Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

A bright red border tugged at the precious document, and the red satin among the branches and leaves swayed in the wind.

After making a wish, a pale purple aura slowly enveloped the fox's body.

Chen Ruoan opened her eyes. Zhang Zhiwei was meditating in the forest. The spring night before and after the Awakening of Insects still carried the chill of winter. The cold moon bathed the forest, and frost covered the ground.

An fox curled up under an ancient pine tree, its ears trembling slightly and its breath coming in short gasps.

With its eyes half-closed, it exhaled and inhaled, and the clear Qi of the forest, like a wisp of silk, emerged from the dew on the grass and trees, penetrating its seven orifices. The cool and comfortable sensation almost made it hum softly.

Chen Ruoan has obtained Qi.

The fox's tail swayed gently, its jet-black fur covered in a faint golden glow, and the spiritual energy of the night slowly gathered in its "dantian"—

It's probably the dantian.

The Wishing Tree told Chen Ruoan that whether it is a fox demon, a wolf monster, or a flower fairy, as long as they follow the path of absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and cultivating to take human form, they will imitate the cultivation system of the extraordinary people and condense a "sea of ​​qi" in their abdomen to store the refined innate qi.

"Finally, I've obtained Qi."

Compared to the intelligent wild fox, Chen Ruoan should now call himself an "elf".

Chen Ruoan leaped onto a branch and absorbed the moonlight.

After obtaining the Qi, the frail fox body became much stronger.

In addition, the Wishing Tree also responds with two basic protective methods to serve as a means of survival on the path of cultivation: one is called "Demon Wind," and the other is called "Foxfire."

The "evil wind" was a skill of foxes. Chen Ruoan stood on a branch, opened his mouth and called out, and a cold wind immediately swept through the quiet forest.

An evil wind blew into Zhang Zhiwei's Taoist robe, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He simply used golden light to protect his whole body and continued to nourish his life.

Chen Ruoan then used his Qi to ignite three dark blue spiritual flames on the fox's body.

Ancient books record that foxfire burns away impurities, not grass or trees, but only evil spirits and turbid breath, and can also dispel epidemics and purify poisonous insects.

Of course, there are no evil spirits or ghosts in front of us, only a Taoist priest with extraordinary strength. The effectiveness of the foxfire can only be tested on some evil objects in the future.

"Although I didn't draw the Transformation Technique, the future is still promising."

After testing his supernatural powers, Chen Ruoan jumped down from the branch with satisfaction, found a large tree to shelter from the wind, curled up into a ball, covered his eyes with his fluffy tail, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, the man and the fox traveled east and north, and before they knew it, they had reached the border between Jiangxi and Anhui provinces.

Chen Ruoan looked up and saw a lifeless village in the distance. Dark yellow cloth strips were hung between two old poplar trees outside the village monument, creating an eerie atmosphere that kept outsiders away.

At the west end of the village was a dilapidated little temple. There were no gods or immortals enshrined in the temple, but there were a few sticks of incense and a few plates of fruit on the altar.

"I'm going to the village to find some odd jobs, and I'll stay here tonight."

Aside from slaying demons and protecting himself, Zhang Jingqing forbade Zhang Zhiwei from using supernatural methods. Along the way, Zhang Zhiwei relied solely on his strength to earn money for travel and food. When passing through bustling areas, he would occasionally set up a fortune-telling stall under an overpass.

"I'm going to collect bird eggs to improve our meals."

"It must be great to be a fox."

"Why don't you give it a try?"

"Heh." Zhang Zhiwei walked out, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Just as Chen Ruoan was about to leave, footsteps suddenly came from outside the temple. It quickly hid behind the temple's altar and pricked up its pointed ears.

Then someone came in, and the bowls and plates clinked together. The person who came to pray for blessings had laid out several plates of dried fruit, plus a roast chicken.

Foxes are naturally greedy, and An Fox was immediately drawn in by the aroma. He secretly glanced at it and saw that the roast chicken had a reddish-brown skin, which looked plump and juicy. He thought that if he took a bite, the chicken would probably sizzle with oil!

Just as their mouths were watering with anticipation, the man suddenly knelt down, kowtowing and praying, "Great Immortal, please bless Jinxi Village so that it may soon overcome this plague!"

Epidemic?

Chen Ruoan's heart skipped a beat. She remembered the yellow paper seal on the stone tablet at the village entrance and realized that the village had been afflicted by an epidemic.

"Speaking of which, my foxfire happens to be able to ward off plagues."

The moment I unlocked this new supernatural power, business opportunities came knocking on my door.

Chen Ruoan's eyes flickered, his greedy expression vanishing. He first blew a gust of cold wind, then his ethereal voice echoed from the rafters: "Mortal mortals, knowing to seek immortality, why do you only prepare meager gifts, lacking sincerity?"

The visitor, never expecting the immortal to actually appear, was greatly alarmed upon hearing the sound and immediately prostrated himself, saying, "Immortal, please forgive me!"

Chen Ruoan jumped onto the altar and looked down at the people below. He saw that the person who came was an old man. Perhaps he had read books, because he even tried to use some literary language.

"Disease is rampant in the village. In order to save their loved ones, the villagers have become destitute. But this roast chicken and dried fruit are offered with sincere hearts. I hope the Great Immortal will have mercy on us."

Chen Ruoan sat up straight, no longer pretending.

"Get up, I'm not teasing you anymore."

"If I can save your village from this calamity, how about adding a chicken to your meal?"

Even including Zhang Zhiwei, one isn't enough to eat.

Hey, can a Taoist priest from the Zhengyi sect win at PUBG?

"Add a chicken? No problem, no problem..."

The old man responded, then boldly looked up and saw clearly the black fox on the altar.

"Great Immortal, you were originally a fox spirit!"

"Your village doesn't even know the gods and Buddhas you worship?"

The old man smiled awkwardly. Over the years, he had struggled to survive and had no idea what ghosts, gods, or Buddhas had left in the village. The temple was left standing only to give the villagers who had suffered a loss something to remember him by.

Chen Ruoan continued to inquire about the situation in the village: "How many people are sick?"

"Of the 32 households and 93 people in Jinxi Village, far more than half are sick."

"More than fifty..."

Chen Ruoan's fox ears drooped. With so many people, even if the foxfire could burn them, the meager amount of Qi in his dantian wouldn't be enough to sustain it.

It glanced at the roast chicken on the offering table once more.

Forget it, saving lives in an emergency is good for accumulating merit, let's give it our all!

"Take me to see it."

"Fox Spirit, this way please."

The old man led the way, and Chen Ruoan took the opportunity of going to the village to ask more details.

It turns out that Jinxi Village was truly facing a double whammy. A severe drought had led to a poor harvest, and not only were there no food supplies, but the 32 households relied on an old well in the village center for drinking water, which was now also ravaged by disease…

"Fox Spirit, thank goodness you appeared. A traveling doctor came to the village today, claiming he could cure the illness, but the price of his medicine was truly outrageous. I reckon even if he's cured, he'll still drain the village clean."

"Luckily, I managed to scrape together the money to set up the offerings!"

Chen Ruoan glanced to the side and said, "Old man, your thinking is wrong."

If you're sick, go see a doctor!

The old man scratched his head and chuckled, "Isn't it you, fox spirit, who have appeared to me?"

"What if I weren't there?"

"We'll just eat the roast chicken ourselves; it's better to eat the offerings so they won't go to waste."

「···」

Chen Ruoan was speechless. He looked up at the sky and saw wisps of fate hanging down. The old man led the way steadily, and he heard a sigh from behind him:

"Your Jinxi Village does indeed have a special connection with me."