Chapter Seven: The Natal Golden Core

“Back already?” As soon as Old Fox saw Zhou Hongxian return, he instantly transformed into a white-haired elder. He took the palm-sized cloth pouch from Zhou Hongxian’s neck and gave it a gentle shake. A large wine jar appeared out of thin air in his hand.

“Marvelous!” Removing the seal, Old Fox inhaled the aroma from the jar, his face awash with delight.

“Little Fox, would you care for a sip?” Old Fox’s mood was uncommonly good.

Zhou Hongxian shook his head. “No, thank you.”

Old Fox curled his lip. “Seems you don’t yet appreciate the wonders hidden in a cup of wine! By the way, what troubles you that you look so downcast?”

Zhou Hongxian glanced at Old Fox and then lowered his head. “Old Fox, I feel I’ve wronged the wine seller, Old Li.”

Old Fox was rather unconcerned. “You just stole some wine, hardly a grave matter.”

“Old Fox, Old Li is nearly sixty. His son died young, and now he’s a lonely widower who survives by selling wine. I sneak in every few days to steal his wine, and it must hurt his livelihood. I feel a bit cruel.”

Old Fox replied, “I know Old Li. When he was young, he shirked his duties, indulged in idleness, bullied his parents, and so it was fated that his old age would lack blessings! Little Fox, your compassion is much too excessive!”

Zhou Hongxian fell silent, head lowered. Old Fox paid him no mind, drinking most of the wine in the jar. Then he looked up at the sky, where the full moon hung high, illuminating the snowy landscape with a silvery brilliance.

“Little Fox, tonight is the night of the full moon. Do not let this time slip by in vain!”

Zhou Hongxian was suddenly jolted by Old Fox’s words. The pure moonlight shimmered over the snow, and beside the Tianchi waterfall, a most peculiar scene unfolded: a small, thin red fox stood upright, mimicking human posture, its forelegs pressed together like hands in reverent prayer to the moon. Its pointed face was angled toward the moon, radiating a profound devotion, while strands of moonlight seemed to be drawn in through its nose.

This was the legendary Fox’s Moon Worship, performed for the unknown path of cultivation ahead.

Recently, strange happenings had occurred at Old Li’s home in Baishan Village. His cellar’s Daughter Red wine would disappear every few days, only for an empty jar to be returned later, followed by the loss of another jar. It was all very mysterious, leaving him perplexed.

Throughout the lands of Baishan and Heishui, tales of the Five Immortals—Fox, Yellow, White, Willow, and Gray—were well known in every household. After ruling out human theft, Old Li concluded his house was beset by spirits. He considered inviting a master to drive them out, but in this remote countryside, such figures were unheard of, and he feared that if the exorcism failed, it might provoke the spirits’ vengeance. So, in the end, he chose to endure it silently.

What he hadn’t expected was that, after a year, things began to change slightly.

Did the wine stop disappearing? No, it was still vanishing, and with increasing regularity—one jar every seven days, punctual as a modern payday! But now, in the spot where the missing jar had been, there would be several wild game—two rabbits, three or four ducks, or seven or eight fish.

At first, Old Li was bewildered, but gradually he became accustomed, even feeling enlightened. So, spirits have their own rules! Look, the spirit steals—buys wine and pays for it! Over the year, the value of these offerings far exceeded the price of the stolen wine, even compensating for the losses of the previous year.

After that, Old Li’s life improved greatly. He could barter the wild game for necessities with his neighbors, and so he turned a blind eye to the whole affair. Sometimes he even wished the spirit would buy two jars at a time, so his days might be even more comfortable.

Though he never did become wealthy from this, he lived worry-free to the age of seventy-six. Even in his final years, when he could no longer brew Daughter Red, the spirit continued to deliver wild game regularly.

He arranged his own funeral in advance, using his savings and entrusting the neighbors. After his death, some villagers claimed to have seen a red fox lingering briefly at his grave, though whether true or false remains unknown.

It is worth noting that Old Li died in the eighteenth year of the Zhen Guan era.

“Old Fox! Old Fox!” By the Tianchi waterfall, Zhou Hongxian came running from afar, calling out excitedly the whole way.

The white fox lay lazily on a stone, basking in the autumn sun. Hearing Zhou Hongxian’s cries, he responded irritably, “I was about to nap; why are you shouting?”

Zhou Hongxian bowed his head in apology. “Sorry, Old Fox!”

“What’s happened?”

“Old Fox, look!” Zhou Hongxian suddenly became excited again. He opened his pointed fox mouth wide, revealing a golden pearl nestled inside, glittering in the sunlight.

The white fox’s eyes sharpened, and he quickly sprang up in surprise. “A Natal Golden Core!”

Zhou Hongxian was ecstatic. “Yes, Old Fox! It’s the Natal Golden Core, just as you described. I finally succeeded today!”

The white fox turned and transformed into the white-haired elder, his face full of disbelief. “How is this possible? You’ve only cultivated for eighteen years—how could you achieve the Natal Golden Core so quickly?”

In his excitement, Zhou Hongxian spoke without restraint. “Is this fast, Old Fox? In the novels I read before, those transmigrated protagonists would be invincible after eighteen years!”

Old Fox was stunned. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Zhou Hongxian quickly fell silent, a little embarrassed. He thought to himself that after eighteen years of arduous cultivation, he still couldn’t shake the brash pride of his former life.

“Old Fox, now that I’ve formed my Golden Core, does that mean I’ll soon be able to take human form?” Zhou Hongxian asked hopefully.

“That depends on fate.”

“Still depends on fate?” Zhou Hongxian was confused. To him, fate sounded as uncertain as winning a lottery.

“Indeed. Do you remember what I told you when your intelligence first awakened?”

“It’s been eighteen years—I can barely recall.” Zhou Hongxian’s voice was frail.

Old Fox was at a loss for words, then finally said, “I told you: only after passing the Human Tribulation can you cultivate a human body.”

“When will the Human Tribulation come?” Zhou Hongxian dared to ask.

“How would I know?” With that, Old Fox transformed back into the white fox, lazily sprawled on the stone, and said in a faint tone, “Every living creature has its own fate, ordained by heaven. Little Fox, I advise you not to hope for the Human Tribulation, for you may not survive it.”