Chapter 50: Tree Spirit Enters the Dream (Two-in-One)

"Ah!" Niu Congcong was startled.

"If one climbs up this mountain of knives, wouldn't a person's feet be split into two pieces?"

"If these tables were stacked together, even if there were three or four of them, they would be crooked and slanted. If there were any wind, or if the footing wasn't level, how could anyone stand on top of them?"

"What kind of great art is this? It's a torture method! I have never heard of such a lethal form of cultivation."

Xu Jia gave a cold laugh, revealing a murderous intent as he said, "If it were truly lethal, it wouldn't have been passed down. There is a secret method within it. This is a trump card for fighting techniques, used when gambling or dueling with others. It is aimed at killing without consequence. If he himself is not skilled enough and gets hacked to death by the knives or falls to his death from a height, what does that have to do with me?"

"I have calculated that the evil Daoist will find his way to my door sooner or later. Even if he doesn't come looking for me, I will go looking for him. Once I master these two great arts, I will plot for him to die, so as to resolve the hatred in my heart!"

He then explained to Xiaopangdun, "This method does not require internal cultivation or Daoist Practice; even a mortal can succeed if they practice it. It is just that I need to draw some 'Avoidance of Blades and Weapons' Talismans. By holding a breath of Qi, one can climb the mountain of knives, and I won't have to fear outsiders causing trouble and breaking my spell."

"Rest assured, I have connections in Hell. Although it is somewhat perilous, as long as I master it, I will have the confidence to fight. Even if I haven't borrowed the Dharma Power of my past life, I can still sense Heaven and Earth, ascend the Nine-Fold High Platform to cast spells and Divine Abilities with a nine-fold increase, and I will have a hundred ways to fight and kill him."

Hearing Xu Jia reveal such a fierce and sinister side, Niu Congcong felt a chill and could only agree: "A wood-chopping knife is not hard to find; every household has one, and I can just spend some money to buy one. But must we buy a dining table from an ordinary household? I fear it will be too late if I ask a carpenter to make one."

"It is best to have a dining table from an ordinary household; that way, it will have more of the scent of human life. You can buy one or borrow one, just be quick about it."

Xiaopangdun nodded: "Alright, then I will go prepare it first thing tomorrow morning."

Hu Jinhua also felt a sense of urgency and spoke up: "Master Xu, there is still time tonight; I will also go find those spirit mediums and shamans! I will convert them to my sect!" She immediately transformed into a fox and ran off into the night.

Xu Jia sat there, practicing Turtle Breath Hibernation to nourish his vital Qi. Having just transcended those infant ghosts, who were sucking and gnawing on him, he was somewhat exhausted.

Just as he was sleeping, he suddenly heard a voice: "Is Master Xu here? Is Master Xu here?"

Xu Jia felt the dream was strange. It turned out that because of his Turtle Breath Hibernation, his Qi and the Daochang were in perfect harmony, causing the dream to manifest within the Dharma Realm.

This was a lucid dream for Xu Jia; his Primordial Spirit had not left his body, his thoughts had merely entered the Fox Immortal Hall Daochang Dharma Realm.

Xu Jia sent his thoughts out, searching for the source of the voice in the dream.

He saw that it was a little old man, looking about fifty or sixty years old, with verdant hair, wearing a brown robe, and holding a Wooden Staff in his hand, with a small snake on the staff.

Xu Jia scolded him without ceremony: "What kind of evil spirit or phantom are you, and why have you entered my dream?"

The little old man, having been scolded, showed a fawning and ingratiating smile: "This little old one is the father of Er Zhu. Because I was harmed by the 'heart-piercing curse' of the large tree, after I died, my soul merged with this tree and I became a ghost within the tree."

"Watching Master Xu perform rituals these days, I felt fearful, thinking that you had come to subdue me. But later, I saw that your actions were righteous and kind, and you treated people with generosity. Therefore, I have come to you in this dream, hoping to serve as your servant so that I may obtain your protection."

"So you are Er Zhu's father. That makes you the original house deity of this residence and Daochang. You can be considered one of our own, but your appearance... why is your head green? That is truly inauspicious."

Seeing that Master Xu said his appearance was inauspicious, the little old man became anxious: "This tree has encroached upon the village's feng shui, and its roots have even spread to the Back Mountain. Although I have no Incense Fire offerings, I have gained some natural essence... The small snake on the small staff is the manifestation of the village's feng shui Dragon Vein. Only a virtuous person can be gifted it, and now I am willing to offer this treasure to Master Xu."

Xu Jia was surprised: "You actually have some potential to become the Village Land Deity. It is just that you had no virtue while you were alive, and you were harmed by the heart-piercing curse, so your soul carries baleful energy. Your status is not high; you are a spirit of wood, belonging to the category of plant and tree spirits, not the category of God Immortals. Otherwise, you wouldn't need to rely on me; you could have manifested yourself and gathered Incense Fire."

"How could this little old one have such ability? Now, the dark and evil nature of the old tree is encroaching upon the village's feng shui. I have lived here for many years and do not wish to see the population here wither away..."

"You do have some conscience and kindness, which is rare. The large tree encroaching on the village's feng shui is a case of benefiting oneself at the expense of others. The more lush the plant becomes, the more it drains the Vitality of the village's people. In the future, the grass will grow wild, and the population will become increasingly sparse."

"That is exactly so," said Er Zhu's father. "Although I have spirit, I cannot control the tree's own instinct to grow. But if the tree is cut down, I will also perish. That is why I have come to beg Master Xu for guidance."

Seeing that he was sincere and willing to offer a treasure, and was very good at handling affairs, Xu Jia gave him some guidance: "It is a pity that the tree's position is not at the head of the village but at the tail, and it has already taken human lives by piercing the heart. It is not an auspicious tree. The simplest way to resolve the baleful energy is to prune the branches, but the root system has already invaded the Earth Vein. The small roots will further invade the foundations of houses, stealing the Vitality of the dwellings and causing people to gradually become weak and ill, or even die."

"Very well, once I pass this tribulation, I will design it for you. We will make it a Yinyuan Shu, tie thousands of red ribbons, hang ten thousand plaques, and use concentric locks as a fence. We will turn what once damaged human vitality into something that fosters it, transforming the baleful energy into utility, turning wood into fire. This will make the population here flourish, compensating for the feng shui Vitality it once swallowed, and it can even become the hub of the village's feng shui, fostering mutual help and benefit."

The wood spirit smiled upon hearing this and bowed deeply to Xu Jia: "Many thanks, Master Xu!"

Xu Jia said to him: "This is because you have merit in offering the Magic Tool; I will not take advantage of you. However, this Magic Tool is a manifestation of the Dharma Realm, and it is useless for me to take it now. You should attach this staff to the tree branch in front of the door and let it hang down so that I can touch it and it will fall."

The little old man nodded in agreement.

Xu Jia added: "Since you want to be my servant, I will record you into the Lineage. You can tell him your name directly. Even your son, Er Zhu, can practice together and specifically offer sacrifices to you. If father and son work together, it will be better than others."

Er Zhu's father, hearing that his son also had such a stroke of good fortune, became excited and kowtowed to Xu Jia.

Xu Jia accepted his kowtow and said: "I also know that you envy those who have achieved the status of Mountain God and want to become a Land Deity, which is why you came to rely on me. You just didn't want to say it clearly, so you first said you were willing to be my servant, hoping to achieve it gradually. But your virtue is insufficient; even if you are by my side, it is difficult for me to arrange anything for you. You must accumulate Merit, starting from a single thread of Incense Fire."

This was a warning.

The little old man lowered his head, feeling even more reverent: "I will keep Laoye's teachings in mind!"

He then took his leave and departed.

Night turned to day, and Xu Jia woke up, thinking to himself: "How can anyone enter my dream? Next time, I must perform a ritual to cut off the dream realm."

This Daochang was not of much help to Xu Jia in repairing his Vitality, not as good as his own Four Waters Returning to the Hall, but it had the advantage of being protected by the Dharma Realm, so if an enemy came, he would react faster.

Hu Jinhua had been busy all night and had visited three more spirit mediums and shamans, all of whom had some small skills but nothing major. One was a famous local matchmaker called Zhou Meipo, who also had some small side businesses, matching Eight Characters for people for ghost marriages and knowing how to read the auspiciousness and inauspiciousness of times and dates.

One was a coffin-splitting carpenter named Lei, who specialized in making coffins for people. However, he only knew how to make coffins and was not proficient in other carpentry skills. He was taciturn and didn't even have a wife, but he was a well-known filial son who supported his ninety-year-old mother. Later, it was rumored that he had connections in the Underworld and could see a person's lifespan, so many people came to ask him about their longevity, which was called "Split Coffin Asking for Longevity."

The last one was a "Back Corpse Craftsman" who had no proper name. Others called him "Niu the Disordered"; he had great strength but was slow-witted.

If someone in a family passed away and hadn't been placed on a "board" in advance to be easily lifted, but was instead lying on a bed, it would be very difficult to move them into a coffin because the corpse was heavy, and because people considered it unlucky, they needed a Back Corpse Craftsman to do it.

Folk rumors said that this profession dealt with the dead for a long time, so one needed a hard fate and an ugly appearance. Gradually, he became known for being able to "scare ghosts."

If an elderly person in an ordinary household was about to breathe their last, they would invite him to stand at the door to block the Underworld Messenger from taking the soul, allowing the person to live for a few more days to settle their affairs. If he couldn't block them, he would just end up carrying the corpse. It was a profession that served both purposes.

Hu Jinhua entered their dreams, but she didn't use intimidation; she only used the method of resolving their inner knots, forming a connection using the ancestral Fox Immortal Connection Method. It was like negotiating terms for hiring long-term or short-term laborers, and it wasn't a contract of "selling one's life," so it went much more smoothly.

When she returned and saw Xu Jia, she reported one by one: "Master, there are a few more; I will go and visit them all together tomorrow."

Xu Jia said: "You have already gathered five spirit mediums and shamans, which means five villages. Let's slow down for now. If there are too many, your hall won't have enough manpower, and your ghost soldiers won't be enough. First, solve the trivial matters in these villages and build up some reputation."

Xu Jia then looked at Xiaopangdun: "Hui Zhuo, you take charge. Form an association and be the president. Follow the model of a chamber of commerce to integrate these spirit mediums and shamans."

Xu Jia was already borrowing the advanced management systems of certain "sects."

Xiaopangdun said happily: "Me? Xu Dage, don't worry. If nothing else, I am good at doing business. Managing a dozen or so people is something I can handle with ease."

Hu Jinhua, hearing that she didn't need to go and form connections anymore, also breathed a sigh of relief, as staying up all night to work was very tiring. She suggested: "These spirit mediums and shamans don't even have the moral standards of our Old Crooked Neck Tree Fox Den. Now that they have entered the Fox Immortal Hall, we must come up with some precepts. However, I don't think they will necessarily follow them. Master, can I use illusions to intimidate them, make them take a trip to the Underworld, and give them a good scare?"

Xu Jia shook his head: "Let's forget about that. Where is there such a thing as a once-and-for-all solution? Are you going to manage them just this once and then never again? However, precepts do need to be established so that they don't commit evil deeds."

Hu Jinhua thought about it and agreed, extinguishing the idea of constantly terrorizing these people to make them work hard.

Xu Jia then instructed Xiaopangdun: "You should cultivate Er Zhu. I see that he is still quite loyal to you, and his father's soul is attached to that large tree at the door, so it can be considered a karmic connection."

Niu Congcong heard this and nodded happily: "I had thought so for a long time, but because he is taciturn and you hadn't said anything, I didn't do it. Now it is his good fortune; it must be because he is basking in my glory."

Xu Jia smiled: "You certainly don't have the level of a master, but if you want to succeed in your cultivation, you cannot manage everything yourself. If you have someone close to you who is easy to command, then use them for the long term. God Immortals all have attendants, celestial maidens, and servants. However, it is wrong to say he is basking in your glory; he has a good father who begged me."

"But you must not randomly take on disciples in the future. You must carefully examine their character; otherwise, you cannot pass on the true Dharma. However, for your method, without performing the mountain-calling ritual again, it will take at least a few months to gradually enter the path, so it cannot be considered a proper Dharma anyway."

Xiaopangdun had just been smiling, but upon hearing this, he became dejected, clearly knowing his own level and that he could not yet be called a sect founder or Dao Ancestor.

In truth, Xu Jia himself did not possess any True Transmission Disciple great arts, or perhaps he did, but he did not know if they were compatible with this world, so he needed to collect the Daoism of this world, preferably orthodox Daoist spells, to use as a reference.

Yet, the only ones he had come into contact with were a Wild Fox Zen, which was an Outer Path, and a treacherous Evil Path Daoist, who was an Evil Path.

However, Xu Jia had already decided that if there were truly no orthodox cultivation methods to use as a reference, he would simply cultivate according to his past life's Inner Elixir internal refining method.

First Hundred Days Foundation Establishment, then Sense Qi and Follow Qi, Strengthen and Nourish Fetal Breath, Small Heavenly Circuit Circulation, Great Medicine Charging the Pass (traversing the Ren and Du Meridians), Great Heavenly Circuit Circulation, and Embrace the Dan and Guard the One. These were the realms he had attained in his past life.

After attaining Embrace the Dan in his past life, he consulted ancient texts and learned that there were subsequent realms such as "Forming the Infant," "Refining the Soul into Form," and "Daytime Ascension."

Among these, Forming the Infant already met the conditions for ascension, which was "Yang Spirit Ascension"; Refining the Soul into Form was the Primordial Spirit refining the body until the physical body was completely refined into something both formless and tangible, able to gather or disperse at will, to further ascend; "Daytime Ascension" was physical body ascension.

These were all actually "ascension," but according to records, the Immortal rank attained upon ascension differed.

For example, Infant Ascension was merely an ordinary "Heavenly Human," who might need to grow and develop in the Heavenly Realm, become a Heavenly Human, and then seek some minor official post.

Refined Form Ascension meant that upon reaching the Heavenly Realm, one could immediately secure an official position, though generally not a high one.

Physical Body Ascension meant one could directly secure a middle-management position.

It was just that reaching the Heavenly Realm did not mean cultivation was over; one still had to pass examinations level by level and could continue to climb upward...

Cultivation in the human world was merely a part of the "Desire Realm."

Xu Jia himself worked as a Works Official in the underworld, so he had some understanding of Immortal cultivation.

Cultivation in the human world was only just beginning.

Therefore, Xu Jia followed the steps, and with the experience of his past life, at the very worst he could attain Embrace the Dan; it was just a matter of whether he could survive the subsequent Immortal examinations and demonic tribulations.

However, Embrace the Dan was merely "Human Immortal Peak"; Embrace the Dan was not the same as forming a Golden Core, it was "Inner Dan Minor Accomplishment," just as being pregnant and having a child born and raised to adulthood were two different things.

Xu Jia himself was also crossing the river by feeling the stones, and in his past life, he himself was even that stone, or rather, given the harsh cultivation environment of his past life, Xu Jia himself was the stone for many others.

Xu Jia certainly thought that he could not just stop at achieving his past life's cultivation; if he did, he would have to go through the underworld again and would still have to encounter Huang Zhenren...

But these things were still too far off; for now, strengthening himself was the priority.

The small trumpet for the PK last week didn't pass; I hope everyone will follow the reading, leave chapter comments, and cast monthly votes. (End of this chapter)