Becoming a fox fairy from Liaozhai

Chapter 857 Finding the Right Sense

Chapter 857 Finding the Right Sense

Gong Mengbi disappeared from Gong Daoren's sight in the blink of an eye, and Gong Daoren knew that the contest had already begun.

His eyes were bright and piercing, like a pair of shining stars. Although Gong Mengbi was like a drop of water in the river, he still swam up and followed closely behind.

Gong Mengbi's presence disappeared quickly, and he had to hold on tight, otherwise, if he was careless, Gong would really escape from his sight, and the competition would be over before it even started.

In Gong Daoren's eyes, the wealthy young man had somehow disappeared. After examining the situation carefully, he smiled and quickened his pace, walking up to an old man carrying a load on a shoulder pole. He asked, "Fellow Daoist Gong, did you sell out so early?"

The old man looked up and saw that it was indeed Gong Mengbi's face. He smiled and said, "If you sell early, you can go back quickly. Look, I bought a dou of rice."

He lowered his head and lifted the straw covering the load, revealing the unpolished rice inside. When he looked up again, he saw that the face had changed, becoming a deeply lined old face.

Gong Daoren's heart skipped a beat. In the blink of an eye, Gong Mengbi had transformed back into an old man, as if he had never spoken to Gong Mengbi at all. This change in identity was so natural that it did not arouse his suspicion at all.

He knew that Bai Mengbi had already escaped, so he hurriedly went to search for him again. Parting the crowd, Gong Daoren's eyes lit up again. He chased after her, walked up to a village woman, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Gong, where are you going this time?"

The village woman also had Gong Mengbi's face and voice. She pointed to the small hill outside the city and said, "That's Xiaqiu if you go that way."

She pointed her finger out of the city, but Gong Daoren refused to be fooled and stared intently at Gong Mengbi's face, trying to understand how he had changed.

Then she burst out laughing. As soon as she laughed, Gong Daoren's expression changed again, because the voice was no longer Gong Mengbi's. It was just a change in expression that allowed Gong Mengbi to escape again in that instant.

Gong Daoren suddenly turned his head to look in the direction of Xiaqiu, and saw a crow flapping its wings and soaring, its black feathers shimmering with iridescent light in the sunlight.

Gong Daoren quickly chased after him, transforming into a hawk and swooping down.

Only a fake body remained, meekly listening to the village girl's scolding: "You Taoist priest, you're so unreasonable! I showed you the way, why didn't you believe me..."

The eagle swooped down on the crow, but the crow was not intimidated. With a few flaps of its wings, it kept the eagle behind, then lowered its body and landed on the mountain path of Xiaqiu.

The eagle followed closely behind, and then the crow cawed twice before landing on a long, slender arm.

The eagle landed and transformed into Gong Daoren. Seeing Gong Mengbi raise his arm and release the crow that had landed on it, he felt somewhat incredulous: "What kind of illusion is this? Why are you a villager, and a villager is still a villager?"

“At first I thought it was a possession transformation, but I couldn’t detect any trace of soul-stealing power. I followed the crow and thought it was you transformed, but it wasn’t you.”

Gong Mengbi chuckled a few times and walked alongside him on the mountain path, saying, "To be honest, Brother Gong, I am a fox who has cultivated to the Dao, and illusion is one of my specialties."

Master Gong was taken aback: "A fox attaining enlightenment?"

Gong Mengbi asked him, "Doesn't it look like it?"

Master Gong shook his head and said, "It's not that it's not like you, it's just that you're too frank."

Gong Mengbi's eyes crinkled into a thin arc as he smiled and said, "There's nothing to hide anyway. Brother Gong has an extraordinary demeanor, and I imagine he's not the kind of person who can't be associated with those who aren't of our kind."

Gong Daoren did not consider himself to be an ordinary person, although he certainly did not mean to look down on other cultivators.

Gong Mengbi did not delve into this point, but turned the topic back to the exchange of Taoist arts: "The illusions cultivated by foxes are mostly mental illusions. The Reflecting Moon Fox starts with the spirit and enters the illusion with the mind. It still follows the method of seizing the spirit and intimidating the soul."

“When Brother Gong came up from the city, he was already under my illusion. It wasn’t that I possessed the old man and the village woman; it was that Brother Gong was moved and saw me in the old man and the village woman. In the end, I manifested in the crow and followed him to Xiaqiu.”

Master Gong suddenly understood: "So that's how it is!"

Gong Mengbi's illusion was not cast on the old man, the village woman, or the crow, but on himself. However, casting it on him was much more difficult than casting it on the old man and the village woman.

Once the truth was revealed, Gong Daoren had this feeling, and immediately closed his eyes, erasing a wisp of dust from his heart.

Gong Mengbi was tempted, but he just watched with a smile.

When Master Gong opened his eyes again, the divine light in them shone even brighter.

As they walked and talked, Gong Mengbi asked, "Brother Gong's illusions are equally extraordinary. Although they are all illusions, they are completely different from my Taoist arts."

Master Gong didn't hide anything and pointed out, "It's an elephant."

"elephant?"

“Things change in countless ways, each with its own unique form. They follow the shapes and forms, and thus reveal their true nature.” Gong Daoren said, “Fellow Daoist Gong takes the form from the emotion, while I take the emotion from the form. That is probably where the difference lies.”

Gong Mengbi had completely figured it out and said, "No wonder the movements were completely different; it turns out the difference lies here."

Once it's explained, there's a sense of sudden enlightenment. Illusion, by its very nature, is a fluid and ever-changing art of imagery. The practice of drawing images from emotions or drawing emotions from images both involve this.

“I start with the mind, while Brother Gong starts with external appearances; though our paths differ, we arrive at the same goal.”

Gong Daoren said, "We who cultivate illusion ultimately seek to obtain reality from illusion, to cultivate truth through falsehood. It doesn't matter where you start, in the end it all comes down to one thing."

Gong Mengbi nodded: "Since we all end up in the same place, I have this method of interpreting the imagery of emotions. Would you be willing to take a look, Brother Gong?"

Gong Daoren was taken aback and looked at Gong Mengbi, asking, "Brother Gong, do you want to exchange Taoist techniques with me?"

Gong Mengbi nodded and said, "There's no need to talk about exchanging them. My Mind Illusion Technique is originally of the Yin nature and reflects the Heart Moon Fox, so you may not be able to master it. However, it can still be useful in some ways, like drawing lessons from other mountains."

After a moment's hesitation, Daoist Gong said, "Let's just exchange some insights on cultivation. Fellow Daoist is very open and honest, but my Daoist methods are passed down from my master's lineage. My master is still alive, so I dare not presume to be so presumptuous."

"Alright."

Xiaqiu is a good place. The surrounding fields are flat and open, but this hill rises up from the earth. Emperor Shun once "arrived at Fuxia" and may have also stood on this hill.

Gong Mengbi and Gong Daoren did not possess the vision of Emperor Shun; they merely climbed the hill and gazed into the distance, where the clouds dispersed, the air was clear, and the view was unobstructed for a thousand miles. Looking west towards Liyang Dapi and east towards the peaks of Mount Tai, everything seemed to dissolve into purple mist and blue smoke, and it was inevitable that their hearts would feel broadened and enlightened for a moment.

Gong Mengbi did not hold back, passing on the Taiyin Illusionary Divine Talisman and the profound mysteries of illusion techniques within the Taiyin Method. This was the foundation of his Fox Sacrifice to the Moon, half of his illusionary arts, and an integral part of his cultivation.

However, his cultivation was so extensive that since entering the Dao, he had learned many skills from Tianhu Academy, Prayer Tree, Fire Dragon Daoist, Qiantang Jun, and Fu Jun, among others. Illusion was merely a derivative of his Taiyin Method and one of his methods, not his foundation.

Although it is not the foundation of one's livelihood, it does not mean it is not precious.

Gong Daoren himself was a master of illusion, and upon seeing the Taiyin Illusionary Divine Talisman, he immediately understood its wonders. For him, it was a perfect complement to his inner cultivation, allowing him to refine his practice and avoid many detours.

Besides one's own master, who else could impart Taoist teachings so unreservedly?

Gong Daoren was filled with guilt. Although he had not passed on his cultivation techniques to Gong Mengbi, he had not kept the principles of cultivation to himself.

He thought to himself, "He has learned my Taoist arts, so it will be difficult for me to control him. But this is his own skill, so it cannot be considered that I have broken my promise."