My classmates chose martial arts and fantasy, but I chose the prehistoric world.

After Wen Zhong returned, the situation in the court underwent subtle changes.

As a veteran of three dynasties, Wen Zhong enjoyed extremely high prestige in the Shang army and the imperial court, and even Emperor Xin had to show him deference.

His attitude towards Meng Chuan was neither friendly nor hostile—it was more like a neutral stance of "let's observe first and then talk."

Meng Chuan didn't care about this.

He continued to live a leisurely life, occasionally giving Di Xin guidance in his cultivation, occasionally offering a few opinions in court, and occasionally strolling around the city, listening to the gossip of the common people.

Two more months passed like this.

Two months later, something unexpected happened.

On this day, an uninvited guest suddenly arrived at the imperial court.

The newcomer was an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a white Taoist robe, holding a whisk, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom and appearing to be a highly accomplished Taoist master.

He claimed to be from Kunlun Mountain, a disciple of the Chan Sect, and had come to pay homage to the Great King on the orders of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable.

Upon hearing that they were from the Chan Sect, Emperor Xin dared not be negligent and quickly welcomed them into the main hall.

After the old man entered the main hall, he first bowed to Emperor Xin, then looked around, his gaze lingering on Meng Chuan for a moment, a subtle glint of something unusual flashing in his eyes.

"This humble Taoist priest, Yun Zhongzi, greets Your Majesty."

Yun Zhongzi?

Meng Chuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing the name.

In the novel *Investiture of the Gods*, Yun Zhongzi is one of the few relatively upright figures in the Chan Sect.

He once presented a precious sword to King Zhou in his palace, hoping to eliminate the fox demon Daji, but unfortunately, he failed at the last moment.

Unexpectedly, he came to Chaoge at this time.

"May I ask what brings you here, Mr. Chang?"

Di Xin asked.

Yun Zhongzi smiled slightly, took out an ancient-looking longsword from his sleeve, and presented it with both hands: "I have been cultivating in the mountains recently, when I suddenly saw a demonic aura rising into the sky in Chaoge City. I suspect that there must be some evil spirits causing trouble. Therefore, I have come to offer this sword, which can suppress evil spirits."

A demonic aura is rising to the sky?

Upon hearing this, Di Xin's expression changed slightly.

Although he was a king among men, he was still somewhat wary of demons and monsters.

"Are you saying, Daoist Master, that there are monsters in my palace?"

"Exactly."

Yun Zhongzi nodded and said, "This demon is quite powerful. If we don't get rid of him soon, it may be detrimental to the Shang Dynasty."

Di Xin pondered for a moment, then looked at Meng Chuan: "What does Teacher think?"

Meng Chuan walked out from the corner, took the long sword, weighed it in his hand, and then casually tossed it back to Yun Zhongzi.

"It's a fine sword, but unfortunately, it's useless."

Yun Zhongzi frowned: "What do you mean by that, fellow Daoist?"

"That means—"

Meng Chuan clapped his hands, his tone casual, "I know who that monster you're talking about is. She is indeed in the palace, and she is indeed a monster. But she has no intention of harming anyone; on the contrary, she has been kind to the king."

These words shocked the entire hall.

Di Xin's eyes widened even more: "Teacher, what did you say? There's a demon in my palace, and it's even done me a favor?"

"That's right."

Meng Chuan looked at him, his gaze meaningful, "Does Your Majesty still remember the white fox you encountered in the back garden three months ago?"

Di Xin was taken aback, then suddenly remembered something.

Three months ago, he did encounter a white fox while taking a walk in his back garden. The white fox was pure white with exceptionally bright eyes. When it saw him, it was not afraid at all; instead, it came up to him and rubbed against his feet.

He felt that the fox was quite intelligent, so he didn't have anyone drive it away and even fed it a piece of pastry.

Later, the white fox often appeared in the back garden to keep him company.

"That white fox...is it a monster?"

Di Xin found it hard to believe.

"It's a demon, but not an evil one."

Meng Chuan explained, "She was originally a fox demon who had cultivated for a thousand years on Mount Qingqiu. Because she admired Your Majesty's demeanor, she transformed into her original form to get close to you. She never harmed Your Majesty; on the contrary, she secretly protected you several times—Does Your Majesty remember last month when you were reviewing memorials in the Imperial Study and suddenly felt dizzy, and then felt better?"

Di Xin nodded: "I remember. At the time, I thought it was because I was too tired."

"It wasn't fatigue; someone poisoned the tea, and you smelled it."

Meng Chuan said calmly, "It was that white fox who secretly switched the poison. The king didn't drink it, which is why he was spared."

Di Xin's face turned deathly pale.

He never imagined that he would have a brush with death.

"This...how is this possible? The tea and snacks in the palace are all tested for poison by designated personnel..."

"The people who tested the poison were also bribed."

Meng Chuan interrupted him, "Does Your Majesty think this palace is truly impenetrable? There are countless eyes watching you from corners you don't know about."

Di Xin remained silent.

He sat on the throne, his expression shifting, and remained silent for a long time.

Yun Zhongzi, listening from the side, frowned deeply and couldn't help but speak up: "Fellow Daoist, even if that fox demon is of some help to the King's safety, she is still a demon. The nature of demons is unpredictable; she may be harmless today, but not necessarily tomorrow. In my humble opinion, it is best to eliminate her as soon as possible."

Meng Chuan glanced at him, his tone indifferent: "Fellow Daoist Yun Zhongzi, I have a question for you—does your Chan Sect have any disciples of demon race origin?"

Yun Zhongzi was taken aback, and hesitated before saying, "This..."

"As far as I know, the Chan Sect does not accept those who are different from the crowd."

Meng Chuan answered for him, "But the Jie Sect teaches without discrimination, and all immortals come to pay homage. Do you think that demons should necessarily be killed?"

After a moment of silence, Yun Zhongzi slowly said, "This humble Taoist does not advocate the indiscriminate killing of innocent people, but..."

"Just what?"

Meng Chuan interrupted him, "Just because you saw 'demonic energy soaring to the sky,' you assume it must be a scourge? Have you ever considered that perhaps that demonic energy isn't malicious, but rather it's her way of protecting those she wants to protect?"

Yun Zhongzi was speechless.

The main hall was completely silent.

After a long silence, Di Xin finally spoke: "Teacher, in your opinion, how should I deal with that white fox?"

"It's very simple."

Meng Chuan said, "If Your Majesty trusts me, then entrust this matter to me."

Di Xin nodded without hesitation: "Alright! Then I'll leave it to you, teacher."

Seeing that things had come to this point, Yun Zhongzi could not say anything more and had to take his leave.

Before leaving, he gave Meng Chuan a deep look and said meaningfully, "Fellow Daoist, let me give you a piece of advice—some things are not as simple as you think. Getting too involved will not do you any good."

Meng Chuan smiled slightly: "Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist. However, I have a quirk—the more I'm forbidden from doing something, the more I want to do it."

Yun Zhongzi shook his head, sighed, and turned to leave.

……

That night, Meng Chuan went to the back garden.

The moonlight, like water, spilled onto the flowers, plants, and trees in the garden, giving them a silvery-white sheen.

Meng Chuan walked to an old locust tree, stopped, and said softly, "Come out."

A moment later, a pure white fox emerged from the bushes.

It walked up to Meng Chuan, raised its head, and looked at him with a pair of bright eyes, which even showed a hint of gratitude.

Meng Chuan squatted down and reached out to stroke its head: "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The white fox gently rubbed against his palm, letting out a low whimper.

"You like the King, don't you?"

The white fox's body trembled slightly, then it slowly nodded.

Meng Chuan smiled: "Then stay by his side. With me here, no one can hurt you."

A glint of light flashed in the white fox's eyes. Then it took two steps back, bowed deeply to Meng Chuan, and disappeared into the night.

Meng Chuan stood up, gazing intently in the direction it had disappeared.

He knew that the appearance of this white fox meant that an important juncture in the Investiture of the Gods was about to arrive.

In the original history, it was the fox spirit Daji who bewitched King Zhou, leading to the downfall of the Shang Dynasty.

But in this world, everything is different.

"Daji..."

Meng Chuan murmured the name.