“That little fox is kinda fun. Why not say yes? A golden opportunity like this—some people would beg for it,” the Fox Demon teased inside my head. I remembered the little fox had called her “Lady Nine Tails” earlier. Must be a descendant… maybe a great-great-great… granddaughter? If the two of us were to… *ahem*… feels kinda ethically messy.

“What’s good about it? I’ve got zero interest in girls right now. Even if she stood naked before me—*nothing’s there anymore*! Had she come a day earlier, maybe I’d have thought about it.”

Curled tight in the sofa corner, I half-closed my eyes, drifting toward sleep while chatting with the Fox Demon mentally. This was spiritual communication—what humans jokingly call “mind-linking.”

“True~ Our Su Su is such an adorable girl, of course she wouldn’t like girls. Only a Billy-style boy could catch her eye~” the Fox Demon chuckled.

What has this fox been snooping in my head?! How does she even know “Billy”…?

“Pfft! Get out! *You’re* the Billy fan! Right now, I’m not into *any* gender. Everything waits till I change back!”

“Almost forgot—about changing back: you still need to learn the transformation technique. Up! No sleeping. Time to cultivate.”

“Huh? It’s past midnight! Science says skipping sleep wrecks your brain. Humans might tough it out, but look at my tiny fox head—my brain’s smaller than half a fist! One sleepless night and I’ll get brain shrinkage, foggy thoughts, slower thinking… might even turn into a vegetable. So… let me sleep~”

I covered my little fox ears, laying on the doom extra thick to fool her. I’m no xianxia maniac grinding 24/7 to level up and crush villains.

“Oh? So you dare defy *this one*?”

The moment her voice faded, one of my fox paws twitched free of my control, gently kneading my soft belly again and again—message received.

If I were human right now…

“Let’s begin! Master!”

I shot upright like I’d mainlined adrenaline, snapping back into my loli form and sitting perfectly straight.

“Good girl. Listen close: the transformation secret is… [omitted]… That’s it. Master this, and you reshape your appearance at will. The method *this one* teaches blends seamlessly into human society. Unless spotted by a special artifact or a high-level cultivator, you’re perfectly safe—no one sees through you.”

She wrapped up her wordless scripture in seconds. My scalp prickled. Half-confused, I followed her steps and practiced.

And just like that… dawn came.

“Ugh… dead tired. Finally done. What next?” I yawned, scratching the fluffy ears atop my head to stay awake.

“Picture your target form. Channel the spirit energy inside you, like last night. Simple.”

“No fox body with a human head again, right?”

“Depends on your talent. After one night’s training, I doubt you’d—”

Her voice cut off mid-sentence. Even sharing this body, I felt her shock ripple through me—a faint tremor shook my frame.

“Whoa! It worked! Exactly like before! Even… slightly more handsome? Perfect—no more loli worries. Hey… you okay?”

I’d pictured my old tall, sharp self. The second the incantation ended, my viewpoint lifted. I glanced down—yep, human again. Thanks to my mental image, my face looked sharper, height added.

“N-nothing! You’re… you’re insane! Absolutely insane!” she stammered, then went silent.

“Wait, I’m a fox—what’s ‘insane’ about… *ahem*… Anyway, now that I’m back… what about *down there*?”

Heart pounding, I looked. *It* was there! Oh thank god—my long-lost “little brother,” you didn’t abandon me!

“Calm down. It’s just a shell. Basic glamour. Zero function. Don’t believe me? Try… *ahem*… testing it.”

Her words dumped ice water on my joy.

“I don’t care! It’s back! I’m living my old life again! Yay!”

I’d expected it. Transformations give form without substance—but hey, mental comfort counts.

“Warning: transformation drains spirit energy. At your one-tail level, four hours max, then thirty minutes rest. Skip it? Dizziness, blurred vision, total exhaustion.”

“Oh… guess I’ll grab some kidney tonic pills.”

Four hours = morning classes. Recharge my mana… *cough*… spirit energy at lunch.

“Also: your spirit energy’s unstable. Avoid big shocks. If it spirals, you’ll revert instantly. Don’t wanna expose yourself publicly, right? Stay calm. Always.”

“Got it.”

I nodded inwardly. *What drama happens at school?* Just boring lectures. Years of routine—nothing weird except Class Rep Hanhan’s incident. But her blood curse’s gone. Should be safe now.