Chapter 32: Enter My Hall, and That Is the Karmic Connection

The Four Waters Returning to the Hall is "water," and this ghost is a Wood Sha; water and wood combine, and although it is dissolving its own Sha Qi on one hand, this Condolence Guest is simultaneously gathering the filthy Qi generated by the operation of the house's Feng Shui.

With one entering and one exiting, it is barely able to maintain a balance, and it is slowly changing its nature, shifting toward becoming a "Filthy Ghost Decay Guest."

Once the Wood Sha is completely dissolved, that will be the beginning of its transformation into a Filthy Ghost Decay Guest.

If it remains here any longer, it will no longer generate auspicious Qi, but will instead transmit the ghost's own baleful energy to people.

However, this gave Xu Jia an inspiration.

"If he can refine a Sha Ghost according to the order of the Five Elements overcoming each other, can I dissolve the Sha Qi according to the method of the Five Elements generating each other? After all, it has not yet reached completion; it has not been fully refined into a Five Elements Sha Ghost, so post-celestial Five Elements objects are still effective against it."

In the ritual for dissolving Sha, dealing with a "Condolence Guest Sha" means sending it into a river or the sea. It is a form of "banishment," and also a form of "purification."

Then, regarding "Earth Element generation," within the Five Elements, fire generates earth, and earth generates metal; if calculated by overcoming, then earth overcomes water, and wood overcomes earth.

If refining a ghost relies on overcoming, then dissolving the Sha requires "generation."

Dissolve the Earth Sha using "metal."

And as for metal, the Xu family only has those "gold bars" that count as metal.

This Pressing Money can seal it precisely because copper coins are also "metal," and having experienced Xu Jia's life-to-death and death-to-life transformation, they possess "spiritual" changes, becoming an "Yin Metal Magic Tool."

Xu Jia made a decision to craft a "Jin Chan."

A Three-Legged Jin Chan with a copper coin in its mouth.

Transforming the "grave treasury" of the Yin Earth Sha into a "wealth treasury" can stimulate wealth luck.

It is also compatible with the nature of the "Four Waters Returning to the Hall" formation, because "metal generates water."

Once it is completely dissolved, it will be just right to refine into a Heart General, a main body.

After deciding on the dissolution method, Xu Jia tied the copper coin with red cinnabar thread.

The Yin Earth Sha inside the copper coin struggled, releasing cold evil Sha, making Xu Jia's fingers icy and stiff.

Then it was woven into a copper coin sword, using copper coins currently in circulation on the market.

This copper coin sword is also a type of "Magic Tool," but its effect is not as exaggerated as folk tales say; how powerful it is specifically depends on who consecrates it and who refines it.

If one were to cast gold into the shape of copper coins and then weave them into a "gold coin sword," that would be truly impressive.

In his past life, Xu Jia possessed such a treasure; it was a set of gold commemorative coins issued annually, totaling a full cycle of sixty years. He used the "Sixty Jiazi Tai Sui Fa" to refine these coins, binding them with cinnabar thread to weave them together, forming a "Jiazi Gold Coin Sword."

However, the further Xu Jia progressed in his cultivation, the less he cared about these external objects, having already shed these "vulgar attachments."

Of course, this is assuming he knows he has disciples to provide for him and does not worry about the necessities for cultivation.

As for now, with the Xu family's current financial strength... and the production efficiency of an ancient feudal dynasty... these are all extravagant hopes.

After weaving the copper coin sword, Xu Jia inserted it into a vase.

He then immediately began his hibernation.

During his hibernation, the Luejue Shen came to report: "Dharma Lord, that Daoist has returned to the Yushan Shanju Guan Daochang. That Daochang is heavily guarded, and this subordinate cannot enter, but I have detained a wisp of his soul; shall I terrorize him?"

Xu Jia said in his dream: "Manifest a terrifying Hell and Underworld to interrogate him, make him confess his past grievances and why his master committed murder!"

The Luejue Shen nodded in agreement, then left Xu Jia's dream, allowing Xu Jia to rest his spirit and conserve his essence in peace.

On the other side, Hu Jinhua, having received Xu Jia's orders, had already begun to act. In the eleven villages of Qingtian Xiang, every village had its own shamans and witches, most of whom possessed an "Almanac" and could "pick auspicious days," or understood some folk methods, wedding and funeral rites; the better ones could also perform simple medical treatments, Soul-Calling, and shock-curing, but those with true ability did not exceed the count of one hand.

Xu Jia's desire to subdue these shamans and witches and have them worship the Fox Immortal was not for the offerings of the villagers, but for the "territory marking" behavior that has existed in Taoism since ancient times, what is called "governing."

Governing the people, and also governing the ghosts.

Now, the first one to be visited was the nearest witch, known as "Auntie Guoyin," who had always made a living in Niu Family Market, and Niu Family Market was the village where Niu Congcong's family lived, and also the place where Qingtian Township held its markets.

This Auntie Guoyin was famous for "divining affairs" for people, playing the god and acting the ghost, claiming she could speak with the deceased relatives of those who asked, and providing guidance to the questioners.

The villagers were ignorant and did not know the truth from falsehood, so it was rumored to be quite miraculous.

Hu Jinhua transformed into her original form as a Miscellaneous Fur Fox, and by her side were the refined Mountain-Roaming Changs; in addition to the life-bound Chang refined from the Mountain God's Sha Qi, she had refined three more, all with beast faces and human bodies, and fierce, jagged fangs.

Arriving at Auntie Guoyin's door, Hu Jinhua first circled around; this witch would insert one stick of incense at her door every day, all year round.

One stick of incense is to worship "lonely ghosts and wild spirits," three sticks are to worship "gods," and four sticks are to worship "household ghosts."

However, many people also worship their ancestors according to the "god" standard by burning three sticks of incense, so there is no real difference.

A stone beast with a fierce expression was placed at the entrance.

Hu Jinhua recognized it as a tomb-guarding beast; she did not know where this witch had found it.

This witch had some means of governing ghosts, but she could not govern a Fox Immortal.

Hu Jinhua dispersed the surrounding lonely ghosts and wild spirits, leaped, and climbed onto the wall.

The witch kept a dog, and when the dog barked, Hu Jinhua's eyes emitted a green light, and she used the "Infatuation Technique."

The dog only felt a beautiful little female dog appear before it, and it was already "mounting" at the corner of the wall.

It was clearly bewitched.

Hu Jinhua entered the courtyard, where small trinkets, pig bones, and dog teeth were scattered everywhere.

They had some effect for "shock-curing," but not much.

Hu Jinhua did not enter the room, but only looked inside from the window.

The room was not large, and the witch was a lonely widow; it was piled with all sorts of usable and unusable things, with almost no place to step, and a damaged statue of a deity was worshipped on the table.

Hu Jinhua saw something.

If a deity statue is damaged, the deity will not reside in it; if it is still receiving Incense Fire and has some efficacy, it is highly probable that a ghost or a cultivating demon has taken up residence.

There were mostly animal bones here, so the one residing inside was a "beast ghost," or to be precise, a "cow ghost."

That cow ghost sensed Hu Jinhua's arrival and revealed its spiritual body; having received Incense Fire, it was different from ordinary beast ghosts, and it did not seem to have turned into a Sha, with even a hint of clarity in its spiritual body.

The cow ghost looked at Hu Jinhua with a wary expression, and was even more wary of the Mountain-Roaming Changs beside her.

Hu Jinhua said: "I am Hu Jinhua, the Hall Master of the Qingtian Xiang Fox Immortal Hall. Today I offer you a Karmic Connection; will you accept it?"

The cow ghost opened its mouth with difficulty and said: "What Karmic Connection does the Fox Immortal have?"

"Entering my hall is the Karmic Connection."

(End of this chapter)