“By the way… where is this place?”
Jiu Baiyun stared at the somewhat unfamiliar surroundings and was instantly dumbfounded.
If he remembered correctly, the village was supposed to be in this direction! How could he have gotten lost?!
It must be the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s doing!
“Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean by that?”
“You’re the one being an idiot and not recognizing the back hill of your own village, and you’re trying to pin it on me, aren’t you?”
Just as Jiu Baiyun had that thought, the utterly exasperated voice of the Yao Fox Demon Venerable rang out.
“No, how did you know I was talking bad about you…”
“With that expression on your face, anyone could tell you weren’t thinking anything good!”
The true soul of the Yao Fox Demon Venerable rolled her eyes, her tone extremely displeased.
Sheepishly rubbing his head, Jiu Baiyun felt a bit embarrassed too.
He then pursed his lips, took a few more steps, and began to look around.
Well, you know what?
This really does look like the back hill…
Now Jiu Baiyun felt even more embarrassed.
Alright then.
This is the back hill he runs up every single day, and he almost didn’t recognize it.
“Hmph, recognize it now?”
Sometimes, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable was genuinely speechless about Jiu Baiyun.
How had such an idiot managed to survive in this world for so long without dying!
Most importantly, she, a Demon Venerable, had been dragged down by this guy!
“Ah, well… I just didn’t realize it for a moment…”
“I usually come here to get some food… If I don’t see any food, of course I can’t tell!”
Hearing this, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable was even more speechless.
Jiu Baiyun, on the other hand, wore an expression that said it was perfectly reasonable.
“I’m very curious. You’ve been cultivating for so long, why haven’t you achieved grain avoidance yet… and there are even avoidance pills…”
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s words instead made Jiu Baiyun a bit displeased.
He then spoke with great earnestness.
“Haven’t you ever heard, of all things in heaven and earth, eating is the greatest?”
“You should know, a man is made of iron, and rice is made of steel; skip one meal and hunger you’ll feel!”
“Food is a treasure that carries the essence of heaven and earth, the worldly atmosphere! Those cold, bland avoidance pills, tasteless and dull, besides keeping you from starving, offer no pleasure at all. They practically extinguish human nature!”
As Jiu Baiyun spoke, his eyes even lit up a little, as if visions of various delicacies were already floating before him.
“Eating isn’t just about filling your stomach. It’s an enjoyment, a proof of being alive.”
“Don’t you think that being able to eat a familiar, delicious bite can make you feel like life still holds some hope, that it hasn’t completely gone to ruin!”
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable fell silent for a long moment, finally letting out only a sigh thick with helplessness and a barely perceptible, soft snort.
“Tsk… Quite a lot of heresy and fallacies you have. Suit yourself, this mortal logic of yours… gives me a headache.”
“But no matter how eloquently you put it, aren’t you just trying to sneak off and steal the offerings to eat?”
The moment Jiu Baiyun heard the words “steal the offerings,” his expression instantly changed.
His eyebrows shot up high, his face plastered with an exaggerated look that screamed “Don’t you wrong a good man.”
“Hey, hey, hey! How is this stealing offerings?!”
He abruptly stopped walking, vigorously waving his hands, putting on a show of great righteousness.
“The fox immortal they worship is us, isn’t it?!”
“Besides, I really have protected them many times.”
As he spoke, Jiu Baiyun smacked his lips and concluded.
“So, this isn’t called stealing. This is called retrieving the offerings we rightfully deserve.”
Having said that, Jiu Baiyun didn’t wait for the Yao Fox Demon Venerable to say anything else.
He immediately set off with clear purpose, walking briskly towards the direction of the ancestral hall on the back hill.
After recognizing this as the back hill, Jiu Baiyun unconsciously quickened his pace and soon arrived outside the fence of the ancestral hall.
It seemed that because the “Fox Immortal Lord” was genuinely believed in by the villagers, the ancestral hall was built with some care.
The hall was quite large, and the fence enclosed a wide area.
The many footprints and incense sticks at the entrance indicated that people often came here to worship the fox immortal.
Jiu Baiyun took a look inside.
The lamp in a room next to the ancestral hall had already gone out, which settled his mind a little.
Good, they’re already asleep.
I don’t need to figure out how to sneak in.
However, Jiu Baiyun was a bit puzzled.
Other ancestral halls didn’t have guards, so why did this “Fox Immortal” hall have someone watching it?
He shook his head slightly, not thinking about it further.
Lightly, he vaulted over the fence, landing without making a sound.
A soft snort came from the true soul of the Yao Fox Demon Venerable within him, clearly still holding a bit of disdain for this “retrieving rightful offerings” behavior of his, but she couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore.
After all, she could clearly sense that Jiu Baiyun was genuinely hungry.
After losing all his cultivation, his need for food had obviously increased significantly.
Soon, Jiu Baiyun slipped into the ancestral hall.
The interior was even more solemn than the outside suggested.
The incense altar was laden with offerings.
Several plates of dried fruits, two pieces of smoked meat, a basket of fresh fruit still bearing dew, and even a small pot of clear rice wine.
Jiu Baiyun swept his eyes over them, and hunger surged through him instantly.
“Tsk, they have a bit of sincerity after all.”
Jiu Baiyun muttered, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
He then stepped forward and directly reached for that pot of rice wine.
Without hesitating for more than a few seconds, Jiu Baiyun pulled out the wooden stopper, tilted his head back, and took a swig.
The clear, slightly sweet liquid slid down his throat, carrying a hint of coarseness and the mellow aroma of fermented grains, instantly dispelling some of his fatigue and the dryness in his throat.
He smacked his lips contentedly, then reached out and grabbed a piece of glistening smoked meat from the table.
The smoked meat carried the scent of smoke and a rich, savory aroma.
It was pleasantly chewy, and where the fat and lean met, the grease melted in his mouth, bringing an immensely satisfying feeling.
Paired with a few plump, sweet-and-sour hawthorn berries, it perfectly balanced the saltiness of the meat, refreshing and delightful.
Taking another look at the incense altar, Jiu Baiyun swiftly swept the remaining food clean.
The hunger in his belly finally subsided.
Jiu Baiyun let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like some of his energy and spirit had returned.
He casually kept the half-full pot of rice wine in his hand, turned, and slipped out of the ancestral hall.
The sky outside was already very dark, with only a faint glow remaining at the horizon.
Jiu Baiyun walked onto the small path outside the hall, his body and mind slightly relaxed.
Subconsciously, he raised the wine pot again, wanting to take another sip.
But just as the rim was about to touch his lips, a clear voice, filled with shock and anger, rang out.
“Aha! So it was you who’s been eating the offerings all along!”
Jiu Baiyun’s movement froze instantly.
He turned his head somewhat stiffly.
A girl he had never seen before was standing at the entrance of the ancestral hall, looking at him with fury.
Slowly narrowing his eyes, Jiu Baiyun’s hand turned slightly, and a short sword appeared in his grasp.
Without the slightest hesitation, his figure flashed, and he instantly appeared before the girl.
A cold glint of the short sword flashed, followed by a fierce thrust towards the girl.
The girl, who was about to continue her accusation, her eyes still burning with anger, only saw a blur before her eyes.
A bone-chilling, murderous intent rushed towards her face.
This sudden turn of events startled the girl.
Instinctively, she tightly shut her eyes, her small body trembling uncontrollably.
Thud!
A clear, crisp, muffled sound of a blade piercing flesh exploded in her ears.
Immediately after, several drops of warm, sticky liquid with a heavy, foul stench splattered onto her cheeks, neck, and the front of her clothes.
The girl trembled violently, her mind a complete blank.
The fear of death nearly suffocated her.
Several seconds later, with immense terror and a trace of bewilderment, she tremblingly, cautiously, opened her tightly shut eyes.