After about the time it takes to burn two or three sticks of incense, William Grant suddenly felt a jolt and came to a stop. He opened his eyes to find himself in a pitch-black valley. In the center of the valley, there was a faint glow of fire.

　　“What is that!”

　　William Grant witnessed a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life.

　　In the middle of the valley, a large bonfire was burning. Around the bonfire, dozens of foxes with snow-white fur were sitting in a circle.

　　These foxes were half-squatting, half-sitting, almost like humans. What’s more, each of them was holding a book, making strange and curious sounds, as if reciting—just like children reading aloud in a private school.

　　A group of foxes, reading books like humans!

Chapter Five: The Ten Great Realms

　　“Demons…”

　　Seeing the group of white foxes sitting around the bonfire, holding books and reciting like people, the only thought in William Grant’s mind was, “I’ve really run into monsters!”

　　Although he had read Richard Thompson’s Cottage Notes, which were full of stories about fox spirits, ghostly fox maidens, and talented scholars, and had even fantasized about meeting one someday, now that it had actually happened, a bone-chilling fear suddenly surged in his heart.

　　“Isn’t this just like Lord Ye loving dragons? Calm down, calm down. If these fox spirits are really like those described in the Cottage Notes, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Maybe these foxes want to study and have invited me to be their teacher. Foxes wanting to learn to read like humans—what a wild fantasy…”

　　Thinking of the fox spirit tales he’d read, William Grant managed to calm himself a little.

　　“Jiji, jiji…”

　　At that moment, the group of foxes reading around the bonfire had already noticed someone was there. Three young foxes let out a cry, dropped their books from their front paws, stretched out their limbs, and darted over, jumping up and down around the woman in red, looking overjoyed. Clearly, they were very familiar with this woman in red.

　　“Xiao Sang, Xiao Fei, Xiao Shu, stop fooling around. We have a guest today. Don’t forget your manners. Why are your hands still on the ground, crawling like animals? You still can’t shake off your beastly habits—don’t let the guest laugh at you.”

　　Another voice came from beside the bonfire.

　　This voice was stiff and oddly accented, as if there was a fishbone stuck in the throat, but the words were still clear and understandable.

　　William Grant was startled again, because he saw an old fox standing upright like a human, its hind legs on the ground, its front paws clasped together in a respectful gesture, walking over in a wobbly manner.

　　The old fox’s upright walk gave William Grant the illusion, “This fox looks just like an old village scholar.”

　　“Mr. Foster. Xiao Sang, Xiao Jiu, Xiao Shu—they’re still young and don’t understand. The young master is a remarkable person; he surely won’t blame them for their lack of manners.”

　　The woman in red smiled, turned to look at William Grant, and said, “These are your students. What do you think?”

　　Looking at the fluffy little white foxes rolling around on the ground like snowballs, William Grant thought about teaching them to read and write, and felt an utterly absurd sensation rise in his heart.

　　“Are you human or demon?” William Grant asked the woman in red again.

　　“Don’t worry about that. I’m your employer, hiring you as a teacher. Ten taels of pure gold per month, that’s all.” The woman in red gave a mysterious smile.

　　“Sir, your visit to this secluded valley truly brings honor to our humble abode. As a scholar, you should know that even beasts can have a heart for the Way and reason. In ancient times, tigers and lions would listen to sages preach. Today, Princess Yuan has invited you here with no ill intent. Besides, our pure fox clan is not like ordinary, unintelligent beasts—we understand reason and the ways of the world. Scholars study things to understand principles; you should know that in ancient times, there was no distinction between humans and beasts. All ate raw meat and were covered in hair; the people of ancient times were no different from apes and monkeys. Only later did they gradually walk upright, eat cooked food, and create writing, thus becoming human. Our pure fox clan has long lived deep in the mountains, which is much like the ancient people outside civilization. Your surprise is understandable, but it is we who have startled you.”

　　“Huh?”

　　William Grant widened his eyes at the old fox. The other’s words were elegant and well-reasoned, even more scholarly than a scholar—truly a refined fox.

　　“How can you speak human language?” William Grant asked.

　　“Humans have human speech, beasts have beast speech. Mynahs and parrots can also speak human words. Humans can learn bird language, so why can’t foxes learn human language? For a fox to learn human speech is just like the people of the Great Qian Dynasty learning foreign languages like Yunmeng, Huoluo, or Yuantu. It’s just a matter of pronunciation—what’s so strange about it?” The old fox called Mr. Foster replied, still speaking with measured precision.

　　“As long as one can reason, there’s nothing to fear. What’s this about the people of the Great Qian Dynasty? This fox really seems to have gotten into the role of a scholar, thinking of itself as a subject of the Great Qian Dynasty. Still, its elegant speech and clear reasoning are worthy of respect,” William Grant thought to himself, and he calmed down.

　　Whether it’s a ghost or a fox, as long as it can reason, there’s nothing to fear.

　　“Sir, you are truly a man of great tolerance.” William Grant also clasped his hands in a scholar’s salute. Since the other had greeted him with a scholar’s courtesy, he could not neglect his own manners.

　　“Hahahaha.” Hearing William Grant call him a man of great tolerance, the old fox called Mr. Foster was so delighted that his whiskers twitched, as if he was so excited he forgot himself.