The peace of life was not broken by the addition of an injured fox. The red fox recovered quickly while recuperating in the Ju'an Pavilion.
The only thing that caused some trouble for Ji Yuan was boiling the medicine, and after the fox's injuries improved significantly, it had to eat a chicken or a live duck every day.
At first, Ji Yuan cooked it, but considering that he might have to release it back into the wild, he couldn’t let the fox lose its wildness, so he bought live chickens and ducks and put them in the backyard for the fox to catch them itself.
Every afternoon, there was a commotion in the backyard of Ju'an Pavilion. Sometimes, when there were classes at the cram school, little Yin Qing would also happily participate in them.
Unfortunately, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, Ji Yuan never thought of keeping the red fox as a pet.
After all, it was a clever fox, not an ordinary domestic dog. Many times during the day and at night, Ji Yuan saw the red fox looking at the vaguely visible Niu Kui Mountain.
A fox that is used to the freedom of the mountains, even if he lives in a small pavilion, is bound by various rules and regulations, and in his heart, he is definitely not as good as the vast Niu Kui Mountain.
. . .
On April 23, when it was late at night and everyone was asleep, the red fox walked out of the side room and into the courtyard.
The night sky is bright tonight. The fox walked to the jujube tree, climbed up the tree with a sprint, and reached a branch. Then he jogged along the branch for a while and made a leap, finally jumping onto the roof of the side house with ease.
He sat quietly on the roof, gazing at the outline of the mountains in the northwest, his tail swaying behind him. He sat there for more than half an hour without moving.
"Want to go back?"
A faint voice sounded, and the red fox suddenly jumped up in fright. Only then did he realize that Ji Yuan had been standing on the roof without him noticing.
"The moon is bright and the stars are dim, and the magpies are flying south! You are a creature of the mountains. There is no need to lock you up in the city. I will send you home tomorrow!"
"Woo..."
The red fox was reluctant to leave again, not only for the people but also for the cultivation environment of Ju'an Pavilion. You know, every day when Ji Yuan performed the Transformation of Heaven and Earth, a lot of spiritual energy would gather in a short period of time, which was much stronger than when it was in the mountains.
Looking at the fox shrinking its body, Ji Yuan seemed to be able to sense its thoughts and also smiled.
"As a human, you can't be too greedy. The same applies to foxes and demons. The freedom I, Ji Yuan, have is very different from the freedom you, a little fox. Compared to being here, I'm sure you're more eager to be free in the mountains."
Ji Yuan had already seen through it. Compared with a powerful demon like Lu Shanjun, this red fox had obviously only recently gained intelligence. Its wildness was greater than its demonic nature and human nature. It could not be kept in a small yard.
"There is gain and loss, I still can't have everything go smoothly, let alone you?"
After saying this, Ji Yuan floated down from the roof like a willow leaf and went into the room to sleep.
. . .
The sun was shining brightly around noon on the second day.
Ji Yuan strolled through the city and came to Ning'an Academy, not far from the county government office.
The school covers an area of about one acre and is surrounded by a wall. In the yard is a two-story attic with white walls and black tiles, bamboo and scenery. The environment is very good, which also shows the importance that the Ning'an County Government and the gentry in the county attach to the school.
This time he came just to pick up little Yin Qing. The child liked the red fox very much. Although the latter disliked him, Ji Yuan felt that he should take little Yin Qing with him when letting the fox return to the mountains. If Yin Zhaoxian agreed, he would just take little Yin Qing on an outing.
"Filial piety and respect for elders come first, followed by sincerity and trustworthiness. When parents call, do not delay or be lazy. When parents teach and admonish, listen respectfully and obey..."
Even from a distance, the sound of the students reciting in unison had already reached Ji Yuan's ears amidst the noise.
This is not the ancient China that Ji Yuan knew in his previous life, but the cultural background is very similar. Even though some literary books are different, the connotation of education is the same Chinese thought, and the content is quite similar.
There were already quite a few people standing outside the school waiting. Most of them were servants from wealthy families, ready to pick up their young masters who were having classes at noon and take them home for lunch. The other students either went home on their own or brought their lunch with them.
The children who can attend this cram school usually come from fairly good families, but there are still differences.
Ji Yuan calculated the time very accurately. When he approached, the sound of reading in the school had stopped. Students came out one after another and passed by Ji Yuan who was walking to the school. Some students were even whispering about Ji Yuan who had the strange eyes.
"Mr. Ji!!"
Yin Qing, who came out with Yin Zhaoxian, called out as soon as he saw Ji Yuan. Yin Zhaoxian and Ji Yuan also bowed to each other.
"Master Yin, I want to release the recovered red fox back to the mountains. I want little Yin Qing to accompany us. We will be back in half a day. What do you think, Master Yin?"
Release
Yin Zhaoxian had also seen the fox. It was very smart, and sometimes it really seemed like a spirit. He was not worried that there would be any problems if his son went out with Ji Yuan. They had known each other for nearly three months, and he could still trust Ji Yuan's character and unfathomable abilities. However, he, Yin, was also a little itchy.
But there was no way. As a teacher in a private school, Yin Zhaoxian could not leave his students behind and go out.
"Since Mr. Ji has spoken, there will be no problem!"
"Very good!!"
Hearing Yin Zhaoxian's agreement, Yin Qing was so happy that he almost jumped up.
Although Yin Qing was very excited when he heard Ji Yuan's words, he forced himself to act well and didn't dare to jump out too much, in case his father said "no" to him.
Seeing his son like this, Yin Zhaoxian smiled and shook his head. He used to think that Yin Qing was too jumpy and not steady enough. But after hearing Ji Yuan say several times that little Yin Qing was very spiritual, he became more tolerant of his son's innocence.
. . .
Outside the county government office next to the school, the Ning'an County Magistrate was coming out of the side of the government office with three people, and a carriage was parked at the door.
The county magistrate was a thin middle-aged man with a short beard. He was not wearing official uniform at the moment, but only a long gown and a scholar's cap. Behind him were two people wearing silk suits, and one of them was slightly fat and wore a loose robe.
"I have ordered people to prepare wine and food in the temple building. Please get on the carriage!"
"Okay, thank you, County Magistrate!"
"What are you talking about!"
While the county magistrate was exchanging pleasantries with the slightly plump man, he happened to see Yuan Chuzheng and Yin Zhaoxian bowing to Ji Yuan.
As the real mastermind of the strange news in the county some time ago, the county magistrate also recognized Ji Yuan. In addition, the other party had lived in Ju'an Pavilion for a long time, so he had a deeper impression of him. At this moment, he couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.
"What is the county magistrate looking at? Who are these two people?"
The slightly plump man in the wide robe also followed the county magistrate's gaze and saw the scene outside the school not far away.
"Oh, nothing. The man in the white shirt and scholar's cap is Master Yin from the county school. He is quite knowledgeable. The man in the green shirt is a rare and elegant man in the county."
The slightly plump man turned his head towards the county magistrate.
"Strange man?"
The county magistrate nodded and said:
"Strange man!"
Then the county magistrate smiled and stroked his beard, and gave a brief description to the man in the wide robe about the red fox's visit to people, which the three people found quite interesting.
"The red fox begged for help, and the vicious dog retreated upon hearing the voice? How could such a thing happen!"
"Hahaha, it's just a rumor in the market, some are true and some are false, and some are exaggerated. However, the county magistrate also said that this person is definitely not an ordinary person."
As the two were talking, they suddenly saw the entrance of a school not far away. Ji Yuan turned his head to look at them, but then looked away and led Yin Qing away.
The county magistrate was stunned for about a breath, and then he remembered that he had other important business to attend to.
"Master Wei, please let us go to the temple building!"
"Well, Mr. County Magistrate, please go first!"