Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

"There are two fox families in these mountains. One family, surnamed Hu, lives not far away, and the other family, surnamed Xin, lives on the other side of the mountain."

As Pianpian walked forward, she introduced the mountain scenery to the people behind her. What should have been an extremely difficult mountain path was as easy for her to walk on flat ground. Not only did she walk forward without any obstruction, but the path under her feet also extended along with her. It was not that she was looking for the path, but that the path was following her forward.

"The Hu family doesn't have any descendants with high cultivation levels. Mr. Hu and his brothers are the current heads of the family. The Xin family on the other hand is quite good. They have many people who are dedicated to cultivation. The family affairs are managed by an elderly couple. Twelve of their nineteen daughters have already married out."

Having cultivated in the mountains for so many years, Pianpian knew a general idea of ​​the situation there. She knew which side was troublesome and which side was law-abiding. However, she was not very clear about Mr. Hu's sudden proposal to marry the Luo family's daughter.

If the other party is after the Luo family's status as descendants of cultivators, then Pianpian is currently in the mountains, and her friend and in-laws also live at the foot of the mountain. If they want to curry favor with cultivators, wouldn't it be faster to come directly to them?

Returning to the Luo family, from the time her son and daughter-in-law left the mountain and returned to the mortal world, the Luo family has been passed down for several generations. No one in the Luo family remembers what happened in the past. At most, there are only a few notes, such as which ancestor disappeared for more than ten years and then reappeared with his son and daughter-in-law.

Pianpian also wanted to ask about the inexplicable feud between the Hu and Luo families, but since she was about to attain enlightenment, she couldn't get too involved in the mortal world. She calculated that the Luo family's affairs wouldn't harm her, so she didn't show herself and silently observed from the other side, waiting for an opportunity.

"...Is this a formation that alters the layout?"

Jian Feidao looked at the changing trees around him, which were moving in a way that completely violated the normal rules of mountain paths. They were now in the mountains and forests, not on a flat plain. Walking forward like this, they could hardly recognize the rocks and stones.

The road ahead kept changing according to people's actions, and the surrounding trees and rocks seemed to be controlled by someone. No matter which way you went, these obstacles were always around you, and there was always a path that seemed to have no end in sight.

"There are many monsters in the mountains, so all sorts of tricks and illusions are used to make life easier."

Pianpian paid no attention to the ever-changing trees and rocks around her. She was already used to these scenes. There was even a similar formation outside her own cave dwelling.

The actual space in the mountains is only so big, but the number of creatures living in them will increase, the monster families will gradually grow stronger, and the ghosts who have achieved cultivation will also start to form gangs and have their own servants.

At the same time, as long as it is not a chaotic time, the number of ordinary people living at the foot of the mountain will increase. At first, it may only be a few families moving here, then it becomes a village, and then a town. The population will increase, but the place will still be the same place and will not expand as the population increases.

If one wants to avoid being disturbed, the only way is to use various spells to hide one's house, so that it can only be found at a specific time or in a specific way. The Hu family is no exception.

However, this method is more effective against mortals and is useless against those with high cultivation levels. Since it's all a smokescreen, those with higher cultivation levels will naturally prevail. With Pianpian's cultivation level, she only needs to casually calculate where the Hu family is. Apart from the mountain god himself, no one in this mountain can really do anything to her.

The mountain god is not one to concern himself with anything. As long as something bothers him, he doesn't care about anything else. Even if someone is fighting to the death with someone else, he won't come out to take a look, unless it's too noisy and disturbs his sleep.

"The one with the most say in this mountain is not the mountain god. If something really happens, you should go to the other side of the mountain. There is a younger brother of Xue Junjun, who is the Five Capital Patrol Commissioner in the underworld. Ghosts and foxes within a radius of several hundred miles all obey their orders."

"Including the Hu and Xin families?"

Ren Pingsheng asked, "Since it is said that ghosts and foxes obey the other party, then the foxes of the Hu and Xin families, as well as the ghosts of Mr. Zhan, should all be included."

"nature."

She turned around gracefully, and the handkerchief in her hand transformed into a bird that flew away, passing through the tangled treetops, disappearing to who knows where.

"The Hu family's gate is just ahead. You two gentlemen are no ordinary people either. Those little foxes can't hurt you. I'll leave you here."

"Thank you girl."

The two sides are not in the same system, and their methods and habits for breaking through illusions are also different. Ren Pingsheng and his group prefer to directly use physical means to break through. For example, when the opponent is obviously a giant created by magic, both Ren Yunzong and Ren Pingsheng will directly attack and disperse it to solve the problem.

But the illusions and tricks here aren't just for attacking; they're more often used to hide residences or for more superstitious purposes.

For example, a bunch of leaves, after being cut, can be turned into clothes, food, or real gold and silver. The things made from leaves are indeed fake, but as long as you believe they are real, then they are indeed real. It's all about idealism.

In this regard, it would be faster to find natives like Pianpian. After all, giants and demons can be fought at will, but this kind of magic array connected to the layout in the mountains cannot be fought casually, or innocent people will be harmed.

With Pianpian leading the way, they were able to strike right at the heart of the enemy's lair. The foxes guarding the gate recognized them, especially Ren Pingsheng. This man had not only knocked down the giant with a single blow, but had also thrown his staff at their heads, scaring the fox soldiers into scattering in all directions. How could they not remember him?

Since the two men came directly to his door, Mr. Hu, as one of the heads of the family and one of the few respectable family members, naturally had to come out to greet them. Upon hearing that the two men had come about Master Luo's affairs, Mr. Hu was visibly embarrassed.

"Actually, I would like to discuss this matter further with the master, but..."

To be honest, when Mr. Hu asked someone to act as matchmaker for the Luo family, the Hu family never thought that the other party would refuse. Although the fox spirits tried their best to live like humans, they were still different from real people and could not understand the concerns in the heart of the wealthy Luo.

Mr. Hu's thinking was very simple. When he went to the Luo family to work as a teacher, he did not deliberately hide his identity as a fox demon. The fact that Master Luo treated him like an ordinary person after discovering it proved that he was magnanimous. If he wanted to consolidate the relationship between the two families, he would do so through marriage. In this way, they would have a blood connection and be able to help each other in the future.

With this idea in mind, it was only natural to put it into action. From the Hu family's perspective, as a fox demon family, although they were not as powerful as the Xin family on the other side of the mountain, they were still considered a prominent family among the demons in the area. They were a good match for a wealthy family like the Luo family, and the marriage should have been a natural progression.

But just because the Hu family thinks this way doesn't mean that Master Luo thinks the same way. Putting aside whether Master Luo is willing to use this method to consolidate the relationship between the two families, they are human, while the Hu family are foxes. Master Luo would absolutely not want his daughter to marry a monster.

In Mr. Luo's view, he had treated Mr. Hu well, and the Luo family had a good impression of this schoolteacher. Before Mr. Hu proposed marriage, the two had already become close friends despite their age difference. Their friendship had reached such a level that they no longer needed to resort to marriage.

At this time, Mr. Hu, who was a fox, came to take his daughter. Master Luo couldn't understand why, and he really couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart. In the end, the matchmaker suffered a loss and went back with his fox soldiers to take revenge. By the time Mr. Hu realized what was happening, the two sides had already fought twice.

After all, they were a bunch of noisy foxes, and you couldn't expect them to be as strict as a large family in the secular world. Mr. Hu wasn't the only one in charge, and coupled with the inexplicable awkwardness, he couldn't control the group of little foxes below at all.

“Master Luo is a man, and he has considered this matter of marrying off his daughter much more than you have.”

After listening to Mr. Hu's story, Ren Pingsheng felt helpless. The root of the conflict between the two was actually the different concepts between demons and humans. As a fox spirit who knew magic, she could live anywhere. When she was down on her luck, she could dig a hole anywhere and sleep there. When she was free, she could use a few spells to set up a feast. Leaves could be used as money. Many mundane matters did not need to be considered by her.

But people can't live like that. They have to consider their basic needs like food, drink, and sanitation. If Miss Luo were to marry into the family, she wouldn't be able to live like a fox. That's what Master Luo disagrees with.

From the moment they entered, they noticed traces of illusion in the house. To the naked eye, it appeared to be a magnificent building, but it was best not to know its true nature.

“Perfect timing. Master Luo also wants to have a good talk with you. Why don’t you come back with us, bringing your fox soldiers with you? With my friend and I as guarantors, you can discuss the matter at hand and clear up the misunderstandings from before.”

The main reason for having Mr. Hu lead the fox soldiers was to give the Hu family some sense of security, because from their perspective, Ren Pingsheng and Jian Feidao were clearly on Luo Yuanwai's side. If they only took Mr. Hu, it would seem like they were coming to arrest him.

Having the fox soldiers accompany them would at least allow these mischievous little fox spirits to see what happened clearly and prevent them from causing trouble due to misunderstandings.

Mr. Hu agreed to the proposal and asked the two men to pass on a message that they had already fought once today and both sides should be a little tired. He would personally visit Mr. Luo tomorrow to have a good chat.

As for how the two of them traversed the deep mountains and forests and overcame various illusions to find the Hu family's gate, Mr. Hu did not ask. In his opinion, the two people in front of him had the appearance of immortals, and illusions were useless to people whose cultivation was a level higher than his.

Neither of them said that Pianpian had led the way, because from Pianpian's words they could tell that she didn't want them to be involved. Otherwise, she could have easily followed along to knock on the Hu family's door instead of disappearing just before reaching their destination.

They also tested Mr. Hu, who only knew that there were immortals cultivating in caves in the mountains, but did not know their specific names. The previous conjecture that the Luo family were descendants of cultivators and therefore wanted to curry favor through marriage was naturally unfounded.

It is known that there are three powerful beings on this mountain, who live in seclusion and rarely appear unless a banquet is set up to disturb them; the mountain god who has been cultivating in a cave for a long time and whose actual age is unknown, but who is just one step away from becoming an immortal; and the Xue family, who are on the other side of the mountain and serve as the Five Capitals Patrol Envoy in the underworld.

It has to be said, this place is truly a place where hidden talents abound.

After leaving the Hu family, another strange woman came to find them. This woman had a small bird perched on her shoulder, the same one that Pianpian had conjured with her handkerchief earlier.

This woman, who looked slightly older than Pianpian and dressed as a noblewoman, called herself Lady Huacheng. She was Pianpian's close friend. She had a daughter named Lady Jiangcheng, who married Pianpian's son after growing up and then returned to the mortal world with him.

Pianpian and Huacheng Niangzi are considered to be the common ancestors of the Luo family. Now that the Luo family has encountered this trouble, Huacheng Niangzi naturally knows about it. However, like Pianpian, she lives far away from the world and can only try to help by finding another way.

This time, Pianpian called Huacheng Niangzi over so that she could take the two of them back. Pianpian had led the way here, but if they wanted to return the same way, they would need someone who knew the way to come.

As innate beings capable of transforming into light, they could easily turn into streaks of light and fly away on their way back. The reason they had to search so hard on the way here was simply because they didn't know their exact destination. Now that they were just returning to the Luo family, there was no need to go through all that trouble.

However, they did not refuse Hua Cheng Niangzi's offer to help them find their way. The Luo family members were also her descendants, and besides leading the way, she probably also wanted to understand the actual situation and see if the Luo family's troubles could really be resolved.

In a sense, Pianpian was putting Huacheng Niangzi's mind at ease.

Although both were cultivators, the two led the way in different ways. When Pianpian led them into the mountain, she walked straight ahead, and the trees blocking the way would automatically make way. Huacheng Niangzi did not do it this way. She first used magic to make the surrounding things move, and when all the scenery returned to calm, the group was already at the foot of the mountain. One more step and they would be out of the mountain, as if they had teleported.

Without sensing anything, their positions had already shifted. As expected of proper cultivators, Pianpian and Huacheng Niangzi's methods were worlds apart from the demons and Taoist priests they had seen before, a perfect blend of reality and illusion.

"It seems like we've been reduced to mere tools."

When they came out of the mountain, Ren Pingsheng suddenly realized that the Luo family and the Hu family were having a conflict. Pianpian and Huacheng Niangzi wanted to help, but they couldn't show themselves because of their status. Just then, they arrived. They were on a mission to help Luo Yuanwai communicate, so Pianpian and Huacheng Niangzi used a fast track to teleport them between the two sides.

Moreover, Pianpian noticed that they were intentionally moving around, making goodwill in advance by explaining the information about the surrounding area, and even bringing out the influential Xue family, telling them that if something really happened, they should go to Lord Xue on the other side of the mountain.

Throughout this journey, aside from the very beginning, it seems that Pianpian has been guiding the two of them to the next step, including their return to the Luo family.

"Mr. Hu will be here tomorrow, so there's no need to worry, sir. By the way, is there anyone in your Luo family's elders named Jiang Cheng Niangzi?"

Finally, out of curiosity, Ren Pingsheng asked the question. Pianpian said that her ex-husband's surname was Luo, but she didn't say what her son's name was. He could only ask Huacheng Niangzi's daughter.

How many generations did the descendants of the two cultivators go through before they completely forgot about these things? Since they had met a fairy in the mountains and had a son with her, and the son married another fairy's daughter, most people would probably have already included this in their family legends and embellished the story.

"Jiangcheng Lady?"

"Yes, Jiangcheng Niangzi."

Judging from Master Luo's completely unfamiliar expression, it must have been a long time ago, and even Jiangcheng's wife doesn't remember. So asking if there are any fairies in the mountains is probably useless.

Pianpian and Huacheng Niangzi still looked like young girls, but their former children had long since passed away. Suddenly, they had a more tangible feeling about the difference in the years between them.