Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

The next day, Mr. Hu arrived with his fox soldiers as scheduled. Considering that the people under both sides had developed some grudges due to frequent confrontations, it was inevitable that some people or foxes would play dirty tricks during the standoff, especially since the fox soldiers on the other side were carrying bows and arrows.

Although those arrows... are more likely just a bunch of grass stalks and leaves, causing little actual damage, they are at least visually weapons. In any case, no one should attack at this time.

Therefore, in order to stabilize the situation and ensure a relatively safe environment for Luo Yuanwai and Mr. Hu to talk alone, Jian Feidao drew his sword on the spot and planted Daojian Xiangwang directly in the open space between the two armies to draw a line. He and Ren Pingsheng stood beside him.

This magnificent and icy-thin weapon became a temporary barrier between humans and fox demons. The two innate beings standing in the middle were the "referees," and anyone who dared to make a move would have the sword tip pointed at them in the next second.

When Jian Feidao drew his sword, Mr. Hu and the other foxes considered fleeing for a moment. They only knew that there was a sword in the sword sheath behind him, but they did not expect it to be such a divine weapon for slaying demons and monsters. The oppressive feeling when the sword was drawn was something that these monsters could not ignore.

When the other party drew his sword, they almost thought that this big shot had changed his mind and was going to kill them all.

However, this turned out to be a good thing. At first, both Master Luo and Mr. Hu were a little embarrassed. After all, not long ago, Mr. Hu was a tutor hired by the Luo family and a very good friend of Master Luo. Now that they were facing each other with weapons, and each of them was the first to attack, they couldn't help but feel awkward when they looked at each other. Neither of them dared to take the first step and hesitated in place.

When Jian Feidao drew his sword, the foxes were startled. The Luo family, being mortals, couldn't sense the sword energy, but they had never seen a sword with this design before. Their attention shifted, and the awkwardness between them lessened, replaced by fear and curiosity about what the two innate beings were going to do.

Now, the position where Dao Jian Xiang Dong is positioned is equivalent to the point of intersection between the two sides. Ren Pingsheng asked Master Luo and Mr. Hu to step forward and walk to the middle to talk face to face.

With the sword planted here, and him and Jian Feidao standing beside it, the possibility of any accidents was basically eliminated, unless Master Luo or Mr. Hu suddenly self-destructed on the spot.

"Alright, if there's any misunderstanding, you two should clear it up quickly. We can't keep fighting like this forever."

Ren Pingsheng glanced at the distant mountains. The Luo family's residence was relatively secluded, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. He could vaguely see the road connecting the foot of the mountain to the town. There, it seemed as if a gaze was being cast upon them, watching this interaction between humans and foxes.

Because of the great distance, apart from the vague feeling of being watched, they could not perceive anything else. In fact, if it weren't for their innate sensitivity as innate beings, they probably wouldn't have even felt the gaze.

The gaze was not malicious; it was likely that Pianpian from the mountain was watching them, so neither of them paid any attention. The main focus was on Master Luo and Mr. Hu in front of them.

The fact that Master Luo treated Mr. Hu with courtesy even after learning he was a demon shows that he wasn't the type to hold a grudge against demons. And the fact that Mr. Hu, a scholar, became a tutor at the Luo family and won their favor demonstrates that he was indeed learned and well-mannered. After the matchmaking incident, the two never had a proper meeting again, with only the Luo family and the fox soldiers fighting, leaving neither side with a chance to explain their true feelings.

With Jian Feidao and Ren Pingsheng's intervention, the misunderstanding has finally been cleared up, and even the marriage arrangement has been discussed, albeit in a different way.

It's not appropriate to let the Luo family marry off their daughter. The fox spirits' daily necessities, carriages, and dwellings are all different from those of humans, so it would definitely be unsuitable to let a human girl marry into their family.

However, besides his daughter, Master Luo also has a young son who is unmarried and is fifteen years old this year. Mr. Hu's family also happens to have a younger sister who is fourteen years old this year. If they set the marriage today and get married next year, the marriage between the Luo and Hu families will be completed, and everyone will be happy.

"Wait a moment."

Ren Pingsheng noticed the key point and couldn't help but look at Mr. Hu.

"You have the same lifespan as mortals?"

Engaged this year, married next year. Next year, the youngest son of the Luo family will be sixteen and the youngest daughter of the Hu family will be fifteen. In this society, this is indeed a very suitable age for marriage. But this refers to ordinary people. The Hu family is a bunch of foxes. This age is actually based on the standard of ordinary people.

Logically speaking, ordinary foxes only live for a dozen years or so, and the lifespan of monsters is hard to calculate, but according to popular understanding, they live for at least several hundred years. In any case, they cannot be compared with humans.

But judging from Mr. Hu's words, it seems that the fox demons of this group live for about the same number of years as ordinary mortals, and even their age is calculated based on human years.

Ren Pingsheng: Isn't this wrong?

Mr. Hu explained it this way.

"We are just ordinary spirits. If we don't force ourselves to cultivate immortality, this little bit of magic power will only give us a little more lifespan. If we calculate carefully, most of us will only live for a hundred years or so, and we are not much different from ordinary people."

Because they have a lifespan similar to that of ordinary people, they imitate the lives of ordinary people, such as family values ​​and literacy. To real ordinary people, this is incredible. A group of animals that have become spirits imitating human life seems a bit creepy when you think about it.

But in the eyes of monsters like the Hu family, it's just a matter of mixing cultivation and life together. A very important step in monster cultivation is to transform into a human. So, they live like humans from a young age, which is actually beneficial for their transformation.

Although their lifestyle is quite different from that of real people in real life—for example, Mr. Hu can go out until midnight and return without even leaving the door open—the Hu family sees themselves as no different from real people and has no problem with weddings.

Are most monsters like that?

They don't have very long lifespans; they're just a few species larger than the original species, becoming almost like ordinary humans.

"Yes, not all spirits have the talent and perseverance to cultivate. Most of them just go with the flow. Although they live longer than their mortal counterparts, they are only about the same age as humans, at most... maybe less than two hundred years."

Two hundred years is a long time for ordinary people or animals; it is enough for several generations to reproduce and is roughly the time it takes for a stable dynasty to exist.

However, compared to true immortals and great demons, two hundred years is rather short. Powerful demons have cultivated their powers for hundreds of years, and some have even reached thousands of years. The gods in heaven live as long as heaven and earth, so one or two hundred years is nothing in the eyes of these great beings.

Therefore, according to this age calculation, although Mr. Hu is a fox spirit, his actual age is about the same as his human form. This is the general rule for fox spirits in the Hu family who have human form, including the one who came to the Luo family to propose marriage before; that person was indeed an elder in his fifties.

In other words, among all these people, there are mortals, demons, and innate beings, and the oldest among them are still two innate beings.

According to the setting, he is a human, but his actual age may be older than all the fox demons in the Hu family combined. Jian Fei had mixed feelings about this.

No, only Ren Pingsheng had mixed feelings. Jian Feidao didn't care about such things at all. As long as the conflict between the Luo family and the Hu family could be resolved, he didn't plan to care about anything else.

Besides, what's there to worry about regarding the mysterious lifespan of the Innate Beings? The timeline and seniority of the Innate Beings in the Bitter Realm have long been in disarray.

With the misunderstanding cleared up and the marriage re-established, the two families had no reason to fight again. Master Luo immediately hosted a banquet, and after today, the Luo and Hu families resolved their past grievances and reconciled.

As it ended, Jian Feidao put his sword back into his scabbard, and the gazes that had been watching from the mountain disappeared. The farce of the battle between humans and foxes had finally come to an end.

"So we're really just playing a supporting role here."

Looking at the group of people enjoying themselves, Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but sigh. The two of them had been assisting the whole time, helping Master Luo find people and watching the two sides communicate.

However, they did gain something. Through Pianpian, they learned about the surrounding area. If Ren Pingsheng wanted to continue searching for strange scenery or unusual events, he could follow the information Pianpian provided.

"How about we go and take a look on the other side of the mountain?"

On the other side of the mountain, there is not only the Xin family, which is even more powerful than the Hu family, but also the Five Capital Patrol Envoys from the underworld. And this is only the situation in the mountains. There are also bustling towns on the other side of the mountain, and the atmosphere should be even more lively.

"...I remember that travelers should love scenery, right?"

Ren Pingsheng had a simple and unassuming personality; he preferred traveling and enjoying nature rather than joining in the hustle and bustle.

"Travelers also want to discover more scenery."

Ren Pingsheng shrugged indifferently and took out the notebook he used to record things. Logically speaking, it should have recorded some scenic spots and famous places, or even drawn a simple map, but now it was filled with supernatural legends and stories of encounters between mortals and monsters.

It wasn't that he didn't want to look for scenery; it was just that in the supernatural and chaotic world of Liaozhai, the liveliness between humans, demons, and ghosts far outweighed any beautiful scenery.

"But here, isn't the love and hate between humans and non-humans a kind of scenery in itself?"

……

It is said that there are many immortals on Mount Lao, and countless people come to visit seeking immortality and enlightenment, but most of them find nothing and return empty-handed.

But today there is a lucky one. In the county where Laoshan is located, there is a scholar surnamed Wang. He is the seventh in his family, and everyone calls him Seventh Brother. This scholar, who was born into an official family, has some kind of mental block. He has not studied well since childhood. He just admires Taoist arts and thinks about how to go to Laoshan to find an immortal and ask about the Tao every day.

When he was young, his elders could keep him in check, but now that Wang Qilang is an adult and has a family, he has no one to supervise him. So he climbed Mount Lao to find the legendary immortal.

When he reached the top of the mountain, he indeed saw a Taoist temple. The surrounding environment was secluded and quiet. Apart from the sounds of birds, there were no people to be seen. Realizing that he had reached the top of the mountain and there was no way to go any further, Wang Qilang went up and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

He knocked again, but there was still no sound. Wang Qilang was anxious and tried to push the door open. He found that the door was not locked and opened with a push.

The temple was just as deserted as the outside, but in the center, an old Taoist priest with white hair sat on a futon with his eyes closed, meditating.

The Taoist's white hair hung down to his neck. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, seemingly lost in thought. Wang Qilang was stunned by the scene before him and for a moment forgot to go forward and ask questions.

The wind was stronger at the mountaintop, blowing the Taoist's hair and beard and making Wang Qilang shiver. He then remembered his purpose in climbing Laoshan Mountain, but seeing the Taoist's meditative state, he hesitated to approach and disturb him.

Thinking that there couldn't possibly be only one person in such a large Taoist temple, Wang Qilang looked around and suddenly saw a shadow drift past from a corner, seemingly heading towards the back of the temple.

The old Taoist priest sitting on the futon was wearing only the simplest Taoist robe. The figure that had just walked past seemed to be dressed in more luxurious clothes. In just one glance, he could see at least three colors: purple, black, and white. The other person's hair was not black, but a very light color. He was wearing a tall crown and seemed to be carrying a long sword.

Compared to the old Taoist priest, who was either awake or asleep, Wang Qilang felt that the purple figure was more suitable for communication, and he was about to chase after him.

Just then, the Taoist priest on the futon opened his eyes and called out to Wang Qilang, who was about to chase after someone.

"That person is a guest of our temple, please do not disturb him."

The sudden sound startled Wang Qilang, who stopped chasing and turned to look at the Taoist priest. Since the man was awake, Wang Qilang immediately explained his purpose for coming and began to talk to him. The old Taoist's words sounded extremely profound; it seemed he had truly encountered an immortal. He immediately asked the Taoist to accept him as a disciple.

However, as soon as Wang Qilang asked to become an apprentice, he was refused. The Taoist priest's reason for refusing was that he was afraid Wang Qilang, who was used to a pampered life, would not be able to endure the hardships of cultivation, and told him to go home as soon as it was light.

Having finally reached the mountaintop and met the legendary immortals, Wang Qilang was about to realize his dream of cultivating immortality. How could he possibly want to go back? Faced with the Taoist's refusal, he repeatedly assured him that he could endure hardship and vowed to persevere.

Finally, the Taoist priest couldn't persuade him otherwise and told Wang Qilang to go back and make some preparations. The Taoist priest had many disciples who would gather at the Taoist temple in the evening. Wang Qilang was to come then, meet his disciples, and then stay at the Taoist temple to cultivate.

After Wang Qilang left happily, the purple shadow that had appeared earlier reappeared and came to the old Taoist's side.

"Fellow Daoist, how long do you think my new disciple can last?"

The old Taoist priest remained seated on the prayer mat, gazing ahead, yet seemed to have anticipated the approaching figures.

"Being impatient for quick success and instant benefits is not the way to cultivate oneself; one may not last more than a few months."

Judging from his attire, one could tell that he was a Taoist priest, but he was very different from the Taoist priests who practiced in Laoshan. He had a narrower collar, a short outer jacket for easy movement, a purple outer robe with black and silver patterns, unusual hair color, layered hair ornaments, and a face that looked much younger than the people next to him.

Fortunately, Wang Qilang didn't follow along. If he had seen this person, he probably would have shamelessly begged to be taken as a disciple, and no amount of persuasion would have worked.

"indeed."

Hearing this answer, the old Taoist smiled and stroked his beard. What Wang Qilang wanted was nothing more than the immortal life depicted in the storybooks. He thought that as long as he became a disciple, he could fly through the clouds and be omnipotent.

If you come with this mindset, even if you find an immortal, you will not receive any divine favor.

"However, he insists on staying. How will he leave in the end? Fellow Daoist, why don't you come and see for yourselves?"

"I am also interested."