Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 30 Such an old acquaintance
Small courtyard, old pine, and futon.

Agarwood, tea, and Taoism.

……

Chen Ji originally thought that the old abbot of Qingfeng Temple was a well-known master, and he had lived for a hundred years, so he should have this kind of immortal image.

But I never expected that when I saw it, although the objects were the same, they were completely different from what I had imagined.

The kingfisher flew onto the eaves, turned into a green leaf and slowly fell.

Firewood was being added under the alchemy furnace in the courtyard, and there was a faint crackling sound inside the furnace, giving signs of alchemy.

The white-haired Taoist priest stood by the stove, staring at the fire mouth intently.

On the low table next to it were cinnabar and yellow paper with something written on them.

Chen Ji glanced at it unintentionally.

"???"

Suspecting that he had seen it wrong, he took another look.

This time he was sure he was not mistaken, he recognized the words on it.

"Peel both sides of a piece of tofu, cut into eight pieces, and dry them."

"Fry in oil until golden brown, sprinkle with salt, and drink a large glass of rice wine."

It is indeed not a talisman, but a recipe.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

The old Taoist lifted the lid of the furnace and poured in a cup of rice wine. A faint smell of wine rose from the furnace, and the aroma of oil and tofu mixed together and gushed out, filling the courtyard with the smell.

Looking at the old Taoist again, he covered the alchemy furnace and picked up the next piece of yellow paper. After taking a look at it, he handed it to Xiyun.

"The following steps are simple, just follow them and don't break it for me."

"Will not."

Taoist Xiyun responded quickly, took the things from the old Taoist's hand, and stood aside to serve the alchemy furnace.

The old Taoist then wiped his hands, sat down to pour tea, and looked at Chen Ji at first sight.

"Are you Su Yu's descendant?"

"No."

"Is that his disciple?"

"Not at all."

"What is that? You said it was an elder in the family, but it's not that?"

The old Taoist didn't even pour the tea, he just asked.

"I consider them colleagues."

"what?"

The three people in the hospital were stunned and didn't understand how this colleague was going to explain.

"We are all teachers to the fox on Mount Sendai."

Chen Ji gave a brief explanation.

Although Yan Chixia knew Chen Ji's identity, he couldn't help but admire Chen Ji's courage after hearing about Mr. Ghost.

Taoist Xiyun opened his mouth wide, not expecting it to be like this.

Only the old abbot laughed out loud.

"Mr. Fox? It's certainly something he can do."

"Well, since you all don't know about this past, I should tell you about it."

"That year, not long after I took over Qingfeng Temple, Su Yu suddenly came to visit us on the mountain."

"I thought he was a blind ghost and was about to capture him, but he said he was a Confucian cultivator in the human world. His time was up and he refused to leave, so he used the art of speaking to transform himself into a ghost and come to discuss the Dao."

"I had just started practicing Taoism at the time, and I was curious, so I discussed Taoism with him. After a few exchanges, I was actually cheated out of a hundred taels of silver by this guy."

Chen Ji remained silent, pretending not to hear the word "lie".

Can the story between the scholar and the Taoist priest be considered a lie?

Besides, if you have acknowledged the debt, you have to pay it back even if you have been cheated.

"Xiyun."

The old abbot suddenly shouted.

"Yes, at that time I was still a Taoist priest."

Taoist Xiyun responded with a smile.

"No, that's not what I'm talking about. It's time to add the autumn oil to the tofu. Once it boils, add sugar and green onions and it's ready to serve."

"I understand, Master."

Taoist Xiyun flashed a trace of embarrassment as if he had misunderstood.

The old abbot spoke again.

"This is how Bagua tofu should be made. It must be cooked just right to taste good. It's an immortal food that's no less than an elixir. You'll know once you try it."

After saying that, he looked at Chen Ji again.

"Is Su Yu okay now?"

"I can still use the Confucianist's technique of establishing words, but my memory isn't very good."

"I have a bad memory..."

The old abbot murmured and sighed.

"Memory fading is a sign of old age and death."

"I told you back then that after becoming a ghost, don't even think about continuing to practice Confucianism. Being a ghost cultivator is also free and easy. Why didn't you listen?"

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat.

Mr. Su is going to die?

But he's already a ghost, how else can he die? I haven't heard Senior Huai and Miss Bai mention it either, and I don't know if they don't know or are deliberately not telling me.

He spoke again while his thoughts were racing.

"May I ask the Master if he knows how many years Mr. Su has left?"

"If it's an ordinary person, they can only live for about ten years. If it's a ghost, they can probably live for hundreds of years."

"But you can rest assured. Su Yu must have found a way to prolong his life over the years. He won't die!"

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked you to come collect the debt. I think he's never forgotten this one hundred taels of silver. If he hadn't been unable to leave Xiantai Mountain, he would have come here in person a long time ago."

Chen Ji finally felt relieved after hearing this.

A lifespan of several hundred years is indeed a long time according to his current understanding.

I believe that Mr. Su will have made a breakthrough by then, and I will be able to extend my life a lot.

But he was still very curious about how the old abbot owed Mr. Su the one hundred taels of silver.

According to ordinary people.

If you can remember the silver, you must also remember what happened.

But the old abbot never mentioned it, which only meant that it was Mr. Su who did something back then, just like Yan Chixia never mentioned that he was beaten by Taoist Xiyun.

But I will definitely not get the answer by asking the old abbot, so I might as well go back and ask Mr. Su.

The old abbot continued to speak.

"Su Yu said at the time that Confucianism was the most pedantic, requiring a tuition fee to accept disciples, cultivating with disciples and old friends, and academies abounded on every mountain."

"The sage's words were well-written, but he taught them poorly. He didn't like them, but he couldn't avoid them as a human, so he decided to become a ghost and teach a group of demons Confucianism."

"He also said that when he was done teaching, he would take the Confucian demon to open the eyes of those fake scholars."

"We lost contact afterwards. I didn't expect that he would actually succeed. But why didn't he come and tell me?"

"Maybe it's not completely successful yet, so I'm embarrassed to say it."

Chen Ji then explained that the foxes were taking a fox studies exam, and that he and Mr. Su were busy with this matter.

The old abbot nodded.

"The fox takes the test and studies to get to the Taishan Goddess. This is the right path."

"If you can do that, you will also have great merit. It's a pity that only foxes in the world of monsters have this honor. What a pity!"

After saying this, he shook his head and called out eleven ingots of silver.

"Here's a hundred taels of silver. It's for paying him back. I'll give you the remaining one ingot. Buy something for both the fox and him when you return to the mountain."

"It's like a visit from an old friend."

"This……"

Chen Ji didn't know whether he should accept it or not.

Although other foxes may like these, Miss Bai probably won't be happy about it.

"Why, it's hard to collect, huh? That's the reward for winning the duel. You can use it to buy them, right?"

"Thank you, old master!"

Chen Ji now had no burden and only remembered a favor in his heart.

What else is there to say? The tofu is finally out.

Taoist Master Xiyun skillfully opened the lid, took out the tofu, and placed it on the table. As expected, the aroma was fragrant.

The old abbot divided it among the three people, keeping only one piece for himself to taste, and nodded with satisfaction.

"An old friend is here, the tofu smells delicious, today I have nothing to do and I am enjoying my peace and quiet!"

Chen Ji and the other two also picked up some to taste. As expected, the delicious taste lingered in their mouths. They felt refreshed and even their bodies felt a little lighter.

"Master, this tofu is probably of extraordinary quality, right?"

Chen Ji had eaten hundred-year-old Polygonatum, but its effect was far inferior to this tofu, so he guessed that this should not be simple either.

The old abbot smiled slightly and looked at Taoist Xiyun with pride.

"Xiyun, look at you. I told you that you don't understand food and you didn't believe me. Just eat a piece and you'll know this tofu is not ordinary."

"This is made from cloud beans picked from Qingliang Mountain. Taking it regularly can help you lose weight."

"It's just that the usual method absorbs it too quickly. I have to make it into tofu so that the medicinal properties can be slowly dissolved in the body."

"I see. Thank you for your guidance, old master."

At this time, Chen Ji understood the old master's intentions.

The tofu was not obtained by the old abbot for his own craving, but was a gift for them.

Foods that can strengthen the body are more or less considered treasures from heaven and earth.

It is much more important than a hundred taels of silver.

Chen Ji had no way to repay him, so he could only stand up, bow and express his sincere gratitude.

Yan Chixia stood up as well.

"Thank you for your kindness, old master."

"It's just a small thing, why is it such a big gift?"

The old abbot waved his hand.

"It's getting late. If you have any questions about cultivation, please tell me. I'm old and can't talk much. Once I've answered them, it'll be time to go to bed."

After hearing this, Yan Chixia silently stepped aside and looked at Chen Ji.

"I've already benefited from this, so it's not appropriate to ask again. It's better for you to ask."

"Alright."

It just so happened that Chen Ji still had a question that had no answer. The old abbot was a well-known master and must have known the answer.

So Chen Ji bowed and asked loudly.

"I wonder if the abbot knows how squirrels practice cultivation?"

　The young author continues to ask for recommendations, follow-up reading, and monthly votes. Everyone, go to bed early after reading!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)