Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

The fox and the Taoist priest walked out of the territory of Longhu Mountain and were about to reach the junction of Jiangcheng and Xinshui City.

Along the way, Zhang Zhiwei started talking about the past of Longhu Mountain again, especially mentioning his junior brother Zhang Huaiyi. He talked so much that Chen Ruoan sometimes covered his ears and went crazy.

Are you tired?

"After a day of walking and skipping, covering nearly a hundred miles, I was indeed a bit tired."

"Aren't you tired of talking?"

"Talking? Isn't that tiring?"

Chen Ruoan jumped down from above and walked along the uneven dirt road: "Taoist, if you have some free time, why don't you tell me about the cultivation of spirits? That way I can have some reference."

"The cultivation of elves? Asking those wizards would probably provide more information."

Zhang Zhiwei found a bare rock, sat down, and rested his chin on his hand in thought.

In the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain, there is a Fox Fairy Hall, where a fox fairy statue is enshrined for believers to worship and pray for blessings. Zhang Zhiwei had only read about fox cultivation in some Taoist scriptures.

They say that a fox spirit can transform into a woman after fifty years, and become a beautiful woman or a divine witch after a hundred years, capable of knowing things a thousand miles away.

After transforming into human form, its supernatural powers gradually increase. After another thousand years, it becomes a "Celestial Fox" with nine golden tails, possessing the ability to communicate with yin and yang and control the sun and moon.

"In my understanding, it probably requires cultivating one's spirit and breathing, refining the inner elixir, reading the classics and understanding ethics. When the mind is transformed, the body will also be transformed, and eventually one will be included in the ranks of immortals and become a fox spirit."

Zhang Zhiwei summarized several key points from what he had learned.

"It sounds like the kind of platitudes that teachers like to spout," Chen Ruoan bluntly pointed out.

Zhang Zhiwei shrugged and said, "Well, I've never been a fox either. You can't just teach people things blindly or based on assumptions."

"In short, taking human form is definitely the first step. Even the main deity worshipped by shamans eventually cannot escape taking human form. This is how the cultivation methods of spirits have been passed down for thousands of years. There are no other records of this."

Humans have human inheritance, but foxes do not.

Humans pride themselves on being the most intelligent of all beings, but in Chen Ruoan's view, this is not just boasting. The microcosm of the human body reflects the macrocosm of the external world, which is why the saying "human life is precious" is so true.

"Then the next wish will be for the basic Qi cultivation method and the transformation technique."

The clearer the wish for the Wishing Tree, the less likely the reward will go astray. Chen Ruoan must follow the advancement method step by step.

And time must be quick.

This is the Republic of China era. In a few decades, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, animals will no longer be allowed to become spirits.

"In the legends of the strange and supernatural, why is it said that a fox transforming into a beautiful woman? Does it mean that in the end, you will become an empress?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Chen Ruoan explained, "The supernatural tales about fox spirits transforming into beautiful women to repay a debt of gratitude are mostly written by pedantic scholars, so a little wishful thinking is understandable. Besides, an empress is always better than a father-in-law."

Puff puff puff!

As the fox and the human were talking, a strange sound came from afar.

Chen Ruoan saw the flock of sparrows scatter in fear, with a few occasionally flying overhead.

"What happened?"

boom!

Chen Ruoan's fox ears perked up. Was that a gunshot?

In those chaotic times, there were many roaming bandits. These "gray forces" wavered in their stance, disrupted local order, and were often exploited by all sides in the war.

Composed of routed soldiers, these bandits possessed formidable weaponry, making them a dangerous force that even the local authorities could not underestimate.

According to the fleeing sparrow, Chen Ruoan heard that several passenger carriages had been robbed and stopped by a group of bandits. These bandits were only interested in one-off looting; after the robbery, they killed everyone on board, regardless of age or gender.

"Fox, you have sharp ears, can you hear what's happening in the distance?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

Chen Ruoan told him the truth, and the young Taoist priest looked ashen-faced, seemingly lost in thought.

"Fox, in your opinion, aren't some people even worse than beasts?"

Chen Ruoan roughly understood Zhang Zhiwei's plan and reminded him, "Taoist, the bandits ahead have guns, at least three."

"It's nothing."

"The path to immortality values ​​life, but the person opposite is not human; cultivators talk about longevity, but they don't talk about clinging to life, so..."

The fox and the Taoist priest, in perfect unison, thought of the same thing.

Let's take them down!

Chen Ruoan had no supernatural powers to rely on for the time being, and originally wanted to stay put and cheer up his morale by clapping his claws. However, Zhang Zhiwei grabbed him by the back of the neck, lifted his fox body and placed it on his left shoulder, and then coated him with a layer of protective golden light.

Not far away, the bandit leader had just finished counting his spoils when he heard a steady footstep coming from the mountain path.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a tall Taoist priest with his hands tucked into his robe.

A young Taoist priest alone would not have attracted the attention of a band of bandits, but what was strange was that a black fox was perched on the Taoist priest's shoulder, its gaze also fixed on him with a sinister look, creating an indescribably eerie and bizarre atmosphere.

"Boss, he's a true Taoist!"

"I'm not blind! This charlatan brought a beast along to create a spectacle?"

Click!

The bandit leader loaded his ammunition and pointed his gun at the Taoist priest who had his hand in his sleeve.

Before the finger could pull the trigger, a blinding flash of lightning streaked across the sky, accompanied by crackling electrical sounds. Several charred corpses lay sprawled on the ground, billowing out thick black smoke.

The bandit leader trembled, then looked again and saw that it was still the Taoist priest with his hands in his sleeves, now only half a meter away from him. But his brothers were all killed in just a few breaths.

"You, you..."

"Alright, stop stuttering, go down." Zhang Zhiwei took the gun from the bandit leader's hand and patted his shoulder lightly. Only then did the bandit leader notice that a long needle made of golden light had been stuck in his chest.

Chen Ruoan sat upright on Zhang Zhiwei's shoulder, barely feeling any jolt. Zhang Zhiwei's killing intent was so pure that the entire process of punishing evil was as clean and efficient as sweeping away dust from a table.

"Let the local authorities handle the rest."

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at the corpses scattered all over the ground, shook his head, and walked past as if nothing had happened.

···

This was the first time Chen Ruoan had truly experienced the extraordinary nature of this journey.

After passing through Xinshui City and experiencing several other events, that strange feeling intensified significantly.

Something's not right! Something's not right!

Are we too strong?

Gangs of bandits can be easily defeated in a few moves, and wild boars and bears encountered in the mountains and countryside can be taken down with a single slap.

The combination of a fox and a human is incredibly powerful; they're practically wreaking havoc!

"Is this so-called 'spiritual connection' just about finding a powerful figure to act as a lucky charm or a mere ornament? Isn't that too simplistic?"

I felt completely uninvolved!

Chen Ruoan closed his eyes and concentrated, and saw the lush wishing tree again. After his chance encounter with Zhang Zhiwei deepened into a friendship of like-minded people, the precious document tied by fate officially turned purple.

The fox's paw pads pressed against the edge, swaying gently.

"Tree, oh tree, give me a method for cultivating Qi, or a technique for transforming into human form."