Part-Time Taoist Priest 30

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Enlightening the Foxes

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Xie Lingya sensed Shi Changxuan approaching and they exchanged glances. He turned Tang Qi, who was stiff from fear, away from the window and signaled for him to stay quiet.

Tang Qi’s expression was very tense and laced with confusion.

“The foxes are worshipping the moon while wearing a skull, this means they are cultivating. Don’t disturb them,” Xie Lingya whispered softly.

Evidently, the missing crania which Tang Qi thought were stolen by naughty children from the nearby villages were snatched by these foxes.

According to legend, foxes could take on human forms through cultivation and achieve enlightenment through their efforts. 

There had always been a tradition of providing offerings to fox spirits among the folk religions. This practice was especially popular during the Tang Dynasty when fox spirits were worshipped in villages, big and small.

In folk legends, a fox would wear a skull while worshipping the moon. If the skull did not fall down, it could take human form. But of course, this transformation was not as simple as praying to the moon with a skull as suggested by the legends. In actuality, it was the last stage of their cultivation.

Humans were considered to be above animals due to their capacity for thought and reasoning. Foxes had some intelligence, which gave them a higher chance of achieving enlightenment. However, they were only intelligent when compared to other animals. In comparison to humans, their intelligence lagged far behind.

Thus, foxes wore human skulls in hopes to gain humans’ mental abilities, as the spirit of humans resided in their heads while alive.

These three foxes were wise enough to know of the method of cultivation by wearing skulls. Xie Lingya told Tang Qi to remain silent so as to not interrupt the foxes’ ritual. This was to avoid provoking them and cause them to hold grudges.

Tang Qi nodded fervently. He didn’t think fox spirits really existed in this world. Xie Lingya didn’t say much nor elaborate further. Tang Qi wanted to peek outside but was scared—would these creatures come for his skull instead?

“What should we do now…?” he whispered. “Can we still perform the ceremony tonight?”

Xie Lingya was troubled too. The crania had reappeared but they were in the paws of the foxes. Who knew if the foxes would return the bones? 

He asked Shi Changxuan, “Can they understand human language? I only know how to communicate with ghosts.”

Tang Qi: “……”

Shi Changxuan replied, “If they lived long enough, they might understand it.”

Xie Lingya quickly put on his clothes. He was going out to keep watch on the foxes and think of a plan to get the bones back. 

It was fine that the foxes borrowed the bones to cultivate, that was just their instinct, but because of this, the deads’ remains became incomplete.

Tang Qi didn’t dare to stay behind by himself. He hurriedly put on his clothes too and followed them out.

Xie Lingya made a circle around the housing units. There was no path leading up the cliff, so they’d have to climb and their movement would disturb the foxes. He was in a dilemma.

At this time, two of the foxes removed the bones from their heads and held them in their mouths. Then they nudged the tinier fox next to them. The lil’ fox startled out of its trance and removed the bone from its head in the same way.

No wonder it got nudged. Looking up at the sky, the moon had hidden behind the clouds.

Seeing that the three foxes headed back into the forest with the bones, Xie Lingya shouted urgently, “Hey! Wait!  Give the bones back!”

Upon hearing his voice, the foxes darted into the bushes without hesitation, disappearing without a trace.

Xie Lingya said, “…It seems they don’t understand human language.”

Even if they did, they probably wouldn’t listen to him.

Dejected, Xie Lingya asked, “How are we going to find them? Are there any talismans we can use, Shi Daozhang?”

Going into the mountains was a normal activity in ancient times, so there were many Taoist talismans suitable for use in the mountains. They were not hunters, so it was not possible for them to catch the foxes from afar.

Tang Qi worriedly asked, “Could it be that everything was fine, but since the foxes stole the cranial bones, will those ‘good brothers’ start causing trouble because their remains were incomplete?”

Shi Changxuan pondered for a minute. “Those foxes appear to have some wisdom in them. Try reciting the Qing Jing Jing to attract them,” he replied.

“Oh?” Xie Lingya considered it for a moment. “We can definitely try.”

Tang Qi was clueless and asked out loud, “What do you mean?”

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Tang Qi followed behind the other two and climbed up the low cliff, panting hard. Then he saw that Xie Lingya sat on the ground, took out his phone, and started reading out loud.

“Laojun said, 

The Great Tao has no bodily form, but It produced and nourished Heaven and Earth. 

The Great Tao has no passions, but It causes the sun and moon to revolve as they do.

The Great Tao has no name, but It affects the growth and maintenance of all things.

I do not know its name, but I make an effort…”¹Source: https://www.sacred-texts.com/tao/sbe40/sbe4019.htm

This was “Taishang Laojun Explains Qing Jing Jing”. Xie Lingya had memorized the text when Liu Bohe was giving his lecture but to avoid any mistakes, he carefully searched for the text on his phone and read accordingly.

When Tang Qi heard it, he recognized that it was a Taoist classic, but he had no idea why they said reciting this could lure the foxes out. However, there had been too many bizarre occurrences tonight, he didn’t need an explanation immediately. Instead, he sat down on a rock nearby, and with his hands on his knees, he watched Xie Lingya’s ‘performance’.

As Xie Lingya’s reading continued, Tang Qi felt slightly moved. Xie Lingya’s clear voice resonated in the forest, his steady pace carrying a strange melodic rhythm. Although Tang Qi couldn’t understand the meaning of the text, he relaxed unconsciously.

“Qing Jing Jing” was only a few hundred words long and Xie Lingya finished his recitation in several minutes so he repeated the text again. 

At the seventh repetition, Tang Qi, who was entranced, suddenly heard rustling noises coming from the bushes behind them. It took him two seconds to react. When he glanced over, there were several green dots scattered through the bushes.

Tang Qi was shocked. These were glints from the reflective foxes’ eyes. What was this? The foxes actually came!

He uttered in his heart, Heck, are they really here to listen to the recitation? They really have ascended into fox spirits, haven’t they?

Xie Lingya also saw the glowing eyes, but he did not stop. After finishing the rest of the passage, he started explaining:

“Tao, 

Before Heaven and Earth one does not see its start, 

After Heaven and Earth one does not see its end.

Shapeless and formless,

Nothing is not Tao,

Nothing is Tao.

That is to say the Great Tao is shapeless…”

The three vigilant foxes, who were listening from the bushes ten meters away, came out of their hiding place and approached Xie Lingya step by step. However, the three crania were nowhere to be seen.

The moon emerged from behind the clouds again. Under its light, and with the help of some artificial lighting nearby, the foxes’ ochre-colored pelts became visible. Their alert brown eyes were constantly looking around, on guard against the humans.

Without batting an eyelid, Xie Lingya continued his lecture.

By the time he was done, the three foxes were only two meters away from him. The two sides were locked in a standstill, staring at each other.

Xie Lingya broke the silence and extended his hand slowly. “Return them to me.”

The little fox twisted itself within the bigger foxes’ embrace, nuzzling up against them, then glanced sideways at Xie Lingya, acting cute. The big foxes on the other hand started grooming the little fox’s fur.

Xie Lingya said angrily, “The scripture you can understand, but now that I ask for the things back, you suddenly can’t understand anymore?”

—Liu Bohe had mentioned during his lecture to the temple followers that one must not make mistakes when reciting the scriptures in public. One should be well-practiced in private first, otherwise, errors would be harmful to those who listened. In contrast, reciting the classics correctly not only improved one’s cultivation but also helped enlighten others.

Taoists believed that reciting the classics was an action that accumulated countless blessings. A person who recites the scriptures not only enlightens themself and other people but also countless living beings. Those with sentience could gain wisdom by listening to the scriptures.

Shi Changxuan and Xie Lingya thought, since these foxes knew to pray to the moon, they must have some intelligence. So they tried reciting the classics, and if the foxes wanted to take advantage of the opportunity for blessings, they would naturally appear.

Moreover, gaining wisdom via listening to the classics was as beneficial to their cultivation as worshipping the moon. Xie Lingya even started to explain the classics when he saw them hiding in the bushes.

Taoists considered the Way Tao, the Scriptures Jing, and the Master Shi as the Three Treasures of Taoism. The Way could not spread without the Scriptures, the Scriptures could not be understood without the Master.

Not everyone had the same talent of comprehension as Xie Lingya. The classics were passed down by word of mouth, secrets were told by masters to their disciples. It was a rare opportunity for the foxes.

Xie Lingya wanted to negotiate with the foxes to return the bones in exchange for his teachings. This way, he wouldn’t need to resort to violence.

Good for the foxes, good for the bodies, good for everybody.

Now that the foxes had shown themselves, Xie Lingya did not know if they had gained any wisdom but he could see they were playing dumb.

Shi Changxuan said instead, “Perhaps we need to exchange something. We did not get any promise that they would return the bones after listening to the scripture.”

Xie Lingya: “……”

…Xie Lingya felt he overestimated how naive the foxes were, or rather, perhaps he himself was too naive. According to the fables that Xie Lingya had read, animals that listened to Taoist priests’ or eminent monks’ preachings would self-consciously offer something in return. These foxes on the other hand were calculative and cunning.

Without any other choice, Xie Lingya asked Tang Qi to bring some food.

Tang Qi was fearful at first when he saw the foxes wearing the skulls and praying to the moon. But, either due to Xie Lingya’s recitation or the foxes’ shameless actions, the fear had left his heart.

He didn’t want to involve anyone else in case they scared off the foxes, so he went personally to bring back mineral water, some meat, and two big bowls.

Xie Lingya opened the bottle of mineral water and poured it into a bowl. Then he placed the two bowls in front of himself.

The foxes sat and watched him pour the water, then languidly walked over to take a few laps of water. The fox cub stuck its head into the bowl, then shook the water off its face, before biting a piece of chicken meat from the other bowl.

The two big foxes waited for the cub to start chewing before they eagerly grabbed meat for themselves.

“Can they turn into humans?” Tang Qi asked.

Like those fox spirits in the fairy tales, shape-shifting into beautiful women.

“Probably not. They are still cultivating after all,” XIe Lingya said. Currently, they were probably only at the stage of starting to gain intelligence.

In this day and age, it was not easy for wild animals to cultivate!

The forested areas were shrinking and habitats were being destroyed. Humans were everywhere. Just looking at the way these foxes chowed down on the food, they probably usually didn’t have enough food.

“You need to return the things back to me after you are done eating,” Xie Lingya nagged by the side. He was worried that the foxes were too cunning and would refuse to keep their part of the deal. “Don’t think that just because you are protected animals you can act shamelessly…”

Tang Qi and Shi Changxuan: “……”

The three foxes finished off the meat and drank more water, even taking their time to groom their furs. When their bellies were full, the big fox nudged the fox cub.

The cub yelped a few times, then headed for the bushes, looking back with every step it took.

The big fox cried out to hurry it along, and the cub sprinted off.

Xie Lingya couldn’t control his hand. From behind, he stroked the big fox’s tail. The fox looked somewhat similar to a dog, but its tail was big and fluffy. Xie Lingya stroked it from the root to the tip.

The fox snapped its head back, but Xie Lingya had already retracted his hand and returned its stare innocently.

The big fox slowly hugged its tail in front of it and groomed it. There was a trace of suspicion in its eyes.

Shi Changxuan saw the whole exchange from the side and amusement filled his eyes, but no one noticed it in the darkness of the night.

A few minutes later, the fox cub returned. Coming out of the bushes slowly, it balanced a stack of bones on its head. The weight of the three crania pushed down on its flattened ears.

The cub came up to Xie Linya and bowed its head, letting the crania slip down. Then, the cub yelped at Xie Lingya a few times.

The tiny fox’s big brown eyes stared up at Xie Lingya. Xie Lingya wanted to pet its head but recalled that it had just been carrying human remains. However, faced with the cub’s pure innocent eyes, he could only concede, reaching out his hand and rubbing the fox’s neck as a compromise.

Xie Lingya had only just touched the cub’s neck when it suddenly rolled over on the ground and laid there with its four paws pointed towards the sky.

“…That gave me a scare. I thought it was pretending to be injured,” Xie Lingya said. He then followed the cub’s hint and rubbed its belly.

The two larger foxes were not worried at all. They were grooming each other by the side.

Tang Qi wasn’t an animal lover, but he too was touched by the scene in front of him.

These three wild foxes, their pelts weren’t particularly beautiful, and they even played with skulls, but Tang Qi had witnessed their change from wariness and careful approach to laying down and begging to be petted now. This course of events brightened his mood.

Tang Qi carefully squatted down next to them. The two big foxes looked at him immediately, but seeing that he had only reached out to pat the fox cub’s back, they turned and subsequently ignored him.

“It is quite smooth,” Tang Qi said. “I don’t know if I should ask them to come again or not.”

Xie Lingya replied practically, “They’ll frighten people if they come.”

“I thought so too.” Tang Qi was only expressing his wish. For both humans and foxes, it was better for the foxes to stay far away.

The time was approaching the Hour of the Rat²11 p.m. to 1 a.m. (23.00 to 1.00). The two adult foxes were done grooming and they called out to the cub. The fox cub rolled up from Xie Lingya and Tang Qi’s hands and followed behind its parents. With their furry tails behind their backs, they disappeared into the dark of the night.

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Xie Lingya wrapped the bone fragments in a piece of talisman, then brought them back to complete the skeletons.

Ole’ Wang said, “I was just about to say, we asked everyone in the village and no one admitted to taking the bones. Where did you find them?”

Xie Lingya glanced at Tang Qi but did not say anything.

Tang Qi did not intend to speak of his encounter with the fox spirits in order to avoid causing panic. He simply made up an excuse, “They were probably taken by wild dogs. I saw something white in the back when I was bathing. I went to check and found the bones.”

Ole’ Wang did not dwell on the matter. “I see. It’s great that the bones were found.”

The time for the ceremony arrived. Shi Changxuan set up the altar while Xie Lingya took out his talismans. The talismans included talismans for purifying the altar, cleansing filth, etc.

He even drew a set of Taishang Secret Residence Protection Talismans. This set was made of a total of 72 talismans which had functions such as inviting wealth into the residence, banishing evil spirits, banishing plagues, banishing malevolent trolls, etc. 

According to legend, this set of talismans could protect a residence for 10 years and give blessings to the residents for 20 years, bringing wealth and prosperity, preventing calamity, vanquishing evil, and safeguarding the family.

In ancient times, these talismans were widespread in use and had proven to be effective many times. The most prominent example of their use was by an imperial family in the past.

The ceremony was finally completed at 2:30 a.m.

Tang Qi invited them to soak in the bath again to relieve the exhaustion after the ceremony. They had been interrupted by the foxes in their earlier bathing session.

“I’ll pass. I want to go to bed earlier,” Xie Lingya yawned. “Mr. Tang, please go ahead.”

Tang Qi then looked over to Shi Changxuan, who also shook his head. Having no choice, Tang Qi went to enjoy the bath by himself. It was in the dead of the night, but Shi Changxuan had just performed a ceremony, hence Tang Qi felt so reassured that he wasn’t afraid of being alone.

Performing the ceremony was laborious. Being made to stand for an hour was tiring, let alone performing rituals for a few hours. Shi Changxuan and Xie Lingya were both worn out, so they headed back to their own rooms.

Shi Changxuan sleepily cleaned himself up and lay on the bed. His eyelids were glued shut as soon as his head touched the pillow.

Just as he did that though, he was assaulted by a wave of shouting noises, making him open his eyes again.

The whispering sprite, left next to his pillow, had been waiting for his return all this while. Pokeweed spoke in a dreary tone: 

“Pokeweed, Pokeweed,

The most untiring predictor,

Abandoned for bath and foxes,

This wood sprite is awash in tears.”

Shi Changxuan: “……”

Shi Changxuan raised his head to take a glance and then stuffed Pokeweed under his pillow.

The next day, everyone gathered for breakfast.

Xie Lingya saw that Shi Changxuan was not wearing Pokeweed again, so he inquired about it.

Ever since Pokeweed came into Shi Changxuan’s possession, it had been worn and taken off, worn and taken off. At this moment, it was taken out of the bag again.

Pokeweed started wailing when it was released from the confines of the knapsack. Shi Changxuan’s brows scrunched slightly and tossed it to Xie Lingya, “Help me hold it for a while.”

Xie Lingya caught Pokeweed and placed it next to his ear to listen.

Pokeweed: “……”

Pokeweed: “…Hic!”

It didn’t manage to stop its cry in time.

Xie Lingya didn’t understand what happened and thought it was hiccuping. He pinned the sprite onto his clothes.

Tang Qi looked on with reverence and asked, “Could this be… rearing a ‘little ghost’?”³养小鬼. The most common practice of this is Thailand’s Kuman Thong.

Although he did not partake in supernatural practices due to fear, he knew many businessmen or celebrities liked to keep little ghosts in exchange for help. Of course, there were also Taoist priests who did it as well.

“…Um, how should I explain this…? It’s somewhat similar. Have you heard of whispering sprites?” Xie Lingya asked.

Tang Qi had a vague impression but felt that it was almost the same as rearing little ghosts. “The one that Shi Daozhang keeps… is it fierce?”

Even though the wooden doll was dressed up in an adorable manner, Tang Qi had some preconceptions. The cuter it looked, the creepier it felt. Maybe it was some extremely vicious spirit.

Xie Lingya answered, “It’s not fierce, it’s cute.”

In Shi Changxuan’s view, it wasn’t vicious, but he suspected it was delirious after being struck by lightning.

“Really? Then what can it do?” Tang Qi asked.

Shi Changxuan had a sudden urge to sneer.

Xie Lingya: “It can sing…”

Tang Qi: “???”

Xie Lingya: “It knows fortune-telling…”

Tang Qi: “Oh, oh!”

That’s more like it! Tang Qi asked again, “But Teacher Xie can do fortune-telling, Shi Daozhang can’t?”

“Shi Daozhang can do it too,” Xie Lingya replied. “But there is no conflict here. The whispering sprite is a type of divination method in and of itself. Besides, the greatest benefit from Shi Daozhang rearing the sprite is from enlightening it and cultivating karma.”

“You are right,” Tang Qi said seriously. 

Taking the opportunity, he gave the two of them a bank card with 500,000 yuan inside. The agreement was originally 300,000 yuan, but Tang Qi added another 200,000 yuan after some consideration.

Mainly, he had witnessed with his own eyes how Xie Lingya had summoned the wild foxes by reciting the Qing Jing Jing. This proved Teacher Xie’s highly advanced skills in the practice of Taoist art and magic. 

Of course, Shi Daozhang had also put in the hard work to help design a special feng shui arrangement for the Buddhist temple. However, the event from last night was a real eye-opener for Tang Qi.

It’s difficult to find truly skilled and talented practitioners, Tang Qi thought. So with the intention to make friends, he upped the commission amount.

Xie Lingya was already elated with the original 300,000 yuan. The customer was mainly after Shi Changxuan, whose feng shui consultation fees were high. Baoyang Temple’s reputation wasn’t at that level yet and their talismans couldn’t sell for this much money.

Now that Tang Qi had voluntarily increased their commission, Xie Lingya was giddy with happiness. After splitting with Shi Changxuan four to six, he could still earn a good sum of money. 

Tang Qi sent them all the way back to Baoyang Temple before parting ways. After they got out of the car, he shook their hands and said seriously, “Teacher Xie, Shi Daozhang let’s keep in touch.”

Thinking back on it later, Tang Qi remembered something he’d heard previously. It was a Taoist saying which went, “The great changes between Heaven and Earth are always in one key. If one knows the key, then one could reach all ways.”

—Such sayings were common in Taoism. For example, Xie Lingya’s uncle had said, “Some people cultivate all their lives without even entering the door to enlightenment, while others ascend in only sixteen steps.”

Or in other words: With a bit of insight, the drawing succeeds, while the untalented wastes ink and cinnabar.⁴This line is somewhat tricky because it is one of the central messages of the novel.

灵光 itself does not refer to ‘talent’ but a certain ‘understanding’ or ‘enlightenment’.

The original line is from a Taoist script. A ‘talisman’ is the communicator between practitioner and god/nature. If you have the understanding then you could communicate directly with god/nature.

A paper talisman is but a formality, without real understanding, you are just wasting ink and cinnabar. (“Talisman” here also means other “formalities” like ceremonies, mantras, etc.)

All in all, Tang Qi did not feel there was anything wrong with Teacher Xie’s young age. Moreover, in his simple straightforward perception, Teacher Xie was at the same level as Chen Sansheng.

Xie Lingya said generously,“Of course. Mr. Tang is welcome to have tea at our humble temple whenever he is free.”

If Xie Lingya could successfully complete one or two more transactions like these with Tang Qi and Director Gao in a month, he wouldn’t need to worry about the funds to expand Baoyang Temple.

After that, he could take in a few disciples for his uncle to fulfill his uncle’s final wish.

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Xie Lingya came back carrying his shoulder bag. It was lunchtime, and since he had been away, everyone was eating take-out.

“I’m back,” Xie Lingya greeted everyone.

Hai Guanchao welcomed him and joked, “Thank you for the hard work, Director Xie, earning money to put food on the table.”

Everyone knew that Xie Lingya was ‘performing exorcism without a license’ because he needed to earn money to fund Baoyang Temple.

Xie Lingya blushed and said, “Well, I have old and young to provide for. It is what a man should do.”

Everyone: “……”

Hai Guanchao took a look around them, “Old and young? I thought you wouldn’t admit me as your shigong?”

Xie Lingya gestured to the Spirit Official Hall with his thumb, “Old,” and pointed to Pokeweed on his shoulder, “And young.”

Everyone: “……”

Shi Changxuan: “……”

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Translator: Velvet
TL checker: Darkchocolatesan
Editor: Miiya
Proofreader: Taalia, Eques
QC: Eques

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