“Yes, originally the Fox Immortal only protected two villages, but after other villages heard about the Fox Immortal’s protection, they were all willing to come and make offerings.”
“Hmm… probably about six villages…”
As she spoke, A Ran even started counting on her fingers.
Seeing this, Jiu Baiyun couldn’t help but smile. He then walked to the side, picked up a broom leaning against the fence, and began sweeping while chatting idly with A Ran.
Before long, A Ran put down her broom, patted the dust off her hands, and looked up at the sky.
The morning mist had mostly dissipated. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, warming their bodies.
She turned and walked towards the small hut next to the ancestral hall. A moment later, she came out holding a coarse clay bowl filled with steaming millet porridge, with a few pickled vegetables floating on the surface.
“Brother Jiu, haven’t you eaten yet? I just finished cooking this porridge. Would you like to try some?”
Saying this, A Ran handed the bowl to Jiu Baiyun, a gentle smile on her face.
Jiu Baiyun was taken aback for a moment before accepting the bowl.
The warmth of the porridge seeped through the clay into his palm. The fresh fragrance of millet mixed with the salty aroma of the pickled vegetables wafted into his nose.
He was indeed hungry.
Without excessive politeness, Jiu Baiyun squatted on a stone stool by the fence and finished the porridge in a few gulps. At the end, he even licked the rim of the bowl, seemingly unsatisfied.
Seeing Jiu Baiyun finish the porridge, A Ran smiled and then spoke very seriously.
“Brother Jiu, if you’re hungry, just tell me. I’ll prepare food for you. Although what I make might not be very lavish…”
“But Brother Jiu, you mustn’t touch the offerings anymore. Those are for the Fox Immortal…”
A Ran’s words made Jiu Baiyun pause, then he found it somewhat amusing. Is this little one so afraid I’ll steal the offerings?… Maybe she asked me to help here precisely to prevent me from stealing them.
Amused by this thought, Jiu Baiyun nodded at A Ran, a wry smile on his face.
“Don’t worry.”
Only after receiving Jiu Baiyun’s assurance did A Ran collect the bowl and spoon, then turn and enter the ancestral hall.
After tidying up, A Ran took out a cloth and carefully wiped the altar table dedicated to the Fox Immortal, dusted off the incense burner’s edges, and cleared away the incense stick remnants from the previous night.
Watching A Ran’s busy figure, Jiu Baiyun glanced around, wanting to help. But thinking that A Ran might worry about him stealing food again, he abandoned the idea.
Forget it. Might as well lean back and rest.
Muttering to himself, and seeing that no one was coming for now, Jiu Baiyun simply moved away from the entrance and leaned against the fence not far from the ancestral hall, starting to doze off.
A Ran was cleaning when she suddenly noticed the figure leaning by the fence entrance out of the corner of her eye.
Jiu Baiyun had his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling slightly, clearly on the verge of falling asleep.
“Brother Jiu!”
A Ran frowned, her voice carrying a hint of reproach. She quickly walked to the fence and gently pushed Jiu Baiyun’s shoulder.
“Sleeping right after eating? Didn’t you agree to guard the ancestral hall? What if something sneaks in?”
Jiu Baiyun mumbled groggily, forcing his eyelids open a slit. The glaring sunlight made him squint. He raised a hand to shield his eyes and let out a long yawn.
“It’s fine… I’m here…”
Before he could finish, his head tilted, about to lean back against the wooden post.
It’s more practical to sleep for a while than to stare around bored here. Besides, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable can keep watch for me at any time.
Seeing his lazy demeanor, A Ran was about to scold him further. But remembering what happened last night, the words died on her lips.
Her gaze lingered on Jiu Baiyun’s face for a moment before A Ran finally shook her head, turned, and walked back into the ancestral hall to continue wiping the altar table.
If he dares to sleep, he must truly have something to rely on.
Besides, it’s broad daylight. The Weird Evils are fewer then… It should be… okay, right? There’s nothing going on now anyway. Let him be.
As A Ran cleaned meticulously, a few scattered people soon arrived.
Then, villagers trickled in one after another. Most were elderly folks or women with children.
At first, there were only low greetings and small talk, accompanied by the rustling sounds of placing offerings. But as more people gathered, the chatter inevitably converged into a low, buzzing murmur.
“Did you hear? That village in the southern mountain hollow… there were Strange Sounds again last night…”
“Shh! Why talk about such things in front of the Fox Immortal!”
“Light more incense, pray for the Fox Immortal’s protection…”
“Ah, this year’s harvest looks uncertain again…”
“My boy keeps clamoring to go to the city to apprentice…”
These voices weren’t loud, but they were somewhat noisy. Leaning in the corner by the fence, Jiu Baiyun’s eyelids twitched amidst these sounds.
He wasn’t completely asleep. The Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s faint, almost imperceptible awareness had been enveloping the surroundings and relaying it to him.
Opening his eyes a slit, Jiu Baiyun quickly scanned the area.
His gaze swept over the figures devoutly offering incense, over the women conversing in low tones, over the child trying to grab an offering only to have his little hand slapped away.
His eyes didn’t linger on anyone.
Everything’s normal… So why is there this lingering sense of foreboding?
Jiu Baiyun frowned slightly and scanned the area once more.
A Ran was comforting a child who seemed frightened, and the people who came to offer incense to the Fox Immortal all seemed fine…
So why this unease in his heart?
After taking a deep breath and finding nothing amiss, Jiu Baiyun closed his eyes again. Whatever. I’ll deal with it if something happens.
At worst, I’ll just grab that little girl A Ran and run.
After being with the Yao Fox Demon Venerable for so long, I’ve learned most of his Escape Skill.
But just as Jiu Baiyun closed his eyes, trying to suppress that sliver of unease, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Fool! Wake up! That muggle has come looking for you!”
Almost simultaneously with the voice, a faint but familiar aura clearly entered Jiu Baiyun’s perception range.
Jiu Baiyun jolted, instantly wide awake, his heart lurching violently.
The movement was somewhat noticeable, drawing some attention.
But before A Ran and the other villagers could react, Jiu Baiyun’s body instinctively shrank backward. Using the fence for cover, he slipped into the dense bushes behind the ancestral hall.
The overgrown weeds here perfectly concealed his crouched form.
“You…”
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable seemed to want to curse something, but sensing Jiu Baiyun’s skyrocketing tension, he ultimately let out a light snort filled with extreme displeasure.
“Tsk! What a nuisance!”
Jiu Baiyun held his breath, peering cautiously through the gaps in the bush leaves.
Just as he finished hiding, two figures appeared on the path outside the ancestral hall fence.
Yun Yao!
Tsk… How did she find her way here…
However, unlike when he saw her yesterday near the abandoned ancestral hall, her face seemed even paler today.
She was still dressed in simple, elegant clothing, but wore a slightly thicker cloak. One hand seemed pressed against her chest, her brows tightly furrowed.