Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Song Qingshi was ordered to retrieve the iron plaques with inscriptions and transport them to the Monster Village.

All sorts of monsters, big and small, gathered together, staring at the person on the stage.

Song Qingshi opened the box and took out a black iron plaque.

This is fine wrought iron, smelted from coal and coke, and each piece has a unique mark engraved with the name of a demon.

“If any of you encounter difficulties and we are not by your side, you may display this sign to indicate your identity,”

"When the officials in the city see this sign, they will naturally know where you all come from and will help you."

"When you leave the village and go out to travel, remember not to let the token leave your body. You must keep this item safe and not lend it to others. If you lose it, please inform us immediately. Otherwise, if any unofficial demon or other demon uses this token to cause trouble, it will be difficult to explain the situation."

"Should I wear it around my neck?" asked the yellow dog in the audience.

"You can wear it or not, but it's better to hang it in a more conspicuous place so that the police can easily identify it," Song Qingshi said.

"Old Fox understands," the old fox said.

Once the monsters understood Song Qingshi's meaning, he distributed the tokens to them one by one.

In the afternoon, someone came to call for the demon to leave the village. The cat followed Bai Yu to the shipyard, and the dog followed Song Qingshi to the waterwheel.

Only the fox remained in the village. The Taoist priest spoke with the old fox and said, "I have a friend in Yidu who is quite knowledgeable about storytelling on the stage. I wonder if you would like to come with me to meet him?"

"Please lead the way, sir," the old fox said, bowing his head.

(I've been trying to find my writing rhythm these past couple of days, and I've been getting a bit stuck. I'll try to get back to 4,000 words a day starting tomorrow.)

Chapter 339 The Paper Mill Courtyard

The Taoist priest walked in the narrow alley paved with bluestone, with black earthen walls on both sides and eaves only slightly higher than him. He could reach out and touch the moss-covered yellow tiles.

Behind him followed an old fox and several cubs. Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the eaves, casting a dappled pattern on the ground. The fox moved silently through the beam of light, its crimson fur gleaming like fine gold threads.

He led the fox through the streets and alleys of Yidu. It was a leisurely afternoon, and the bustling city was filled with noise, but the people around him regarded the Taoist and the fox as nothing. They walked past them without causing a ripple.

The Taoist walked with a light and airy air, but the fox dared not lag behind even half a step, for fear of being squeezed into the crowd and losing its way.

In such an unfamiliar place, they could only feel at ease by following behind the Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest also slowed down his pace and led the way.

"My friend is fond of tales of the strange and unusual, and loves to go to teahouses to listen to storytelling and watch plays. He knows all the theaters in the city like the back of his hand. If you have any questions about the art of theater, you can ask him. You can ask him which plays are currently the most popular, and how teahouses and restaurants arrange storytelling and plays. He will surely be able to answer your questions."

"Is your friend... also a Celestial Master?"

"He was not a spiritual practitioner, but simply loved the interesting things in this world."

"Wouldn't it disturb that gentleman if we just went over like this?"

“I spoke to him about this yesterday, and he agreed. That’s why I brought you to see him today. You need not worry. He welcomes your visit. He said that in all his years, this is the first time a demon has come to visit him, and he won’t be satisfied until he sees the demon with his own eyes.”

"May I ask what the name of your friend is?"

"His surname is Cai and his given name is Bei."

...

Zhuang Xing led the fox along a path until they finally arrived at a somewhat old gatehouse.

This place is far from the hustle and bustle, in the old town of Yidu.

Before me was an elmwood door adorned with door gods. The paper images of the door gods, holding knives, were blurred by the rain, leaving only their vague outlines. The door was unlocked; I gently pushed it open, and a small courtyard came into view.

There is a square pond in the yard, about four meters long and wide. It is not deep and is very shallow. No fish are raised in the pond. Instead, many bamboo stalks that have been cut into sections are soaked in it.

In addition, there is a rain shelter erected next to the pond, under which is an arched earthen stove with a huge wooden barrel on it, which looks big enough to hold several adults.

When the fox saw the wooden barrel, it suddenly stopped in its tracks as it was about to cross the threshold.

Although they were not very knowledgeable, they still knew that the stove was used for cooking. Such a large stove and a big bucket could easily fit all the foxes inside.

It's no wonder they overthink things; the stove was just too big, giving the foxes a strong sense of oppression, which inevitably made them feel somewhat apprehensive.

Reflexively, the little fox felt that it had been tricked and was about to be caught by the Taoist priest and boiled in that barrel.

After all, once they become demons, their fur, muscles, and flesh are far superior to those of ordinary wild beasts. From a young age, they have heard their elders say that humans have their own methods to refine demons into pills, and they must never run around recklessly.

This is like an old person telling a child not to go out at night, because if they do, ghosts will crawl out of their graves, grab them, and eat them. It's actually a way of disciplining them.

But ghosts and monsters really do exist in this world, and there really are people who capture demons just to refine them into elixirs for cultivation. So the few timid foxes immediately pricked up their ears, their fur trembled slightly, and they dared not go any further.

"Sir, is that pot also used for cooking rice?" the old fox couldn't help but ask.

It trusted that the Taoist had come along, so it wouldn't lose its composure compared to the younger generation. However, it still had doubts about the purpose of the large bucket, wondering if it was really a utensil for cooking meat and bones.

"No," Zhuang Xing said.

He noticed the fox's worry and was about to answer it, but before he could speak, a cheerful voice came from ahead.

"This is a paper-making pot."

The newcomer was dressed in gray clothes, with a white cloth draped over his shoulders and a belt around his waist. He was slightly thin, but his steps were strong, and he walked up to us in a few steps.

It was Cai Bei. Zhuang Xing met him at the temple fair last year, but in fact, they had only spent about ten days together.

We last kept in touch during the Spring Festival, and we only exchanged letters.

Despite this, the two hit it off immediately and found they shared similar interests.

Cai Bei pointed to the pond and slowly said, "After the cut bamboo is soaked in the pond for a hundred days, lime and water are added and soaked in the wooden barrel. It is then steamed for eight days to soften the bamboo. Then the contents of the barrel are drained, covered with paper, and dried over a fire. After that, it becomes white paper that can be used to dye ink."

"That wooden bucket is used for making paper and boiling bamboo, not for cooking rice. Besides, it's not convenient to cook rice in such a big bucket."

"Are you Mr. Cai Bei?" the old fox asked, looking up.

“Exactly.” Cai Bei smiled. “I only heard Brother Zhuang discuss this matter with me yesterday. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t receive any prior notice. So I had to clean out this paper-making yard to welcome guests. This place is a bit simple. I hope Brother Yao won’t mind.”

Cai Bei cupped his hands in greeting, his eyes shining with curiosity and excitement. Fox spirits had really come to visit him—talking foxes, and a whole group of them came. They weren't even as big as a stray dog, but their fur was shiny and beautiful.

It was indeed a fox that had become a demon, quite different from the foxes he had seen by chance on his journey before.

The foxes exchanged glances, and the old fox said, "Then we'll have to trouble Mr. Cai."

The other younger members of the family responded, "We apologize for the intrusion," and together they stepped into the courtyard.

"No need to bother me, no need to bother me." Cai Bei thought to himself that he had really seen something strange today.

He brought the fox into the house, prepared tea and snacks beforehand, and laid out a straw mat on the ground.

This room is a hidden world inside. It is not the main hall for entertaining guests. Further inside is a narrow alley for starting fires. There are smooth earthen bricks on both sides. The last step in papermaking is to lay the pressed paper on those earthen bricks and dry it with fire.

In the past, besides Cai Bei, there were several farmhands he had hired to work. Today, he gave the farmhands a day off so that he could have a quiet place to meet the fox demon.

Cai Bei really disliked looking at his family's paper shop, so half a year ago, he discussed with his parents and elders about using the money he earned from selling books for Zhuangxing to start his own business and prepare for a new paper-making school.

However, he set up this small courtyard not to sell paper, but to edit and sell books.

Thanks to his previous ignorance and incompetence, he has achieved some success.

Hearing from Zhuang Xing yesterday that a fox spirit wanted to visit him, he barely slept all night, too excited to fall asleep.

Previously, he only read and listened to books, but today it seems that he has such an opportunity to bring to life what he thought while reading.

Chapter 340 Opening a Teahouse

“I already know your purpose in coming here. You want to use the law to perform on stage and earn some money to make a living, is that right?” Cai Bei asked.

"Just as Mr. Cai said," the old fox replied, "our clan only has a little skill in this kind of deception. I wonder what Mr. Cai's insights are?"

"I wouldn't call it a brilliant insight," Cai Bei said. "To be honest, this is the first time I've ever seen a fox demon. I wonder what abilities you all possess? Would you be so kind as to let me see them?"

“That’s how it should be,” the old fox replied.

After saying that, the old fox called for several juniors to stand up, and just like that day in front of Bai Yu and the others, he used his transformation technique.

Cai Bei couldn't help but feel a little nervous. This was a real monster's magic. He was just a scholar, unlike the mountain people and hunters who had seen wild beasts. In those days, there was no such thing as keeping wild animals in a yard and feeding them meat.

At most, he had only ever seen monkey performances at temple fairs, but the tiger-like roar of the fox truly shocked him.

Although he had never seen a live tiger, the roar of the tiger made his heart tremble.

But after the initial fear subsided, an even stronger sense of excitement surged forth.

The fox's use of mist magic and shape-mimicry techniques filled him with immense joy.

He has been reading miscellaneous books, listening to music and watching plays for more than ten years, immersing himself in this pursuit for many years. He had long had an idea.

Having witnessed the fox demon's abilities today, he felt certain he could succeed!

"Is there anything else you'd like to see, Mr. Cai?" the fox asked after the performance.

Cai Bei immediately said, "There's no need to look anymore. You all have great skills. If you want to make a living using this method, it's by no means difficult."

"Then...may I ask Mr. Cai, how do we make a living? We've lived in the mountains for many years, and we know almost nothing about what people like, what kind of plays people enjoy, or where we can perform on stage..."

“Cai Bei Cai is indeed a regular at various teahouses, so I am naturally very familiar with these things. If you want to make money by performing, I can easily help you get a spot in a teahouse. Just say that an opera troupe I know has come to Yidu.”

"Then we will ask for your help, Mr. Cai. We will definitely repay you when we have enough money in the future."

"Seventh Master Fox, please don't be impatient. I haven't spoken yet. Although I can help you make connections, there are many things to be careful about. For example, if I say that you are an opera troupe from out of town, then you cannot appear in public as foxes. When you go on stage to perform, you will inevitably have to hide. Otherwise, if you are discovered in the future, even my reputation will be damaged."

"We must be very careful."

"What I mean is, I have another way. After all, if you walk by the river, you're bound to get your shoes wet. You might be able to avoid getting wet on the first day, but you might not be able to avoid getting wet on the fifteenth. Rather than deceiving people with a fake face from the beginning, it's better to be sincere."

"Mr. Cai, please speak."

"To be honest, I've long had the idea of ​​opening my own teahouse. After listening to so many operas, I always felt that the singing on stage was not good and the operas were cliché. However, I was short of money and burdened by many other things, so I haven't been able to put my idea into action until now. But thanks to Brother Zhuang's good fortune half a year ago, I made a small fortune. In the past six months, I have made some money from the book business. I can't buy a teahouse, but I can easily rent one."

Cai Bei looked at the fox with bright eyes: "What I mean is, if you all work in the teahouse under my name, we know each other well, so there will be no barriers, and we can speak frankly."

"When the time comes, I will write the play, and you all will go on stage to perform. Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"

"This..." The old fox was stunned when he heard Cai Bei's words. He looked at the junior beside him and then looked up at the Taoist sitting next to Cai Bei.

The Taoist priest remained silent, simply sitting quietly and taking a sip of tea.

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage of the former is that they can go on stage earlier, but the disadvantage, as Cai Bei said, is that they might be caught red-handed. Nowadays, people still have a lot of prejudice against demons. Although they just want to perform and earn money, people don't know what they are thinking. They may think that the demons are using magic to suck people's life force, harm people's lives, and ruin people's luck.

The latter sounds promising, but Cai Bei also said that everything is still in the planning stage. The teahouse hasn't been rented, the show hasn't been rehearsed, and everything is just a pipe dream. In other words, it's just a pie in the sky right now, and it's unknown when this pie will finally be ready to be baked into something delicious and crispy.