Chapter 52: Welcoming the Bride Together and Wishing the Newlyweds a Lifetime of Happiness

Of course, these are only records found in ancient texts. As for the actual situation... it should be pretty much the same.

In the beginning, Zhang Hao had made sure that before participating in the fox wedding procession, he must not have any contact with living humans to avoid carrying any vital yang energy that could be detected by the pack of foxes. Furthermore, he was unsure of the background of the person trailing him—whether they were a good person or a bad one. Therefore, he never intended to alert his pursuer, choosing instead to feign ignorance.

In Zhang Hao's view, if the follower was merely someone who had lost their way in the deep mountains—an ordinary individual—he could, at an appropriate time, help guide them away from the fox wedding procession and out of the area to prevent them from being harmed by the yin energy surrounding the event. However, if this person continued to follow him without turning back and ended up falling under the spell of the foxes, it would prove that the individual was not a good person, rendering any concern for their life unnecessary. In fact, he could even use this person to his own advantage.

Now, Zhang Hao was basically certain that this person was certainly no ordinary civilian—or at the very least, not a good person.

Yet, what could this person's background possibly be?

To appear deep in the mountains, ragged, disheveled, and sporting massive dark circles under their eyes, it looked as though they hadn't washed or rested properly in a long time.

A poacher?

At present, that seemed to be the only plausible explanation.

Poachers had, since ancient times, been among the most detested individuals by the spirits of the mountains and wild phantoms. Not only would these people slaughter the mountain spirits indiscriminately, but they would also trample all natural rules and laws to satisfy their own greed. Consequently, very few poachers ever met a good end.

With this thought, Zhang Hao withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward as he looked back toward the steadily approaching fox wedding procession.

Very well. In that case, he could carry out his original plan with complete peace of mind and absolute justification.

His thoughts whirled at lightning speed.

As the wedding procession drew near, Zhang Hao did not hesitate in the slightest. He bowed slightly, cupping one hand in the other to offer a formal greeting.

Just as he made this gesture, one of the foxes carrying the betrothal gifts in the procession stepped right up to Zhang Hao. It thrust forward its long snout, twitched its black nose, and sniffed him deeply.

In an instant, the musky odor, the foul stench, and the earthy scent clinging to the fox's fur flooded Zhang Hao's nasal cavity. He was nearly knocked unconscious by the overwhelming reek and hurriedly held his breath, not daring to inhale.

If he failed to endure the smell now and reacted, all the effort he had put in up to this point would be wasted.

He must endure it—he had to endure it. He was about to blend into this wedding procession. As long as this fox failed to detect any strange odors, specifically the scent of a living human, it would naturally allow him to join the ranks.

His thoughts raced.

After sniffing a few times, the fox withdrew its nose and made a welcoming gesture with one paw.

Zhang Hao nodded. Following behind the red-robed fox, he silently took his place at the very back of the procession, his expression remaining taut throughout.

The musk, the stench, and the unidentified odors emanating from the items the foxes were carrying—Zhang Hao frowned, but immediately smoothed his expression back to normal.

He watched the foxes walking ahead of him. Their gaits were somewhat twisted, and they were making awkward attempts to mimic human behavior.

For instance, the fox directly in front of him was struggling to keep its tongue from hanging out, rolling it up with great effort; from a distance, it looked strangely like a giant chewing gum bubble.

Next to it stood another fox that raised a sharp claw to pick its nose, much like a human. Not only did it extract some sticky mucus, but it also accidentally smeared blood all over its claw, causing it to bare its teeth in a grimace of pain...

What he found most bizarre of all was the fox groom. The loose, oversized red wedding robe made it look even more scrawny and tiny, yet it swaggered unsteadily as it walked, resembling a local hoodlum. With that posture, it didn't look like it was going to a wedding; it looked more like a street thug leading a bunch of underlings out to start a fight...

Oh well, never mind. After all, they were foxes. Their weddings and behaviors were all learned from humans, likely passed down through many, many generations, and further modified by successive packs of foxes to form the spectacle before him.

Sure enough, looking at it now, this was the absolute limit of their intelligence. Compared to humans, they still fell somewhat short.

Zhang Hao sighed silently, uncertain whether he should worry about the future evolutionary prospects of the fox race or feel a sense of resignation that he had been forced to become one of them.

...

*Dili-dala~*
*Dili-dala~*

The festive sounds of suonas and the deafening clatter of gongs and drums accompanied the wedding procession as it marched steadily forward, its participants moving with slightly twisted, bizarre postures, their mouths split wide into grins and their eyes narrowed into slits.

Damn it, this vast world truly had everything.

To think someone would actually choose to get married in the middle of the night.

Who knew if the people in these mountains were well-informed? If they weren't, and had no idea he was a fugitive, he might be able to blend in just like that mountain herb gatherer, and perhaps even get a normal meal out of it.

Throughout his days on the run, forget a normal meal; he hadn't even been able to enjoy a single peaceful one.

Squinting his eyes, he quickly dismissed the thought.

For the sake of caution—and to prevent these people from discovering that he was a fugitive—he still shouldn't approach them. He could only follow at a distance; perhaps these people could lead him out of the mountains as well.

Just as he was thinking this, one of the figures in the wedding procession suddenly turned its head. Its narrowed eyes seemed to be staring straight at him, and the grin splitting its mouth widened even further, taking on a strange, eerie quality.

What on earth...

Did it see me?

And why would it look so happy to see me?

It felt even more gleeful than someone getting married...

Before he could process this further, Liu Wenchang saw that figure break away from the procession. Pulling up its pants and paying no heed to the ground beneath its feet, the figure bounded toward him like a bouncing creature. Its speed was astonishing; in just a few short seconds, it was already on the verge of reaching him.

Liu Wenchang froze, his instinct screaming at him to turn and run, but for some reason, he felt as though his movements had become sluggish.

While he stood there in bewilderment, the figure arrived right in front of him, stopping merely five meters away.

"Please stay your steps, sir. Since you have arrived nearby, and it just so happens that our wedding procession is passing through, it is a matter of fate. Come with us to the wedding, and let us celebrate the newlyweds' union and a lifetime of harmony together. How about it?"

Liu Wenchang watched as the person's mouth parted, producing a voice that sounded somewhat strained yet soothing. At the same time, the figure stood slightly sideways, extended a hand, and made a welcoming gesture.

Only, Liu Wenchang had an inexplicable feeling that the gesture of that hand was overly stiff, the legs were slightly bent in an unnatural, twisted way, the corners of the mouth remained hooked upward, and the narrowed eyes never once opened.

...

Within the wedding procession, Zhang Hao's gaze followed a fox as it happily bounced away from the formation and walked behind a tree.

Shortly after, the person who had been trailing him emerged from behind that very tree.

The fox stood right in front of him, opening its mouth to emit a series of sharp, crisp, squeaking sounds—the distinct vocalization of a fox.

Immediately afterward, the pursuer's eyes grew hazy, the corners of his mouth split backward, and his expression turned dull and sluggish, as if his soul had been sucked right out of him.

Sure enough, things were unfolding much as he had anticipated.

This fellow must have fallen under a spell and started hallucinating.