Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 152 Spirit Medium Vomits Blood
After asking, Chen Ji suddenly remembered that the voice he had just heard did not specify that only a host could ask about spirit writing.

You can do it yourself, of course.

So he thanked them first before looking at the toad in the mural.

"Before asking any questions, may I ask you a few questions first?"

"Coo...quack?"

With a croak of a frog, the smoke dissipated, and Chen Ji felt as if he had been seen through, his whole body enveloped in a thin layer of moisture and smoke.

Looking around, I found myself all alone; even the host, Zhenru, had disappeared.

The scent of smoke and water dissipated upon contact, but left behind the thoughts of the Daoist monk.

“You have the friendship of my clan’s descendants, you may ask.”

Chen Ji was in a daze for a moment, then realized that this must be the friendship of the Copper Toad Demon.

But it is unknown how the rain monk in the painting perceived these things.

"Our race has its own way of recognizing and identifying the aura of goodwill among its kind."

The voice of the rain monk rang in Chen Ji's mind, and he quickly added a sentence.

"Don't worry, I didn't use my telepathic abilities. I just guessed that you would have such thoughts."

"Thank you for your explanation, senior."

Chen Ji regained his composure and stopped thinking about it.

If the story told by the abbot is true, then this Rain Monk should be a great demon from the same era as Senior Huai, and his current cultivation level is probably even higher than Senior Huai's.

Being able to patiently explain is already considered kind; if there is still disbelief, then it is too presumptuous.

So he began to seriously consider his own problems.

After a moment, he looked at the mural.

"Senior, are you one of the Thirty-Six Rain Monks?"

"Yes."

"The Eight Treasures aren't here?"

"nature."

"Does the senior know the whereabouts and name of the monk who enlightened you?"

"..."

The rain monk remained silent for a long time, the Eight Treasures Hall still filled with smoke, until Chen Ji could no longer see his own figure and then heard the sound.

"This isn't part of the question. Do you want to ask the spirit medium?"

"No need."

Chen Ji shook his head decisively.

His purpose has been achieved.

The monk's whereabouts are certainly a secret and an opportunity, but it wouldn't be worth wasting a session of the Rain Monk's spirit writing for it.

He had more questions he wanted to ask.

"I once received a divine opportunity from a Taoist priest. I only know that he called himself the Taoist of Xuanshan, but I do not know where Xuanshan is. May I ask if you know?"

"A mountain is not famous for its height, but for the immortals who dwell there..."

"call!"

As soon as the divination poem began, a sudden gust of wind arose in the hall, and the incense sticks made from toad venom flickered and burned rapidly, as if breathing.

The toad in the mural suddenly changed its expression, quickly shut its mouth, and then raised its head and shouted.

"I did not intend to divine the whereabouts of immortals; it was what a senior disciple told me through spirit writing. I beg you to spare my life!"

He tried to activate the Eight Treasures Phantom while shouting to protect himself, but it was to no avail.

"boom!"

A muffled rumble of thunder seemed to echo in the sky.

Chen Ji didn't react to what he heard, but when he looked up, he couldn't help but be shocked.

The smoke in front of him had dissipated, and the eight auspicious symbols in the mural were all shattered, cracked with spiderweb-like fissures. The toad was no longer as magical as before, lying on the ground with its eyes white, looking as if it had died suddenly.

"senior?"

Chen Ji called out, his breath landing on the mural.

A soft "click" sound rang out.

The image on the wall flickered slightly, and all eight treasures shattered into dust, scattering in the air as if they had never appeared on the wall.

As if sensing something, Yu Seng finally woke up with difficulty and looked at Chen Ji.

He tried to say something, but instead spat out a mouthful of blood, turning the wall a bright red.

"Gah...uh...quack!"

The monk drew out the sound, his voice weak and feeble, but the meaning was clear.

This place is not something he can talk about, nor is it something he can spy on. He only revealed a sentence and there was such a backlash. He can't say anything more.

"Crack."

Another soft croak of a frog.

Chen Ji shook his head.

"Senior, you flatter me. It's not that you failed to complete the divination; it's clearly that my question went too far. I just didn't expect this to happen, and I feel really bad for causing you pain..."

Chen Ji thought about it.

He took out a piece of Peach Fairy Ghost Body from his body.

"I have nothing of value except this item, which I would like to offer as a token of my appreciation. Please accept it as a token of my gratitude."

"Crack."

The croaking of frogs paused for a moment before it began.

Chen Ji was filled with respect and bowed deeply.

"If you don't accept it, senior, I will have no face to ask about the unfinished spirit writing in the future."

"Crack."

The croaking of frogs continued, and Chen Ji finally understood why the Rain Monk didn't want this item.

The Peach Fairy Ghost Body is only beneficial to ghosts; ordinary demons who obtain it can only exchange it with other demons and ghosts.

Now that the Rain Monk is trapped like this, he can no longer exchange things, so it's meaningless.

"If you need other treasures to restore your cultivation, I can exchange them for you."

Chen Ji said seriously.

This time the wait was even longer.

Chen Ji was about to think that the Rain Monk had disappeared when he heard a faint croaking sound. After that, the names of several rare and precious materials appeared in his mind.

The meaning of the rain monk's message also followed.

"If that's really what you're thinking, just bring these items or similar items when you come across them. If you need them in the future, I can help you out once."

"Thank you, senior."

Chen Ji thanked him sincerely, not looking down on the monk just because the monk was still trapped in the mural.

While others were unaware of the details behind Xuanshan, he vaguely knew a thing or two.

Even the Emperor himself, in his discourse on the Dao, could identify beings inferior to him…

This Rain Monk survived a backlash attack, so his cultivation level is probably much higher than we imagined.

Chen Ji hadn't expected such a strong reaction just from asking about Xuanshan's location. What if he actually asked about the Xuanshan Taoist?

"Cuck!"

The rain monk's thoughts came through, advising Chen Ji to abandon the idea and not to try to investigate the matter until he had enough strength.

Those who try to divulge the secrets of heaven may face ruin at best, or even death at worst.

"I understand."

Chen Ji said slowly.

The rain monk continued to transmit his thoughts.

"This divination attempt was unsuccessful. You can try again once I have recovered."

"Thank you, senior."

Chen Ji replied.

With a sudden thought, he remembered that this time it was in the Eight Treasures Hall, and there were incense sticks made of toad venom that would only summon the rain monk after being lit.

How will I summon the Rain Monk next time I consult a spirit medium?

Just as he was thinking, Chen Ji suddenly felt an incense stick appear in his hand.

"In the future, you can sincerely light this incense stick. I need to recuperate first. Because of you, I have lost a hundred years of cultivation."

Chen Ji felt ashamed, but didn't know what to say.

He then cupped his hands in thanks again.

"go Go."

As the last thought came to him, Chen Ji felt a sense of clarity beside him, and the scent of incense returned.

He quickly looked in front of him and saw that the eight treasures he had drawn earlier were indeed empty. The toad that was supposed to spit out treasures was also squatting on one side without any energy, just as he had seen in the spirit writing space before.

"Amitabha."

Abbot Zhenru clasped his hands together, looked at Chen Ji, and chanted Buddhist prayers.

Chen Ji hurriedly returned the greeting. "Please forgive me, Master, let me explain the situation to you."

The host shook his head.

"Fellow Daoist, do not be anxious. The Patriarch has already conveyed his thoughts to me about this matter. He does not blame you; he simply did not expect that the location of a mountain could possess such power."

"and……"

The host paused, looked at Chen Ji, and whispered.

"The Patriarch said that one sentence is enough for you to investigate some information."

"Ok?"

Chen Ji was taken aback, recalling what Yu Seng had just said.

"A mountain is not sacred because of its height, but because of the immortals who dwell there."

Just looking at this sentence, there was no way to guess what Yu Seng meant, so he shook his head.

"Let's put those aside for now. Fellow Daoist, do you have a way to resolve the matters at the temple?"

"The patriarch has already explained the method."

As the host slowly said.

"The problem lies with the imperial rice cake, and it's also possible that one of the disciples has been bewitched. The evildoer is hiding in the temple; we just need to find him."

"However, we will have to trouble the temple's worshippers for a few days first."

Then Zhenru revealed the solution given by the Rain Monk.

Judging from Chen Ji's account, most of the believers did these things because they were misled or influenced.

However, in order to avoid being exposed, this person must have used various methods to influence believers multiple times.

As long as Chen Ji pretends to be a benevolent believer affected by the situation, he can find the mastermind by seizing the flaw when he resumes casting the spell.

Fortunately, only a few monks were in charge of the repairs at the temple, so it should be easy.

After listening, Chen Ji felt that the efficiency was a bit low, but at least it was a method. Baishou Temple was not Qingfeng Temple, and the relationship had not reached the point where it was appropriate to suggest other methods, so he agreed.

"Then I'll trouble you, fellow Taoist."

"It's alright, but I just wanted to ask if I could take a piece of this rice cake with me?"

"Hmm? Fellow Daoist, would you perhaps like to try some?"

"It's not that it tastes good, but there's a Taoist priest at Qingfeng Temple on the mountain who is skilled in cooking and can use it as a spiritual ingredient. I'd like to ask him to take a look at the problem with this Imperial Rice Cake."

"Naturally."

The host, Zhenru, took the initiative to wrap up a portion for Chen Ji to take back.

After agreeing on a time, Minghe was allowed to see Chen Ji off again, and Minghe was told that this was an important guest and should be treated well.

Minghe readily agreed and led Chen Ji forward.

After leaving the temple and walking another half mile, Minghe suddenly spoke.

“The benefactor must be deeply versed in Buddhism.”

Chen Ji laughed and asked him why he was so sure.

“Previously, the abbot would finish meeting with other devotees quickly, only those who understood Buddhism would stay longer. Now, the benefactor has spent more time talking with the abbot than all of them combined before, so this is a natural guess.”

"Then you guessed wrong."

"Ok?"

Minghe's eyes widened in disbelief.

Chen Ji laughed and didn't tease the young monk, only saying that he had other matters to discuss with the abbot.

Seeing that they were almost at the mountain gate, he bid farewell to Minghe, found a secluded corner, and rode away on the wind.

When they landed at Qingfeng Temple, the millet cake in their hands was still warm.

He then went straight to the old abbot's courtyard.

The courtyard was noisy, and the tables and chairs were arranged as before.

The demons and ghosts in the courtyard sat around the edge, watching the man and demons perform their rituals.

The old abbot and the salt maker were doing something, stirring and turning the iron pot around from time to time, and adding a lot of spiritual ingredients.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chen Ji simply tell him to sit down before continuing to work on the pot.

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, the human and the demon, having confirmed the contents of the iron pot demon's body, breathed a sigh of relief and returned to inquire about Chen Ji's gains from this trip.

Chen Ji then recounted his experiences and observations after entering the temple, as well as the story and experiences of the Rain Monk.

"Rain Monk?"

After listening, the old abbot relaxed his brows and shook his head.

"I've never heard of a story where a frog or toad could be enlightened to become a Buddhist. But to bring such a blessing to demons and ghosts is a great merit."

"However, this makes the situation in the temple more complicated."

"really."

Chen Ji nodded, sorting through the matters related to Baishou Temple in his mind.

First, a believer dreamed that he wanted to make offerings to a statue of Guanyin, which led someone to cut off the incense offerings to Lady Hongci and even had the statue destroyed to carve a new Guanyin statue.

Secondly, the rice cakes found on the mountain contain unprocessed rice juice, which is addictive.

Now, some former Rain Monks even want to take this opportunity to completely eliminate the other Rain Monks and seek the righteous path.

Chen Ji rubbed his temples, feeling a chaotic mess before his eyes.

These things seem to be connected, but they always lack a reason to link them together.

The most reasonable speculation is that everything was done by that rain monk.

In order to destroy the lineage of the Rain Monk, he completely killed hundreds of novices from the Baishou Temple.

The imperial rice cake was his first tactic, to first instill complex thoughts in the minds of temple worshippers and ordinary novices, and then, like the marriage dream, to subtly implant his own thoughts in them, thus controlling them.

They then colluded with the City God to summon the underworld officials, turning the unjustly appointed local deities into wandering souls, which angered them and turned them into vengeful ghosts.

At that time, the combined wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people, with mortals on the ground and wronged souls in the divine realm, would be enough to completely destroy Baishou Temple.

Unfortunately, they hadn't anticipated someone like Chen Ji.

This, however, disrupted all the arrangements.

"I don't know what to say. Fellow Daoist, your fate is indeed very peculiar. You are even more fortunate than a fox in forming connections."

The old abbot's casual remark suddenly stunned Chen Ji.

He had been so preoccupied with the matter of Baishou Temple that he hadn't noticed that another page had been turned in the "Tales of Strange Things".

There wasn't much time to check right now.

Seeing that the Salt Elder and the others had some free time, I first took out the Imperial Rice Cake and asked them to take a look at the problem.

"That is indeed it."

The salt merchant made up his mind after just one glance.

He then leaned closer for a few more glances before shaking his head.

"No, there's nothing wrong with this rice cake; it's clearly just a snack. Strange, how could there be a problem if I ate this?"

As he spoke, the salt-making old man didn't forget to offer some to the old abbot and the iron pot demon.

"I'm tending the fire, my mouth is full of firewood, I don't have time to eat!"

"The Iron Pot Demon shouted."

The salt merchant pursed his lips and handed a piece to the old abbot.

What do you think, fellow Daoist?

"It's definitely not like it was before."

The old abbot said so, so Chen Ji felt relieved and took out the first piece of imperial rice cake he had obtained from his clothes and handed it over.

"This one should be different, right?"

"That's right! That's exactly how it looks!"

As soon as Chen Ji took out the imperial rice cake, the salt merchant nodded and shouted.

"I'll remember this taste forever. Eating this stuff long-term will make you neither human nor ghost, this is it!"

"Fellow Daoist, how did you bring this back?"

"I need you to make an antidote."

Chen Ji explained the solution he had discussed with the host.

The salt merchant curled his lip upon hearing this.

"It's a good thing you said that, otherwise I would have thought you were joking."

"This stuff only works on ordinary people. If a cultivator eats it, they will only find it delicious, but the effect will not be as great."

"If you want to find out who else the Rain Monk arranged, just make sure you act well."

"That's right."

Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his thanks again.

"Then we'll need to ask the Salt Master to make some antidotes for ordinary people. There are still over a hundred pilgrims in the temple, and I don't know if there are any similar ones down the mountain."

"Understood, I'll come and pick it up tomorrow."

The salt merchant waved casually and turned back to look at the food in the pot.

Chen Ji knew this was just the old salt merchant's temperament, so he wasn't surprised. He thanked him and then found a place to sit down and began to read the newly recorded strange tales.

(End of this chapter)