The Fox Demon and the Scholar [Both Reborn]

["The Girl Sacrificed to the Mountain God [Eldritch Being]" is now updating. Come enjoy this sweet eldritch romance!] Bao Zhu is a fox spirit. On her first trip down the mountain, she met a handsome scholar. When he smiled at her, her heart raced. She fell in love with him. But humans and demons were different. Bao Zhu didn't want to frighten the man she loved, so she pretended to be a human lady and put on an act. She tricked the scholar into giving her his heart and taking the place of his wife. The scholar treasured Bao Zhu above all else. He climbed the ranks for her, earned her a title, furnished a luxurious mansion, and brought her a crowd of servants. He filled her makeup boxes with dazzling jewels and adorned her hair with the most beautiful flowers. As the years passed, Bao Zhu grew less and less happy. The scholar rarely came home, busy fighting for power and wealth. As his wife, Bao Zhu was trapped by countless rules and formalities. She couldn't even freely go up to the mountaintop to look at the moon. Fine clothes, a grand mansion, and precious jewels couldn't fill Bao Zhu's heart. She was caught in a long struggle. The struggle went on for decades. At last, when she smelled death on the scholar, Bao Zhu decided to leave him. She thought she still loved him, but she no longer wanted to deceive him or watch him die. Besides, Bao Zhu no longer wanted to pretend to be a human growing old, trapped in a gilded cage. Those decades, long for a mortal, had passed in the blink of an eye for Bao Zhu. She was still the little fox who had just come down from the mountain. Her cultivation was weak, and she was no match for anyone. Bao Zhu didn't even know whose spell had killed her. When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to a time long ago. It was when she first went down the mountain and first met the mortal who made her heart flutter. But this time, she didn't want to pretend to be human or become the scholar's wife again. * Li Zhi was a scholar. While home in the mountains observing a period of mourning, he met a beautiful young lady. The lady was innocent and sweet, completely unworldly, like a 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 to climb the ranks, leaving early and returning late, striving to give her a mansion, jewels, flowers, and servants. He gave her every beautiful thing the human world had to offer. All Li Zhi wanted was for everything he offered to let a free little fox stay by his side until they grew old together. But just before he died, the lady still left him. Lying on his cold bed, Li Zhi thought about it for a long time. The lady didn't really love everything he had given her. She only loved him. He closed his eyes, filled with regret. When he opened them again, Li Zhi had returned to a time long ago, to the place where he had first met the lady. This time, Li Zhi decided to treat her differently. "The Girl Sacrificed to the Mountain God [Eldritch Being]" [Devout Follower, Naturally Sly Girl × Evil God, Chaotic-Evil Tentacle Monster] A Li grew up in a village nestled among the mountains. She had lived in the mountains since childhood and could roam freely through the woods. A Li loved her mountain, and she knew there was a god living there. When the mountain wind brushed past her, it was the god gently caressing her cheek. When dew fell on her hair, it was the god playing a joke on her. This was A Li's secret with the god. But every secret is eventually discovered. The villagers sensed the god's presence and looked terrified. They said it was a dreadful monster and that it had to be sealed away again. The villagers wanted to offer it a sacrifice and beg it to stop watching over the mist-shrouded mountains. They went to A Li's family. Her parents were unwilling to give up A Li's younger brother, so she became the sacrifice. A Li wore her brightest clothes as she was offered to her god. The god descended into the mist. In a daze, A Li was wrapped in vines. A presence darker than darkness came upon her, its viscous, shadowy gaze staring into her very soul. A voice sounded in her ear. "Are you the one who's been calling for me all this time...?" The vines explored A Li from head to toe as the god spoke haltingly. "A Li..." - [Exotic setting, eldritch beings, multiple species, sweet slice-of-life romance] Theme: For the sake of freedom, even what was once precious may be cast aside.