Yinshan Record

Chapter 40 The Story of That Year
"Distinguished guests have arrived! Serve them a bowl of assorted mushroom noodles and feed them well!"

As soon as I entered the hall, two waiters came to greet me. One of them had a dog's head on his head, while the other was clearly a living person.

"Please sit down, sir and madam. Our shop is the Niu Family Old Shop, a well-known and reputable establishment in this city. My master opened this shop when Lord Dushan laid down the first large timber for the city wall."

The waiter chuckled and took a towel to wipe the table.

"Then we were right to have good judgment."

"Sir, you look like a highly accomplished Taoist master. Would our lady like some incense? We have fine sandalwood, fine sage, and fine agarwood here to nourish your spirit; nothing could be better."

The human waiter responded with a laugh, while the dog-headed waiter simply stood by, staring blankly into space.

They clearly mistook the little fox for some kind of female ghost.

As far as Su Che knew, there were indeed quite a few unorthodox practitioners who raised ghosts as wives and concubines.

“My wife doesn’t like to talk.” Su Che took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and placed it on the table. “Please bring me a stick of good sandalwood incense.”

“Sir, this must be your first time in this isolated city. We’re not used to using this here.”

The waiter gave a rather awkward smile.

"According to the mountain lord's rule, only copper coins are used in this city, not gold or silver." The green ox swayed as it walked in from outside. "You can give him a copper coin as a reward."

"I really didn't know." Su Che took out a copper coin from his sleeve and handed it to the waiter: "Could you please bring me some tea, waiter?"

The waiter chuckled and said, "What are you saying, sir? I'll go right away, I'll go right away."

The Boss of Green Ox pulled out a chair, sat down casually in front of Su Che, and stared at Su Che with his bull-like eyes.

"Sir, you look unfamiliar."

"This is indeed my first time here."

Su Che looked at the bull demon.

"Then you must come often in the future. Our shop has good beef brisket. Whichever piece of my body you like, just cut it off to go with your drinks."

Holy crap, he really did eat it.

Old Niu's words were so forceful that Su Che was momentarily speechless.

"Thank you very much, but I am a vegetarian."

“Oh, sir, we are in the same profession. I also observe a vegetarian diet, but I didn’t know that you observe a long-term vegetarian diet or a monthly vegetarian diet.”

The old ox let out a moo, as if it had seen its own brother.

"We wouldn't dare deceive the master. My husband's restaurant is called Gengshen Restaurant," Qingqiu said, drawing sidelong glances from the two waiters nearby.

"Sigh, wasn't the Gengshen day just passed?"

“My husband’s Gengshen fasting means he can only eat meat on the Gengshen year, Gengshen month, and Gengshen day. If it weren’t for his cultivation and skillful techniques, which have allowed him to survive three Gengshen years since he began his cultivation, he probably wouldn’t be able to enjoy his favorite roasted oxtail to his heart’s content.”

Su Che immediately understood what it meant to talk nonsense.

A cycle of sixty years is called a Jiazi (甲子). The Gengshen year (庚申年) occurs every sixty years. Once three sixty-year cycles have passed, human lifespan will be approaching two hundred years.

"Sir, you are truly dedicated to spiritual practice. I'll give you a few cow tails later, so you can enjoy them on the next Gengshen day."

Old Niu nodded.

As they were talking, a bowl of vegetarian noodles was brought out from the kitchen. It smelled delicious. Su Che picked up his chopsticks and ate it, but didn't take a bite.

"The chef's skills are indeed excellent," Su Che praised, "but there is something I don't understand, and I would appreciate it if the shopkeeper could enlighten me."

“Please speak freely, sir. We will have to visit each other often in the future.” “I am from out of town. Seeing the orderly streets and shops in the city, I wonder which king had such ambition and what opportunity led him to establish such a foundation.”

As Su Che spoke, he glanced at the little fox beside him. This fox, who had led him to this city, must be more than he seemed.

"The local bigwig is named Lord Dushan, and he is indeed the most magnanimous among the demon kings near Xuanshan. More than thirty years ago, he received guidance from a master and opened this city here." Old Niu grumbled, "Sir, what business do you want to do in Duju City? When this city was built, I was one of the first residents. Just ask me if you have any questions."

This old ox is pretending to be mad; I'm trying to get information out of him, and he's trying to get information out of me too.

However, this city has been established for over thirty years, yet the Imperial Guards and the Jingye Division have remained completely indifferent, which gives a glimpse into the true nature of the Great Liang Dynasty.

"Me? I was looking for some rare and precious herbs and hoping to find some good fortune. When I saw that this place had a human touch, I was a little surprised and decided to bring my wife here to explore."

"I see a faint sword aura between your brows, sir," Old Niu asked curiously. "Could you perhaps be a swordsman from the East Sea?"

“I have a sword, but I can’t live up to the title of chivalrous. Master, why did you take the beef from your own body?” Su Che deftly brushed the matter aside.

Having taken on the role of a chivalrous hero, one must inevitably slay demons and monsters, and use this old ox to test one's swordsmanship.

The old ox seemed to be deep in thought.

"Sir, if you put it that way, the reason I sell meat here and the reason why Lord Dushan built a city here are the same thing."

Boss Niu pressed his five fingers on the rough wooden table, his eyes glazed over, seemingly lost in a memory.

"More than 30 years ago, I had just attained the Transformation Realm and was able to transform into a human form."

Transformation is the seventh level of cultivation for demons. Upon reaching this level, they can truly change their form, transforming from illusion to metamorphosis, much like the manifestation of the Daoist sect or the sword-wielding technique of turning the sword into silk. Only when they reach this level can they be said to have stepped onto the threshold between the immortal and the mortal realm.

Furthermore, he was no longer a mortal, but a mountain immortal.

"At that time, Shan Jun was already at the sixth level of the Spirit Realm. I was fierce and aggressive back then, and none of the old monsters around Xuan Mountain were not annoyed by me."

So you later shed your glitz and glamour and became an honest and simple restaurant owner.

"Life was going on like this until suddenly a bald old monk appeared. His beard reached his chest, he was eight feet tall and six feet wide, and his body was covered in thick, hard flesh. He wielded a thick stick and beat up all the named monsters in the mountains."

Upon hearing this, Su Che had some thoughts in his mind.

"Only the Black Mountain Monster is a genius. He stays at home and doesn't bother the old monk. The various demons are not convinced and want to join forces to fight him. Alas, who knew that once they fought, he was a steel-forged Arhat and an iron-cast Vajra, while we were like tofu and urine. We were beaten to a pulp in a few moves and not a single dog's butt was left."

"Master Qing's spine was broken, and Yu Tu Jun fled as fast as he could. Feng Jiu Nan fared better and moved quickly, but he was blocked from leaving the house. In the end, only I was left, stubborn and determined to fight that monk to the death. When I went to find him, I ran into Du Shan Jun leading a group of demons to burn incense and scatter flowers to pay homage to that monk."

"I don't know what they said, but later Dushan Jun opened this fortress, as if he really became a mountain king."

Old Niu grunted twice: "We'll just have to open a shop here and sell some meat."

"So you were selling meat here because that monk tricked you?" Qingqiu smiled slightly.

“That monk said that using my flesh to feast all living beings is just like Lord Dushan opening this city; both are opportunities for us to attain enlightenment in the future. Sir, your wife doesn’t like to talk, and when she does, she annoys people.”

Su Che remained silent.

The monk who was able to defeat all the demons of Xuanshan must have had at least a fifth-grade cultivation level back then.

What is his purpose in coming here?
It must be related to that old lion.

These bald monks are ruthless; they laid a trap here more than thirty years ago.

Su Che thought to himself that a storm was brewing and everyone should be making their moves.

It remains to be seen how the imperial court, Confucian schools, and various Taoist sects will deploy their forces.

This old lion is entangled in a web of karma, and has connections with several families to varying degrees.

(End of this chapter)