Chapter 54: Passing Off Shoddy Work as Genuine and Bluffing One's Way Through!

Faint green lights flickered and drifted amid the dense forest, casting an eerie glow on their somewhat pale faces, illuminating the foxes' orange fur, and reflecting off the bright red cloth strips and festive red lanterns hanging from the tree branches.

In the weeds on both sides of the narrow path, vibrant red spider lilies were in full bloom, their crimson and green intertwining in a manner that was both harmonious and jarring, utterly bizarre.

At the head of the wedding procession, several foxes dressed in wedding garments were scattered along both sides of the path, each carrying a basket filled with flower petals picked from some unknown origin.

Two other baskets held wild fruits.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this scene is quite something," Liu Wenchang suddenly spoke up, the corners of his mouth turning up. "You folks out in the mountains really know how to set the scene for a wedding! Goodness me, this is even more grand than a wedding in town."

"Oh, and look at these roses on both sides, truly gorgeous. They come in every color. Huh? Why are there chrysanthemums? How can you possibly use chrysanthemums for a wedding around here?"

"Hey, hey, hey, those young women getting ready to scatter petals are stunning. Are they locals from around here too?"

He rubbed his stubbly chin and licked his lips as he spoke.

Zhang Hao narrowed his eyes and ignored him.

One thing was certain: the scene he saw differed vastly from what this poacher was witnessing.

This guy saw roses, an exquisitely arranged setting, "young women" preparing to scatter flower petals who looked gorgeous, and a myriad of completely normal things.

Tsk.

Splendid, truly splendid.

If the scene he beheld matched the one before Zhang Hao's own eyes, he probably wouldn't be smiling anymore, and he likely would never want to go poaching again.

Without replying, Zhang Hao turned his head to look not far away at the red sedan chair. Four sedan-bearers stood at its four corners, likewise dressed in bright red wedding attire, their sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked faces bathed in an eerie green radiance by the phosphor light.

The two maidservants standing beside the sedan chair were dressed quite attractively, constantly giving off a mesmerizing, sultry vibe.

If viewed from the poacher's perspective, gods knew how breathtaking it must have appeared.

In front of that red sedan stood several older-looking foxes dressed in dowdy clothes, hunched over with walking sticks, their mouths split wide open to reveal a row of sharp, jagged teeth.

Looking away from those foxes, Zhang Hao saw that at the very end of the path before them lay the entrance to a mountain cave.

In front of the entrance sat a massive offering table, already laden with wild mountain fruits.

Beside them, a pheasant with dried blood caked around its neck and unmolested feathers rested on a platter.

A wild hare, its white fur stained crimson with blood, bore what appeared to be fox bite marks on its surface.

And a bloody pig's head, complete with unplucked bristles, its eyes still wide open.

Two white candles flickered upon the offering table, emitting wisps of white smoke while their feeble flames wavered in the breeze.

Liu Wenchang licked his lips, swallowing hard as his gaze remained locked straight on the sacrificial fruits, the hare, the pheasant, and the pig's head upon the altar.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao hastily averted his gaze, refusing to look at him any longer.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"

Right at that moment, accompanied by an eerie, shrill yet melodic cry of foxes, the seemingly frozen scene shattered. The fox groom led the foxes carrying the betrothal gifts away from the main procession and headed straight toward the bright red sedan.

Zhang Hao simply watched it all unfold with his own eyes, uttering not a single word, showing no reaction whatsoever.

His brain was spinning at high speed, and he was waiting—waiting for the fox wedding ceremony to conclude.

For only once the ritual was over would that mountain treasure possibly appear. The moment it did, he would immediately devise a way to execute his plan, snatch the treasure, and run!

By the time the foxes reacted, he would have long since descended the mountain.

Right now, what he needed to do was keep his composure, avoid exposure at all costs, suppress any drastic emotional fluctuations, and betray no outward signs. Foxes were exceptionally sensitive creatures; once they discovered any anomaly, things would become terribly difficult to handle.

"Hey, buddy, I have to hand it to them, this family is quite generous! I just saw it—under that red cloth covers half a wild boar! The rest seems to be entirely cash..." Liu Wenchang drooled, his eyes glazed over.

Zhang Hao glanced at the bloody wild boar carcass carried by the foxes, alongside stacks of tattered hell banknotes collected from unknown sources. His pupils constricted slightly, his expression turning somewhat unnatural.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"

Just then, following another burst of shrill cries, Zhang Hao caught sight of the fox groom walking up to the sedan, lifting the curtain, and extending a furry paw to gently take hold of another furry paw within. He slowly guided the fox bride—whose head was draped with a red veil—step by step out of the sedan.

Hand in hand, the two foxes walked toward the offering table just like humans.

Next came the formal bowing ceremony for the foxes!

According to ancient records, an indispensable ritual in a fox wedding was the bowing of the bride and groom.

This was the most crucial ceremony of the entire affair and a moment that mountain-walkers had to monitor with absolute vigilance.

The overall procedure of the fox wedding was learned from humans, so certain aspects bore similarities, yet some steps had been thoroughly modified by the foxes. For instance, during the bowing ceremony, the fox groom and bride did not bow to their respective fox parents; instead, they bowed to the mountain god and the mountain spirits, followed by bowing to each other as husband and wife.

After the mutual bowing between husband and wife, all the foxes attending the wedding were required to offer their blessings—in simple terms, to let out a few cries, much like humans shouting auspicious phrases while observing a wedding ceremony.

Moreover, the foxes would engage in various other activities afterward.

The most critical thing for a mountain-walker to watch out for was that the moment the groom and bride began bowing to each other, they needed to prepare immediately to howl in unison with the surrounding foxes.

Of course, one could also choose not to howl, with the inevitable consequence of being discovered by the foxes—no big deal at all, really.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"

"Hey, hey, hey, they're bowing! Wonder if the bride is pretty," Liu Wenchang murmured excitedly, repeatedly nudging Zhang Hao to draw his attention.

Zhang Hao ignored him entirely, keeping his eyes fixed on the fox couple who had already bowed to the mountain god and mountain spirits and were now about to bow to each other. At the same time, he scanned the surrounding foxes out of the corner of his eye, ready at any second to feign the howling of a fox.

Right at that moment,

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"

The directing fox cried out once more, and the assembly of foxes seemed to have readied themselves.

Before the offering table, the fox groom and fox bride stood facing one another, each extending their furry paws, standing roughly a meter apart.

Then, they bowed deeply to each other in reverence.

The very instant they bent downward, Zhang Hao instantly noticed every single fox around him raise their heads, open their mouths, and begin to howl.

Even Liu Wenchang beside him opened his mouth, as if preparing to utter something.

"Congratulations, congratulations! May you soon bear a child, hehe."

It's time!

Right now.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Hao imitated the other foxes, raising his head, opening his mouth, and putting on the appearance of howling.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"

Seeing no abnormalities, Zhang Hao let the corners of his mouth turn up slightly, a glint of cunning flashing through his eyes.

Whew, wonderful.

It seemed he had bluffed his way through.

This was a method he had thought of long ago: when the other foxes howled, he just needed to put on a show. After all, these beasts surely couldn't tell the difference, their attention entirely focused on the wedding. Who would bother checking who wasn't actually speaking, right?

However, just as these thoughts crossed his mind,

Suddenly, he distinctly felt several cold, suspicious gazes lock onto him.