Chapter 2: Borrowing a Corpse to Return the Soul

The youth sighed: "Is it that scary? Aren't you not afraid of ghosts? Besides, I don't think I count as a ghost."

A line of foxes ran as if chased by dogs, using all their might, but they simply would not go to the same place.

By the time they gathered in the fox cave under the Old Crooked-Neck Tree, it was already the second half of the night.

Zamaohu, Quetui Hu, Single-Testicle Fox, and Bald-Tail Fox were all shaken in spirit, their faces full of panic, clearly still in shock.

Their branch of Wild Fox Zen could not even be considered a heterodox path among the Fox Immortals. Their abilities were meager, and they had little heritage.

"Is it a ghost?" Zamaohu asked and answered himself: "It doesn't look like a ghost. A ghost is like a gust of wind, just a mass of obsession, only able to manifest in hallucinations. The one we just saw was so solid..."

"If it's not a ghost, it's a zombie!" said Quetui Hu: "I saw it clearly; it is definitely a dead person."

"A corpse that has come back to life?"

The foxes were still very afraid of zombies, even though Luanzanggang was a place that could not gather Qi, with no cover on all sides. It did not look like a place that could raise a zombie.

Quetui Hu was so scared that his only remaining leg was trembling.

"Why is there a musky smell?"

Old Fox found it strange; although a fox cave was certainly filled with a musky stench, this smell was too heavy.

As it turned out, he saw that Quetui Hu had already wet himself yellow over a large area.

He immediately kicked his good leg hard: "You coward! You're scared to the point of peeing yourself?"

"I heard the zombie speak."

"How can a zombie speak? Eh?" Old Fox realized: "Damn it, it's not a zombie! It's all your fault, jumping at shadows, you even scared me!"

"Then should we go back?" asked Single-Testicle Fox and Bald-Tail Fox: "See what kind of thing it is?"

Zamaohu hesitated for a while, then nodded, saying: "If it is someone feigning death who suddenly regained their Qi, saving them would be like building a seven-story pagoda; it counts as an act of Merit."

"Even if it is a real zombie, we must confirm it to warn the villagers... that would be even more immeasurable Merit."

He immediately said: "Your Daoist Practice is too low, no need to follow. I will go take a look alone."

Zamaohu possessed fifty years of Daoist Practice, which in fox terms meant he was over three hundred years old; the fox clan's way of calculating age—sixty days to a year—is different from humans.

Zamaohu leaped while speaking in bird language, sounding like a crow or an owl, calling out to summon some wandering ghosts and spirits.

These wandering ghosts and spirits, for the sake of a bit of Dharma Power as food, were willing to be driven by him. Suddenly, there were dozens or hundreds of them, all together manipulating the Yin wind and gathering water mist to hide his figure.

Upon arriving at Luanzanggang, he saw that the youth had already crawled out of the coffin, only his body was a bit stiff, muttering: "That Huang Zhenren of the Dongkong Qingling Gong really did the job after taking the money; it was worth it for me to hand over everything I earned all these years to him."

This youth was named Xu Jia, originally a practitioner of the Dao on Blue Star, whose main profession was an author of Xianxia novels. Although his results were poor, he was diligent, liked to create settings, research materials, and engage in original work.

Because he had been researching materials for a long time, he developed an interest in the cultivation methods of Taoism and had some thoughts of transcending the world. Later, by chance, through an introduction, he offered three thousand yuan as a master-apprentice fee and became the last disciple of a Lushan Fa Jiaoshi Gong.

This method was a minor branch of the lineage, and the Register system was not very clear, but fortunately, the inheritance was orderly.

This master originally did not want to pass it on to outsiders, but his son and nephew were not interested. He had a daughter who was interested, but she only thought: "Since it is passed to men and not women, it should be sold for money so everyone can split it."

That was how Xu Jia was accepted as a disciple.

Not two months after the master accepted Xu Jia, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage due to drinking.

Xu Jia then practiced alone, writing novels while cultivating.

Occasionally, when he went out to gather inspiration, he would visit famous mountains, historical sites, and Blessed Land and Cave Heaven.

Thus, at twenty-five, he had an opportunity and was taught an internal alchemy method by an old Daoist from Qingcheng Mountain. Following the steps, he cultivated until he was thirty before entering the path. At thirty-five, because of his diligent efforts, he was already able to circulate the Small Heavenly Circuit.

At forty, he encountered a bottleneck and failed multiple times to attempt the Large Heavenly Circuit.

At forty-five, he attempted to break through the barrier but failed, severely damaging his vitality.

At fifty, because his seniority was sufficient, he was selected as a local inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of the master culture and was required to take on apprentices and film documentaries. During this period, while attending an official conference, he met a Maoshan Daoist Physician and was gifted Precious Medicine to recuperate and recover.

At fifty-five, because he possessed the true method, the apprentices he taught achieved success, and his reputation soared. He became a Great Master of the Lushan Sect, subdued minor branches of other Dharma sects that had been defeated by his apprentices, or spent money to buy the inheritances of minor Dharma sects that faced no one to pass them on to, becoming increasingly powerful.

At sixty, he already had hundreds of disciples and grand-disciples, and he focused on studying the Dao and researching the Dharma, no longer concerning himself with worldly affairs.

At sixty-five, his True Qi moved on its own, and he broke through the major barrier, entering the realm of circulating the Large Heavenly Circuit.

At seventy, following his heart's desire, he began to refine pills and take bait in the Daoist temple provided by his disciples, practicing Bigu and fasting.

At seventy-five, he began to return to his youth; his old teeth fell out and new ones grew, and his hair had never turned white, remaining black all along.

At eighty, he walked as if flying, his movements undiminished. He was taken abroad by his disciples, established an altar in overseas America, and widely accepted disciples, with thousands of followers.

At eighty-five, supported by his disciples, within a villa in San Francisco, his circulation of Qi was complete, and the next step was to "form the pill."

At ninety, he succeeded in forming the pill; his essence, Qi, and spirit were not leaked, and his Hunyuan was as one.

Thus he lived to be one hundred and four. One day, while meditating, an illusion appeared in which two Immortals appeared, took out a topsy-turvy scripture, and told him that Xu Jia had cultivated diligently, moving the Ancestor, and they were specially ordered to come and enlighten him.

Xu Jia clearly saw that this scripture was topsy-turvy and nonsensical, believing it might be a "Demon Examination illusion," so he tore up the scripture. The two Immortals sighed: "It seems you have not yet eliminated your self-importance and your desire to be a teacher. If you don't understand, why not ask? Why tear it up?"

They then dispersed the illusion, leaving only Xu Jia to know that he had failed the Demon Examination and missed the true guiding Immortals; otherwise, he could have been ranked in the Southern Palace, with a status comparable to an Earth Immortal.

Because of this, he had melancholy in his heart; melancholy harms the spirit, and when the spirit is lacking, the Qi compensates, and when the Qi compensates, the essence is depleted.

Once a breach was opened, it was like a dam bursting.

At one hundred and ten, he passed away without illness.

His soul did not ascend but descended, falling into the Underworld, and he obtained a position in the Dongkong Qingling Gong within the Fengdu Liutian.

This palace oversees the Five Emperors, the Five Wuyue, all True Persons, and all Earth Immortals who have achieved Didao.

Although Xu Jia failed the final test, he had accumulated some Merit in his life, and after his death, his disciples built the "Xu Shigong Temple" to worship and commemorate him, so he became a small official in the palace, which could be considered passing the exam to become a civil servant in the Underworld.

His main responsibility was to manage the "Ghost Immortal Yin Masters" who had an affinity for the Dao but had not yet attained the rank of Immortal.

Since they were unwilling to be reincarnated and had not reached the qualifications to become a minor civil servant like Xu Jia, they could only become "labor dispatch personnel," accumulating Merit in the Underworld while waiting for an opportunity.

Xu Jia was not idle in this palace; he first collected and organized the Daoist lineages of various Yin Masters, and then he inquired about connections to see if there was a way to be promoted to an Immortal rank or divine position.

After fifty years, he finally made a connection with Huang Zhenren, a person in charge in the palace. This Huang Zhenren had connections and specialized in Jieshi Huanhun, and had always been doing this kind of business.

Mainly because the Dongkong Qingling Gong did not just manage the Blue Star realm, but also the souls of those who had studied the Dao but not yet succeeded in countless worlds, so he possessed connections to different worlds.

After asking for the price, Xu Jia saved up for a while and exchanged it for a quota for Jieshi Huanhun.

Before leaving, this Huang Zhenren smiled and said: "Brother Xu, if you still can't cultivate successfully this time and have to go through a cycle of reincarnation, you can still meet me. I'll give you a discount next time."

Thus occurred the scene of Xu Jia crawling out from a thin coffin in the mass grave, which frightened many Wild Foxes practicing their arts.

(End of this chapter)