Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 181 He is the City God

"nature."

Miss Bai looked at Chen Ji and nodded slightly.

"Ghosts are inherently yin spirits, and without yin energy, they will gradually deplete."

“New ghosts in the human world can still keep their yin energy intact by relying on half a breath of yang energy, but ghosts in the underworld have no such way. In the human world, they are like a mud ox sinking into the sea, and their yin energy dissipates constantly. They can only absorb yin energy from the outside world to make up for the deficiency.”

"That Ghost King now occupies the mountain as king and has set up formations to raise corpses and gather evil spirits, all in order to prevent himself from losing too much yin energy."

"No wonder it's so!"

Master Xiyun and Monk Zhenru suddenly realized the truth.

"I previously thought that the Ghost King was hiding here to conceal his presence, but I didn't expect there was another reason."

"If what Senior Fox said is true, as long as the Yin energy on the mountain is cut off, the Ghost King can be eliminated, is that so?"

Miss Bai nodded slightly.

"indeed."

"Ugh……"

Everyone sighed and wore bitter expressions.

The method the White Girl described sounded simple, but how easy is it to dispel the yin energy in a mass grave?

Not to mention that the place was a natural breeding ground for corpses, with a heavy yin energy.

The only problem is dealing with the countless graves and the gathering of ghosts from the past.

In terms of sheer concentration of yin energy, even ordinary underworld areas cannot compare to that chaotic graveyard.

"Unless we invite the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing True Lord to use true thunder to dispel evil, it will be difficult to expel such a thick yin energy."

Master Xiyun looked towards the direction of the mass grave and spoke slowly.

The monk Zhenru clasped his hands together in prayer.

“Amitabha, the only method I can think of is the same. We need to invite ninety-nine eminent monks to set up an array together and chant the Rebirth Mantra and the Six-Syllable Mantra of Great Compassion day and night for several years. Perhaps this will be able to eliminate the yin energy in this place.”

"It is indeed too difficult and takes too long."

Chen Ji shook his head.

He was a day-roaming deity of the underworld, and knew all too well how troublesome it was to clear such a vast ghost realm.

The tea stall that we encountered in Tiejin Town earlier, which was formed by an earth dragon turning over, was only the size of a house, and it was extremely troublesome to clean up.

First, he used magic to exorcise demons and ghosts. Then, the town chief led people to completely change the landscape, making the water flow smoothly and no longer trapping energy.

Finally, Master Xiyun was asked to set up talismans, which dispelled the evil spirits and dispersed the yin energy.

Such a disturbance has occurred in just one small, ghostly place in the town.

It would be virtually impossible to deal with the ghostly abode in this chaotic graveyard using this method.

To exorcise demons and capture ghosts, one must first clear away the yin energy in this place, but to clear away the yin energy, one must first capture the demons and ghosts that fill the chaotic graveyard.

"This is a dead end, it cannot be untied."

Master Xiyun pondered for a long time, shook his head, and then looked at Chen Ji.

"Fellow Daoist, this seems rather difficult. Perhaps we should ask the Underworld if they have any solutions? Or could we seek help from the City Gods of all the capitals?"

"They won't help."

"Why?"

Chen Ji smiled.

"Have you forgotten that from the very beginning, there were people who disagreed with my appointment as the acting city god here?"

"I'm afraid they're thinking of asking me for help right now."

"It's possible that someone or some supernatural being has already arranged everything behind the scenes, and all I have to do is go there for help so I can easily take over the affairs here."

"Capturing the Ghost King who escaped from the Underworld and clearing out the Ghost Realm that can form a Lesser Underworld—these achievements combined would make even the City God of the prefecture envious."

The two were stunned for a moment before they came to their senses.

"Fellow Daoist is right!"

"If that's the case, then we really shouldn't go looking for them."

"only……"

After hesitating for a few moments, Master Xiyun finally spoke.

"If we don't seek help from the underworld and the City Gods of all the capitals, how can we possibly accomplish this task on our own?"

"Fellow Daoist, you have taken on the duties of the Underworld. If you delay for too long, won't you also be subject to reprimand?"

Chen Ji smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"That's true, but I have a way to dispel the evil spirits here. You can try it first, and then we'll make further plans."

"Oh? What method?"

Upon hearing this, the two immediately looked at Chen Ji.

“Fellow Daoists, you are too attached to appearances. This method should be one that you are more familiar with.”

Chen Ji slowly shook his head.

"All things in the world follow the changes of Yin and Yang, with Yang prevailing over Yin and vice versa."

"The Ghost King found a place where the wind could gather and energy could be concentrated, and he also used graves and ghosts to attract yin energy. This place is now extremely yin."

"But he used an array to completely sever the connection between this place and Haoli. The yin energy gathers and does not disperse, so there must be an extremely yang place."

"Once this place is found, it can be broken with skillful force, and the yin energy here will instantly connect with Haoli and be completely released."

"This……"

Master Xiyun was taken aback.

This method is indeed a traditional Taoist approach, commonly used in medicine.

However, these are all used to treat illnesses caused by imbalances in Yin and Yang; this is the first time I've seen someone use them here.

"Fellow Daoist's thinking is indeed extraordinary."

Master Xiyun bowed and sighed, then inquired about the key to this technique.

"But how do we find this extremely sunny spot?"

"That depends on whether the Stone Mill Demon and his companions can find them."

Chen Ji looked towards the location of the mass grave and spoke slowly.

"Ordinary demons and ghosts can only sense the yin energy in the ghost realm, but they have received incense offerings and cultivated with Taoists, so they know the yin and yang principles and should be able to make some discoveries."

"That's all it can do."

Master Xiyun looked over as well, nodded slowly, and then asked Chen Ji what else he would need if he found it, so that he could prepare in advance.

"There's no need to prepare anything. Once we find the core of the formation, a wisp of pure yang energy will be enough to cause the Ghost Realm to collapse."

As if remembering something, he looked at Daoist Xiyun.

"I forgot that you are no longer a pure Yang body, so I and you will have to go to handle this matter."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood and burst into laughter, their eyes filled with mockery.

Master Xiyun looked at them, not knowing what to say.

Seeing the smiles in everyone's eyes warmed his heart, and after reciting "May the Heavenly Venerable grant boundless blessings," he smiled along with them.

After arriving at the cemetery, he felt that there were too many demons and ghosts in the town, and it lacked human warmth. Unexpectedly, he felt it in the City God Temple today.

Silent all night.

The next morning, the young Taoist priest on duty opened the door to clean, only to find someone lying not far away, covered in blood and barely breathing.

He hurriedly reported back to Chen Ji and then had someone carry it into the house.

Chen Ji rushed over upon hearing the news and recognized the man at a glance.

"It's him?"

"Fellow Daoist, do you know me?"

Master Xiyun, who was about to perform treatment, noticed Chen Ji's reaction and asked curiously.

Chen Ji recalled that he had only brought a fox with him when he met this person, so it was no wonder that Daoist Xiyun and the others did not know.

So he briefly explained how to deal with the issue of Xidu occupying the river channel, and then described how the man in front of him accused the river god.

"You do have some guts."

A hint of appreciation appeared in Master Xiyun's eyes.

These days, most ordinary people can only wait to die when faced with ghosts and spirits; very few dare to resist.

Very few people would think of suing ghosts and gods like the person in front of them.

Besides, it was all for her sister who was married off.

His bravery was truly remarkable, so the doctor was even more attentive when administering the medicine, and even took out a pill, dissolved it in water, and fed it to him by pinching open his mouth.

Then he spoke with Chen Ji.

"Fellow Daoist, rest assured, he only has external injuries, his bones are fine. I have given him a muscle-regenerating pill, he just needs to rest for a while, he will be fine."

"Moreover, there are no traces of demons or ghosts on his body, only wounds from human attacks."

"That's good."

Chen Ji nodded, but a hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes.

"What are you thinking about, fellow Taoist?"

“I left the underworld seal on his petition beforehand. If the petition reaches the City God Temple, it should be detected.” “I’ve been busy lately and haven’t paid attention. Now that I think about it, I didn’t sense the petition. It’s probably been stopped by someone.”

Master Xiyun frowned.

"They dare to stop a lawsuit that bears the seal of the underworld? Who is so audacious?"

Chen Ji shook his head.

"In this world, it's probably not demons or ghosts that are stopping us, but the City God himself."

"But why must the City God do this?"

Master Xiyun frowned.

"True gods have never accepted human sacrifices. The river god eats people, so it's not an exaggeration to call him an evil god. The city god's authority is not controlled by the river god, so why should he help cover it up?"

Chen Ji looked into the distance and spoke slowly.

“Ordinary river gods do not have the same power as city gods, but what about the banks of the West Canal?”

"The River God of the West River is domineering. He doesn't even take the Dragon Lord of the North River seriously and even lets his subordinates occupy the North River channel. How could he be afraid of an ordinary city god?"

"The complaint?"

"It seems that this person had his complaint taken away before he even found the City God Temple, and then he was beaten up."

As Chen Ji was speaking, he suddenly heard a faint noise from the ground.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the person had slightly opened their eyes, pursed their lips, and was calling out softly.

"Water... water..."

Master Xiyun immediately raised his hand, and a very thin stream of water appeared out of thin air, slowly flowing into the man's lips.

A layer of blood instantly welled up on her pale lips, as if the medicinal power from before had finally dissolved and been absorbed into her body along with the water.

After he finished greedily sucking, he looked closely at the two people in front of him, and his eyes widened immediately, his voice trembling.

"Daoist... Daoist Master! What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. Tell me how you ended up like this."

"Alright."

The young man paused for a few moments, looked at Chen Ji, and slowly recounted what he had experienced after leaving the village.

"That day, I took the paper given to me by the Taoist priest and wrote a complaint to appeal to the City God, but I didn't expect to be blocked by the temple keeper before I even got close to the City God Temple."

"The temple keeper demanded that I hand over the treasure. I said I didn't know I had any treasure on me, so he had me beaten up and thrown outside the city, taking all my belongings."

"Fortunately, they said I knew a master, which spared my life so they wouldn't come after me. That's how I survived."

"When did this happen?"

Chen Ji asked.

"On the day the Taoist priest gave me the paper, I rushed to find the City God."

"It's been half a month? Why isn't your injury healed yet?"

"I escaped with my life and returned to my sister's house to recuperate. I was almost fully recovered, but then..."

As the young man spoke, his voice suddenly choked up, and he opened his mouth but could not utter a word. His eyes rolled back and he was about to faint.

Chen Ji quickly raised his finger and pointed downwards, channeling a stream of magical power to clear the blockage.

"Don't be anxious, speak slowly. I almost choked on my words just now."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The young man coughed for a while, but managed to calm down. His eyes were red as he looked at Chen Ji.

"Master, I didn't want to complain to the River God anymore, but the River God insisted on sending a message to make my sister the candidate for the monthly River God sacrifice."

“I know this is the temple keeper’s trick to prevent me from suing the city god, so he conspired with the river god sorcerer to take my sister’s life.”

"I was furious about their behavior, so I went to confront them, and that's how they beat me up like this."

Chen Ji shook his head.

No wonder there were no signs of demons or ghosts on him.

It's because they deal with so many demons and ghosts that they've become overthinking things.

For the villagers, there was no need to resort to ghosts and gods to deal with an ordinary person who had no special skills.

Whether it's the City God or the River God, as long as they express a thought, the temple priests below will arrange and handle it.

"Then how did you get here? This place is a melting pot of humans, ghosts, and demons; it's not a place for you."

Chen Ji asked again.

The young man gritted his teeth.

“I heard that the City God of Fenshan Town has changed. The previous City God did all sorts of bad things and was killed by the immortals. He also captured many man-eating monsters.”

"The new City God must be a good one, so I'm begging him to save my sister, no matter what."

As he spoke, he looked at Chen Ji, then suddenly realized something.

"Taoist priest, you...so you're the master from the City God Temple!"

“I know that offerings and incense are required to appeal to the City God, but I have no money left, only my life.”

"I...I know your abilities, and I'm sure you can speak to the City God. Please, Taoist priest, speak to the City God on my behalf."

"If you can save my sister, I will give my life to the City God, and I will do anything you ask of me in the future."

After saying that, disregarding his own injuries, he slammed his head heavily on the ground.

The wound that had just healed burst open again, oozing fresh blood.

Chen Ji shook his head silently upon seeing this.

"Don't waste your energy, believer. The City God has his own ghost messengers at his command. What good would they do with the life of an ordinary person like you?"

The young man was stunned by what he heard, and stood up straight, speechless for a long time.

“Then… what else does the City God need? I don’t even care about my life anymore. I’d even be willing to sacrifice to the River God in place of my sister.”

Master Xiyun couldn't help but sigh.

“My believer, even if the man-eating river god is an evil deity, he only wants women, not men. Your request is a bit too much.”

"But I can't just stand by and watch my sister die like this, can I?"

The young man looked at the two of them with a somber expression.

“Back then, my family was poor and there was a severe drought. In order to let us survive, my sister sacrificed herself and married into a neighboring village in exchange for a bushel of grain, which allowed my parents and me to survive.”

"My parents said that I was born of them, but my life was given to me by my older sister. They told me that I must take good care of my sister in the future and not let anyone bully her."

“I’ve always remembered those words… but I never imagined that I would be unable to do anything about it now.”

"I……"

The young man hesitated, then suddenly looked up at Chen Ji.

"Taoist priest, I have no complaints that the City God is unwilling to help me, after all, it is because I have no incense offerings."

"But I still have two acres of poor land at home. I am willing to exchange these two acres for a weapon that can hurt the river god. On that day, even if I cannot kill the river god, I will still scald him with blood!"

The young man's eyes seemed to spit fire as he spoke.

Chen Ji and Daoist Xiyun exchanged a glance, both revealing expressions of satisfaction.

"Can be a temple keeper."

"You may become my disciple."

Their eyes met, and they understood each other's meaning.

Chen Ji thought for a moment, nodded slightly to Daoist Xiyun, and then shook his head.

Master Xiyun was taken aback, but then he realized what was happening.

There is no conflict between joining Qingfeng Temple and serving as the temple keeper of the City God Temple.

If this young man can really do well, then following Chen Ji's side will actually be an opportunity for him.

So he reached out and helped him up.

"You actually misspoke just now."

"Ok?"

The young man looked bewildered, seemingly not quite understanding.

What's the point of correcting yourself for saying the wrong thing at a time like this?
Just as he was about to offer his explanation, he heard Master Xiyun's voice continue.

"The Taoist priest you're talking about isn't a servant of the City God, but rather the City God of Fenshan Town!"

"what?"

The young man's expression immediately froze.

After a long while, he swallowed hard and looked at Chen Ji, half in fear and half in uncertainty.

"Taoist priest, you...you are really the City God?"

Chen Ji smiled and nodded.

"nature."

With that, he casually waved his hand, and the scene before him vanished, transforming into the solemn and imposing place where the City God presided over trials.

Chen Ji's City God robe fluttered even without wind, and his expression became much more serious.

He stared at the young people below the stage and slowly began to speak.

"Does the visitor wish to file a complaint against the River God?"

(End of this chapter)