Chapter 187: Hu Agui

The city walls and ramparts of Yushan County already appeared somewhat mottled; it was unknown when they were last renovated. There were pavilions and carved railings on the city gates, but no garrison soldiers were to be seen.

Only two old men were at the city gate randomly checking travel permits; I fear they couldn't even muster a full set of good teeth between them.

This was Xu Jia's first time seeing such an authentic ancient county seat. Previous places like ancient towns were all filled with the atmosphere of cookie-cutter snack streets, while those in films and television were inevitably a bit too exaggerated.

The main street was reasonably prosperous. Although it could not be described as "markets lined with pearls and households filled with silk," it was still stocked with various goods, and the air was thick with the scents of clear tea, strong wine, and cooked food.

The cries of peddlers added a touch of worldly vitality.

The county government office was not far from the city gate; it could not be called imposing, being only about two stories tall and having quite a "long-neglected" air about it.

Moreover, the grievance-drum at the entrance was already covered in vines, and the mallet for striking the drum had been hidden away.

On the left and right sides, only one or two small stalls remained.

Not far from the county government office was the vegetable market. Xu Jia had not arrived particularly early; if it were seven or eight in the morning, that would be the busy time. The vegetable market bordered Jinsha Creek, where one could see women in twos and threes washing clothes, chatting and laughing as they worked.

Not long after leaving the vegetable market, he arrived at the Xian Xue. However, the academy did not have the sound of rhythmic reading or children reciting scriptures.

Instead, there was a bookstore nearby displaying a few supplementary textbooks and some popular novels. An old man was holding a god-and-demon novel titled *Heaven Official of Fortune and Virtue*, savoring it there.

Walking further this way was Cuichun Pavilion. Since ancient times, academies and brothels have never been far apart; scholars are always about romance and sentiment.

Of course, this one was high-end, belonging to a certain type of club. Those in the dark alleys, where one just drops their pants and gets to it, were the lowest of the low.

It was currently daytime, which was when Cuichun Pavilion did not really open; Cuichun Pavilion started business at dusk, as the laws stated, "No licentiousness during the day."

Xu Jia paused here, not because of anyone else, but because of a massive surge of "Lustful Qi." In the Dharma Realm, it manifested as the image of a Pink Skeleton, sitting cross-legged on a flesh-colored lotus. This flesh-colored lotus was glistening and moist, with individual fleshy lotus seeds and black, curled lotus stamens upon it.

Nothing else, it was another set from Esoteric Buddhism.

Hu Jinhua once said that her lineage was Wild Fox Zen. Hundreds of years ago, their fox ancestor, taking advantage of the imperial court breaking into a cultivation temple, stole a Buddhist scripture describing the Joyous Zen method.

This method was named the *Great Sage Joyous Offering Method*, which involved cultivating the main deity "Huan Xi Jin Gang" and his Wisdom Consort, "Jin Gang Wu Wo Mu."

However, this method was already incomplete. The fox ancestor who originally cultivated this method was long dead or alive, and the scriptures had been modified and revised. By the time it reached here, Hu Jinhua clearly lacked any creativity.

But "Hu Agui" of this Cuichun Pavilion had picked up an erotic painting from a scholar, which secretly aligned with the intent of the scriptures. When she reached fifty years of Daoist Practice and could manifest a form, she chose the corpse of an old prostitute, specifically picking those fifty or sixty-year-old men working alone in the fields to copulate with.

By the time she was a hundred, she could freely manifest, becoming a young maiden of sixteen. She devised a "selling oneself" scheme and went to Cuichun Pavilion to learn "skills"—playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, massage, and singing ditties—mastering them all.

Shortly after her debut, she became the top girl of Cuichun Pavilion, and even used methods to take the pavilion into her own name, driving away the original procuress and decorating it into a "Da Huan Xi Lou."

It was just that in her later cultivation, she did not refer much to the original *Great Sage Joyous Offering Method* scripture, but instead used Buddhist scriptures she could easily find as references. Among them, the methods of Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa were the most widespread in the Central Plains, and the Huan Xi Jin Gang also had a "horse-headed" image. This Hu Agui then connected the image of Huan Xi Jin Gang with Ma Tou Ming Wang, reciting the *Guanyin Heart Sutra* countless times, vaguely comprehending the method of outer Joyousness and inner tranquility.

It could also be considered "Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form."

Of course, this could not be considered "orthodox Dharma"; it belonged to the side-door of Buddhism, an Outer Path that attaches itself to Buddhism—the Wild Fox Joyous Zen of Wild Fox Zen.

However, only Hu Agui the fox had this wisdom and touched the edge of the Dharma. The beautiful foxes she recruited later only entered the ranks of "Lustful Fox," failing to grasp the essence of Joyousness, only following the shallow methods of "harvesting Yang vitality" and "absorbing turbid essence," failing to obtain Precious Medicine, and instead using "Yin dregs" as treasure.

It was to the extent of harming others without much benefit to oneself; unless they harvested a virgin boy, copulating with other men could only barely harvest some vital essence.

Zhang Zhenji said: "This Lustful Fox Hu Agui has some destiny on her, and she has not taken lives. Instead, she carried out major reforms, making the current girls all young and supple. Those over thirty no longer perform; some have married off, and some have become matrons."

"Even the County Magistrate occasionally summons prostitutes to his home, let alone the likes of County Commandant Chen."

Xu Jia said: "The previous Niyu Chicken Demon was a concubine from the former dynasty, and the Cow Demon was a pregnant woman praying for rain, which is why you said they had some destiny. Then what is the background of this Hu Agui?"

Zhang Zhenji said: "Those two were both long-term troublemakers who caused harm. This Hu Agui is simply someone who understands human relationships and worldly wisdom. Some destiny is not from Cause and Effect in a past life, but rather accumulated in this life."

"Those prostitutes were all miserable people, but because of her, they received good rewards, which counts as changing their fate. Plus, with the reforms, nine out of ten men in the city visit brothels. Before, they heard it was a young girl but met a fifty-year-old crone; now, they hear it is a young girl and meet a young girl, so naturally, they all thank her. There are even those who want to build a temple for her; this is the power of public opinion."

"You say an honest official, having received the wishes of the masses, can become a god. Then such a fox demon is actually the same."

Xu Jia nodded and only said: "Food and sex are human nature."

"Now she is surrounded by various good wishes. This is her Houshenfu; even the City God turns a blind eye to her."

As they were speaking, a window on Cuichun Pavilion swung open, and a voluptuous woman leaned out to look: "Are the two of you just going to stand at the door and discuss this little woman? Won't you come in for a couple of drinks?"

Xu Jia was not embarrassed: "We are not here to cause you trouble; we are here to look for Daoist Wang Mintong."

That fox demon Hu Agui looked Xu Jia up and down, then suddenly covered her mouth: "So it is the family of the Old Crooked-Neck Tree."

"I heard long ago that the Old Crooked-Neck Tree has now been renamed Fox Immortal Hall, and it worships under an Earth Immortal True Person who has returned from the dead. That must be you? Truly an Immortal appearance and a Pure Yang Daoist body!"

"But as for which Wang Mintong you are looking for, this little woman truly does not know!"

Xu Jia saw that she did not use any Illusion Technique, yet her eyes were filled with Joyousness and carried the intent of "soul-snatching." If it were an ordinary youth who developed evil thoughts, his innate essence would be harvested by her from a distance, causing him to lose his virginity.

She had already attained a superior realm; I wonder what level of Daoist Practice she has reached?

(End of chapter)