Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person.

Playing and cultivating life, observing the moon and refining one's nature—this is called the fox's dual cultivation of "life" and "nature".

During the day, Chen Ruoan would chase rabbits and play with birds in the mountains and fields of Aolai Peak, leaping and climbing, tempering his body in the fun of nature, and perfecting his "life" skills.

As night falls, one ascends to the top of the Inviting the Moon Pavilion, sits quietly facing the moon, and draws upon the moon's gentle light to cleanse the mind and spirit, while the spiritual energy of Mount Tai nurtures the character, thus perfecting the practice of "sexual cultivation."

With time and effort, one can achieve great results.

As the forests at the foot of Mount Tai turned yellow, Chen Ruoan's fur completely disappeared, and his sharp fox mouth softened into warm lips, leaving only his fox ears on his head and the tip of his tail behind him.

"Movies and novels are right, the fox's ears and tail are indeed the hardest to hide."

Chen Ruoan exhaled a puff of smoke, which transformed into a black-clad youth. He possessed seven parts handsomeness and three parts fox-like charm, naturally elegant and otherworldly, yet also imbued with the sinister and demonic nature unique to the fox clan.

Just as Chen Ruoan had wished, he was an exceptionally handsome young man. Due to his practice of worshipping the moon and his preference for yin over yang, he had feminine features and was almost becoming a two-tailed creature like Wang Zhenqiu.

The five demons cheered and jumped for joy around the fox-eared, black-clad boy.

"Congratulations, Master! Although there are still some minor flaws in your ears and tail, they don't affect anything at all. You are now in your elegant human form!"

flaw?

This is where the Qing Dynasty loyalists were ignorant.

In later generations, this wouldn't be called a "flaw," but rather an "adorable feature."

Chen Ruoan leaned against the railing, gazing at the mountains and the moon. When the mountain wind suddenly stopped, he squinted his eyes and awakened the wishing tree in his soul.

Over the past few months, the fox and Fang Dongtian have worked together and formed a shallow bond. The precious document engraved with Fang Dongtian's name emits a faint blue light and hangs on the branch, shimmering with a gentle glow.

"Now that I have been given a human body, I naturally want to take a walk around Mount Tai. I must be careful in my words and deeds, so I pray for a way to conceal my body and avoid harm."

Chen Ruoan thought of the "Shadow Shaping Technique" and gently shook the edge of the thread.

As soon as the treasure scroll was lit, no "shadowing" technique appeared to make one invisible. Instead, an oil-paper umbrella fell from the branch. It had a green bamboo frame and a black surface with light gold patterns.

Why an umbrella?

The rewards framed by the Wishing Tree never deviate too much; could the hidden secret be within the umbrella?

Chen Ruoan opened the oiled paper umbrella and noticed that it had a precious light and was not an ordinary object, but a well-made magic artifact.

Under the umbrella's protection, unless one uses the "observation" technique, ordinary people with supernatural abilities would have no way of noticing the umbrella's location.

Chen Ruoan opened her eyes, raised her hand and grasped the oil-paper umbrella, which fell into her palm.

He chuckled softly, stroked the umbrella, and said, "Your wishing tree certainly has a certain charm."

If I were to walk through the rain-soaked alleys of Jiangnan with an umbrella, would a melancholy girl, as delicate as a lilac, meet me, a young man who is half fox and half human?

shuh~

Chen Ruoan turned around, holding an umbrella, and disappeared into the moonlight.

······

Today is the fifteenth, a day for the grand market at the foot of Mount Tai. Chen Ruoan picks up his oil-paper umbrella, isolating himself from the world, and weaves through the crowd.

The east side of the market was where itinerant performers set up stalls and sold their art, offering the most entertainment. Chen Ruoan happily followed the crowd there.

Making a living was not easy during the Republic of China era. Some eccentric individuals would travel all over the country and sell their skills at overpasses and markets to earn some travel expenses.

Even Wang Yaozu, the infamous Ghost Hand of the "Quanxing" gang, only did odd jobs and street performances.

This area of ​​Mount Tai is naturally not lacking in extraordinary people.

Boom boom boom!

Chen Ruoan heard a gong and saw a monkey wearing a red cloth hat doing somersaults in response to the sound. After completing the action, it clasped its hands and bowed to please the onlookers, which made the young and old laugh.

Finally, it carried the bamboo basket around the field, and the onlookers laughed and threw coins into the basket. The coins jingled and fell into the basket, and the monkey looked on with a happy expression, baring its teeth, jumping around, scratching its head and wagging its tail.

Judging from today's earnings, I can probably afford to eat a few more bananas.

"Beast Master?"

Chen Ruoan stopped to watch and discovered that the tacit understanding between the monkey and the monkey trainer was something that could not be achieved through training alone. The man manipulated the monkey with such ease.

The fox inadvertently stared at it for a little too long.

After the audience dispersed, the monkey trainer packed up his things, shouldered his luggage, and suddenly nodded in Chen Ruoan's direction: "Are you curious about my skills?"

"Huh?" The fox was startled. "How could my newly acquired magical artifact break so easily?"

Doesn't the wishing tree have any dignity?

"Your Excellency, why don't you show yourself and we can have a chat? To me, you are like a hazy mist. And there's something strange about this: why can I communicate with you using Qi even though I can't see you?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ruoan understood.

It's not a problem with the oil-paper umbrella.

Animal trainers communicate with animals using "qi," a unique technique employed by monkey trainers, which creates a fascinating synergy with their fox-like identities.

An Fox was about to reply when she saw the beastly master clap his hands together, overjoyed.

"I understand! It must be because my skills have improved, and I can now communicate with people using Qi!"

Ultimately, humans are just animals too!

Chapter 26 Dead Memories Are Attacking Me

Beastmaster, a very lowly profession since ancient times.

They establish a connection by making close contact with the target organism and releasing special "qi" to communicate with and control the animal.

The profession of beast master is rare, almost always passed down within families, with very few cases of it being taught to outsiders.

To outsiders, they are nothing more than a group of street performers, using their life's work to earn a living by playing the role of clowns for high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

Chen Ruoan looked at the ecstatic monkey trainer and felt too embarrassed to pour cold water on him. The difficulty of a beast trainer controlling animals is directly proportional to their intelligence. Not to mention humans, even some slightly intelligent primates cannot be manipulated.

Instead of seeking answers on a macroscopic level in an attempt to manipulate humanity, it would be better to turn to the microscopic world.

Although the art of beast mastery is considered lowly and unpopular, interestingly, while most supernatural arts gradually decline with the development of technology, beast masters can actually take civilization to the next level.

Take, for example, Lao Meng, who later became a "temporary worker" in the Northwest region. The limit of his communication reached prokaryotes—bacteria.

As long as the target's body comes into contact with the special Qi emitted by Lao Meng, he can control the increase, decrease, and mutation of bacteria in the target's body, which is a groundbreaking breakthrough.

Of course, given the level of understanding of ordinary people in the Republic of China era, it would be too much to ask a "beastmaster" to develop into a "biologist".

"That's strange. I've only been a monkey trainer for a few days. It doesn't make sense. If this monkey weren't a giant chameleon, I wouldn't be able to control it. There's no way it could communicate with people using qi." The monkey trainer pondered, resting his chin on his hand.

Chen Ruoan asked in confusion, "Big Tide? Is that some kind of special quality?"

The monkey trainer scratched his head and said, "It's a local dialect, and it just sounds like 'big idiot'."

"May I ask your name?"

"Just call me Qin Fu." Even though he didn't know the other person's identity, the monkey trainer still gave his name.

If Zhang Zhiwei is indifferent to human intrigue and scheming because of his strength, then Qin Fu in front of him is simply the honest and simple person typical of people from Shandong.

"Brother Qin, are you traveling around to various places to attend markets, or do you intend to settle down in the Taishan area?"

"In our line of work, it's easy to starve if you stay in one place. After all, no matter how big the market is, you're only going back and forth between the same area. You get tired of seeing the same things all the time, so it's better to go around to different markets to keep things fresh."

Qin Fu raised his arm across his chest, and the little monkey naturally sat on it.

"But I still have to wait for another show. I heard that a big circus troupe is coming in a few days, and it's run by foreigners. I'd love to see it for myself."

Chen Ruoan didn't show up, but the monkey trainer didn't care, and the two began to have this strange conversation.

Qin Fu traveled all over the country, making a living by performing. He had long since become extremely eloquent, often mixing in idioms with his witty remarks, and his speech was very clear and crisp.

When Chen Ruoan asked about the circus troupe, he immediately became very interested and started talking non-stop.

"That's something new and exciting!"

"Our land has mythical beasts from mountains and seas, while their side has fantastic monsters. I heard that this tour features centaurs, mermaids, human-snakes, as well as dwarf monsters and deformed monsters! Those military officers and high-ranking officials love this the most; they both enjoy watching it and are willing to spend a lot of money to buy it!"

"We monkey trainers can't compare, it's making me so envious!"

Chen Ruoan thought to herself that these were just gimmicks to attract attention.

Such bizarre performances existed in old Europe, and the performers were mostly deformed people suffering from strange diseases.

Now, shrewd businessmen are taking things that Western nobles have grown tired of and bringing them back to the East to deceive people, satisfying some people's curiosity and desire for novelty.

"My home is near Mount Tai. If we are destined to meet again, we can watch the performance together." After hearing the story, the fox turned to leave.

As the distance increased, Qin Fu's methods completely failed, and he could no longer sense the fox's presence.

"Hey bro, you still haven't told me your name and identity!"

Chen Ruoan said calmly, "Just think of me as a wandering soul in the mountains."

Qin Fu was stunned upon hearing this, and remained speechless for a long time.

He was most afraid of ghosts in his life.

···

Three days later, golden rays bathed the foot of Mount Tai, and the warm autumn sun made people feel lazy.

The circus troupe's camp was set up in an open space at the foot of the mountain. As soon as the brightly colored preview billboard was erected, it attracted passersby to gather around and watch.

The iron cages containing the so-called "rare and exotic animals" were covered with thick curtains, making them completely airtight. The organizers were afraid that revealing the animals would affect ticket sales, so they blocked people from entering, only allowing them to peek from a distance on tiptoe.

Chen Ruoan stood outside the crowd, holding an oil-paper umbrella, somewhat conflicted about whether to move forward.

He's a fox who prefers peace and quiet, but sometimes he also enjoys gossiping and joining in the fun.

But not everything should be rushed forward. For example, during this tour, a fox without an aversion to ugliness could not find emotional satisfaction in the bizarre and grotesque exhibits.

So the fox stood beside the mermaid's tank.

The water tank wasn't very big, the water was murky, with a few strands of withered yellow fake seaweed floating inside, and a thin layer of fine sand at the bottom.

When the wind blows, a faint, fishy smell wafts from behind the curtain, mixed with the odor of cheap grease, making the fox's ears tremble slightly.

The so-called "mermaid" was floating on the surface of the water, breathing. Her long hair was sticky and clung to her neck and shoulders, and her skin was pale from not seeing the sun for a long time.

The "fish tail" had a dull silvery-blue hue, with mottled scales that had fallen off, as if fish skin had been sewn onto a person's leg, with reddish flesh faintly visible at the seams.

To Chen Ruoan's surprise, the person on the fishtail was not a blonde, blue-eyed exotic beauty, but a Chinese girl with eyes full of fear.