Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

As the team assembling the guns drove far away, Chen Ruoan withdrew his gaze, but his swirling thoughts did not follow.

The conflict between superhumans and modern technology, especially the contest between Zhang Zhiwei and the Dongfeng missile, has always been a topic of great interest to fans of the original manga.

With the superior weaponry of later generations, it wouldn't be surprising at all that the extraordinary individuals were riddled with bullets in a hail of bullets.

But now it was the Republic of China era, and local warlords generally used the Hanyang Type 88 rifle, which had an outdated design, poor ejection, and could penetrate a 6mm steel plate at 100 meters.

Beyond 100 meters, its penetrating power decreases significantly, and it can only penetrate wooden boards or some thin earthen walls.

By maintaining a certain distance, Zhang Zhiwei's protective golden light should be able to traverse through the hail of bullets for a period of time.

"An Fox, what wicked idea are you hatching?"

Perhaps Zhang Zhiwei, who was imagining himself crossing the line of fire, was tired, so the real Zhang Zhiwei began to express his dissatisfaction.

Chen Ruoan shook his head and continued walking towards the northeast exit of the city.

Standing atop the weathered city wall, gazing into the distance, the fox began to plan its path forward—

After leaving Andong, we traveled for a while to reach Tongcheng, then passed through Hefei, traversed the entire Anhui province, and arrived in Shandong.

"Taoist, you travel wherever fate dictates. In that case, why not go to Mount Tai in Shandong?"

"Mount Tai?"

"yes."

Mount Tai has the Mount Tai Taoist Temple, which is known as "the ancestor of all mountains, the progenitor of the Five Sacred Mountains, the god of heaven and earth, and the abode of the gods". It is the second minor grotto-heaven, one of the thirty-six grotto-heavens of Taoism.

Zhang Zhiwei guessed what the fox was thinking.

The belief in fox spirits is strong in Shandong, and the Taoist temples on Mount Tai even enshrine a female immortal deity, Bixia Yuanjun, the Jade Maiden of Mount Tai, also known as the Goddess of Mount Tai.

Legend has it that the Goddess of Mount Tai governs all foxes in the world. If a fox wants to cultivate into an immortal, it must pass her strict examination. Only those who pass can obtain the title of immortal and become a "fox immortal".

Those who are unqualified, without official positions, can barely be considered as second-rate "wild fox spirits".

"Are you trying to curry favor with the Holy Mother Bixia Yuanjun of Mount Tai?"

The fox nodded.

Who knows if gods and immortals exist in this world? But there is no doubt that shamans who cultivate "divine masks" can steal the faith of gods. If they really happen to encounter a divine manifestation, it would be good to cling to the leg of the Goddess of Mount Tai.

Mount Tai, a place of great virtue of heaven and earth, and a place where emperors soared to great heights.

If Chen Ruoan could choose a place in Mount Tai for cultivation, he wouldn't need to travel a long way to Changbai Mountain.

"Going to a Taoist temple on Mount Tai to exchange ideas and discuss Taoism seems like a good idea."

Traveling from Andong in Anhui to Mount Tai, even with the fastest pace, takes only about a month.

"Let's go to Mount Tai!" Zhang Zhiwei strode confidently out of the city.

···

That night, the moonlight was warm and gentle, and the silvery light seemed to flow like water.

Chen Ruoan stood in the mountains, next to him was a circle of graves surrounded by piles of rubble, with mounds of earth of all sizes, few of them with decent tombstones, the most luxurious of which was nothing more than a neatly trimmed wooden plank.

When the wind blew, the ink-like clouds dispersed, and a bright moon hung in the sky, its silvery light like a ribbon.

Chen Ruoan tucked away the stray hairs all over its body, perched on the bluestone with its four paws and its long tail hanging down to the ground, and even imitated the appearance of Taoist priests and monks, clasping its front paws together in a gesture of prayer.

As the night dew begins to condense, a black fox worships the moon.

A mist rose in the mountains, its color soft and delicate, like thick milk.

Zhang Zhiwei, who was meditating nearby, opened his eyes and saw shadowy figures, seemingly a thousand foxes, running about in the misty fog.

The fox shadow stood up on its hind legs, bowed to the moon, and danced joyfully with its claws outstretched.

Finally, with a soft whimper escaping Chen Ruoan's throat, it opened its mouth and swallowed, and the surging mist and rising moonlight flowed into its mouth like a flowing spring.

After a while, the moon began to set in the west, and most of the fog dissipated.

The thousand foxes vanished, leaving only a shadowy figure that resembled a human, shrouded in mountain mist, as it approached the young Taoist priest sitting cross-legged beside the tree.

"Zhang Zhiwei, do I look like a god or a man to you?" Fox Shadow spoke up.

Zhang Zhiwei, resting his chin on his left hand, said speechlessly, "You lecherous fox, if I said you were like the 'Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder and Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable,' could you handle it?"

「···」

"Stop fooling around."

As the fog dissipated, not a trace of human form remained; instead, a black fox with glossy fur emerged.

"You've improved again?"

"My muscles and bones feel relaxed, and I feel refreshed."

The fox's amber eyes held the shimmering light of the moon. This "Moon Worship Method" was truly mysterious. By simply absorbing a little moonlight, one's Qi Sea was filled and made incomparably pure, even making up for eight or nine tenths of the loss from yesterday's cloud and rain making.

He possessed a natural talent for supernatural abilities, and had also mastered the art of controlling the wind, allowing him to easily ride the clouds and mist, freely traversing the forests and fields with a light and agile gait.

"It is said that animals are naturally simple and pure, and after obtaining Qi, they advance far beyond humans, and now it seems that this is indeed true. But no matter how I look at it, you have nothing to do with the words 'simple and pure'."

"Then let me ask you, are foxes inherently cunning or inherently naive?"

「···」

Unable to argue with Chen Ruoan, Zhang Zhiwei leaned to the side, resting one arm on his cheek, intending to sleep through the night.

Anhu swept a clean spot, curled up, and was about to go to sleep when he noticed a wooden plaque on the low grave mound, with the words "Tomb of the late Qing Dynasty lady Zhang Zhilan" written in charcoal.

Side note: The girl's name was Zhilan. She was gentle and kind, skilled in needlework, and extremely filial to her parents. She died before reaching marriageable age, at the age of sixteen.

···

"It's such a pity that he passed away at such a young age."

"Idle Fox Chen Ruoan has no intention of disturbing you, I'll just stay here for the night."

An fox curled up beside the new grave. The grave mound was filled with the purest yin energy, which, mixed with the cool moonlight, felt somewhat comfortable.

Call ~

Suddenly, a wisp of cold mist seeped out from the grave, carrying a biting chill, and circled around the fox's body.

Fine sobs lingered in the mist, mournful and plaintive, exceptionally clear in the silent graveyard, gradually coalescing into a ethereal ghostly figure—

It was a vengeful ghost with a faint black aura surrounding it and a blurred spiritual form.

Ok?

Foxes exist in the realm between the living and the dead, in the boundary between Yin and Yang; they are natural-born "witches." Chen Ruoan immediately noticed her.

When a person dies, their soul disperses, their vital energy transforms into a gentle breeze, and their flesh turns to mud. Without the strong longing of the living and their own resentment to sustain them, a ghost cannot survive in the world for more than half a moment.

This female ghost exists because of her deep resentment, but her existence is already showing signs of weakening.

"Is this your home?" Chen Ruoan pointed to the newly erected grave.

"My family lives in the noodle shop in the town ahead..."

"How did he die?"

He was shot and killed by a warlord.

"Hmm? Does that guy not eat scallions or beef?"

"I have no idea···"

Chen Ruoan couldn't guess what the female ghost was thinking. Her resentment lingered, and keeping her around would only cause trouble. But since she had died unjustly, it seemed a bit inhumane to just kill her soul like that.

Thinking this, the vengeful ghost suddenly turned its gaze towards the town to the east of the cemetery.

"If you have any unfinished business before you die, I can take you back to see it," Chen Ruoan said. "But that's all I can do."

Before the Northern Expedition even began, there were twenty or thirty small warlord groups in Anhui Province. Most of them were former Beiyang Army soldiers, bandits who had been recruited, and local gentry armed forces. The larger ones controlled several counties, while the smaller ones occupied only one county, with troops ranging from several hundred to several thousand.

Even the smallest organization of a hundred people is not something Chen Ruoan can easily provoke in his current state.

Since ancient times, humans have used fire to drive away wild animals, and animals fear fire, not to mention firearms.

"I...I want to go back and take a look."

"Alright, then come in." Chen Ruoan opened her fox-like mouth, revealing a set of sharp teeth.