Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person.

Look, I've altered the carvings on the stone wall; it was all thanks to Yin Wugensheng.

Snapped!

Chen Ruoan pressed his hand on the bluestone, where the winding and changing patterns formed a brand new design.

"Emperor?" Gu Qiting was deeply puzzled. Why did this elf, who had become famous in battle, seem to be ignoring him, as if he was always thinking?

The fox was certainly thinking about how to leave behind a way to allow Wei Shufen to go to the future, but going further back would mean erasing the fact that she was dead. But how could that be done?

Before reaching the crucial junctures that would impact the past, Chen Ruoan seemed to have countless prerequisites to set.

"Use your fox brain and think about what useful information is still available in this world!" Chen Ruoan pressed his index fingers on the top of his head, thinking like "Ikkyu-san".

"Your Majesty?" Gu Jiting reached out his hand.

"Can you please stop bothering me?!"

After the fox finished snarling Gu Jiting, it stared at the man in front of it and suddenly remembered something.

In the long course of evolution, humankind has indeed found loopholes in the rules of nature and made full use of them.

Throughout history, there has indeed been a figure who repeatedly defied the will of Heaven and committed acts of deceit, yet still emerged victorious in most of these struggles.

His memorial before the expedition truly made him famous throughout the ages; who else throughout the ages can rival him? — Zhuge Liang, the Marquis of Wu.

It is said that Zhuge Liang once planned to gather fifteen sacrificial offerings that corresponded to the Three Wonders and Six Instruments, hoping to gain heavenly power through this formation, but unfortunately, he failed in the end.

"If you can't reach the heavens, you can still deceive them."

"I think I've seen a glimmer of hope." Once everything is arranged, becoming an immortal will be the final step. What a damned karmic entanglement! I haven't lost yet, or at least not too badly.

Chapter 199 Giving the Little Cabinet a Shocking Strike

Despite his exhaustion, Chen Ruoan set off towards Lanxi, Zhejiang, following the north wind. He encountered some trouble along the way, and due to the losses in the valley, he did not arrive until early summer of 1937.

The plum rains in Lanxi have just stopped. The white walls and black tiles of Zhuge Village are wet and shiny. The clear water of Zhongchi Pond reflects the sky, and the drying ground on half of the pond is deserted.

The layout of this village conforms to the principles of Qimen Dunjia (a Chinese divination system), with narrow alleys winding like a maze, making it easy to get lost if one is not careful.

Of course, this meant nothing to the flying fox; Chen Ruoan spotted an extremely secluded house.

The courtyard was small, paved with blue bricks, and a cluster of gardenias in the corner was in full bloom, exuding a rich fragrance. Zhuge Yunhui, dressed in a gray cloth robe, stood with his hands behind his back beside a stone table. Tian Xiaodie, with her hair in braids and beads of sweat on her forehead, followed his instructions step by step according to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) positions.

Although the girl's figure was still young, it already showed signs of skill and grace.

"According to the rules of the Wuhou School, Qimen is passed down to men, and Shenji is passed down to women—this is a theorem that has remained unchanged for thousands of years." Chen Ruoan appeared under the peach tree by the courtyard wall at some point.

The man and woman in the courtyard turned their heads almost simultaneously, their gazes sweeping over them like sharp blades. Zhuge Yunhui didn't argue, but simply shielded Tian Xiaodie behind him.

"This courtyard is well hidden, with a mysterious layout all around. Nothing escapes my notice. How did this guy get in?"

Zhuge Bagua Village is far from the flames of war, and the Wuhou Sect is used to living in seclusion. Although the younger generation in the sect has heard of the legends of the Northeast, they do not recognize Chen Ruoan's appearance.

"Is there something important you need me for?"

If the elders of the clan find out that Zhuge Yunhui has violated the rules of his sect, he will not only be punished, but his marriage to Xiaodie will also be called off.

"Don't be nervous, I have no intention of messing things up for you."

As the saying goes, "It's better to destroy a temple than to ruin a marriage," especially since Chen Ruoan has also contracted the business of matchmaking, she really can't do something that would damage her own reputation.

"The road to Bagua Village is too difficult to travel. Please trouble the two of you and the Wuhou Sect leader to inform Chen Ruoan of the Taishan Yaoyue Tower that he has a request."

Tian Xiaodie had heard this name before and whispered a few words in Zhuge Yunhui's ear.

"I understand, Mr. Chen, this way please."

Led by Zhuge Yunhui, Chen Ruoan walked through the maze-like narrow alleys of Bagua Village. The bluestone path became increasingly quiet, with tall white walls on both sides and occasional vines hanging down from the top of the walls.

“Mr. Chen, the current person in charge of the sect is my grandfather, Zhuge Yi,” Zhuge Yunhui said as he walked. “These past few days, a few people from the island nation have come, which has caused him a lot of worry.”

"May I ask what it is?"

"Master Yi will convene a family meeting to discuss this in the next few days."

“I see.” Chen Ruoan responded, silently memorizing the layout along the way. Every corner and every well here subtly conformed to the principles of the Nine Palaces. Without a guide, it would be very easy to get lost.

As you walk to the end of the street, an ancient mansion comes into view.

The lintel is not high, but it exudes a heavy and imposing presence, and the stone lions on both sides are smoothed by the passage of time.

As soon as Chen Ruoan arrived at the gate, he saw several men in sharp suits walk out of the mansion. They didn't need to walk through the narrow alley, and without trying to avoid being seen, they openly flew away using some kind of mechanical wings.

"A mechanic?" the fox asked.

"They're sons of bitches, those Japanese devils!" Zhuge Yunhui cursed, clenching his fist.

Chen Ruoan crossed the threshold, went around the screen wall, and met Zhuge Yi in the main hall.

The man was in his fifties, lean and wiry, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. He was sitting in a grand chair, rubbing his temples, his brows furrowed with worry.

"Master Yi, we have a guest."

Zhuge Yi glanced at Chen Ruoan, forced a smile, and waved for her to sit down. The smile, however, accentuated the wrinkles on his face, revealing a hint of weariness.

"Spirit of Mount Tai, I really didn't want to meet you at a time like this," Zhuge Yi sighed.

"It seems I've arrived at the wrong time. Has the Wuhou Sect encountered some difficulties?"

"The Tanaka family of Gunma Prefecture," Zhuge Yi announced, referring to a Japanese family-style school of martial arts.

This is Japan's most representative family of traditional mechanical dolls, now run by the eighth generation descendant, Takamasa Hisashige. The technology originates from the Edo period's "Kiki-zusho" (Illustrated Compendium of Mechanical Artifacts), and the family is famous for its various kinds of automata dolls made of children.

"The Tanaka family has their eyes on the Wuhou School's divine machine blueprints. Under the guise of technical exchange, they have arranged a competition. If we lose, all of the Wuhou divine machines will be handed over to them."

Zhuge Yunhui was taken aback, then slammed his hand on the table and said, "Is this what troubles Master Yi? What's so bothersome about it? We'll play along. Do you think our Martial Marquis Divine Strategist can possibly lose?"

"Yunhui, how much do you know about Shenji?"

"Exquisitely crafted!"

"And what do you know about the Tanaka family, who serve the military? Do you really think this is just a simple competition?"

"Master Yi, what are you going to do? Our family secrets, are we really going to let them fall into the hands of the Japanese invaders?"

"This is my plan." Before the flames of war spread to Bagua Village, Zhuge Yi had already calculated everything, paying an extremely heavy price.

By offering up the divine weapon of Zhuge Liang, the Japanese will not pay much attention to the village. The planes will drop bombs sporadically, destroying some houses and causing a small number of casualties. However, due to the village's unique layout, ground troops will not be able to enter the village on a large scale, and the villagers will be spared.

"The sorcerer seeks advantage and avoids harm; this is the most perfect solution to preserve the village."

"Furthermore, the Zhuge family has moved many times, and less than one-tenth of the blueprints and key points of Zhuge Liang's Divine Strategy remain. What is left behind is not a great loss even if it is released. The ultimate skill is gone, but at least the person is still alive."

The hall was eerily quiet. Zhuge Yunhui stood to one side, his face ashen, his lips moving a few times, but he ultimately remained silent.

"The Eastern Peak Demon-Slaying Emperor, this is a title earned in the Northeast battlefield. Mr. Chen, you must find me ridiculous." Zhuge Yi gave a bitter smile. "You are greedy for life and afraid of death, disgracing your ancestors."

"But I had no choice; the wounded Tanaka family would become the army's guide."

Not long after the disaster at Mianshan, coupled with the fatigue of the journey, Chen Ruoan was in a very bad mood. This was probably the most unstable moment in the fox's entire life.

Whoosh!

Chen Ruoan grabbed Zhuge Yi by the collar, and the teacups and teapots on the table, meant for guests, shattered all over the floor.

"Before Zhuge Liang emerged from seclusion, he had already deduced his own fate in Longzhong. He launched six expeditions to Qishan, nine campaigns against the Central Plains, and his star fell at Wuzhangyuan. No one understood the art of seeking advantage and avoiding harm better than a diviner, yet he still left that thatched hut."

"why?"

"To do something even when you know it's impossible for a world that's beyond saving—that's the spirit of Zhuge Liang. And now, are the descendants of Zhuge Liang really going to hand over what their ancestors left behind? What guarantees that those brilliant strategies developed during wartime won't end up on the battlefield?"

Hey!

Zhuge Yi planted one foot firmly in the center of the room, and the ever-rotating Qimen Dunjia formation was set up in the hall. Before he could even utter the "Kun" mantra, the feeling of suffocation in Zhuge Yi's throat grew stronger.

Chen Ruoan's mouth seemed to grow long and narrow, revealing sharp teeth, and his yin energy surged: "A sorcerer can predict the future, guess what I'm going to do next?"

"I···"

Zhuge Yi dared not use any tricks. He tremblingly raised his hand to calculate, but the divination he had in mind was extremely chaotic and impossible to interpret.

"The past cannot be undone, but the future can be changed." The sorcerers regard this as a truth. A person's fate carries enormous weight, and its impact on the future is almost a matter of a single thought. Zhuge Yi's life or death hangs in the balance on the fox's whim!

Snapped!

Chen Ruoan released his grip, and Zhuge Yi collapsed to the ground, rubbing his throat and coughing incessantly.

Cough cough cough cough...

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze, as if frost had fallen.

Chen Ruoan turned around and stepped into the courtyard. A hot breeze blew, and the fox remembered that he had come to ask for a favor.

He was truly blinded by anger. Although his words came from the bottom of his heart, he had offended the leader of the Wuhou Sect. Now, it would be extremely difficult for him to ask for the formation back.

As for murder and robbery, that doesn't fit the nature of a fox.

Just as I was pondering this, I heard footsteps behind me.

Zhuge Yunhui and Tian Xiaodie chased after them side by side.

“Mr. Chen.” Zhuge Yunhui clasped his hands in a salute. The young man’s brows still held a hint of indignation, but he tried his best to keep his tone calm. “You may think I am young and inexperienced and acting impulsively. But I know in my heart that you are right.”

"To believe the one-sided story of those evil Japanese devils is no different from digging one's own grave. Countless lessons of blood and tears have already been taught, and I don't want the Wuhou Sect to stumble on such a matter and earn eternal infamy!"

"I only hate... I hate that I am too weak to bear the responsibility for the lives of hundreds of people in this village!"

Tian Xiaodie, standing to the side, frowned, her clear eyes swirling with resentment.

This young woman's expertise in divination and divination was said to far surpass that of Zhuge Yunhui, and her words at this moment were even more incisive:

"I don't think the Divine Machine of Marquis Wu will lose. Teaching us to be cowardly before the battle even begins and to throw a fixed match is utterly disgusting. Now they're even handing over their ancestral blueprints, and to those Japanese pirates who slaughtered my compatriots no less! What kind of logic is this?"

That sounds plausible.

The fox felt a surge of admiration for the two young people.

Chen Ruoan scrutinized Zhuge Yunhui and asked, "Besides this matter, you also harbor dissatisfaction with some of the remaining rules of the Wuhou Sect, right?"

Yunhui nodded.

The most typical example is the saying "Qimen is passed down to men, and Shenji is passed down to women," which is utter nonsense. Shouldn't the inheritance of skills focus more on talent and interest?

Who says women can't like divination and men can't like mechanical dolls?

Hey~