Becoming a Fox Spirit from Under One Person

Chapter 85 Mother Hen

"I'm so sorry." Chen Ruoan slapped the ground with her fox claws, and the peach wood roots pierced through the soil, wrapped the chicken carcass, and disappeared into the earth.

The golden pheasant looked back at the peach grove with deep sorrow. The peach grove, which was full of fragrant blossoms in spring and shaded the sun in summer, was now a desolate ruin with broken branches and scorched earth, devoid of any beauty.

"Fox, why do humans always like to fight?"

"They compete with us foxes for territory, food, and mating rights."

The pheasant thought for a moment and then said, "Fox, I'm leaving."

"I have a spot on the fourth floor of my Yue Lou Mansion. If you don't mind, you can stay there temporarily," the fox sincerely invited.

Where in this place isn't chaotic now? Hiding in Aolai Peak might allow me to escape the ravages of war, and perhaps even become a national second-class protected animal once the country is reborn.

"I can't take advantage of you for nothing," the pheasant replied.

"How about we use eggs as rent?"

"Won't you get tired of eating this every day?"

"You can eat it in different ways." Boiled eggs, steamed eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, there's always one that will satisfy the fox's taste.

Since foxes are omnivores that primarily eat meat, their liver metabolism is far superior to that of humans, so there's no need to worry about health issues like high cholesterol or fat levels.

"Alright then." The pheasant agreed, and the fox's breakfast was sorted out.

As the sun set, Chen Ruoan returned to the Yaoyue Tower under the twilight. A light mist shrouded the building, isolating it from the post-war clamor.

The fox carefully swept the inside and outside of the pavilion, brushed away the accumulated dust, and then placed the stone ox securely in its place under the corridor.

Then he tended to the vegetable garden in front of the building, loosening the soil and tidying up the plots, using a little wood element magic to restore the garden to its neat state.

Then, they entered the hall, wiped the dust off the altar for the Goddess of Mount Tai, offered fresh fruit and other offerings, and then organized the scattered books and scrolls in the building, removing the dust from the scrolls.

With everything finished, Chen Ruoan curled up on the couch in her bedroom, waiting for night to fall over Mount Tai.

As the moonlight poured down and twilight enveloped the mountains, the fox rose and leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance at the vast peaks. Its tail drooped gently as it faced the evening breeze alone in the mountains.

The house was cleaned up, the vegetable garden was tidied up, and even chickens were raised, but after returning home, I didn't feel as at ease as I had imagined.

Chen Ruoan sat there for a while, then jumped and landed on the top of the Inviting Moon Pavilion.

The sky was as black as ink tonight, with little moonlight. So the fox slowly explored and deduced the method of making love potions recorded in the treasure book.

The love potion requires insects as a catalyst, and the golden pheasant on the fourth floor happens to be most familiar with the traces of insects in the mountains.

The golden pheasant said that in the narrow passage between Yin and Yang, there are several wild silkworms with snow-white bodies and soft, smooth skin, which might be used to refine Gu worms.

Chen Ruoan set off immediately and found one in a short while. He then hid it in his belly and gracefully returned to his immortal abode.

With the matter of refining the love potion on the agenda, Wei Shufen in Qinghe was once again acting up, insisting on going to the mountains to find a wild silkworm of the same kind.

Just like couple profile pictures and nicknames, this young girl has a strong sense of ritual. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, but after a while, she actually found a few silkworms of decent quality.

Chen Ruoan lifted the plump silkworm with his index finger and said, "Since the Love Gu has inherited the name of the legend, perhaps we can find some clues about how to make it."

"As for the 'Sincere Gu,' I have absolutely no problem with it." Wei Shufen wrote down her experience in refining it and burned it for the fox.

Following the Qinghe lineage's methods, Chen Ruoan channeled Qi into the body of the snow-white wild silkworm, then absorbed it into his own inner world, using himself as a Gu vessel to nurture and refine it day and night.

The principle of refining Gu is to force insects to shed their mortal bodies and refine them into spiritual bodies that are almost like elves. Only in this way can they be used as a means to influence the soul and stir emotions.

After two months of dedicated refinement, the fox waited for the love potion to be successfully completed. The originally smooth and white wild silkworm was now covered with a layer of warm golden light, shimmering and full of spiritual charm.

"I still have a lot to do, so I won't talk to you for the next few days. See you later." For the first time, Wei Shufen took the initiative to cut off contact with the fox.

Chen Ruoan leaned against the railing, feeling the desolate incense burning in Qinghe Miao Village, and smiled knowingly.

Being able to discern right from wrong, knowing when to focus on one's work and when to refrain from disturbing others, is a quality far more valuable than spending all day clinging to foxes.

"That Gu worm looks delicious." The golden pheasant spotted the Cheng Gu.

"I can't give you this."

"I didn't say I wanted to eat."

"Little Phoenix, I'll be away for several months, or even several years."

"You've only rested for less than three months, and you're already leaving again?" the pheasant asked.

"Go out and take a look."

The fox's innate ability is the wishing tree, and forming bonds for cultivation is instinctive. It is destined that it cannot be a "stay-at-home" person. By avoiding some obvious battlefields, it may be able to go down the mountain and form some good relationships.

"Then you can take the food I've accumulated over the past few days as provisions on your journey." The pheasant began packing its eggs.

A question that had been troubling Chen Ruoan for many days was finally asked today.

"Um... what do you think of your eggs?"

The golden pheasant explained, "I am a small object slowly condensed from my pure Qi and spiritual breath. I live in this world, eating dew-covered grass, basking in the mountain sun, listening to the wind rustling through the leaves, and little by little, I accumulate my essence and spirit, which becomes clean, warm, and perfect eggs. Because without essence, there is no life; without life, there is no attachment or worry."

"Fox, you've been eating my eggs for so long, haven't you realized that these eggs are my innate supernatural power?"

what?

The fox was slightly taken aback. It had initially thought of eggs as just food to fill its stomach, but now, upon closer inspection, it realized that the warm feeling it left in its bones after each meal was truly a great tonic.

After eating the egg, a unique feeling inexplicably wells up in my heart... "Mom."

Why do you call me "Mom"?

The fox covered its sharp beak with its paws and shook its head desperately. This golden pheasant's innate ability was no ordinary skill.

Hens are born to incubate eggs and raise chicks, guarding them closely and protecting them from danger. This instinct perfectly matches the maternal instinct of human mothers. The most common folk scene is a vivid depiction of a mother hen protecting her chicks, which is straightforward and apt. Therefore, since ancient times, hens have been used as a metaphor for mothers, specifically referring to the gentle, protective, and devoted maternal love of mothers.

The golden pheasant's supernatural abilities probably originated from this.

"I understand maternal love, but why does the manifestation of supernatural powers depend on the egg?"

Swish!

Chen Ruoan rode a wisp of cloud, leaped over the Great Aolai Peak, and hurriedly fled the scene.

After traveling swiftly for three days, the fox landed in a deep mountain. Looking up, it saw a vast ruin that had been burned to ashes.

It is unknown what kind of temple or monastery it once was. Now, only charred ruins, collapsed beams and pillars remain, with broken tiles and bricks scattered all over the ground. The scene is desolate and lifeless.

An Fox landed gently, and in the nearby forest, a disheveled fellow sat slumped down.

"Excuse me, where is this place?" Chen Ruoan transformed into human form and asked as he stepped forward.

The bald man said weakly, "Shaolin Temple, Shaolin Temple, forty-two days have passed, the main hall, the scriptures, the martial arts manual... all gone, all gone."