Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 131 Inviting the Witch into the Trap

“We heard a commotion over here, like thunder, and we also vaguely heard you speaking, Daoist Master. We didn’t know what was going on, so we came to ask.”

"It's alright, I just saw that person and we chatted for a bit."

"That stone mill demon still dares to come here?"

The old man's face turned pale at first glance.

“The villagers treated him like this, yet he caused them to face these dangers. Even if I can’t beat him, I have to give him a good scolding to vent my anger.”

"I'm afraid you really can't scold him, old man."

"Why?"

Chen Ji slowly began to speak, telling the old man about the things the Millstone Demon had done for the village over the years.

"And the dead child was not killed by the millstone demon, but by the sorceress and other demons."

Chen Ji did not mention the Blood Demon.

For ordinary people, demons and ghosts are already terrifying and beyond their comprehension. There's no need to talk about blood demons; knowing more would be pointless. It's enough to just get to the point where the sorceress colludes with evil spirits.

"Is that so?"

The old man was stunned by what he heard and remained speechless for a long time.

Zheng Yuan reacted more quickly, and after hearing all this, he was also filled with sighs.

"No wonder the demons and ghosts tormented you and made you wrestle. If they had a bad temper, they could have killed you, but what could they have done?"

“The hatred for destroying the Way is no less than that for murder.”

As he spoke, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Such a wonderful monster, yet you still want to get rid of it, how foolish."

He wasn't from the village, nor had he ever seen the stone mill demon. He judged it solely from what others said and had his own version of the story.

I just always felt like someone was watching me after I finished speaking.

But when he looked back, all he saw was a newly built stone mill in the village, so he didn't pay it any mind.

The old man then came to his senses, looked at the stone mill, and burst into tears, throwing down his cane and collapsing beside it.

"Stone mill, oh stone mill, we have wronged you!"

"If the immortal hadn't said these things, I wouldn't have known that we listened to slander and prevented you from cultivating!"

"Even if we die, we cannot atone for our sins. If you are still here, tell us how we can make amends. We will never dare to let you down."

"If I can't make it up to you, I'll give you my old life as compensation!"

As he spoke, he stood up, his eyes resolute, as if he were about to smash the millstone with his head at any moment.

Chen Ji used his Qi Observation Technique to look at the old man and confirmed that he was speaking from the heart, which made him feel somewhat saddened.

This is probably a limitation of the times.

Ordinary people have limited experience and knowledge, and there is indeed not much they can do when faced with matters of demons, ghosts, and gods.

Previously, when someone in the village died, they believed the sorceress's words and thought it was the work of a millstone demon, so they smashed stones to destroy the millstone demon's power.

Now that they know it wasn't the millstone demon who did it, they sincerely apologize and even offered their lives in repentance.

It's hard to judge right from wrong, but one can say that the people of Ruyi Village are much kinder than those of Tongshan Village.

As for how to apologize...

Chen Ji looked at the millstone demon without saying a word. This was his business, and naturally the millstone demon should handle it himself.

"Are you serious?"

A voice suddenly rang out in the darkness, accompanied by several thunderous grinding sounds.

The old man and Zheng Yuan were both startled. Staring at the millstone in front of them, they saw that the huge millstone had actually developed facial features, and the opening for adding feed had turned into a mouth, asking them questions.

Zheng Yuan's breathing quickened, and he gripped the academy scroll even tighter.

It wasn't the first time he had seen demons and ghosts, but it was also the first time he had been so close to them, and it even seemed like they were going to have a chat. He felt a surge of excitement.

These things will be excellent topics of conversation when we get back, and they would be enough to report even to the town magistrate.

The old man, however, was breathing rapidly and it took him several breaths to realize that what he was seeing was indeed the Stone Mill Demon.

Calm down and speak slowly.

"Since I promised you, I'll tell you the truth!"

As he spoke, his mind seemed to gradually calm down, and he looked at the stone mill demon and said slowly.

"If you have any requests, just tell me, and I will do my best to fulfill them, even if it costs me my entire fortune."

"it is good."

The stone mill demon readily agreed.

"In that case, I want you to do one thing. If you can accomplish it, I will not pursue the matter of you destroying my true form."

"What's the matter?"

The stone mill demon coldly gazed into the distance.

“Go tell the sorceress that I’m back and still harming the villagers. Ask her to come and exorcise the demon.”

"This……"

Upon hearing this, the old man immediately shook his head, his expression changing drastically.

"I've already made a mistake once, how can I make the same mistake a second time? Wouldn't that be putting the millstone in an unjust position?"

"It doesn't matter."

A look of joy appeared on the face of the stone mill demon.

"I originally wanted to lure that sorceress here to seek revenge."

"I had previously thought of going there as bait to lure people into the mountains and kill them with boulders, but now it seems that it will be much easier."

“I have a grudge against the villagers, and they all know I’m doing these things. Even if I tell the sorceress about it, there won’t be any problem. She will definitely come here when she hears that I have manifested, and then I can take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.”

"What do fellow Taoists think?"

The stone mill demon then asked Chen Ji.

"It is indeed good, but in the village, you may not have the advantage."

Chen Ji looked towards the nearby houses and villages.

If the millstone demon were to follow its methods, then the sorceress, if she were ruthless enough to hold the villagers hostage, would likely be powerless against the millstone demon's cultivation level.

"I have a way of dealing with that."

"The millstone demon said seriously."

"However, there is one more thing I would like to ask for your help with."

After saying that, he thought of something else.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, I don't want you to help me deal with this witch, I just want you to give me a few blows to make my disguise more convincing."

"If she hadn't been injured, I'm afraid that sorceress wouldn't have come here."

"it is good."

Chen Ji naturally had no reason to refuse such a request.

Moreover, he understood why the stone mill demon did this: only by getting involved himself could he successfully fish for fish.

So he used the Wall-Opening Technique to leave several gaps in the stone demon's body.

It didn't need to completely sever the connection; it only needed to leave cracks and wounds. Chen Ji didn't put too much effort into the spell. He simply raised his hand, formed an idea, and casually muttered something to complete the spell.

The two people standing nearby only saw Chen Ji raise his hand, and several marks left by the attack appeared on the millstone, and many pieces of stone were scattered on the ground. They then stared wide-eyed in amazement, marveling that this was truly divine skill.

"It's just a minor skill, nothing to do with being a god."

The millstone demon emerged from its soul, looked around, and was quite satisfied with its appearance, marveling that Chen Ji had struck just right.

It neither hindered his movements nor failed to reveal a seriously injured expression.

Chen Ji waved his hand, then looked at the Millstone Demon.

"Fellow Daoist, are you sure you can deal with this sorceress?"

"It should be."

The millstone demon nodded first, then a hint of certainty flashed in its eyes.

“I’ve been following the sorceress these past few days, and I haven’t seen her use any other spells. She only knows the few that were passed down from the Blood Demon, so she shouldn’t know any other spells.”

"That would give us a good chance of success."

Chen Ji nodded and spoke with the Stone Mill Demon, but did not ask the Stone Mill Demon anything else.

With a personality like Stone Mill Demon's, once he sets his mind on something, he will definitely do it even if there are risks involved. He is not afraid of death, and there is no need to persuade him to risk his life just for the sake of being carefree.

The stone mill demon, however, was in high spirits, discussing with the old man how to explain things after seeing the sorceress.

The old man felt guilty, and although he couldn't remember everything clearly, he tried his best to memorize it. By the time he had memorized it all, the east was already turning white, and sunrise was approaching.

"This old man is not very strong and can only ride a donkey slowly, so I will take my leave now. If you or Immortal Chen have any instructions, please just let them know."

After saying his farewell, he rode away on his donkey.

The bells on the donkey's neck rang crisply, awakening the sun and casting a golden ray of light.

Another night passed quietly.

Zheng Yuan and the others originally planned to go back, but thinking that this was a rare scene of demon battles, they wanted to watch it for a while longer, so they stayed by Chen Ji's side and served him.

Chen Ji didn't expose them.

Anyway, according to the Stone Mill Demon's prediction, things here should be over in about half a day at most.

Those who have seen demons and ghosts should no longer be easily afraid when it comes to exorcising them, and will be more adept at performing exorcisms.

It won't hurt to take a look.

The millstone demon had been missing since early morning; it must have gone to prepare something.

Chen Ji looked around, but although he couldn't see anything, he inexplicably felt that the atmosphere in the village had changed.

With no one around, he simply rode the wind and rose into the air.

Looking down at Ruyi Village, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

When I looked at the layout of the village before, there was no problem. Even the place where the stone mill demon was suppressed was just chosen in a certain direction, which did not affect the feeling of the village.

But now it seems like a completely different story.

The entire village seemed to be arranged in the same trap formation that had been seen before in Tongshan Village, and it had already begun to function.

If Chen Ji hadn't sensed that the location of the formation was the aura of the Millstone Demon, he probably would have thought he had encountered another evil spirit with the ability to suppress souls.

He was observing the situation in the village.

Two figures approached from afar at the village entrance.

It was the old man and the sorceress.

Chen Ji stared intently, frowning slightly, a hint of doubt flashing through his mind.

An old man rides a donkey, while a sorceress walks.

Although the sorceress's movements appeared to be normal walking, they were at a speed comparable to that of a donkey.

This evokes the feeling of watching Tiger Crouching that day; it's not just a magical technique, but an extremely profound martial art.

Upon closer inspection of the sorceress's aura, Chen Ji's eyes turned cold, and he secretly sentenced her to death.

It has a popularity rating of 10 out of 10.

Ordinary villains, even if they commit murder and robbery, are only three parts corrupted by human nature, and still seven parts still resemble human beings.

But this sorceress only had three parts of human energy left; the other seven parts were chaotic and disordered, a mixture of demons, ghosts, incense, and malevolent energy that was simply unbearable to look at.

So he found a secluded spot and slowly landed, gazing at the sorceress from outside the crowd.

The sound of the two talking could be heard.

"You said the constables came here to catch the ghost yesterday, but the evil spirit wasn't very skilled and got smashed into a lot of pieces. Are there any more?"

"Have!"

The old man called out loudly as he went inside, took out the same size and broken stones, and handed them to the sorceress.

"They're all here. This demon has caused us so much suffering. When the constables came, they almost sought revenge, but alas..."

"What can be done?"

The sorceress pressed for an answer.

"Unfortunately, the constables didn't bring enough supplies, and that evil demon escaped. I'm afraid it will be difficult to find it in the future."

"That's alright, I have a way to find him."

The sorceress smiled and picked up a stone with a clot of the millstone demon's blood, chanting a spell.

Soon, the sorceress's eyes turned completely bloodshot.

After looking around, he pointed in one direction.

"there!"

Chen Ji followed the look and indeed saw the temporary hideout that the millstone demon had set up there.

However, most of the preparations were not there, and Chen Ji was still somewhat puzzled as to why they were delaying.

Just then, the sorceress stopped and looked coldly at the old man.

"Wait, he seems to know we're here, he's already started running."

"This……"

The old man's eyes widened in surprise, and he hurriedly shouted.

"Divine messenger, please capture this demon immediately! He has a grudge against our village. We dare not sleep or walk until he is dead, for fear that he will kill us!"

"If we can catch this ghost, the village will build you a temple and ancestral hall, and offer you sheep and chickens as sacrifices during festivals."

The sorceress was taken aback by what she heard, her eyes burning even more intensely than before.

"If you had said so earlier, we would have caught them sooner!"

"Why do you need to spend money to invite the yamen runners and alert the snake? If it interferes with my family's affairs, you can't afford the consequences."

"No, no, it's all up to the divine messenger."

"Alright, you wait here for me. It's inconvenient for you to cast spells while I'm here. I'll go and deal with this evil spirit!"

As the sorceress spoke, she abandoned the old man, chanted incantations, and transformed into a gust of wind that rushed into the streets and alleys, causing ripples to slowly spread through the air, as if she were passing through water.

Chen Ji shook his head slightly, sighing that this sorceress was indeed devoid of human thought, losing her ability to think clearly with the slightest provocation.

They were so focused on building temples, burning incense, and offering sacrifices that they failed to notice the immediate crisis.

That step just now was precisely the trap set up by the Stone Mill Demon. No matter if you are human, demon, or ghost, once you enter, there is only one outcome.

You can only escape by killing the millstone demon or being killed by it.

This can be described as truly inviting a sorceress into a trap.

What happens next depends on whose magic is more advanced.

Chen Ji kept his body in control and followed behind the sorceress. After bumping into the trap, he hesitated for a moment, then took out a copper coin and put it in his mouth. A moment later, he spat out a small copper coin figure.

This is the Copper Puppet Technique I obtained from the Copper Toad. I used it a few times during previous trials. It allows one to generate a thought and use it as a clone to do simple things.

If it were a battle of magic, that wouldn't work, but for now, just following along to see what's happening inside is enough.

However, it also has its drawbacks; this bronze puppet cannot stray too far from one's side, making it somewhat of a double-edged sword.

Chen Ji hadn't paid attention to this before, since he was already nearby, what did he need the bronze puppet for?
However, since there is an array in place, this technique can be put to good use.

So Chen Ji pointed to the inside of the formation and slowly spoke.

"Please go into the battle in my place and watch them fight. If anything happens, come back and let me know."

"it is good."

The bronze puppet nodded and turned to enter the formation.

The next moment, Chen Ji felt a blur before his eyes and found himself in a rainy night.

Before them stood the millstone demon and the sorceress.

They haven't started fighting yet; instead, they're still having a conversation.

The bronze golem's entry went unnoticed, allowing them to hear the whole story.

"You ruined my cultivation, destroyed my stone body, and now that I'm in your hands, you still dare to ask what grudge we have?"

I wish I could grind you into a pulp and feed you to the dogs!

The stone mill demon revealed its true form and roared, the millstone turning like thunder.

But the fortune teller in front of her was not surprised at all; in fact, she looked around with a hint of satisfaction and a desire to laugh.

"You stone demon, you don't know what's good for you. Our king invited you to share the blood offering, and you killed the ghost messenger. We erased your memories and made you a demon general, and you still dare to resist."

"Now you're actually using the array talisman bestowed by the King against me? Don't you know I also know this kind of magic?"

"Perfect timing! You want to kill me, and I want to kill you to claim credit for my actions!"

"This must be the day that girl died."

"Since you remember it so clearly, I will take pity on you today and let you experience it again!"

The fortune teller clapped her hands with a cold laugh.

Two vengeful ghosts appeared behind her, carrying a terrified and helpless girl in their hands.

(End of this chapter)