“Demons…”
Seeing those silver foxes surrounding the bonfire holding and reciting the books just like humans inside of the valley, the only thought Hong Yi has in his mind is, “Holy c.r.a.p! These are actual demons!”
Although he has been reading the Notes in the Hut, which is mostly about fox demons, lady ghosts and super natural things, and occasionally he would fantasize about someday a beautiful love story between him and a lady ghost, but again, fantasies are just fantasies. In reality, he can only feel the fear quickly attacking his consciousness.
“Wow I am such a Mr. She (from the story “Mr. She loves dragons 叶公好龙”. Mr. She was a n.o.bility during Spring and Autumn. Basically he was very fond of dragons and have their figure on his shirt on his home everywhere. So one day a dragon was very moved and actually came. Mr. She freaked out and escaped the room. From Xin Xu, by Liu Xiang, 77 BC to 6 BC). Just calm down, calm down. If fox demons are anything like what’s recorded in the Notes, I have nothing to be afraid about. Oh, dear, please don’t tell me I am hired to teach these little foxes! Foxes learn to read like people, that is just absurd!”
Thinking about the fantasy novels he used to read, Hong Yi can finally think straight.
“Ji ji, ji ji…” (imitating the sound a fox makes)
The bunch of foxes studying around the bonfire has noticed people coming in. Three of the tiny ones throw away their books, do a little stretching and sneak up on the lady and start jumping up and down, as if they are really happy to see her. These foxes are clearly very familiar with the lady.
“Song, Shu, Fei, ok that’s enough. We have a guest today. Do not lose your etiquette. Why are you guys still using your hands to craw on the ground! If you want to be a human you have to learn how humans behave. Don’t be a laughing stock for our guest.”
Another voice comes from the bonfire.
The voice sounds really harsh, in a weird tone, like having a fish bone stuck in someone’s throat, but at least the formality is in place and it is still understandable.
Hong Yi is surprised again, because he is now seeing a fox of very old age, standing up like human using his hind legs, and having his front legs folded like he is greeting Hong Yi, tries to wobble all the way to him.
Seeing the elder fox walking like that reminds Hong Yi of an old pedant.
“Tu Lao, Sang, Fei and Shu are still little.This young mister is an interesting one. I am sure he won’t hold it against them.” The lady in the pink dress smiles and turns around, looking at Hong Yi and says: “So, these are your student. What do you think?”
 
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
; Hong Yi looks at these furry little friends rolling the snow like some snow ball, and he just cannot shake the feeling of ridiculousness out of his head as he just thinks about teaching them.
“Are you a human or a demon?” Hong Yi looks at the lady in pink again.
“I am your employer and I say it is really none of your business. Just remember I am paying you ten gold crackers every month.” The lady in pink dodges the question and replies with a mysterious smile.
“Today, we are so delighted to have you here. My presence truly lights up the whole valley. Sir, you are a scholar, so you should be aware that even animals have the yearning for knowledge and morality. In the past, we have ferocious tigers and valiant lions listening to the Buddha explaining sutra. Yu Fei today invites you here and she means no harm. After all we foxes are not regular barbaric beasts. We can be reasonable and understand the world as well. I heard, that in the ancient times, human and beasts have no difference at all. They were all beasts that ate fresh raw and drank blood as it was, and had hair all over their bodies. Ancient human, were no different from apes. After a while, they started to stand, to walk, and to eat cooked food, to create languages, and became human. We foxes have been living deep in mountains for ages. That is sort of only like the uncivilized human in the past. Am I right, Mr. Hong? Your surprise today is really uncalled for.”
“?”
Hong Yi cannot help but open his eyes wide and look at the elder fox in a different fashion. He was reasonable, courteous, refined, rational, even more of a scholar than most other scholars. A legitimate elegant fox.
“May I ask, how do you learn to talk?” Hong Yi can’t help but ask.
“Human has human language. Animals have their own languages as well. Parrots can learn to speak human language. Man can learn to speak bird. It should come as a surprise that foxes can learn to speak human language as well, just like the civilians of the Great Qian dynasty learn to speak the language of Yun Meng, or Huo Luo. Speaking a language is only about different p.r.o.nunciations after all.” This elder fox name Tu Lao replies, scrupulously as before.
“That kind of make sense. Yeah it is nothing frightening. This old fox indeed knows what he was saying. Respectable.” Hong Yi finally relaxes himself.
Ghost or fox, as long as they identify with human value and are rational, he has nothing to be fear about.
“Dear sir, you are truly a man of magnanimous gestures.” Hearing that, the elder fox is so happy that his whiskers start bouncing, like for a second he is letting go control of his body.
“So Miss your name is Yuan Fei?” Hong Yi turns around and faces the lady in pink. He just heard Tu Lao calling her that.
“Miss Yuan Fei, you must be a very distinguished demon then. You can manifest yourself as human.”
“I dare not.” Yuan Fei smiles and says, “Manifestation is only pet.i.te skills that do not worth mentioning. It is merely a small technique that is only enough to confuse regular people, like “ghost knocking on a wall” (when walking in the dark, you seem to get the right direction but you just cannot find your way.). Only fishermen who are really scared of ghosts and G.o.ds will fall for that. A scholar like you is not to be confused by that small technique. I am not a demon but a human. For now.”
“Right. Being rational and reasonable will clear your soul and manifest all the unspeakable things to you. Ghosts and demons will not influence you this way. If you know what it is, you have nothing to be scared about, therefore you won’t be disturbed, therefore ghosts won’t have you his way.” Hong Yi nodes in approval.
“So young man, would you agree to be their teacher?” Yuan Fei askes.
“Teaching animals the values of a human is that saints do. Although I am not qualified, I am going to be brazen for once and take on this challenging job.” Hong Yi decides to agree.
“Well in that case, everything turns out to be just great. However, I have to test you first. I am paying ten Liangs of gold a month and that is enough to open a small school. I have money but there is no need to waste it.” Yuan Fei stares at Hong Yi.
For a second, Hong Yi can feel the energy field of a commander radiating from Yuan Fei’s body.
“What does Miss. Yuan Fei want? Poetry, lyrics, essays? Or sutras, cla.s.sics and formality? Or politics? Go ahead. Unless it is archery and horseback riding then I cannot say I am an expert at.” Hong Yi puts on his serious face.
“Not those. I can feel you are bad at those. I have only one question for you.” Yuan Fei asks without thinking. “Out of all the things in the world, what comes first?”
This question must have been bothering her for a long time.
“What comes first?” Hong Yi ponders. “Truth (or could be reason, I am a bit fuzzy on this translation) comes first.”
“Truth.” Yuan Fei loves this answer. “This is great. I am glad that I stopped at the Temple of Autumn Moon. Otherwise I wouldn’t have heard your poetry and learn that you are a remarkable person. You have solved a long time mystery for me.”
“Mr. Hong, you know poetry as well?” Now it is time for Tu Lao to be surprised. His beautiful green eyes sparkle like he just found a treasure.
“I dabble occasionally.” Hong Yi tries to be modest. A freezing wind blows through. He felt a bit chilly.
“Why don’t you come clear here by the bonfire.” Tu Lao sees that Hong Yi isn’t wearing enough. It is cold down here in the valley.
Next to the bonfire, there are a lot of tiny exquisite chairs, on which dozens of baby foxes are reading like human.
With aid of the bonfire, Hong Yi realizes that these baby foxes aren’t reading cultivation books as he had imagined. They are regular “Thousand Character Cla.s.sics”, “Hundred Family Surnames” and “Three Character Cla.s.sics”, cla.s.sical textbooks for kids.
“I have read a lot of stories, and the fox demons in there are often very power with magic, knows cultivation very well and have millions of transformation. I was wondering if you are capable as such?” Hong Yi looks at the baby foxes, and feels like there is a drastic difference between what he is seeing now and what he was expecting. So he couldn’t help but ask.
“Fox demons capable of transformation? Not one in a million, and they all have to be really talented. When born, we foxes have no difference from other animals. We know nothing. Only a small amount of foxes can have a little human sense in them and are capable of being cultivated. They will eat cooked food with human, know their language, study their etiquette, learn to read books, and under very rare occasion will they be exposed to cultivation to better themselves. After they have become immortal, they can finally have the ability to transform. Our cultivation, is completely based on that of human after all. Human is Heaven’s favored one, with unlimited wisdom, their body with unlimited secrets and treasures. I lived near the Dachan Temple in the Middle Province before. I looked at these monks cultivate themselves and I have learnt a bit. Foxes have to have consciousness, know the reasons, then cultivate themselves, which is a much more crooked road than that of humans. These foxes, are like human infants. That is why we have you here to teach them.”
Tu Lao knows what he is talking about.
“The Great Qian dynasty favors Dao, the cultivation of souls, there are big sects right out of the Jade Capital. Daoism has methods to calm your soul and clear your consciousness, even their methods to free your soul from your body is well spread, which are much more ingenious and profound then our insignificant skills. Why didn’t you go find them?” Tu Lao asks.
“Well, technically, scholars are not supposed to talk about things like that. So I was not exposed growing up. Although today, I have the opportunity and I have to ask.” Hong Yi always knows that Yu Jing Guan is a large Daoist temple outside of the Jade Capital and there are a lot of pract.i.tioners and they always have connections with the dignitaries in the city. But scholars look down on them. Scholars think they are just con men coning innocent commoners.
More importantly, Hong Yi’s father, Hong Xuan Ji the Marquis, is dead set against Dao. He is the leader of literary sect Li Xue, the study of cla.s.ses and etiquettes, the archenemy of Daoism. One time the court is deciding on its battles with the Yun Meng Empire, and the emperor had a few Taoists over for some opinions. The Marquis impeached immediately and reprimanded the Taoists harshly, “Lower cla.s.s street swindlers trying manipulate the grand artifact of the power of court, utterly ridiculous”.
In this environment Hong Yi obviously has way of knowing cultivation. Also since he really is a no body in the manor, no Taoists will approach him purposefully.
“Cultivation in the world can be roughly split up into two categories, but their goals are the same, to ascend above living and death. The first one practice the soul, we call it Dao Shu (or magic if you like). The second practice the body, called Wu Shu (or martial art if you like). Dao Shu works on your every single thoughts. There are a myriads of ways, but it all comes down to ten stages, “calm the soul (Ding Shen)”, “leave the body (Chu Ke)”, “night travel (Ye You)”, “day travel (Ri You)”, “lift ma.s.s (Qu Wu)”, “manifestation (Xian Xing)”, “flesh clinging (Fu Ti)”, “body s.n.a.t.c.hing (Duo She)”, “thunder bearing (Lei Jie)”, “Yang Shen (the pure Yang soul)”. As for Wu Shu (martial arts), I am no expert. I will let Yuan Fei explain the rest.” Tu Lao says.
“Focus leads to calm, calm leads to peaceful. If we are cultivating our soul, focus does seem like the key. When I am about to write essays, the first step is always to focus and to calm down as well. If my focus runs wild like horse or apes, I can never get any work done.”
Hong Yi listens to the new information and tries to understand it all.
“As for cultivation, the methods are as numerous as the stars in a night sky, one can never explain fully. I have a nice collection of books, how about you just come in and look for yourself. Those are all books I protected when Dachan Temple was crushed by the government’s army. There are a lot of things that does not make sense to me. It will be nice if we can share our understanding.”
“How remarkable, you have a collection!” Hong Yi is happily surprised. He looks round, there seems to be a little cave at the south, with a bit of candle light coming out.
“For sure. A prosperous society always h.o.a.rds books. Now our Qian Dynasty is at its greatest, even regular families have at least hundreds or thousands of books. I have to do the same as well. Actually, half of the mission of me having you here is to organize my collection. As the books are many and I am really not trained to do that. I was hoping if you can cla.s.sify them into different categories, so that when these kids grow up, they will be having less of a hard time in conducting their own reading.” Tu Lao gives Hong Yi a troubled face.