Master of Ten Thousand Foxes-Chapter 53 - 52: The Fox Disciples’ Marvelous Claws

Chapter 53: Chapter 52: The Fox Disciples’ Marvelous Claws

Bai Mo sat on the fishing chair, beginning to apply the Miracle Cream on his hands. Just like applying lotion, he slowly smoothed it on. A little on the backs of his hands, a little on his palms, a little on his fingers, and also between the fingers. Both hands rubbed against each other, spreading the ointment evenly, gently kneading to promote absorption.

A group of fox apprentices gathered around to watch, heads stacked on heads, eyes wide open.

They saw that the otherwise ordinary ointment, once spread on their master’s hands, unexpectedly began emitting a strong medicinal aroma!

It was an emerald green aroma enveloping Bai Mo’s hands, leaping and steaming like flames, then dissipating into the air.

The fox apprentices’ gaze chased the dissipating aroma, watching it going from their master’s hands to the air, to the winds of the sky. They felt distressed!

"It’s unavoidable... Some efficacy will always be lost."

Bai Mo comforted his apprentices.

His Divine Sense penetrated into his hands, and indeed, he felt the ointment quickly transforming his hands! Bones became more resilient, muscles stronger, nerves more intricate, joints more flexible...

He extended his hands, gently moved his fingers, only to find that all ten fingers could sway and ripple like seaweed!

The fingers bent backwards, amazingly able to adhere backward to the back of the hand.

The fingers twisted around each other, incredibly able to tangle into the shape of a twist.

The fingers tried to rotate, and their pads surprisingly could turn over.

Very flexible, but also a little eerie.

Bai Mo tugged at the corner of his mouth, already accustomed to this kind of scene.

Divine Sense sensed once more, deducing in his mind, and he looked again at the furry front paws of his fox apprentices.

Bai Mo spoke.

"Some efficacy, I’m destined not to absorb.

"But the herbs everyone worked so hard to grow can’t be casually wasted.

"Now, everyone, each of you, first cover your front paws with Bone-Dissolving Mud and Blackboard Grass Ash, then line up to give me a high-five!

"Gently high-five, touch lightly, and quickly move on."

The fox apprentices looked at each other. Yet since the master ordered it, they must immediately carry out the command!

Some went to mix Bone-Dissolving Mud with Blackboard Grass Ash, while others "howled" down the mountain to call all the brothers from the herb fields to come up the mountain...

Before long, Bai Mo’s hands still emanated strong medicinal aroma.

The fox apprentices lined up in a long queue. The queue stretched from in front of their master to beyond the plaza and from beyond the plaza to the foot of the mountain.

As the queue moved, every apprentice who came before the master extended two mud-covered front paws to lightly touch the master’s hand. Their front paws took on a bit of the medicinal aroma along with the mud to transform their paws!

Bai Mo’s palm retained small mud paw prints.

The line moved quickly, one fox apprentice after another high-fived the master, their front paws absorbing the medicinal aroma.

Bai Mo’s palm bore one fox’s mud paw print after another.

...

The fox apprentices who first received the medicinal aroma looked at their front paws, their eyes wide with disbelief! They could feel their paws becoming cool, tingly, numb, and unexpectedly more flexible!

Extended claws could even move sideways, which was utterly amazing!

Looking at the small stone hammer on the plaza, which they originally could only hold with two paws, now with more flexible paws and claws, one fox apprentice even attempted to pick up the small stone hammer with just one front paw.

"Ee-eeee!"

"Oo-ooo!"

Though the medicinal aroma hadn’t completely dissipated from their paws, it didn’t hinder the fox apprentices from cheering and celebrating!

They waved their paws, swung their tails, shook their heads, started spinning in circles and dancing.

...

The line of ten thousand fox apprentices was too long.

A few thousand had already high-fived the master, absorbing the medicinal aroma. Several thousand more were still in line.

Some fox apprentices were already looking around... wondering if the medicinal aroma on the master’s hands was enough. Would it run out just as it was their turn?

It was then they heard the master’s clear voice, echoing through the mountains.

"Don’t fret, the medicinal aroma is plentiful, take your time and queue slowly."

Oh-oh-oh!

The fox apprentices all smiled and relaxed.

The line softly advanced.

Some fox apprentices began to worry... Would their master sacrifice his own advancement to strengthen them?

Again, they heard the master’s clear voice, echoing through the mountains.

"Don’t worry about me. The ointment we crafted is potent... In truth, my hands have already been fully strengthened."

Thus, one fox apprentice after another queued to high-five the master.

One furry paw after another absorbed the green medicinal aroma.

Bai Mo’s hands had already turned pitch black, with fox paw prints on them, barely visible.

Who knows how long it took, but eventually, the last fox apprentice high-fived the master, took a bit of the medicinal aroma, grinned, and left.

Bai Mo’s hands still had lingering aroma, left unused.

Just about to casually wave them off, Bai Liandan’Er rushed over, holding a Bronze Bottle in one paw, motioning to the bottle’s mouth for the master to put the aroma inside.

"Not a single bit wasted, huh."

Bai Mo grinned, using his Divine Sense to control, pouring the leftover aroma into the Bronze Bottle.

On closer inspection, Bai Liandan’Er grasped a Bronze Bottle in each paw... This was the effect after strengthening, before it wasn’t as flexible, only able to hold spoons and such small items, not a Bronze Bottle!

"Really impressive."

To be honest, in Bai Mo’s mind, this "Miracle Cream" strengthening didn’t greatly enhance him... Alchemists at the current stage don’t need such agile hands.

But for the fox apprentices, it was indeed a substantial improvement!

One of the greatest advantages of human hands compared to other animals is their ability to grip, hence allowing the use of tools. Now, with all ten thousand fox apprentices having strengthened paws, they all can grip, thus in the future, they can more comfortably use various tools!

Fox apprentices had already naturally started tidying the plaza.

Some were cleaning up the leftover herbs, some were holding brooms and sweeping the ground, some leaped into the Tripod Furnace to scrub the pot.

Bai Mo noted that they were quickly adapting to their newly altered paws!

While tidying herbs, they attempted one-handed grips.

While sweeping, they clutched the broom tightly between two paws.

As for pot scrubbing, each used a paw to hold a piece of dried gourd innards.

Being able to grip with their paws noticeably boosted their efficiency!

Fox apprentices, each with furry faces beaming with joy, began opening their minds.

Some thought, more nimble paws would also facilitate growing herbs, and they could plant even more in the future!

Some pondered, with gripping paws, does it mean... they could eventually wield weapons too?

Many Bronze Short Knives, Bronze Daggers, and Bronze Shields were dug out from ruins... Previously unusable, might they now all be usable?