Yinshan Record

Chapter 21: Human or ghost?

"Senior brother, does it sound like someone is laughing?"

"Junior brother, can you smell a human scent?"

While the two headless monks were whispering amongst themselves, the One-Eyebrowed Taoist leaped out of the bushes.

"The Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, my Way is triumphant. Divine soldiers pave the way, and all taboos are lifted."

With a flick of his divination mirror, he pointed his sword with his right hand, stepped out in a powerful stance, and unleashed a vast aura that overwhelmed the two ghosts.

"When the wind blows, the grass bends; when the mirror reflects, the ghost submits. The great transformation of Yin and Yang, the work of creation, the Qin King reflects his bones, the Han Emperor receives the dew, let it fall upon me."

A faint light flashed, and the two ghosts were nowhere to be seen.
All that could be seen was the Taoist with one eyebrow holding a divination mirror, upon which were two headless paper figures tightly affixed.

There is a clear red line on the paper figure, which faintly forms the character "敕" (chì).

The Taoist with one eyebrow pulled a red thread from his sleeve and tied the two paper figures together.

"A single line of heaven and earth stretches across this land, where the sun and moon shine, and heaven and earth unite. The yang returns to the nine heavens, and the yin returns to the underworld."

A few beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. The Taoist with one eyebrow tied the two paper figures up and put them into the pouch at his waist.

Then came the light steps of Yu, followed by a few more hand seals, and then it was time to finish.

"Master is amazing."

Qiu Sheng curiously leaned closer: "Master, when will you teach me these two techniques?"

"I'll teach you this trick when you can reduce your bowl of rice from three bowls to half a bowl per meal."

Su Che smiled upon hearing this.

In Taoist cultivation, the ninth rank is "absorbing Qi".

To achieve this level of moral cultivation, the foundation is fasting, using the essence of heaven and earth to nourish one's vital energy instead of grains.

The saying goes, "Those who eat meat are fierce, those who eat grains are skillful, and those who eat qi are divine and long-lived."

When a Taoist practitioner reaches the ninth rank, they not only acquire the foundation to wield various Taoist arts, but also prolong their lifespan.

This Taoist with one eyebrow was clearly a Taoist who had passed the Qi Refining stage.

However, those two young apprentices were clearly not up to par and probably hadn't even mastered the basics yet.

"Wencai, what's wrong with you? How can you laugh in a scene like this?"

Qiu Sheng looked at his junior brother with a feeling of disappointment and frustration.

"Hehe, the way they talk is kind of funny."

The little apprentice of the One-Eyebrow Taoist scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

Su Che looked at the calm and composed expression on Lin Daoren's face beside him.

It seems that this was just one of his disciple's routine actions. Lin Daoren had seen it many times and had no temper left.

"They were just two ghosts who were no match for us at all." The One-Eyebrowed Taoist looked at Su Che beside him: "Brother Yue, what do you think of those two ghosts just now?"

"Brother Lin means..."

“Brother Yue is from out of town. This Kulin Temple was originally inhabited by a monster. Although it belongs to the wood element, it is bloodthirsty by nature and often murders travelers and merchants passing through this place.”

Generally, plants and trees are considered to be spiritual beings because their nature is very tranquil. There are often stories in the streets and alleys about flower fairies getting married or tree spirits talking about the past with old men.

Some families even keep ancient trees at home, because once these trees are imbued with spirits, they will remember the past and try to repay the kindness of raising them for many years.

The one-eyed monk at Kulin Temple is indeed a special case.

As for why it is like this, it is hard to fathom.

"There are already rumors in Guobei County that the newly appointed county magistrate of Shanyin County is a highly skilled swordsman who spent the night here and has already severely injured the tree demon."

Su Che looked at Lin Jiugong.

You guys are really well-informed.

"There's no time like the present. If I were the only one here, I could have simply destroyed that zombie. But meeting Brother Yue today has given me a different idea."

"Does Brother Dao mean to eradicate evil completely?"

Su Che looked at Lin Jiugong, and a faint light flashed in the Taoist's eyes.

“Brother Yue, in this world, demons and monsters are everywhere, ghosts roam in broad daylight, and humanity is declining. We cultivators should strive to earn every bit we can, and seize every inch we can.”

Su Che remained silent for a moment.

Perhaps the reason this world hasn't degenerated into a living hell like Lion Camel Ridge in Journey to the West is because there are many ordinary cultivators like the One-Eyebrow Taoist. They are like candles in the dark night; though they cannot illuminate everything, they can stubbornly light up the space in front of them, preventing the world from falling into complete darkness.

"Brother Lin is absolutely right, that is exactly the point."

Upon hearing this, the One-Eyebrowed Taoist felt greatly relieved.

"Qiusheng, Wencai, the purpose of this trip has changed. You two go home first. I will handle the rest with Mr. Yue."

Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai exchanged a glance, but their expressions were quite different.

“Mr. Yue, please take good care of my master. Don’t be reckless. Master, we should just leave when we need to. It’s just a job, ten taels of silver. There’s no need to risk our lives. People like us are slaves to money our whole lives…”

Wencai spoke haltingly, his words incoherent and disjointed.

"Mr. Yue, you don't look much older than us. Please take care of yourself. If fate allows, we'll see whether your swordsmanship is superior or my Taoist magic is more profound."

Qiu Sheng clasped his hands in a fist salute, his words brimming with chivalry and loyalty.

Su Che also gripped the peach wood sword hilt with both hands and addressed the two of them.

"Thank you for your request, but there's no need to say anything more about the possibility of meeting again in the future. After you finish your business tonight, I'll have to trouble you to heat up a pot of old wine and bother you a bit."

The two apprentices kept turning back as they headed towards Guobei County.

"Brother Lin's two disciples are quite good."

Su Che watched the two figures as they walked away and was moved to speak.

"It's alright, it'll do."

The Taoist with one eyebrow frowned.

"Brother Yue, I'm afraid it's presumptuous of me to say something, but if we go any further, we'll surely encounter ghosts and monsters. Please allow me to ask one more question."

"Please speak, fellow Daoist."

"Brother Yue, since you are a sword cultivator, why is there no sign of your sword?"

Su Che fell silent for a moment; Old Lin had indeed hit the nail on the head.

The foundation of a swordsman lies in the sword in his hand. A person must never be separated from their sword, and a sword must never be separated from its master; that is the most basic principle.

What can I say? I was just passing by, and by sheer coincidence, we bumped into each other. My premium weapon is currently sitting at home.

"The lineage from which I come from takes sword energy as its foundation and does not emphasize sword techniques. The so-called sword heart is clear, and everything can be a sword. With Brother Lin's excellent disciple, this peach wood sword is enough for Buqun."

Su Che recalled the settings he had seen in his previous life.

Lin Jiugong sighed inwardly. The sword immortals in the East China Sea were indeed full of vigor and had all sorts of ideas. In comparison, the Confucian and Taoist sects were somewhat stuck in their ways.

"That's good."

Lin Jiugong led Su Che, and the two walked towards the Kulin Temple.

The layout of Kulin Temple is no different from that of ordinary temples.

At the mountain gate is the so-called Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings, which enshrines the Four Heavenly Kings: Dhritarashtra, Virudhaka, Virupaksha, and Vaishravana.

Passing the Hall of the Four Heavenly Kings, you will find the Vairocana Temple, which enshrines the Buddha who founded the Buddhist lineage in this world. Because his title is Vairocana, it is named the Vairocana Temple.

Behind Pilu Temple, there are also buildings such as the Sutra Repository and the Great Enlightenment Hall.

When Kulin Temple was first discovered, it was a grand complex, but now only these broken walls and ruins remain.

Su Che and Lin Jiugong walked one after the other among the weeds and ancient trees, each with their own thoughts and feelings.

This Kulin Zen Temple was once the lineage left behind by a great practitioner. Who knew that a strange calamity would wipe out the entire temple? And then a monster took over the temple, so the ghosts of the monks in the temple dared not show their faces.

Human affairs change, and the past becomes the present.

That's roughly the meaning of the sentence.

Lin Jiugong, holding a compass, stopped ahead.

"Brother Dao, is there anything unusual?"

Lin Jiugong looked at Su Che, his brows furrowed.

"Brother Yue, are you a human or a ghost?"

Thank you to Midnight Sunshine Little Panda for the reward, and thank you to Black Star Not Rising for the monthly ticket. I'd like to shamelessly ask for everyone's recommendations and collections. I will definitely work harder to write a good book. Thank you all.

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(End of this chapter)