Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 74 Jinluyuan

"Demon?"

The man's face changed when he heard this, then he thought about it carefully and shook his head.

"I have indeed never seen any demons or ghosts."

"Strange! Why are you so weak? According to Tapir, an ordinary person like you would only feel tired after running for a week with the Jia Ma Talisman."

"I've never seen anyone as dead as you in just three days."

After Chen Ji finished speaking, the man shook his head again.

"Master Chen, I really dare not tell a lie."

"My Ding family has a good reputation here. The fact that the old man can serve as a ghost messenger is proof of this. How could there be a demon in my family?"

"The servants in the house all grew up in the family and know everything about us. No outsiders have been allowed in for over ten years."

"That would be strange."

Chen Ji shook his head.

"I see you're indeed shrouded in a demonic aura. Judging by the time, you must have come into contact with me four or five days ago. Do you still remember it?"

"Four or five days? That means we'll go visit the old man's grave."

"You haven't been anywhere else?"

Chen Ji felt a little strange.

The old man of the Ding family is a ghost messenger, so naturally he would not allow any ghosts to haunt his grave.

This evil spirit came from a mysterious source.

"Besides...hiss!"

The man's face changed slightly, and he seemed to remember something.

"If you say so, sir, I did go to a place four or five days ago."

"where?"

"Zhanshui Town, Jinlu Garden."

"What is that place?"

The man bowed awkwardly.

"A friend gave me a banquet and invited me to drink wine, but I had to visit the graves and fast, so I just went over to drink a cup of tea, sat for a while, and then left."

Chen Ji understood why he was embarrassed.

These days, people still pay more attention to bathing, changing clothes, and fasting before important events.

Going to a brothel to visit your ancestors' graves is not a good reputation.

But this also explains where the light yellow aura around him comes from.

But the story of the monster hidden in the brothel is exactly the same as what is recorded in human stories.

"The Taoist sighed, but am I hopeless?"

The man asked nervously.

Chen Ji waved his hand.

"It has nothing to do with you. I just remembered something else."

After saying that, she looked at him again.

"How often have you been to Jinluoyuan before?"

"Twice every ten days."

"It's on time."

Chen Ji teased.

The man didn't dare to speak and just kept his head down.

"I won't dare go there in the future."

"First, go to the front yard and see Doctor Sun. He's a famous doctor and should know how to take care of your body."

"Go back and rest well first. If you still feel unwell, come back and get some medicine."

"Follow the Taoist's teachings."

The man thanked him and left.

Chen Ji went to Miss Bai and Taoist Xiyun to ask how to deal with this matter.

Taoist Xiyun remained calm and composed.

"Zhanshui Town is not far away. If you want to buy materials or find craftsmen, you can go and have a look."

"Since the demon lives in Jinlu Garden, it won't suddenly escape. Judging from the man's body, it must be a long-term business."

"But why doesn't the City God care?"

Miss Bai raised her eyebrows.

"Zhanshui Town is not a place without a City God."

"Maybe it's hidden deeper."

Taoist Xiyun shook his head.

"If I go over there, I can see what's going on."

"That's all it can do."

Miss Bai glanced at Chen Ji, then looked at Taoist Xiyun.

"The demon lives in Hongchen Courtyard, and the City God doesn't care. I'm afraid he has other plans. I'll go with him then."

After saying that, he went out to do his own thing.

"Of course, of course!"

Taoist Xiyun stroked his beard and smiled, nodding repeatedly behind him.

After Miss Bai left, Chen Ji asked Taoist Xiyun how he knew about a place like Jinluyuan, and whether he had been there before.

"Yes."

Taoist Xiyun nodded and told Chen Ji the origin of the name of this place.

"I urge you not to cherish your golden clothes, but to treasure your youth. Time flies, so cherish it even more."

"I thought it was a college and wanted to go in and buy some books."

"Then?"

Chen Ji looked at Taoist Xiyun and really couldn't figure out how he was staying there.

"Of course not now, but decades ago when I went down the mountain to exorcise demons, I was also a handsome young man like you."

"So what did you do, Taoist priest?"

"Of course I didn't do anything. I already had a Taoist partner at the time, so I came out after I found out where it was."

"..."

After Chen Ji was stunned, his reaction was even more surprising.

"The Taoist priest actually has a Taoist companion?"

Taoist Xiyun laughed heartily.

"I know that young people have a youthful nature. Cultivation within the temple does not prohibit marriage. I was also a playboy when I was young. Is there anything wrong with having a Taoist partner?"

"I really never thought that Taoist Master Xiyun had such a past. Is she also practicing in Qingliang Mountain now?"

"Mercy, mercy, the Taoist temple doesn't allow families to live together. She and her children lived at the foot of the mountain. However, they encountered a monster a few years ago, and the talisman turned into a butterfly and flew away."

"Sorry, I was presumptuous."

"It's okay. It happened a long time ago. But now that you mention it, her face comes back to me more clearly."

Taoist Xiyun sat down and sighed.

After a while, he looked at Chen Ji again.

"You were surprised just now, and you also want to ask why this brothel has been open for so long?"

"really."

Taoist Xiyun nodded.

"Zhanshui Town itself occupies the dock and has a prosperous trade. Although it is called a town, it is actually similar to an ordinary city."

"There are quite a few powerful forces in this town. Those who can build a place like this can naturally keep it open for decades."

"understood."

Chen Ji nodded.

I've forgotten that pornography, gambling, and drugs have always been profitable businesses. Naturally, there are people who control them and won't let them fall easily.

"So the Taoist priest is saying that the demon inside might be related to humans?"

"I don't know about that. When I went there, I didn't find any demons or ghosts there."

"Maybe there have been new changes in recent years."

"Then we should go and see it."

"Let's go and have a look after this matter is over."

"also may."

Chen Ji nodded, glanced at the sky, and stopped disturbing Taoist Xiyun's practice.

Just go out on your own.

But he found that Miss Bai was not in the pharmacy either, so he asked her where she was.

"Miss Bai only said she was going to find something, but she didn't say where she was going."

Bai Shijiu said slowly.

"Where are the other foxes?"

Chen Ji glanced around but didn't notice Bai Si, Bai Shi and the others.

"Bai Shi traded a bucket of water with the Loach Monster, and then went to trade it with someone for blacksmithing tools."

"Blacksmithing?"

Chen Ji seemed to be thinking about something.

"Well, Bai Shi said that he seemed to understand how to refine weapons by watching people forging iron, so he wanted to go and learn."

"Bai Si was worried that he would be deceived, so he went with him."

Chen Ji found it interesting.

It would be fine if these two foxes could really find a good person to exchange with, but if they meet a cruel person, they might even lose all their clothes.

So I asked for directions and followed the path they took.

Fortunately, the town was not big, and Chen Ji saw the two foxes soon after walking along the streets.

They were talking in front of a blacksmith shop.

Chen Ji approached and heard the blacksmith's voice.

"Why would a scholar want to learn blacksmithing?"

"Blacksmithing is a fine craft, but I can't teach you if you don't have money."

"Apprentice? That won't work either. This water... eh, it's quite interesting."

"This bucket of water is not enough for an apprentice, unless you need ten buckets a day."

"Ten barrels? That's fine too..."

"That's a bit too much."

The two foxes were so focused on bargaining that they didn't notice Chen Ji appear.

He trembled all over when he heard the voice, and quickly turned around to look at Chen Ji respectfully.

"Hello sir."

The blacksmith also noticed Chen Ji and his expression changed immediately.

"Master Chen, why are you here? Are you going to make something? My craftsmanship is well known in this town. I am definitely an expert."

"I'm not building anything. I'm just looking for these two disciples."

"If you don't show up soon, you're going to be cheated."

"Oh! It's actually your student, Master Chen."

The blacksmith's face flushed red and he didn't know where to put his hands.

"If they had told me earlier that they were Daoist Master Chen's disciples, I wouldn't have dared to accept their teachings and would have just taught them directly."

"Master, you are the benefactor of this town, and I know how to repay you."

Chen Ji shook his head.

"There's no such statement."

"Even if you have done me a favor, you shouldn't ask for repayment."

"Besides, the town has already received money from you for exorcising demons and catching ghosts. I caught demons and ghosts, and the town supervisor has already given me money, and you also gave me a plaque."

"This has nothing to do with favors anymore."

"As for me, your disciple, I want to learn your cooking skills."

Chen Ji paused.

"It takes an average apprentice three years to complete their apprenticeship. They have to eat and drink at their master's house, and their labor pays for their tuition."

"The medicine hall is close by, so this disciple must have some talent for blacksmithing. I don't think he'll take long to learn."

"You know the value of this water."

"Three buckets of water a day until he finishes his apprenticeship, how about that?"

"Okay! Just do as Master Chen says!"

The blacksmith thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"I wonder what this disciple's name is, and when will he come to study?"

"Hello, Master. Just call me Bai Shi. I can start learning now."

"Bai Shi? Well, it's a good name indeed. A blacksmith should have a physique as strong as stone."

The blacksmith nodded, then looked at his clothes and shook his head.

"This set of clothes is fine for studying, but not for ironwork. Change into shorter ones tomorrow and come back to fetch water."

Then he looked at Chen Ji.

"The Taoist priest said that we should bring three buckets of water every day, so I will bring them and continue studying."

"it is good!"

Bai Shi nodded and followed Chen Ji away with a strange look of joy on his face.

"Why do you want to learn blacksmithing?"

Chen Ji asked.

Bai Shi said slowly.

"Weapon refining requires the heart's fire to melt gold, the mind to shape it, and the choice of different quenching methods depending on the artifact..."

"I tried for a long time without success."

"This time when I went down the mountain, I saw the human blacksmith. He didn't have any magical powers, but just like you used the Wall-Opening Technique, he could create all kinds of things with his bare hands."

"I had a vague feeling in my heart, but I didn't know how to practice. I thought waiting was useless, so I decided to learn blacksmithing."

"Alright."

Chen Ji nodded.

"Fox studies are about the world of foxes. There are also human worlds in the human world. It's good to learn more."

"But can the transformation last?"

"can."

Bai Shi nodded.

"I talked to Miss Bai yesterday and she gave me a better illusion talisman. Even the blacksmith wouldn't notice anything unusual."

"That's good."

Chen Ji looked at Bai Si again.

"They all have things to do, what about you?"

Bai Si stopped and bowed respectfully.