A thick, hazy fog hung in the air as dawn broke.
The market awoke from its quiet slumber.
People arrived in small groups from all directions, gathering at the market entrance to buy, sell, and trade.
People came and went, their shouts and clamor rising and falling like a tide.
A buzz of voices! The clamor reached Sở Trần's ears, and he vaguely opened his eyes.
What met his eyes were pairs of feet moving back and forth – some in cloth shoes, some in straw shoes, and many simply bare.
The stench of feet, sour and rancid smells, fishy odors, and the smell of urine mixed with dust and dirt, along with a strange scent of green grass, assailed his nostrils.
"Why am I lying on the ground? Where is this?" Sở Trần hastily surveyed his surroundings.
This was a bustling ancient market. Everyone around him wore ancient-style clothing – rough, coarse garments – carrying bundles and chests of goods on their backs, coming and going like a tide.
Before he could fully process his surroundings, the next discovery made his eyes go wide.
He was curled up on the ground, his entire body covered in fur, hooves dug into the muddy earth. A rope was tied around his head, the other end fastened to a stake. Beside him were "companions" like sheep, donkeys, and mules, all making noise and wagging their tails.
Sở Trần: "?!!"
"I've transmigrated? And turned into an animal? Damn it! This is beyond ridiculous!"
"Fellow countryman, how many coins for this donkey?"
"It looks quite small and thin. Probably not even two hundred. Not even half the size of my own donkey. It's far too small and scrawny."
"How listless does this donkey look? Fellow countryman, is this donkey of yours a sick one?"
Thump!
Someone immediately kicked Sở Trần's donkey rump, scrutinizing him from head to tail.
Sở Trần froze.
"Skinny donkey? Sick donkey?"
He could accept transmigrating, but transmigrating into a donkey and being sold on the street – that was utterly unacceptable.
Perhaps due to his agitated state, his mind reeled, and then countless memories suddenly flooded his head.
Just after waking, he sank back into a dazed sleep.
The moon shone in the azure sky, and yellow leaves gently fluttered on the stone steps.
Sở Trần once again vaguely awoke in a desolate earth temple.
Flickering firelight illuminated the surrounding darkness.
Dark figures moved in and out, setting up pots to boil water, as the firewood burned fiercely, crackling loudly.
"The donkey's awake, Master! Next, do we slit its throat and drain its blood, then scald it with boiling water and pluck its fur?"
A young, shrill voice exclaimed joyfully, approaching from a distance.
Sở Trần's heart pounded.
"Slit its throat and drain its blood, scald it with boiling water and pluck its fur! Fantastic! Is this for steaming or roasting?"
Sở Trần was terrified. His whole body – no, his entire donkey body – shot up. The force was too strong; the rope tugged at his head, leaving a dull ache in his neck.
He tried to cry out loudly, but alas, his tongue was stiff; no matter what he did, he couldn't utter a single human word, only a "hee-haw" donkey bray.
"I'm doomed!"
Sở Trần lost all hope, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.
He considered himself the unluckiest among all transmigrators; not only had he inexplicably turned from a human into a donkey, but now his very life was in danger.
Sở Trần deliberately struggled, hoping to break free from the rope, and looked at the stake beside him.
A young Daoist acolyte, in his teens, with red lips, white teeth, and fair skin, stepped forward.
He untied the rope from the stake and pulled it roughly, making it clear he intended to drag Sở Trần to the bonfire and stone pot to drain his blood and shave his fur.
Although the young Daoist acolyte was small, his strength was extraordinary; his pulling made Sở Trần stumble and almost fall flat.
“Little Imp, don’t be so rough!” At this moment, a middle-aged Daoist priest, clad in a green Daoist robe, scrambled over, snatched the rope from the young acolyte’s hand, and scolded, “I told you to bring it over, but you’re just forcibly dragging it like this? Unbelievable!”
The young acolyte touched the small topknot on his head, with an innocent expression, and mumbled softly, “This isn’t a deity worshipped in the temple. For the vegetarian offering at the Five Viscera Temple, why do we need to be so polite?”
The middle-aged Daoist priest glared angrily at the acolyte, “Who said this was food? You have no perception whatsoever.”
The young acolyte was stunned. If it wasn’t food, then was it for walking? Looking at this scrawny donkey, it was clearly a sick donkey. He could barely ride it himself; it certainly couldn’t carry an adult man. If the master didn’t buy it to eat, what else could it be for!
Just as the old and young were talking, Suo Chen noticed a half-broken earthenware pot nearby, and the pot was filled with clean water.
It was clear that the water in the pot was for the Daoist priest and acolyte to drink.
Water!
Suo Chen’s eyes lit up.
In his previous life, he had heard of “Beast Transformation” (Tạo Súc) in the *Records of Gods and Ghosts* (Thần Quỷ Chí Quái): after a person was turned into an animal by heterodox sects and evil secret arts, simply drinking clean water could break the “spell” and transform them back into human form.
A glimmer of hope rose in Suo Chen’s heart.
If things like “Beast Transformation spells” truly existed, then the solution surely wasn’t baseless.
Thinking this, he didn’t hesitate, but lunged fiercely towards the broken earthenware pot, opening his mouth wide and drinking the clean water like mad.
The commotion immediately drew the attention of the two, one old and one young.
The acolyte cried out, “Master, your water!”
The middle-aged Daoist priest showed a surprised expression and muttered to himself, “It even knows to drink water to break the spell.”
Gulp, gulp! Gulp, gulp!
Suo Chen gulped down half the pot of water, not leaving a single drop. According to the *Records of Gods and Ghosts*, after drinking enough water, one should roll on the ground, and when the dust settled, they would transform back into human form.
However, things didn’t go as expected.
A long time passed, but nothing happened.
Suo Chen stood frozen on the spot.
This world had heterodox sects and evil arts like “Beast Transformation spells,” but the legendary method of breaking it was ineffective?
This left him utterly at a loss.
It’s over, everything’s finished. Suo Chen wailed in his heart.
But at this moment, the middle-aged Daoist priest spoke up.
“Layman, there’s no need to panic. This Beast Transformation spell is an Obfuscation spell (Yểm Muội thuật), an extraordinary illusionary technique. Drinking water cannot break it. Wait a moment, this humble Daoist will cast a spell to restore your human form.”
The young acolyte beside him stared at Suo Chen from head to toe in surprise and mumbled to himself, “Ah, so it was a human after all, what a pity!”
Suo Chen was stunned.
This Daoist priest is saving me?
Given the current situation, he had no choice but to trust the Daoist priest.
So, Suo Chen nodded repeatedly, quite obediently.
The middle-aged Daoist priest nodded slightly, turned around to retrieve a wooden chest, rummaged through it, and took out items such as yellow talismans, an ink brush, and cinnabar.
Immediately after, the middle-aged Daoist priest found a flat stone, took a deep breath, calming his aura. The surrounding atmosphere instantly grew quiet.
The shadowy form nearby paused; even the chattering young acolyte seemed very quiet, afraid of disturbing the middle-aged Daoist priest.
Suo Chen was also very tense, his breathing couldn’t help but slow. He stared blankly as the Daoist priest drew talismans and performed the ritual.
Just then, the middle-aged Daoist priest, his left hand forming a thunder seal and his right a sword mudra, began to step the celestial paces. His footwork blurred as he trod upon the two characters 'Kui Gang'.
Immediately after, the Daoist priest waved his brush, flicking ink with practiced ease.
In a flash, a mysterious and intricate spirit talisman appeared on the paper.
Within the talisman's complex patterns, ten large characters glowed brilliantly: 'Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth' and 'Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lungs, Kidneys'.
After the middle-aged Daoist finished drawing the spirit talisman, he formed a hand seal and sat upright.
The incantation began: 'Clear skies, harmonious earth, eternal existence! Ghosts and spirits self-destruct, demons and monsters hide their forms! Should any dare to transgress, escort them to the Nine Netherworld! I obey the decree of Master Three Mountains and Nine Marquises, subdue! Subdue!'
As the Daoist priest's loud cry echoed, the spirit talisman spontaneously ignited, transforming into streaks of fire that shot straight towards Sở Trần's body.
In an instant, five towering divine figures descended around him, and an indescribable pressure permeated the air.
Hiss!!!
Sở Trần felt his body convulse, an endless pain wracking him. His face twisted into a grotesque mask, thick black qi erupted from his entire body, and a piercing shriek tore from within him.
Hiss! Immediately after, a twisted wisp of black qi fled from Sở Trần's body, attempting to escape.
'Vile creature! Where do you think you're going!' The middle-aged Daoist priest formed a spell seal with one hand, while the other transformed into a claw, seizing it.
But then, in the Daoist priest's palm, the mass of black qi had transformed into a miniature donkey, kicking its four hooves wildly and struggling incessantly.