Chapter 7: Innate Gift of Eloquence

  Qian Yiqun returned to his bedroom, his footsteps stopping for a moment at the door before he finally let out a sigh and stepped inside.

  The fox no longer needed to pretend to be dead, and poked its head out to ask: "In your own house, what are you sighing about? Is there an ugly old woman hiding inside?"

  "It's because of you," Qian Yiqun didn't hide it, "Obviously saying it's an ancient spiritual breed, why is there still such a heavy fox aura?"

  "As a member of the fox tribe, it's only natural to have this smell." The fox showed no embarrassment at all. "If I had a human scent, that would be strange!"

  Qian Yiqun's bedroom was not large, about twenty square meters in total. It had a wooden bed, a wooden desk, and by the window, there was also a tea table and two four-poster Nan official hat chairs. Compared to the fantasy world of "Bai Mei Tu", it looked much more simple and humble, but in Wu County, it belonged to the high-end configuration that only middle-to-upper-class families could afford.

  This setup is still a small sum of money that Qian Zhong stole from his childhood poetry, and if he goes to his sister Qian Xiaoxiao's boudoir, it will be even more simple.

  Putting down the fox, Qian Yiqun sat on the edge of the bed and opened the door to see Shan Dao: "Fox Da Xian, we meet by chance, give me a hint?"

  "This is," the fox stuck out its tongue and licked its nose, "you can meet me, how much fate do you have? Just obediently cultivate your heart and nature, don't bother with those idle matters."

  "Ass, what a trivial matter!" Qian Yiqun's heart was filled with a surge of malicious air that he couldn't hold back. "My family has a poor background, so we deserve to be beaten and scolded? I can't control others, but if I can't even protect my own father, what's the point of having this opportunity?"

  "Young man, why bother to show off for a moment?" The fox said with a smile, "I used to listen to Buddhist scriptures in a temple and happened to hear two little monks chatting. One asked the other: If someone slanders me, cheats me, humiliates me, laughs at me, belittles me, despises me, hates me, deceives me, how should I deal with it? Guess what the other one answered?"

  "Just put up with him, let him be, avoid him, tolerate him, respect him, don't bother with him, and wait a few more years. You'll see what happens to him." Qian Yiqun said gruffly.

  "Huh!" The fox was surprised, "Were you there at that time too?"

  "Han Shan has been spreading this rumor for a long time!" Qian Yiqun said angrily, "I'm not a monk! Why do I have to endure this? I just want to catch that scoundrel and spare my father's fleshly suffering!"

  "Why didn't you just kill that county magistrate directly? Wouldn't it be simpler?" The fox tilted its head, narrowing its eyes as it looked at Qian Yituan.

  Qian Yiqun shuddered: Although this county magistrate is detestable, he still has his class limitations. Later on, if I can master the spell, catching him and beating him up will be enough. Taking someone's life is a bit too much. However, with the spell in my hands, isn't it up to me to decide how to use it?

  "That's okay!" Qian Yiqun said with a smile, "Please, great immortal, give me a method, I'm just a weak scholar, can't let me go kill someone empty-handed?"

  "We're really out of options." The fox lay down on the spot, thinking to itself: You think you can play tricks on me? You're still too tender.

  "Great Immortal," Little Qian smiled and squatted down, leaning in front of the fox, "You just point out a clear path for me, if I achieve something in the future, how could I forget your kindness?"

  The fox simply closed its eyes and remained silent.

  Qian Yiqun had never suffered such humiliation in his two lifetimes! Suddenly, evil thoughts filled his mind, and he picked up the bamboo basket to hit the fox's head. It was a perfect fit.

  He angrily said: "You this scoundrel! Previously deceiving me to open the door is one thing, but now you dare to be so arrogant, do you think I'm a vegetarian?!" After speaking, Master Qian loudly shouted: "Jade! Go call Zhang Butcher! Tell him there's a top-quality fox fur deal to make with him!"

  The fox was also frightened, and sighed in its heart: after all, people's hearts are not what they used to be. If this were 800 years ago, who would have dared to be so presumptuous? Who wouldn't have knelt on the ground for three days, knocking their head and crying blood to beg for guidance on the great way? As it listened to the sounds of people outside, it thought to itself: nowadays these people are more prone to changing their faces than washing them. This time they've really gone too far, and can't help but resort to old tricks...

  "Great immortal, if I provide you with delicious food and drink every day, would you please show some compassion and help me out?" Qian Yiqun couldn't hold back his youthfulness and, seeing that the fox didn't respond, he lost his enthusiasm. He was also worried and confused, forgetting how timid this fox had been when it heard about the monster before.

  "Alright, since you're so sincere... The fox let out a big sigh of relief and slid down the slope on its haunches. 'I won't bother with you, young one,' it said, 'and I'll give you some directions to get back on track.'"

  Qian Yiqun immediately removed his backpack and squatted in front of the fox, smiling apologetically: "Great Immortal, please speak."

  "A roasted leg of lamb." said the fox.

  "Roasted lamb leg?" Qian Yiqun's experience was not rich enough, and he didn't turn around for a while. "How can roasted lamb leg kill people?"

  "Roast lamb shank, to moisten our throats." The fox licked its nose and dropped a sparkling drop of saliva.

  "Butt... roasted lamb leg is no problem!" Qian Yiqun didn't expect to be tricked by this fox at the critical moment! He thought it was a noble breed and wouldn't take bribes! However, since there's a weakness, it'll be easier to deal with in the future.

  But...

  "Foxes don't love eating chickens, do they?" Qian Yiqun asked.

  "We've only been foxes for three years, and our taste hasn't changed yet." The fox said with a straight face.

  "Got it!" Qian Yiqun shouted out, "Jiuniang! Don't look for Zhang Tuzi anymore, go buy a roasted lamb leg instead!" After that, he smiled at the fox and said: "Great Immortal, you first."

  The fox coughed lightly and thought to himself: There are some things that he will know later on his own, so it's better to just reveal them now and consider it a personal favor.

  "Heaven-born and earth-nourished, each has his own talent." The fox dog sat up, shaking its head and saying, "Your body is not bad, but you can't walk the path of a strong and fierce warrior."

  Qian Yiqun smiled and nodded, with a humble and obedient appearance, but in his heart he thought: If you dare to tell me to practice boxing, I won't skin you alive if I don't mix in the Suzhou territory!

  "According to me," said the fox, "with your temperament and spiritual aura, there are four paths that you can take with ease."

  "Please enlighten me, great master!" Qian Yiqun said with a smile all over his face.

  "Spell, incantation, talisman, formation." The fox changed its previous lazy demeanor and spoke seriously, "These four methods are effective quickly, no need to practice hard, it's just that they rely too much on innate talent, it's like relying on luck for food, think carefully about it?"

  "The future isn't set in stone either." Qian Yiqun thought to himself, this wasn't a game where you chose a profession and were stuck with it for life.

  "You can try if you dare." The fox had a look of digging a pit and waiting for him to jump in.

  Seeing the fox's attitude, Qian Yiqun's heart moved, and he secretly called out: "Shu Zhong Xian, are you there?"

  "I've been waiting for you, Master Xianchang, for a long time." A pleasant female voice echoed in Qian Yiqun's ears.

  This ghost immortal is much more straightforward than the fox, and before Qian Yu asks a question, he has already explained everything the fox said. It turns out that these "incantation talismans" all belong to the mysterious arts, and after practicing them, a person's temperament will naturally change, which is the same principle as "having poetry and books in one's belly, and being naturally elegant".

  Those who truly attain spiritual powers and the Tao are mostly practitioners of the Taoist way. It can be imagined that a person with a strong martial arts temperament going to seek the Tao would already find it difficult not to be looked down upon, let alone receive true teachings.

  Qian Yiqun suddenly closed the book and thought to himself: Even if he had excellent grades, if he didn't gain the favor of his teachers, then the quota for direct promotion would still be out of his reach. Why bother studying the obscure and elusive Taoist arts when it's better to learn this mysterious technique first?

  "But Xian has a natural talent that surpasses others, and with diligent cultivation of the mystic arts, it's not necessarily impossible for him to achieve great success." said Shu at the right moment.

  "Ah!" Qian Yiqun's heart was filled with excitement, "I'm indeed a genius!" It turned out that the Golden Finger had been activated here after his rebirth! Qian Yiqun was overjoyed.

  "Doesn't the Immortal know?" The immortal's voice was laced with a smile, "The Immortal has great talent in the way of Spirit Speech, truly a great vessel for cultivating talismans."

  What is "Yan Ling"? Qian Yiqun was puzzled in his heart, and he had never seen this phrase in any classics before.