A Fox Demon and a Scholar [Dual Rebirth]

Baonchu was a fox demon. The first time she descended the mountain, she met a handsome scholar. When he smiled at her, Baonchu's heart pounded.

She fell in love with the scholar. But there was a distinction between mortals and demons, and Baonchu didn't want to scare her beloved. She pretended to be a mortal lady, put on an act, and tricked the scholar into giving her his true heart and the position of his wife.

The scholar regarded Baonchu as his most precious treasure. For her, he climbed to a high position, earned a title, furnished a luxurious and exquisite mansion, and sent a retinue of servants. He filled Baonchu's dressing box with gleaming treasures and adorned her hair with the most beautiful, vibrant flowers.

Yet, as the days passed, Baonchu grew increasingly unhappy. In his pursuit of power and gain, the scholar rarely came home. Baonchu, as his wife, was trapped in countless rules and formalities. She couldn't even freely go to the mountain peak to look at the moon.

Luxurious clothes, grand mansions, and precious jewels could not fill Baonchu's heart; she was caught in a prolonged struggle. This struggle lasted for decades, and finally, when she sensed the aura of death on the scholar, Baonchu decided to leave him.

She thought she still loved him, but she also no longer wanted to deceive him, nor did she want to watch him die. What's more, Baonchu was no longer willing to pretend to be a gradually aging mortal, trapped in a cage made of golden threads.

These decades, long for mortals, were but a blink of an eye for Baonchu; she was still the little fox who had just descended the mountain, with meager cultivation, vulnerable to attack. Baonchu didn't even know whose spell she died under.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back a long time ago. She was descending the mountain for the first time, seeing the mortal who made her heart flutter for the first time. Only this time, she didn't want to pretend to be a mortal or be the scholar's wife again.

Li Zhi was a scholar. While returning to his hometown to observe mourning, he met a beautiful young lady in the mountains. The lady was naive and innocent, ignorant of worldly affairs, like a pure little fox. He fell in love with her.

So, he pretended not to notice the fox tail she occasionally forgot to hide. To keep her by his side, he asked her to be his wife. Li Zhi worked hard, leaving early and returning late, striving to give her a mansion, treasures, flowers, and servants. He gave her all the beautiful things in the mortal world.

Li Zhi only wished that everything he offered could make a free little fox stay with him until old age. But just before his death, the lady still left him. Li Zhi lay on a cold bed, thinking for a long time.

The lady didn't actually love everything he gave her; she just loved him. He closed his eyes in regret. When he opened his eyes again, Li Zhi was back a long time ago, at the place where he first met the lady.

This time, Li Zhi decided to treat her differently.