Chapter 70 Part 1
Huh? That was this fox spirit’s idea of “style”? Had it been watching too many dramas?
Wu Heng paused, reminding himself that spirits had different priorities, some fixated on strange things.
The white fox, seeing Wu Heng’s speechless expression, was indignant. ‘What do you mean?! Aren’t my nails beautiful?! Not only is Zhang Da Yong not grateful, he even despises them, trampling on my sense of style! He’s a bad person!’
The chubby fox was so worked up, it almost started crying, then, remembering it was on a live stream, potentially being watched by many humans, it buried its head in the ripped-up blanket, only its fluffy tail visible.
Wu Heng, ignoring its fake crying, took the bamboo cup offered by Shi Xuan, warm water with honey, probably boiled and then cooled down.
He took a sip, his parched throat finally feeling some relief, then, avoiding the camera, gestured for Shi Xuan to sit on the wooden sofa.
Shi Xuan, however, sat across from him at the consultation table, picking up one of Wu Heng’s textbooks.
Wu Heng’s expression flickered, how could he focus on his live stream with Shi Xuan sitting right there?
[So cute! This little fox is adorable and seductive! Beauty is a weapon!]
[Our Doctor Wu is unfazed by such a beautiful fox spirit, calmly drinking his water. I want to hug and cuddle the fox!]
[Perhaps Doctor Wu already has a fox spirit seducing him. winks]
[I thought it was bad for ripping the blanket, but it’s so cute now, I can’t even be mad.]
After the white fox finished its dramatic performance, Wu Heng asked, ‘Are you refusing to communicate?’
The fox was annoyed. All that effort, no reaction at all, casting pearls before swine.
It glared at Wu Heng, another uncultured villain, deliberately making things difficult.
Zhang Da Yong’s bedroom was sprinkled with the herbal medicine, every corner, even the windowsill, where there was only a small piece of ginger.
Ginger did have some protective properties, but only against ordinary spirits, useless against a fox spirit like itself.
It easily entered the room, only to discover, to its horror, that it couldn’t leave, trapped by the man. Thankfully, he hadn’t harmed it and even offered it food, although leftover rice was far too unrefined for its taste.
The white fox, giving up on antagonizing Wu Heng, jumped off the bed, accidentally knocking over the water cup, dipped its paw in the spilled water, and on the cement floor – the Zhang family didn’t have tiles – clumsily wrote three characters:
“Su Da Yi.”
Clearly answering Wu Heng’s earlier question about its name.
The netizens in the live stream were amazed.
[A fox writing?! It can write?! Did it go through nine years of compulsory education?!]
[Aren’t foxes canines? I saw a video of a border collie online that understood hundreds of words. They’re intelligent.]
[Is that Su Daji? The legendary fox spirit who brought down the Shang dynasty? The ancestor of all foxes?!]
[Don’t scare me, it can’t be that Su Daji, from three thousand years ago?! This world is getting too fantastical. Help!]
[Archaeologists studying the Shang and Zhou dynasties must be ecstatic. If this is the ancestor of all foxes, imagine the historical secrets she could reveal.]
Zhang Da Yong and his wife were also terrified. He had some education, seeing the characters on the floor was unsettling.
They looked at each other, how did they offend the legendary fox spirit?
He asked, his voice trembling slightly, “Should we kowtow?”
This was too scary.
The fox, seeing their fear, then, acting like the clever creature it was, approached the phone and curiously stared at the scrolling comments, its fluffy white fur covering half the screen.
Hmm… many characters it didn’t recognize, but it saw its name, “Su Daji,” “Ancestor of all foxes,” even “the most beautiful creature in history!”
Yes, that’s right!
The chubby white fox preened, its eyes curving into crescents, its ears twitching, as it rolled around on the bed, giggling. Its laughter was both seductive and unsettling.
Wu Heng said, “Su Da Yi, stop laughing.”
Everyone: “?”
… Wait a minute.
Repeat after me, Su Da ji, not Su Da yi. Like the difference between two similar-sounding but different brand names.
Wu Heng was speechless, this fox was clearly being deliberate, choosing that name, writing it clumsily, just so everyone would think it was the legendary fox spirit…
[So it’s Su Da Yi. The character is wrong. A knockoff, then?]
[That scared me, I thought Su Daji actually lived for three thousand years! How old is this fox spirit?]
[That little bit of cunning makes it even more adorable. A knockoff Su Daji, so what? I’d gladly be her knockoff too!]
[This is a true spirit, so smart.]
Su Da Yi, hearing Wu Heng call its name correctly, its little scheme exposed, puffed up its cheeks and glared at him. ‘Yes, I’m Su Da Yi, you can call me Guan Guan (Canned Canned).’
It idolized the three-thousand-year-old Su Daji and hoped to emulate her.
It continued defensively, ‘I didn’t do anything bad! I gave Zhang Da Yong the nails for his own good!’
Wu Heng, understanding, said to the bewildered Zhang Da Yong, “Don’t be afraid, it’s a gift.”
Zhang Da Yong was stunned. A gift? Seriously?!
He had seen videos online of stray cats bringing dead mice as gifts to those who fed them, was this the fox’s way of repaying a favor? But he didn’t remember ever helping a fox.
And if it had just brought him some discarded fake nails from a salon, that would be one thing, but making his nails grow uncontrollably, like an illness, this wasn’t something an ordinary creature could do, it was a spirit.
The legend of the Five Great Immortals was popular in his village, the Fox Immortal the most prominent.
Like He Yunxiao’s guardian snake, a Fox Immortal could also be a protector, he couldn’t afford to offend it.
[But in those supernatural stories, fox spirits usually transform into beautiful women to repay favors, why give nails?]
[This guy is married, a fox spirit as a mistress? Although mistresses are often called “fox spirits”…]
[Just a misunderstanding, let’s consider this an animal returning a favor.]
Zhang Da Yong, finding these nails a nuisance, was wondering if he should ask Wu Heng how to set up a shrine and make offerings, hoping the fox spirit would leave, and then ask for a cure.
Just then, a knock on the door.
He and his wife went to open it, seeing a few curious villagers who recognized him from the live stream, they had come to see the fox.
It was already night, the air cold, their breaths misting.
Zhang Da Yong invited them in, worried, “Didn’t the village chief warn us about black bear sightings? Why are you here so late?”
One of the elderly men, peering into the house, said nonchalantly, “How likely is it to encounter a black bear? We came to see the little fox.”
The villagers, not daring to approach Su Da Yi, peeked through the window, admiring its beautiful fur.
“Not clipping those strange nails anymore?” they asked.
Zhang Da Yong, remembering the destroyed blanket, didn’t dare. He would deal with it after the fox spirit left.
So he still had four long, red nails on his right hand.
“Doctor Wu, can you… teach me how to build a shrine?” Zhang Da Yong asked, wringing his hands.
“Building a shrine” was a local expression for setting up an offering of incense and candles. Arranging them in a pyramid shape intensified the fragrance, like a chef enhancing the flavors of a dish.
This fox wouldn’t eat leftovers, dog food, or even fresh meat, yet it was so chubby…
As Wu Heng nodded in agreement, Da Bai, watching the live stream, scoffed, “Such a phony! Acting all high and mighty!”
Foxes were natural enemies of snakes, and the Fox Immortal was even more powerful than the Snake Immortal. Da Bai was terrified of this fox, even a knockoff one.
Spirit beasts could absorb the energy from offerings, but they could also eat regular food. Da Bai loved human food, especially Wu Heng’s.
“Acting like it doesn’t eat human food. Isn’t meat delicious?”
“Xi Xi, give it some fried chicken, let’s see if it eats.”
This fox was such a phony, not even touching the incense unless it was arranged in a special way, what was so special about a pile of incense? No taste at all.
Xi Xi was too busy to deal with Da Bai. She was being fussed over by her overjoyed grandparents, who had just learned about her transformation, hugging and taking photos with their precious “granddaughter.”
Wu Heng, seeing Zhang Da Yong go to the storage room for incense, suddenly said, “Be careful.”
Zhang Da Yong smelled a stench, then heard a bloodcurdling scream from one of the villagers in his courtyard.
They turned and saw a black bear. It had snuck in under the cover of darkness.
Black bears preparing for hibernation needed a lot of food. There had been bear sightings and warnings recently, but they hadn’t expected an actual encounter!
The air was filled with the smell of blood.
[Holy crap! A bear?! Run!]
[Last time I saw a bear this clearly was in a documentary! They eat people!]
[Run! Call the police!]
[??? My friend told me to watch this cute little fox! Why is there a bear now?!]
[Isn’t that fox a spirit? Can it help?]
[The Five Great Immortals are unpredictable, they won’t help outsiders unless they’re your personal guardians! Every spirit for themselves!]
The netizens were stunned. What a thrilling live stream.
