Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

"You wretched brat!"

No, this isn't a good fox's fault for taking it out on someone else. After all, Chen Ruoan chose an incomparably noble method of advancement that doesn't involve abandoning the physical body.

Chen Ruoan stood in front of the bed, listening to the howling wind outside the window.

I really have a connection with the "Thirty-Six Thieves". After seeing off Lin Zifeng, I met Wei Shufen, and then Feng Tianyang.

However, since it was Liangshan shaman territory, it wasn't too unexpected to encounter them after visiting every household.

Chen Ruoan patted Feng Tianyang's head and instructed, "You should use a gentle approach to make friends with elves in the future. Being too violent will make them dislike you."

"understood."

Chen Ruoan turned to leave, but was suddenly drawn to the exquisite bookshelf in the corner.

The "books" on the bookshelf are made by stacking thick piles of paper together and then sealing the sides with glue.

The book cover text does not use the traditional Yi script, but rather the Han script frequently used in trade with other regions.

"You even study the cultivation of elves?" Since the host wasn't home, Chen Ruoan couldn't open the book, so he just asked a question based on the title.

The two brothers, born of nature and raised by nature, responded in unison, "Yes."

Feng Tianyang explained, "Father believes that elves and shamans complement and enhance each other. In addition to their own high level of skill, the study of elves is also an essential part of the shamans' practice."

"These books contain the insights and experiences of my father and some of my uncles. Following the methods in the books, they raised some spirits like eagles and white-eared pheasants to be very beautiful."

Chen Ruoan nodded in agreement. If it weren't for the fervent devotion of the Liangshan shamans, he might have actually stayed to discuss the Dao.

When it comes to the study of spirit cultivation, no school is more professional than the Liangshan shamans and the shamanic practitioners.

Feng Tianyang rubbed his forehead, having fully recovered from his illness. He pleaded, "Brother Fox, can I see your true form? Please!"

The older brother nodded in agreement, clasping his hands together in a prayerful gesture.

"Hmph, two little brats." Chen Ruoan closed his umbrella, leaped, and transformed into a black fox, landing on the windowsill.

Wow~

The two brothers exclaimed in unison, "What a beautiful fox it is!"

Its fur is dark with a sheen, and it doesn't look like a typical black fox that's dull and simple. At first glance, its golden eyes are full of pride and agility.

The fox twitched its ears, as if it heard the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow outside the window. As dusk fell, the great shamans who had surrounded the mountain began their return journey.

"Perfect timing. Hopefully, these guys will behave themselves and not act like perverts. Otherwise, there will be no room for conversation."

Chen Ruoan waited by the window. Outside, Feng Shoushan seemed to have sensed the presence of the elves. He raised his hand and blocked their way.

"Pure Yin energy, we're about to meet again."

"Here? At the headquarters of the Liangshan shamans?" one of them replied.

"A high-grade spirit naturally has its own plans." Feng Shoushan began to reflect. "We were too reckless before and scared it. Let alone chasing a spirit, even if we were to pursue a wife, we need to be more mature and steady."

"Brother Feng, out of all of us, I'm the most reliable. I'll go and try talking to them," a round-faced, dark-skinned man volunteered.

"Then you go."

The man went straight into the Feng family's house, saw the fox on the windowsill, and revealed an extremely fawning expression.

"Good fox, obedient fox, can we become friends?"

Without hesitation, Chen Ruoan replied, "No."

"Why? Is there something about me that you're not happy with? Feel free to give me your feedback, and I'll change it!"

"I prefer witches to shamans."

"Hmm..." The round-faced man was taken aback and left the scene dejectedly.

Stepping out of the courtyard, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and said regretfully, "Let's all leave. There's no chance for us old folks. There's a lecherous fox inside; she wants a witch."

"this···"

An uproar erupted outside, and some hot-tempered individuals protested, shouting, "Bah! Since ancient times, when we befriended elves, we've always followed the path of taming them. What nonsense about coaxing little wives! We'll just beat them into submission!"

"Brother Feng, I'm going!"

The man rolled up his sleeves and stormed into the Feng family home, only to hear a series of rustling sounds from inside. Tian Sheng Tian Yang clapped his hands and cheered, and the man, who resembled a raging monkey, retreated dejectedly.

He patted the dust off his shoulders, put his hands behind his back, his nose twitched, and squeezed the corners of his bruised eyes.

"That mere fox spirit, I've defeated it!"

"It's done?" Feng Shoushan asked in surprise.

"Didn't work, I was beaten to a pulp! The fox spirit inside is ridiculously strong!" The man tossed his head and walked away, adding, "Brother Feng, your two kids are practically siding with the Liangshan Mountains!"

The crowd scoffed at his words.

You've been beaten black and blue, what's with the swollen face? Anyone who didn't know better would think you won a Pyrrhic victory.

Feng Shoushan sighed, temporarily dismissed everyone, and returned home alone.

As they entered the room, the two brothers rushed into his arms. Feng Tianyang said, "Father, Brother Fox cured my illness, and I'm fine now."

"so."

Feng Shoushan rubbed his son's head and bowed to the fox on the windowsill in thanks: "Feng Shoushan, the Liangshan shaman, thanks you. We were out of line before and offended you greatly. Please forgive us."

"Why didn't you just do this earlier? Why did you have to play cat and mouse with the fox?"

Why do people always act like King Zhou of Shang? Aren't they just being ridiculous?

"Haa..." Feng Shoushan nodded and smiled, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

A spirit of this quality is so rare that it's impossible to encounter even one every thousand years. Which shaman wouldn't go crazy over it? It's really not my fault.

"Fellow fox, are you really not considering forming a connection with the Liangshan shamanic lineage?"

Chen Ruoan replied, "Setting up an incense plaque would be acceptable."

"Establish a branch? Okay, then, it's the person who actually enters into the contract... but... could you please not be so strict about gender?"

"No." The fox remained steadfast in its conviction, a decision made before venturing out to Eagle Pool that no one could sway.

"oh."

Chen Ruoan glanced at the bookshelf, then changed the subject, mentioning the Feng family's notes.

Communicating with spirits is an essential part of the Liangshan shamans' curriculum, and Feng Shoushan was naturally willing to share. He took out his self-made book and handed it over openly and generously.

"Ancient texts, legends, and personal insights are all included. If you weren't an elf, I really wouldn't be willing to let you browse through them."

The two brothers, Tian Sheng and Tian Yang, were very perceptive in turning the pages for the fox.

What Chen Ruoan saw at first glance was the understanding of "shamanism," but this understanding was not simply about linking "shamanism" with controlling spirits and using dance to invoke the gods.

Simply put, the first part of the notes can be summarized in two words: connection.

Ancient shamans believed that the external world, which interacts with humans, is a living, dynamic phenomenon.

Based on this belief, they sought connections between humanity and the outside world, between humanity and nature, and between people and between life and death, thus giving rise to a variety of ideological forms.

These forms are reflected in religion as nature worship and spirit worship, in clans as totem worship and ancestor worship, and in death as ghost worship and soul worship.

Ancient shamans unearthed the "view of heaven and man" that ordinary extraordinary people could not see, and made full use of the connection between humans and the dynamic phenomena of life. Therefore, they were able to control spirits, drive souls, and even manipulate the power of nature.

"That's a really interesting idea," Chen Ruoan exclaimed sincerely.

"That's right, they were all left by our ancestors. Just take the first page as an example, there are very few people who can understand it thoroughly," Feng Shoushan said exaggeratedly.

This is also why he didn't put the books away properly; very few people can truly "wield" the power contained within them.

Take leveraging the power of nature as an example. The most direct manifestation of this is the ability to utilize all the five elements of magic, and even to merge with nature.

Throughout history, only a handful of people have reached this level of attainment, such as the great master Zhuangzi Xiu and Mr. Shui Jing Sima Hui.

Chen Ruoan pondered, muttering to herself, "What a witch can understand, a fox should be able to understand as well."

Humans are different from other beings, yet the fox dwells among them; the paths of the living and the dead are different, yet the fox dwells between them.

Foxes are born sorcerers.

Witch Fox!