Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 1 I Came from the Human World

Xihulu Island is teeming with spirits and monsters, and demons emerge from its caves.

Those who seek immortality and the Dao are like ants in a withered tree, omnipresent and constantly searching for food.

Fang Shu was such a person who sought immortality and visited the Dao.

However, his cheeks are now sunken, he is as thin as a rake, and his face, neck and hands are covered with finger-length black hair.

He walked with a limp, looking nothing like a human, just like a big monkey.

Although I'm not human anymore, I still need to have the proper clothes.

He bought himself a Taoist robe, carried a yellow gourd on his shoulder, and held a copper bell in his hand, which jingled as if he had just escaped from a monkey opera troupe.

That day, he waded across the river and came to a mountain restaurant.

Before he even entered the door, he could smell the aroma of meat and blood, as well as a pungent, fishy stench.

There were no waiters at the entrance of the restaurant, only two filthy, greasy cloth curtains hanging in the air, and constant noises could be heard from behind them:

"The noodles are ready!"

"Grandpa, grandpa, come and play!"

Fang Shu swaggered into the restaurant.

One by one, deer-headed and ox-headed creatures leaped out, and sheep-faced and donkey-faced creatures appeared. Bird demons flew around pouring water, and rat demons swam around.

The beasts, now imbued with a touch of demonic energy, were bustling about in the restaurant, holding a grand feast. It was quite a lively scene.

The aroma and fishy smell in Fang Shu's mouth and nose became increasingly strong, truly making his mouth water and his throat move.

As he walked, he kept peeking around and looking curiously.

There was a soup pot by the curtain on the left, stirring the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

The pig demon selling noodles cut open his own intestines and pulled out strips of white tapeworms, which he then placed in a bowl of soup, steaming hot, and had the waiter take it out.

There are prostitutes near the curtain on the right.

Two women, one big and one small, a goat woman and a fox woman, were striking poses and vying to attract customers.

They even swore at each other: "You little slut! Watch out for that big donkey thing, it'll stab you to death!"

In addition, there are lizard monsters that chop off their own tails with swift strokes and hang their meat up to sell; and hen women that sit on the ground laying eggs and boiling them on the spot to sell...

However, the liveliest place in the restaurant is right in the center of the main hall.

A dog, a pig, and a sheep were tightly bound to three benches.

A monster nearby was both afraid and terrified, its mouth watering.

"Human whip, I want human whip. This thing makes me horny every day, it's an aphrodisiac!"

"Human flesh is like mutton, it's better to have it a little bit pungent."

The pigs and dogs on the bench heard this and were so frightened that they trembled and each urinated.

The stench of urine, however, drew praise from the monster:
"Yes! That's the taste."

Fang Shu walked over unhurriedly and found a seat nearby to join in the fun.

Ding-a-ling! After settling in, he shook the copper bell in his hand and called out, "Shopkeeper, bring me wine!"

Upon hearing this, an old fox in the hall, before even turning its head, gleefully and loudly responded:

"Come on!"

It was dressed in clothes and hat, looking like a human, as if it were the manager of a restaurant. It immediately put down the other monsters and ran towards Fang Shu like a swimmer.

But when it saw that Fang Shu didn't even have a satchel on him, and only had a light, empty gourd hanging from his body, its pointed face immediately fell, and its steps slowed down.

The old fox said in a low voice, "What do you want to eat? The shop has all kinds of meat, and monkey brains too, they're fresh enough."

Fang Shu touched his hairy face, not annoyed at all, and said with a smile, "Bring the wine first, and then a portion of all kinds of meat, the heart and liver are the best."

The old fox scrutinized Fang Shu repeatedly, its eyebrows furrowed into a deep knot. It turned around and brought out two large platters of heart, liver, and lungs.

But there was absolutely no alcohol.

As soon as the various meats were served, Fang Shu took a sniff and then lay down on the table to start eating them ravenously.

He didn't even need to swallow; the pieces of meat trembled and bounced, disappearing one by one into his mouth.

The old fox's beard twitched at the sight of this starving ghost reincarnated. Just as it was about to leave, Fang Shu called out to it, asking indistinctly:

"Are those three tied up livestock or people?"

The old fox glanced at him sideways:

"Of course it's a person, otherwise why would they be tied up so tightly?"

Fang Shu's face showed no surprise, but rather delight. He looked up and asked:
"I've heard that some people are born with the ability to cultivate immortality, which is quite rare and can't be compared to ordinary demons or monsters."

But what you have here looks like just three livestock; they're not even mortal demons.

The old fox spirit sneered and asked Fang Shu, "A demon from out of town?"

This is called the "animal-making method," which turns people into livestock for easy transport and slaughter. It's used everywhere, practically commonplace.

It also boasted:
"After all, humans are too ugly, without scales, feathers, claws, or hair. If they didn't change, they could scare us monsters half to death, and no monster would dare to eat humans."

Fang Shu suddenly realized what was going on.

The monsters around them, hearing the conversation, found it amusing and peered over curiously.

Even the three livestock looked over as much as they could, their eyes filled with tears.

Especially the old sheep, its round pupils fixed on Fang Shu, motionless. "So it was an illusion," Fang Shu grinned.
"There's a rumor that illusions are ruined by water, so goods can't be given water, can't get wet in the rain, and definitely can't get contaminated with blood or excrement on the way. Is that true?"

Although he was asking the old fox herder, his eyes were glancing at the three animals.

The old fox looked suspicious; it suspected that the monkey in the robe was deliberately asking questions to tease it.

Before the old fox could answer, a monster suddenly pointed at the three animals and cried out urgently:

"Quick, old fox, look!"

Everyone looked at the three animals and saw that the old sheep was stretching its neck and struggling to lick the hot urine that the dog and pig had sprayed next to it.

"Stop him! Stop him quickly!" the old fox cried out anxiously, jumping over as if his feet were burning. "He'll turn back into his original form if he drinks the urine."

It quickly pinned down the old sheep and called on the monsters for help.

But the demons around them were so frightened that they retreated rapidly, and only the shop assistants dared to step forward to help.

The pig demon arrived and pressed down on the old sheep's legs, the bird demon scratched its face, and the slutty old woman sat down on the old sheep's face and gagged it.

Fang Shu grinned from ear to ear at the chaotic scene in the hall.

The old fox barely managed to subdue the old sheep and then called to his men to tie the sheep upright to a pillar.

As it dragged the old sheep, it deliberately walked towards Fang Shu, muttering curses under its breath:

"That wretched thing! Be careful, he might reveal his true form later and scare you all to death."

Fang Shu shrugged, not knowing who the old fox was cursing.

Seeing that the old sheep was tightly bound, the monsters regained their courage. They chuckled and said, "Oh! It's just a person. No matter how fierce he looks, how fierce can he be?"

"Old fox, don't be so timid. Why don't you let everyone see what a person actually looks like?"

Hearing this, the old fox, while tying up the old sheep, turned its back to everyone and continued to mutter curses:
"Bah! Humans eat everything, they're even more ferocious and vicious than us monsters, especially those called 'Taoists' inside, they'll rip out our hearts and lungs, peel off our skin and pull out our bones to eat us, I can't even bear to look... Damn it! Don't move!"

Fang Shu ate meat but had no wine, and upon hearing its muttering, he loudly demanded:

"May I ask the shopkeeper, what part of the human body is best for making medicinal wine?"

Upon hearing this, the old fox snorted:
"From out of town. The human heart is the most poisonous thing, more venomous than a scorpion or centipede, so naturally, using human hearts to make wine is the best!"

"Alright, I'll take all three of these portraits. Bring me the wine!"

The old fox stopped what he was doing, frowned, and turned to look at Fang Shu.

It looked him up and down for a while before asking, "Sir, do you have enough money?"

"Money?" Fang Shu touched his clothes.

The surrounding monsters burst into laughter when they saw that he had nothing and looked awkward.

"Hehe." Several monsters laughed loudly: "If you don't have money, what kind of wine are you drinking, you stinking out-of-towner?"

Fang Shu remained seated, his face still showing no anger, only a smile as he looked at the monsters.

Suddenly, three crisp sounds rang out in the hall!

Fang Shu opened his mouth slightly, and a long tongue shot out, piercing the chests of the three monsters with a swift motion, gouging out their peach-like hearts, and then coiling them, leaves and all, in front of him.

The hall gradually fell silent, and the monsters all remained quiet.

Especially the old fox, who stared intently at Fang Shu without moving.

Fang Shu, carrying three strings of demon hearts, mumbled through his long tongue, "Who says you can't drink if you don't have money?"

But after waiting for a while, the hall remained quiet, and no monster came up to take away the demon heart.

Fang Shu was surprised by this.

He only killed three monsters. Why would these cannibals be afraid of that?

Sensing something amiss, Fang Shu subconsciously touched his face, then looked at the shiny black empty bowl on the table and immediately noticed something.

The blood on his body, the black hair on his hands, neck, and face, quickly faded and turned into ashes.

His cheeks also became fuller, revealing his hairless, scaleless, bald face, with only two tufts of curly hair remaining above his eyes.

The illusion has been broken.

The monsters in the hall were terrified when they saw this!
at this point.

Fang Shu smiled knowingly, then picked up the empty wine bowl and asked the demons with a smile:

"Fellow demon brothers, are you satisfied with my human appearance?"

scare!
No monster dared to answer.

In their eyes, Fang Shu's lips were as red as blood, impossible to wipe away; his face was as white as fresh bone; and his teeth were as neat as knives, making him both fierce and ugly.

"A person! A living person!!"

In an instant, tables, chairs, and benches were overturned and scattered, and pots and pans clattered and rattled.

The monsters were so frightened that they jumped up and down, ran around like wolves and pigs, and made a great commotion.

Only Fang Shu remained seated calmly at the table.

He burst into laughter.

Seeing the chaos around him, Fang Shu had no choice but to throw the three bloody demon hearts onto the table with a thud, slamming his fist on the table and shouting:
"Waiter, bring the wine!"

　Fang Xian is a heretical sect that uses magic to seek immortality; this time, it's the story of Fang Shu.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)