Chapter 97: The City God Arrives in Person (Bonus Chapter 3)

Xu Jia drank the chicken soup, and it was immediately digested by his spleen, though it was no longer used for the purpose of circulation.

This kind of practice was something Xu Jia's father and mother could not understand, but the way he exhaled to create wind and opened his eyes to produce lightning still startled them; after all, none of the martial artists they had ever seen possessed such abilities.

Hu Jinhua even noticed that when Xu Jia had just entered the temple for inner contemplation and spiritual stabilization, a Body God in the image of a young boy flew out of his body, only to fly back into his body a moment later.

Xu Jia opened his eyes and, within the Dharma Realm, heard what they were thinking in their hearts, as if he had obtained the Buddhist Other-Heart Perception.

It turned out that this Dharma Realm was precisely the Fox Immortal Hall temple. Although they had not worshipped a deity, the deity and Dharma Lord was Xu Jia, the Master Xu, his past life; thus, in the Fox Immortal Hall, Xu Jia naturally possessed this ability to observe the thoughts in the hearts of mortal people.

Especially since Xu Jia had just succeeded in his practice, his mind was clear and even more acute than before.

Xu's father: My son is dead, yet Heaven has returned a son to us, husband and wife. As for me, I don't care; I only think of making my wife less heartbroken. Whether this child is real or fake, why must I obsessively investigate to the end? Let it be a muddle!

Xu's mother: May the Bodhisattva bless us. If my son has already passed the examinations and died, please let his soul ascend to the Pure Land early... May my husband place high in the provincial examinations... and may Jia'er's Immortal career be successful...

Xu Jia sighed inwardly: So they had understood long ago.

In fact, when Xu Jia had just returned to his soul, Xu's father and mother felt it was a monster possessing him, not a true return to life, but Xu Jia's human sentiments and filial piety moved them, and the two elders accepted this son.

What else could they do if they didn't accept him? Without descendants, what would happen in the future? Moreover, this person looked exactly like their son, only his thoughts were different, and he was even more concerned about them and filial toward them than their previous son... At first, they contacted Daoists, but later they were caught by Xu Jia. Although he confessed that he had awakened his Past Life Wisdom, they understood that this was just an excuse.

But this person had the face of their own biological son, and was even in the flesh of their biological son... The pain in their hearts was because of the loss of their child, yet Xu Jia's appearance fulfilled their wishes. These past few days, how many times had they prayed, hoping that they themselves would be the ones to die, just asking for one life to be exchanged for another, to let their son live again...

In short, this was perhaps a scene from "Substitute Literature."

"So that's how it is?" Xu Jia touched a copper coin in his bosom: "The grace of giving birth, how can I repay the grace of giving birth?"

The soul of the original body within that copper coin also felt something and spoke: "It is my lack of filial piety. If I am refined into your heart, my filial heart will also be perfectly sincere. We are naturally one body; there is no longer any talk of true or false. You are the real one."

Xu Jia recited: "Actually, you could still be reborn into your mother's womb, go through it once more, and still be a descendant of the Xu family."

"My parents are already old. Father is already at the age of forty, and Mother is over thirty-six. Childbirth is a difficult ordeal. I fear that she is too old to withstand the tossing, and that would be my sin. To make Mother suffer such hardship—I no longer crave life... Life is a temporary lodging; I am merely a passerby."

After the Evil Qi of the original soul was cleared, its thoughts were much clearer: "Furthermore, if I become a Heart General, I will also have Divine Ability. I am willing to make a great vow to protect my parents, and there will naturally be a ten-fold response."

Xu Jia inexplicably thought of the Buddhist story: Mulian saving his mother.

Thus he promised: "You shall be my Heart General, and we shall surely walk the path of filial piety together, without leaving any regrets."

The Dharma Lord of the Lushan Sect, Xu Xun, was also the Dao Lord of the "Jingming Loyalty and Filial Piety Dao," which could be considered a model of the fusion of Confucianism and Daoism.

Upon hearing Xu Jia's promise, the original soul said no more.

Xu Jia was not curious about the thoughts of others and did not pry; after all, "a gentleman does not deceive in a dark room." Being able to hear the thoughts of Xu's father and mother was also because the Cause and Effect of the thoughts originated from him, not because he was actively prying.

In the following segment, Xu Jia let the little foxes perform their unique skills, play and frolic, and eat and drink for a while.

After Xu's father ate that portion of chicken kidneys, his face became flushed, and he became increasingly excited. On the spot, his poetic inspiration surged, and he composed several poems: one praising the foxes, one praising the chicken, and one discussing the gathering with friends, feeling exceptionally happy. The atmosphere was much livelier than before. Although they didn't drink alcohol, they played many games, played drinking games, threw arrows into pots, guessed riddles, and matched couplets.

They ate like this from noon until nearly dusk before they thought of leaving.

Because the Earth Deity and the River Deity were coming to the banquet at night, Xu Jia let Xu's father and mother go back first. Niu Congcong also went back with his parents. He alone, with the foxes and weasels, tidied up the scene, prepared new dishes, and bought village-brewed rice wine, waiting for the night.

Waiting until the hour of Zi was near, Xu Jia narrowed his eyes to rest his mind; after all, he couldn't stay up late to cultivate, otherwise, it would be a waste of his health preservation.

Suddenly, he heard strange sounds, like suona horns, drums, and golden gongs.

Xu Jia had clearly invited the Earth Deity and the River Deity, but this procession that arrived was beyond Xu Jia's expectations.

Because this was precisely the "City God Procession," and these musical sounds were the sounds of the Dharma Realm.

The sound came from several miles away, but in an instant, it teleported to the side of the Fox Immortal Hall.

Hu Jinhua was already terrified, and the tree spirit at the door was so anxious that it revealed its form: "Master Xu, the City God Ghost God has come! Let's run!"

"Run from what?" Xu Jia said: "We haven't done any evil deeds."

At this moment, a knock on the door came; it was the Qingtian Dam Earth Deity: "Young Master Xu, the Yushan Weixian Bo has come to the appointment. Why not open the door to welcome him?"

Xu Jia was neither humble nor arrogant. Although he did not expect the City God to come to see him in person instead of ordering someone to summon him, this also showed that the initiative was in his hands, because the City God attending the banquet represented a positive and upward signal.

Although Xu Jia had not invited the City God, the City God had come, which surprised him a little.

But Xu Jia had stayed in the underworld for many years and had much experience; in his heart, he had already guessed that this City God had placed him on an equal footing.

"Hu Jinhua, you come with me to welcome the City God," Xu Jia ordered.

Hu Jinhua was trembling, because an official is an official and a thief is a thief; how could a fox spirit not be afraid of the City God coming to the door?

She only went to markets in the countryside and dared not enter the city.

Yet she had completely blurred why Hu Agui could enter Yushan County to make a living, while she could not.

Xu Jia held his head high and chest out, walking the Four Directions Pure Void Moral Step, with a smile on his face, walking with the vigor of a tiger, full of confidence.

He personally opened the wooden door and saw a four-horse carriage, with eight in front and eight behind, the procession clearing the way, with Ghost Gods and Yin soldiers lined up on both sides.

The Qingtian Earth Deity was on the side, the Yeyou God was nearby, and a little ghost was bowing low, kneeling on the ground. He saw a middle-aged man emerge; he wore official robes, a hat, and his face was dark blue, but his eyes were bright, like obsidian, majestic without anger.

"Xu Jia, a wandering cultivator of the Fox Immortal Hall in Qingtian Xiang, greets the Yushan Weixian Bo!"

The City God first sized up Xu Jia. Seeing Xu Jia, he saw that Xu Jia was surrounded by clear light, and there was even a faint cluster of golden divine light three feet above his head. Immediately, his heart was settled: Since he had divine light, he must be a deity who had descended to the mortal world to undergo a Tribulation, not a mortal. No wonder he had crossed out his name from the Life Registry and erased it from the Death Registry; it seemed he was borrowing a corpse to act, so as to avoid going through the womb.

Only then did he step down from the little ghost and head toward the Fox Immortal Hall.

(End of chapter)