"Yao..."
Seeing a group of white foxes sitting around a bonfire in the valley, reading books like humans, the only reaction in Hong Yi's mind was, "I really encountered monsters!"
Although he had read Li Yan's Cottage Notes, which was full of stories about foxes, ghosts, amorous fox women, and talented scholars and beautiful ladies, and he had also fantasized about encountering them one day. But who knew that when he really met them today, a bone-chilling coldness suddenly welled up in his heart.
"Am I like Ye Gong who loves dragons but trembles when he sees one? Calm down, calm down. If fox ghosts are really as recorded in the Cottage Notes, there's nothing to be afraid of. Could it be that these foxes want to study and invited me to be a teacher? It's really a tall tale that foxes also want to study like humans...."
Thinking of some of the novels about fox monsters that he usually read, Hong Yi's mind calmed down a little.
"Chirp, chirp...."
Just then, the group of foxes reading around the bonfire had already seen someone. Three young foxes cried out, dropped their books with their front paws, stretched their limbs, and darted over in a flash, jumping up and down around the woman in red, looking very cheerful. It was obvious that they were very familiar with this woman in red.
"Xiao Sang, Xiao Jiu, Xiao Shu, stop making a fuss. There are guests today. Don't lose your manners. Why are you still crawling on the ground with your hands? You still haven't changed your animal habits. Don't make the guests laugh."
Another voice came from beside the bonfire.
This voice was stiff and the tone was strange, as if there was a fishbone stuck in the throat, but in general, the words were still clear and understandable.
Hong Yi was shocked again because he saw an old fox standing like a human, with its hind limbs on the ground and its front limbs making a gesture of cupping hands, walking over crookedly.
This old fox walking upright gave Hong Yi an illusion, "This fox seems like an old village scholar."
"Old Tu. Xiao Sang, Xiao Jiu, and Xiao Shu are still not sensible. The young sir is a wonderful person and should not blame them for their rudeness."
The woman in red smiled, turned around and looked at Hong Yi: "This is your student. What do you think?"
Hong Yi looked at these fluffy little white foxes, like snowballs rolling around on the ground, and felt a sense of absurdity when thinking of teaching them to read and write.
"Are you a human or a monster?" Hong Yi looked at this woman in red again and asked.
"Don't worry about so much. I am your employer. I hire you as a teacher. Ten taels of red gold per month will do." The woman in red smiled mysteriously.
"Sir's visit to the secluded valley today really brings glory to the valley. Sir is a scholar and should know that even beasts have the heart to pursue the truth and understand reason. In the past, there were fierce tigers and lions listening to the lectures of sages. Yuanfei invited sir today without the slightest malice. Besides, our Pure Fox Clan is not an ordinary wild beast without wisdom. We understand reason and know the world. Scholars explore things and understand reason. They should know that in ancient times, there was no difference between humans and beasts. They all ate raw food and had hair all over their bodies. The ancient people were no different from apes. Later, they gradually stood upright, ate cooked food, and created characters to become humans. Our Pure Fox Clan has lived in the deep mountains for a long time, which is just like the uncivilized people in ancient times. Sir's such astonishment has made us abrupt."
"Eh?"
Hong Yi widened his eyes and looked at this old fox. The other party's words were elegant, and he presented facts and reasoned in his conversation. He was more like a scholar than a scholar. What an elegant fox.
"How can you speak human language?" Hong Yi asked.
"People have human language, and beasts have beast language. Parrots and mynahs can also speak human language. People can also learn bird language. Why can't foxes learn human language? Foxes learning human language is just like the people of our Great Qian Dynasty learning foreign languages such as Yunmeng language, Huolo language, and Yuantu language. It's just about language pronunciation. What's so strange about it?" This old fox named Tu answered in a serious manner.
"As long as it makes sense, it's not scary. What people of our Great Qian Dynasty? This fox seems to really be in the state of reading and regards itself as a citizen under the jurisdiction of the Great Qian Dynasty. But the words are elegant and the reasoning is clear. It's worthy of respect." Hong Yi thought in his heart and calmed down.
Whether it's a ghost or a fox, as long as it can make sense clearly, it's not scary.
"Old sir is truly a magnanimous person." Hong Yi also cupped his hands and returned a scholar's courtesy. The other party used the scholar's courtesy, and he himself couldn't lose etiquette.
"Hahaha." Hearing Hong Yi say that he was a magnanimous person, this old fox named Tu was so happy that his beard twitched, seemingly forgetting himself in excitement.
"Is the girl called Yuanfei?" Hong Yi turned to look at the woman in red and also made a courtesy.
He just heard the old fox call the woman in red Yuanfei.
"Miss Yuanfei must also be a highly cultivated fox fairy who can transform into a human form."
"Don't dare, don't dare." Yuanfei smiled and said: "Transformation is just an illusion, used to confuse the souls of ordinary people with thoughts, like 'ghost hitting the wall', it can only confuse the common people and fishermen who fear ghosts and gods. It cannot confuse a clear-headed scholar like sir. I am not a fox but a human."
"Well, understanding reason makes the mind clear and not affected by ghosts, gods, and demons. Things that are known in detail are not scary. Not scary, and the mind is stable, and demons cannot do evil." Hong Yi nodded.
"Little sir, do you agree or not to be their teacher?" Yuanfei asked.
"Making beasts understand reason is something that only sages do. Although I am not qualified, I will reluctantly act as a sage once." Hong Yi nodded.
"Since it's like this, that's good. But I still have to test you. Ten taels of red gold a month can open a school. I can't give it out for nothing." Yuanfei's eyes stared at Hong Yi.
For a moment, Hong Yi felt that Yuanfei had an overbearing feeling.
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"What does Miss Yuanfei want to test? Poetry, songs, and odes? The meaning of classics and articles? Or policy discussions? If it's archery and martial arts, then I can't do it." Hong Yi said solemnly.
"Of course, I won't test you on archery and martial arts. I'll just ask you one question." Yuanfei asked without hesitation: "What is the greatest thing in the world?"
Yuanfei blurted out, obviously this question had been puzzling her for a long time.
"What is the greatest thing in the world?" Hong Yi thought, "Of course, it's reason that is the greatest."
"Reason is the greatest?" Yuanfei's face showed a hint of joy: "What a great answer that reason is the greatest. Fortunately, I stopped by Qiuyue Temple today and heard sir's poem. I knew sir was no ordinary person. Sir can be said to have solved a huge doubt for me."
"Sir can also write poems?" Old Tu was surprised again. A pair of green fox eyes were extremely delighted, as if seeing a treasure.
"I can only write one or two lines occasionally." Hong Yi was modest. A cold wind blew, and suddenly he felt a little cold.
"Sir, come and sit by the bonfire." Old Tu also noticed that Hong Yi's body was slightly thin and the night wind in the secluded valley was very cold, and immediately invited Hong Yi to the fire.
Beside the bonfire, there were many exquisite small wooden stools, and a group of foxes sat and read like humans.
By the firelight, Hong Yi saw that the books held by these foxes were not the imagined cultivation classics but very common popular children's enlightenment books such as "Thousand-Character Classic", "Hundred Family Surnames", and "Three-Character Classic" on the market.
"I have read many notes. The foxes in them are all powerful, proficient in the way of cultivation, and have endless changes. I wonder if Old Tu has these supernatural powers?" Hong Yi looked at all this and felt that this group of foxes was very different from the fox monsters in the notes, so he couldn't help asking.
"Foxes that can transform are rare. They are all extremely talented. Our fox clan is no different from ordinary beasts when born, muddled. Only a small part of the foxes can understand human nature and follow humans to learn to use fire and eat cooked food. And of this small part of foxes, only a very few can learn to read and understand reason. After understanding reason, they can learn the way of cultivation by chance. Finally, when the Yin spirit is cultivated to be as powerful as the ghost immortal of Taoism, they can transform. Our cultivation is also completely learning the cultivation methods of human beings who have the way. Humans are the favored children of heaven with endless wisdom and endless mysteries of the body. I once lived near the Great Chan Temple in Zhongzhou for a period of time and watched the monks inside practice and chant scriptures day and night. I did know a little bit about the principle of cultivation. For foxes to understand human nature, understand reason, and then cultivate, it requires all kinds of chances. It is far inferior to humans. These little foxes now only have simple spirituality, so we invited sir to teach them to read and write. Only when they understand the reason can they cultivate."
Old Tu talked freely and was very organized.
"I don't know about the way of cultivation. How to cultivate?" Hong Yi asked.
"The Great Qian Dynasty is fond of the way. The Yujing Temple outside the city is a famous Fangxian Taoist sect. The practice of cultivating and stabilizing the spirit and the Yin spirit leaving the body of Taoism is also widely spread. The profound and mysterious aspects are far superior to our superficial knowledge. Little sir is a scholar. Why do you seek the second best and ask us foxes about cultivation instead of asking the Taoist sages in the Taoist temple?" Old Tu asked strangely.
"Oh? Scholars don't talk about strange powers and ghosts. I know very little about these. But today I have the opportunity, so I have to ask." Hong Yi knew that the Yujing Temple outside the city was the largest Taoist temple with many Taoists. Some of them attached themselves to powerful officials and even made elixirs in the palace. But these people were despised by scholars, who believed that they fooled the people with ghost and god affairs.
More importantly, Hong Yi knew that his father, Marquis Wu Wen, regarded himself as a master of Neo-Confucianism and hated Buddhist and Taoist affairs. Once, during a military conflict between the imperial court and the Yunmeng Empire, the emperor summoned Taoists to inquire about good or bad luck. Marquis Wu Wen immediately admonished and scolded the Taoists in court, "Those who pretend to be gods and ghosts also want to influence the country and control the divine weapon. It's simply absurd."
Under such circumstances, Hong Yi had no way to contact Taoists. Moreover, ordinary Taoists, in order to make elixirs and refine mercury, attached themselves to powerful officials. With Hong Yi's status as an insignificant common son, no strange people came to contact him.
"There are various methods of cultivation in the world, but the purpose is nothing but transcending life and death. And most of them are of two major types. One is mainly cultivating the spirit soul, which is called immortal art. The other is cultivating the physical body, which is called martial art. The cultivation of immortal art is actually cultivating one's own thoughts. There are various methods, but it's nothing but ten realms. Stabilizing the spirit, leaving the body, night wandering, day wandering, moving objects, manifesting form, possession, seizing the body, thunder tribulation, and yang spirit. As for the realm of martial art, I don't know. Yuanfei herself is a master of boxing and can explain it to sir." Old Tu said.
“只有安定才能安定，只有安定才能安心。这是学者的原则。既然是修炼魂魄的仙术，那么第一步稳定魂魄是很有必要的。在阅读和写作论文时，第一步也是平静心灵，收集思想。只有这样，一个人才能完全集中注意力。如果思想分散，头脑像猴子或马，那么什么都做不好。
洪毅听了新事物，结合学者的原则暗暗思索。
“修炼的事情和天上的星星一样多，一时半会儿也说不清。在我简陋的住所里，我有很多关于修炼的书。它们都是我在大禅寺被毁时带出来的。先生可以看看。有很多地方我不明白，需要先生解释。
“嗯？老涂有藏书吗？洪毅愣了愣。环顾四周，发现幽谷南面有一处石洞，洞内灯光闪烁。
“当然。在繁荣的时代，人们重视收藏书籍。现在我们大乾王朝，是一个空前的繁荣时代。普通的大家庭藏书成百上千册。当然，我们必须学习。其实这次请先生一半是教这些孩子，另一半是请先生帮我们整理书本。将它们分为经典、历史、哲学和文学类别。这样当这些孩子长大后，他们阅读就会很方便。否则，一切都是一团糟，这真是令人头疼。
老涂露出头痛的表情。
复制重新生成