Shen Weixun carried Niannian over to the litter of little foxes and let her play on her own.
Little Tuanzi couldn't wait to dash towards the fox den.
She grabbed the first fox she saw, the prettiest and most special one, and hugged it tightly.
The little fox didn't resist.
All the animals that could be let out here had been domesticated.
They didn't mind human contact, and some were even quite affectionate towards humans.
It was said that most of the animals housed in this zoo were former circus animals that had been enslaved.
After being rescued by the zoo director, they were gathered here.
Some time ago, this zoo had almost gone bankrupt due to financial difficulties.
But then it gained a bit of popularity online, and many kind - hearted people donated money, which helped the zoo get through the tough times.
Shen Weixun was quite confident letting Little Tuanzi interact with these animals.
Even if there were one or two wild - tempered ones, they couldn't hurt Little Tuanzi.
After all, his little junior sister could even tame tigers.
The little fox sprawled out its four paws, stretched itself, and showed its belly, allowing Niannian to pet it.
It was so comfortable that it squinted its eyes.
"Hey, you're so cute! What are you?"
Niannian stroked the little fox's soft fur, her eyes squinting slightly with happiness.
She knew that the fluffy ball in her arms wasn't a real fox, but she wasn't sure what this animal was, so she just asked.
Hearing her question, the little fox suddenly stiffened, but quickly returned to normal. It yawned lazily and pretended not to understand.
"Don't ignore me! What kind of animal are you? You're really so cute!"
Niannian persisted in her questioning.
This time, the little fox that had just woken up from a nap completely froze.
It looked up at Niannian in a very human - like way.
Its wet eyes were full of curiosity.
It seemed to be wondering if this human child had really seen that it wasn't a fox.
"You're different from the others. You can communicate with me. What on earth are you?"
Niannian's words were very straightforward, and the little fox almost instantly understood.
Had this human child really seen that it wasn't a fox?
If this human child was really an ordinary person, even if she saw that it wasn't a fox, she couldn't communicate with it.
Maybe it could give it a try...
The little fox tried to respond with its mind, "I'm a Cheng Huang."
Cheng Huang?
What was that?
Was there such an animal in the world?
Little Tuanzi was extremely confused.
But she knew she could ask her third senior brother.
In her eyes, her third senior brother knew everything.
Suddenly, Niannian picked up the little fox, took her short legs, and trotted over to Shen Weixun.
She held up the fox and said, "Third senior brother, it said it's a Cheng Huang. What's a Cheng Huang?"
Hearing this, the smile on Shen Weixun's face froze slightly.
He eyed the fox in front of him suspiciously.
Cheng Huang?
"As the Classic of Mountains and Seas says, the Kingdom of White People is north of the Dragon Fish. The people there have white skin and long hair. There's a Cheng Huang. It looks like a fox, but has horns on its back. Riding it can make one live for two thousand years."
"The Cheng Huang is a kind of mythical beast from the mountains and seas. It's also known as Fei Huang, and the idiom 'Fei Huang Teng Da' comes from it."
"You say it's a Cheng Huang?"
Niannian nodded firmly. She was very sure she hadn't hallucinated when that tender, androgynous voice had entered her mind just now.
It was definitely the little fox that had made the sound.
Her third senior brother was really amazing!
He actually knew about the Cheng Huang.
"They all say the Cheng Huang looks like a fox, but it has two protruding hard horns on its back. Feel and see if it has them."
The Cheng Huang was a lucky beast.
It could ward off evil spirits, eliminate disasters, and bring good fortune.
As for the claim that riding it could increase one's lifespan by a thousand years, that was just pure nonsense.
It was just an exaggeration by the ancients.
But if this thing was really a Cheng Huang, finding a way to take it home would definitely be beneficial to Niannian.
Following her third senior brother's instructions, Little Tuanzi felt around on the little fox's back.
Finally, she found the two small horns hidden under the thick fur.
"Yes! Yes! It's really a Cheng Huang!"
The little girl seemed extremely excited, her eyes shining brightly.
It seemed like she had discovered some extraordinary animal!
Shen Weixun raised his eyebrows slightly, took the little fox from Little Tuanzi's hands, and held it in front of his eyes, looking at it curiously.
"I can also communicate with you. Tell me, how did a mythical beast like you end up in a zoo?"
"So what if I'm a mythical beast?! Can't a mythical beast just laze around and live off others? The zoo is great! There are humans to feed me. All I do every day is eat, drink, bask in the sun, and roll around. I don't have to do anything else. Occasionally, there are even humans coming to pet me. It's so comfortable."
Shen Weixun was pinching it by the back of its neck, and this position made the Cheng Huang very uncomfortable.
It wriggled its body a couple of times and thought this little boy in front of it was extremely annoying.
The human child from before was much cuter.
It felt so good when she petted its fur.
She also had a warm aura around her.
It couldn't help but want to get closer.
Seeing the Cheng Huang's resistance, Shen Weixun stopped pinching it. After all, it was a mythical beast from the mountains and seas. He had to save it some face, right?
He gave the little thing back to Niannian, then bent down and continued to ask, "I can make you eat better and live more comfortably. Do you want to come with me?"
Whoa!
This was undoubtedly a huge temptation for the Cheng Huang.
It was a lucky beast, but it had come to the zoo to laze around. Wasn't its purpose just to slack off?
If it followed this human, it could eat better and live more comfortably.
Emmm
It wanted to go.
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
"No... You should know that since we can communicate with you, it means we're people from the Taoist sect. Can't you trust the promise of a religious person?"
The Cheng Huang thought about it.
It seemed to make sense.
Whether it was practicing Taoism or Buddhism, they were all religious people.
Buddhists had precepts that prohibited lying, and the Taoist sect also had rules against speaking nonsense.
Anyway, they couldn't curse or lie.
Once a promise was made, it had to be kept. Otherwise, they would be punished by their ancestors.
"But... but I like this human child more. Are you with her?"
As the Cheng Huang said this, its little eyes kept darting towards Niannian.
So it had taken a fancy to his junior sister?
"Yes, we're together. If you'd rather go with her, that's even better. I'll still keep my promise to you."
"Okay, then it's settled! Hurry up and take me away!"
After getting the promise, the Cheng Huang nodded very readily.
Shen Weixun was helpless. This really was a mythical beast that only knew how to idle away.
All it took was a bit of good food, and it was eager to follow someone?
"Definitely not now. You're in a zoo. You're considered the private property of the zoo. If I take you away, I'll be arrested by the security guards as soon as I step out the door."
"I can come and go freely on my own! I can follow you guys secretly!"
The Cheng Huang was afraid that the promise it had just received would disappear in an instant, so it quickly said.