Start practicing from Mr. Fox

Chapter 2: Creating Animal-Eating Souls
The old Taoist pointed at Chen Ji's shadow on the ground.

"Under the sun, the shadow is the soul. If the soul is light, the shadow is light; if the soul is strong, the shadow is strong. Your shadow is as black as ink, so your soul will naturally not be light."

Chen Ji lowered his head and saw that his shadow was indeed very dark, darker than that of ordinary people.

"Then how did the Taoist know that my memory has not been restored?"

The old Taoist looked at Chen Ji's chest with a smile.

"The previous Emperor Sejong stipulated that women should wear left-side lapel and men right-side lapel, and this has not changed to this day. You are wearing the wrong clothes."

Chen Ji was stunned.

How could he know the difference between the left and right lapels? He just put it on casually. He didn't expect there was such a thing as this, and it also exposed the fact that he had no memory.

Fortunately, what the old Taoist said just gave him an excuse, so he didn't explain much and quickly untied the clothes and exchanged them back.

During this period, he inevitably revealed his fairly strong figure. The old Taoist turned his head away again and did not turn back to ask other questions until Chen Ji had dealt with everything.

"Do you remember where home is?"

Chen Ji shook his head.

"I don't know how I ended up here as a donkey."

Chen Ji nodded.

"What about your name? You remember it, right?"

The old Taoist felt a little helpless, but fortunately Chen Ji spoke up this time.

"Chen Ji, Erdong Chen, the halberd of painted halberd."

Since he couldn't remember the original name anyway, Chen Ji just used his own name.

The old Taoist nodded, as if thinking about something, and said nothing more.

However, Chen Ji wanted to know more about this world, so he took advantage of his amnesia to ask the old Taoist about the art of creating animals.

"Creating animals was a sorcery that was once prevalent in the Jiangbei region. It used animal skins to transform people into animals. Because it violated the will of heaven, it was despised and lost for a time. Unexpectedly, it's now active again. It seems the world is about to be in turmoil."

"Is creating animals also a spell?"

"Yes."

"Then...Master Hu, do you also know magic? Do you also know how to practice?"

"Yes."

Taoist Priest Hu looked at Chen Ji and raised his eyebrows.

"You want to learn?"

"think."

Chen Ji spoke decisively, his eyes burning with anger.

I turned into a donkey and walked through the gates of hell in this world. I have already witnessed the strange and mysterious side of this world.

Whether it is for self-protection or to pursue some dreams that were previously impossible to fulfill, Chen Ji wants to try practicing.

"Then you can continue thinking."

"Ok?"

"You can't practice now."

Taoist Hu said calmly.

"why?"

"Humans are the most intelligent creatures in the world, possessing three souls and seven spirits. This gives them a unique advantage in cultivating the Way. However, if the three souls are incomplete and the seven spirits are deficient, cultivation will be impossible..."

"But didn't the Taoist priest just say that my soul is stronger than that of an average person?"

"You are strong, but not complete. Look at these places, aren't they lighter than other places? This is the lack of soul."

The old Taoist used the banner in his hand as a staff and pointed it at the shadow of Chen Ji.

Chen Ji looked carefully and indeed saw that the colors of these places were different from the other places.

He couldn't help but purse his lips and stood there in a daze, feeling that Master Hu was playing a huge joke on him. After saying so much, this was the result in the end.

"Also... I see that the loss of your soul isn't caused by normal injury or shock, but rather someone intentionally harmed you."

"Harm me?"

Chen Ji was shocked.

"That's right, this isn't a normal way to create an animal. It's more like..."

Taoist Hu fell into deep thought, and after a moment he spoke with certainty.

"Soul Eater!"

"This is a sorcery even older than animal creation. It transfers a person's soul into an animal, which is then eaten by humans. This leaves the person's three souls incomplete, and after several body changes, even the underworld cannot recover the soul. It's an extremely evil method of destroying the body and covering up all traces of the body."

"I think these methods you use are not accidental, but deliberately arranged."

"So cruel!"

Chen Ji was completely stunned.

He knew that the most cruel way to harm someone was to use a knife, but he actually encountered someone who destroyed his soul.

This is really hard to accept.

What kind of evil things did my original body do to deserve being targeted like this?

Before he could figure it out, Taoist Hu spoke again.

"Instead of thinking about cultivation, you should first think about the dangers that lie ahead."

"What danger?"

Chen Ji was shocked and stunned. He was already in this state, how could there be any danger?
"Since they used the method of creating beasts to eat souls, they must want you to die. But now that you are not dead, there is a problem. They will never let you go."

"Could they still find me?"

Chen Ji asked anxiously.

"With your soul in my hand, how can I not find it?"

Taoist Hu opened his hands and began to take inventory.

"Soul summoning, soul searching, soul questioning, soul-seeking lamp, soul-guiding incense..."

"That's all I know, do you think they don't know?"

When Chen Ji heard this, his eyes went dark and his whole body turned cold. He had never expected that becoming a human would be more dangerous than being a donkey.

After a moment of silence, Chen Ji suddenly thought of something and bowed deeply to Master Hu.

"Master, what should I do to survive?"

"Oh? How do you know I have a way?"

Taoist Hu narrowed his eyes, revealing a hint of cunning.

"The Taoist priest saved me because he wanted me to do something, right? If it's just a matter of fate, I don't believe it."

"Indeed."

Taoist Hu nodded slightly. "It's just fate, really fate."

"Your fate is to face both life and death, fortune and misfortune. Although your soul has been damaged, you haven't become demented. This is a rare and wonderful fate. If you embark on spiritual practice, you will surely have great opportunities. Becoming connected with you is also to discuss cause and effect. If you become a hidden dragon in the sky in the future, I can also take care of you."

"can you do it?"

Taoist Hu looked at Chen Ji, waiting for his answer.

"must!"

Chen Ji agreed without any hesitation.

Taoist Hu nodded, very satisfied with Chen Ji's decisiveness, and then took out a stack of books.

"So, can you still read? Can you read these books?"

Chen Ji took a quick glance and saw the cover of the book, recognizing it as a primer such as "Thousand Character Classic" and "Hundred Family Names". He thought that this world was probably similar to the ancient times in his memory, and he finally felt relieved.

After flipping through a few pages, he found some traditional Chinese characters, but since he had learned calligraphy, he could recognize about 80% of them, so he nodded.

"Children's elementary education is not difficult. I seem to remember some of it."

"Are you afraid of monsters?"

Taoist Hu asked again.

"monster?"

Chen Ji's head skipped a beat as he thought of something he had overlooked.

As long as there is spiritual practice in this world, there should naturally be monsters.

If it is a man-eating monster, of course I would be afraid of it, but if it is a good monster, it doesn’t seem to be scary either?
Chen Ji thought about it and decided to ask the Taoist priest.

"I wonder what kind of monster it is?"

"Well... naturally it's me."

The old Taoist raised the corners of his mouth, shook his head and made a sharp sound.

The originally white-haired and youthful face suddenly turned into a pointed-mouthed, hairy face, revealing sharp white teeth. He was still wearing the gray Taoist robe, but a furry tail protruded from the side.

Chen Ji was startled, cold sweat broke out all over his body, and he stepped back violently.

Seeing this, the monster opened its long beak and laughed, shaking its triangular ears and tail.

"Well, are you afraid or not?"

The monster didn't move, so Chen Ji had time to look at its appearance.

Her fluffy hair was like a ball of fire, ripples forming, but it was lighter around her eye sockets, forehead, and cheeks, as if she had put on some makeup. Her peach blossom eyes stared at Chen Ji, without any ferocity, but rather some charm and allure.

So there really are monsters?
And she's a fox demon.

No wonder he is called Taoist Hu, it turns out he is this fox!

Countless thoughts flashed through Chen Ji's mind, but for a moment he didn't know how to answer the fox demon's question.

He had read many strange stories and subconsciously felt that fox spirits would not harm people.

What's more, the fox demon in front of him has been fortune-telling in Hejian Prefecture for many years and has a good reputation. He also saved his life, so he is naturally not a bad monster.

He was stunned for a moment, and only uttered a word when the fox demon urged him again.

"What a beautiful fox."

"Bah, Dengzizi!"

The fox demon spat, his eyes filled with resentment.

"I saved you out of kindness, but you said such frivolous words. You deserve to be turned into a donkey."

"But I'm telling the truth."

Chen Ji said seriously.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, Chen Ji was certain that this fox demon was definitely the most beautiful among foxes.

"..."

The fox demon's anger had mostly dissipated.

She really didn't feel that Chen Ji was lying, and it was not good to blame a lost soul for being honest.

After a while, he sighed.

"Since you are not afraid, then we can talk about what happened next."

"I would like to ask you to be a tutor for the younger generations of my clan. Your demonic energy can at least cover up your soul energy, making it difficult for others to find it."

"Fox... no, fox demons also need to study?"

Chen Ji was very surprised.

"My clan wasn't born as monsters. Why is it so strange that the younger generation still needs to learn?"

Seeing that Chen Ji still couldn't understand, the fox demon simply continued to explain it clearly.

"Foxes are different from humans. They must learn languages, learn principles, understand the ways of the world, shed their animal nature, and pass the assessment of the Taishan Goddess before they can practice cultivation."

"The little fox has a lot of animal instincts. Asking a teacher to teach him is the fastest way, but the teachers I found before were not suitable."

"It just so happens that my clan has many people, and we can help you find the whereabouts of those who created beasts and devoured souls. If there is a chance, retrieving your soul will be considered a reward. Even if we can't find it, we have natural treasures to nourish your remaining soul and prevent your early death. How do you think?"

The fox demon's voice is melodious, like silver bells blown by the wind.

"Thank you, Fox Fairy."

Chen Ji bowed.

Anyway, I don’t have a pass and it’s not easy to live in the world, so I might as well follow the fox to see the world, which means I have stepped half a foot into the world of cultivation.

I just don’t know what it’s like when the foxes practice?
"Then close your eyes!"

The fox demon was particularly happy to hear the name "fox fairy" and grabbed Chen Ji's wrist and stepped forward.

As he took a step forward, Chen Ji felt as if his internal organs were being pulled and his throat was rolling, about to spit out acid.

"Wait! I forgot. Open your mouth!"

The fox demon's voice rang close to his ear.

Before Chen Ji could react, he subconsciously opened his mouth and felt something cold in his mouth. It melted in his mouth, and the feeling of vomiting and pain suddenly disappeared.

"This is the fox tribe's secret medicine. It can alleviate the discomfort caused by the spell."

Chen Ji nodded in thanks and continued to wait with his eyes closed.

Until the fox demon spoke again.

"We're here, sir, you can open your eyes now."

Chen Ji opened his eyes and saw a scene that he had never seen in his two lives.

There were more than ten thatched cushions placed in the open space surrounded by green trees. At this moment, a group of foxes of different sizes with fiery red fur were sitting cross-legged on the cushions, reading, shaking their heads and nodding their heads, just like children.

The fox is actually learning!

(End of this chapter)