Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 111 It’s bad, we really became colleagues
"Boiled? Oh, that's what I mean."

Chen Ji took a moment to react and finally understood what it meant to not let the fire get out of control.

He thought he was boiling water just now, but it was a big misunderstanding.

But now, looking at the flames burning in the void in front of me, I feel a headache again.

Judging from the performance of the underworld official, we can tell that the status of this Suanni in the underworld must be very high, and the fire that was caught casually should not be so easy to deal with.

He also gave a special reminder, which made him a little undecided whether he could take it over.

But Suanni held the flame in his hand and stretched out his claws, but Chen Ji did not move, and his eyes widened immediately.

"How can I not take it, but I don't like it?"

"Of course not."

Chen Ji sighed.

"I've only heard of the name of Netherfire before, but never seen it. I don't know how to preserve and control it."

Suanni was stunned when he heard this.

"I was so absorbed in thinking about the content of your earlier discussion of the scriptures that I forgot you're not a ghost from the underworld. You don't know this. Wait a minute."

The lion retracted its claws, put the flame back on its body, and then stretched out its claws to grope in the hair for a long time, and found an oil lamp with an ancient shape.

There seemed to be a layer of sticky paste inside the lampstand, which was black and it was impossible to tell what material it was made of. The wick was shriveled and there was not much left, only a bean-sized piece that was barely usable.

"Luckily I found it. I hadn't used it for a long time and almost forgot where I put it."

The Suanni rubbed it a few times like a treasure, shook its head and exhaled a breath, and a green flame suddenly ignited on the oil lamp.

Then he blew it out with a smile.

"This can be kept. Take it."

"But I got this lampstand by chance. The lamp oil and wick are not refillable. If you use them up, you will have to perform the spell yourself."

"I will teach you how to control the lamp and ignite the Hellfire."

Suanni plucked out a hair and it slowly fell to the ground.

"The method is already here. When you want to learn it, just recite the phrase 'Netherfire Patrol' and it will appear quickly."

Chen Ji bent down to pick it up and found that the hair was also unusual.

There is a green flame burning inside, but when you hold it in your hand, you can't feel any temperature.

Just as he was about to say thank you, he saw a flash of green fire shooting into the sky like lightning and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Only a faint sound remained in the air.

"You have the air of an old friend. I find you interesting, so I'm talking to you a little more. I have something to do today, so I won't chat any more. If I have the chance to visit the underworld in the future, I'll come find you."

Chen Ji looked around, but saw nothing.

I could only bow to the air and express my gratitude.

Then he looked at the two ghost messengers and asked about the identity of the Suanni.

The two ghosts hesitated, and when they saw that there was no one around, they slowly spoke.

"This venerable is of such high status that we dare not speak carelessly. It would be better for you to ask him yourself next time we meet."

"The Ghost Gate has been attacked, and there are other things going on in the underworld. We won't stay in the human world for long. I hope the Taoist priest will forgive us!"

After saying that, he turned around and disappeared into the ground.

Chen Ji frowned and was about to say something, but his expression changed and he realized that a new chapter had been added to the Records of Strange Stories.

At this moment, the ghosts have faded away, and everything is silent. The lights in the town can be seen in the distance, and there is a faint moonlight in the sky.

There was no one around, no monsters or ghosts, so Chen Ji simply opened the new chapter to see if it was related to today's experience.

I turned to the new page of the book and took a quick glance, and it was indeed true.

"Nether Fire Suanni"

"Mr. Chen has cultivated a variety of techniques, achieving minor success. One day before Qingming Festival, he was out in the wilds when he met the Fengdu Envoy. They were chatting pleasantly when he heard the Ghost Gate was attacked. He saw the Netherfire Suanni rushing in and driving away the ghosts. After the attack, Suanni, sensing that Mr. Chen had the presence of an old friend, asked for advice on scripture interpretation. He gave Mr. Chen the Netherfire Technique and a lampstand as a gift, then fled. Thus, Mr. Chen mastered the Netherfire Technique."

Although the origin of this Suanni was not explained, it did include an additional magic skill.

It’s worth it tonight.

Chen Ji closed the book, and indeed some more content about controlling the Nether Fire appeared in his mind.

At first glance, it seems somewhat similar to the fire control technique he learned from Bai Er, but upon closer inspection, he finds that they are completely different.

Although this netherworld fire is also a visualized flame, it is not the common fire in the ordinary world, but the soul fire.

As stated in the technique.

If the person casting the spell is still alive, his blood, flesh, essence and energy will be burned first, and then his soul will be used to make fire.

With essence, energy, soul and spirit as firewood, once it starts burning, it cannot be stopped without a secret method. Unless one has great courage and kills his three souls, there is a glimmer of hope.

From the perspective of ordinary people, it is indeed a sorcery.

But if you consider that this came from the underworld and was originally a technique used for interrogation and punishment, it is quite normal.

However, Chen Ji decided in his heart that he should use this technique less often unless it was a crisis.

Only when you start practicing cultivation will you realize the importance of essence, energy, soul and spirit. If they are damaged, it is difficult to replenish them.

But just as the thought came to his mind, he saw the end of the spell and was stunned for a moment.

There is actually a small auxiliary spell at the end of the spell.

It actually teaches people how to use residual souls to refine lamp oil, and then use ghost hair to weave wicks.

So Chen Ji silently looked at the tattered lamp in his hand.

After a pause, he put down the lamp, took out the hair, and softly recited the magic technique that Suanni gave him to control the lamp.

"Inspector Hellfire, please show your presence quickly."

"Oh!"

A ball of fire suddenly exploded, and the scattered flames outlined a technique in the air like silk threads. Then each word began to twist, turning into a coherent spell demonstration.

However, the demonstration was completed in a short time, and the flames were retracted and transformed into the previous hair of the lion, but the flames were a little dim.

Chen Ji knew that this was a method of passing on skills, which was quite interesting, but he didn't have the need for it yet, so he wasn't in a hurry to study it.

Instead, he held the lampstand with great interest.

I didn't expect that what Suanni left for me was actually the soul lamp.

Moreover, the methods of controlling soul lamps recorded in the Strange Stories are far more numerous than those left by Suanni.

After roughly estimating the number of times the wick and lamp oil could still be used, Chen Ji tried to practice a few times.

"Three souls turn to fire, seven spirits turn to ash, quick!"

Chen Ji held the lamp and chanted a spell, then stretched the lamp towards the distance.

A breath of air was expelled, and suddenly a dark green river of fire rolled up and rushed past.

Wherever it passes, it exudes a monstrous ghostly aura, and if you look closely you can even see various ghosts floating inside.

In front of Chen Ji, all the grass, trees, and rocks were covered with dark green flames and burned clean in an instant, leaving no ash.

"The soul fire dissipated."

Seeing that the fire was about to spread and burn the mountain, Chen Ji chanted a spell to disperse the soul fire.

However, these soul fires did not dissipate out of thin air. Instead, they floated back to the wick and slowly went out, leaving only a little flickering spark, as if it would ignite at any time.

Chen Ji felt that his energy and soul were not damaged at all, and were even slightly enhanced due to the control of soul fire.

So he secretly said that this was a good thing, turned off the light and returned to the pharmacy.

When I pushed the door open, I found that many monsters in the yard were not resting and were all waiting in the yard.

When they saw him coming back, their eyes lit up and they all greeted him.

"Sir is back!"

"Fellow Taoist, you are finally here!"

"Hello, Mr. Chen."

Chen Ji nodded in return before asking why they hadn't rested yet.

Baojiejun sighed.

"The Yin energy is too strong tonight, not suitable for absorbing the moonlight. I was about to rest, but the sound of the divine way came, and it scared me away."

Chen Ji understood.

The divine sound of the lion's roar shook for hundreds of miles. Anyone with cultivation should be able to hear it clearly. This was because their cultivation was decent and they had not done anything bad. If it were some evil demons, they would probably faint.

"When Sister Sun came back earlier, we asked her about it, but she didn't say anything."

"We heard the noise, but we didn't dare go out to find out the news. We were all waiting for the master to come back."

Bai Shiliu whispered.

"I wonder what happened outside the town?"

I saw that their faces were full of confusion.

Chen Ji then told them about the shattering of the Ghost Gate and the appearance of the Suanni, but he concealed the matter of the Soul Fire, a technique even more ferocious than the Fire Control Technique and suitable as a trump card. Even so, the demons in the courtyard were all stunned and speechless, staring blankly at Chen Ji.

They really didn't expect that so many things would happen during the Qingming Festival.

The shadows of the bamboos sway, and Baojiejun's voice sounds envious.

"My fellow Daoist's experience this night is more wonderful than my hundred years of cultivation. No wonder they say it's easy to cultivate. It's worth it just to see the different styles of this world."

The loach monster also disturbed the water waves.

"The name 'Netherfire Suanni' sounds very domineering. When I become a true dragon in the future, I will also give myself a similarly domineering name."

Bai Qi and Bai Ba looked at each other, but no one knew what they were thinking. After a long time, they looked at Chen Ji.

"Sir, is it too late for us to change our technique now?"

The courtyard suddenly erupted in laughter again.

However, they were no longer as nervous as before, so they said goodbye to each other and went to rest.

Chen Ji practiced breathing techniques, but felt that the air was filled with a lot of yin energy. It would take more time to temper it after inhaling it into his body. So he simply gave up practicing and lay down to sleep.

As he turned over, he felt a movement inside his waist badge.

Thinking that Madam Hongci had something to say, he took it out and saw that a sinister ghostly aura surged out, and Lu Pan's face appeared in the air.

He quickly stood up and looked at the face in the air.

"Why is Lu Pan here so late at night?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, fellow Daoist!"

Lu Pan apologized first before talking about the matter.

It turned out that after the Ghost Gate in Zhanshui Town was attacked, the Lord of the Mansion and the judges beside him immediately went to deal with it, but they were still a little slow.

After the Ghost Gate was restored and re-checked, it was discovered that tens of thousands of ghosts had disappeared out of nowhere.

"I guess he was kidnapped."

Lu Pan said slowly.

"Ghost snatching?"

Chen Ji clicked his tongue, his face full of surprise.

He had heard of highway robbery, robbery of money and women, but this was the first time he had heard of kidnapping ghosts, so he asked Lu Pan what he was doing and why it was so urgent.

Lu Pan sighed.

"Ordinary people would just use wandering ghosts and evil spirits as ghost messengers and servants. Even if they were more powerful, raising ghosts to cause trouble would just be like raising a few ghost generals. They are all easy to deal with."

"Can……"

Pan Lu hesitated halfway through his words. After a while, he looked at Chen Ji and told him everything.

"A report just arrived: the gates of hell opened wide tonight, nearly a hundred of them were attacked, and tens of millions of souls were swept away."

"so much?"

Chen Ji was stunned when he heard this.

Previously, he thought that the attack on the ghost gate in Zhanshui Town was done by the Lord mentioned by the City God.

Now it seems that it was overestimated.

Being able to attack hundreds of ghost gates at the same time is not something that ordinary people can do.

I'm afraid he doesn't have that kind of ability, so there must be someone else.

Lu Pan sighed again.

"With hundreds of thousands of wandering souls, we can organize a ghost army, and we can even compete with the larger city gods and the underworld. If there are tens of millions of ghost soldiers, I really can't imagine what will happen."

"What's more, the underworld governs the netherworld, and it is a place that rewards good and punishes evil, and sorts out the rules of life and death. These people dare to attack the underworld, and they definitely have a bigger plan!"

Chen Ji now understood what Lu Pan was worried about.

Not only were the wandering souls lost, but also the ability and organization displayed by the people who attacked the Ghost Gate.

But this behavior is somewhat similar to...

"Plague ghost?"

Chen Ji suddenly thought of something and spoke slowly.

"Did they do this? Are they trying to disrupt the underworld?"

Lu Pan nodded and then shook his head, his eyes serious.

"Yes and no."

"If this is really a plague ghost causing trouble and wanting to disrupt the underworld, it would be easy to handle."

"Even if the Yin messenger is incompetent, we, the judges, can bring the ghost generals back even after spending a hundred years cultivating."

"But the resurrection of plague ghosts can bring chaos to the world. This tactic was used by the mortals when the previous dynasty deposed the emperor. Plagues broke out in ten parts of the country, and the people spread the rumor that the emperor had lost his virtue. A great plague was sent down from heaven, shaking the foundation of the country. This is how the current Xin Dynasty came into being."

"Now we see plague ghosts again, and there are people kidnapping wandering souls. I'm afraid someone wants to use this to ascend to the throne."

Lu Pan's eyes moved slightly as he spoke.

"The fate of human dynasties is predetermined. If the emperor is virtuous and benevolent, a hundred years of reign is not too much. If he is immoral and unrighteous, he will be punished by heaven and his divine artifacts will be replaced."

"The underworld shouldn't interfere with the changes of dynasties in the human world, but given the current situation, I'm afraid someone wants to drag the underworld into this. So, I can only ask fellow Taoists to help investigate and find out what's going on."

"I understand."

There was no need for Lu Pan to explain too much about this matter, Chen Ji could also guess the key point.

But he was still confused and looked at Lu Pan seriously.

"Lu Pan knows that I have only been a Daoist for a month and my skills are not yet fully proficient. What can I do now? Why not ask the Confucianists, Taoists, or novice monks to handle this?"

"As far as I know, the Luotian Grand Ceremony will be held in Kyoto in less than three months. The masters of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism will all be attending. Wouldn't it be faster to find them?"

"Besides, if someone really wants to ascend the throne and leak the news to the court, they won't just let it go, right?"

Lu Pan nodded.

"You're right, fellow Daoist. We will naturally look for them. However, the underworld is different from the human world after all. We can only look for those with a predestined relationship, which I'm afraid is not a large number. Besides, this news cannot be spread."

"I'm here to look for fellow Taoists first, and then I'll go to Qingliang Mountain to see if I can find a few more."

"As for your concerns... I'm relieved. It's only because the Yin Messengers can't walk freely in the human world that I'm asking you to investigate on my behalf."

"Look for any demonic activity in the human world. If there's anything related to this, write it down and report it to the underworld."

"Besides, it won't be in vain, there's a salary!"

"Oh?"

Lu Pan took out a waist plaque and ten incense sticks and placed them on the table.

"If you wish, you may temporarily assume the position of a day-traveling god in the underworld. With this badge, you can enter the netherworld to protect your safety. You can also report any news directly to the Lord of the Mansion. If you encounter danger, you can also use this badge to obtain the Lord of the Mansion's protection. The salary is ten incense sticks per month."

It's really tempting.

Chen Ji sighed as he looked at the things on the table.

Even a famous Taoist temple like Qingfeng Temple only produces this much in a month. Madam Hongci only managed to accumulate this much after several years of practicing as a Yin spirit.

Chen Ji now also knows the value of incense in the circle of gods.

Ten incense sticks can make the City God show leniency and delay the announcement of death for a few months, even if the patient is terminally ill.

If you meet a trustworthy wild god, you can do a lot of things.

only……

It's hard to have a lot of money.

Chen Ji did not agree immediately, but began to think deeply.

As long as I have the Records of Strange Stories, even if I don't participate in the world's affairs, as long as I am knowledgeable and experienced, I can naturally practice for a long time.

After just over a month of cultivation, I could already converse with figures like Lu Pan. If it lasted a little longer...

Chen Ji didn't dare to imagine how bad it would be.

But thinking about my experience here, and that this seems to be what I am doing now, it seems that there will be no impact if I agree, and I can even get more incense offerings.

So without much hesitation, he nodded in agreement.

"Thank you so much for your kindness, Mr. Lu. I agree."

"I knew you wouldn't refuse. Now we're half colleagues. This is really cause for celebration."

"..."

Chen Ji was silent, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Fortunately, Lu Pan was just joking. After putting down his things, he said goodbye and left to ask others.

Chen Ji put away his badge and incense and went back to sleep.

There were a lot of things to do today, and he was really tired.

(End of this chapter)