Chapter 256: Red Fox

"There is a saying about corpse driving: 'Three to drive, three not to drive.'"

"Those who were beheaded—provided their head and body are sewn back together—hanged, or tortured to death in a standing cage can be driven. They were forced to die and refused to accept their fate. Longing for their hometowns and missing their loved ones, their souls can be hooked back with spells and suppressed within their respective bodies using a Talisman Incantation. Then, magic is used to drive them across mountains and ridges."

"Those who died of illness, those who willingly drowned or hanged themselves, and those left with incomplete limbs from lightning strikes or fires—these three cannot be driven. The souls of those who died of illness have already been taken by the King of Hell, and magic cannot summon them back from the Ghost Gate. The souls of those who drowned or hanged themselves have been entangled by a 'substitute,' and they might be in the middle of handing over their place. If the new soul is summoned away, wouldn't the lack of a substitute affect the old soul's reincarnation? Furthermore, those who died from lightning strikes are all people burdened by grievous sins, and those who burned to death often lack complete flesh and skin. These two types of corpses similarly cannot be driven."

Daoist Priest Xianqing's words sounded reasonable. Every profession had its own rules, passed down generation after generation from the founding masters.

"Although animal corpses can also be driven, they aren't human after all. In our trade, we can't call it corpse driving; instead, it's called 'walking the feet.'"

"After that old Daoist left the fox corpse behind, I kept it in the West Wing Room, giving it a room of its own. Every night, I stuffed cinnabar into its ears, nose, and mouth, then tightly sealed them with Divine Talismans. For humans, the ears, nose, and mouth are the gateways where the three souls enter and exit. Doing this keeps the soul trapped within the body, and the same principle applies to foxes."

"At first, there was nothing unusual. But over time, I noticed that while the cinnabar in the corpse's ears and nose remained unchanged, the cinnabar in its mouth vanished completely. Every time I applied a talisman to soothe its soul, I felt like it was watching me and smiling."

Daoist Priest Xianqing shook his head when he reached this point. "Those who cultivate the Dao have minds connected to spirits and deities, possessing exquisite perception. My senses shouldn't be wrong. There is a massive problem with that corpse. Even if I stepped in personally, the chances of success would probably only be forty percent. If I brought Yun Chuan along, my certainty might be a bit higher, but I'm truly afraid of an accident happening and ruining the boy's future."

Even though Daoist Priest Xianqing was incredibly strict with Yun Chuan, deep in his heart, he had long treated the boy as his own child.

"What happens if there's an accident? Can't you just abandon the corpse and run?" I asked.

"It's nowhere near as simple as you think." Daoist Priest Xianqing stared at the table covered in health supplement training class flyers, growing more anxious the longer he looked. "I never should have agreed to the old Daoist's request just for money. The moment this corpse passed through my hands, it tied a thread of karma to me. If I don't let its soul return to its homeland now, it will relentlessly haunt me and never let go. When it was alive, that fox might have already cultivated into a fox immortal. My little Daoist temple can't withstand its torment."

Daoist Priest Xianqing alone knew his own bitterness. He understood the situation clearly in his heart but had no one to confide in. Bumping into me today gave him the perfect opportunity to pour out all the grievances he had been holding back.

Every family has its own difficult scriptures to chant. There was no way I could help him with this either. After chatting a little longer without gaining any further clues, I stood up and prepared to leave.

General Star Divine Fiend Lu Xing had already been acquired. Xiaofeng was in an incredibly dangerous situation now. If I still couldn't find any traces of Bai Qi by noon, I would have to prioritize the more urgent matter, set the dog aside for now, and devote all my efforts to tracking down Xiaofeng.

Escorted to the door by Daoist Priest Xianqing, I turned around and cupped my hands toward him. "Sorry for the intrusion. I hope you can forgive the disturbance, Daoist Priest."

"It's fine. Be careful on your way back. There are four small paths outside; take the one with the most salt scattered on it. That one is left for the living."

"Got it." I raised my head, originally intending to look at Daoist Priest Xianqing, but it felt as if someone had just whispered a sentence in my mind. I subconsciously turned my head and glanced toward the West Wing Room.

At the edge of my vision, a gust of wind fluttered the black gauze, lifting up one corner. Through the window, I faintly saw a pair of blood-red eyes staring right at me!

I stumbled back several steps before finding my footing. Merely making eye contact for a split second made the blood and qi surge inside my body. The Blood Fox Tattoo on my chest seemed to come alive, radiating a searing heat.

"Destined Patron?" Daoist Priest Xianqing reached out to support me, looking quite baffled.

I clutched my chest with one hand. That inexplicable, feverish heat didn't dissipate; instead, it spread throughout my entire body, burning like fire.

Crouching down, my mouth and throat went completely dry. By the time I raised my head again, my eyes were already a sea of blood-red.

"A divine descent?" Daoist Priest Xianqing hurriedly pulled out a mind-calming talisman and slapped it onto my chest. He chanted an incantation, and a trace of coolness seeped out from the Talisman Paper, finally making me feel a bit better.

"Did you recklessly use a Deity-Inviting Talisman? And did you invite an evil god or a demonic entity?" His brow furrowed tightly as he called Yun Chuan over, wanting to support me into the room, but I waved my hand to stop them.

"I'm fine, it'll pass in a moment." Not only had I recklessly used a Deity-Inviting Talisman, but the 'god' I invited seemed to have firmly lodged itself inside my body. According to what Daoist master Wan had said, this 'god' I invited had a terrifyingly fierce reputation and would not be tolerated by the orthodox path. Because of this, I didn't dare tell Daoist Priest Xianqing the truth.

'That evil god I invited and I have always minded our own business. It has even helped me multiple times. There's no reason for it to suddenly harm me. Could it be warning me?'

Raising my head to look at the West Wing Room, everything was perfectly still. The black gauze was wrapped tight and secure, and there seemed to be nothing behind the window.

"Daoist Priest, I think I just saw a pair of crimson eyes flash in the West Wing Room. You must be extremely careful. Don't let it be Corpse Reanimation again."

"Crimson eyes?" Daoist Priest Xianqing seemed to realize something. He untied the green willow branch from his waist, pulled out the Soul-Capturing Bell, and swiftly walked to the door of the western guest room.

There were two guest rooms on the west side. The one closer to the Hall of the Three Pure Ones was a large communal sleeping room; the one where I had just seen the blood-red eyes was the other room.

"Yun Chuan, prepare the magical artifacts!" Daoist Priest Xianqing acted as if he were facing a formidable enemy. He stood at the door of this isolated guest room, muttering incantations under his breath. Not long after, Yun Chuan rushed out from the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, carrying cinnabar, Talisman Papers, the Corpse Suppression Seal, and other magical tools in his hands.

"Destined Patron, please step back a little. If that fox undergoes Corpse Reanimation, it will be extremely troublesome to deal with. I'm afraid I won't be able to look after you when it happens."

"It's fine. I have a bit of cultivation myself, so protecting myself shouldn't be a problem." Pinching a Maoshan Seven Dipper Talisman between my fingers, I guarded the guest room window.

Seeing my calm expression and steady footwork, Daoist Priest Xianqing nodded. "Alright then. Be careful."

Having made thorough preparations, he pushed open the door to the West Wing Room. Pushing the door panel open by just half a finger's width, Daoist Priest Xianqing first threw a handful of cinnabar inside to let the Yang Qi flow in before he dared to enter.

There was no furniture or decorations whatsoever in the small room. In the middle of the hard floor lay a thick black cloth. It was unclear what was underneath the fabric, but judging purely by the uneven bumps and contours, it didn't look like a human corpse.

Arranged around the black cloth in the pattern of the Nine Palaces were nine water basins. Even more bizarrely, a single copper coin stood perfectly upright inside each basin.

The small copper coins stood upright in the water, neither leaning nor toppling. Round on the outside and square on the inside, their nine square holes faced directly toward the black cloth in the center.

"Daoist Priest, what do these copper coins mean?"

"Keep your voice down."

Daoist Priest Xianqing had his full attention focused on the room. Taking out his Soul-Capturing Bell, he stepped in a peculiar footwork pattern and walked a full circle around the nine water basins.

Strangely enough, the moment he finished his lap, all nine copper coins in the water basins instantly toppled over in response.

"Copper coins are touched by many people, so their Yang Qi is heavy, and nine is the extreme number. I did this specifically because I feared it would undergo Corpse Reanimation." After saying this, Daoist Priest Xianqing lifted the black cloth with one hand, revealing the true appearance of the corpse underneath.

Since this matter involved me, I naturally didn't dare stay out of it. I craned my neck to peer inside.

Beneath the black cloth was a patch of vibrant red. It looked like dancing flames, or like fresh blood that had just poured straight from a heart. It was a stunning, breathtaking red, so striking that one didn't dare look directly at it.

I didn't know why, but the moment my gaze touched that patch of red, the restlessness I had tried so hard to suppress resurfaced once again.

Silently reciting the Profound Truth Mental Method, it took a long time before my mood stabilized enough to look at it normally.

It was a red fox with incredibly gorgeous fur. From its appearance alone, it was entirely impossible to tell that it had been dead for a long time. The corpse was preserved perfectly, without a single wound anywhere on its body.

Its eyes were tightly shut, and its fur was silky smooth. Like a delicate piece of art, it made people involuntarily want to step closer.

"Don't be deceived by its appearance." Daoist Priest Xianqing blocked me and pointed at the fox corpse on the floor. "Do you know why its fur is able to stay so radiantly red after death, remaining bright and gorgeous even after so much time has passed?"

"Why?"

"This is actually a white fox. That fur isn't its original color. It's because it was drenched in so much blood that not even time itself can wash it away."