Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 165 The White Fox Meets a Wall

Xiao Er and Ding Zimo studied together, and the Zhao and Ding families were also on good terms. They were not only childhood sweethearts, but the two sides also had feelings for each other. Unfortunately, Zhao Wang was determined to marry his daughter to a wealthy family, and Ding Zimo's marriage proposal failed back then, so Zhao Wang had to take full responsibility.

Fortunately, Zhao Wang's intention was not to sell his daughter. He genuinely had high standards for his son-in-law and would not do something as despicable as marrying his daughter to a man older than himself for money. Ding Zimo did not succeed back then, but now he is a scholar and only eighteen years old. At this age and with his knowledge, he has a lot of room for advancement.

But these facts alone do not mean that he felt no sense of crisis when he saw Xiao Er interacting with a man who looked to be about his age but had already taken up an official post.

Even if she's not human, it won't work. With Xiao Er's talent for cultivation, she can go very far on this path if she wants to. Zhao Wang himself has also come into contact with a lot of strange spells. Regardless of whether they are good or bad, his horizons have really broadened. Because of this experience, it's not impossible for Zhao Wang to expand the range of potential sons-in-law.

"After Mu Longjun recommended me to be the City God, he left. Now, I don't know if he has found the escaped little dragon, and I don't know where to repay his kindness."

Meanwhile, Xiao Er and Wang Liulang were already chatting. After becoming a water ghost, Wang Liulang had been in contact with monsters in the rivers and lakes. Occasionally, fishermen who were not afraid of water ghosts would chat with him. There were so many things to talk about.

Xiao Er, on the other hand, received a different education from a young age. In an era where daughters were expected to stay at home, even if they learned to read and write poetry, they would only learn from specialized books. Zhao Wang made her go to school with her brother and study various poetry and classics with the boys. Because of this different exposure to different things, her personality and behavior were also different from those of ordinary girls.

If we follow the original story, Xiao Er would still become the leader's confidant and be in charge of military affairs after joining the White Lotus Sect, which shows her special status.

Among most girls, Xiao Er is different from others; among the many City Gods, Wang Liulang is also an outlier. Coupled with their lively and cheerful personalities, the two of them have now almost become close friends.

It was only after getting closer that Ding Ziming realized that the young man was actually the City God of a nearby town. No wonder his official robes were so magnificent. Ding Ziming couldn't figure out his official rank, but the robes looked familiar.

It doesn't look familiar, you can see something similar if you just look up when you enter the City God Temple.

The City God's official robes are actually quite distinctive, but Wang Liulang looks too small and doesn't have much of an imposing presence, so when people see him, they don't immediately notice his iconic City God attire.

Ding Ziming remembered that when Shu Longqin was leaving, she said that there were officials from the underworld to help. If she saw that the place was haunted, she should not be afraid. The yin energy here was heavy, and it was possible that the ghost messengers or something similar had appeared unexpectedly.

Then, everyone's attention involuntarily drifted to Shuangxiu, Ninth Prince, Qingyangzi and others. After all, not everyone can easily see ghosts, and Ding Ziming also forgot about them.

However, this City God looks too young. He seems to be... no, he looks even younger than me. He seems to be about the same age as Xiao Er.

But he just said he used to be a water ghost, and he drowned at such a young age...

"Waiter, your wife is looking for you."

After her initial reaction, Ding Ziming didn't forget why she had come to find Xiao Er.

"My sister-in-law is looking for me? Oh right, I came here to look for something!"

I remember now, she came here to look for something, and then went back to continue tidying up, but she forgot about it while chatting with Wang Liulang.

There's no way around it; the journey from water ghost to City God is too dramatic. Anyone who's encountered such a situation wouldn't want to hear more. Moreover, Wang Liulang knows other innate beings and has even seen the giant turtle that was slain by the Ten Thousand Calamities Slaughter. He has witnessed the beginning of the White Lotus Sect's current state.

Even now, the giant turtle's head still hangs somewhere, used to demonstrate the power of the Asura King. When Wang Liulang slew the giant turtle with a single blow, he was in the water at that time.

Then, when he became the City God, the town he was in charge of was actually near the White Lotus Sect's headquarters. Even though he couldn't stop it from happening, he was still one of the witnesses to how the White Lotus Sect developed.

"...Water spirit?"

The Ninth Prince glanced at the Little City God in the distance; he had already noticed that the other was looking in their direction.

"No, according to Jianzi, he was originally a water ghost."

How come even the Ninth Prince thinks Wang Liulang is a water spirit, and Mu Longjun recommends him? Could it be that the two are actually of the same race?

"Currently, Qingyangzi and Jingtaojun have released the demons of various races who were captured; those who intend to leave the White Lotus Sect will also be guaranteed safe departure. The only troublesome place is the government."

The White Lotus Sect was a folk cult. Those who joined were labeled as bandits. The government would turn a blind eye to those who lived normal lives or were wealthy and powerful. However, those in the local area had deep connections.

When the government cracks down on these bandits, it's always a major operation. If these people want to get rid of their "bandit" status, they either have to pay a lot of money for bail or find a way to "clean up their identity." Ultimately, it all comes down to power and wealth.

This time, Liu Qingyuan didn't have much contact with the government. The stories in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio mainly focus on the love and hatred between humans and demons. High-ranking officials and the emperor are just tools in the stories. In addition, they don't have many needs. Apart from the matter of Imperial Censor Wang and some local government offices, they really don't have any connections with the government.

Although the scholars who are the main characters in the stories of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio pass the imperial examinations with an unusually high frequency, and given the current network of connections of the people in the mortal world, it is possible that half of the officials in the future will be these main characters, that is in the future, not now, and the fastest will have to wait several more years to become an official.

It wasn't that I wanted the government to let the White Lotus Sect go; it was because this group was too complex. Some joined voluntarily, some were bewitched, some were fugitives who had killed people before, and some were deceived and couldn't escape.

They won't bother with the truly evil people, but those who were tricked into joining but haven't yet committed evil deeds still have a sliver of hope for redemption.

Take Zhao Wang's family as an example. If you look closely, they don't have any heinous crimes on their hands. The most serious one might be that Xiao Er was tricked by Yi Yang into setting up the Spirit Interception Array.

However, I don't have any acquaintances in the local government, so I have to make connections on the spot.

……

"I heard there's been a monster in town lately."

"monster?"

"Yes, they say there's a beautiful woman who appears and disappears like a ghost. She was in the west of the city at noon, and a quarter of an hour later someone saw her in the east of the city. What kind of person can run that fast? What else could she be but a monster?"

Those who heard this couldn't help but stop and listen with furrowed brows to the conversation about the monster. She was very beautiful, with a stunning appearance, but her expression was as cold as ice, giving off an air of unapproachability.

She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, but judging from her clothes and appearance, she probably wasn't married yet.

Hearing her neighbors talking about ghosts, she quickened her pace home. The first thing she did upon arriving was to check the windows and door locks to ensure that they would be tightly closed at night to prevent any outside intrusion.

Then, the woman started rummaging through drawers and cabinets, as if looking for something, but in the end she only found a dagger. She held it up and gestured with it in the air a few times, but then felt it wasn't appropriate and put the dagger back.

"What is this doing?"

An old woman came out of the house and saw her daughter standing still in one place, which made her curious.

"It's nothing, we're just missing a knife and a ruler."

The woman's expression softened somewhat.

"I'll go borrow it from the neighbor across the street later, Mom. Make sure to close the doors and windows when you sleep these next few days. People around here are saying there are monsters in the city."

Because her mother has hearing problems, the woman spoke louder, making her appear slightly more lively than when she was outside.

“Our house is bare, what is there to steal?”

"It's not thieves causing trouble, it's monsters."

The woman gave a reminder, then went out to borrow a knife and ruler from her neighbor across the hall. She and her daughter depended on each other for survival, while the neighbor across the hall was an orphan and a widow. Both families had their own difficulties and usually helped each other out.

The old lady across the street was particularly anxious because her son was still unmarried. When such a beautiful young woman came to her door seeking help, she was extremely happy to lend a hand.

This widow and her child were the well-known Gu family in town. Gu Sheng was a talented scholar who should have been highly sought after, but unfortunately, his family was too poor and no girl was willing to live with him. So, at twenty-five years old, he was still unmarried, which would be considered an "older single man" in this era.

What's quite a coincidence is that the mother and daughter who live across the street are also unmarried at eighteen or nineteen, which is also considered unusual in this era.

Everyone knew that Gu Sheng's wife was extremely poor, but no one knew why she didn't get married for so long.

Although her family was very poor, and because there was no man in the family, the mother and daughter moved in from outside. They had no land, the house was rented, and money and income were problems. But the girl was beautiful. Even though she always had a stern face, she was still gorgeous and charming. It didn't matter that such a beautiful woman's family was poor. Some people even thought that her family's poverty was exactly what they wanted.

It's quite a strange story that two families, so similar yet so dissimilar, live across from each other in peace.

"They only said there was a poor scholar, but it turns out there was also a beautiful bride."

The white fox, hiding in the shadows, watched the two families. He had previously said he would target that poor scholar surnamed Gu, but now he had changed his mind. This cold beauty was not bad either. Besides, he was now using Feng San Niang's appearance, so he naturally had to do what Feng San Niang liked.

Moreover, this beauty seems quite extraordinary; she likely possesses some foundation in cultivation, though not strong, remaining within the realm of mortals. Such a person is far better than that poor scholar.

Gu Sheng had heard about the monster in town, but he didn't really believe it. There were far too many exaggerated and fabricated stories about supernatural phenomena.

When he returned home, he saw an extremely beautiful girl coming out of his mother's room. When she saw him, she did not avoid him like an ordinary woman would, but left with a stern face.

"who is she?"

Gu Sheng had never seen such a beautiful girl before, and couldn't help but ask his mother inside the house.

"She's the girl who lives across the hall from us. She came to borrow a knife and ruler from me."

The Gu family was poor. Gu Sheng made a living by writing books and painting for others. He always went out in a hurry and never met his neighbor across the hall.

I'd heard people say the girl across the street was beautiful, but I never imagined she was this beautiful.

"She doesn't look like a girl from a poor family, and I don't know why she came here."

Judging from the woman's speech, Gu's mother concluded that she was not a daughter born into a poor family. Since there were no men in her family, she suspected that her family had suffered a calamity, leaving only this unfortunate mother and daughter.

The most likely reason for her son not being married at this age is that he has been delayed by certain things. Gu's mother had asked about it, and the answer she received was that a woman should be filial to her elderly mother. She felt that if the other party's demands were not high, her son could marry the other party and help her support her elderly mother.

While the two women were considering how to talk to their neighbor about this matter another day, the woman on the other side stepped out of her door and saw a beautiful young girl walking straight towards her.

Intuition told her something was wrong, so the woman quickened her pace and headed home. She was about to enter her house when, unfortunately, the person opposite her was no ordinary person either; he had already come up in front of her.

The girl looked so pitiful that no one could bear to speak harshly to her.

"Sister, I'm visiting relatives, but I've gotten lost..."

"boom!"

Unfortunately, this was no ordinary girl. The woman seized the opportunity and opened, entered, and closed the door with a series of smooth movements. Before the girl could finish speaking, only the door was left in front of her.

The opponent's combo was so smooth that the girl almost lost her composure. She'd seen lecherous men pounce on her before, and she'd seen people remain indifferent, but what was this guy trying to avoid at all costs? Was his face that scary?

It was definitely not scary. The white fox was using Feng San Niang's human form. Feng San Niang was a very famous beauty in her hometown. The other party ran so fast that the white fox almost thought its tail or ears had been exposed.

"Sister, I mean no harm, I'm just completely unfamiliar with this place, and it's getting dark soon, please help me..."

"Click."

If I'm not mistaken, that's the sound of a lock being closed inside. Immediately following that are the sounds of footsteps fading into the distance; if I'm not mistaken, the other person is now closing and locking the window.

The fox demon's ears were incredibly sharp. From the sounds he heard, it was clear that the other side was treating him like a monster by locking the doors and windows.

"……good very good."

The last time he was this enraged was when he ruthlessly cut off his tail to escape from Feng San Niang. This beauty probably saw through his disguise; she has excellent eyesight, and her actions are even more impressive.

Originally, he only wanted to smear Feng San Niang, but now, another one has made the white fox suffer. He can't beat Feng San Niang, and he can't afford to offend that golden-haired immortal, but can't he handle a mortal woman like you?

Gu Sheng heard some strange noises and came out of his house. He looked around but saw nothing. The only change was that there were a few claw marks on his neighbor's door across the street, which looked like they had been scratched by some animal.

Stray cats had been seen in the area, so no one paid attention to the scratches. The woman, who had locked the doors and windows, was still not at ease and took out the dagger she had found earlier.

This thing is no good for cutting vegetables, but it's barely usable for self-defense. I just heard about monsters, and now this has actually appeared.