Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

In Chen Ruoan's opinion, after transforming, he must be a handsome and elegant man. The modeling must be of the highest quality. As for labels like "pretentious" or "pedantic," let whoever wants them take them.

The fox flicked its tail and strode confidently northward.

The journey to Mount Tai was roughly as Zhang Zhiwei had calculated; it would take a little over two days.

Chen Ruoan stood at the foot of the mountain, looking at the stone steps that had been trodden and polished by passersby. It was early morning, and the mist had spread over the steep cliffs of the Eighteen Bends, blending the verdant pine trees into a hazy, dark blue.

The fox's four paws trod on the cool stone steps, its black fur damp with the mountain mist.

It moved with light steps, occasionally pausing to glance at the cliff carvings on the cliff edge, or to steal a glance at the pilgrims passing by.

It's not yet the peak season for pilgrimages to the mountain, but some mountain dwellers dressed in short jackets are already carrying incense sticks and heading to the summit.

In later generations, some people enjoyed filming themselves crying and screaming with exhaustion while climbing Mount Tai, accompanied by eye-catching headlines like "Mount Tai will subdue every stubborn person"...

To this, Chen Ruoan could only say—that's absolutely right.

He was already exhausted after traveling halfway, and since most of the Taoist temples on Mount Tai are concentrated on the summit, he still had to climb to the top.

The higher you go, the clearer the wind becomes, and the faint sound of bells and chimes can be heard drifting from the clouds.

After climbing for an unknown amount of time, Chen Ruoan suddenly found himself in a bright and open space after turning a corner.

A cluster of Taoist temple buildings with green tiles and red walls is built against the mountain and spread out in a staggered manner on the flat ground at the top of the mountain.

The plaque above the mountain gate bears the three powerful characters "Bixia Temple," and the copper bells on the eaves sway gently in the wind, making a clear and melodious sound.

Inside and outside the Taoist temple, wisps of incense smoke mingled with the fragrance of pine and cypress trees, bringing a sense of peace and tranquility and effectively dispelling the weariness of climbing the mountain.

"We've arrived," Zhang Zhiwei said.

"We've finally arrived." Chen Ruoan was so tired that she stuck out her tongue.

In front of the Taoist temple not far away, a young Taoist priest dressed in a blue robe was sweeping the courtyard.

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at him a few times, then waved with a smile, "Junior Brother Fang, it's been a long time!"

Fang Dongtian, who was sweeping the floor, turned around upon hearing the sound, squinted at the person who came, and suddenly his face turned red, and he hissed through gritted teeth.

Chen Ruoan was startled by that indescribable expression.

Is this a Taoist priest or a round-headed old man? Why is he breathing out?

"Zhang Zhiwei!"

Fang Dongtian swung his broom and rushed over, delivering a sweeping blow to Zhang Zhiwei.

"You've already cultivated a Yang Spirit, so why is your temper still so bad?" Zhang Zhiwei put his hands in his sleeves and nimbly jumped back a few steps to dodge.

"No need for further words, let's get started!"

Fang Dongtian shouted, dropping the broom. Just as he was about to get into a fight, he was hit hard on the head with a flick of the wrist.

"You worthless wretch! I told you to cultivate your character, and you've wasted your time doing nothing but scheming!"

Fang Dongtian turned around and found his martial uncle staring at him angrily.

"Uncle-Master, you mustn't use foul language in front of the Primordial Lord!"

"So, you're just letting your temper run wild and going wherever it wants?"

"This... I know I was wrong." Fang Dongtian bowed his head and admitted his mistake, then turned his head and glared angrily at Zhang Zhiwei opposite him.

When the master sighed, he said to the visiting young Taoist, "Zhiwei, all the elders in the temple have urgent matters to attend to today, so let the cave heaven entertain you first."

"Please go ahead with your work," Zhang Zhiwei replied, cupping his hands in greeting.

After his martial uncle left, Fang Dongtian snorted and said with ill intent, "What are you doing here?"

"I passed through this place during my travels and made a special trip to see it."

"And you brought a spirit companion?"

"It was a fox we met along the way."

"Hmph, I can't be bothered with you, you can wander around by yourself!" Fang Dongtian retrieved his broom, his anger simmering, and took it out on the dust and fallen leaves in front of the Taoist temple.

Along the way, Chen Ruoan listened to Zhang Zhiwei recount many of his past experiences and could roughly guess some of the reasons behind this sweeping alley.

Three years ago, Zhang Zhiwei slapped the once-famous Lu Jin until he cried, which made him famous and all the sects in the world know that the Jingqing Celestial Master was hiding such a treasure.

After the Lu family's birthday banquet, Zhang Zhiwei gradually went from being a challenger who came to discuss and exchange ideas to becoming a mini-boss who was challenged by other schools of thought.

Most of the young talents from various schools of thought have suffered losses at Zhang Zhiwei's hands. Some of those who harbor deep resentment towards Zhang Zhiwei do so because their defeats were too undignified.

"This Taoist priest Fang was defeated by you before?" Chen Ruoan asked.

"Yes."

"How did you lose?"

Zhang Zhiwei explained: "There are more than fifty Taoist practitioners in Mount Tai, mainly from the Quanzhen Longmen and its branch Jinshan School. In their practice, they abandon all strange skills and tricks and focus on refining their 'life force'. Over time, they will also develop a skill called 'exiting the Yang spirit'."

"The astral projection of the soul is a means of the soul, and the attack is naturally aimed at the soul as well."

"This junior brother Fang's kung fu is really not up to par. He bumped into me with his Yang spirit and he got dizzy and disoriented."

Chen Ruoan was speechless for a moment. This was indeed not a matter of being dignified or not.

"You're so hated, it would be quite interesting if you became the 'Quanxing' demon kingpin."

"Look on the bright side, fox."

"Zhang Zhiwei, are you really never defeated?"

"Aside from the seniors within the sect, there really aren't any. My master helped me find a Daoist partner, but all the ones I encountered were a little lacking. However, there were a few that left a deep impression on me."

Zhang Zhiwei was speaking halfway through his sentence, seemingly waiting for the fox to chime in and pick up the thread.

Which ones?

"You don't even know him."

"Tell me about it, so that if we meet again in the future, I can easily use it as an excuse to get closer to you."

"Junior brother Zhang Huaiyi, the Zhou brothers Zhou Sheng and Zhou Meng from Wudang Mountain, Lü Ren from the Lü family, and the young monk Jie Kong from Shaolin Temple."

As Zhang Zhiwei had said, those who were still alive in the future all became big shots in their respective regions.

So... Lu Jin wasn't even one of the most memorable people?

Pitiful.

Chen Ruoan shook her head and walked towards the sweeping path.

Fang Dongtian immediately adopted a defensive stance, about to explode again.

After all, anyone who walks the same path as Zhang Zhiwei, even if they are a fox, must be an arrogant and conceited fox.

"Master Fang, I have a question for you. Approximately how many spirits reside in this sacred land of Mount Tai?"

Fang Dongtian wasn't a sorcerer and only had a superficial understanding of "spirits," having never paid much attention to them before. He retorted, "Why are you asking about this?"

"To be honest, I want to build a mansion in the mountains so that I can be immersed in the Daoist teachings and devote myself to cultivation."

Fang Dongtian thought for a moment: "As far as I know, there is a golden pheasant in Peach Blossom Valley in the northwest of Mount Tai. Some believers call it a 'wild phoenix,' which should be intelligent. People often fall to their deaths at the boundary between Yin and Yang at the East Hundred-Zhang Cliff, where Yin energy accumulates and there are several ghosts."

"Then there's Aolai Peak, with its towering cliffs and remoteness, making it a perfect place for animals to cultivate. After all this time, perhaps some of them have become quite powerful."

Fang Dongtian looked displeased, but he explained in great detail. Chen Ruoan was glad that the young Taoist priest did not insist on the mentality of "hating the house because of the crow".

Now that he had a general understanding of the situation of the spirits in Mount Tai, Chen Ruoan felt it necessary to make a trip there himself.

Even if an elf wants to move to a new home, he must first observe the character of his next-door neighbor and carefully manage the relationship.

Who says that mountain spirits and monsters don't care about human relationships and social customs?