Chapter Thirty-Two: Battle of Spirits and the Slaying of Monsters

At this moment, with his celestial eye opened, Fang You saw a dozen gray-skinned foxes standing atop the burial mound before him. The only difference was that these foxes could speak. Fang You’s so-called opening of the celestial eye was simply a means of protecting himself, preventing the mountain spirits and monsters from confusing him with their illusions.

Ordinary people could also open their eyes to the supernatural, and the method was quite simple: washing the eyes with pomelo leaves soaked in water or applying a few drops of cow’s tears to the eyes. These methods allowed one to see spirits for the time it takes incense to burn halfway; during that brief period, even common folk could behold ghosts and monsters and resist the allure of illusion.

The simplest way to open one’s eyes was to bend down and look through one’s legs. There was a saying in Fang You’s hometown: the crotch is considered unclean, and if someone crawls beneath another’s legs, their luck will diminish for days. When one peers through their own legs, it temporarily lowers their fortune; those with diminished luck are able to see ghosts, and those whose luck is so low as to be near death are scarcely different from spirits themselves. Thus, in the countryside, if an elder sees something unusual wandering near their door or around them, they know their days are numbered and begin urging their family to prepare a coffin early, so as not to be caught unprepared and forced into a hasty burial.

Returning to the story, though only a few gray foxes stood before Fang You, he knew all these foxes possessed cultivation. Their abilities might rival those of earth immortals; if he was not careful, he might well lose his life here.

“I am Fang You, third disciple of the closed gate of orthodox Mount Mao. I sincerely beg you to spare the last daughter of the Wang and Ge families, and let this act of kindness leave them a descendant!” Fang You clasped his hands in a respectful gesture as he spoke.

This was the courtesy before confrontation; one must know that foxes are creatures of great spiritual intelligence. Some animals cultivate the path of immortality, and among all creatures, “fox, weasel, hedgehog, snake, rat”—these five are called earth immortals.

Fox represents the fox immortal, weasel the yellow immortal, hedgehog the white immortal, snake the willow immortal, and rat the gray immortal. In folk tradition, they are known collectively as the Five Great Immortals. These animals are the most spiritually endowed and most likely to become earth immortals—those who have achieved cultivation yet lack great ambition.

Although they have cultivated, they remain unable to shed worldly desires and cannot comprehend the great Dao, so they remain humble earth immortals. Earth immortals are said to be the most troublesome and petty of immortals; it is merely a title granted to those spiritually gifted creatures, so they do not cause mischief everywhere.

Those mountain spirits and monsters who become earth immortals restrain themselves somewhat, as a title means regulation, and also gives them a legitimate identity for cultivation. The fox immortal before Fang You was merely a mountain spirit without the title of earth immortal, so it acted without restraint; otherwise, it would not have so readily destroyed all five members of the Wang and Ge families.

Fang You understood the danger he faced, but still mustered his courage to speak: “Though the master of the house did not follow the agreement and opened the bag prematurely, he helped you greatly and even assisted Lady Yellow in childbirth. With such kindness, it should not be that his family is wiped out. The four who have died already need not be mentioned; let it be for the sake of Mount Mao’s orthodoxy, leave them a descendant, what do you say?”

“Hehehe!” The noble fox before him licked its snowy white paw and let out a chilling laugh. “You dare use Mount Mao to threaten me? If you die here today, and we gnaw your bones clean, with so many disciples from Mount Mao venturing out each year, who would remember you?”

Indeed, Lady Yellow was not mistaken. Each year, many disciples of Mount Mao leave the mountain, and not a few perish during the slaying of demons and exorcisms. If several Daoists sacrifice themselves in this pursuit, it is hardly remarkable.

Yet Fang You declared solemnly, “But I must intervene today. I’ve spoken kindly, but if you insist on claiming the girl’s life, I will fight to stop you, even at the cost of my own.”

“How foolish. Our clan has cultivated in Shankou Village for a thousand years, and my descendants possess a hundred years of cultivation. Do you, a mere novice with barely a decade of training, think you can contend with us? I advise you to leave, do not meddle further. That is me showing Mount Mao some favor,” the splendidly furred fox said with disdain.

Suddenly, Fang You’s phone rang. He quickly checked the message: “Fang You, little Daoist, have you defeated those spirits yet? The little girl is biting herself over and over—I can barely restrain her!”

“Not good!” Fang You exclaimed in alarm.

“You’ve sensed it already? In less than half an hour, that girl will bite herself to death, and you can do nothing about it. Ahahaha, little Daoist, you cannot change anything now!”

Seeing this, Fang You was frantic, scratching his head in desperation. He immediately sent another message: “Zhang Shengnan, don’t panic. Quickly find a pair of red chopsticks and clamp the girl’s middle fingers. While you do this, observe your surroundings carefully—there must be a fox manipulating things from afar!”

Indeed, red chopsticks are considered objects of evil. Their shape, thicker at the top and thinner at the bottom, resembles a coffin. Red chopsticks are like red coffins, which evil spirits avoid. Moreover, the middle finger connects the body’s vital yang energy—just as fingertip blood can harm ghosts—clamping it releases yang energy. Combined with red chopsticks to counteract evil, this can instantly drive out lesser spirits or ghosts possessing a person.

After sending the message, Fang You turned again to Lady Yellow. The yellow-white fox before him bared its teeth, clearly angered. “So you insist on meddling in this affair!”

“There’s no need to wipe them out completely. Leave them a descendant. Fang You, third disciple of Mount Mao, thanks you here and now!” Fang You pleaded, though his hands tightly gripped the crimson peachwood sword and demon-slaying coin sword. He knew his own abilities were limited; unless absolutely necessary, he would not resort to force.

“You’ve got some skill and courage, boy. Very well, then…” Just as Lady Yellow seemed about to relent, a fox who acted as steward whispered in her ear. Her expression changed instantly, and the surrounding foxes seethed with anger.

Fang You was confused by the scene, but the next moment a message arrived that made his heart sink to the depths.

“Fang You, little Daoist, you really have skill! I just got a pair of red chopsticks from someone, and as soon as I clamped them, I heard a fox cry behind the door. The villagers realized a fox was controlling the girl, and with three punches and two blows from a hoe, they killed the fox. The girl is back to normal. Truly worthy of being an orthodox Mount Mao Daoist. I suppose this matter is resolved? Let’s have a meal together sometime!”