Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 169 A Bounty for Killing Demons

Chen Ji's gaze fell on the constable, then swept over the City God, and he shook his head slightly.

"It seems that you all think this way, but you're mistaken."

“I am a Taoist who practices magic, not a wild god who eats incense. Your stuff is useless against me. If you don’t believe me, come and try it.”

The supervisor glanced at the constables behind him.

The constables hesitated, not daring to speak.

Chen Ji then realized that they were not as powerful as he had imagined.

Confucian scholars possess a noble spirit, while clerks possess an official's aura; both can also wield talismans and magical implements.

For example, Zheng Yuan and his companions used their righteous and malevolent auras to drive talismans to exorcise demons and suppress evil.

However, Zheng Yuan's group of yamen runners, under Li Pingyun's supervision, still possessed a strong sense of righteousness, while these other runners were far inferior.

The aura reading technique revealed that the five elements on the body were mixed and disordered, indicating that the person had engaged in many acts of extortion and bribery.

Even if one manages to use a talisman, it will only have a little power.

It might be useful against demons and ghosts with shallow cultivation, but against oneself, it probably won't be very effective.

Chen Ji figured out the key point and chuckled softly.

"Since you're going to kill me, why are you so timid?"

"If you don't make a move, I'll just have the chance to use my magic to show you."

Chen Ji casually pointed in front of him.

"The wind is coming."

Suddenly, a strong wind arose in the quiet night. The yamen runners felt the strong wind hitting their faces and heard the faint roar of a dragon. They instinctively closed their eyes and raised their hands to block it.

But it took them a while to realize that there was no danger, as if the wind had bypassed them.

He slowly opened his eyes, and the next moment his eyes were wide open and he fell silent.

Chen Ji waved his hand, creating a gust of wind that did not harm anyone, but simply blew them about ten feet away.

While demons or carriages could also do this, it would never be so easy, and they wouldn't be harmed in the slightest.

The Taoist priest in front of them merely waved his hand; he didn't chant any incantations...

It was much easier than the demonic methods and exorcism techniques of monks and Taoists they had ever seen.

Everyone then felt a wave of fear wash over them.

If Chen Ji had malicious intentions when he used his magic, all he had to do was send them flying into the air.

One or two zhang high...

Even if they don't die from the fall, they won't live more than a few days.

Looking again at Chen Ji, his eyes were filled with terror.

The governor also understood what kind of being he had offended.

In this day and age, there are too many demons causing trouble. Unless they truly occupy a mountain and attack a prefecture, the imperial court will not send people to suppress them.

If someone dies in a prison town, and it's said to be the work of demons, no one will investigate.

He immediately disregarded his pride and knelt down, begging for forgiveness.

"Your Majesty, I was rash and acted without clarifying the facts. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness..."

After saying this, seeing that Chen Ji did not speak, he hesitated, swallowed his saliva, straightened up, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"I'm willing to give 60% of my property to the City God! I'm willing to use 60% to make offerings to the gods!"

"Ah……"

Chen Ji glanced at the town's gatekeeper and then looked away.

"No need, but I still want to remind you that there are gods watching over you, so don't think that no one knows."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to the City God Temple, ignoring the group of people in front of him.

Only after the three men and the fox disappeared did the constables dare to move, stepping forward to help the magistrate up and inquire how the matter should be handled.

Jianzhen gazed in the direction of the City God Temple, and after a long while, gritted his teeth.

"A life for a life, collusion with demons—investigate this thoroughly!"

"And another thing! This time, be careful what you do, don't let me find out!"

The constables shuddered and lowered their heads, knowing that there was probably no money to be made this time.

Looking towards the City God Temple, he quickly cleared his mind and dared not have any other thoughts.

The surgical technique they had just used had truly deterred them from acting recklessly.

Inside the City God Temple.

Master Xiyun looked at Chen Ji with considerable envy.

"Fellow Daoist, your technique has improved a lot. It wasn't this natural when we were discussing the technique before."

"really."

Chen Ji nodded slightly.

"I've been away from home recently and didn't expect my cultivation to improve much. But after experiencing so much, I've gained a different understanding of this technique."

"Fellow Daoist's talent for cultivation is indeed extraordinary. No wonder you were able to ignore the threat of this place's surveillance town."

Chen Ji was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he realized what Daoist Xiyun meant.

Although ordinary city gods are yin gods, they are still gods of incense offerings. If officials forbid the people from offering incense, they will lose most of their cultivation.

No matter what you do, you will be limited by your cultivation level and will not have many conveniences.

The town supervisor of Fenshan Town had previously tried to use this to blackmail him, but he didn't expect that the supervisor was not the god of incense offerings and instead made the town supervisor suffer a setback.

"more than."

Taoist Xiyun shook his head.

"In less than two months, my fellow Daoist Zhenru and I will be going to Kyoto to participate in a prayer ceremony. All temples and monasteries in the world have such restrictions."

“But you are not a cultivator in a temple or monastery, so even if this town official is petty and wants to recommend you, there is no way to do so.”

"Recommendation?"

"That's right."

Taoist Xiyun nodded.

"Fellow Daoist has not experienced it, so naturally you do not know."

“If an intractable demon or ghost appears in a place, the talisman used to guard the city will be burned to report the news, and someone will naturally ask a high-ranking official to handle it.”

"With your strength, Fellow Daoist, you will naturally receive an invitation."

"That makes sense."

Chen Ji nodded, about to say that the imperial court had done a good job in dealing with demons and ghosts, when he saw Daoist Xiyun shake his head.

"Fellow Daoist, you're thinking too naively. That's not how they think."

"Huh? I'd like to hear the details."

Taoist Xiyun said slowly.

"For example, Qingfeng Temple was the most famous Taoist temple within a hundred miles when Master was alive. Back then, whenever there were demons or ghosts that couldn't be dealt with, people would ask Master for help, and there was never any harm done."

"By my generation, my fellow disciples and I are still quite skilled and can eliminate some powerful demons and ghosts, but we can't avoid getting injured or dying."

"As for our disciples, they already have to risk their lives to exorcise demons and ghosts, and we don't know how many generations they will be able to pass on their skills to."

"Given this situation, if this transfer order were issued, do you think we should obey it or not?"

Chen Ji understood.

A person's name is like a tree's shadow; it's honey when needed, but a deadly knife when trouble arises.

But then another question suddenly came to mind.

"What if we don't have enough manpower?"

"Demon-Slaying Silver".

Master Xiyun said calmly.

"When ordinary people ask us to exorcise demons, it costs them only a hundred or so taels of silver each time. But if the government asks us for help, and we can't go, it will cost at least several hundred taels of silver."

"This is the income from the demon-slaying silver."

"Such incompetence, does the prefecture government really not care?"

"Fellow Daoist, do you know how much silver it costs to bribe a town guard in Tiejin Town, and how much in Fenshan Town?"

"I really don't know."

"One term as the magistrate of the cemetery, ten thousand taels of silver."

Taoist Xiyun said slowly.

Chen Ji was silent.

No wonder Tiejin Town is relatively peaceful, and Li Pingyun is still worried about how to save money on pacifying demons.

This place is teeming with demons and ghosts, yet the town has hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. It seems that human wisdom is indeed boundless. This is not the work of demons and ghosts, but clearly the work of silver.

Making a living off demons, what a clever tactic.

No wonder they weren't afraid of their identity as acting city gods before.

"Is there any way... Never mind, it's pointless to say anything."

Chen Ji shook his head helplessly.

Even Daoist Lian Xiyun knows the key to this matter, but he's afraid that reporting it to Li Pingyun won't solve the problem, and might even incur resentment.

There's no need to harm such a good official.

Chen Ji thought about it, but still felt a sense of unease.

Those who cultivate themselves seek a state of peace and contentment; if things are not going well at this moment, they must do something about it.

He is a human being, and harming an official is a grave crime. Now that he also holds the status of a ghost official, he should not be so arrogant.

However, given his status as the acting City God and a wandering deity in the underworld, it is his duty to capture a few demons who enjoy blood offerings.

Just then, he happened to have the clues that Bai Shijiu had given him, so he couldn't help but get up.

"Would you like to go out and stretch your muscles?"

"Ok?"

The two people and the fox looked at Chen Ji. "Let's go find that demon who accepted the bounty and see what other skills he has."

“Excellent!”

"I was just wondering when you plan to go there, fellow traveler."

"Of course we should go and take a look."

So the three men and the fox went out and rode the wind away.

Guided by the Qi-finding technique, they quickly left the town and arrived at a secluded place.

A small path worn by people on the ground.

It hasn't rained recently, but you can still see footprints on the ground.

The surrounding trees looked like they had been cut down, leaving a clear space with only a burial mound in the middle.

In the distance, scattered among the trees were other graves, but none were as large as the one in front of us.

"Mass grave?"

"Is it that Ghost King?"

Chen Ji surveyed the terrain from the sky and discovered that this place was not far from the chaotic graveyard where the Ghost King resided.

However, when asked by Master Xiyun, he shook his head.

The Ghost King escaped from the underworld and lived a secluded life with grand ambitions; he wouldn't expose his identity for such a small sum of money.

This must be because some other demon deliberately chose this place to hide their identity by using the Ghost King's tiger skin.

"Then how do we find him?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

Chen Ji took out the bone fragment that Bai Shijiu had brought back and gently rubbed it, reciting the incantation that the team leader had taught him to summon demons and ghosts.

"I have a favor to ask of you, and I beg the White King to appear before me."

"I have a favor to ask of you, and I beg the White King to appear before me."

The mountain birds are lonely, their mournful cries rustling softly.

The wind blew through the leaves, but there was no sound at all.

Chen Ji raised his eyebrows, but he didn't sense the slightest trace of demonic energy.

Upon closer inspection, one can clearly see that the place is indeed filled with demonic energy, indicating that demons and ghosts have been living here for a long time.

"But did our arrival disturb him?"

"will not."

Chen Ji shook his head. He believed that Bai's concealment technique might not be able to hide from the old abbot, but these demons and ghosts would not be able to see through it.

"Then why doesn't he come out?"

"Perhaps..."

Before Chen Ji could finish speaking, they heard a commotion in the distance.

"Miss Bai, I'm in trouble."

"it is good."

The young lady responded briefly and raised her hand to cast a spell to conceal everyone's figures.

They looked at each other but couldn't find each other either, and were immediately amazed by the wonder of Miss Bai's magic.

"Do not use any magic, or you will not be able to hold out for long."

"clear."

Chen Ji paused, then knew what he should do.

I have already seen that this open graveyard is where demons and ghosts dwell, and there are no traps or magic arrays set up.

All you need to do now is wait by the grave.

As Chen Ji walked slowly away, he heard an awkward and unnatural singing voice.

"New ghosts cry in the eastern suburbs of Haoli"

"West Mountain rats gnaw at the white bone grave"

"Even a hundred catties of blood offerings are not too much."

"One rib, one head"

……

"Snap! Crack!"

Along with the singing was a scene that made Chen Ji feel somewhat uncomfortable.

A skeleton, half a body taller than an ordinary person, strode over, wearing a dark brown Taoist robe.

The cracking and snapping sounds came from the collision of his joints.

Bone fragments, White King, mass grave.

Everything is connected.

No wonder he's called the White King; he chose this place and even makes deals with people.

It turned out to be a skeleton that had become a spirit from the edge of a mass grave.

Because the tomb was located just outside the area where yin energy was released, it somehow absorbed the yin energy gathered in the mass grave and thus cultivated into a demon.

At this moment, the Bone Demon was carrying a huge bone mace on its shoulder, which was now covered with human heads, at least a dozen at a glance.

The white bone demon seemed to be in a very good mood, tearing off a human head and chewing and tearing the flesh like it was eating fruit.

Chen Ji had seen man-eating demons before, but this was the first time he had ever seen one so bloody.

His anger grew stronger.

Fortunately, the ability to observe qi had become almost instinctive; with a single glance, he had already determined the strength of this demon.

It was weaker than the wolf-blood demon we had seen before.

It's a pity that the other three can't be seen, so we can't notify them to act together.

However, the White Bone Demon's strength is beyond question. Just as the demon approached the grave mound without any awareness, Chen Ji exhaled wind and fire, and then blew out Netherfire, even using the Wall-Opening Technique at the same time.

In one breath.

A fierce storm raged in the arena, with red and green flames intertwining like a fire dragon treading on a lotus, sweeping across the open space and swirling around the white bone demon.

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands..."

“Tadyatha, Om, Anali…”

Two voices sounded at the same time.

It was Master Xiyun and Monk Zhenru who took action.

Taoist talismans and Buddhist incantations fell together.

A mysterious aura also appeared in the air, and Chen Ji knew that this was the technique used by Miss Bai to conceal her aura.

"Who dares to... Ah, Immortal, spare my life!"

Before the Bone Demon could even finish speaking, its entire body was slammed to the ground, cracks were faintly visible on its bones, and flames engulfed its body as it screamed in agony.

"Stop talking nonsense, I'll ask you a question and you answer it."

Chen Ji spoke coldly.

Such a blood demon, it's hard to calm down without its death.

However, when it came to asking questions, he still lacked control over the flames.

"You committed the murder for a reward?"

"Yes... it's me."

Why would you do such a thing?

"In order to cultivate into a great demon, human heads contain spirituality, and one can also make money to buy some blood food."

"Doesn't Fenshan Town not accept money?"

"They bought it from those Taoist priests. They go to the villages outside the village to recruit disciples, sell it to others as blood offerings, and say that it died while exorcising demons. They give a few taels of silver and everything is fine."

The white bone demon wailed as it explained.

"And this method of not killing by taking bone fragments was also taught to me by them."

"Ah! Immortal, spare me! I was telling the truth!"

Chen Ji's eyes turned cold, realizing that this was the cannibalistic Taoist priest killed by the Wolf Blood Demon.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent as he looked at the white bone demon.

"go on!"

……

With magic and especially Buddhist teachings applied to him, the White Bone Demon could not endure this torture-like treatment and surrendered completely in no time.

Miss Bai nodded, confirming that what the white bone demon said was true.

Chen Ji coldly looked at the severed head on his body.

I already asked, and he said that he used these human heads to absorb spiritual energy for cultivation, and after cultivation, he would refine them into magical artifacts.

The headless ghost's head was also on it.

But now, with its eerie, grotesque laughter, it has taken on the form of a skeletal demon, so it's better if it doesn't exist.

The white bone demon finally came to its senses, hunched over and lying on the ground, looking up at Chen Ji.

"Immortal, spare my life! I've told you everything! Please spare my life, I promise I'll never do this again!"

“Absolutely…”

"Wow!"

Before the White Bone Demon could finish speaking, Chen Ji had already raised his hand and cast the Wall-Opening Technique.

It's just several times more terrifying than Bai Qi's.

The entire skeleton demon, from its head to its body, shattered into finger-sized bone fragments, scattered all over the ground.

All that remained was the half-eaten head, its mouth agape, making soft "ba ba ba" sounds.

(End of this chapter)