Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 29: Also a Guest

"Fellow Daoist, your skills are indeed profound. You even thought of taking the initiative to attack during the battle. That's really good."

Taoist Xiyun nodded and praised generously.

"The disciples in the temple often go down the mountain to eliminate demons, but they mostly rely on magic and ignore physical skills. This action of yours may help them wake up."

"It was taught by Fellow Daoist Yan."

Chen Ji replied.

"Is that so? Then you are much better than him."

Taoist Xiyun had a smile on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Yan once discussed Taoism with me, and we talked about magic and martial arts. He told me that ordinary Taoists have to prepare too much for magic and it is too slow, which is far less convenient than martial arts."

"It's also said that from seven steps away, the sword is fast, and within seven steps, the sword is both accurate and fast."

"and after?"

Chen Ji felt that Yan Chixia had probably suffered a defeat, otherwise he would not have been discussing Taoism instead of fighting.

"Then I beat him up and told him what Taoism means."

Taoist Xiyun said calmly.

Chen Ji looked at Yan Chixia with an expression that said, "As expected."

If they hadn't lost, who would be so eager to get back at the score?

"Is it Taoist Xiyun who lacks martial ethics? Who is holding the magic formula before the fight begins?"

Yan Chixia argued.

Taoist Xiyun stroked his beard and laughed.

"Fellow Daoist, you're also a cultivator, how can you say such nonsense? I'm a Dharma cultivator, so naturally I have to prepare my magic formulas at all times. Just like you're a sword cultivator, if a demon suddenly attacks and injures someone, do you think you'd have to sharpen your sword on the spot?"

Yan Chixia was speechless.

In this case, there seems to be no problem in holding back in advance.

"Actually, Fellow Daoist Yan can do the same."

Chen Ji explained.

"Oh?"

"I see that fellow Daoist can draw talismans. You don't need to draw talismans to summon gods, but you can draw a few auxiliary talismans. Stick a few on your body before fighting. No one stipulates that sword cultivators can't use talismans."

Yan Chixia's eyes lit up.

He had never thought of this before.

I just thought that magic and swordsmanship were difficult to combine, and I was distracted and did two things at once, which inevitably led to my failure.

If it is talisman paper, it is indeed feasible.

The magic of talismans is profound, and the swordsmanship is sophisticated. When combined, it may really be another means.

Taoist Master Xiyun also pondered and deduced.

After a while, he opened his eyes and sighed.

"Fellow Daoist is indeed a natural talent. Wonderful, wonderful! Such swordsmanship is truly extraordinary."

"If Fellow Daoist Yan masters it, we can fight again."

"must!"

Yan Chixia was eager to try.

The three of them also stopped in front of an ordinary wing room.

"We've arrived at the treasure house. Fellow Daoist, have you decided what sword you want?"

"Treasure house?"

Chen Ji looked up.

There was a copper lock on the ordinary door, without any signs or guards. If he hadn't been specifically reminded, he would have thought it was a quiet room in the temple.

Taoist Xiyun took out the key and unlocked the door with a click.

When I opened the door, dust hit me in the face. It was obvious that it had not been opened for some time.

"Such an important place, how could it be so casual?"

Chen Ji was deeply moved.

This was completely different from the treasure trove of practitioners he had imagined.

"What do you think it should be like?"

"Shouldn't a place like this at least have a half-asleep, dying senior from the sect guarding it? Otherwise, what if someone steals something important?"

"Where did you hear this?"

"This is the case in most novels and plays."

"I see."

"The play down the mountain is indeed interesting, but it's not quite right."

"We are just a small sect. We don't have any valuable treasures that need to be guarded so closely."

Taoist Xiyun laughed and pointed inside the house.

"Fellow Daoist, you can think about the sword's requirements first. I'm just here to dust and clean up."

After saying this, he made a hand gesture, calling out to the wind for cleansing as usual, but it was much more natural than the one used by the Taoist just now.

Chen Ji asked softly as the breeze filled the room.

"I'm ashamed. I really don't know what the requirements are for choosing a sword."

"What sword did you use before?"

"I haven't used a sword yet."

"So fellow Daoist has never chosen a sword."

Taoist Xiyun stroked his beard and smiled.

"Then it's up to you. It's just a matter of weight, thickness, length, and width. Some people are particular about it, while others aren't. Just hold it in the hand that fits you best. If you really have to fight against a demon or ghost and you don't have a sword, you can't just pick one up and say you don't know how to use it. That would be inferior."

"Too."

It seems that this sword cultivator's surname is not He.

Chen Ji had a flash of thought and looked at the sword placed in the room.

There are hundreds of them, all of which are of different weights and thicknesses. I don’t know which one is better.

“Is there anyone who has never seen blood?”

"You're lying, kid! Even Xue Lian knows about it, and you still say you can't use a sword!"

Taoist Xiyun said angrily.

"To be honest, it was my elders who told me to choose this. I really don't know anything about the blood refining method."

"Is your elder a swordsman?"

"It shouldn't be considered a Confucian cultivator."

Chen Ji thought about it and felt that the dead Confucian cultivator was also a Confucian cultivator, so it was not wrong to say so.

"A gentleman wields a sword, so it's no wonder he knows this."

Taoist Xiyun nodded and pointed at the sword rack inside the room.

"Those were forged by Master Yamashita. They have never seen blood. You can take them as you please."

Chen Ji went forward to choose.

Looking around, he felt that each handle seemed similar, some longer and some wider, and there was not much difference when he held it in his hand.

After thinking about it, I realized that everything has qi, and gold is one of the five elements, so I should be able to see the difference. So I used the qi-gazing technique to look carefully.

Now I can really see the difference in the sword.

Some swords emitted brilliant white light, just like Yan Chixia's small sword, which was wrapped in sword energy and was extremely sharp.

According to the breathing method, Gengjin is Yang, which is mainly responsible for killing with swords and knives. This is the typical Gengjin Qi.

Some swords are as smooth as jade, with hints of earth and water colors mixed in, while others have chaotic sword energy and are obviously not good enough.

It is probably because impurities were mixed in during forging or the hammering was insufficient, but it cannot be seen from the outside.

So Chen Ji chose a sword that was filled with Gengjin energy and went out.

"You made your choice so quickly?"

"They all looked similar, and I thought this one was a good match, so I chose it."

"Your words don't sound like those of a magic cultivator, but more like those of a sword cultivator."

Taoist Xiyun laughed heartily and took out another box and handed it to Chen Ji.

"An unused sword can be placed in a box to conserve its energy. When needed, take it out and it will become a sharp weapon. Leaving it outside is always harmful."

Chen Ji nodded, and then he understood why there was a sword box.

"But isn't the scabbard the same?"

"Then you should ask Fellow Daoist Yan. I only have a basic understanding of swordsmanship."

Taoist Xiyun looked at Yan Chixia.

"Maybe the sword case can hold more swords? If I use a scabbard, wouldn't it be difficult to carry more swords when I go out? A sword case would be much easier."

"I can't think of any other reason. Anyway, the sword technique wasn't mentioned, so maybe it's not important."

Yan Chixia said slowly.

"Fellow Daoist, you are not very good at learning!"

Chen Ji said slowly.

Yan Chixia felt a pain in his chest again.

Which serious cultivator would ask sword practitioners why they use sword cases instead of scabbards?
He even thought about asking for a fortune telling to see if he would have a rough life in the near future, otherwise how could he meet a fellow Taoist like Chen Ji.

Taoist Xiyun just smiled and locked the door, ignoring the two people's playfulness.

When the three of them returned to the tree they had been under, a Taoist priest had already brought them a tea stove and tea sets.

Taoist Xiyun asked the two men to sit down before asking them whether the fight was over, whether they had chosen their swords, and what their plans were for today.

"There is indeed one more thing I would like to trouble you with, Taoist Priest."

Chen Ji said.

"Want accommodation? Of course, there are plenty of empty rooms in the temple, and we have bedding. Not only can we stay for one day, but we can also stay for a few days."

"It's not about accommodation, but I have a bill to collect and I don't know who to contact."

"Oh?"

Chen Ji then told him that Mr. Su had asked him to collect the debt.

"I wonder how old you are?"

"I only know that he was a scholar in the fifth year of Dade. I don't know his exact age."

"Five years of Dade, that's really a master, no wonder he can remember things from a hundred years ago."

Taoist Xiyun was deeply moved and continued.

"However, a hundred years ago, Qingfeng Temple was not very famous, and there were not many masters visiting the temple. What you said does not match up."

"If it's a scholar, then there won't be any left."

"How come the Taoist priest remembers it so clearly?"

"A hundred years ago, I was the Taoist priest in charge of reception at Qingfeng Temple. Most of the people who came here to visit my master were probably led by me."

Taoist Xiyun stroked his beard and laughed.

The image of the Taoist boy who respectfully led the way appeared in his eyes again.

As I walked, I found myself with gray hair without realizing it.

I was lying down and watching the flowing clouds, without counting the years, when I was suddenly startled to see the crane's shadow changing the world.

Chen Ji was stunned.

I didn't expect there was such a relationship.

Taoist Xiyun would not lie to himself, so could it be that Mr. Su remembered it wrong?
It is not impossible for a ghost to have its memory worn out and distorted after being alive for hundreds of years.

After thinking about it, he bowed and apologized.

"If that's the case, I should go ask the elders at home to see if I remembered it wrongly. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Taoist priest."

"It doesn't matter."

Taoist Xiyun smiled and handed over a small porcelain gourd.

"My elder Daoist is already very old, and it's not easy for him to remember Qingfeng Temple. Even if he didn't lend money to me, we are still old friends. This bottle of Qi-nourishing Pill is just a gift. After taking it, it can regulate the body and prolong life."

"What if the ghost surrenders?"

Chen Ji asked.

"Of course ghosts can't... Wait! Fellow Daoist, your elder is a ghost, not a human?"

Taoist Xiyun's expression suddenly changed.

"Exactly."

Chen Ji nodded.

"I just felt it would be rude to say it directly, so I didn't say it."

"You! You should have explained it earlier!"

Taoist Xiyun laughed out loud.

"Among the guests who visited my master a hundred years ago, there was indeed a ghost!"

"But I couldn't see ghosts at that time. I just remember that my master talked to the empty room all night long. When I asked him the next day, he said it was for Mr. Ghost, who was also a guest."

"It turns out it's an old friend from a hundred years ago. I should inform Master."

"If it's his debt, the temple dare not refuse to pay it back."

"Wait a minute, let me go ask Master."

After saying this, he didn't use any magic, but just stood up and walked quickly towards the back of the temple.

Only after Taoist Xiyun left did Yan Chixia look at Chen Ji.

"So this is the debt you were talking about? And it was actually owed to the old abbot of Qingfeng Temple? He's a renowned master in Qingliang Mountain. You really are..."

Yan Chixia thought for a long time, not knowing how to describe it, so he simply bowed.

"Yan admires you!"

“I didn’t know that either.”

Chen Ji shook his head calmly, but some other thoughts flashed through his mind.

When we were going down the mountain, Mr. Su only said that he wanted to collect the debt, but he didn't mention whether he wanted to charge interest.

I don't know how much interest the pawnshops in this town charge.

However, I took a good sword from the temple, which saved me the money for forging the sword, which should be enough to cover the interest.

"What are you thinking about, fellow Taoist?"

Yan Chixia saw that Chen Ji seemed to be in deep thought and asked casually.

After hearing Chen Ji's thoughts, he wished he hadn't heard them.

I admire Chen Ji for his fearlessness.

Before they could say anything, a kingfisher flapped its wings and flew over, landing in front of them.

"Fellow Daoists, Master invites you to come and meet him."

"Then let's go."

The two followed the kingfisher into the depths of the temple.

(End of this chapter)