Bizarre Cultivation: Starting from Being Beaten Up by Reality

Chapter 18 Yunxiangzi

Upon hearing Lin Fan's threat, Yun Xiangzi's smile widened even more.

"Not today, not today. My master said I would live to be forty-eight, but I am forty-seven this year."

"Heh. Alright, let's see if your master's predictions are accurate today." Lin Fan had nothing to lose, and if this ugly woman kept bothering him, she wouldn't have an easy time even if she didn't die.

This Taoist priest had cheated my family out of their money and was now treating me so casually; I might as well settle all the old and new scores together.

"Oh, alright, young man, why bother? Of course I know how to remove curses, but you certainly can't afford the price."

Seeing that the other party was about to fight to the death, the dog-skinned Taoist softened his tone.

Hearing what the other party said, Lin Fan realized there was still room for negotiation, so he put away his desperate stance and said, "As long as you save me, I will definitely repay you in the future."

"No, no, if everyone says that, then I'll be left starving. How about this, tell me again what that thing looks like?"

Lin Fan then described the appearance of the woman in red who was holding her own head in more detail.

After listening, the dog-skinned Taoist priest pondered for a moment and asked doubtfully, "Are you sure it really is a plump woman in bright red?"

"determine."

"Taller than you?"

"Not counting his head, and without shoes, he's about my height."

"Hiss." The dog-skinned Taoist gasped. "You mean you, an ordinary person, withstood a third-tier red-robed curse all night long?"

"You mean that ghost is a third-tier being, and very powerful?" Lin Fan asked back.

"How can you answer questions with questions? It's really unpleasant. First of all, that's not a ghost, it's a curse, a kind of curse."

"The first tier is called the Minor Curse, the second tier is the Hunger Curse, and the third tier is the Red Robe Curse."

After saying that, the dog-skinned Taoist priest looked Lin Fan up and down with great interest. "I didn't expect you to be so brave, young man. What kind of courage does an ordinary person need to withstand the Red Robe Curse for a whole night?"

Lin Fan remained silent. In fact, he had experienced at least five near-death experiences due to hallucinations and being scared to death. He survived entirely thanks to the Soul-Suppressing Pearl, though he couldn't say that.

The dog-skinned Taoist priest pondered for a moment, "It's not that there's no way to help you. I have a senior brother who has a Taoist technique that requires extremely courage to cultivate, but he hasn't been able to find a suitable successor."

"If you're willing to come with me to become his apprentice, then you'll be my junior apprentice, and I'll naturally help you with this little favor."

"Where should I go to find a master? What if he refuses to accept me?" Lin Fan suppressed his emotions. As long as the other party made some demands, there was always hope.

"Hey, can't you just ask one question at a time? He's in Baishi County, and I'll help you remove the curse first, then we'll go and find him to be your apprentice. If he doesn't accept you, you won't lose anything. But it's a deal, once the curse is lifted, you can't go back on your word."

Lin Fan remained silent. Baishi County was the closest county to them, and Shenmu Academy was located there.

If it were when he had just transmigrated, Lin Fan would have agreed without hesitation upon hearing that he could cultivate the Dao. However, at this moment, he was filled with doubt, and he no longer believed that there was anything good in the world.

Master Dogskin stood up, poured two cups of tea, drank one himself, and handed one to Lin Fan.

"This is a good thing. You may not know, but being a Taoist priest is a thousand times better than being a tenant farmer. My senior brother's Taoist temple is in the county town, which is a hundred times better than mine. Not to mention anything else, at least you can eat your fill every meal, and you can even eat meat once or twice a month."

"Moreover, if there are religious ceremonies or altar rituals, you can also receive silver."

The Taoist priest with the dog skin looked at Lin Fan with a smile and patiently guided him.

"Do monks only think about eating their fill, eating meat, and getting money?" Lin Fan asked, frowning.

"Hey, you little rascal. What else do you want? Do you want to live forever and become an immortal? You need to be well-fed before you can cultivate! You don't know what's good for you. Just tell me if you're going to do it or not. If you're not going, go back and wait to be entangled to death by the Red Robe Curse."

After much deliberation, Lin Fan finally agreed, reasoning that things couldn't get any worse than they were now. He didn't care about eating his fill anymore; he'd just live one day at a time.

"Master, I have another question. You said the ghost that's haunting me isn't a ghost, so what is it? Which is more powerful, a ghost or a curse?"

"How would I know? I've never seen a ghost," the dog-skinned Taoist priest casually replied to Lin Fan while packing his things.

Lin Fan initially thought this man was a complete fraud, but Niu Dadan's incident made Lin Fan think that perhaps he had some real skills. Besides, if he wasn't good at it, it wouldn't matter; he wouldn't lose anything.

"Kid, what are you standing there for? Go home." Yun Xiangzi waved his hand, signaling Lin Fan to go home and wait for him. Anyway, the Red-Clothed Curse was going to come out at night, so Yun Xiangzi meant to wait for Lin Fan at his house.

Lin Fan certainly wouldn't leave. If he didn't come back when he returned, then all his efforts would be wasted.

Lin Fan waited until evening before the dog-skinned Taoist priest was ready, and then they went down the mountain together.

"This Red Robe Curse is not easy to deal with. Your uncle risked his life to help you this time. I would charge at least twenty taels of silver outside. Remember me when you achieve success in your cultivation."

The Taoist priest spoke more and more intimately, as if Lin Fan were truly his junior disciple.

"We'll talk about these things after you've removed the Red Robe Curse," Lin Fan said, still looking unconvinced.

Lin Shuixiu was still helping with the funeral arrangements at Er Gou's house when Yun Xiangzi made up an excuse and told Lin Shuixiu not to go home that night, and then took Lin Fan away.

prick--

Yun Xiangzi planted an iron sword in Lin Fan's yard.

"Taoist Master, can this be used to exorcise curses?"

"I don't need it, so I just left it here. This thing has no effect on spells."

"What does the Taoist priest usually use him for?" Lin Fan asked suspiciously.

The Taoist priest with the dog-skin coat twitched his goatee. "What's your hoe for? My sword is for what? It's not for plowing fields."

"Leave all the ironware outside, we don't need it. Do you have a wooden sword? If not, a tree branch will do, it can help me out later."

Lin Fan took out three wooden swords from his home—two of his own and the one Sanpang had left behind—and gave them to the dog-skinned Taoist to choose from.

"They're all the same, just grab one." The dog-skinned Taoist priest glanced at them.

“But this one was sold to Sanpang’s family by you, who said it could ward off evil spirits,” Lin Fan said, taking out one of the knives.

The Taoist priest with the dog-skin coat rolled his eyes and said, "Then let's go with this one."

Lin Fan deliberately handed the sword he had carved to the dog-skinned Taoist priest.

"Hmm, not bad. Upon closer inspection, this sword does indeed possess a trace of spiritual energy, which will make it even more powerful later."

"Oh, I misremembered. This one is the one I carved. Your spirit sword seems to be that one." Lin Fan pointed to another sword he had carved himself.

He cursed inwardly, thinking that this guy was indeed a charlatan, all talk and no action.

"Hey kid, stop trying to be clever like this." The dog-skinned Taoist priest said, as if in a fit of pique, and picked up the sword that Lin Fan hadn't pointed to, shoving it into Lin Fan's hand.

Next, the dog-skinned Taoist priest had Lin Fan sit cross-legged on the ground while he picked up all sorts of strange bottles and jars and got busy.

After a while, Sanpang brought over a black dog. The dog-skinned Taoist priest picked up the iron sword in the yard and with a swift, sharp stroke, killed it.

Afterwards, the black dog blood, mixed with all sorts of strange things, was smeared all over Lin Fan's house.

The peach wood sword in his hand was also coated with a dye made from black dog blood.

The last bowl of dog blood, containing seventeen or eighteen strange ingredients, was handed to Lin Fan.

"Drink it."

Lin Fan frowned. Could it be that he was fine before, but after drinking this stuff, he would be in trouble?

Putting everything else aside, wouldn't drinking raw dog blood directly cause bacteria and parasites?