Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person.

The past cannot be undone; it is an ironclad theorem.

Chen Ruoan hangs above the waves of the long river of time. Amidst the ever-flowing starry sky, the flower shadows of Mianshan Mountain eventually follow their predetermined trajectory and are crushed into the soil covered by poisonous fog.

"Just one step short."

Chen Ruoan recalled the unresolved emotional entanglements—the four main pillars of friendship among peers, the familial bonds of family, the romantic love between lovers, and the patriotic love for one's country, plus the many delicate emotions that extended from them, such as those between teachers and students, comrades-in-arms, and hometown ties…

I've experienced everything, except for the romantic love between men and women that only began to blossom more than seventy years ago and ended just as quickly.

The Milky Way was still flowing, and Chen Ruoan's gaze fell upon the present world beneath the crack, as he thought about the affairs of this world.

All things considered, Zhang Zhiwei still needs to break free from the constraints of the "Celestial Master's Degree" to prove the Great Dao; he hasn't yet repaid the debt he owed the fox spirit for the talisman during its tribulation. The little phoenix is ​​comfortably enjoying the offerings at the Inviting Moon Pavilion and can survive for several more centuries. Chen Duo is well taken care of by Shu Ning and the village's Gu masters; and if I were to leave, Xia He would probably have to find a new partner…

"It seems there's still quite a bit to do."

After a moment's consideration, Chen Ruoan returned from Tianmen to the valley.

The aftershocks of the magic array still lingered, and corpses were scattered beside the pile of stones at the bottom of the valley. Due to the special layout of the Twenty-Four Heavenly Valley, a few of the deceased still had a trace of their souls remaining. Chen Ruoan thought for a moment, wrapped his hand in blue qi, and grabbed the head of one of the corpses.

When the memories of the deceased were transmitted to Chen Ruoan, they were similar to what he had thought. Qu Tong dared to take the risk alone, so she must have prepared an escape route. A cunning character who had painstakingly cultivated her image for decades would not obediently disappear from the scene.

Through gene replication and transfer, coupled with the "Dual Hands" ability to modify memories and control the physical body, Qu Tong can "reborn" at any time in the body of a dependent who left behind instructions.

"We've gone back to Biyou Village."

"If Qu Tong uses the same trick again, she will escape using the same method next time. We need to find a way to establish a connection at the soul level and then launch an eternal pursuit." Chen Ruoan pondered for a moment and sent a message to Xia He, who was far away in Liupanshui.

Xia He, who was helping with the evacuation, was delighted to hear the fox's voice. Her little black book had stopped displaying text, and she had thought something strange had happened, but it seemed nothing had occurred.

“A group of people is heading your way. The enemy’s intelligence work is extremely thorough, and their escape methods are equally sophisticated. So you need to help me create an opportunity for them to get close to you.”

Xia He asked, "What should I do?"

“I have the same methods as the other side. The ‘Dual-Handed Approach’ is more likely to be used on people who are down on their luck. It allows you to bring out the melancholy qualities of a literary girl in your youth and then put on a good show.”

"Cough, cough!" Xia He coughed several times, her face flushed, as she recalled how she used to wear white dresses and sit on a school bench reading melodramatic literature.

"I'm trying to find some of the feeling from the past."

"Keep it up." If Xia He has acting skills as good as Feng Baobao, Chen Ruoan doesn't need to worry too much.

On the other side, darkness was falling, the mountain path was rugged, and the light from the magical artifacts flickered in the night. The group didn't walk too fast, and just as they emerged from the shady mountains, the brightly lit outline of a city in the distance came into view.

Xia He hurriedly caught up from behind and warned, "Be careful, someone has set up an ambush on the way."

Ma Xianhong did not turn around; the dim light reflected on half of his face, flickering uncertainly.

"Sent by my sister?"

"Even now, you still call her 'sister'?" Xia He's rhetorical question confirmed Ma Xianhong's suspicions.

"I..." Ma Xianhong's memory was extremely chaotic, yet he knew he had to make a decision at this moment, otherwise the several top-tier disciples who had followed him for many years would be in danger.

"Finally, a fight!" Upon hearing Xia He's words, Little Fire God Hong Bin's voice boomed from the middle of the group, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

He rubbed his hands together, and sparks flew from his palms: "It's on fire, I'm about to catch fire!"

The road leading to the city was shrouded in darkness. As we approached a field, figures emerged one after another from the shadows on either side of the ridge. They said little, but silently blocked the way.

Hong Bin's eyes lit up.

"The bad guys have appeared, come on!"

With a roar, the little fire god transformed into a rolling fireball and crashed into the enemy ranks. The flames tore through the long night, leaving a blinding trail of fire in the fields, and the surface of the pond beside the fields reflected the dancing red light.

The fire burned wildly and arrogantly, as if it wanted to swallow the entire road whole.

call--

The next second, the ball of fire was forcefully slapped back into the mountain. The group looked back along the arc of the firelight and saw Hong Bin's figure fly out, crashing into two small trees and landing in a pile of rocks, sparks flying everywhere.

Only a few wisps of smoke remained on the ridge of the field, rising crookedly before being quickly dispersed by the night wind.

"Master, this guy is going to be killed right away!" Liu Wu Kui withdrew his gaze, cautiously wary of the person blocking his way.

Ma Xianhong mobilized all his magical artifacts, raised his hand to protect the villagers behind him, and said, "Brother Hongbin once shone brightly at the Luotian Grand Ceremony, yet he was defeated in one move. The strength of the opponent should not be underestimated."

As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd opposite slowly dispersed, and a woman with pink hair and red eyes walked out.

“Xianhong, come back with me. As long as you behave, we can resolve this peacefully. You can use as many new identities as you want, and no one will find us,” Qu Tong said.

An abnormal soul, chaotic memories, and an obsessive obsession with the cultivation furnace—all these factors combined caused Ma Xianhong to lose trust in Qu Tong.

"I don't believe you!"

"Xianhong, stop fooling around. Think about it carefully. Have I ever wronged you in the past few years? Are you really going to betray our sibling bond of so many years for a fox you don't even know?"

Ma Xianhong's body stiffened.

Faced with Qu Tong's sudden appearance, Xia He felt strange and asked, "Why are you here? You and Brother An made an appointment, shouldn't you be in the Twenty-Four Heavenly Valley right now?"

"These past few years, Master An has protected you too well, you naive and foolish little sister. I will grant Master An's wish. He is probably already standing before the Heavenly Gate right now. As a wizard, can you feel the elves' longing and obsession with achieving enlightenment?"

Qu Tong's spies planted in the shadows of the valley had no right to spy on the secrets of heaven. In addition, due to the misalignment of time, Qu Tong and Xia He received information that was not equal to that of the fox.

"Is Brother An going to succeed?" Xia He didn't have time to recall her youth before a wave of bitterness and melancholy washed over her. She clutched her chest, suppressing the inexplicable turmoil in her heart. Even though the fox's ascension was a good thing, she just couldn't be happy; instead, she felt sorrow and loneliness.

Qu Tong's eyes flashed crimson, as if she had sensed something, and she nodded slightly.

"So that's how it is. What a pathetic shaman."

Qu Tong ignored Xia He and threw the suggestion back to Ma Xianhong. Before she could continue to persuade him, a golden whip lashed out in the middle of the road, stirring up clouds of dust.

The one who made the move was a white-haired man wielding a gilded ruyi scepter—a fanatical follower of Ma Xianhong and the second-in-command of Biyou Village, Qiu Rang.

"Go away my ass! Didn't you hear that Master Ma is unwilling?"

"Then there's nothing to discuss."

Swish!

Sensing the murderous intent from the other side, Qiu Rang struck first, raising his golden whip and lashing out fiercely. A clang rang out as the whip struck an old man's wrist, which was then firmly gripped.

Those who frequented the circle for years all recognized the old man's face; he was Chai Yan, the former leader of the Chai School of Horizontal Training. He was also the master of Na Ruhu, one of the "Nine Elders."

More than a decade ago, a highly publicized master-disciple battle took place in the circle. No one witnessed the outcome of the competition, but after the duel, the teacher, Chai Yan, announced the disbandment of the Chai School of Horizontal Training and retired early, never to be seen again.

"You were the one who just knocked Brother Hong Bin away, weren't you?" Qiu Rang asked.

"If your skills aren't up to par, don't try to show off in front of others." Chai Yan was shirtless, his muscles brimming with Qi shimmering with a pale blue light in the darkness.

This is the Chai School of Horizontal Training, which not only relies on external force to temper the body, but is also a method of using Qi.

"Hmph." Qiu Rang snorted coldly and stood up to move forward.

At this moment, Qi fire ignited again in the mountains and forests behind them, and a fireball shot into the sky and crashed down right between the two groups of people.

Hong Bin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, spat, and said loudly, "That last wave was on me. I was careless and didn't dodge."

With the ability to "transform Qi into fire", ordinary fist and foot techniques could not have hurt him. He had been arrogant and underestimated his opponent.

“Brother Qiu Rang, entrust this senior to me.”

"Oh." Qiu Rang stepped aside.

Hong Bin pointed to an open space outside the field, adopting a stance as if to challenge someone to a fight. Chai Yan, upon receiving the instruction, moved to the side as well.

The Qi Fire opened the passage, and Xia He thrust out a palm, aiming straight for Qu Tong's face.

Qu Tong did not move. He condensed his red qi into a hand blade and slashed it in the air. The arc of light swept past, splitting Xia He's palm force in two and dissipating to both sides.

Xia He felt her movements were completely disorganized. She shook her numb wrist, her chest heaving, staring at Qu Tong's expressionless face, and asked herself inwardly—

Xia He, Xia He, what are you angry about?

Ango is about to ascend to heaven, which is a good thing.

But—wouldn't it have been better if this woman had never existed in the first place?

Xia He pressed forward again.

Qu Tong did not back down. She sensed the anger seeping from Xia He's very bones, and beneath that anger lay a deeper, more profound sorrow.

She didn't dodge. She raised her hand, and a ball of blue light condensed in her palm. The light was as warm as water, and then slowly kneaded into the shape of a hand, covering Xia He's forehead.

puff!

With a muffled thud, Xia He's hand pierced Qu Tong's chest first, emerging from her back, blood dripping from between her pale fingers. Qu Tong's blue hand gently pressed against Xia He's head, and the two froze on the spot.

What would be a fatal wound to an ordinary person is nothing more than a punctured piece of cloth to Qu Tong, who possesses "double-handedness," and can be easily sewn up.

"Let those who are down on their luck be used by me."

Blue light emanated from Qu Tong's palm, like an inverted lotus flower, pressing down on Xia He's spirit.

"Giving up on yourself is an easy thing. Without a self, there is no corresponding pain."

Xia He's consciousness began to shake violently. She vaguely saw a huge blue hand piercing through the veil of reality and reaching towards her soul, its five fingers slowly opening.

To bear the burden of spirit possession, shamans would put in a lot of effort in their spiritual cultivation. Xia He instinctively tried to block it, calming her mind and building a wall deep within her spiritual center.

Then, something unexpected happened to both of them.

Another blue hand slowly emerged from the deepest part of Xia He's soul, unhurriedly passing through the defenses she had built, and met Qu Tong's hand. The two blue hands gently clasped in mid-air, like two long-lost friends finally reunited.

"Hello."

Qu Tong heard Chen Ruoan's voice, but the source of that voice came from the soul!

"The link has finally been established."

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and Yin Qi poured down like a tornado. Chen Ruoan stepped on one foot, shattering the black Qi that surrounded him, and appeared from a cloud of smoke.

"Master An?" Qu Tong's expression changed, and a long-lost feeling welled up in her heart.

It took her a long time to process it before she realized that this feeling was called "doubt," and after doubt came deeper doubt, plus fear.

Chen Ruoan explained, "Don't be nervous. I'm just returning what you discarded with your double-handed methods, intact. There are beasts in this world that like to kill with a single blow, and there are also beasts that like to play with their prey. Obviously, I'm the latter. There's no sense of accomplishment in tormenting something that doesn't elicit any emotional response."

"This kind of indifferent emotion that's dragging me down..." Qu Tong clenched her fists, feeling a distinct anger. The feeling of being burdened by emotions was extremely unpleasant, and emotions could even trigger a series of physiological changes.

Xia He felt a sudden sense of relief when she saw Chen Ruoan's back.

The fox stood in the middle of the road, turned around, gave Xia He a thumbs up, and smiled slightly: "You acted very well just now. You conveyed a strong sense of resentment, melancholy, and grief. I didn't know you had so much potential."

Xia He paused for a moment, blinked, and then laughed, "Yes, it was acting. I am indeed a good actor—back in Kyoto, talent scouts wanted to recruit me to debut."

She shrugged, relieved, and asked, "Why are you back?"