Several Taoists turned their heads in surprise, looking at Feng Menglong.
The scent of this fox could bewitch anyone into a daze, making them lose themselves and fall into a deep sleep. As the saying goes, "He who smells this fragrance will have his mind confused and see illusions." But why was this scholar unaffected?
Weren't scholars supposed to be the most easily enchanted by fox spirits and female ghosts?
This poor, pedantic scholar felt truly strange, completely unaffected by the scent-bewitching spell!
"I say, your incense isn't genuine either. It smells foul. Can this incense even be burned?"
Feng Menglong continued to chatter:
"Where is your temple keeper? I need to discuss this with him. How can you offer such incense to Taishang Laojun? Laojun himself would jump off his pedestal to beat you if he smelled it. It's not that I'm saying too much, it's that you don't know how to burn incense properly. Do you know there are twenty-five types of incense, each from a different origin, and the process of making incense is even more complicated? I even know a poem about incense, I'll sing it for you..."
"Hey, why does your statue of Laojun look different from the one I've seen? Where are his whiskers? Is carving such a careless matter? It shows no respect to the deities. I don't think your temple is a proper one. You're swindling people, I'll report you to the authorities..."
The Taoists remained expressionless, while Feng Menglong's incessant nagging continued. The leader of these Taoists waved his hand: "Let this peculiar incense patron have a good sleep."
"Then, send these two people and their treasures to the Milong Casino."
Suddenly, two burly men emerged from the crowd, grabbed Feng Menglong, and pinned him to the ground, beating him severely.
When magic fails to hypnotize, physical hypnosis must be employed.
"Oh wow! Don't hit the face! What kind of temple is this, harming people and then beating them? I'm a scholar, we talk reason!"
Bang, bang, bang! Bang!
"Hu Xiao Shi, where's your Golden Light Spell? Hurry, aoww! You're really not saving me!"
Feng Menglong's screams could be heard from afar, but the surrounding incense patrons paid no attention to his plight. The little fox, however, looked fanatically excited, just like the other patrons, letting out strange giggles.
A fervent atmosphere permeated the surroundings. The leader of the Taoists revealed a fox tail and reached out to stroke the little fox. The little fox acted like a tamed puppy, allowing his touch, and displayed an expression of intoxication and comfort.
"Good boy, good boy... It's a shame it's male. If only it were female... Once this is done, when you return from the casino, come to this temple and be my subordinate fox child. Together, we will serve the Nine Lotus Fox Immortal."
...
The East Great Accomplishment Temple, with wisps of incense smoke and bustling crowds, people with fervent expressions heading into the temple for pilgrimage.
Ji Xiang stepped into the main hall and, looking back, could still see the temple's mountain gate opening in the distance. Although there were many people around, Ji Xiang narrowed his eyes.
Where had the little fox and Feng Menglong gone?
Such a thing could happen right under his nose, and he hadn't noticed anything?
The Sixth Divine Ability Realm was being underestimated?
At this moment, someone walked out from the temple nearby, showing concern and sincere solicitude for Ji Xiang's bewildered gaze.
"Mercy, mercy, esteemed senior brother, do you seem to need a little help?"
Help?
"Who are you? Are you the temple keeper of this temple? I have two companions, and I don't know why they got separated."
Ji Xiang asked for help while observing the "temple keeper" before him. The temple keeper smiled slightly.
"This humble Taoist is Xu Hongru, with the Taoist name Juyezi."
"It's just that people have gone missing. That's easily handled. Let this humble Taoist help senior brother search. This pilgrimage gathering is held once a year, and the number of people coming to offer incense is vast, making it inevitably crowded."
As he spoke, he took out some paper from his sleeve and, using his finger as a knife, cut out a group of paper judges. They could speak and act like humans, and they bowed to Xu Hongru.
"Hmm? Cutting paper into soldiers?"
Ji Xiang's eyes narrowed. This spell brought about some unpleasant associations.
This was a divine art from the Song Dynasty. The paper generals of Zhao Xuanlang had left a deep impression on him; they possessed immense strength, could wield divine arts, fly through the heavens and burrow into the earth, and aside from their fear of fire, they had almost no weaknesses.
"Indeed, it is the art of cutting paper into soldiers. This is a spell I learned unintentionally in my early years. If it were for harming people or subduing demons, the power would be insufficient. These paper judges can only be used for transporting goods or delivering messages."
Xu Hongru humbly stated that his spell could only do delivery work and could not achieve the legendary realm of creating anything he cut.
At this moment, Ji Xiang surveyed the furnishings and layout of the main hall.
In the center were three statues. A statue of Taishang Laojun was in the center, with two unfamiliar figures, male and female, on either side. To the left and right, facing the temple's hall, was Maitreya Buddha on the left and a statue of a fox on the right.
"Your temple is really interesting. You worship Taoism first, then Buddhism, and then a Fox Immortal. What exactly are you up to?"
Xu Hongru smiled slightly: "Laozi transformed the barbarians; Buddha originated from Tao."
"You speak well, but what about this Fox Immortal? You wouldn't say it's a transformation of Sakyamuni or Maitreya, would you?"
"You are mistaken in this regard."
Xu Hongru told Ji Xiang that in his early years, the founder of the East Great Accomplishment Sect was saved by a Fox Immortal. Grateful for this kindness, he established a statue of the Fox Immortal in the temple, as a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring.
Since ancient times, there have been many instances of establishing temples after saving a life. This is not limited to humans, gods, or ghosts. Local authorities sometimes acknowledge this, and sometimes they don't, but this does not affect the people's worship. Idolatrous worship arises from this, and some evil gods imitate similar deeds, establishing grand temples and developing followers to increase their power.
The true gods of the Thirty-Six Heavens are inanimate objects, consisting only of spirit tablets without physical forms. Therefore, only the deities below the Thirty-Six Heavens can be enlightened, worshipped, or enfeoffed by the court in the human world, or receive teachings from eminent figures, thereby becoming deities.
There are even specific "false gods" that replace true deities. The most famous example is the False Guandi.
Ji Xiang twitched his nose, sensing a faint fox odor in the place.
"Are you a branch of the White Lotus Society?"
"Of course not!"
Xu Hongru feigned shock: "My temple has been registered with the authorities and is absolutely legal. You can verify it with the government. This is not idolatrous worship. We have been establishing temples and spreading teachings for many years! You can't say that all folk religions are the White Lotus Society, can you? That would break the hearts of us legalist disciples!"
Ji Xiang remained silent, looking around. The blank spirit tablet had not given any reaction, indicating that there were no spells targeting him here, but it was truly strange how those two had disappeared.
As his gaze swept around, the blank spirit tablet suddenly reacted, pointing towards a square bronze mirror.
[True Child Flying Frost Mirror: A phoenix sings in the zither, lotus leaves support the sky; stepping on green clouds, form and shadow are one.]
[During the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, there was a man named Song Jing. When he was young, he once looked into this mirror and found that his reflection formed the character "相" (xiāng, meaning minister or prime minister). Later, he indeed became a prime minister.]
[This type of mirror can reflect a person's future career path and their fortunes and misfortunes.]
Ji Xiang stepped forward. There was a queue in front of this square bronze mirror. Many people seemed to be there just to look into the mirror. Ji Xiang walked over to take a look. Xu Hongru's heart stirred, and he quickly told Ji Xiang about the mirror's miraculous properties.
"Senior brother, do you like my mirror? This is no ordinary mirror, but a divine mirror for physiognomy. It can reflect a person's future appearance. Many people have come to me to look into this mirror. Some have appeared with feathered fans and silk robes, others have become high officials. Some have had many beautiful celestial maidens by their side, destined for wealth and status in the future."
"Of course, some people have been unlucky. Their reflections in the mirror showed them dressed in rags, impoverished, like beggars."
"In short, everyone's reflection in the mirror is different."
Ji Xiang listened to his chatter and reached out to take the mirror. Someone nearby was displeased and was about to react, but upon seeing Xu Hongru's smiling face, they immediately became amiable.
When Xu Hongru turned back and saw Ji Xiang looking into the mirror, his face instantly turned extremely terrified!
In this Tang Dynasty divine mirror, Ji Xiang's appearance could not be reflected, nor could his fortunes and misfortunes or future events be seen. What was reflected was a white-faced martial performer with closed eyes, completely different from Ji Xiang. As for his appearance and form...
It resembled Zhenwu!