"Wang Lei and his wife have confessed to what they did. Now it's your turn."
Master Fox put down the picked-up twig, picked up the butterfly knife that the Fox Immortal was holding earlier, and started twirling it in his hand, wearing a sly smile as he said:
"I'll give you three seconds to think, or else Master Fox will carve your 'Fox Joy' with a decorative knife!"
As Wang Ya's pet Fennec Fox, it should be far more knowledgeable than Wang Lei and his wife about what happened to Wang Ya before the transformation.
Through the story told by Wang Ya's mother, Qiao Yu, one can vaguely glimpse the truth.
Wang Ya very likely encountered the burial objects or relics of Ancient Spirit People during her archaeological journey, which led to her transformation into the current half-human, half-scorpion form.
To revert Wang Ya to her original form, one must clearly understand the process of her transformation or apply to the Security Bureau for expert technical support, which might succeed.
"Fox...Fox Joy, what is that?"
The Fennec Fox was taken aback by the strange term and asked Master Fox.
However, Master Fox did not speak and merely pointed to the root of the Fennec Fox's tail.
The Fennec Fox leaned back, looked at where Master Fox pointed, and was instantly shocked, looking at him with a face full of disbelief.
"Carve...carve decorative knife for sashimi? Unreal, are you Hannibal reincarnated? Are you even human?"
"I'm a damn fox!"
"......"
Master Fox and the Fox Immortal looked at each other, silent for a moment.
"Promise me one thing, and I will tell you everything that happened with Wang Ya..." Faced with the glaring threat of the butterfly knife, the Fox Immortal, feeling wronged, said in a begrudging and resigned tone.
"Go ahead," Ansheng said.
"I request protection from the Woodcutter, even if I have to go to jail later, I refuse any visits from Wang Ya!"
"?"
Upon hearing the Fennec Fox's words, Ansheng's fox face showed a strange expression, but considering the matter between the Fennec Fox and Wang Ya could be something else, Ansheng didn't say anything and agreed directly.
"Wang Ya was injured..."
"The day before her transformation, I smelled blood from her body, specifically from the left hand. She seemed extremely panicked, as if she had encountered something terrifying..."
The Fennec Fox paused, hesitating whether to let Wang Ya go, but upon seeing Master Fox standing upright, it sighed and said:
"There was an object that seemed part worm and part stone embedded in Wang Ya's left hand, merging with her flesh, as if drilling into her body. When Wang Ya returned home, she hid in the bedroom's secret room and tried to dig it out with a knife."
"However, it wasn't effective, probably for more than half an hour? After her unsuccessful attempts, Wang Ya wanted to call the police or an ambulance, but she seemed possessed, frozen in the room, and that night, black skin started growing on her body."
"In a week's time, she became like this; I deceived Wang Lei and his wife using electronic devices, a pet voice activator, and free online voice tools, making them believe in the Fox Immortal's curse."
The Fennec Fox reluctantly spoke, recounting what it saw in the bedroom.
That day, Wang Ya returned home looking very panicked and was saying something on the phone with a classmate.
But that was three years ago, and the Fennec Fox only vaguely remembered it was about the tomb's anti-theft mechanisms.
Specifically what it was, the Fennec Fox wasn't sure.
But it knew that someone seemed to have gone missing that day.
Afterward, the school did not report to the police because it was the start of the summer vacation, and no one noticed a student was missing.
Seeing Wang Ya transform, the Fennec Fox didn't dare to continue investigating, fearing that its curiosity might cost its life.
"So Wang Ya encountered a tomb with anti-theft mechanisms at the beginning of summer vacation while using her knowledge to explore with classmates in the outskirts of Chang'an, leading to this state?"
"Was the object in the palm of the poisonous scorpion's claw the cause of Wang Ya's transformation?" After a moment of reflection, Ansheng communicated with the Fennec Fox without speaking human words but rather through soft grunts.
The matters discussed by the two foxes involved the ancient research and application of Spiritual Particles.
Due to Wang Lei and his wife's presence, Ansheng refrained from using human language to communicate.
"Possibly? I don't know..." The Fennec Fox replied weakly.
"By the way."
After scanning over Wang Ya and the Fennec Fox, Ansheng suddenly thought of a question and asked the Fennec Fox, "There's one question I've always been curious about."
"I tried communicating with Wang Ya, but the process was very difficult."
"How do you persuade Wang Ya to do things? From my understanding of Spirit Beasts, your power shouldn't be able to subdue her like I can, right?"
Having understood Wang Ya's situation, Ansheng asked the Fennec Fox another question.
"Making friends." The Fennec Fox, like a limp salted fish without dreams, said weakly, "I indeed lack great power, but I am cute and can make friends with different creatures."
"Perhaps because my powers aren't strong, I can seamlessly blend into various Spirit Beast groups."
In human society, the Fennec Fox, though lacking extraordinary strength, possessed a special ability similar to Ah Bai's 'pack trait'.
However, the Fennec Fox wasn't particularly certain how to describe its special power.
It generally referred to it as 'making friends'.
Of course, it could also be called 'four-legged succubus'."
"Oh? Making friends? Try it on me," Ansheng asked curiously.
"Can't make friends, I just tried. 'Master Fox Brother～,' as soon as I call that, you make me call you dad. We have a deep generational gap; my 'making friends' has no effect on you." The Fennec Fox said.
Mentioning the 'making friends trait,' the Fennec Fox's cheeks showed a noticeable outburst of resentful emotion.
I already called you brother.
Yet you still want me to call you dad.
I don't even know what kind of fox are you.
The Fennec Fox has never seen something so perverted outside of Wang Ya.
"My fault? Is liking people my mistake?" Upon hearing the Fennec Fox's complaints, Ansheng showed a disdainful expression, making huffing sounds.
"Leaving this aside, since I've agreed to your conditions and you know the existence of the Woodcutters."
"Then, I hope you can assist us, collaborating to restore Wang Ya to human form."
Ansheng looked around and said:
"If it were just ordinary Spirit Beasts being errant, or simply people being wrong, I wouldn't bother with so much."
"But with your entire family being wrong and Spirit Beasts as well, sending you all to prison doesn't seem fair."
"You must give up all illegally obtained gains and, through legal means, establish a fund, personally clean up past messes, wipe each one clean, and help with our Qinling fox tribe ecological development."
"Otherwise...."
"I'm afraid Master Fox will have to pick up the hoe, bury you all underground, and be an old farm fox once."
"Do you want to become fox carrots or go shovel poop?"
Ansheng looked at the Fennec Fox and asked.
"There's medical equipment on the second basement floor that can detect the foreign object inside Wang Ya." The Fennec Fox said.
Upon understanding the whole situation, Ansheng pondered and summarized the matter.
Wow, tossing foreign foxes into Qinling and occupying the ecological niche of native foxes.
Sending you to step on sewing machines?
First, capture those foxes back!
Isn't it the 'making friends trait'?
Great, now open up and recognize foxes' household registration, you people are just right for the job. Dare not to volunteer, I'll call Wang Qiqi to lock you in a bread truck.
Catch technicians and pack you in vans like bread.
```