Chapter 56: Indescribably Wondrous

"I am a fox waiting for a millennium~"
"A millennium of waiting, a millennium of helplessness~"
"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep~"
"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep~"

The melodious and winding melody echoed through the dense forest, with the sorrowful sound of the suona intertwined within it, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Zhang Hao pretended to close his eyes tightly, looking as though he was completely immersed in the music, yet he kept a tiny slit open to survey all the surrounding foxes, terrified that one of them might launch a sneak attack at this very moment.

Fortunately, the moment he blew the suona and played The White Fox, all the foxes stopped to listen, as if frozen in place by the melody or utterly captivated by it.

"Can I dance one more dance for you~"
"Just for that one glance you gave me at parting~"

The melody continued, and so did Zhang Hao's suona playing. His face flushed red, and his brow furrowed deeply.

To be honest, he had learned to play the suona from an old man in his village purely out of curiosity back then, never imagining it would actually come in handy someday.

Therefore, playing it for this long made him feel as though he was running out of breath.

Of course, the pitch wasn't entirely accurate, but thankfully, with the smartphone providing the accompaniment, the flaws weren't too noticeable—as long as the atmosphere was there, it would do.

However, since the song The White Fox hadn't finished yet, his suona playing could not stop either.

He held his breath with all his might, blowing vigorously and performing with every ounce of strength he had.

For no other reason than to muddle through this dangerous trial.

Beside him, Liu Wenchang looked at him in a daze, clicked his tongue, and muttered under his breath, "Damn, this mute has quite a lot of breath. You can tell he's practiced. Tsk tsk tsk, as expected, when heaven closes a door for you, it really does open a window..."

He couldn't help but clap his hands, expressing his high approval of Zhang Hao's performance.

A few clueless foxes nearby mimicked Liu Wenchang's gesture, clapping their fur-covered paws together as well.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao didn't dare to relax; he continued to play vigorously while occasionally glancing at the actions of the groom fox and the bride fox.

There was no need to look at the reactions of the other foxes. Even if every single one of them grinned from ear to ear, clapped frantically, and genuinely approved of his performance from the bottom of their hearts, it would all be useless if the groom and bride foxes did not approve.

He would still be suspected by the foxes, and consequently, his identity as a living human might be exposed. Once that happened... things would become entirely unpredictable.

However, judging by the current situation, the groom fox and the bride fox hadn't made any threatening moves yet.

Yet, their mouths weren't parted either, and their gazes remained cunning and profound, resembling a pool of murky water where turbulent undercurrents were impossible to discern.

Gathering his thoughts, Zhang Hao stopped overthinking and refocused the majority of his attention on his performance.

"Fox of lifetimes upon lifetimes, I am yours~"
"Fox of lives to come, I will still be yours~"
"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep~"
"Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep~"

As the final melody faded away, Zhang Hao played the suona, drawing out a long trailing note. Just as his breath was about to run out and his brain was on the verge of hypoxia, he finally heard the music stop.

Zhang Hao yanked the suona out of his mouth, his flushed face growing even redder as he panted heavily. He opened his eyes fully, raised a hand to wipe the thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead, and carefully scanned his surroundings, paying close attention to the groom and bride foxes.

This was his absolute last resort.

If even this failed to win the trust of these foxes... he would have to think of another way, though he doubted these creatures would give him another chance to brainstorm.

"Buddy, you're awesome!" Liu Wenchang gave him a thumbs-up, his eyes gleaming with enthusiastic praise. "Truly amazing! You even managed to play The White Fox on that thing. You've definitely practiced!"

"Still, playing this for a wedding... isn't quite appropriate, is it? The tune of this song feels kind of sorrowful," Liu Wenchang muttered, clicking his tongue.

Zhang Hao gripped the suona tightly in his hand, narrowing his eyes. Right now, he just wanted to drive the suona in his hand straight into this poacher's brain.

Damn it, what else was he supposed to play at a fox wedding if not The White Fox? A song about wolves? Or tigers?

He must be out of his mind!

However, to maintain his persona, Zhang Hao neither spoke nor made any sudden movements.

At that moment.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Hao caught sight of the groom and bride foxes standing before the open-air incense altar. Hand in hand, they turned around together, lowering their heads slightly, and walked at a steady, unhurried pace directly toward his position.

At the same time, the surrounding foxes began to shift their footing, as if attempting to form a perimeter and completely encircle Zhang Hao.

What the hell...

What is going on here?

Could it be that this idiot of a poacher was right again, and the foxes didn't like this song?

If they didn't like it, so be it—at worst, he could switch to another song! He knew how to play other tunes!

At this sight, cold sweat began to break out on Zhang Hao's forehead in increasing amounts. He stealthily shifted his feet, preparing to bolt at a moment's notice, while reaching out with the hand closest to Liu Wenchang to grip the poacher's clothing.

The moment things took a turn for the worse, he would use this poacher as a human shield, force him to stall the foxes' movements, and escape down the mountain by himself.

Though doing so would mean missing out on the mountain treasure, one had to keep their life to reap any rewards; once you were dead, what good was a mountain treasure?

Thoughts crystallized in Zhang Hao's mind, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

However.

Just three meters away from him, the groom fox and the bride fox abruptly halted their steps.

All the other foxes stopped moving as well.

Before Zhang Hao could figure out what was happening, he watched as the groom and bride foxes, still holding hands, bowed slightly in unison toward his direction and paid their respects.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak~"
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

Immediately afterward, the other foxes grinned, squinted their eyes, and beamed with joy, their continuous cries resembling a kettle boiling away on a stove.

Liu Wenchang, meanwhile, wore a wide smile, clapping vigorously while incessantly muttering under his breath, "Buddy, you're a genius! They're saying you played brilliantly too! Awesome! That suona player over there even wants you to teach him."

"You've really got some skills. Look at that, the bride and groom are saying you played too well, and they're thanking you, tsk tsk tsk. It's such a pity you can't speak; what a shame."

Zhang Hao's heart had leaped straight into his throat. Seeing this scene, he froze in place, utterly dumbfounded.

Turns out... these foxes came over to thank him?

It certainly seemed to be the case. Even without the testimony of Liu Wenchang, who was trapped in an illusion, he could sense this from the gestures of the groom and bride foxes.

Does that mean he had successfully cleared this trial and completely earned the trust of these foxes?

It appeared so.

At this thought, the heart suspended in Zhang Hao's chest finally settled back down. The gravity on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a long, relieved sigh.

Phew, thank goodness, he had managed to bluff his way through...

Just moments ago, he had been ready to grease his palms and run for his life, abandoning the mountain treasure entirely.

Thank goodness he didn't run, or he really would have missed out on the mountain treasure.

Zhang Hao picked up his smartphone from the ground and handed it back to Liu Wenchang. Then, biting the bullet, he passed the suona over to the waiting fox.

Afterward, he watched as an elderly elder fox with a hunched back walked up to Liu Wenchang, grinning and squinting as it let out an endless stream of squeaks.

And Liu Wenchang nodded repeatedly, responding with a broad, beaming smile.