Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

"Southwest of the city... is it the southwest mountain thirty miles away?"

After greeting the beggar and luring him into the water... no, after reaching a cooperation agreement with him, Liu Qingyuan didn't linger in the city. Instead, he went directly to the mountains in the southwest to find a place to settle down.

In response, he couldn't help but complain about the system's placement once again. Not only did it put him in the deep mountains and forests, but it was also right in the northeast direction of the town. In order to find a place closer to the plot, he ran diagonally across the town.

"Honestly, why can't you let the host choose the delivery point themselves?"

It used to be possible, but the rules were changed later.

"why?"

[When deploying on the map, some hosts accidentally click the wrong location, resulting in all sorts of landing postures and locations, causing psychological trauma for many hosts. Some even die immediately upon landing. You don't want to hear the details.]

"...You guys really have a lot of talented people."

Putting aside those who were eliminated immediately upon landing, judging from the system's tone, Liu Qingyuan had a gut feeling that those who accidentally clicked the wrong button might have landed in some indescribable place.

Although this procedure is no longer in effect, Liu Qingyuan still decided to be more careful in the future and make sure not to accidentally touch anything in other places.

You are now one of our talented individuals.

In fact, Liu Qingyuan is now considered one of the most outstanding talents in various aspects.

After walking for a while, Liu Qingyuan stopped.

"They say they live nearby, but isn't it still deep in the mountains and forests?"

To the southwest of the city, there is also a mountain forest, but it is quite different from the other side. The mountains are not as high as those in the other direction, and there are signs of human activity, unlike the other side which is completely barren and desolate.

So far, Liu Qingyuan has not seen any humanoid creatures other than herself.

How much of a filter did Wang Zifu have on him back then, that he so easily believed his cousin, thinking that a wealthy family would live in such a place, and even took the initiative to go and find it?

The area was sparsely populated, with only narrow paths worn by passersby. It was difficult to discern directions as one ventured deeper into the mountains. Liu Qingyuan had every reason to suspect that the Ghost Mother had invited Prince Fu into the mansion because she feared that the lovesick young master would die in the mountains.

They're relatives of my adopted daughter, after all; I can't just ignore them.

Thinking about it this way, it's understandable that other spirits would be wary of Liu Qingyuan, who is a newcomer and has a unique style. Moreover, no matter how unique his appearance is, Jianzi Xianji's appearance is easily recognized as a Taoist priest. It's perfectly reasonable for the ghosts and monsters in the mountains to avoid Taoist priests.

"Let's find a place to settle down first, and then we can think about other things."

The open space wasn't very large, unlike other naturally formed lands with palaces, mountains, rivers, and unique scenery, but it had all kinds of facilities. You couldn't just pick any place; it had to be a relatively flat piece of land.

As Liu Qingyuan measured out the area, she wandered around. She happened to hear a commotion and went to investigate. When she got closer, there was no one in sight, but a flock of birds were chirping on the branches, seemingly speaking in human language.

Beside the big tree, a fox lay dozing, but it couldn't have any peace and quiet. As Liu Qingyuan approached, she could hear clearly that the birds in the tree were making noise at the fox.

"Xiao Cui, why aren't you going home, Xiao Cui?"

"She can't go back; her husband's family doesn't want her anymore!"

"Going to repay a debt of gratitude, but instead... Ah!"

Finally, the fox under the tree couldn't stand it any longer. It opened its eyes, leaped up at the tree, and after precisely snapping off several branches from which the birds were perched, landed back on the ground. It straightened its upper body, put its two front paws on its hips, stood on its hind legs, and faced the birds that were scattering above.

To put it bluntly, this pose really looks like a shrew yelling in the street.

"Bullshit, you bunch of stinking birds! I, your fox grandma, came out on my own, what's it to you! You don't even have a human form, yet you chatter away waiting to be caught, don't you?!"

...Okay, it really is swearing.

“…Wow.”

This little fox has a sharp tongue! Xiao Cui, a fox spirit... seems to be quite a celebrity...

Liu Qingyuan frantically searched through the books in her mind. There was indeed a fox fairy named Xiao Cui in a well-known story. According to their conversation, she ran away from her husband's family, which matched the original story. However, the story took place in the capital city of Beijing, which is not far from here. How did she end up here?

"Pah, a bunch of cowards."

After chasing away the noisy birds, Xiao Cui regained her footing on all fours and was about to find a new place to rest when she saw a white figure approaching.

Xiao Cui had seen a lot of the world, and even though the other person was dressed in plain white, she could still see some delicate dark patterns. Moreover, the other person's clothes were very long, and she could see a thin cloak behind them that seemed to be purely decorative.

Those who wear plain white clothes are mostly ordinary people, but most of them are worried about making a living and achieving fame and fortune, and they would never bother with such an outfit, as good materials are very expensive.

Moreover, this was in the mountains, and the other person was dressed in pure white, light and airy clothes, the hem of which almost touched the ground, yet there wasn't a speck of dust on them.

Xiao Cui had just made quite a noise, and guessing that it might be some kind of extraordinary person, she looked up and unexpectedly met the eyes of the white-haired Taoist priest opposite her.

"This little friend..."

"Ahhh, there's a Taoist priest!"

"...Am I that scary?"

Watching the fox bristle and charge out like a cannonball, Liu Qingyuan began to doubt himself. He looked down at his own attire, which was the style of Jianzi Xianji, not the Geography Department. Why did seeing him make him look like a ghost?

Moreover, given Xiao Cui's status as a legitimate fox spirit, she shouldn't be afraid of Taoist priests... Oh, I'm back.

Liu Qingyuan watched as the fox that had darted away earlier ran back. Unlike its earlier panic, the fox had clearly calmed down. He could even sense the embarrassment in the fox's small, quick steps.

"Young friend, you're back?"

Facing the white-haired Taoist priest who was laughing at her, Xiao Cui silently sat back down where she had just taken off, her body language revealing an unspeakable embarrassment.

"..."

Xiao Cui only remembered halfway through her run that she was a legitimate fox spirit who had never harmed anyone or followed any evil path. So why was she afraid of the Taoist priest? These fox spirits were essentially similar to Taoist priests, both aiming to seek immortality and enlightenment, unlike those demons who harmed people.

Honestly, after spending so much time in the mountains lately, her thoughts have become just like those little monsters. Why is she afraid of Taoist priests? They fox spirits are beings who can be called "immortals".

After figuring it out, Xiao Cui remembered Liu Qingyuan's distinctive white hair and the bronze longsword behind him that resembled a divine weapon. She guessed that he might be a reclusive master, so she slammed on the brakes and turned back.

"Don't run away?"

"No more running."

Looking at the obedient little fox sitting in front of her, Liu Qingyuan didn't know what she had imagined to make her so obedient. She just took the opportunity to have the system scan her and found that this was indeed the fox fairy Xiao Cui who had run away halfway to repay her mother's kindness.

Since we've run into each other, why not say a few things to fool them?

"I see that you are burdened with the fate of a mortal, and you should be living in the mortal world for five years. Now is the time for you to fulfill your fate. Why have you come to this deep mountain forest?"

After speaking, Liu Qingyuan was pleased to see Xiao Cui look up in shock. That's the advantage of having a God's-eye view; it allows for a superior intelligence advantage.

Xiao Cui was indeed shocked. Although it's not uncommon for cultivators to be able to predict the future, the extent to which they can predict depends on their cultivation level. As for her five-year relationship with someone, only she and her mother knew about it. Others would only hear that she was repaying a debt of gratitude on behalf of her mother.

"He truly is a reclusive master!" Xiao Cui's shock was palpable, her dark eyes widening until the whites of her eyes were visible.

With his God-like perspective and Jianzi Xianji's excellent affability, Liu Qingyuan successfully gained the trust of the fox fairy Xiao Cui. He even told her about his own fate. Xiao Cui felt that if this immortal really wanted to harm her, he wouldn't need to go to so much trouble.

She could see clearly that the bronze sword on the other person's back was ancient in design and full of spiritual energy. It looked much more powerful than the copper coin swords used by those Taoist priests for exorcising demons. If the other person really wanted to make a move, she would be crippled or killed if he slashed her with this sword.

After learning more, Liu Qingyuan discovered that this was the first year in the original story when Xiao Cui had suffered injustice and left the Wang Yushi family. Her mother had told her to take good care of her parents-in-law before she left, but since she ran away halfway, she naturally didn't dare to go home to see her mother.

Moreover, this girl had a temper. She held back her anger and ran all the way out of the capital, determined that no one could find her.

As for why she came here, according to Xiao Cui, she has a sister from a distant relative's family. The sister is the daughter of a fox and a human. The two girls are on good terms. Xiao Cui didn't want to go home, so she came to visit her sister.

The description of Xiao Cui perfectly describes Ying Ning; it's unexpected to be able to make contact here. Xiao Cui arrived, intending to take Ying Ning out for some fun, but Ying Ning's foster mother wouldn't let her out. In the end, Xiao Cui, disguised as a fox, wandered aimlessly in the mountains in her true form.

"I protected far more than just a pretty face for their family. They used to lecture me, but I just pretended they didn't understand. What I did was always for a reason. But they didn't even ask, and instead berated me in front of everyone, showing no mercy whatsoever!"

To facilitate communication, Xiao Cui transformed back into human form and followed behind Liu Qingyuan, pouring out her grievances. She had actually said these words many times, so much so that even the birds in the mountains, who had become spirits, knew a little about them and came to bother her with their chirping.

There was nothing Xiao Cui could do. She felt she hadn't done anything wrong, and Wang Yuanfeng was actually a good person. Whether he was mentally challenged or not, he always listened to her. But her in-laws had really gone too far this time.

"Your sister's mother won't let her out, but something happened nearby?"

Yingning met Wang Zifu on the Lantern Festival. It was still a long time before that. As the child of a fox spirit and a human, Yingning had some means of self-defense, so ordinary people definitely couldn't bully her.

"It seems a demon in disguise has appeared nearby. My sister Ning, though born of a fox spirit and a human, inherited very little of the fox spirit's essence, making her unsuitable for cultivation. However, she inherited her mother's beauty. Her magic is more than enough to deal with mortals, but if a demon in disguise sets its sights on her... Immortal Master, what's wrong?"

Xiao Cui noticed that the person in front of her had suddenly stopped. Curious, she looked ahead and saw nothing blocking her way, so she asked.

Because there are too many fragmented stories in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, Liu Qingyuan believed he couldn't remember them all, so he kept using his cheat code to search as he walked. When Xiao Cui said there was a Painted Skin Ghost nearby, he also found the story of Painted Skin.

Then, unexpectedly, he discovered that the victim in the story of Painted Skin was also surnamed Wang. After the scholar was killed, a series of very powerful beggars appeared in the plot. If he made this connection, it seemed to be the same beggar he had met in the city before.

"Painted Skin," "Ying Ning," "Lu Pan"—this city is truly a gathering of heroes! He felt that if he explored further, there might be other surprises.

But that wasn't what stopped him. He looked closely at the contents about the beggar, and the description of his appearance was "a crazy beggar who often lay in a pile of dung."

Lying in the "dung heap"...

There's only one truly skilled beggar in the city, and that's pretty much it. At this moment, Liu Qingyuan regretted ever associating with that beggar in the city.

Liu Qingyuan: ...Luckily, the beggar was sitting in a relatively clean corner. I'm so glad he didn't keep repeating that description. Since we've already said hello, let's make sure they don't see each other again.

Didn't you try to convince them of a long-term partnership?

Liu Qingyuan: This collaboration can be put on hold for now.