Qian Yong, a bodyguard from Lingqiu County, offended evil forces in the martial arts world during a escort mission. In order to avoid trouble, he took his wife to a remote lakeside and built a house to live by. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, this place is desolate and quiet, with few human settlements. Qian Yong has some savings and makes a living by fishing. He then transports the fish to nearby villages for sale and earns silver to make a living.
A few months later, with the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, his wife began to make Zongzi for the festival. One night, while the couple was having dinner, they suddenly heard a faint knock on the door outside. They went out to open the door and saw an old Taoist standing outside, claiming to be a practitioner who had traveled here. Passing by, he wanted to beg for a drink of water and take a rest.
The couple, who rarely saw outsiders in this remote place, were delighted and warmly welcomed the old Taoist into the house. When the old Taoist priest saw the Zongzi on the table, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. Seeing this, Qian Yong hurried to invite him to have dinner together. The old Taoist was also rude. He picked up Zongzi and ate it. He was eager to eat it, as if he had been hungry for a long time. Soon, he ate most of the Zongzi on the plate. The husband and wife looked at the few Zongzi left and were surprised, but they didn’t think much of it when they thought it would be difficult for monks to be outside.
After dinner, the old Taoist started chatting with the couple. His words flickered and the topic was unpredictable. Sometimes he talked about mysterious Taoist allusions, and sometimes he asked about the couple’s past experiences, which made Qian Yong and his wife feel a little strange, but they couldn’t say what was wrong. The old Taoist stayed up until late at night to say goodbye, and the couple finally breathed a sigh of relief, washed up and rested.
The next evening, the couple was preparing for dinner when the old Taoist came again. He sat down without hesitation, his eyes fixed on the food on the table. Although Qian Yong’s wife Zhang was a little unhappy in her heart, she still politely added bowls and chopsticks for him.
This time, the old Taoist’s appetite was even more amazing. He not only ate all the Zongzi, but also swept away other dishes. Qian Yong and his wife were secretly surprised. How could a thin and frail old Taoist have such a large appetite? After the old Taoist had eaten his fill, he began to speak inexplicable words incessantly until midnight before leaving.
The next morning, Zhang woke up to prepare dinner and suddenly let out a cry of surprise. When Qian Yong heard the sound, he saw that the chopping board where the food was placed was in a mess. Last night, the remaining Zongzi and some dry food had disappeared. Qian Yong was startled and remembered the strange behavior of the old Taoist last night. Could it be him? But there are no footprints around this house, and the doors and windows are intact. How could the food disappear out of thin air? Qian Yong decided to go out and take a look.
He searched around the room carefully, but found nothing. When he arrived at the lake, he found some strange footprints on the beach by the lake, like the footprints of some kind of animal, but much larger than those of ordinary animals, and the footprints extended all the way to a reed bed by the lake. Qian Yong’s heart was filled with doubts. He followed his footprints to the reed grove and found a hidden cave inside.
Qian Yong returned home, took a shovel, came to the cave again, and dug carefully. After digging for a long time, the cave gradually revealed its full view. It was filled with all kinds of food, including Zongzi, dry food, and some dried fish caught from the lake.
Just as Qian Yong was surprised, a large golden fox suddenly emerged from the depths of the cave. Its eyes were agile and cunning, and after taking a glance at Qian Yong, it quickly disappeared into the reeds.
Qian Yong suddenly realized that the old Taoist was actually a fox spirit transformed from this yellow fox. He returned home and told his wife about it. Upon hearing this, Zhang felt a little scared. However, since then, the Yellow Fox Fairy has never appeared again, and the couple’s life has returned to calm, continuing to live a plain and peaceful life by the lake.
