svetikya Chapter 354 The Immortals' Scheme
Chapter 354 The Immortals' Scheme
The tall, white fox opened its narrow eyes, revealing human emotions within its animalistic gaze. The white fox first glanced at the southwestern sky, then looked at the two plumes of black smoke in front of it, its tone neither warm nor cold.
"Old Gray's family, weren't you properly disciplined last time?"
"If your skin gets loose again, you might as well go to Nine Peaks Iron Mountain and have that Dharma protector tighten your skin."
The cloud of black smoke that had been called out surged a few times, and a shrill voice came from within it—it was the old immortal from the Gray Family from last time.
The immortal spoke in a fawning tone, with a fawning smile, "It's enough to be cheated once; you can't expect to be cheated every time."
"You've all surely felt the recent changes in the world, so I've come here specifically to ask for your insights."
"Hehe, you opportunist, you're the best at changing your tune with the wind. I bet you're here to sound us out."
Another plume of black smoke coalesced into a two-foot-tall figure. It stood upright, with two streaks of red light emanating from its head. Its mouth, formed of smoke, opened and let out a mocking laugh.
"Alright, what are you pretending for in front of us?"
The black smoke that materialized looked at the silent gray fairy beside him and snorted, revealing the other party's hidden thoughts.
"Hmph, it must be those same people coming to find you again. What, haven't you had enough of the calamity a hundred years ago? Do you really want to be annihilated now?"
The white fox, sitting cross-legged in the center, spoke again, its voice no longer as cold and hard as before. It sighed, and mist immediately filled the lake, making the scenery inside the mountain peak even more hazy.
The island in the middle of the lake was also completely shrouded in mist, separated from the sky and earth.
Seeing the thick, persistent fog all around, the white fox relaxed a little, looked at the black smoke on both sides, and said, "Old Huang family, there's no need to bring up the past. None of us got away with it."
"Everyone talks about the Five Immortals, but only three have come so far, not to mention that the three of us are still considered juniors."
"If you have any plans, you should first consider your own situation to avoid getting burned."
As she spoke, the white fox glanced at the gray fairy. Although she didn't say it explicitly, the warning in her words was clear. The gray fairy, who was mentioned, nodded quickly, and the black smoke twisted and transformed into a huge rat.
"Thank you for your guidance, elder sister. I understand these principles perfectly well."
Hui Xian first admitted his mistake, then changed the subject, "I was just lamenting that the world is not quite the same as it used to be."
"Although we still have our temple and the disciples don't lack offerings, and we can still make a living by guarding our temple, we are not as carefree as before."
"And there are just too many scammers these days!"
At this point, even though Grey Fairy considered himself a master of swindling and deception, he couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger.
"There are always some people who use our name to swindle and cheat. What's hateful is that we can't punish them as severely as we used to. We can only take the blame for them."
Upon hearing this, Huang Xian, who had stood up, also looked displeased, but then said helplessly, "Humanity is flourishing, and there's nothing we can do about it. Even if karma doesn't apply to us, it's still infuriating to see it."
The white fox listened to the conversation but didn't get angry. Instead, it smiled and said, "That's good. It's time for us to return to the mountains."
"What?!"
Ignoring their shock, the white fox looked up at the last remaining blue sky and colorful clouds in the forest and said with a smile, "Where did we come from, where are we going?"
"We were originally spirits of the mountains and fields, but we entered the human world out of greed. Over the past few hundred years, we have experienced both blessings and calamities. Why can't we return?"
"Big sister, are you serious?"
Upon hearing this, the two immortals, Huang and Hui, stopped complaining. Their red eyes looked at the white fox in the center, finding the way the current leader of the Hu family was handling the situation unbelievable.
In their view, the bustling world is the most vibrant and extraordinary scenery, far more dazzling than the unchanging seasons in the mountains.
Moreover, there are still incense and faith in the human world for them to practice, which are all "good things" that are not available in the mountains.
They worked so hard to cultivate and manage their lives for the beautiful scenery down in the mountains. How can they be asked to give up their wealth accumulated over the past hundred years and return to the desolate mountains?
The white fox glanced at them, and said with a hint of melancholy, "Abandoning your home and property, do you think I'm willing to do that?"
"It takes generations of worship by a shamanic family to invite a single deity. In other words, it takes decades of worship for us deities to finally gain a proper place in the mortal realm."
"In today's world, who can give us decades more to run a business?"
"As for going astray, the area down the mountain is no longer a place where we can run wild."
The white fox gazed into the distance, as if it could see the human lights beneath the mountains and forests through the thick fog. It shook its head, straightened its cross-legged posture, and closed its eyes with its palms facing upwards.
"In the future, it would be best for us senior immortals to return to the mountains and forests for quiet cultivation, so that we can find some peace and quiet."
"As for the younger children, let them stay down the mountain for now, to experience the splendor and ugliness of the world, so that they can return to the mountains to cultivate in peace in the future."
Ultimately, in this world, those who rely on others for spiritual cultivation are merely deluded; only those who forge their own path can truly reach the heavens.
Seeing that the white fox had made up its mind, the two immortals, Huang and Hui, were about to try to persuade it again, but the white fox took another breath, drawing back the white mist that was spreading across the lake, and pretended to see the guest off.
"Shortcuts are easy to take, but don't let them blind you or cloud your judgment. You two should go back. This is also the will of my ancestors. From now on, the Hu family will no longer interfere in the affairs of the people down the mountain."
"Goodbye and don't bother seeing me off!"
Seeing the white fox's resolute demeanor, Huang Jiaxian realized that his and Hui Xian's plans had failed, so he flew towards the mountains, trailing black smoke.
The red eyes of the gray fairy flickered in the smoke. After bidding farewell to the white fox, she followed Huang Jiaxian and left the mountaintop celestial pool.
The mountain wind was cold and strong, carrying snowflakes that gathered from all directions to the Heavenly Lake at the top of the mountain, stirring up the surface of the lake and creating ripples that lapped against the islands in the center of the lake.
A moment after the two immortals, Huang and Hui, left, the white fox opened its closed eyes again. This time, what flashed in its eyes was no longer human emotion, but animal cunning and cold calculation.
"Heh, they've really gone mad from being hit, daring to drag me into this mess. Do they really think it's so easy to take advantage of others, especially since it's just a verbal promise?"
The white fox stared at the turbulent waves around it, its voice no longer calm, but filled with a sharp, angry tone.
It turned its eyes, the fox's narrow eyes looking towards the mountainside, where three or four humans were climbing up the mountain, and judging from their path, they were heading towards the summit.
This is the third wave of humans who have tried to contact her recently, and the white fox is very familiar with their aura, which is why she has avoided them several times.
"Anyone can talk big, the key is to face reality. Our era has long passed. Immortals?"
"They're nothing more than a group of mountain spirits who have descended from the mountains and entered the world, sitting in the halls and wielding their magic."