Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

Foxes have a keen sense of smell and can detect a faint scent of blood in the wind, like a mixture of rust, dampness, sourness, and the strange aroma of burnt herbs.

"Blood pills and medicine dregs... Could it be that the woman we met earlier escaped from Qingfeng Temple? But that doesn't make sense. At this critical juncture of avoiding calamity, there's no reason to let someone out and cause trouble."

As Chen Ruoan pondered, Jiang Guifei, who was responsible for "carrying the sedan chair" for the fox, stepped forward and volunteered, "Master, why don't I sneak a peek?"

"Old Jiang, you're a ghost, why are you picking a fight with people who play with talismans?"

"It's different. Ever since I had tea and listened to music with Master Zhang last time, I seem to have been able to perceive something that makes the soul uncomfortable. Besides, I know how to set up a layout. I can guarantee that there are absolutely no talismans or formations for exorcising ghosts or warding off evil spirits in Qingfeng Temple."

Ok?

Zhang Zhiwei has this kind of function?

Chen Ruoan relented and said, "Then go ahead, but don't stray too far from me, and be careful in everything you do."

huh~

A wisp of yin energy drifted into the temple. Jiang Gui searched for a while, bypassing the main hall where the statues of gods were enshrined, avoiding the angry curses from the backyard, and moving between the two small rooms on the east and west sides.

The little ones who were brought here by their parents are all in the guest room in the east wing, eating some dry, hard rice, and seem to be fine.

"If there's nothing strange up there, then it must be down below."

Using his skill in tracing dragon veins, Jiang Gui quickly found a passage leading to His Highness. The cold stairs led to a secret chamber, where a large bronze alchemy furnace could be seen in the dim firelight.

The fire in the stove was blazing, but no one was tending it, and bottles and jars were piled up around it.

At first glance, there seemed to be no problem with the room. However, as Jiang Gui was searching through the pile of dregs, he found several long, thin objects that were not completely burned out from the black residue.

Having spent decades in the "Boundary Between Yin and Yang," Jiang Gui had seen countless skeletons and could recognize them as human remains.

"A demonic path, indeed a demonic path."

With a whoosh, Ghost Fourth turned around and ran out through the crack in the stone door.

······

In the backyard of Qingfeng Temple, an old Taoist priest who called himself "Black Wind Taoist" pinched the boy, watching the blood drip from the corner of his mouth onto the back of his hand.

"It seems that things have become more troublesome since you took over. So what if the other side is an extraordinary person? Your master won't easily provoke them."

"Born in chaotic times, the reason I have been able to maintain a quiet little abode in this place is because of my constant caution and my desire to make good connections. How dare you, a lowly creature, try to trip me up in secret?"

The little boy, unable to breathe, still wore the same welcoming smile on his flushed face.

"You filthy thing." Black Wind Taoist's hand suddenly tightened, just as he was about to finish off this unruly disciple, but a thick black cloud suddenly rolled in from the horizon, obscuring all the light.

A biting wind swept across the courtyard, carrying a chill that cut to the bone. Even though Nankang in October was damp and cold, it was never as biting as this.

The Taoist priest suddenly looked up, and a fine white fluff landed on his forehead, instantly turning into a cool sensation.

Snowing.

A strong, eerie wind was blowing outside the temple, and there was a "thump, thump, thump" sound in front of the door, as if someone was raising their hand to knock on the door, or perhaps it was just an illusion caused by the wind hitting the door.

Black Wind Taoist was in the midst of avoiding calamity and could not tolerate any unusual phenomena, so he released his grip and sent the boy to check the situation in front of the temple.

The snow fell thicker and thicker, the snowflakes flying everywhere and falling with the cold wind, leaving a thin layer of white in the courtyard. The boy went to the front yard, pushed open the gate, and saw a black-clad boy holding an oil-paper umbrella.

Snowflakes fell on the eaves of the umbrella, scattered like the petals of newly blossoming white plum blossoms.

The boy peeked out and asked a question, to which Chen Ruoan politely bowed and replied.

The child paused for a moment, then nodded quickly, and hurriedly ran towards the backyard, his small steps crunching through the thin snow.

"What happened?"

"A benefactor is passing by."

Black Wind Taoist frowned, and said impatiently, "If he wants water, let him go lick the snow."

"That benefactor neither asked for water nor lodging, but only asked me to pass on a message to you."

"What did you say?"

He said—your calamity has arrived.

"Hmm?" Black Wind Taoist rolled up his Taoist robe and ran towards the main hall.

Lin Zifeng, who was waiting behind the Taoist temple, did not find anyone. After a moment of doubt, he drew his sword and chased after them into the temple.

Black Wind Taoist's face was ashen. He strode into the hall and suddenly raised his hand, slamming it hard on the altar.

Bang!

With a burst of palm force, the statues of the Three Pure Ones sitting high on the altar shattered, their painted exteriors crumbling and falling off, shards of porcelain and clay flying everywhere. But inside the three statues were not real clay figures, but three grayish-blue corpse puppets.

Three corpse puppets sat cross-legged on a high platform, exuding an ominous and eerie aura of death, with an incense burner piled high with ash in front of them.

Chen Ruoan walked into the hall, shook off the snow from the umbrella, closed it, and leaned against the door frame.

The scent of foxes mingled with the stench of corpses.

After watching the meditating corpse puppet for a while, the fox nodded and smiled: "I've heard that when people are scared, they instinctively run to a safe place. So, this is your greatest reliance? Seeing it makes me feel much more at ease."

Black Wind Taoist glanced at the fox ears on Chen Ruoan's head and sneered, "You freak, this is the only time you can be so stubborn. Speak! Why did you come here to cause trouble?"

"In order to help the Taoist priest overcome his tribulation and ascend to the Great Dao as soon as possible."

"Hmph, go!"

At Black Wind Taoist's command, the three corpse puppets, no longer stiff, slowly rose and prepared to pounce down from the stage.

Just as he was about to move, three sword energies as bright as crescent moons shot out from outside the hall, striking the corpse puppet's hard skin and creating a clanging sound like metal colliding with stone.

Lin Zifeng climbed in through the window and landed between Black Wind Taoist and Chen Ruoan.

"Corpse refining?"

Lin Zifeng used the "Wind Scattering Shadows" technique, his body moving like a drifting cloud in the wind, and in an instant appeared behind the Black Wind Taoist. He gathered his long sword and slashed at the back of the old Taoist's neck.

Clang!

Another clanging sound rang out as two corpse puppets crossed their arms and stood guard in front of their master.

"There's something, but not much."

Lin Zifeng infused his longsword with Qi, greatly increasing its power. With a single slash, he sent two corpse puppets flying out of the hall. In the courtyard shrouded in dark clouds, another sinister and menacing black sword aura appeared.

The technique of sword energy—Mo Zhe Shan.

The sword energy condensed into a dark, sharp blade, which resembled a nimble, writhing black python, and coiled around the two corpse puppets.

Lin Zifeng was one of the "Thirty-Six Thieves" who would form a brotherhood in the future valley, and was naturally a leader in the sect. Several sword blades quickly tore apart the stiff, grayish-blue body of the corpse puppet, twisting the corpse body wildly.

Several pools of viscous, dark brown bodily fluids seeped into the white snow on the blue bricks.

"Ah!" Upon seeing this, the arrogant demeanor on Black Wind Taoist's face disappeared. Under the protection of the last corpse puppet, he slowly moved towards the backyard.

Chen Ruoan followed slowly: "Don't be afraid, Daoist. I don't have the skills of that guy outside. The supernatural powers of foxes are very gentle."

"Stop them! Stop them!"

The corpse puppet swung its claws forward, but instead collided with a pill that had unleashed a protective glow. The collision and fluctuation of the corpse energy and the fox's demonic energy caused the demonic cultivator to retreat steadily.

The corpse puppet was useless. Black Wind Taoist knocked down a red pill, stepped forward and exchanged a palm strike with Chen Ruoan, but was instead knocked back several meters.

"Is this calamity truly unavoidable?"

Black Wind sighed inwardly and raised his hand to stop them: "The military officials in this Jiangxi region are my old clients. They command tens of thousands of soldiers. In this world, being good at fighting isn't enough. The puppets I create are made from the enemy's superhumans!"

Chen Ruoan paused, remembering the current situation: "You've gone mad trying to avoid this disaster. Things have changed here a long time ago."

The fox raised its arm, revealing a glimpse of its true form; the enormous shadow of its paw overshadowed the terrified face of the old Taoist priest.

"Wait a minute, wasn't that what we agreed on..."

puff!

When Lin Zifeng rushed to the backyard with his sword, all that remained was a pool of indistinct flesh.

But he paid no heed. He saw a series of faint claw marks imprinted on the snow-covered flagstones, four small, delicate toe pads pressed tightly together, each a narrow, elongated rhombus, followed by an exquisite inverted heart-shaped palm print…

The paw prints were delicate and fragmented, with a touch of exquisite detail.

The fox stood in front of a large vat, washing the bloodstains from its paws with water.

To prevent the blood and qi from arousing his appetite, Chen Ruoan rarely licks up filth such as flesh and blood anymore.

"Young man, your fox form is not auspicious, so you'll probably need to help settle the children here."

Lin Zifeng withdrew his gaze from the paw prints and calmly replied, "Mm."