Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

After hearing Du Liniang's dream of visiting the garden and hearing about the "beautiful women and fleeting years," Chen Ruoan wanted to ask the Five Ghosts what it was like to revisit such a familiar place.

Jiang Gui said he felt fear, melancholy, surprise, and disappointment...

A myriad of feelings swirled in my heart, and I couldn't pinpoint any one specific one, but when I heard about the village's demise, most of me felt a sense of loss.

The fox leaned against the railing to rest, thinking that it had already passed the stages of enlightenment and obtaining Qi, and had completed the dog tribulation. Next came the transformation and lifespan.

If there truly were a mysterious and wondrous method to attain immortality, how would a fox cope with the changing times and the impermanence of things?

"How come you're interpreting a piece of music as a theory about lifespan?"

Chen Ruoan gently lifted the umbrella and hummed "What a pity that such a beautiful day and lovely scenery are wasted, whose courtyard enjoys such delightful pleasures?" with the tea drinkers in the elegant seats, while watching Du Liniang's shy and charming demeanor as her heart fluttered with spring fever on the stage.

At this moment, a pure and sincere incense offering was poured into the crown chakra, the prayer being for the word "love".

However, it's a fox's "love affair".

"Seeing that fox's lustful heart, I prayed that he would be given three or four good matches, rather than being alone and destitute in his moon-worshiping ascetic practice on Mount Tai."

Chen Ruoan raised his head and gazed in the direction where the incense smoke was wafting.

This kind-hearted person is actually concerned about the fox's lifelong happiness.

That tone and wording... why does it sound so familiar...?

The incense originated from the ancestral tablet in Jinxi Village. Chen Ruoan closed his eyes and concentrated, drawing down a wisp of divine will, which quietly landed on the tablet behind the altar.

As the incense burned, the smoke condensed, and a fox head gradually took shape amidst the swirling smoke.

The fox opened its eyes and stared at the Taoist priest sitting casually in the corner. It saw that his hair was still messy and unruly, like a lion with a mane.

"Where did this little Taoist priest come from, daring to gossip about my love life?"

"Are you talking so arrogantly now?" Zhang Zhiwei leaned against the wall, looking up at the stage.

Over the course of more than a year, he traveled through four provinces, detouring through Wudang Mountain in Hubei Province. Today, he returned to Jinxi Village and, remembering the fox tablet enshrined in the temple, wanted to say hello.

In order to attract the fox's attention, the Taoist priest used the phrase "good match" to make a wish.

Of course, Chen Ruoan didn't care about the matter of a partner. He came because he felt the sincerity in the incense offerings, which showed that even after a year, Zhang Zhiwei still cared about him, this eccentric friend.

"Pay more attention to current affairs, Taoist priest. The draft Civil Code promulgated this year clearly stipulates that marriage is a monogamous union, and concubinage has been rejected."

Are foxes also bound by worldly rules?

"Otherwise, if I really found two or three partners, could I still be considered a good match?" Amidst the swirling smoke, the fox-headed creature revealed a speechless expression.

You can't really expect him to be surrounded by women, saying things like, "You are all my wings," or "My heart is shattered into three pieces, and each piece has fallen in love with a different person"...

It would be a terrible thing for God to let such a scoundrel like him go through his love tribulations.

Zhang Zhiwei nodded thoughtfully. Foxes are naturally amorous, but he hadn't expected that the fox would become so serious after a year.

"Fox, I'm not here to catch up with you today; I really need your help."

"It's strange that Zhang Zhiwei would ask a fox for help. Tell me about it."

"I've been traveling for a year, and my master will surely want me to share some of my experiences and insights. I need to figure out how to draft a summary so that I'll have something to say then."

Zhang Zhiwei helplessly shrugged. Zhang Jingqing was a rare and excellent teacher, but when she lost her temper, she was truly terrifying. Not only did she call him "beast" repeatedly, but she was also willing to slap her apprentices when disciplining them.

Chen Ruoan helplessly shrugged: "You have to resort to trickery to even share your insights? Aren't you afraid Master Jingqing will beat you up if he finds out?"

"If I say something's bad, I'll definitely get beaten up!"

Zhang Zhiwei said matter-of-factly, "It's just a matter of saying more or less. Fox, your refined manners will surely please Master."

Chen Ruoan looked disdainful. Who said I was pretentious and sarcastic back then?

However, summarizing is not a difficult task for a fox.

In his previous life, Chen Ruoan had also worked at the grassroots level. He could easily write work summaries, year-end summaries, and personal development summaries. He could easily fool his superiors.

"What about the tribute?"

"You like roast chicken, right? I'll treat you to some."

"Then there's nothing more to say, I'll help you."

Chen Ruoan used green smoke to condense fox claws, combined with the phrase "discipline oneself with sainthood and treat others with mortalism," and the local customs and traditions learned from his previous life's geography, to write a summary of the rigid, formulaic style of government offices on the sand outside the temple.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhiwei nodded repeatedly and squatted down beside him to study.

"No problem, I'm sure I can satisfy Master."

"My animal instincts tell me that something bad is going to happen."

"Don't worry, I still have some trump cards up my sleeve to deal with Master. Don't be fooled by Master's temper; as long as I unleash my Tiger Crouching Down move, I can extinguish even his fury."

Zhang Zhiwei appeared very confident.

Even if you make a mistake, as long as you slide down to your knees quickly and smoothly, apologize early enough, and reflect on your mistakes promptly enough, your master will not have the heart to punish you severely!

"I'm off, fox, I'm heading back to the mountain!"

"Good luck, and remember my roast chicken."

···

The next day, Zhang Zhiwei, with a bruised and swollen face, carrying a shiny roast chicken in one hand and an incense stick in the other, arrived before the fox's shrine.

The aroma of incense mingled with the rich fragrance of roast chicken, and within moments, the fox's shadow faintly materialized in the wisps of smoke.

Chen Ruoan's gaze fell on Zhang Zhiwei's face, and she was startled. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why is your face swollen like a pig's head?"

Zhang Zhiwei scratched the back of his head and lied: "It's been too long since I've been back to Longhu Mountain. It rained yesterday, and the mountain road was slippery. I accidentally fell."

Chen Ruoan glanced outside. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was clear and there wasn't a trace of rain.

The fox smirked and laughed, "Your tiger crouching down isn't enough?"

Seeing that he couldn't fool him, Zhang Zhiwei sneered and said, "It'll work. If it doesn't, things will be even worse than they are now."

He paused, then slumped his shoulders and muttered, "At first, Master was quite happy, saying I'd finally learned how to fool people..."

"Then why did I beat you up?"

"He said that he was the one being fooled, and he didn't like it."

Originally, the master and disciple had missed each other after not seeing each other for a year, but Zhang Jingqing had only been back on the mountain for one night when Zhang Zhiwei had already considered driving him away again.

"I already told you, you brought this on yourself." Chen Ruoan hooked a wisp of aroma from the roast chicken with her fox-like paw and slowly put it into her mouth.

After a hearty meal, the roast chicken that had been presented as an offering lost its soul; it had lost all its aroma.

Zhang Zhiwei rubbed his cheeks to relieve the pain and said, "Master must have been in a bad mood all day. I got four magic swords from my junior brother who went to Maoshan. They can travel a thousand miles a day. I'll go to your immortal abode to take refuge."

Before Chen Ruoan could set off, he explained, "I'm at the Chunfeng Deyi Tower in Suzhou."

"Suzhou? Isn't that even closer?"

The fox thought to himself, "It's been a year since we last met, so it would be good to get together." He replied, "Then I'll postpone my plans and wait for you. Today, I'll host the tea and music for you."