Chapter 623 Red Fox and White Fox (End)
Red Fox's face showed a bit of surprise:
"Senior, according to what you said, there should be many ancestors of my Qingqiu Fox Clan hidden in the court?"
When Jia Hu heard this, a faint smile appeared on his face:
"This is natural. The ancestors of our clan are spread all over the country, and the court is no exception. It's just that we are doing our own thing and don't know each other's identities."
"Even the most advanced cultivators can't see through the true form of our clan. After all, how can our clan's transformation technique be something that ordinary people can spy on?"
"It's because you are so young and haven't completely shed the foxy smell on your body that I just broke through."
Hearing this, Red Fox couldn't help but feel a little nervous: "Senior, according to what you said, will there be any danger if I do this?"
Seeing this, Jia Hu shook his head gently and comforted: "You don't have to worry. And after tonight, you will never be seen through by anyone again."
Red Fox was a little confused: "Why?"
Jia Hu just smiled and said: "What else do you think? Why is tonight's imperial banquet called a tail-burning banquet?"
…
"If the tiger demon wants to transform into a human being, he must endure the pain and let go of his true nature before he can cultivate a human body."
"A carp in the water leaps into a dragon, and it also needs thunder to burn its tail to embers before it can complete its transformation and transform into a dragon."
"Now, the Holy Lord is opening up the Enke and selecting talents in an eclectic way. This is the time for you to leap over the dragon's gate!"
"Today's imperial banquet is to reward all the new scholars. From then on, you will be reborn, become officials, and become the emperor's disciples!"
The eunuch in charge of the ceremony finished singing loudly, and the emperor in his prime seemed to be in a good mood. He had two drinks and his face turned slightly red.
He raised his hand, smiled, and said in a loud voice: "Everyone here today is the future pillar of the country, so there is no need to be restrained and let's have a banquet!"
Upon hearing this, many new scholars knelt down to salute and shouted in unison: "Thank you for your grace!"
As the first-ranked Jinshi in the palace examination, Red Fox was naturally placed in the position closest to the emperor.
After he sat down firmly, the aloof emperor cast his gaze on him.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said in a gentle voice: "Zhou Qing's talent is really worthy of my heart."
Red Fox knew the emperor's thoughts well, so he smiled slightly and replied respectfully:
"Your Majesty is ridiculous. I was just lucky enough to read some books by sages and understand some truths from them."
As soon as this statement was made, it was equivalent to placing the emperor in a high position comparable to that of the sages.
After hearing this, the emperor was naturally very happy and had a satisfied smile on his face.
He raised his hand and told the eunuch next to him: "Hurry up and let Zhou Qing enjoy my dishes. Today, I want to drink with Zhou Qing!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Red Fox quickly stood up and saluted respectfully to express his thanks.
However, the emperor gently pressed his hand and motioned for him to sit down, there was no need to be so polite.
Immediately, the two started talking about state affairs, family affairs, and world affairs.
Relying on his telepathy, Red Fox smiled happily at what the emperor said.
On the side, there was a new scholar who witnessed this scene, and couldn't help showing a trace of envy and jealousy in his eyes. He quietly said to his colleagues beside him:
"It seems that the No. 1 scholar is indeed not a simple man! Everyone says that accompanying a prince is like accompanying a tiger. A slight carelessness may lead to disaster. Why isn't he afraid of being dragged out and executed if he says the wrong thing?"
After hearing this, the other person couldn't help but sigh and said worriedly:
"Although he is talented, I am afraid that he will be another fawning jester."
However, Red Fox was completely unaware of these discussions and worries.
He remained the same as before, constantly joking and joking with the emperor, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Even the eunuchs serving around him were a little frightened, fearing that Red Fox might accidentally say the wrong thing and anger the emperor.
At this time, the emperor personally introduced to Red Fox the dishes that the eunuch had just brought to the table, and said with a smile: "This is the Eight Precious Chickens. Let Zhou Qing try it."
The emperor continued: "This Eight Treasure Chicken is brewed from eight different kinds of demon chickens. After we mortals eat it, we can strengthen our bodies and prolong our lives. Even if monks eat it, it can also have an impact on their cultivation. The improvement.”
After hearing this, Red Fox couldn't help but feel curious.
After thanking him, he picked up the chicken and took a bite.
As expected, a burning sensation rose up, and he immediately felt the changes in his body.
He was surprised to find that his already extremely powerful physique had slightly improved.
Just after Red Fox said a few words of praise, the emperor suddenly showed a mysterious smile,
"According to my national master, the royal family recently hunted a rare treasure in the world. Its deliciousness can be regarded as the most unparalleled delicacy in the world."
The emperor said slowly, with a hint of pride and expectation in his voice.
He looked at Red Fox again: "I wonder if Zhou Qing is interested in accompanying me to taste this rare delicacy, feast on it, and share the feast?"
When Red Fox heard this, although he had some doubts in his heart, he still quickly bowed his hands and saluted, and replied respectfully: "I couldn't ask for more. It is really an honor for me to accompany your majesty to enjoy the delicious food."
At this time, Red Fox was also full of curiosity.
He didn't know what the rare treasure the emperor was talking about was, and he couldn't read it from the emperor's thoughts.
He only knows that this is a monster that many monks worked together and spent several years to successfully hunt down. Its preciousness can be seen clearly.
The emperor stood up and walked out immediately.
Seeing this, many new scholars wanted to stand up and bow, but the eunuch in charge of ceremonies promptly told them to continue to sit down and enjoy the banquet, and there was no need to follow.
Chihu followed the emperor's steps and stepped into the palace hidden deep in the palace.
This palace is simple and solemn, with carved beams and painted buildings outside, which is somewhat similar to a temple.
"This is where my great-grandfather practiced Taoism in the past." The emperor slowly spoke and introduced this palace to Chihu.
There was a hint of envy in his tone, but he couldn't help but sigh, "It's just that this talent for practicing Taoism doesn't seem to have been passed down to the younger generation. By my generation, it has completely lost the possibility of entering Taoism."
The emperor's words were full of regret and pity. He looked at the red fox deeply and continued:
"However, fortunately, many of our ancestors are still alive. In order to concentrate on practicing Taoism, they gave up the throne and chose to abdicate."
"It is precisely because of the protection of the ancestors that I am a mortal, but the position of emperor is safe."
The red fox listened to the emperor's story silently without saying anything.
He could glimpse the emperor's inner thoughts from his tone. The emperor was still a little worried about his inability to practice Taoism and couldn't let it go.
When the two walked in front of the palace, the red fox suddenly felt a cool breeze blowing, and he couldn't help shivering and felt a little cool.
However, when he looked up at the emperor, he saw that he was frank and had no intention of murdering him.
So he put down his guard and doubts and continued to follow the emperor into the palace.
As the emperor entered the palace, the red fox suddenly felt bright.
Around the hall, golden Buddha statues stood tall, and the golden light they radiated was so dazzling that the red fox could hardly open his eyes.
The emperor turned around and said to Chihu with a smile: "In theory, this dish should be a delicacy that I enjoy alone."
But then he changed the subject, "However, Zhou Qing, you really suit my taste, so I specially invited you from the Burning Tail Banquet to taste this peerless delicacy together."
Speaking of this, the emperor paused slightly and added: "However, there were a variety of dishes at the Burning Tail Banquet, but here, there is only this one dish. You won't blame me for this, right?"
Hearing this, Chihu hurriedly bowed and said: "Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is my honor to accompany Your Majesty to enjoy the delicious food. How can I blame Your Majesty for this?"
The emperor nodded with satisfaction after hearing what Chihu said.
He clapped his hands and signaled the eunuchs in red to start setting up.
The eunuchs in red were well-trained and quickly placed a huge round table with a radius of three meters in the center of the hall.
Then, they placed two extremely luxurious golden nanmu chairs in front and behind the round table for the emperor and the red fox to sit opposite each other.
Although the two were more than ten meters apart, the hall was spacious and the voices echoed in the space, making them particularly clear.
But at this moment, the red fox felt an indescribable weirdness in his heart.
After all, he came here for a banquet, and according to what the emperor said before, there would most likely be meat and fish on the table later.
However, the place where he was at the moment was surrounded by golden Buddha statues,
as if he was under the gaze of gods and Buddhas, which made him feel quite uncomfortable, as if every move of his was under the eyes of gods and Buddhas.
But what made the red fox even more panic was that he found that he could no longer use his telepathy at this time.
This feeling of being controlled by others made him feel very uncomfortable.
He has always been confident in his own strength and good at seeing through other people's minds, but at this moment he seemed to be deprived of this ability, which made him feel extremely depressed.
However, due to his confidence in his own strength and the fact that the emperor had no bad intentions, Chihu chose to endure it.
He knew that after passing this level, when he entered the court as an official, there would be a wide world and countless thoughts for him to harvest.
"Here it comes." At this moment, the emperor whispered these two words, and Chihu immediately turned his head to watch.
His eyes fell on the eight burly eunuchs, who were holding the golden plate steadily and walking in unison.
On the golden plate, there was a huge roast chicken, which was two or three feet long and wide, standing like a small mountain.
Chihu was stunned when he saw this scene.
He never thought that he came here to eat a feast.
Moreover, he had lived for so many years and traveled all over the country, but he had never seen such a huge roast chicken.
When the roast chicken was placed steadily on the table, the emperor's figure also disappeared from Chihu's sight.
However, even though there was a barrier between them, the red fox could still clearly hear the emperor's voice: "Mr. Zhou, how do you feel?"
The red fox quickly replied: "It is really shocking. I have never seen a roast chicken of this size. It is really eye-opening."
"Oh? Is that a roast chicken?" The emperor's voice revealed a hint of amusement. He seemed to be in a good mood and chuckled a few times, "But what I saw was a human heart!"
A human heart?
When the red fox heard this, he couldn't help but feel a surge of doubts in his heart.
Moreover, at this time, he could not get a glimpse of the emperor's thoughts, so he could only speak more carefully: "I have little knowledge, so please give me some advice."
The emperor smiled slightly and said: "Some people see it as roasted chicken, some people see it as a braised fish, and some people see it as a cow, a sheep, or something else."
"That's all good, but it's not what it is!"
At this point, the emperor's voice became a little deeper: "This dish is called Xianrenzi. Everyone sees it differently because it changes according to everyone's mood and thoughts."
"So, the roast chicken you see is just the roast chicken in your heart; and the human heart I see is what I think."
"The first bite of fairy crab will be your favorite food."
"It's only when you take the second bite that its true colors will emerge."
"And the second bite tastes far better than the first bite."
"Zhuangyuanlang, please use it first!"
At this time, a eunuch carefully picked up a sharp knife and accurately cut off several delicious pieces of meat from the huge roast chicken. He gently placed these pieces of meat on a delicate plate, and then respectfully served them in front of the red fox.
Red Fox stretched out his chopsticks, picked up a piece of roast chicken, and slowly put it into his mouth.
At this moment, he closed his eyes.
Immediately afterwards, a picture appeared in his mind:
It felt like I had gone back to more than a hundred years ago, when I was still a young little fox.
The roast chicken I tasted when I first met my sister on the winter snow.
Red Fox's eyes couldn't help but fill with tears. He took a deep breath and said with emotion: "This dish is really extraordinary..."
While the red fox was savoring it carefully, the emperor asked: "How do you like it? Does this immortal prawn suit your taste?"
Red Fox quickly replied: "It's so delicious. It's simply a delicacy in the world. It is indeed His Majesty's favorite dish..."
After hearing Red Fox's praise, the emperor smiled with satisfaction, then changed the subject and asked, "I wonder if the Number One Scholar has read a strange book called "The Great Wilderness Sutra"?"
When Red Fox heard this, he was stunned. He thought that the book that his husband tore up a few months ago was the Great Wilderness Scripture.
He shook his head and replied sincerely: "I have never read this book, so I would like to ask for your advice."
The emperor said: "There is a saying in the Great Wilderness Sutra: The sound of a nine-tailed fox is like a baby, and those who eat it will not be poisoned."
"So the first bite of this immortal's chowder is the nine-tailed fox's illusion that pleases people."
"As for the second bite, it uses the nature of fox meat to break through the illusion and taste the taste of fox meat itself."
"Tell me, is what I said right or wrong?"
Red Fox opened his eyes, and the roast chicken in front of him suddenly turned into a nine-tailed fox.
It's just that the skin is golden and crispy, but you can't see its specific appearance.
But even so, the red fox suddenly began to tremble all over. (End of chapter)