The figure of Huxian is quite interesting. A trickster figure who can make you wealthy but will also steer you onto the wrong path. The idea of foxes being untrustworthy apparently crosses over between wildly divergent cultures. There's a practical reason for this among farming communities, of course. But it also feeds a human need for deceit, I think. In this case projected onto other creatures.
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You're probably right that Eastern fox mythology has a lot to do with farming communities. One Japanese story I read about said that children aren't supposed to go outside during sunshowers because when the fox wedding procession goes by the children might be drawn away. The foxfire parade portends an imminent death.
Sometimes fox girls are good and sometimes not - the Chinese Nine Tail Fox according to some stories is very highly spiritually developed and thus immortal.
The only novel I recall having read about a mythological fox was 9tail fox by Jon Courtney Grimwood. When a Chinese policeman in San Francisco is killed he meets the legendary fox before waking up in a hospital in NYC in the body of a rich young man who has been in a coma for years. He returns to SF to solve not only his murder but also to find redemption. I remember really liking it as a fascinating and complex mystery - maybe I should read it again.
Most stories about why children shouldn't do this or that have rather mundane origins. Probably. And that's probably true in this case as well. But the idea of a fox wedding procession is picturesque and charming even before you get to its supposed mesmerizing effect on children. The very name for foxfire--which is of course bioluminescence from certain fungi--is itself a sign of certain mythological status.
It depends. The Nine-Tailed Fox is generally described as mischievous, sometimes ruinous, but also has been described as having a strong sense of honor. Probably has some connection to the Japanese kitsune.
Grimwood's 9tail fox sounds like a very interesting book. The switch from being one guy in San Francisco to a whole different guy in NYC has me curious.
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