Chapter 40: Winter Approaches

The following days unfolded exactly as Granny Jiang had predicted.

At first only a few arrived, then groups of three or five. More and more cultivators came to Qingxi Village. Some settled inside the village itself; others found temporary places to stay in the nearby mountains and forests.

Bai Heng crouched on the hillside every day, watching the constant stream of people coming and going, silently keeping count.

Most of them disguised themselves well. They concealed their auras, dressed as ordinary mortals, and behaved no differently from the villagers. Some posed as peddlers, some as hunters, and some as distant relatives visiting family.

Only a very few made no effort to hide their presence, just as Liang Lu had done when he first arrived.

One was a middle-aged Daoist at late-stage Foundation Establishment, a long sword hanging at his waist. As he walked through the village, his cold gaze swept over everything around him, making no attempt to conceal his cultivation.

Another was a young woman at Qi Refining great perfection. She wore luxurious clothes and arrived with two maidservants, striding boldly into the courtyard next to the village chief’s house.

But within a few days, even these high-profile arrivals began to restrain themselves.

The middle-aged Daoist changed out of his robes into coarse hemp clothing, stored his sword in a storage bag, and started nodding and smiling at the villagers. The young woman stopped going out entirely, sending her maidservants to handle errands while she remained hidden inside the courtyard, doing who knew what.

Liang Lu and Lu Mingshuang changed too.

They no longer wandered the village freely. Lu Mingshuang stopped playing with the children. The pair kept to themselves. When they did appear, they looked like ordinary scholars—humble and courteous.

Bai Heng observed all these shifts and understood.

Either they had received orders from their families or sects, or they felt their earlier show of force had been sufficient.

In any case, everyone was putting on an act.

Above the hidden undercurrents, they maintained an appearance of peace and harmony.

Winter drew nearer, and the mountain winds grew colder.

The leaves had all fallen. Bare branches stood stark against the gray-white sky, looking especially desolate. Frost grew heavier in the early mornings and late evenings. Sometimes, when one woke at dawn, the entire mountain was blanketed in white.

The number of trips Qin Yun and Qin Yu made into the mountains dropped sharply.

Qin Shi and his wife kept a much stricter watch. The usually quiet hunter was uncompromising when it came to his children’s safety. The roads were icy, the weather freezing, and wild beasts roamed the mountains. He refused to let them take risks.

“Dad, I’ll only be gone a little while,” Qin Yu pleaded, her eyes turning red.

Qin Shi shook his head.

“No. Wait until spring.”

Qin Yun tried to put in a few good words but only earned a glare from his father.

“You stay out of the mountains too. Game is scarce in winter, and it’s dangerous to go far.”

Qin Yun did not dare argue. He could only nod gloomily.

Sometimes Lin Lan would speak up for them.

“Uncle Qin, I’ll go with them. We’ll stay close by and won’t go far.”

Qin Shi was silent for a moment. He looked at Lin Lan, then at Qin Yu’s hopeful face, and finally nodded.

“Don’t go far. Come back early.”

Only then could Qin Yu happily follow Lin Lan up the mountain, carrying food for Bai Heng.

But even these opportunities grew fewer and fewer.

Bai Heng crouched on her rock, watching the three figures approach along the mountain path.

Qin Yu ran ahead, her small face flushed red from the cold, white puffs of breath rising from her mouth. Qin Yun followed behind, bow and arrows on his shoulder, eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. Lin Lan walked at the rear, carrying a cloth bundle, her steps calm and steady.

“White Fox Immortal!”

Qin Yu called out from afar. When she reached her, she crouched down and began pulling things from her clothes.

“I brought you good food. There’s glutinous rice cake, pastries, and some sausages my mom cured.”

She arranged everything neatly on the ground.

Bai Heng walked over slowly, lowered her head to sniff, then picked up a piece of glutinous rice cake in her mouth and ate it unhurriedly.

Qin Yu crouched beside her, chattering nonstop.

“White Fox Immortal, my dad won’t let me come up the mountain anymore. I only got to come today because Sister Lin Lan helped convince him.”

“It’s so cold in winter. Is the cave you live in warm? Should I bring you some dry grass?”

“What if you get hungry? Is there anything to eat in the mountains?”

Bai Heng did not reply. She simply continued eating.

Qin Yu did not mind. She kept talking.

Qin Yun stood not far away, watching the white fox with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Lin Lan walked over to him and asked softly, “What are you thinking about?”

Qin Yun shook his head.

“Nothing. I was just noticing… she seems a little plumper than before.”

Lin Lan couldn’t help laughing.

“You dare say that again?”

Qin Yun waved his hands quickly.

“That’s not what I meant. I mean… she looks stronger than before. That’s a good thing, right?”

Lin Lan nodded.

“Winter is here. Putting on a little extra fat will help her get through it.”

Qin Yun nodded thoughtfully.

After Bai Heng finished the food, she lifted her head and looked at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu’s eyes sparkled.

“White Fox Immortal, wait for me. I’ll come see you again in a few days.”

Bai Heng gently swished her tail.

Qin Yu stood up, took one last look at her, then followed Qin Yun and Lin Lan down the mountain.

After a few steps she turned back and waved vigorously.

Bai Heng remained crouched on the rock, watching the three figures grow smaller until they disappeared into the gray-white forest.

The wind blew past, ruffling her snow-white fur.

She withdrew her gaze and slowly returned to her rock cave.

Bai Heng’s existence had naturally drawn the attention of the various powers because of her contact with Qin Yun and Qin Yu.

In the following days, she clearly felt several gazes sweeping across the mountain forest from time to time.

She made no sudden moves. She continued her usual routine—roaming the woods, basking in the sun, eating wild fruit.

After observing her for a few days, those gazes gradually faded.

Thanks to Heavenly Fox Concealment, she appeared to be nothing more than a first-tier little demon who had only recently awakened her intelligence. She did not speak, posed no threat, and seemed no different from the other wild beasts in the mountains except for being slightly more clever.

Such a being was not worth the attention of those scheming over greater matters.

Sometimes Bai Heng found the thought rather amusing.

Those people plotting and calculating probably never imagined that Yun Qing’s “new disciple” was the unremarkable little fox demon right under their noses.

Even if she told them herself, they would not believe it.

In the eyes of those so-called righteous cultivators, Yun Qing had been a proper Golden Core Elder of Qingxu Sect. How could he possibly have taken a lowly wild fox as his disciple?

When Bai Heng thought of this, she narrowed her eyes slightly.

Good.

Being overlooked meant she was safe.

Granny Jiang had not gone to the mountain god temple for nearly two months.

Bai Heng was not anxious.

She could sense the changes in the village as a mere second-tier little fox demon. A Golden Core cultivator like Granny Jiang would understand the situation even more clearly.

Since Granny Jiang did not move, Bai Heng did not move either.

She simply continued her daily life.

Cultivating. Sunbathing. Occasionally accepting food from Qin Yu. Occasionally watching the movements of those cultivators from afar.

Days passed, and winter grew heavier.

One night, the wind and snow picked up.

Bai Heng lay inside her rock cave, listening to the howling wind outside. Snowflakes drifted in through the entrance and landed on her, quickly melting into droplets of water.

She did not move. She simply lay there quietly.

In the latter half of the night, her ears suddenly twitched.

There was movement from the direction of the woods behind the village.

She stood up, shook the snow from her fur, and leaped out of the cave in complete silence.

In the wind and snow, a hunched figure was slowly making its way along the mountain path toward the mountain god temple.

Bai Heng did not follow immediately.

She crouched on a rock, watching from afar, and waited.

Roughly half an hour later, another figure emerged from the woods and vanished in the opposite direction.

That was the person Granny Jiang had met.

Bai Heng did not investigate. She simply waited until the person’s aura had completely disappeared before standing up and heading toward the mountain god temple.

The temple door was ajar.

When Bai Heng pushed it open and entered, Granny Jiang was sitting on the stone steps beneath the deity statue, brushing snow from her clothes.

“You’re here?”

Her voice was calm, as if she had known Bai Heng would come.

Bai Heng nodded and crouched in front of her.

Granny Jiang raised her hand and activated the restriction.

“You’ve come less often lately. Not anxious?”

She looked at Bai Heng, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Bai Heng shook her head.

“You don’t move, so I don’t move.”

Granny Jiang smiled.

“You really are composed.”

She paused, her expression turning serious.

“On to business.”

“People from Qingxu Sect and the Feng Clan have arrived. On the surface, they are led by Foundation Establishment cultivators, but there are likely Golden Core experts hidden nearby. The Liang and Lu families have sent people as well, along with several other noble families.”

Bai Heng listened quietly.

Granny Jiang continued.

“They are all waiting. Waiting for the appearance of that rumored ‘new disciple.’”

She looked at Bai Heng.

“But they don’t know the new disciple has already arrived.”

Bai Heng said nothing.

Granny Jiang looked at her, her gaze meaningful.

“However, I have thought of something.”

She paused.

“You know about Yun Zhuo’s Heavenly Spiritual Root being stolen, right?”

Bai Heng nodded.

Granny Jiang spoke slowly.

“Stealing a spiritual root is a major taboo in the cultivation world—especially among the righteous path.”

“Only a very small number of high-level members in Qingxu Sect and the Feng Clan know about this. To everyone else, Yun Zhuo simply has poor aptitude and failed to draw qi into his body.”

Bai Heng’s heart stirred slightly.

“You mean…?”

Granny Jiang nodded.

“When the time is right, we can leak this information.”

She looked at Bai Heng, her gaze deep.

“The Feng Clan stole Yun Zhuo’s Heavenly Spiritual Root and transferred it to one of their own juniors. If this gets out, it will give them plenty to deal with.”

“Although the Feng Clan and Qingxu Sect have enough power to eventually suppress the controversy, it will at least create some trouble for them.”

Bai Heng was silent for a moment.

“When do you plan to use it?”

Granny Jiang shook her head.

“Not yet. Acting now would be pointless.”

She paused.

“Wait until the situation becomes chaotic. Wait until they are all restraining one another. Then we release the news.”

She paused again.

“At that point, what will the small sects, the rogue cultivators, the people who already resent the noble families—especially the major powers competing with the Feng Clan and Qingxu Sect—think? What will they do?”

Bai Heng understood.

That fire could burn very brightly.

Granny Jiang looked at her and suddenly asked, “What about you? Has that Liang family boy come looking for you again?”

Bai Heng shook her head.

“No.”

Granny Jiang nodded.

“He probably knows the situation is unstable and doesn’t dare act rashly.”

She stood up, walked to the temple entrance, and looked out at the heavy snowfall.

Bai Heng walked over and crouched beside her, also gazing at the snow outside.

Wind and snow filled the sky, blanketing the entire mountain forest in white.

Below, the village’s scattered lights flickered dimly through the storm.

The human and the fox stood there quietly for a long time without speaking.

After who knew how long, Granny Jiang suddenly spoke.

“Little fox.”

Bai Heng turned her head.

Granny Jiang did not look at her. She simply stared at the falling snow.

“If everything goes well and you take Yun Zhuo away… will you come back?”

Bai Heng was silent for a moment.

“I don’t know. It will depend on what Yun Zhuo wants.”

Granny Jiang nodded and asked no more.

Bai Heng looked at her, wanting to say something but not knowing what.

In the end, she simply said softly, “Granny Jiang.”

“Hm?”

“Take care of yourself.”

Granny Jiang paused, momentarily stunned.

Then she smiled.

The smile bloomed in the dim temple, carrying both relief and emotion.

“You too, little fox.”

Bai Heng nodded, turned, and walked out of the mountain god temple.

Wind and snow rushed against her, biting and cold.

Her figure moved with graceful agility. The white shadow quickly disappeared into the swirling blizzard.