Irene gazed down at her fully restored right leg. Carefully, she rotated her joint left and right. Only after ensuring everything felt right did she pull on her sock. Holding onto Yu Sheng’s hand, she stood up little by little.
“Are… are both legs the same length?” she asked, looking up at Yu Sheng with wide eyes. “I didn’t guide the reconstruction this time. I just infused it with spirit and merged it. Can you check for me?”
Yu Sheng rolled his eyes. “They’re definitely the same length. I just fixed the surface—I didn’t cut it off and reshape it.”
Relieved, Irene let out a sigh. She took a few steps across the table on her short legs, and a smile spread across her face. “I can run around again! Yu Sheng, you did a pretty good job this time. Maybe you have a talent for making dolls.”
“Thanks for the compliment…” Yu Sheng replied offhandedly. Then he watched as Irene, now able to move freely, slung her picture frame onto her back. In a few quick moves, she hopped from the table to a nearby chair, then climbed down to the floor, darting around the attic in circles.
Usually, whenever Irene zipped around, Yu Sheng found it a bit too chaotic—especially since she often bumped into things and left the place in disarray. But for some reason, this time, watching her run about filled him not with annoyance but with a strange sense of accomplishment.
“A talent for making dolls, huh…” Yu Sheng muttered, glancing at the scraper and the nearly empty jar of filler in his hands. He wasn’t sure if Irene was just flattering him or genuinely praising his skills.
He didn’t know whether he had any talent in doll-making, but he suddenly thought of the two pieces of lotus root he’d haphazardly infused with spirit earlier, which had surprisingly come to life.
It seemed Irene had completely forgotten about that incident.
Turning his head, Yu Sheng saw a pair of fluffy white ears emerge from the stairwell, followed by Foxy’s anxious yet curious face as she peeked around.
The fox girl was wearing oversized pajamas that looked a bit too baggy. Her silvery-white hair was still slightly damp. Perhaps following their scent, she’d found her way here. Seeing Yu Sheng and Irene together, a joyful smile lit up her face. “Ah! Benefactor, and Irene, you’re both here!”
Then she noticed that Irene’s limbs had been restored. Her face filled with surprise. “Irene, your hands—they’ve grown back?”
“Yu Sheng fixed them for me!” Irene said happily, raising her hands to show Foxy. She jumped in place. “He fixed my legs too!”
“Benefactor, your magic is truly powerful,” Foxy said in awe, staring at the fully restored doll. Turning to Yu Sheng, admiration shone in her eyes. “You can traverse the netherworld, bring bodies back to life, and even craft puppets.”
Yu Sheng thought for a moment. The “traverse the netherworld” she mentioned was probably his ability to “open doors,” and she seemed to think Irene was a puppet he’d crafted.
As expected, the next moment, Irene puffed up and started yelling, “Who’s a puppet?! I’m a living doll from Alice’s Little House! Blessed and everything, got it? You clueless fox, don’t spout nonsense if you don’t understand!”
Foxy listened blankly to the little doll’s outburst. Then she lowered her head. “Oh, I don’t understand. I won’t say it anymore.”
Irene stopped mid-rant, momentarily stunned. She was used to bantering with Yu Sheng, but this was the first time she’d encountered someone so straightforward, who didn’t argue back. Her mind went blank, and she stood there, at a loss. Ṝ₳ΝꝊ฿Ę𝙎
Then Yu Sheng suddenly noticed something.
He looked at Foxy in surprise. “…Where are your tails?”
Irene snapped out of her daze, belatedly realizing that Foxy’s tails were nowhere to be seen.
“I put them away,” Foxy said with a smile. She turned slightly to the side, and suddenly there was a “whoosh” sound, like a sword being unsheathed. A brilliant glow erupted behind the fox girl as a mass of fluffy, plush tails burst forth with a “poof,” spreading out magnificently.
Standing nearby, Irene let out a yelp as she was sent flying by the sudden eruption of tails, tumbling across the floor for several meters.
Foxy gasped in alarm, rushing over to help the grumbling Irene back to her feet.
Yu Sheng watched, momentarily stunned. His first reaction was relief. “You gave me a scare. I thought you’d lost your tails somehow…”
Then a curious question popped into his mind. “…Why does revealing your tails come with a ‘whoosh’ sound?”
Foxy pondered for a moment. “It could also be a ‘poof.'”
Irene, who had just been pulled upright and was about to continue her complaints, was taken aback. She stared at Foxy. “…You make the sound effects yourself?!”
“Foxes need to make a sound before showing their tails to warn people nearby to step back,” the fox girl explained matter-of-factly. She spoke more fluently now than when they first met, though there were still some odd pauses. “But you didn’t move away.”
Irene jumped up in frustration. “How was I supposed to know about these weird ‘rules’ of yours?! Just where did you come from, you crazy fox?!”
Foxy thought carefully, then shook her head dejectedly, her ears drooping. “I… I don’t remember.”
This time, it was Irene’s turn to freeze. The little doll awkwardly turned her head aside. “Don’t take it so seriously. I was just saying…”
Yu Sheng walked over to Foxy, thinking for a moment before speaking gently. “Don’t be too upset. It’s not like you can’t go back. Maybe one day we’ll find your home.”
Foxy’s ears perked up slightly. “Benefactor’s netherworld path… can it take me back?”
“He can open doors to anywhere,” Irene chimed in, hands on her hips, looking smug as if it were her own ability. “Sometimes he even opens a door straight into someone’s alchemy furnace. Maybe one day he’ll find a door leading to your hometown.”
At that, she seemed to recall something and turned to Yu Sheng. “Hey, should we check out that alchemy furnace again? There were immortals and stuff there. Maybe that’s where Foxy’s from? Or at least they might’ve heard of her, since it seems like the same kind of place…”
Yu Sheng looked uneasy. “Given what happened last time… they’d probably attack us on sight.”
“Yeah, that’s true. If I were them, I’d want to beat you up too.”
Foxy listened to their exchange, her gaze shifting between them, looking utterly confused.
Noticing this, Yu Sheng cleared his throat, speaking a bit awkwardly. “We’re discussing who we could ask about your origins. Don’t worry; I’ll help you look into it.”
“Benefactor, you don’t have to trouble yourself too much,” Foxy said softly, shaking her head gently. “It would be nice to find out, but it’s okay if we don’t. After all… I don’t remember what home looks like, and even if I went back, there wouldn’t be anyone I know.”
As she spoke, she reached into her tails, pulling out the two sharp canine teeth. A soft, comforting smile appeared on her face.
“I’ve already found my mom and dad. It’s okay if I don’t go back.”
“…It’s good that you think that way,” Yu Sheng sighed lightly, nodding at the fox girl. “So, do you have any plans for the future? Have you thought about what you’ll do next?”
Foxy looked a bit lost. Hearing Yu Sheng’s question, she was silent for a long time before slowly shaking her head.
“I… I don’t know,” she murmured, her tone as uneasy as a young animal venturing out of its den for the first time. “It’s my first time leaving that valley. This place is nice, but everything is so strange. I… don’t understand any of it, and I don’t know where to… find food. Mom said foxes shouldn’t forget their debts, but I don’t know how I can help you, Benefactor.”
She still spoke somewhat haltingly, but Yu Sheng understood every word.
He smiled, offering comfort to the anxious fox.
“Then why don’t you stay here from now on? I have extra rooms—and plenty of food, so you won’t have to worry about going hungry. As for how you can help… you can assist me when I need to deal with, well, unusual situations. Let’s start with that.”
Yu Sheng thought carefully. He didn’t really know what abilities this fox girl possessed. While tales often spoke of foxes repaying kindness in transformative ways, it seemed unlikely she’d be able to write code, draw illustrations, or create presentations. However, her incredible headbutt and that move where she launched her tails were indeed impressive. In future encounters with Otherworlds, she’d be a valuable ally—a powerful asset. With Irene handling distractions and Foxy charging into action, he could safely strategize from the sidelines. It was a win-win situation.
Foxy looked puzzled. “Assist you… with unusual situations?”
“In the future, we’ll be interacting with more places like that valley,” Yu Sheng explained slowly. “There are many similar ‘abnormal spaces’ in this world, hiding all sorts of dangerous entities. There might be others like you trapped inside, or people who, for various reasons, seek our help. And I myself… have reasons to continue dealing with these realms and entities. In short, I need allies.”
Foxy listened, then suddenly appeared anxious. “Will… will we get trapped again?”
Yu Sheng was taken aback, but the fox girl’s genuine concern made him smile. “Don’t forget about my ‘netherworld path.'”
Foxy blinked, and a smile gradually spread across her face.
She nodded happily. “Alright, I’ll help you, Benefactor—I’ll help you with these situations!”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation