Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 108: Occupying the Temple and Buying a Knife
Mr. Shuyuan is dreaming again!

I also dreamed that a saint told Taoist Chen that he wanted to send a gift, so I told him to tell him not to think that it was an offense to the saint.

As Li Pingyun spoke, Zheng Yuan listened with his eyes wide open.

Isn’t this really a story that can only be heard in storytelling?
But both the Jianzhen and Chen Ji spoke very seriously.

"I'm truly ashamed. The saint helped the town get rid of the plague ghost and even thought of making a plaque for the Taoist priest, but I didn't think of offering sacrifices to the saint. I'm truly derelict in my duty."

"You, the Taoist priest, have been very helpful by reminding me today. It's only right to use Tailao as a sacrifice to the saint. However, I shouldn't ask you to pay for it. Otherwise, if word gets out, the whole town will lose face."

"I also want to give gifts to the saint, not just to help."

"Then we should bear the burden. I will ask someone to calculate the date, and the Taoist priest will come again at that time. Don't mention the money again, otherwise if there are demons and ghosts next time, I will not be able to face the Taoist priest."

"That's...that's fine."

Chen Ji nodded in agreement.

What the town supervisor said makes sense.

Anyway, the cost of Tailao doesn't cost much, and the town supervisors are experienced, so it saves me the trouble of making the arrangements myself.

After the serious business was over, the host and the guest began to chat.

Chen Ji then asked about the demons and ghosts that Zheng Yuan had just mentioned.

"Why don't you ask the Taoist priests from Qingliang Mountain to deal with the demons?"

"The Taoist priests can certainly exorcise demons and catch ghosts, but the price is too high. The town doesn't have much spare money in a year, not to mention..."

Li Pingyun sighed.

"If the expenditure on suppressing the demons is too high, the Ministry of Personnel's evaluation will not be very high. Unless it is a disaster as serious as the plague, we dare not easily request it."

"understood."

Chen Ji nodded slightly, realizing what was going on.

The Ministry of Personnel evaluates all officials in the country every three years. Those with high ranks are promoted, those with average ranks are average, and those with low ranks are demoted.

In the peaceful times of the past, the focus was only on taxes and population, but now the task of suppressing demons and bandits has been added.

If this expenditure is too much, it means that the area under jurisdiction is full of monsters and ghosts, and it is not a good place, and it is inevitable that it will fall into a lower position.

No wonder Zheng Yuan had previously mentioned that all those harmless ghost incidents were handled by the yamen runners.

"So what if the yamen runners can't handle it properly?"

"It's great that you can handle it. In this world, who can guarantee that there are no demons and ghosts around? Even you, Taoist Chen... Oh, I lied. You are a man of virtue, how could there be demons and ghosts around you?"

"If these demons don't harm people, and we don't have the ability to kill them, we can just drive them away. If they go to other towns, it has nothing to do with us."

"..."

Chen Ji almost thought that Li Jianzhen knew the situation around him, but he reacted after hearing the second half of the sentence and smiled slightly.

"Indeed, there are demons everywhere."

Li Pingyun was stunned again.

After a while, he bowed.

"The Taoist priest's attitude is indeed different from others. The town has invited other Taoist priests and monks before, and they all claimed that there were no monsters in their temples. It seems that their ability to eliminate monsters is only so-so."

After chatting for a while and talking about Zhanshui Town, Li Pingyun felt envious again.

"The Zhanshui Town Supervisor is a rather unnecessary position. He has no shortage of tax revenue or personnel. With the help of the Cao Gang, he hasn't even spent money on suppressing the demons."

"Occupy Water Town?"

"Master Chen, don't you know? Three years of occupying the water prison will earn you 100,000 silver coins. This is a famous proverb in this area."

"Why this?"

Chen Ji asked.

"The Hutuo River is the main route to Kyoto. The Cao Gang, relying on their magic to fight against the water tribes, managed to snatch half of the river's wealth."

"Officials who come and go are appointed for three years, and they won't even think about resisting the Cao Gang. They just make money by being friendly and accepting the tribute without caring about anything."

"Then if there are demons and ghosts, they will also look for the Cao Gang?"

"Exactly!"

Chen Ji was suddenly stunned and understood something that he had not figured out before.

No wonder the Zhanshui City God did not step forward to deal with the evil spirits. This military advisor of the Cao Gang knows some magic and can control the canal transportation, yet he can be so high-profile.

If Zhanshuijian Town had not allowed them to do this, how could they have done such a thing?

It seems that some kind of benefit has been achieved with Zhanshuijian Town.

It's no wonder that the so-called monarch chose Zhanshui Town to replace the City God.

Human power is weak, and the divine power established by imperial decree is even weaker. This is how it is convenient to act.

However, this also explains why there have been demons hiding in Zhanshui Town for decades without any trace being found. I'm afraid the Cao Gang is in collusion with them.

The water is really deep!
Chen Ji paused and asked Li Pingyun why Tiejin Town did not have a city god.

"If there is a City God, and his ghost messengers cooperate with the yamen runners, ordinary demons and ghosts will naturally not be a problem."

"The government office refused to approve it."

"Why?"

"I do not know either."

Li Pingyun shook his head.

"When I first arrived here, I knew there was no City God here, so I gathered the local gentry and elders and nominated several ancient people who were qualified to be enthroned as City Gods. Unexpectedly, the government office reviewed them and said they were not virtuous enough and refused to approve them."

"It's really strange."

Chen Ji glanced sideways.

He has also learned some information recently and knows the process of enthroning mountain gods and city gods.

If it is a famous mountain or river or a famous city, there are naturally reasons for competition and winning over the people.

But Tiejin Town is just a small town. If someone has some virtue and the recommendation of the village elders, it would generally be approved. But the provincial capital did not approve it. This is definitely not right.

So he asked Li Pingyun if he knew about the Water God.

"I'm afraid no one here knows better than me."

"Oh?"

"Because Tiejin Town's request to appoint a City God was not approved, I went to the prefectural capital to inquire about the status of the City God of Water."

Li Pingyun said proudly.

"This man does have some history. He was a son of Prince Fu and was quite respected. However, he was born with little luck and died young."

"Prince Fu couldn't bear to part with him, so he ordered all the people in the county to offer him sacrifices. So he received some incense and became a wild god. Later, for some unknown reason, he ended up here as the City God."

After saying that, he looked at Chen Ji again.

"After hearing what the Taoist priest said, please don't spread it. Although humans and gods have different paths, it's not a good reputation after all."

"nature."

Chen Ji nodded slightly, but couldn't help but think of that monarch.

Could it be that the king is talking about Prince Fu?

But thinking about the attitude of the ghost messenger towards the City God of Water, he felt that something was not right. If Prince Fu arranged for his son to be the City God, he would never keep such a ghost messenger.

Then the king must be someone else or a demon.

But it’s not convenient to think about it now.

Fortunately, Li Pingyun only knew that Chen Ji was here. After chatting for a while, he said that he had to go out for an outing with his family and could not stay any longer.

Chen Ji was actually a little curious when he heard this.

"With a position like that, even at home, you can enjoy a leisurely outing. Why would you still want to squeeze outside the city?"

"It's time for spring plowing, so I'll go check out the progress of this year's spring plowing."

"I see."

Chen Ji nodded, thinking that Li Jianzhen was indeed a good official. At least he remembered clearly what happened at what time.

If this delays the sacrifice to the saint, the saint probably won't be angry given his temperament.

Looking at the sky again, it was not early anymore, so I got up and said goodbye.

"It won't delay the supervisor's trip to the town and let him understand the people's sentiments."

"Master, you are too kind. This is what we should do."

Chen Ji bowed and went out to return to the pharmacy.

Miss Bai has already settled Baojiejun down and has taken root in the corner on the side of the courtyard. She can clearly feel that the house is filled with a pure and spiritual energy, but it is still a little unstable.

Baojie Jun also noticed Chen Ji and transformed into a form to express his gratitude. Although he still looked the same, he looked much more haggard than he did on the mountain, probably tired from the long journey.

Chen Ji thought for a moment and drew a bucket of water from the well to water the plants.

In less than a cup of tea, Baojiejun's complexion improved.

After feeling it, I was particularly shocked.

"What kind of water is this, Daoist friend? Why is it so effective?"

"This is the water that Fellow Daoist Loach used to make a sacrifice. It's just right for irrigating the land. With the moonlight, it's much better than ordinary rainwater."

"Is there still a loach monster in the courtyard?"

"Exactly."

"Why not?"

"I went out to do some business a while ago and haven't come back yet."

"If you come back, I must meet you and ask for your advice."

Baojiejun said seriously.

Chen Ji glanced at it but said nothing.

I'm afraid that Baojie Jun doesn't want to ask for anything else, but simply wants this water.

Just then, Miss Bai came out of the house and asked about Chen Ji's visit to the yamen.

Chen Ji told the truth and even found a secluded place to tell the identity of the Water God, the obstacles posed by the Iron Gold God, and what the Cao Gang had encountered.

Miss Bai also had a complicated expression.

"Right now, the human, divine, and demonic worlds are all in chaos. Tomorrow is Qingming Festival, and the gates of hell will open. I don't know how much trouble will come. It's better to be careful."

After saying that, he thought of something and looked at Chen Ji.

"Sir, is it a problem for you to be here alone tomorrow?"

"Miss Bai, is there something wrong?"

"We must return to the mountain to watch over the little fox. Foxes live between the living and the dead. Tomorrow, the ghosts will come out of the underworld. If they provoke it and bring it to the mountain, there might be accidents. We must be on guard."

"Then Miss Bai can go. I'm here, so nothing should happen."

"No rush, let's talk about other things after we meet Fellow Daoist Loach."

As he was speaking, an urgent cry came from the well.

"Daoyou, I'm back!"

So the two of them went to the wellhead together to ask the loach monster how the trip was going.

There is gurgling in the well.

The loach monster has not arrived yet, so I sigh first.

"My friend said that the Dragon King is currently inspecting the Hutuo River and may not be available to meet you. I've already sent a visiting card. If the Dragon King is free, he will probably reply."

"Then we'll just have to wait."

Chen Ji looked calm, but not in a hurry.

Anyway, there is no need to waste time repairing the mountain temple, so I should wait for the reply first.

But this way, Miss Bai won't have to be delayed any longer, and she can just go back to Shantong and the little foxes to prepare for Qingming Festival in advance.

"That's fine, I'll just hang up a sign and close the business, and I'll leave this place to you, sir."

"Alright."

Chen Ji himself is not good at medicine, and Bai Qi and others do not practice this art. Previously, Miss Bai and Doctor Sun took turns to see patients here. Now that Doctor Sun has gone back to worship his ancestors and Miss Bai is going back to the mountain, there is really no one who can see the patient.

There is no need to leave the pharmacy only to dispense medicine. It would be better to close it down and take a break for two days.

So Miss Bai nodded, hung up the closed sign, rode away on the wind, and soon disappeared from sight.

Bai Qi and the others were still standing in the yard after seeing Miss Bai off.

Chen Ji looked around and felt that what Li Jianzhen had said just now was true.

There are indeed many demons around him.

They are just fellow Taoists who practice spiritual cultivation, and they are different from the monsters and ghosts that Li Jianzhen mentioned.

If there is a chance to let Li Jianzhen see these, it will let him know that there are indeed no bad monsters around him, and only good people are around him.

Li Jianzhen’s expression at that time must be very interesting.

Chen Ji couldn't help but laugh out loud as he imagined this scene.

Just as I was thinking about it, there was an urgent knock on the door outside the yard, accompanied by human voices shouting.

"Master Chen, help! Something happened in the village!"

"Please ask Taoist Master Chen to help eliminate that evil spirit!"

The noise was loud and the incident was short, but because several people were shouting at the same time, it sounded a bit confusing.

I could only vaguely hear the words "help" and "evil spirit".

So Chen Ji went out through the side door to see what was going on.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I went out, I saw dozens of people kneeling on the ground, with dark eye sockets and haggard faces. They looked horrible at first glance.

I quickly went up to them and asked them what had happened and why they looked so miserable.

"It's indeed Taoist Master Chen!"

A bearded man in the crowd blurted out when he saw Chen Ji.

Seeing Chen Ji looking at him, he hurriedly stood up and explained.

"I saw the Taoist priest exorcising a demon at the inn that day, so I have a very deep impression of him."

"That's right."

Chen Ji nodded and asked them what had happened and why they came to him without even caring about Qingming.

The strong man sighed and explained the situation.

"Master, we are villagers from Xiatongshan Village in Tiejin Town. Since we are all from the same family and our surname is Wang, we are also called Wangjia Village."

"We came here this time because the village encountered a strange incident that even the yamen runners couldn't solve, so we had no choice but to seek help from the Taoist priest."

Chen Ji continued to listen and gradually understood what they had encountered.

Wangjia Village is considered a wealthy village in Tiejin Town because there are mines nearby and the village is inhabited by the same clan.

The village has built a clan temple and its own clan school, which is also a first-class place to visit in the town.

However, the ancestral hall has recently become haunted.

"The village ancestral hall enshrines ancestors from all generations. I don't know when it started, but some people began to dream of their ancestors appearing in spirits."

"At first, no one believed him, but he said that he had clearly stated everyone's generational order and could even talk about past events, which all matched up with the family tree. So, everyone started to accept this ancestor spirit."

"Although he is not a canonized Yin God, he is intelligent and has some Taoism skills. He can guide the villagers out of confusion. So when everyone has problems, they go to burn incense and receive explanations in dreams or in the present moment."

"Isn't this great?"

Chen Ji asked in confusion.

This village god sounds somewhat similar to Madam Hongci, but I don't know how it is haunted.

"It's very good, but..."

The bearded man sighed, his face looking sad.

"A few days ago, a man came to the village. He seemed to be a peddler traveling around the village, but he wasn't really a peddler. He carried a load of goods but didn't sell them. He said if you want to take something, just take it yourself, and he would come back to collect the money after the soulless man collected the ghost."

"The villagers thought he was mentally ill and ignored him, letting him fetch water on his own and leave."

"I didn't expect that when he saw our ancestral hall when he went to fetch water, he started yelling that there was something wrong with it, that it was filled with evil spirits, and that it should be demolished and rebuilt with a new one."

"We were so angry that we immediately drove him out of the village. We didn't expect that just two days later, things would start to get uneasy in the ancestral hall."

"How is it not peaceful?"

Chen Ji felt a tightness in his heart when he heard what happened.

It sounds like this is the matter that Zheng Yuan and the others dealt with.

"First, the tablets started falling for no reason, and then we could smell a foul odor in the ancestral hall. However, these things didn't happen too often, so we just thought it was a rat or a wild cat that got in. We've encountered this before."

"But in the past few nights, some people have dreamed of the peddler from that day, and he spoke to us."

"What?"

"He said that a new ghost had taken up residence in the old temple. It was ridiculous that ignorant villagers worshipped ghosts as their ancestors, which would make them a laughing stock in the afterlife."

(End of this chapter)