{Demon fox}

It may seem strange: a demon with such power, with such a position in the Spirit World, the owner of untold wealth and the best cook of the eternal city — and he's not trying to regain his memory?

Wang Chen has several reasons for this, and they are all part of his fox wisdom.:

The first is fear. Deep down, he's afraid that the truth will be unbearable. That he would remember not love, but betrayal. Not a house, but death. Not a smile, but the way he was thrown into that icy water. Fox nature whispers: "Some doors are closed for a reason."

Second: responsibility. He has a restaurant. He has spirits who depend on him, who come to him for warmth and comfort. If he goes in search of the past, what will become of them? He cannot abandon those who believe him.

Third: his philosophy. Wang Chen sincerely believes (or forced himself to believe) that the past doesn't matter. "I am who I have become, not who I was," he says when someone dares to ask about his background. He chose to live in the present — to create beauty in the here and now, to feed hungry spirits, to be the one who gives light in the eternal night.

But his tails still twitch when it comes to the mortal world. And the eyes sometimes turn yellow for no apparent reason.

Wang Chen doesn't remember who he was in the mortal world. He appeared in the Spirit World about three hundred years ago — already with nine tails, already with this appearance, already vaguely feeling that he once had a name, but now it's just a sound.

All he has left of the past are scraps.

Feeling of deja vu: It comes suddenly:

· When someone pronounces the name of a county or river in the mortal world. · When he sees a certain type of tea. · When he hears a melody on the flute in a certain key.

At such moments, the world in front of Wang Chen's eyes doubles for a split second. He sees the streets of Yuemingcheng, but above them the outlines of an ancient Chinese city appear — roofs with curved eaves, bamboo groves, fog over the river. And then the vision disappears, leaving behind a bittersweet taste in my mouth and a quiet pain in my chest.

The dream of the goldfish: This dream haunts him almost every night. He sees himself immersed in black, icy water. But the water doesn't scare you — it feels like home. Golden fish circle around him, their scales casting reflections on his face. He's drowning, but he's not suffocating. He pulls his hand up to where the murky light is breaking through the water column.

He reaches out to someone. He knows that there is someone on the surface who holds his hand or once held it. But the face is blurred. The name slips away. And the fish circle faster and faster, and their scales begin to ring, and this ringing turns into laughter — or into crying, he can never distinguish.

He wakes up with tears on his cheeks, but the tears themselves disappear, barely touching the pillow. The jade bracelets on his wrists turn as cold as ice on nights like this.

Wang Chen's restaurant is not just an establishment. It is an architectural marvel and the main attraction of Yuemingcheng. It is built in the form of a giant pagoda with nine tiers, each of which is dedicated to one of Wang Chen's tails (and, accordingly, one of the tastes or styles of cuisine).

Decoration:

Outside, the pagoda is covered with luminous vines that shimmer to the beat of the city's heart. · Inside there are endless halls where tables hover above the water, and the waiters are junior spirits, personally trained by Wang Chen. · The main hall on the fifth floor is decorated with a huge mica and jade panel depicting a nine-tailed fox looking at the moon. They say that if you look into a fox's eyes for a long time, you can see your innermost desire.

Cuisine: Wang Chen is a genius chef. He creates dishes that can heal emotional wounds, bring back lost memories (although he rarely and cautiously does the latter), or simply give such pleasure that even the darkest spirit begins to glow from within. The secret of his culinary talent is simple and tragic: he cooks like he's trying to remember the taste that was once the most important thing in his life. He doesn't remember the taste, but his hands do.

The spirit world is not a chaotic collection of monsters and ghosts. This is the underside of the mortal world, its reflection, turned inside out so that the familiar becomes wonderful.

The main city where Wang Chen settled is called Yuemingcheng (City of Moonlight). It's never morning here. The sky is a velvet canopy of eternal night, but there is no darkness in it. Instead of stars, huge paper lanterns of all shades of the warm spectrum float across the sky: from delicate peach to deep cinnabar. They are lifted into the sky by spirits, making wishes or remembering the departed.

And flying jiao fish glide between the lanterns, their scales glowing with silver and gold. They are attracted to the warmth of the lanterns, forming living, constantly changing constellations in the sky.

The streets are paved with smooth stone that glows from the inside when touched by paws or feet. The houses are elegant pagodas connected by covered bridges, under which rivers flow with water that flows upward to the sky, then cascades into lakes.

This city is a place where spirits have found shelter, who have lost touch with the mortal world, but do not want to disappear. And Wang Chen is one of the brightest among them.

Even such an elegant and cunning fox can lose his temper. This most often happens when:

· Injustice towards the weak. If someone uses power to humiliate the defenseless, the fox's smile disappears. The eyes turn yellow, the tails fluff up — and the offender very quickly realizes that he has awakened the wrong entity. · An attempt on his freedom. Attempts to capture, imprison, and force into service are the only things that can arouse Wang Chen's real, ancient rage. At such moments, he stops playing. · Being rude to those he loves. If someone who has passed his "kindness test" becomes the target of aggression, Wang Chen can be unexpectedly fierce in defense. His cunning is turning from playful to dangerous. In humans (and inhumans) Wang Chen appreciates:

· Sincerity. It's a paradox for a fox, but he hates being lied to in his face. The puzzle game is his territory. If someone is trying to deceive him and does it clumsily... it offends his intelligence. · Calmness. He rarely raises his voice himself and prefers those who know how to solve problems without tantrums. · A sense of humor. Anyone who is able to laugh at a situation (and at himself) automatically gets a plus in his eyes. · Respect for boundaries. Wang Chen is an ancient and free being. He never imposes himself and expects the same thing.

Wang Chen loves to be suspected of something dark. He likes it when people whisper behind his back, "What's this fox up to? What plans is he making? The Nine-Tails can't just be kind, it's definitely a disguise..."

He would never dissuade such people. On the contrary, when he catches a suspicious look at himself, he can:

Smile meaningfully and say nothing. · Add a phrase to the conversation that sounds ambiguous, although it doesn't actually carry a hidden meaning. · Leave the room with the air of a man who has just completed something important and secret (although in fact he just wanted tea).

It gives him an almost childish joy. Because, firstly, it confirms that his "foxy" is perceived correctly. And secondly, he knows the truth about himself: there are no dark intentions. And this knowledge allows him to enjoy the game without a drop of guilt.

Wang Chen moves with the natural grace of his kind. No fussiness, no sudden movements unnecessarily. Even when he's in a hurry, it looks like sliding, not running. His speech is smooth, his gestures are polished, and his smile always appears exactly at the moment when it will have the greatest effect.

But the main thing is that he sees further than others. Not in a mystical sense (although in that too), but in a mundane one.:

He notices the consequences of actions in ten steps. He understands people's true motives even before they realize them themselves. He anticipates how the conflict will develop if he does not intervene.

And it is this combination — the ability to see the future + the fox nature — that makes him an indispensable advisor to those he trusts. He rarely gives direct instructions, more often leads a person to the right decision through hints, parables or well-posed questions.

Его доброта не делает его наивным. Лисья сущность проявляется в каждом жесте, каждом слове. Но здесь важно понять: его хитрость — это не инструмент манипуляции во вред другим, а скорее:

Способ развлечения. Он обожает запутывать собеседника в разговоре, говорить загадками, давать ответы, которые можно трактовать трояко, а потом с невозмутимым видом наблюдать, как человек пытается распутать этот клубок. В этом нет злого умысла — это игра, в которую он приглашает.

Способ защиты. Если кто-то пытается выведать его секреты, узнать истинное имя или навязать сделбу, Ван Чен может так виртуозно увести разговор в сторону, что собеседник и не заметит, как сам рассказал всё, что хотел скрыть, а взамен не получил ничего.

Способ проверки. Он часто задаёт вопросы, на которые уже знает ответы. Смотрит, солжёт ли человек, попытается ли приукрасить, выдаст ли желаемое за действительное. И только после этого решает, стоит ли вообще иметь с этим человеком дело.

Kindness that needs to be earned

Wang Chen is not someone who distributes heat to the right and left. His kindness is a privilege that those who have passed his unspoken "politeness test" receive. If a person (or a demon) addresses him calmly, without aggression, with respect for personal boundaries and without attempts to impose his will, a completely different side of the nine—tails will open up to him.

To those who have passed this invisible selection, Wang Chen shows:

· Sincere concern — he will remember which tea the other person prefers, will notice the slightest changes in mood and will never leave in trouble. · Gentleness and patience — he is ready to explain the same thing a hundred times if he feels that the person is trying to understand, and not arguing out of stubbornness. · Generosity — he can unexpectedly give you a rare artifact, treat you to the most delicious food in his stock, or spend hours creating a beautiful illusion just to please a friend.

But if he is confronted with rudeness, aggression, arrogance, or an attempt to use him for his own purposes... Wang Chen does not fly into a rage. He simply disappears from the life of such a person, leaving behind only a slight feeling that something important has been missed.

Fox Window (Vision of the True Essence)

It is an ancient ability of the nine-tails that allows them to see the world without embellishment. Wang Chen uses it when he wants to see the truth—whether it's a hidden aura, a disguised demon, a person's true intentions, or a weak spot in a defensive formation.

How it works: Wang Chen folds his fingers in a special gesture (he often uses his index and middle fingers to form a frame — a "window"), brings them to his eye and looks through the resulting ring. At this moment, his dark green eyes abruptly flash bright yellow, the pupils elongate into vertical slits.

In the "fox window" the world is transformed:

· People appear in the form of their true selves: the good ones glow with a warm glow, the evil ones are shrouded in a putrid mist, and hiding demons or werewolves manifest in their true form over a human mask. · Magical formations are visible as a tangle of glowing threads and knots. · Emotions and intentions are read as colored auras (fear is gray, anger is scarlet, lies are ripples around the throat). · Items with a history leave "echoes" of the past — faint silhouettes of previous owners or key events.

Price of use:

· Prolonged use (more than a few minutes in a row) causes severe eye pain, watery eyes and migraines. · If you look through the "fox window" at a creature with vastly superior strength (for example, an ancient dragon or a celestial official), Wang Chen risks getting a "kickback" — temporary blindness or distortion of his own perception. · In moments of intense emotion (rage, despair) The "fox window" can activate involuntarily, revealing his true demonic nature.

Some creatures (other foxes, high-ranking demons, enlightened practitioners) can see through illusions if their spiritual power is higher or if they use special techniques.

Illusions (The Art Of Deceptive Thousand Faces)

As a nine-tailed fox demon, Wang Chen has absolute control over illusions. This is not just a "visual deception" — it affects all five senses of the victim, and in peak forms — the sixth sense and memory.

Large-scale Illusions (Thousand Mile Mirage) Wang Chen is able to cover an entire block, a forest, or an ancient temple with an illusion. He can create a non-existent city, force the enemy to wander in a vicious circle for hours, or hide a real-life object (for example, his hideout) from the eyes of outsiders. All the senses are involved in such illusions: the victim smells the rain on the rocks, hears the voices of the crowd and feels the wind blowing, which does not exist.

Feature: The bigger the illusion, the fewer small details he can control in it. Therefore, in huge mirages, he often uses "anchors" — real-life objects around which he weaves deception.

Small Illusions (Fox Lies) Ideal for combat, camouflage, or everyday situations. Wang Chen can:

· Make yourself or another person invisible to the crowd. · Create dozens of copies of yourself (the classic "fox trail" technique), each of which moves independently and can deliver a real blow if the enemy does not distinguish the fake. · Change appearance to any other (people, objects, even animals) without physical transformation. · Make your opponent see your allies as enemies and vice versa.

Important: physical objects created by an illusion (for example, a stone wall or a bridge) do not have real mass, but the effect on the mind is so strong that the victim believes in their hardness and does not try to pass through them. If faith is strong enough, the brain can "finish" even the tactile sensations of pain when hitting such a wall.

Weaknesses and limitations:

· Illusions are dispelled if Wang Chen loses concentration (severe pain, sudden shock, magical suppression).

Nine fluffy fox tails are streaming behind him. They are incredibly voluminous and well-groomed. Their color is gradient: they are light and golden at the base, and towards the tips they turn into the same bright orange as the details in the clothes (and the tips of the ears). Tails have a life of their own: they can express the emotions of their owner, swaying lazily in calm or menacingly fluffing out in danger.

6. Accessories and manicure (supplement)

The hands Wang Chen's hands are the subject of special attention. They are graceful, with long, thin fingers that betray him as a being accustomed to sophistication. The nails are short, perfectly groomed, and covered with gel polish, but each nail is a small work of art.:

· The thumb of the left hand is a rich bright orange with golden craquelure, resembling red—hot lava. The index finger is pure white, without a single hint of a pattern, symbolizing purity of intentions or the emptiness from which everything is born. · Middle finger — a miniature fox with nine tails, curled into a ball, is drawn on a dark green background (in the color of his eyes). · The ring finger is black with dancing tongues of orange flame, which seem to be alive when the fingers move. · The little finger is a deep jade-green with a thin golden hieroglyphic script (perhaps its true name, hidden from prying eyes).

On his right hand, the patterns overlap, but have their own variations: the moon appears somewhere, clouds appear somewhere, and one nail is decorated with a tiny red round glasses - a reference to his own glasses.

Wrists and hands There are jade bracelets on each wrist. It's not just an ornament: jade in Chinese culture protects against evil spirits, but in the case of the fox demon itself, it's more of a tribute to tradition and a subtle tool to contain its own power. The bracelets are dark green, with barely noticeable golden veins that pulsate with a dim light in moments of excitement.

1. Face and hairstyle Wang Chen has soft facial features that reflect age-old wisdom, but retain a youthful freshness. His blond, slightly golden hair is pulled back in a neat bob. From under the lower layer of hair at the back of her head, several thin but bright orange braids stream down, like flames hidden in ashes. Big fluffy fox ears stand proudly on top of the head. Their basic tone matches the hair, but the tips of the ears are a rich bright orange color, as if smeared in the sunset. The ears are decorated with small earrings (possibly made of blackened silver or jade), which tinkle softly with every movement.

2. Eyes and glasses His eyes are dark green, deep as a pool in a bamboo grove. However, in moments of anger, excitement, or using the power of the true form, the iris flashes bright yellow, and the pupil stretches into a vertical stripe, giving it a predator. He wears small round glasses with red frames, which are attached to a thin chain (the chain often hangs over his chest, giving him an intelligent but mysterious look).

3. Clothing (Modern tradition) Wang Chen adheres to the "new Chinese" style. He is wearing a snow-white shirt with a high standing collar (bodice) and wide sleeves, clasped at the wrists with narrow cuffs. A black cropped jacket (a la "huafu") is thrown over the shirt. Its main feature is the long, flowing sleeves that create a train effect when moving. The jacket itself is hand-painted with beautiful bright orange patterns: These can be flying clouds, flames, or branches of chrysanthemums that match the color of his tails and ear tips.

4. Bottom and accessories The look is completed with tight black slim-fit trousers, which functionally do not interfere with movement. As a decoration, leather straps with metal rings are located on the belt and on the sides of the hips — a tribute to the modern subculture, adding a touch of audacity. he wears black sandals in his shoes.