Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person.

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 eerie wind was the fox's ability to create wind. Chen Ruoan stood on a branch, opened his mouth and exhaled, and an eerie 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 at present, 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, there's still hope for the future."

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 hunger, the man suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, praying, "Great Immortal, please bless Jinxi Village so that it may soon overcome this epidemic!"

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, since you know how to seek immortality, why do you only prepare meager gifts and lack sincerity?"

The visitor was astonished that the immortal had actually appeared; upon hearing the voice, he was greatly alarmed 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 I give you a chicken in return?"

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 that 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 them.

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, please come this way."

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 resulted in a poor harvest, leaving not only food scarce, 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, saying 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 idea 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 won't go to waste if we eat the offerings."

"···"

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:

“There is indeed a connection between your Jinxi Village and me.”

Chapter 6 Poison and Twisted Fate

"Fox Fairy, 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 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 peeling, 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 sight 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 there has been a severe drought, and the ponds in Jinxi Village have long since dried up. The whole village depends 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 his gaze to the traveling doctor beside him and asked, "And who is this?"

The itinerant doctor cupped his hands and smiled, his voice gentle: "I am but a traveling physician, making a living by selling some 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."