Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

The lightning disappeared, the roar stopped abruptly, and the villagers of Jinxi looked at each other, occasionally stealing glances at the blackened corpse.

Was the heavenly lightning summoned by the Taoist priest?

"Did it... it missed?" someone muttered quietly.

The elderly man in charge of village affairs tapped the ground with his cane to calm the growing unrest among the crowd.

"It didn't fall off course; sometimes God does have eyes."

The servants collapsed to the ground, the burnt smell making them dizzy and disoriented.

They saw Zhang Jingqing, who exuded an imposing aura without anger, his mustache bristling sharply. This Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain flicked his sleeves heavily, his voice like cold iron striking stone: "A bunch of wicked accomplices of the tiger, how dare you spread heresy and slander this poor Taoist priest?"

"They all really need to be taught a lesson."

The Taoist priest rolled up the sleeves of his robe and strode toward the wicked servants. After only a few steps, the men were so frightened by the approaching menacing aura that they fainted.

Ok?

Zhang Jingqing casually grabbed one person by the collar and slapped him several times.

"They haven't even started fighting yet, how come they've all fallen asleep?"

Zhang Jingqing shook his head helplessly, his beard drooping slightly, the fierceness from before completely gone. When he turned to look at the villagers who had gathered around, he was already smiling and amiable.

"Everyone, please go about your business. It was just a minor incident, nothing to mention."

"Fox, come here."

Zhang Jingqing smiled and waved, her voice unconsciously softening.

Chen Ruoan looked at the old master, who seemed completely different before and after, and found it strange.

It's strange, but when people talk to soft-spoken babies or cute little animals, they always unconsciously soften their tone and "tune" their voice a little.

The fox couldn't explain why.

Guests are welcome, so we should treat them well.

Chen Ruoan had no separate courtyard or hall in Jinxi Village; the only quiet place to receive guests was the small temple at the entrance of the village.

He immediately asked Zhang Jingqing to come over, and then called a strong young man from the village to the kitchen to brew some tea as a small gift for the guest.

Zhang Jingqing walked into the temple with his hands behind his back. After a quick glance, he noticed something amiss.

This small temple was rebuilt after the local earth god was moved. The blue bricks are elegant, the beams and pillars have been freshly painted, and instead of a clay sculpture with gold decorations, there is only a simple memorial tablet in the center.

Recently, the fox has been eating a light diet, so no fishy or gamey food is placed before the altar. Instead, a few branches of freshly picked spider flowers and lantana from the mountains are offered, with the branches placed in a small celadon vase. Their delicate fragrance lingers around the altar, refreshing the mind and body.

Calling it an ordinary land shrine is no longer appropriate; this is a refined and ethereal fox spirit temple.

"It's a nice little temple, and there's plenty of incense offerings," Zhang Jingqing said.

"Did Zhang Tianshi come here on purpose?" Chen Ruoan asked softly, his fox paws tucked in.

He always felt that this Taoist elder knew of his existence before he descended the mountain.

It makes sense, given Zhang Zhiwei's outspoken nature; how could he not tell his master and fellow disciples everything he had seen and heard during his travels?

Zhang Jingqing explained, "That landlord paid a hefty sum to have me go down the mountain to exorcise the demon, but a few minor mishaps occurred along the way. However, I had already heard about your fox-like nature from my wicked disciple, so seeing you today truly brings me a sense of kinship."

Perhaps thinking of something, Zhang Jingqing shook her head and chuckled, full of emotion: "Given that wretched nature, it would be a good thing if he didn't get kicked by the fox a few times. I never expected that you would be willing to be his mount."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, the fox froze, its golden fox eyes widening in shock.

Who is whose mount?

What nonsense about turning the world upside down and reversing the heavens and earth? Zhang Zhiwei made up such nonsense in front of his elders to ruin my reputation as a fox spirit.

Seeing Chen Ruoan's utterly speechless and strange expression, Zhang Jingqing looked puzzled and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

The fox pondered for a moment, then began to put on an act.

"Master, you are wise. I did not do this willingly, nor did I do it willingly." Chen Ruoan possessed the supernatural power of "demon wind," but even without it, he was still talented at blowing wind in people's ears.

"What happened?"

"Just because I don't speak of my own difficulties doesn't mean I don't have them," the fox sighed, opening its mouth.

Zhang Jingqing wondered if Zhang Zhiwei was hiding something.

Before descending the mountain, he made a three-point agreement with Zhang Zhiwei, especially instructing him not to use supernatural methods except to exorcise demons and protect the righteous path. Could it be that the wicked disciple was using the pretext of exorcising demons to force the fox to carry him on his journey?

A real problem was presented to the old master.

One is a disciple within the sect, the other is a fox you've just met. Whom should you believe?

Um--

"You wretched child!" Zhang Jingqing slapped her knees. "I'll teach him a lesson when we get back."

"Thank you, Celestial Master, for upholding justice." Chen Ruoan looked suspiciously at the Taoist priest beside him.

Is it too hasty to make a decision on Zhang Zhiwei's "crime" without even asking about the details?

The fox was unaware of the dynamics between Master Jingqing and Zhang Zhiwei. In most cases, Zhang Jingqing simply wanted an excuse to reprimand Zhang Zhiwei.

The tea brewed by the villagers was handed over, its aroma mingling with the fragrance of flowers and herbs.

Zhang Jingqing took a sip of tea and suddenly asked, "The insights and reflections of my wicked disciple before, were they written by you...you, right?"

"Yes, please forgive me, senior."

"I want to know, how much of what you said was genuine, and how much of it lived up to the word 'honesty' in your heart?"

"Aside from some rambling and superficial remarks, it's probably eight or nine out of ten."

After a moment's thought, Zhang Jingqing asked a series of questions.

"Having cultivated yourself to this day, have you attained human form?"

"There is a tiny, insignificant method of transformation."

"How's your strength now?"

A sense of foreboding swept through Chen Ruoan's heart, but he did not lie in the slightest and answered truthfully:

"He was able to use underhanded methods to poison a vicious and wicked person like Liang Ting of the Quanxing Sect; he was also able to defeat Lu Jin of the Sanyi Sect when discussing and competing with righteous people. However, the methods he used were not aboveboard and were often cunning and treacherous."

Mentioning the Sanyi Sect, Zhang Jingqing recalled Zuo Ruotong's sect reforms last year, and it seemed that the fox's shadow was everywhere in the rumors.

The Celestial Master slowly raised his hand, his fingertips stroking his upturned beard, as if he were secretly plotting something.

At the same time, Chen Ruoan seemed to have guessed what he wanted to say.

"After another year of rigorous training, how confident are you in dealing with my unfilial disciple?"

Sure enough, it appeared!

I knew you were trying to trick the fox.

Zhang Jingqing is a rare teacher, that much is true. After all, she is a famous teacher who will cultivate the future "one person" and "second only one person" in the industry. However, this does not mean that a famous teacher can just hire teaching assistants for his students.

Does a fox act like a teaching assistant?

Chen Ruoan hesitated, "This..."

"Don't be afraid. Your wicked disciple is almost thirty. Everything is fine, except for that one thing. I still believe that a defeat is a good thing for him. Why don't you do me the trouble to help him? If all else fails, I'll make some pills to help you."

The fox asked doubtfully, "I'm not bad at magic, but could it be that Mount Longhu has some kind of miraculous elixir to help me stabilize my human form?"

"No, the meatballs aren't for you. Give them to that wretched child."

"What kind of pills?" Chen Ruoan caught another vague sense of déjà vu, but he had guessed the details of those pills correctly.

"A magic pill!" Zhang Jingqing laughed.

The "Immortal Pill" is a secret ancestral medicine from the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain. Taking it will disrupt the normal flow of Qi in the body.

"Um--"

Chen Ruoan pondered for a moment, thinking to himself: "Is it because the Taoist sects abandoned external alchemy that some of their pills have turned yin?"

But then I thought, if using the magic pill on myself would be treacherous and cunning, why does it seem so sacred when used on others?

"However, I refuse," Chen Ruoan said righteously.