[Dashing, roguish rogue cultivator Daoist bottom x aloof, beautiful nine-tailed fox demon cultivator top]
Gu Lingyun was a half-blind rogue cultivator with damaged spiritual meridians and no memories.
His reason for seeking a master was refreshingly straightforward: latch onto the powerful Tianfeng Sect, repair his damaged spiritual meridians, and eke out a few more days of life.
But just as he finally made it through the Tianfeng Sect's entrance trials, with only one test left, the elder leading the group suddenly dropped dead, leaving only Gu Lingyun and a recently captured spirit fox with a singed, bald tail staring at each other.
Facing the Tianfeng Sect members who had come to help, Gu Lingyun figured he hadn't just lost his chance to become a disciple. His own life was about to follow the elder, who had just exploded into ash, into the afterlife.
So he had a sudden idea and came up with a rather unreliable, terrible plan.
He'd heard that Elder Su Luan of the Tianfeng Sect practiced Daoism in his demon form, and that his original form was a nine-tailed fox.
Well, they were both foxes. They should be close enough.
So Gu Lingyun swept up the hem of his robe, kowtowed three times to the singed, bald-tailed fox, and cried out in pain, “Master!”
“Are you saying Elder Su Luan is injured?” asked Disciple Number One.
“Yeah, badly. Even his fur is singed,” Gu Lingyun said with a straight face.
“Are you saying Elder Su Luan insisted on taking you as his disciple before he passed out?” asked Disciple Number Two.
“Yeah.” Gu Lingyun held the fox tightly and wouldn't let go. “Master said not to let anyone else touch him, so I should hold him.”
A few days later, the singed fox finally woke in Elder Su Luan's quiet chamber.
As soon as he opened his eyes, Gu Lingyun lunged over and grabbed him by the snout.
“Shh. If you want to live, listen to me.”
The more vicious Gu Lingyun's words became, the more softly he stroked the snout in his hand.
“So, for the sake of our lives, we're in this together now.” Gu Lingyun patted the fox's back. “You remember what Su Luan looks like, right? Turn into him for me.”
The fox's golden eyes flickered. He sighed and changed into human form.
White hair, golden eyes, a face as fair as snow. He looked exactly like Elder Su Luan, whose body had never been found.
Unfortunately, Gu Lingyun had poor eyesight and was half-blind, so he didn't see the complicated emotions in the man's eyes.
“Ah, that'll do for now.” Gu Lingyun narrowed his eyes and studied him for a while, then nodded in satisfaction. “Looks pretty close to me.”
Gu Lingyun had no overbearing master above him and no chattering junior disciples below him. He didn't have to respect his elders or look after the young, and he lived a thoroughly carefree life.
The fox's injuries gradually healed, his singed fur grew back, and he felt softer to the touch every day.
And the fake fox posing as his master somehow became more and more reliable, making it easier each day for Gu Lingyun to call him Master.
It was just that the fox always acted a little strange whenever Gu Lingyun called him Master.
He couldn't put his finger on it. Could this little fox have a crush on me? Gu Lingyun pressed a hand to his pounding heart.
Just as Gu Lingyun had forgotten the troubles of his past and was ready to spend the rest of his life lazing around with his fake master, the Tianfeng Sect's grand ceremony was held as scheduled. While hiding in a corner to watch the excitement, Gu Lingyun spotted a face among the portraits of the sect elders that was identical to his own.
Huh? Who's that? And who am I?
Synopsis updated on November 27, 2025
Theme: Stay true to yourself even when backed into a corner
