Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 79: The Traces of the Painted Skin Ghost

So the next day.

In Huxian Medicine Hall, Chen Ji saw the old man and the young man.

"Did the mountain god ask you to come here?"

"Exactly."

The old herbalist then told his story.

Chen Ji nodded.

Understand why the mountain god saved this man.

Although his family was poor, he still left a bunch of herbs for the herbalists nearby.

This is a good deed, saving good people is a merit.

Later, he used the Qi-gazing technique and indeed saw that he had the aura of the Xiantai Mountain God.

He accepted their dendrobiums and weighed out two taels of silver and gave them to them.

"I don't need these."

The old herbalist waved his hand and didn't dare to accept it.

Chen Ji smiled slightly and explained why the mountain god saved them.

"The extra can be used to make offerings to the mountain god. He can protect you and keep you safe, so you should show some appreciation."

"That's right sir!"

The herbalist suddenly realized, but still waved his hand.

"Even if we need to buy offerings for the mountain god, we should be the ones paying. How can you have the nerve to ask you to pay?"

"The mountain god helped me before, so he bought some for me too. It's a good thing you've just received a favor, so when you go and make offerings, you should get a response. Thank you for making this trip."

The herbalist calculated for a moment and realized that he had earned some money, but not much, just enough to cover his travel expenses.

So he stopped arguing, bowed to thank Chen Ji, and accepted the silver.

"When you collect good herbs in the future, send them all to me. I won't give you a bad price. If you know a woodcutter who wants to chop wood, send all that to me."

Chen Ji said again.

"must!"

The herbalists were overjoyed.

It seemed as if these words were addressed to other woodcutters, but they were actually directed at these two.

Xiantai Mountain is vast and rich in resources. Even if you can't collect any medicinal herbs, you can still make some money by chopping some firewood.

Just as he was about to say goodbye, he heard Chen Ji muttering softly again.

"It's a pity there's no mountain god temple, otherwise there would be a place to worship the mountain god."

The voice became much lower afterwards.

The speaker may have good intentions, but the listener does take it seriously.

In the following days, I tried to do some experiment and offered sacrifices to the mountain god before entering the mountain. It really worked.

Although it won't be a good thing to have Dendrobium candidum every day, the harvest is much better than before.

The harvest of half a week was equivalent to that of the previous month. The cabinets at home were full of rice and flour, and they even had new clothes.

So the villagers rushed to ask him how his family became like this.

The news that worshiping the mountain god could save one from death and bring many benefits spread quietly.

Chen Ji was still practicing in the medicine hall, and the little foxes took turns collecting medicine and firewood.

But we can also hear from them what the mountain god has done recently.

Someone sent a few pounds of jujube kernels, saying that there were hunters setting traps on the mountain and catching a wild rabbit every day.

There was also a miner who was blasting a mountain and encountered a dud. When he went to check, he encountered a monkey who snatched the rope away.

After catching the monkey, they heard a noise coming from the mountain.

The dud exploded again, and he narrowly escaped with his life.

“It’s the mountain god’s blessing!”

These people spread the word privately that there was a mountain god in Xiantai Mountain, and as long as they worshipped sincerely, they would be safe in the mountains and even gain something.

Chen Ji also went to the mountain to see it when he returned to the mountain to teach fox magic.

There are indeed traces of burning incense and offering sacrifices on the roadside.

Then he knew that he had taken the first step in seeking a priesthood for the mountain god.

People near Xiantai Mountain have begun to show some support for respecting the mountain god.

The only thing left to do is to slowly wait for the people to become more united, and then build a temple and invite the statues of the Five Great Emperors to reside there.

These are not urgent.

Anyway, only ten days have passed, and it is already very good to have such a good reputation. Too much is as bad as too little, and it is easy for people to have other ideas.

Chen Ji was flipping through books in the store.

It is also a medical book recommended by Taoist Master Xiyun.

For those who practice spiritual cultivation, they must know something about mountain medicine, fortune-telling, and divination. If they don't have time for other things, they can calculate them first.

It’s impossible for someone who runs a pharmacy to not even know what medicinal herbs are.

So I would read it when I had free time during my practice, and now I can recognize common herbs.

As I turned a page in the book, I heard Miss Bai's voice.

"Your arrangements are quite clever. This time when I returned to the mountain, I encountered people offering sacrifices to the mountain god."

"Miss Bai, it's been a long time!"

Chen Ji's words were not a compliment.

Ever since Bai Si mastered the art of thunder, Miss Bai has been going out early and coming back late, and sometimes it seems she won't even come back.

Every time I asked about the little fox, Miss Bai had already gone out.

Even after returning to Xiantai Mountain, Senior Huai and the others had never seen Miss Bai.

Today is the first time I saw Miss Bai in the daytime.

It made him curious about where Miss Bai had gone.

"Looking for the Painted Skin Ghost."

Miss Bai said slowly.

"I see."

Chen Ji's doubts were resolved, and he also knew the answer to the question he had not asked at the time.

I just didn't expect that I would actually go find a real ghost.

"if not?"

"I thought you were going to find a ready-made ghost skin."

The white girl shook her head.

"Ordinary ghosts don't have skin. Only the Painted Skin Ghost is special. They have skin left behind."

"But because they are so special, most of them are made into magical instruments. If you want the skin, you can only find a Painted Skin Ghost yourself."

"So you found it?"

"found it."

Miss Bai nodded.

"It's in Zhanshui Town."

“It’s over there too.”

Chen Ji suddenly realized that he had to go this time.

After learning that Ding Sheng had encountered a demon at Jinlu Garden, I had thought about going to check it out. However, I was still waiting for the amulet made by Taoist Xiyun.

Now that I know the Painted Skin Ghost is also there, it would be a good opportunity for us to go over and deal with him together.

So he went to find Taoist Master Xiyun to explain the situation.

"That's just in time!"

Taoist Xiyun smiled and took out a thumb-sized wooden bead struck by lightning and handed it to Chen Ji.

"The carving was completed yesterday and sent back for consecration. It just came back and I was about to give it to my fellow Taoist."

Chen Ji took the bead and felt that it was indeed different from the lightning-struck wood he had touched before. There was a tingling sensation passing through his fingertips.

"This is a bead carved with a purple myrtle. Wearing it can ward off evil spirits and can also be used to fight off demons and ghosts. When using it, you can activate your magic power to fire it."

Chen Ji tried to input his magic power, and the bead really spun in his hand, with a faint sound of thunder.

A feeling also arises in the brain, and the thought can control the beads to fly out.

"It's indeed a good magic weapon!"

Chen Ji sighed.

Taoist Xiyun waved his hand.

"It's just a minor trick. If Bai Shi succeeds in his practice, he will be much more powerful than this."

As he said this, he took out a few talismans and handed them to Chen Ji.

"My fellow fox daoists also contributed. I originally planned to carve amulets, but since they were going to take the fox studies exam, I carved these Wenchang talismans for them."

"Wearing it while studying can sharpen your mind and help you focus better."

Chen Ji took over the test and indeed experienced this effect.

I now remember the medical book I just read more clearly.

So he nodded and thanked him.

Then let’s talk about going to Zhanshui Town.

"If it's about getting rid of demons and ghosts, I can do my part. Besides, I have some friendship with the City God of Zhanshui Town."

"That would be even better."

Miss Bai nodded in agreement.

"If a demon goes to catch ghosts rashly, even if the City God doesn't intervene, he will be unhappy afterwards. It's not a good thing after all."

"With Taoist Xiyun's identity, it will be easier to get things done officially."

"Don't know when to leave?"

"Go now, or something might happen later."

"Then allow me to pack my things."

Taoist Xiyun went back to his room and prepared a bag, which seemed to contain some things that Taoist priests often use to catch ghosts.

Chen Ji and Miss Bai didn't have anything useful to take with them, so they explained the situation to the little foxes and went out directly.

"How did Miss Bai discover this Painted Skin Ghost?"

Chen Ji asked curiously.

"You can tell."

Miss Bai explained directly.

Seeing Chen Ji's surprise, he explained again.

"A fox with good skills can see through the dark."

"Ordinary ghosts, like the ones we saw on the mountain before, or the woodcutter ghosts on the roadside, and ordinary foxes can all be seen."

"The Painted Skin Ghost hides deeper, but its ghostly aura will always leak out. If you look carefully, you can find it."

"Why don't you use magic to find it?"

"It's inconvenient when the City God is here."

Chen Ji suddenly understood.

No wonder it takes so much time, I went to see them one by one.

Still curious though.

"How did Miss Bai know that the Painted Skin Ghost was in Zhanshui Town?"

"From your umbrella."

Miss Bai said slowly.

"It is indeed the Painted Skin ghost's skin, this one is true, but it is not the real one."

"Later, I asked Taoist Master Xiyun, and he said that this ghost was caught at the foot of the mountain, so I think it should still be alive there."

"Is that so?"

Taoist Xiyun's expression changed slightly.

"No wonder Senior Fox asked this a few days ago. I thought he was just curious."

Then he bowed solemnly.

"If we see the Painted Skin Ghost this time, please ask Senior Fox for help. We must kill this beast. Otherwise, I don't know how many people will be killed."

"nature."

Miss Bai nodded, and looked into the distance where shimmering waves appeared, the wind and clouds dissipated, and slowly fell.

"We've reached the Hutuo River. Beyond that lies the territory of Zhanshui Town. It would be inappropriate to perform unwarranted rituals and provoke the City God to resent us."

"Does the City God even have to take care of this?"

Chen Ji asked.

"Don't you know, fellow Daoist?"

Taoist Xiyun looked at him suspiciously.

“I really haven’t.”

Chen Ji told the truth.

He really didn't know much about the City God. After meeting Lu Pan, he even felt that if the judge of the underworld was like this, the City God in the human world should be similar.

“That’s really different and powerful.”

Taoist Xiyun shook his head.

"It's a good opportunity to explain things clearly while there's no City God here. Once we enter the City God's territory, it will be difficult to explain things too clearly."

"please say."

"City Gods are also human beings. They just have some virtues and good deeds, and were posthumously named City Gods. Therefore, their preferences are no different from before they became gods."

"Most city gods are loyal ministers and generals who were granted the title of deity. These are not so bad. They were loyal in life and remained so after death. They are respected by people."

"It's just that in some places, those who are virtuous and kind are given the title after their death. After serving as the City God for a long time, they forget their own status and become like corrupt officials, only oppressing the people and neighbors to enrich themselves."

"This type of City God is also the most difficult to deal with. Anyone with even a little bit of Taoism experience would feel offended if they passed by their position."

"So when you don't know the nature of the local City God, Senior Fox's approach is the best."

"Is that really the case?"

Chen Ji looked at Miss Bai with suspicion.

If you enter the area of ​​Zhanshui Town, you have to restrain your cultivation. He doesn't believe that Miss Bai looked at each one of them one by one when she was looking for the Painted Skin Ghost.

But it’s not a good time to ask now.

Now that I have landed, I might as well take a walk and see the customs and culture of Zhanshui Town.

Others have said a lot, but it is not as good as seeing it with your own eyes.

(End of this chapter)