Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

"Fox Spirit, this is the westernmost house. Thank you for your help."

Chen Ruoan followed the old man to a small hut built of rammed earth. The wooden door was ajar, and a pungent smell of herbs mixed with a faint sense of illness wafted out.

"Sanxi, I've invited the fox spirit from the temple!" the old man called out into the house.

A kind-looking man with dark skin rushed out. Upon seeing Xuanhu, he was shocked and wanted to pay his respects, but Chen Ruoan nimbly leaped and ran straight into the inner room where the coughing was coming from.

Inside the wooden bed, a child of about five or six years old was curled up in a corner, his face flushed red, his lips chapped and cracked, his breathing rapid and shallow, and he coughed softly from time to time.

Chen Ruoan jumped onto the edge of the bed and gently touched the child's burning forehead with her fox paw.

The touch of the paw pads startled the baby. She struggled to open her eyes, saw a long, pointed snout and upright fox ears, and managed a weak smile: "Fox..."

"There is a fox."

···

"Unbutton the little girl's clothes." Since fox claws weren't good at doing things, Chen Ruoan had no choice but to instruct the two people beside her to help.

The father did as he was told, and undressed his daughter. Chen Ruoan saw a tiny black shadow flash by under the skin on the side of the child's neck, like a needle or thread, traveling along the blood vessels.

With the ability to expel plagues, this strange occurrence naturally did not escape Chen Ruoan's notice.

Anhuli's eyes narrowed, and he channeled his Qi, opening his mouth to spew out a cluster of ghostly blue foxfire.

The flames landed on the child's neck, but they didn't burn him. There was only a very faint "sizzling" sound. The dark shadow under the skin even twisted, as if it was terrified of the spiritual fire.

"oops!"

The old man and Sanxi exclaimed in unison, feeling a horrifying sensation as if maggots were wriggling under their skin, which gave them goosebumps all over their arms.

Chen Ruoan also noticed something else: the girl's abnormality seemed more like the work of a Gu poison than a common epidemic.

Driven by the foxfire, it chased after her relentlessly, causing the dark shadow beneath her skin to writhe violently and emit a faint hiss. In a short while, wisps of dark, turbid air were expelled from the girl's pores, turning into wisps of smoke upon contact with the foxfire and dissipating into the air with a hiss.

The bluish-gray tinge on the baby's neck faded quickly, and his rapid breathing gradually calmed down.

Chen Ruoan flicked her tail and guided the foxfire toward her heart. Only after the last trace of the Gu poison was burned away did she put away the burning foxfire.

"It's alright, get some water for the child to soothe his throat."

Sanxi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then overjoyed. He hurriedly replied, "Thank you, Lord Fox Fairy," and turned around to grab a wooden ladle from the corner of the room. He rushed to the wooden bucket and scooped up a full ladle of muddy water.

Just as the wooden ladle was handed to the bedside, Chen Ruoan saw a layer of dark, gloomy mist floating on the not-so-clear water.

Before anyone could think, the fox's long tail swept across like a gust of wind, and with a crisp "clang," the wooden ladle was knocked over to the ground.

"Where did you get this water from?"

Neither the old man nor Sanxi could see the strange man's abilities, and they were so shocked by the sudden turn of events that their faces turned pale.

Looking at the water stains on the ground, the old man hurriedly bowed and explained, "Fox Spirit, please calm down! Have you forgotten what I said before? This year has been a severe drought, and the ponds in Jinxi Village have long since dried up. The entire village relies on the deep well in the village center square for drinking water!"

"Take me to see it."

"Yes, yes, yes."

The old man dared not delay and hurriedly led the way.

In the center of the village square, a deep well stands alone, its railings worn smooth by the years, but few people are seen around it, only the dry yellow earth swirling in the wind.

As Chen Ruoan approached, he noticed two people standing beside the well—

Zhang Zhiwei held a medicine grinder, with a traveling doctor standing beside him, holding a cloth banner with the words "Wandering Doctors Helping the World" written on it. His back was bulging with medicine bags, and his body was surrounded by a rich but not pungent medicinal fragrance.

"Didn't you go to collect bird eggs?" Zhang Zhiwei was the first to spot the black fox and asked.

"Alas! I heard the old man's devout prayer, so I appeared to fulfill his wish."

"Oh." Zhang Zhiwei instantly understood the atmosphere.

Everyone says foxes are cunning; they really can play the role of a celestial being with ease.

Chen Ruoan turned her gaze to the traveling doctor beside her and asked, "And who is this?"

The itinerant doctor clasped his hands in a cupped-hands gesture and smiled, his voice gentle: "I am but a traveling physician, making a living by selling my homemade medicines. I heard that the epidemic is severe in Jinxi Village, so I made a special trip here today, hoping to do my part."

"Master Zhang, I really didn't expect that you would have such a clever fellow Daoist."

"Hey!"

Zhang Zhiwei smiled, then squatted down next to the black fox and whispered, "I was originally looking for some manual labor, but this village has suffered a disaster, and everyone is too busy to take care of themselves. There's no work to be found. I just happened to meet this doctor, so I'm helping him grind medicine and earn some copper coins later."

"There are more than fifty patients in the whole village. It's impossible for me to treat them all by myself. I would be grateful if you could help me, Master Zhang." The itinerant doctor added a few words at the right time, his tone full of gratitude.

Anhu nodded, leaped onto the well curb, and peered into the well.

The well was filled with an impenetrable darkness, and one could vaguely smell a sinister, fishy odor similar to that emanating from a child.

Chen Ruoan raised his head and said, "I can also treat the epidemic in the village. However, in that case, I'm afraid I'll have to lower your medicine prices."

"Hmm?" The healer was taken aback, then realized what he meant and waved his hand with a smile: "Oh! As the saying goes, a doctor's heart is benevolent. I didn't mean to raise the price. It's just that these medicinal herbs need to be purchased from thousands of miles away, and the cost is indeed expensive. Since our little elf friend has the ability to cure diseases and relieve the villagers' calamity, that's naturally the best thing. The price of the medicine is secondary."

Seeing the doctor so readily agree, the old man beside him was delighted.

Before Chen Ruoan could say anything more, her gaze inadvertently swept over the doctor's head and she saw a thin, hair-like, jet-black thread of karmic entanglement slowly emerging from the crown of his head, one end of which lightly wrapped around his fox tail.

Ok?

It's true what they say, rivals are enemies.

Despite the doctor's calm and collected demeanor, he was secretly feeling uneasy.

After all, taking someone's money is like killing their parents. By intervening, I've essentially cut off their source of income, so it's not surprising that this tragic relationship has begun.

"A dark line, a tragic fate..."

Chen Ruoan muttered to herself, then pressed on, "Doctor, do you have any knowledge of Gu poison?"

Upon hearing this, the doctor's smile faded slightly, and he pondered, "It's a harmful thing. Years ago, I traveled to Miao villages in western Hunan and had exchanges with several Gu masters, so I know a little about it."

The healer holding the banner spoke these words, but the thread of their ill-fated relationship grew ever thicker.

"I see."

Seeing this, Chen Ruoan understood. He sat upright on the edge of the well and instructed the old man, "Go and pass on the message to everyone in the village—I will personally resolve the plague in the village. Once the disaster is over, there is no need for lavish gifts; just prepare a few roasted chickens as an offering, and that will be enough to express my gratitude."

"Yes, yes, yes," the old man replied as he left.

Zhang Zhiwei tucked his hands into his sleeves, squinted, and secretly glanced to the side. The itinerant doctor's face had turned somewhat dark.

You fox have no emotional intelligence. How could you say something like that in front of a doctor?

He's ruined people's businesses. Look at that barely concealed murderous intent; it's practically seeping from his eyes.

Ok?

How could a traveling doctor who claims to have "a benevolent heart" possess such a fierce and murderous aura?