Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 26: Advising Women

After a hard day's work and a busy night, I drank a full pot of wine.

Chen Ji slept very soundly and did not open his eyes until the sun was high in the sky outside and the sounds of hawkers could be heard.

Yan Chixia was no longer in the house.

Chen Ji asked for water to wash his face. Just as he was about to go out to look for him, he opened the door and saw Yan Chixia returning with a sword on his back.

"Daoyou, you are awake. Did you sleep well?"

"Excellent! I haven't slept so soundly in a few days."

Chen Ji told the truth.

"That's good."

"Fellow Daoist Yan, are you going to practice swordplay?"

"I've finished my training and was just about to come back to look for my fellow Taoists to go out with."

"What's the matter?"

"Do you still remember the woman who gave ten taels of silver?"

"nature."

"You asked me before why I accepted her money. Today I know. I wonder if you will go with me?"

"Then go ahead."

Chen Ji originally wanted to inquire about suitable businesses in the town, but since Yan Chixia invited him, he had no choice but to go.

Besides, the ten taels of silver were still in his hands, and he also wanted to see how Yan Chixia would solve this problem.

The woman is now helping in the kitchen at the inn.

Yan Chixia greeted the innkeeper and then met the woman in the kitchen.

She was dressed in mourning, her eyes were red, and she looked extremely lethargic. It was obvious that she had not slept all night.

It's not noon.

The kitchen hasn't started to get busy yet.

The woman did not help in the kitchen, but sat in the corner of the stove, folding yellow paper ingots, sobbing softly with red eyes.

"My poor husband, he left me like this..."

The repetitive words, against the backdrop of the lukewarm stove fire and the paper ingots in his hand, were a bit creepy.

When she heard the door opening, the woman didn't look up until Chen Ji and the other man stood in front of her.

When he recognized Chen Ji and Yan Chixia, he shed tears silently and clenched his teeth.

"Why is the Taoist priest here again? Is it because you don't have enough money to catch ghosts?"

"enough."

Yan Chixia nodded.

"Just want to explain something to you."

"what?"

The woman nervously put down the ingot, wiped her hands on her apron, and didn't know where to put it.

Yan Chixia took out ten taels of silver from his pocket and placed them on the stove.

"We brothers have already received the reward for catching ghosts. This money is yours. Don't tell anyone else."

"Why...why?"

The woman didn't know whether she was excited or nervous, and she even stuttered.

I remember you had a silver hairpin when you came to the mountain to ask for help, but it’s gone now.”

Yan Chixia shook his head.

"Your husband chops wood, and you're a kitchen helper. Where did your family get so much money? They must have sold their house, pawned their clothes, and even pawned their entire dowry, right?"

"I...this...I..."

The woman choked up for a moment, covered her face with her hands and cried silently, unable to utter even a complete sentence.

It took him a long time to come back to his senses, and he spoke slowly again while sobbing.

"My husband is gone, and I can't even afford the money to pay the Taoist priest for catching ghosts. It's already a sin, so how can I dare to accept this money?"

"Master, you are embarrassing me!"

"Besides, you made it clear that day that you would only let me take ten taels of silver before you went to catch the ghost. Why are you going back on your word today..."

Yan Chixia waved his hand.

"It's not that I regret it, but the accounts cannot be settled in this way."

"I want ten taels of silver as your reward for asking me to catch ghosts."

"These ten taels of silver were found after hunting ghosts."

"I'm traveling alone, so I don't need that much money. I'll take the reward, and this money will be used to save your life."

Yan Chixia spoke with his back turned and pretended to be profound.

The woman's face suddenly turned blue and red. She threw the silver and stood up, staring at Yan Chixia.

"Master, I went to Qingliang Mountain to ask someone to catch a ghost. Everyone asked for fifty taels of silver, but you asked for ten. I knew you were showing me pity."

"My family is poor and I really can't afford to spend a lot of money, but I don't have to rely on charity."

"If you lose money, you can earn it again, but if you break a bone, you will never be able to stand up again in this lifetime."

The woman spoke with a powerful voice, which was completely different from her image of huddled in the corner with red eyes and stacking gold ingots. Standing here, although still sad, she was as firm as a rock.

Chen Ji was filled with admiration.

These words are not something an ordinary person can say.

Even if it were him, he probably wouldn't be able to persist like this in this environment.

"This...I...you...I..."

Yan Chixia didn't know what to say for a moment. He moved his lips, his beard fluttering, but he just stood there in a daze, stammering.

After a while, seeing that Chen Ji was still beside him, he hurriedly glanced at him to signal Chen Ji to help.

Chen Ji sighed helplessly.

"Do you usually do good deeds like this to catch monsters for others?"

"Yes."

"Then when you gave silver before, was there no one like this person?"

"never had."

Yan Chixia said with a red face.

Chen Ji didn't want to talk.

When he heard Yan Chixia talk about Zigong redeeming people, he thought there must be some clever trick.

But now that I've seen his methods, I realize this is not much better than not charging any money.

For ordinary people, they would never have the thoughts that he had. They would just think that Yan Chixia had a problem with his brain and did the work without asking for money.

Demons and ghosts are everywhere, destroying families and wiping out clans. When the living reach this point, they don’t even care about life and death, let alone propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame.

Chen Ji thought to himself and shook his head, but still wanted to help Yan Chixia.

After all, the woodcutter ghost was sent to Lu Pan by himself, and he formed a good relationship with him.

If we really talk about cause and effect, there is a story between me and this woman.

But how can I help?
Chen Ji thought about it, and suddenly remembered something, and asked Yan Chixia a few questions in a low voice.

"What do you ask for this?"

Yan Chixia looked strange.

"If it's useful, just tell me whether it is or not."

"Have."

Yan Chixia was curious about what Chen Ji was going to do, so he told Chen Ji all the answers.

Chen Ji listened and nodded. He waited until he remembered everything, asked Yan Chixia to take back his silver, and took out the ten taels of silver that the woman had given him and put it on the stove before speaking.

"Power cannot bend them, poverty cannot move them. What this lady said is in line with the principles in the books of sages, but has she ever attended a private school?"

"My child learned some of this when he was practicing calligraphy at home."

"Where are you now?"

"Last year, he went to study at the academy and died in the mountains. He was eaten by a demon."

"Are there any other relatives?"

"My parents died in the war, my parents-in-law died at the hands of evil spirits, and my husband also died at the hands of a ghost a while ago. I have no other relatives."

Chen Ji couldn't help but sigh that this was a truly miserable person.

Of the three generations in a family, only one person is left.

Now I can understand why Yan Chixia's method is useless.

This is a person who is truly willing to risk his life to survive. I'm afraid he is determined to die, so naturally he doesn't want any money.

"Then do you know what happens to them after they die?"

When Yan Chixia heard this, he quickly waved his hand to indicate that the woman was easily frightened and asked Chen Ji to stop talking.

But Chen Ji pretended not to see it and continued to speak slowly.

The woman was stunned for a moment and shook her head quickly.

"I do not know."

"Your parents-in-law may have been reincarnated."

"But yesterday I sent your husband's ghost to the underworld. The prefect said his death was suspicious and that we have to wait for the ghost messenger to investigate thoroughly. He might not be able to reincarnate soon."

The woman shuddered, looked up at Chen Ji and continued to wait.

Chen Ji nodded and continued speaking.

"Ghosts in the underworld also need money. Your husband's food, clothing, and other expenses all depend on you. If we also need to find your son's soul, it will be a considerable expense."

"Master, do you have something to say to me?" the woman asked in a deep voice.

Chen Ji said slowly.

"Since you have no one else in your family, I just want to open a herbal medicine shop."

"Why don't you come to my shop and work as a helper for a year? Just cook and prepare medicine every day. If there's any news from the underworld, I can let you know in time."

"How about not paying the wages and just deducting it from this ten taels of silver?"

"If I could buy them some incense, candles, and paper money, they wouldn't have a hard time in the underworld."

"That's fine too."

The woman was stunned for a moment, realizing that Chen Ji was helping her in a different way, and she could no longer hold back her tears.

Chen Ji waited until she finished crying before speaking again.

"Can you keep accounts?"

"Yes, I'm in charge of all the shopping for the family, and I'll remember some of it."

"So much better."

Chen Ji nodded.

"You'll also be responsible for the account books. You'll also receive a separate salary. I'll give you ten taels of silver first. Go find a good place to open the business. I'll come back to you when I'm done. If you don't have enough money, you can pay me a deposit first and I'll settle it all when I come back."

"Yes, Taoist Priest!"

The woman responded quickly, then personally escorted Chen Ji and Yan Chixia out of the kitchen, looking noticeably more energetic.

Yan Chixia remained silent along the way.

I can't figure out how Chen Ji did this.

"You said the same thing and gave me money, so why is that woman so respectful to you?"

"That's right, you can't figure it out!"

Chen Ji couldn't help but shake his head. How could such delicate and touching words be understood by a swordsman who only knew how to draw his sword when seeing injustice?

So vulgar!
"It's the trick of sweet talk you learned from the fox, isn't it?"

Yan Chixia asked sourly from the side.

"So what?"

"I think this martial arts technique is more useful than magic. Why don't you teach me, Brother Chen? I'll trade it for magic, is that okay?"

"Can!"

Chen Ji agreed decisively.

The magic is hard to come by, but the eloquence is easy, so this deal is a good one.

So after Yan Chixia taught Chen Ji the method of praying for blessings and eliminating disasters that he had used last night, Chen Ji taught Yan Chixia how to understand the inner needs of others.

“Think about what others need from their perspective, not your own.”

"That's it?"

"That's it."

When Chen Ji spoke, Yan Chixia actually felt like he was being cheated.

I sighed inwardly that the fox was indeed cunning.

Even those who befriend foxes are cunning!
When he returned to the inn, Chen Ji looked at the new chapter slowly emerging in the Strange Stories and noticed the extra content on it.

"Yan Chixia"

"Yan Sheng, courtesy name Chixia, lived in Qin when he was young. He heard that the underworld accidentally injured him while catching a demon, preventing him from cultivating. Lu Pan then taught him sword skills and he became a disciple of the Taoist priest at Mount Shu. Later, he traveled the world, known for his chivalry and righteousness. Passing by the ghost land of Xiantai, he saw Chen Sheng and, mistaking him for a mortal, rescued him. He then learned that Chen had entered the Dao and was catching ghosts. Overjoyed, he invited Chen to drink and discuss Dao, but his wine was weak and he was not as good as Chen's. When he woke up, he sought out the ghost's widow and offered her silver, but she refused, saying that she was not as righteous as Chen. So he offered Chen his spell to dispel evil, but Chen still refused to accept."

Chen Ji took a quick glance and many things came to his mind. He had already understood this new technique.

But he put it aside and didn't rush to study it. Instead, he looked at Yan Chixia carefully, not understanding what he was still dissatisfied with.

　Ask for data, brothers!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)