[TL: It's from Fox Spirit Matchmaker, haven't watch it so... expect wrong names. It does have a Japanese version (anime)]
[Simulation begins. Extracting simulation entries.]
[Lord of a Hundred Ghosts, Otherworldly Being, Unyielding Will]
[You were born near Tushan. As expected, you are an orphan.]
[You lay on the ground for three days and nights. During this time, you survived solely on your powerful life force and unyielding will.]
[On the morning of the fourth day, a Tushan fox demon collecting herbs found you. She was surprised to see a human baby here.]
[She cautiously approached you, but her footsteps seemed to startle you.]
["Little one, where are your parents? Were you abandoned by them?"]
[After asking, the fox demon realized you were just a baby. Human infants can't speak.]
[Looking at your innocent face, she was slightly moved. But after considering the situation in Tushan, she chose to leave you behind.]
["Sorry, baby. I'm a demon, and you're a human. I can't take you home."]
[Just as the fox demon was about to leave, you smiled. A bright, happy smile.]
["Are you calling me Mama? But... but I'm not your mother. I... I can't leave you here!"]
[In the end, the fox demon couldn't bear to leave you in the wild.]
[She collected some fruits, mashed them into a paste, and fed them to you. Then, she found a hidden tree hollow to shelter you.]
[She couldn't take you back to Tushan. It was still a time of conflict between humans and demons. Bringing you back would be unacceptable to the other fox demons.]
[Fifteen years passed in the blink of an eye. You grew into a young man.]
"I was wondering why you always sneak out of Tushan! So it's because of this human child!"
"Elder sister, keep your voice down! Don't scare Little Kei!"
"Do you have any idea what will happen if Sister Fengxi finds out about this?!"
Two fox demons approached Kei, arguing. One was Kongling, the fox demon who had taken care of him for years, and the other was Kongqing.
They were both fox demons of the same generation.
After a long argument, neither could convince the other. Kongling didn't want Kei to be harmed, while Kongqing couldn't bear to hurt her sister.
"Sigh, I can pretend I don't know about this, but this child must leave the Tushan territory!"
"He can never come back! You also have to forget about him completely and never see him again!"
Kongqing finally relented and spoke.
"Never see him again? No! He, he..."
Kongling panicked the moment she heard the words 'never see him again' and immediately refuted. But before she could finish, Kei spoke.
"Thank you for taking care of me all this time. But she's right. If I stay any longer, I'll only bring trouble."
"It's fine. I never thought of you as a nuisance. You don't have to leave!"
"That's not the main reason. I've grown up now. I want to go out and see the world."
During this time, Kei had been diligently learning the art of acupressure.
But while it was easy to get started, mastering it was difficult.
Kei had only managed to complete the beginner, intermediate, and advanced books on acupressure.
There was still one advanced book left unfinished, and after that, there were Jiro's notes, which were extensive.
The learning process required a lot of practice. Staying here meant having no one to practice with.
[Although Kongling was incredibly reluctant, she couldn't bring herself to stop you. You left the area around Tushan and began your journey.]
[Kongqing's opinion of you changed slightly. She recognized the genuine bond between you and Kongling.]
[During your travels, you witnessed many incidents between humans and demons.]
[Whenever you encountered captured young fox demons from Tushan, you would always lend a hand, buy them back, and send them home.]
[Another year passed.]
Tushan.
"Kongling-nee-san, our benefactor asked me to tell you that he's doing well outside, so you don't need to worry."
A little fox demon spoke to Kongling.
"I see. As long as he's doing well, that's enough."
Kongling smiled happily and handed some food to the little fox demon before letting her leave.
After the little fox demon left, Kongqing appeared in the room.
"He's not allowed to meet you, he's forbidden from setting foot in Tushan. And yet, he still managed to find a way to send you messages."
Kongqing said.
"Sister, you can try to stop those little fox demons from meeting me. That way, I won't be able to receive any news."
Kongling teased.
"I'd like to, but that's impossible."
"I can drive away other monsters, but I can't do that to fox demons."
"Besides, those little fox demons were kidnapped and managed to escape back here. How could I reject them?"
Kongqing felt powerless and frustrated every time she thought about it.
Back then, she had forbidden the two from meeting, yet Kei had still found a way around her orders.
She knew what was happening but couldn't stop it. After all, those little fox demons were all their kin and juniors.
"That child has always been clever."
Kongling said.
"Don't get too happy just yet. If the humans find out you've been helping demons, things will become troublesome."
Meanwhile, in a human city.
"Divine Doctor! Divine Doctor! Thank you so much!"
"No need for thanks. Just give me the money."
Kei had just saved a man on the brink of death. His acupressure techniques had reached a high level.
Not only could he use them for combat and attacking enemies, but also for healing.
Combining acupressure, Ripple Energy, and his Stand abilities, Kei could save someone as long as they were still breathing.
"Divine Doctor, my life is worth a million, but ten copper coins are not enough! Please wait, I will prepare a thousand gold coins for you!"
"No need."
"If that's not enough, I'll give you land and properties!"
"I said no. It's not that it's not enough."
"Then I'll offer dozens of beauties and hundreds of servants!"
"No, when I examined you earlier, your ears were working just fine. So why can't you understand what I'm saying now?"
Kei thought he might have made a mistake with his acupressure, making the man unable to understand human speech.
Qian Wan looked at Kei and said, "Weren't you just being polite earlier? I thought you were trying to maintain your composure by refusing."
Being a businessman for so long, Qian Wan had learned how to read between the lines. He never trusted words at face value, always relying on guessing people's true intentions.
But this time, he seemed to have misunderstood.
"I treat and save people regardless of how serious their condition is or what their status may be. I charge only ten copper coins. The focus is on providing affordable treatment."
Every person's acupressure points were slightly different. To accurately grasp the position of each person's acupressure points, Kei needed a lot of practice.
He aimed to turn his ability to identify acupressure points from a skill into an instinct, much like the art of Butcher Ding's dissection.
"Ah, then... then just accept my thousand gold coins. It would make me feel more comfortable."
Qian Wan, having done business for so long, believed in equivalent exchange. Suddenly receiving such a big favor for only ten copper coins made him uneasy.
Kei saw Qian Wan's serious expression and realized that if he didn't let Qian Wan do something, the man wouldn't leave him alone. Kei spoke up:
"Alright, then I'll give you two conditions. If you can fulfill them, we'll call it even for the life-saving grace. How about that?"
"Please, go ahead. As long as it's something I can do, I will not refuse!"
"First, you must give me the ten copper coins. If you refuse or try to pay more, then everyone will start doing that whenever I treat them, and I won't be able to continue."
"That's no problem. I'm a businessman. I understand what you mean. I'll pay right away."
Qian Wan reached into his pocket, but then showed an embarrassed expression. "Um... I only have silver. Can you make change for me?"
"You really are something."
Kei sighed but still helped the man make change. The people around them who were watching the scene were left speechless.
"Are you both crazy?"
The onlookers shouted in their minds.
"The second thing is, you have to help me promote my work. Wherever I go today, you will follow me and spread the word."
"No problem! Marketing is my specialty! I'll follow you wherever you go."
Qian Wan agreed without hesitation.
For the rest of the day, Kei and Qian Wan wandered through the city, never stopping.
Whenever they encountered patients, Kei would treat them. When there were no patients, he would just walk around, letting Qian Wan promote his services.
Finally, night fell.
"Divine Doctor, shouldn't we rest now? Why don't you come to my house so I can properly entertain you?"
Qian Wan, who was already chubby, was exhausted from walking around all day. Seeing the darkening sky, he quickly made his suggestion.
"It's getting dark. And what does that have to do with us? Don't forget, you promised to promote my services for an entire day. That's twelve hours, and we've only gone through half of it."
Kei had no intention of stopping. With the city gates still open, he led Qian Wan outside the city.
"Alright! Let's do this!"
Qian Wan was a man of his word. Since he had promised to work for an entire day, he was determined to see it through.
They continued wandering in the wilderness outside the city and soon encountered their first patient.
"A-a monster!"
Qian Wan was startled by the sight of a rabbit demon, its leg caught in a bear trap, lying in a cave and convulsing from pain.
Kei ignored Qian Wan's panic, walked up to the rabbit demon, and carefully released the trap. Then, he located the right acupressure point and activated it.
He stimulated the cells' self-healing ability, quickly healing the wounds on the rabbit demon's leg and restoring it to its original state.
"Hunters around here sure are ruthless, setting traps laced with poison."
After examining the rabbit demon further, Kei applied another acupressure technique to help her detoxify and also wake her up.
"She's fine now. Let's go."
Kei confirmed the rabbit demon's recovery and turned to leave. Qian Wan followed closely behind, constantly looking back at the rabbit demon.
"Divine Doctor, why did you save a demon? Aren't demons dangerous? They eat people!"
"You're completely ignorant. While a rabbit may bite when cornered, its diet consists only of plants and vegetables."
"Even rabbit demons rarely eat meat. And that particular rabbit demon was just a child. Forget about eating people, she's lucky if she doesn't get eaten herself."
Kei explained some basic knowledge about demons and their habits to Qian Wan.
"I-Is that true?!"
Qian Wan was doubtful, but when he thought about it, he realized it made sense. Rabbits ate carrots, so a rabbit demon would probably still eat carrots, right?
"What else would you expect? Demons aren't as scary as you think. Most people just don't understand them. Once you understand them, you'll realize demons are pretty ordinary."
As they were talking, the rabbit demon from before hopped toward them from a distance.
She looked at them for a moment before placing something on the ground and quickly hopping away.
When they approached, they found a rather beautiful stone. Kei picked it up and put it in his pocket.
"T-This... This is the demon's payment for your treatment? Demons know how to pay too?!"
Qian Wan's eyes widened. It was the first time he had encountered something like this.
"Some pay with money, some give food, and some offer strange little objects. But most of them just ignore me."
Kei explained.
"Still, it's amazing. By the way, Divine Doctor, why do you help these demons? Are you doing it for money?"
Qian Wan was puzzled about Kei's motivation. After all, Kei had just refused his offer of gold, land, and beauties. What could these demons possibly offer him?
"I'm doing it for practice. My medical skills have been honed little by little like this. I treat humans and demons alike."
"If a rock showed up and asked for treatment, I'd treat it, too."
Kei said with a calm smile.
The entire night, Qian Wan followed Kei as they wandered around. They encountered many demons — some seeking treatment, some coming to express their gratitude for Kei's previous help, and some inviting Kei to their territory to provide medical assistance.
This continued until dawn. When morning came, the demons all left, and Kei and Qian Wan returned to the city.
As soon as they got back to the city and sat down to eat, Qian Wan couldn't take it anymore. He collapsed on the table and immediately fell asleep.
By the time he woke up, Kei was already gone.
"Waiter! Where's the man who was with me earlier?"
"The gentleman you were with has already left. He left a message for you: 'Take better care of your health. Watch your diet, exercise more, and you'll live a long life.'"
Qian Wan walked out of the inn and strolled along the street. Suddenly, the familiar scenery around him seemed a bit different.
He went outside the city again and revisited the places they had gone the previous night.
The rabbit demon was no longer there. Only some bloodstains and a rusted iron trap remained.
"Demons... they're not quite like I imagined."
Qian Wan muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, Kei had already left the city. As he traveled, he continued training his body, running from morning until night.
At night, he spotted a dilapidated temple and decided to go there to start a fire and prepare a meal. But as he approached, he realized someone else was already there.
Walking into the temple, he saw two Daoists.
One of them was ugly and covered in scars, while the other had a face that looked like a mischievous rascal.
"Excuse me, can I borrow some fire?"
"Of course, help yourself."
The ugly-looking Daoist replied politely.
"You're too quick to answer. This fire was made by me, the great Daoist. I say no! And you, get lost! This temple belongs to me!"
The rascal-faced Daoist said aggressively.
"Waaah! Waaah!"
"Roar! Aaargh!"
From the back of the temple came the sound of crying and painful screaming.
"So, are you planning to silence me now?"
Kei asked calmly.
"No, no, no! You've misunderstood! Th-that... that inside isn't a human. It's a demon! We... we're not bad people."
The ugly Daoist stammered nervously.
The rascal-faced Daoist kicked the ugly one aside, scolding, "Shut up! I'm warning you, the thing inside is my prey! If you know what's good for you, leave now!"
"I would've left if it weren't for this situation. But now, it looks like that's not an option. The one inside is a fox demon, right?"
Hearing Kei's words, the rascal-faced Daoist's expression changed. In this era, the real danger was not just demons.
For the sake of wealth, other Daoists could easily turn into thieving murderers.
And fox demons were valuable treasures capable of inciting human greed.
(End of Chapter)
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