Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 100 Madam Hongci
"I'm not a craftsman, but a Taoist from Qingliang Mountain. I heard there are demons and ghosts haunting this place, so I came to see what's going on."

Taoist Xiyun said slowly.

"A Taoist priest? That means he's a person who practices cultivation. No wonder he's not afraid of me. Unlike them, they'd lose their souls at the slightest intimidation."

The bloody Buddha statue stared at Song San.

Song San lowered his head and dared not speak.

If Chen Ji and the other two had not been standing beside him, he would have probably wet his pants out of fear. But even so, he was so nervous that he couldn't speak and was sweating profusely.

"The blood marks on the craftsman's body are just for scaring people?"

Taoist Xiyun raised his eyebrows.

The bloody Buddha statue looked at him coldly.

"Heh, they demolished my house and cut me into pieces. Is it wrong for me to scare them?"

"Your house? What does it have to do with the Buddha statue?"

Chen Ji asked.

The bloody Buddha statue glared angrily.

"This Buddha statue was carved out of my memorial archway. How can it have nothing to do with me?"

"An archway?"

Both of them were stunned.

Those who can build memorial archways these days are not ordinary people. Judging from the voice of this person, she is a woman, which makes it even more extraordinary.

Taoist Xiyun's attitude softened a bit.

"The wood we find for carving Buddha statues is all clean wood. How could we possibly tear down your memorial archway?"

"Can't you feel the scent of the incense and the merits of the imperial decree?"

The bloody Buddha statue looked coldly.

"You know it's Jingmu, and you can feel it, so how do others know?"

"Even if you really know, pretending not to know doesn't cost much, so why wouldn't you buy it?"

"This……"

Taoist Xiyun was speechless.

If he had no way of distinguishing, he might indeed buy it if he encountered such a thing.

For most ordinary people, saving money is the most important thing.

"Then you don't need to scare them."

Taoist Xiyun said slowly.

"Oh? Then how should I tell them?"

The bloody Buddha statue seemed to sneer.

"Tell them in the dream that this was taken from my memorial archway, and then ask them to find someone who sells wood and then burn me?"

"It shouldn't have come to this."

Taoist Xiyun said slowly.

"You said it was their due, but they didn't even think about it when they demolished my memorial archway!"

The bloody Buddha statue said fiercely.

"If I'm not ruthless and they really burn me, will I have to go to the underworld to sue them?"

"They chopped me with swords and axes thousands of times, and I only let them suffer some physical pain. Isn't that kind?"

"..."

Chen Ji sighed, but didn't know what to say.

There is really no logic in talking to someone who even dares to tear down a memorial archway.

What's more, the intelligence of this person in front of him can be preserved by relying on the incense in the archway, which is almost like a wild god's shrine.

What these people did was no different from cutting down mountains and destroying temples. If they had encountered a more violent god, they might have died.

This person only took action to punish, which is indeed kind.

Just still curious.

"Is your memorial archway erected by the government?"

"Of course, it's still a Zhenxiao Memorial Archway, two pillars, one room, three floors. The prefecture will reward you with a thousand taels of silver."

"In this case, who dares to move?"

Chen Ji asked.

These days, it is not possible for ordinary people to destroy a memorial archway, let alone someone who can do so.

As soon as the words fell, anger flashed in the eyes of the bloody Buddha statue.

"It's because those people are greedy. When they heard someone wanted to build a Thousand-Armed Guanyin statue and was looking for pillars for a Chastity Arch, saying that the Bodhisattva wanted to bless chaste women throughout the generations, they thought of my memorial archway."

"They didn't even go to the ancestral hall to inquire, but directly colluded with the county magistrate to tear down the memorial archway and send it here overnight. If I hadn't happened to be staying there, I'm afraid I would have become a wandering ghost!"

"That's it."

Chen Ji nodded, finally understanding the whole story.

Then look at Song San.

"Don't you know these things?"

Song San was so frightened that he trembled all over and quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the bloody Buddha statue.

"Please forgive my sins, God. I didn't know this was the memorial archway of the God. If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to use a knife or an axe even if you killed me."

Song San kowtowed repeatedly until his scalp bled, and only then did the bloody Buddha statue calm down.

"Well, considering you don't know, I'll let you go."

"Then my brothers..."

Song San wanted to say something but stopped himself.

"It's just a simple replacement technique. I didn't mean to harm you. It will dissipate after a few days of pain."

"If the pain is unbearable, go to the doctor and ask for some ointment to apply."

"With so many cuts, how much ointment should I apply..."

Taoist Xiyun shook his head.

The bloody Buddha statue looked at him and spoke coldly.

"With all the cuts on my body, how much ointment do I need to apply?"

Taoist Xiyun kept silent and told Song San to leave and not to talk nonsense.

Chen Ji waited until Song San left before looking at Taoist Xiyun and whispered.

"Master Xiyun, how do you think we should handle this matter?"

"It's really difficult..."

Taoist Xiyun shook his head slightly.

If it is a demon or ghost causing trouble, it doesn't matter whether you arrest it or kill it directly.

But the one in front of me... can be considered a god of incense who has been officially granted an imperial title, so this makes things a bit tricky.

Then he looked at the bloody Buddha statue and nodded slightly.

"I thought it was a ghost at first. I'm sorry for being so rude, Your Excellency. My Dharma name is Xiyun. Since you have been ordained by the emperor, I don't know what to call you by your full name."

"I have been granted the title of Madam Hongci by imperial decree. Fellow Daoists, there is no need to address me in any other way. Just call me Fellow Daoist."

The Blood Buddha Statue said this and waved its hand. All the filth on its body faded away, revealing the appearance of a woman in palace dress. Even the aura of its body changed completely. There was indeed a lot of kindness hidden between its eyebrows.

Taoist Master Xiyun bowed and said, "Mercy."

"Fellow Daoist, you can change your aura. This technique is indeed not simple. Thank you for showing mercy."

"Their crimes don't deserve death, and the small punishment they receive is to preserve this place of refuge."

Madam Hongci waved her hand and then looked at Taoist Xiyun.

"Since the Taoist priest came here to catch ghosts and exorcise demons, what should we do now?"

"This……"

Taoist Xiyun felt helpless and paused.

"Since you are not a demon, and you have appeared to punish these villains, you must have your own ideas."

"The Taoist priest is right."

Madam Hongci said lightly.

"The younger generation of the clan is so unfilial. In terms of human status, I am the ancestor, and in terms of divine status, I am the earth god. To treat me like this, you should be punished."

"I have already written the document, but my magical power is too low to do anything. I would like to ask the two Taoist priests to help pass it on to the underworld and take away these unfilial descendants."

Before Taoist Xiyun could speak, Chen Ji started laughing.

"Madam, there is no need to test us like this."

"You... you figured it out?"

Madam Hongci stood there in a daze.

Chen Ji shook his head.

"Since you have been granted the title of Hongci, you are naturally the most kindhearted person. You can even endure the pain of being hacked by a knife or an axe. You are just using the substitute technique to let them feel a little bit."

"Now they want to kill people. It's really unreasonable."

"Besides, Madam, you are neither cruel nor good at fighting, so you really don't act like one..." "How do you know I'm not...good at fighting!"

Madam Hongci hastily changed her words as soon as she opened her mouth, but ended up revealing a flaw.

Chen Ji shook his head slightly.

"If you are really good at fighting, you could have caused those people trouble when you were demolishing the memorial archway. Why wait until now?"

"I guess the other party brought some cultivators with them when they dismantled the archway, so you didn't dare to attack rashly, or maybe you already did but were no match for them, so you hid behind a pillar and escaped."

Chen Ji finished speaking slowly and looked at Madam Hongci again.

"I'm afraid Madam is still testing us. She has other requests, right?"

Taoist Xiyun was stunned for a moment, then realized what Chen Ji meant and became serious.

Madam Hongci was startled when she heard this, but she let out a long sigh, bowed, and looked at Taoist Xiyun.

"The Taoist priest has indeed taught a good disciple. I didn't hide my thoughts at all."

"Cough cough..."

Taoist Xiyun quickly coughed twice to hide his embarrassment.

"Madam, you are joking. This fellow Daoist Chen is a fellow Daoist, not my disciple."

Madam Hongci looked at Chen Ji apologetically.

"I am indeed short-sighted. May I ask what is your name, fellow Taoist?"

"Random cultivator Chen Ji."

Chen Ji did not reveal his identity from Xiantai Mountain.

Madam Hongci bowed respectfully.

"I'm sorry, Fellow Daoist Chen. This wasn't my original intention. I simply had no other choice but to resort to this."

"It was indeed a test before, but seeing that you two are so profound in Taoism, and have courage, insight, and kindness, I dare to tell you the truth."

"If not, this matter is too strange, I would rather keep it to myself."

"Fellow Daoist, please tell me slowly."

Taoist Master Xiyun also came back to his senses at this time and listened carefully to Madam Hongci's story.

It is definitely not easy to force a Yin Spirit to this point.

Madam Hongci then slowly told the story.

"I was originally from Nanzhuang Village, Fenshan Town. My husband died young, leaving behind only a pair of children and my parents-in-law. I worked the fields during the day and spun weaving at night, raising my two children and being filial to my parents-in-law. After my death, I was granted the title of Madam Hongci for my chastity and filial piety."

"The villagers thought I had a decent character, so they would burn incense at the memorial archway during festivals. Gradually, I became a ghost spirit, and gained some Taoist skills. I could see ghost messengers, and I gained insights from our conversations. So I traded the incense for divination skills."

"Perhaps it's because of his intelligence that he can quickly discern things. When villagers come to ask, he can tell them about their recent fortunes, birth, old age, sickness, and death, and even give them some ways to avoid disasters. This has increased the incense offerings."

"Over the years, I've gained some reputation in the local area, and the City God and his messengers have come and gone. Even if my children are unfilial, they wouldn't tear down my memorial archway without asking."

"What's more, when we came to dismantle the memorial archway that day, there were a few unfamiliar people. I could sense a ghostly aura about them, just like the ghost messengers I've often seen. I wanted to seek help from the City God, but as soon as they appeared, they started using magic to fight."

"In desperation, I used the incarnation technique to escape. Their techniques weren't very advanced, so they didn't find my remaining soul. However, they suggested to my clansmen that they dismantle my memorial archway and make it into a statue."

"They say that ordinary wood is a good thing to make statues of gods. But it would be disrespectful to carve a statue of a wild god like mine without the incense. By the time the god's power is overwhelming, I will die with a single thought. Even the underworld will find no trace of me."

"I originally thought that a disciple of the clan had picked up bad habits and was looking for money. After hearing this, I felt that there must be something fishy going on. However, I didn't dare to tell anyone, so I came up with this method."

Chen Ji's eyes moved when he heard this.

"No wonder Madam wanted to test us just now. Is she worried that we are also in the same group?"

"That's right. However, seeing that the Taoist priest is surrounded by pure energy and his words are full of good deeds, I believe that you two are truly good people, so I took the risk to ask for help."

Madam Hongci said seriously.

Taoist Master Xiyun remained silent.

Chen Ji's eyes moved and he thought of something.

"Does this matter seem familiar to you, Taoist priest?"

"Where is it familiar?"

Chen Ji spoke lightly.

"Humanity creates animals, while the gods control water and city gods."

"hiss!"

Taoist Xiyun gasped, his white beard trembling, and he looked a little shocked.

"Fellow Daoist, be careful!"

"Don't you think it's not like that, Taoist Priest?"

"When I think about it, there are indeed some similarities."

Taoist Xiyun spoke slowly.

"But if that's the case, this matter is probably not simple."

"The world is in chaos, how can anything be simple?"

Chen Ji sighed with emotion.

Madam Hongci was completely puzzled.

"What are you talking about, fellow Daoist? Are there other places where these things are also happening?"

"Don't worry, fellow Daoist. I'll explain it to you later. We still need to explain the situation to the underworld."

"How do you tell the underworld?"

"We'll know in a moment."

Chen Ji took out his badge and whispered, "Please ask Judge Lu to take over."

Soon, ghost energy surged out, and Lu Pan appeared in front of Chen Ji with a helpless expression.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, what urgent matter brought you to me today?"

"You...actually know Lu Pan?"

Madam Hongci was filled with astonishment and bowed down in worship.

Only then did Lu Pan look at Madam Hongci beside him.

"Where did this earth god come from that actually recognized me?"

Madam Hongci hurriedly explained her life story.

"A few years ago, ghost soldiers passed through Nanzhuang Village. The City God issued a notice, asking us to be careful and avoid them so as not to alarm the army."

"I met Lu Pan at the village entrance that day."

"It's you. I remember now."

Lu Pan nodded with a neutral expression, then looked at Chen Ji.

Chen Ji then explained what Madam Hongci had experienced, and also told his and Taoist Xiyun's speculations.

Lu Pan sighed, feeling even more helpless.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you really can always give me a surprise."

"The last time we dealt with the plague ghost, it wasn't over yet. This time, it's going to be even harder."

"This kind of thing is beyond the ability of a judge like me to explain. I have to alert the Lord of the Mansion to handle it."

"If you ask me, if you have this ability, you shouldn't waste it in the human world. Come to the underworld as a colleague as soon as possible. With these achievements, you may be able to become a figure like the Lord of the Mansion within a hundred years."

Chen Ji said nothing, just smiled.

Everything about Lu is good, except that he is a little too enthusiastic in wanting me to be his colleague every time they meet.

However, Lu Pan just made a joke and soon looked at Chen Ji seriously.

"I already know about this Earth God, as well as the Water God. I will also report this to the Lord of the Mansion for investigation."

"It must be the work of a group of people. They were able to bypass the supervision of the Tianxia Capital City God and win over the City Gods from all over the country. They are quite resourceful."

"I'm afraid it's closely related to the things in the human world."

"Forget it. Let me report this matter to the Lord first. If I have any news, I will send someone to tell my friends."

After saying that, he thought of something and said it seriously.

"Fellow Daoist, you should find a ghost messenger as soon as possible, so that I don't have to come up every time."

"must."

Chen Ji bowed, knowing that this was indeed not a good thing, and apologized sincerely.

"If there really is something, then there's no need to be so rigid. It's up to you."

Lu Pan shook his head slightly, but then thought of something and told Chen Ji through voice transmission.

"Also, when I went back last time and searched through the classics, I couldn't find the exact location of Xuanshan, but I did find a sentence related to Xuanshan."

"What?"

Chen Ji's heart tightened and he asked hurriedly.

Previously, I only knew the Xuanshan Dream Technique, and I wasn’t so anxious. Now that I have learned the Cloud and Mist Transformation Technique, I know that Xuanshan must be no ordinary person.

Even if there are a few words passed down, it would be good.

Lu Pan looked at Chen Ji with a serious expression.

"Just keep this to yourself, don't tell anyone else."

"The Emperor is no match for Taoist Xuanshan in his discussion of Dharma!"

Chen Ji was shocked when he heard this and it took him a long time to recover.

(End of this chapter)