Chapter 12 Reunion and Farewell
When Ni Zhong woke up, his body hurt like it was falling apart. Because of the pain, he couldn't help but moan, only to hear a small dog's wail. He was so noisy, and his dog was annoying him around. Eh? Why was the sound so close, as if it was coming from his body? He struggled a few times and finally managed to open his eyes. He couldn't stand yet and could only barely crawl on the ground. It was a blur in front of him, only black and white. He saw himself in this life in the reflection of a small puddle of water - he'd turned into a dark, plump earth dog pup.
He was trying to remember how he got here. He couldn't remember how he and Fox Xiao Xian were separated, and he only remembered that he had shouted at Fox Xiao Xian in the wind, "Fox Xiao Xian, don't forget me. Remember that I am Ni Zhong!" Ni Zhong had a name, but why was he a puppy now? And who was Fox Xiao Xian? He couldn't remember, and the person's appearance became a blur.
His stomach rumbled, and he took a while to slow down before struggling to get up. Ni Zhong searched everywhere for the smell of food, and finally, with his keen sense of smell, he smelled the back kitchen of a restaurant and ran over there, cowering. A considerable pig's hind leg was placed on the table, blood was everywhere, and there was some hot pig's jowl in the corner. Ni Zhong was so hungry that he gulped a bit and ran over to eat the stinking pig's intestines desperately. The butcher was sharpening his knife and ignored a "thief" coming at this time.
At this time, Old Uncle Hu came to deliver food to the restaurant with his burden and warmly greeted several old friends in the back kitchen. The butcher and Hu Lao Bo were from the same hometown and were usually very familiar with each other, so he sharpened his knife and chatted with Hu Lao Bo simultaneously. Suddenly, he heard what seemed to be a rustling movement. Could it be that there were rats? It's not possible that rats are coming!
The butcher made a quiet gesture to Old Uncle Hu, then tiptoed toward the corner with his knife, and at once saw the little black dog stealing pig's offal. "Good! I thought it was a rat, and it nearly soiled my knife." The butcher grabbed the puppy by the neck and lifted it, his mouth full of yellow teeth got to laugh, "I'll see to it that you're stewed in dog meat soup so that we can give our old brothers a meat and teeth sacrifice!"
Ni Zhong, who turned into a puppy, vigorously stomped his four little legs; his strength was too small, and he wailed at the big-waisted butcher. Old man Hu couldn't bear to hear it, so he took the two tails of grass carp he kept on his stretcher to eat at home and pleaded with the butcher: "Look, we don't have a child. My wife likes dogs. I'll take these two fish and exchange them with you, and you'll give this little puppy to me!"
Everyone knows that the best meat is sheep, beef is medium, and pork is the least. But even the pork, which is said to be the worst, is the meat that only royalty and dignitaries can afford to eat. Ordinary people good enough to eat some big livestock offal underwater, craving hungry, can only eat some chickens and ducks, fish and shrimp, mud snails and other meat and fish, and that is only some days can eat delicious food. Butcher sees fresh fish eyes glowing, naturally happy to give the puppy to Hu Lao Bo. Old man Hu hugged the puppy, pacified it for a few moments, put it in a flat frame, and brought it back to the boat, naming it Pi Dan.
The older man saved Ni Zhong and was very grateful. Although he wanted to correct the name given to him by the older man, his name was not Pi Dan. His name was Ni Zhong. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was greeted with a few oinking little barks and couldn't say anything. So I just let the older man call him that; it's just a name, but it could be more critical. It is more important to have a place to sleep peacefully and have a mouthful of leftover food to fill his stomach. However, in the depths of his mind, something is vital. But what? Who was it? Again, he couldn't seem to figure it out. So he yawned, changed a few comfortable positions, nestled at the older woman's feet, and fell asleep to the rhythm of the crow's nest boat's swaying.
One morning, Old Man Hu was rowing his boat with his scull, ready to deliver food and fish to a few restaurants in the city. The dog Pi Dan wagged his tail and slipped from the stern to the bow of the boat; his dog's nose is susceptible to the thick morning fog, but it also can smell dozens of miles away.
PiDan seemed to think this was an entertaining game; he sniffed to the left, oh, deep in the alley of the family, fried a plate of fresh eggs in the morning, really fragrant ah! Gasping to the right, a man just died, and their family is having a funeral for him; not only incense and burnt paper are on the table, but also a roasted chicken as a tribute. Hey, the person who died is dead, roast chicken for me to eat or for my Master, how good, pity.
He continued his game; suddenly, he smelled an unusually familiar, unfamiliar smell. It was expected because the smell was rooted in memory, a lingering scent in his mind; it was unfamiliar because since Ni Zhong came to this world, he hadn't smelled a similar scent in this city, and it was - her! It was her scent, the scent of "Fox Xiao Xian" that he had called out countless times in his dreams!
In an instant, Ni Zhong (Pi Dan) seems to remember everything and barks furiously at the front. The milky puppy's outburst of power is not big, but it is enough to attract Old Man Hu's attention. And that's how he saved the little beggar huddled in a bridge hole with his life on the line - the Fox Xiao Xian he had longed for in this life.
Now, Fox Xiao Xian has changed her name to Maiden, and her appearance is much more grown up than before; that is, she is skinny. She needs to remember her past, and she places Ni Zhong and their agreement under the boundary monument. Fortunately, she still had that peach kernel whistle around her neck. To meet again on this crow's nest boat, Ni Zhong's heart is indescribably happy; he often stares at the sleeping girl; any outsider wanting to approach the girl, he rushes over to stop. He can't speak human language or tell the girl anything, so he'll get down to business and be a good dog. That was enough to stay by her side, playing with her, laughing with her, nestling at her feet, or beside her at night to keep her warm.
The girl has a makeshift crib on the boat, a narrow one, and she is already satisfied; every night after the girl falls into a deep sleep, Ni Zhong looks at her sleeping face, sighs contentedly, and nestles underneath the crib to follow her into dreamland.
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Since Fox Xiao Xian and Ni Zhong went to the world to experience the calamity, a storm was also brewing in Feng Xi Jian.
When Fox Xiao Xian left Feng Xi Stream, Fox Xiaxia and Shan Xiaohu's hearts fell.
Fox Xiaxia hadn't been separated from his sister since birth, which he had just realized. When he was young and ignorant, he always disliked his sister for being ugly and stupid and always following him around; it was annoying. Therefore, he did not bully her much in the open and dark.
But since coming out to travel and cultivate, the older brothers and sisters have not heard from each other since that night at the bottom of the mountain, and only this sister and this sister rely on each other and walk with each other. He thought he was the one who cared for his sister before taking on the responsibilities of an older brother. In reality, it was always his sister who took care of everything. Whether on this journey or all the things that happened in the fox cave in the old home, Beva Mountain, it surprised Fox Xiaxia to realize how good his sister was as an afterthought. It was a pity that he, as a brother, was too incompetent and only realized gratitude after his sister left his side. Fox Xiaxia drooped her head and looked at the creek, sighing softly.
Also dropping his head was Shan Xiaohu. Shan Xiaohu has never been rough and tumble, but now he is sad and sad. Fox Xiaxia is slightly surprised, "I'm thinking about my sister and sighing; what are you doing this for?"
"I am also thinking about your sister ...," Shan Xiaohu will not lie, straightforwardly said his heart.
"She is my sister and not yours; what are you thinking about?"
"She, she is my senior sister ah! Elder sister can think about it too."
"I'm telling you, don't hit on my sister. Moreover, don't forget, you're a lynx spirit, we're fox demons, our clans are a hundred thousand miles apart!"
"You, what did you say? I didn't understand ..." Shan Xiaohu needed help understanding. He scratched the back of his head with his hind legs. "I feel that the first good friend I knew when I was growing up was Fox Xiao Xian, and now that she's gone, I don't know if she can come back safely, and I always feel very nostalgic. You also know that we lynx are all living alone, so I've been living alone in the mountains for more than 100 years, and even my parents and other kinds of people are rarely seen. It's easy to have a companion by my side, and now it's gone again, it's tough to bear."
"Then aren't I still around? Aren't me, Master, Eldest Brother, and Second Eldest Brother all still here?"
"That being said, it doesn't feel quite the same."
"No, what do you mean? Can she come back safely? There's no such thing as an eventuality; she can return well!"
"Why, do you have any good ideas?"
"I do have, you come over ..."
Fox Xiaxia and Shan Xiaohu muttered in a low voice about their grand plan of escaping to the lower realms to help Fox Xiao Xian. Still, there was no way that Shifu's ears were even sharper than theirs, and nothing could be hidden from him, the intelligent and capable old fairy.
"Cough cough ~" Master Teacher quietly and unknowingly stood behind the two little ones. Because the two little ones were secretly planning something big just now, they were startled by this cough and jumped up high, and Shan Xiaohu even jumped into the creek.
"Senior! Don't bring you to scare like that!" Shan Xiaohu looked at his master teacher unhappily. But he also understood that he was a bit rude just now, so he had no choice but to climb out of the creek and give his master teacher a salute.
"Little ones, don't you dare attempt to do something small behind my back. Nothing you say, do, or even think can escape my eyes!" Nanji Immortal encircled his hands and looked at them with a nasty smile.
"Where would I dare! Master, you are the most powerful! It's not like we don't know or dare, haha, don't dare." Fox Xiaxia broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that this old thing can't be messed with and can't be messed with; walking away is the best policy, so he hurriedly pulled Shan Xiaohu and was about to leave.
"Little witches, you will go to the retreat with your Master tomorrow; I'd better watch you guys. A little tighter is more appropriate."
Fox Xiaxia twisted her head around with an unbelievable face; Fox Xiao Xian just left and wanted me to follow her to the retreat. This is forbidding us to see each other! What kind of drug is he selling? This matter must be complex. Then he looked at his Master seriously, "Master, what do you mean by that? Why must you lock me up if we don't go to the lower realms to find Little Five? Also, what about Third Senior Brother if I secrete with you?"
"Well, he'll have to start his closed-door cultivation now." The words just fell; Master raised his hand and lifted Shan Xiaohu. Shan Xiaohu's four paws fluttered vigorously to break free, and he cried in terror, "Master! What are you doing, Master? Fourth Senior Brother, come and save me!" Fox Xiaxia saw something wrong and hurriedly transformed into a golden eagle to try to snatch back Shan Xiaohu, only to be stopped by his eldest senior brother. This white crane stepped on the ground, unable to move.
As Shan Xiaohu rose higher and higher, he screamed in fear and cursed angrily, "I say, you stinky old man, what are you going to do? Quickly put your tiger master down! Put it down, you hear me! Stinky old man! Stinky old man! When little Master goes down there, he will beat you old thing to death!"
"Good, I'll wait for you." Nanji Immortal Weng was still smiling gently like that, but the movements of his hands did not slow down in the slightest. He used his spell to place Shan Xiaohu at the top of a sunny mountain in Feng Xi Stream, where the four walls and cliffs were like a vast sharp tooth. This place gathered heavenly fire, thunderstorms, wind, frost, rain, and snow all year round. The peak next to it was the torture platform that Master Zun had to go to every day. Although it wasn't as bad as being struck by lightning every day, it was a dangerous place. After Shan Xiaohu was put up, the soles of his feet took root; he couldn't break free no matter what. Then, starting from his feet, his body hardened a little bit, every hair froze, and gradually, he transformed into a piece of rock, standing quietly at the top of that mountain.
Fox Xiaxia, stunned, cried out and pounced on the Master, scratching and beating and going up to the mouth to bite. "You're a big, bad, big, bad man! I hate you to death. You drove my sister to the mortal world to suffer, and now you've thrown my third senior brother to the mountaintop to wait to be struck by lightning; you just aren't as good as a few of us are, can you? You are an emotionless, desperate, heartless villain! I hate you so much!"
How could Eldest Brother and Second Eldest Brother let Fox Xiaxia treat Eldest Brother like this? They rushed forward to stop him, but Eldest Brother raised his hand to stop it. He let Fox Xiaxia cry, and his body got scratched everywhere. When fox Xiaxia tired of crying, crying, and not moving, he squatted down and gently touched fox Xiaxia's fur, cast a sleeping skill, pick up fox Xiaxia toward a cave.
When he was about to enter the cave, he turned to He Yunfeng and Mei Xiangzi and said, ''I'll take him to seclusion, and every day I'll come out alone to continue the torture. Mei Xiangzi doesn't need to accompany me. You guys remember to help me clean the courtyard, take good care of my peach tree, and remember to water it." Saying that he took Fox Xiaxia and walked into the cave, a boulder covering it. Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother respectfully saluted at the doorway, sending off their Master's retreat.
After Master Teacher entered the cave, Eldest Brother He Yunfeng gave Second Brother Mei Xiangzi a look, and the two flew to a remote place. The first senior brother opened his mouth and said, "What do you think is the meaning of such behavior of the master teacher, senior brother?"
The second senior brother smiled bashfully and replied, "Senior brother, an immortal with such a high level of Dao is still unable to comprehend it; I am still far from senior brother, so naturally, I don't know either."
"However, at last, we have resolved these three little demons. I, Kunlun, am the holy land of the divine realm; how can I arbitrarily accept three demonic spirits of unknown origin as disciples? This is truly a blasphemy against the divine race."
"I don't think it makes any difference."
"How is there no difference? We are gods, and they are demons; that's the biggest difference."
"Haha, Eldest Brother must not forget that we are all the same, born as beasts. However, the heavens have touched us, cultivated a bit of Taoism, and taken on human form, but there is no difference between us and them. As the saying goes, all beings are equal. All things have spirits."
"I've never been able to beat you in a debate; well, I'm off to the Heavenly Palace. Kindly remind you, don't forget what duties we have in this FengXiJian and what we are doing." With that, he turned into a white crane and flew away.
"Alright, thanks for the guidance, Senior Brother. Senior Brother respectfully sends you off." Mei Xiangzi arched his hand and saluted.
Looking at the white crane boy's distant figure, Mei Xiangzi muttered to himself, "Duty? Duty? Just two supervisors and guards sent down from the Heavenly Palace." He transformed into his original form of a plum blossom deer and strolled up the mountain to pick herbs. Walking to the foot of the peak where Shan Xiaohu had transformed into a stone, he raised his head and looked up, "Perhaps this is the method that Master Teacher is going to use to save you all! I hope you guys understand Master Teacher's good intentions and don't fail him."