On the long street, the Fox Demon looked at the smiling Scholar opposite and couldn’t help but mutter: "How can one blame the fox when the family is so malicious?" The Fox Demon raised his eyes to look at the Scholar opposite. The young man was still wearing a white-faced mask, which had no features except for the hollowed-out eyes, revealing his bright star-like eyes. For some reason, although he couldn’t see the other person’s features clearly, the Fox Demon instinctively felt that the person opposite must have an extraordinary presence. This unbidden excitement welled up in the Fox Demon, as if hot blood boiled from the depths of his heart, urging him to break through the mundane illusions and see the vast world, the bright stars and moon. The Fox Demon subconsciously wanted to learn the other’s smile, and more importantly, his charisma. "I..." The Fox Demon smiled, his pointed mouth lifting upwards from both sides. He felt something was off and hurriedly raised his hands to massage both sides of his face, easing his slightly stiff features to make his smile more graceful and natural. Only then did the Fox Demon bow deeply to Chen Xu, with a smile and his hands folded in greeting. "I, I... Little Fox, Little Fox thanks the gentleman for teaching me!" The Fox Demon was joyful, excited, eager to scratch his ears on the spot, yet bashfully adjusted the arc of his smile, striving to exude elegance. Although he took human form and could speak human language, understanding manners and the way of the world even better than some, at that moment, to Chen Xu, he distinctly seemed like a fox still clad in its fur. The fox stood upright with a pointed chin, slanted eyes, and a lotus flower pinned by its ear. He wore a Scholar’s robe and cap, resembling a human yet retaining his animal nature. Truly a bit comical, yet endearingly wild. Seeing this, Chen Xu couldn’t help but breathe a slight sigh of relief. Teaching the Fox Demon was far better than fighting. "Meeting by chance is destiny; we’re just having a casual discussion on Tao, so there’s no need to thank me?" The fox was stunned but cautiously asked, "Are we... discussing Tao? Is this discussing Tao?" "Where in the Mortal World is there no Tao? Knowing grace and repaying kindness is Tao, keeping promises is Tao, and the fireworks on the long street right now are also Tao," Chen Xu said, "It’s not necessary to have wine on a pine table or tea by a spring to call it Tao. Or be True Masters of the Daoist Sect, high scholars of Confucianism, burning incense while playing the lute, or singing refined songs... They are Tao, but are we not also Tao?" The Fox Demon exclaimed "Ah," his eyes brightened, and his heart pounded even more excitedly. He was overjoyed, yet didn’t know what to say, occasionally adjusting the flower pin by his temple, occasionally touching the hat on his head, his hands couldn’t help but want to rub his own face. "I, I must repay you somehow." The Fox Demon was troubled, "But I promised the Lin Family’s child that tomorrow I’d hide in the coffin to ask if you are a murderer. Although the person is dead, I must fulfill the promise I made. How, how should I handle this?" Chen Xu said, "You just fulfill your promise, then ask when the time comes. As for when and how you ask, and how I will react, those aren’t related to your promise at all. Mr. Hu, wouldn’t you agree?" The Fox Demon’s eyes once again brightened. Chen Xu finally said with a smile, "Mr. Hu cultivating in the Mortal World, aspiring to attain Tao, must understand one thing. People in the world are both whole and flawed. The flawed, though human in form, have evil natures. Such people are unpredictable and have no limits, being human yet not human, mere parasites. Mr. Hu must not learn from those parasites, getting blinded by the worldly lust and losing limits. Today we meet, we call each other ’Daoist Friend.’ In the future, if fate allows us to meet again, I hope we can still call each other ’Daoist Friend.’" Having said that, he took off his mask. The Fox Demon stared at him blankly, thoughts churning with his words, unconsciously mimicking his demeanor, suddenly standing straighter, the previously stiff and exaggerated expression on his face becoming much more gentle and natural. With wide elegant sleeves, the Fox Demon respectfully clasped his hands in front of his body, solemnly saluting, "It shall be thus, I dare not stray." Chen Xu returned the salute, "I am Chen Xu, pleased to meet Mr. Hu." The Fox Demon stammered and quickly replied, "I am, I am Hu Xi, pleased to meet Mr. Chen." The human and the demon exchanged salutes and took leave of each other. Until the Fox Demon departed, Chen Xu suddenly heard a noisy chattering, and in that instant, all the noise of the mortal world returned. Yet on the long street, all that appeared was a flux of passersby, the night market bustling with activity, with not a trace of the Fox Demon in sight. An encounter under the lanterns, akin to a dream from a strange tale. But Chen Xu knew it was no dream, because the Fox Demon had gifted him three fox furs before leaving. Now the fox furs were still in his hands, real and surreal, mystical and beautiful. [Fox Demon Spirit Whiskers, when burned and ground into powder, can be blended with auxiliary materials into Profound Fox Rejuvenating Powder, functioning to stop bleeding and grow flesh, heal external injuries, also having some effect on cultivators.] [By forming a bond with the Fox Demon, you obtained a new type of spiritual material, rewarded with Fireworks Value +300.] ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝘯𝘦𝘵 Chen Xu was immediately delighted, with Fireworks Value +300, he could unlock Fire Control Skill Level 2 or the Wind Summoning Skill upon returning! Just as he was rejoicing, about to place the three fox furs into his Fire and Smoke Kitchen, he suddenly heard an excited voice behind him: "Here, here, the demonic aura is just ahead, quick, A-Dumb let’s hurry!" Turning his head, he saw an eye-catching duo, a person and a donkey. A little Daoist in a blue robe was holding a compass in one hand and pulling a gray donkey with the other, struggling to tug it forward. The person walked forward, the donkey retreated. The little Daoist went from joy to urgency and finally anger: "The demonic aura is right in front, you stubborn donkey, if you keep this up, we’ll lose it again. Hurry up..." The donkey refused to move, braying loudly, retreating even more aggressively. "A-Dumb!" The little Daoist shouted in anger, then cried mournfully, "Ancestor, I’ll call you ancestor, okay? I promise not to ride you next time, let’s go quickly." The little Daoist conceded, and the donkey finally stopped retreating. The donkey finally moved forward obediently, and just as the little Daoist was rejoicing, he suddenly looked down at the compass in his hand. Hmm, the compass needle was off again. "Ah!" On the long street, the little Daoist let out a scream as if slaughtering a donkey, "The demonic aura is gone again? Ah, you stupid donkey, stubborn donkey, I will fight you!" There on the long street, Chen Xu quietly slipped the three fox furs into his Fire and Smoke Kitchen. With the fox fur taken away, the so-called demonic aura naturally vanished. He played with the two masks in his hands and passed by the little Daoist. The little Daoist, holding the donkey, suddenly turned and said "Huh" in surprise, enthusiastically running to Chen Xu to bow and say, "This kind benefactor, I am Xuan Yi, the seventy-second generation disciple of Qingxu Daoist Palace, traveling south for training, to observe worldly conditions, subjugating demons and catching spirits. I observe the benefactor’s extraordinary presence, surely with insights far beyond ordinary people. I wish to ask if the benefactor has seen any demons nearby?" Chen Xu looked at the little Daoist Xuan Yi, strangely asking, "The night market is bustling with people, why does the Daoist assume I can recognize demons? I am just a mundane mortal, how could I deserve your words of extraordinary presence?" The little Daoist Xuan Yi was dumbfounded by the question, scratching his head, stammering, "Isn’t it, isn’t it so? That’s odd, as soon as I saw you, I felt you must be different from ordinary people, my feeling can’t be wrong..." Chen Xu, eager to go back to cultivate, immediately solemnly diverted him, "Feelings are intangible, how can they be infallible? Daoist, don’t be deceived by your own illusions, farewell."