pool of Mount Ling.

  At the time of the Battle of Gods, King Zhou offered incense at the palace, speaking lightly and provoking Nuwa. Nuwa then sent out the three demons from Xuanyuan Hill to wreak havoc on the Shang Dynasty. The three demons were overjoyed, thinking they had the protection of a saint and that after surviving a great disaster, they would still be able to achieve their goal.

  It turns out that Nüwa was secretly plotted against, and by the time she discovered it, she had no power to turn back. Her divine powers were not enough to defy heaven's will, and the three demons' sins were too numerous; even a saint of the heavenly way did not dare speak up to protect her. In the end, she could only die miserably, fulfilling her fate.

  From then on, the name of Hu Mei's bewitching country became more and more popular. After Feng Shen, the Tianyi sect, which had always been hostile to the demon race, settled accounts with its enemies. The Qingqiu clan was driven out of the qualifications for even hiding in Xuanyuan Mausoleum, and was expelled to the desolate and barren western border.

  This white-faced fox spirit has some distant relation with the Second Lady of Hong Haier, but was orphaned at birth and ostracized by her own clan since childhood.

  Because unlike other members of the same tribe, the three-eyed enchanting fox spirit is exceptionally intelligent and talented, with a heart that yearns to cultivate immortality and attain enlightenment. Even the bewitching technique of the fox tribe, when cultivated by her, becomes extraordinarily sacred, thus she was classified as an anomalous being.

  So the little fox set out on his own, leaving his tribe and seeking immortals to learn from. After several tribulations, he finally met an immortal who was refined in both character and appearance, and was even more impressive than Hong Haier. Wearing a white robe, he seemed even more extraordinary. In the eyes of young Autumn Moon, this left a deep impression on his young heart, and later, affection grew.

  Hu Qiuyue finally got his wish and became a disciple of a famous master. The man with the majestic figure, white clothes as snow, and a handsome face was the Closed Moon Young Master, who was renowned in the Western Regions. Through Hu Qiuyue's words, it was known that he indeed came from a noble family, but was actually the White Deer Spirit under the Southern Pole Immortal Old Man of the Tianyi Sect.

  That white deer spirit was deeply influenced by the teachings of the Tianxian, so it naturally paid extra attention to its own appearance. When it transformed, it took on the form of a handsome young man with a few hints of Taoist practices, making it seem quite extraordinary in the eyes of ordinary people.

  He found that Hu Qiuyue was of good quality, with a pretty face, and since his family had just arrived in Xiniu Hezhou, he lacked subordinates, so he took her as his adopted daughter and taught her all his skills.

  Of course, the Gong method of Yuqing's sect is a secret of the town, and it cannot be passed on to outsiders. However, he taught Hu Qiuyue many poems, songs, embroidery, and female red, and was proficient in all aspects of qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting. When Nanji Xianweng had nothing to do, he would study some elegant things with Fulu Erxian on Penglai Island. Bai Lu was just watching from the side, but also learned a little bit about it.

  Thus, when Bai Lu and Hu Qiuyue traveled through the Western Regions with the name "Closed Moon Blushing Flower", it shocked all living beings in the West, and they regarded this pair of lovers as divine companions.

  Unfortunately, the white deer was not a benevolent creature to begin with. Otherwise, how would it have dared to eat the hearts and livers of the 500 children in Biqiu Country during the Western Journey? At that time, it had taken in Hu Qiuyue either out of temporary excitement or for some other reason, intending to use her as a shield against calamity.

  Unexpectedly, Hu Qiuyue also had an opportunity and found a volume of Shangqing Dan Scripture at the bottom of Suolong Well, which was written by Wudang Sacred Mother.

  Unfortunately, Bai Lu didn't know how to get it and asked for it. Hu Qiuyue himself hadn't figured it out yet, so he said to wait a few more days before giving it to him. Bai Lu was originally worried that he hadn't gotten any benefits and almost got discovered by the sect's elders, so he became suspicious and saw Hu Qiuyue's beauty.

  The hidden passage was sometimes invisible, and this girl had already grown up like a fairy. Her cultivation was about to break through the Xian boundary. He had an ulterior motive, wanting to take Hu Qiuyue's red pill to help his own cultivation, and he was also afraid that Hu Qiuyue's talent was extraordinary, and it would be difficult to suppress her after her cultivation deepened.

  Hu Qiuyue had always deeply believed in this adoptive father, but over the years of wandering among humans, she had noticed something unusual about her adoptive father. She immediately used a magical artifact to knock out Bai Lu Jing and escaped. After all, as a woman, she thought of old times and did not want to hurt him to death.

  Unfortunately, Bai Lu Jing woke up and realized that his family's plot had been exposed. He chased after Hu Qiu Yue and as soon as he saw her, he made a heavy move to capture her. Fortunately, Hu Qiu Yue was pregnant with the Fox Clan's ultimate skill, and at the critical moment, she transformed into a white fox, using the tactic of "shouting east and hitting west" to confuse Bai Lu Jing before making a frantic escape.

  Who would have thought that on this Green Mountain Town, I would meet the three Red Boys again. Thinking back to that day when I had a pleasant conversation with the Red Boy, I followed them to seek refuge. That's why there was just now a confrontation between me and the Double Snakes in the courtyard.

  "Haha, this White Deer Taoist is interesting, a sugar daddy! Red Boy felt sympathetic towards Hu Qiuyue's situation, but suddenly thought of the 'sugar daddies' behind those female celebrities in later generations, and found it somewhat amusing. It turns out that being a sugar daddy has been a profession since ancient times."

  "Ah!" Hong Haier suddenly burst out laughing, but Hu Qiuyue's face turned pale, and seeing the playful glint in his eyes, she let out a cry of surprise.

  "Uh." Hong Haier woke up with a start, feeling that his own words were somewhat out of place, and the tone he had just used seemed a bit too casual, uh.

  He hastily waved his hand and rushed towards Hu Qiuyue, saying: "No need to be polite, no need to be polite, Autumn Moon Fairy doesn't have to worry. Although I, Huo Yun Dao Ren, am not a good person, I absolutely won't kick someone when they're down. You can rest assured and follow us. If that White Deer dares to come, I'll let my second uncle roast him and apologize to you."

  "Hmm!" Hu Qiuyue saw that Hong Haier's words were sincere, and his face was slightly relaxed. When she heard that he wanted to roast a white deer for her as an apology, she felt more at ease. She thought to herself that she had been overly suspicious and hurriedly returned the courtesy.

  "Hiss! Hiss!"

  A loud roar came from Hong Haier's arms, and a mighty aura suddenly appeared in the living room, causing the two snakes behind Ruyi Zhenxian to retreat. It was Hu Qiuye, who was affected by this aura and whose injuries became somewhat unstable, her face turned pale, and she looked at Hong Haier in surprise.

  "Hiss!" Another sound came, and a head poked out from Hong Haier's arms. It was Xiao Qing, who had not been seen for a long time...