Chapter 5: Setting the Heart to Face the Origin, Respectfully Worshipping the Big Dipper

On the other side, Xu Jia used the "Huanyangwo" method, palm to palm, sole to sole, protecting a sliver of Life Fire while simultaneously contemplating future matters.

"The last one to perform Jieshi Huanhun was Tieguai Li. Since I have lived a new life, I must cultivate the Immortal Dao properly; I cannot let it go to waste. To think there are fox demons even in this rural wilderness—there must be no shortage of practitioners here. I must combine the cultivation experience of my past life, refer to the authentic methods of this world, and strive to achieve the true fruit. I shouldn't let that man surnamed Huang be right and end up having to find him for a discount later..."

"In my past life, it took quite a lot of effort just to complete the Small Heavenly Circuit. That was because I suffered from a lack of resources and lack of a renowned master. Later, when I had resources, I was already very old, and I still relied on diligence and hard work to reach the Core-Holding realm."

"The start of this life is better than the last; I can only say I have some preparation, and the cultivation environment is decent. But as for the convenience of cultivation, I don't have the ability to search for information online like in my past life..."

"If I want to cultivate with peace of mind, I still need someone to protect my Dao, help me stabilize my practice, and even more so, I need someone to provide for me so I am not burdened by worldly affairs."

Xu Jia thought for half a day; as far as the current situation goes, the only candidates for protecting his Dao are the nest of foxes he has encountered.

It's hard to say about others, but although this Miscellaneous Fur Fox and he have only known each other briefly, the fox's character is not bad.

He gets things done well.

It would be better to use the Shamanism method to establish a contract with him, set up a spirit hall, take on the work of a spirit medium, and recruit some wild Immortals to run errands for himself.

However, first, he must condition his physical body and restore his Vitality.

This body died once, and the internal organs have lost their Vitality. Even with Jieshi Huanhun, if it is not properly conditioned, it will be short-lived.

Xu Jia is quite well-versed in medicine, but he acknowledges that it will take long-term effort to condition it—at least a hundred days, or up to several years—before he can begin internal refining cultivation.

Moreover, conditioning the body is fine in the early stages, but later, when the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment is complete and it is time to begin Refining Essence into Qi, it will be quite costly.

If the family background of this body is only of moderate wealth, I fear it will be unable to provide for me.

Even without eating Ginseng, stewing donkey-hide gelatin, or drinking deer blood, there is no wild Solomon's Seal that has been steamed and sun-dried nine times. At the very least, I need fine rice and fine flour to nourish it carefully, killing a chicken or a fish every few days to stew into soup or boil into porridge, first to strengthen the spleen and stomach, and then through the transformation of the spleen and stomach, to strengthen and nourish the whole body.

These all cost money.

Xu Jia thought secretly, his spirit not suffering much loss; after all, he is a long-standing Ghost Immortal, and his spirit is quite abundant.

Soon, dawn broke and the roosters crowed; there was light outside.

It was just that the sunlight could not shine in; instead, some creatures like insects became active and crawled onto Xu Jia. Xu Jia did not move to drive them away, simply treating himself as a dead wooden stump, not moving at all.

With a calm heart, he heard all kinds of sounds from outside.

This wild temple stood by the roadside, and what Xu Jia could hear were the sounds of footsteps, or of peddlers and porters pulling carts.

When the Miscellaneous Fur Fox left, he urinated around the temple; the stench in the urine could confuse those who approached and also warn and deter some wild beasts. For a time, no one discovered that there were people in this wild temple or wanted to come in to take a look.

Soon, the sun moved and the shadows shifted; time passed in the sitting meditation, and by dusk, it became even quieter.

Dusk is an "ominous time," when the activity times of humans and demons/ghosts collide. The common people all returned home one after another, closing their doors and windows, and would not walk about casually.

The Life Fire borrowed from the fox had become increasingly precarious. Before Xu Jia returned to his soul, he had not had food or water for seven days, and now another day had passed; his lips were dry.

Even if the Life Fire were continued, he was practically at the end of his rope, about to starve to death.

Fortunately, the Miscellaneous Fur Fox arrived in time, along with Touweiba, the One-testicle Fox, the Lame Fox, and several large foxes that had not yet become spirits, all carrying things in their mouths as they entered.

They were exactly things like lamp oil lamps, and they had been used for a long time; the soot and oil grime on them had become stubborn black, and the black smoke they carried stained the fur on the foxes.

There were seven in total. As soon as these lamps were brought in, Xu Jia felt a bit warmer. Although they were not lit, there was a feeling of much more brightness; what he saw in his eyes was an orange-yellow warm tone.

The foxes put down the lamps and ran off, returning after a while with bowls in their mouths.

The Old Fox transformed into an old woman, touched these bowls, and filled them with rice or beans, totaling seven bowls.

"Are you still alive?"

Seeing that Xu Jia had not moved or spoken for a long time and that his Life Fire was nearly non-existent, the Miscellaneous Fur Fox feared that Xu Jia had fainted or lost consciousness, and the ritual would not be completed.

"I'm okay, I can hold on." Xu Jia only had the sound of breath, no real voice; his voice was like a mosquito's hum.

But it still made the Miscellaneous Fur Fox feel slightly relieved; as long as there was consciousness, it would be fine.

"When the time comes, I will support you. I will worship, and you will worship too. I will say a sentence, and you will say a sentence. You must be sincere. If you don't have the strength to speak, just recite it silently."

"The deity to be worshipped is the Dasheng Beidou Siming Qiyuanjun in the heavens. They govern the fate, fortune, and misfortune of all living things in the world. There must absolutely be no mistakes."

Xu Jia hummed in agreement. He knew more about some rituals than the Miscellaneous Fur Fox. True Person Huang, the head of the Dongkong Qingling Gong, had said that the worlds one reincarnates into are all under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court and the Underworld, and there are no great differences, so the corresponding rituals for worshipping gods basically do not change much.

The ritual was held in this temple. The Miscellaneous Fur Fox ordered the small foxes to flatten the weeds so that the light of the stars and moon could shine in.

Immediately after, the lamps were lit and arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper.

Then the seven bowls of rice were placed, three in front of Xu Jia, each with three sticks of incense inserted.

Four bowls were placed in the four corners of the temple, each with only one stick of incense.

The Old Fox burned some yellow paper and lit two candles at the temple entrance.

Xu Jia saw some of the methods; this Old Fox knew the technique of "settling spirits and protecting the residence."

The incense was lit, and as Xu Jia smelled it, although it was raw rice, there was a fragrance of cooked rice, and his stomach actually began to growl.

Hunger made Xu Jia stare fixedly at the three bowls of raw rice in front of him. If not for his sufficient self-control and lack of strength, he would have grabbed the raw rice and eaten it directly.

Raw rice is not for human consumption; this shows that Xu Jia's current essence is still a "ghost" and he has not become a human.

The lamps were lit, the dim firelight stretching the shadows, but when they fell on Xu Jia, there was no shadow.

The old woman transformed from the Old Fox looked at the black clouds in the sky outside... her face showing a heavy expression.

"The stars cannot be seen today; what should we do?"

"Clouds rise because of water mist; the stars are just blocked, not that they are no longer in the sky." Xu Jia spoke with difficulty: "No matter what, I must try."

The Old Fox thought that was true; he himself did not only transform into human form on nights with stars. During the day, he could also use skulls to perform magic and go to the market, and the ritual was also to worship the Big Dipper.

It was likely just that he was flustered and anxious in his heart just now and forgot this for a moment.

So he supported Xu Jia to bow and Worship the Dipper, emitting a sharp tone like the continuous laughter of a child: "Disciple sets the heart to face the Origin, respectfully worshipping the Big Dipper, begging for protection of life, to not see the evil deeds of blades and soldiers, or any suffering, and to be granted an increase of 11,800 Merit, to always be protected by the auspicious stars."

Then he bowed, prostrating himself completely.

(End of chapter)