Yinshan Record

Chapter 5 One-Eyed
Kulin Temple is not far from Shanyin County, which is a common feature of temples and monasteries around the world.

It cannot be too far from the town, lest it lose the offerings of devout men and women, nor can it be too close to the town, lest it lose its tranquility.

As Zhou Si and his group approached the county town, they bid farewell to Su Che and then to Xiao Shu Tong before heading off to find familiar buyers to deliver the medicinal herbs.

Goods entering the city gates incur an additional tax, so selling them outside the city would save them some costs.

Su Che had the gatekeeper verify the Ministry of Personnel's seal, and then the gatekeeper led him to the county government office.

The roads within Shanyin County were renovated in the early years of the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty. There are two main roads paved with bluestone, one running north-south and the other east-west. The other streets and alleys are paved with yellow earth.

The shops on both sides are lined up one after another, and the colorful signs are dazzling.

Under banners such as "Centennial Diao Family Shop," "Goods from North and South China," and "Wu Knives and Shu Brocade," you'll often find shop owners chatting with each other, arms crossed.

There were very few pedestrians on the street, and they all looked lifeless.

The town of Shanyin seems to have overslept, looking like it hasn't woken up yet.

Everywhere exudes a sense of gloom and weariness.

The county government office was located in the very center of the county town. The offices were arranged horizontally, with a side gate on each side and a main gate in front, in accordance with the regulations of the imperial court. This is why the government office was called "Six Doors" in the martial arts world.

To the left of the yamen stands a warning stone. The inscription, set by the previous dynasty, reads: "Your salary and emoluments are the people's blood and sweat; the common people are easily oppressed, but Heaven is hard to deceive."

“Your Excellency, this is the Imperial Admonition Stone. According to established law, a new official must bow to the admonition stone three times before taking office. County officials must also bow once when entering and leaving the county government office to show their respect.”

"Hmm," Su Che hummed.

According to the rules of the imperial court, newly appointed officials are required to bow three times to the admonitory stone here as a sign of respect.

Su Che looked at these sixteen characters but could only laugh.

The first eight characters, “尔俸尔禄，民脂民膏”, are indeed worth a fortune.

But "the common people are easy to oppress, but Heaven is hard to deceive."

Corrupt officials have abused the people, and the people can only hope that Heaven will intervene. It's utterly laughable.

The saying goes, "Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs."

"Summer melts away, rivers overflow, and people become fish and turtles. Who will judge the merits and demerits of a thousand years?"

Su Che's words were born of a moment of inspiration, which is why someone wrote, "There has never been a savior, nor do we rely on gods or emperors."

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency, I'll go and call the gatekeeper to open the door."

The gatekeeper who had led the way took his leave.

The main gate of the county government office is rarely opened; people usually only use a side gate.

The arrival of a new official is indeed something worth opening the door to.

Su Che was unwilling to bow to the admonition stone, and the gatekeeper dared not make things difficult for him.

The county magistrate may not bow to the admonition stone; if he does not, no one will complain.

However, the gatekeeper had no choice but to open the middle gate. Even if the county magistrate didn't react, who knew what the county assistant would think, or whether the registrar would scold him as a favor to the county magistrate.

As for how much of a show of disrespect the county constable's patrolmen and constables would give him in order to curry favor with their superiors.

As a capable gatekeeper, he was naturally sensible. After entering the yamen and exchanging a few words, he first summoned the clerk the county magistrate was accustomed to and told him that the county lieutenant would be entering the yamen soon, so that he could begin the preparations for welcoming him ahead of schedule.

Find another trusted confidant of the registrar and have him rush to the east gate to inform County Magistrate Jiang and Registrar Tian that the county lieutenant has arrived.

After the arrangements were made, the gatekeeper then went to fetch the gatekeeper and several servants, and together they opened the main gate.

Perhaps the county government office gate had not been opened for a long time, because it took them a lot of effort to open it.

The commotion at the government office naturally attracted the attention of the surrounding neighbors, who wanted to come and see what was going on.

Several yamen runners, wielding black and red fire sticks, swaggered out of the yamen, shouting through their nostrils to keep them away.

"What are you joining in for? The appointment of high-ranking officials is none of your business. Go back and gnaw on your wives' feet."

"Old Xue, I don't have a wife, but your wife's feet are so white and tender, let me nibble on them."

"Are you looking for a fight?"

"Let's hide, let's hide. What are you, a poor bachelor, arguing with the men for? Besides, it's not your turn to gnaw on their feet. Xue Laosan is standing guard here, and his father will naturally gnaw on his wife's feet for him. You're his uncle, so you should step back a little."

Su Che observed coldly, as if all of this had nothing to do with him.

Because the sword case he always carried on his back was vibrating slightly.

There must be a reason why a spirit soldier issues a warning.

As soon as the county government gate opened, a gust of evil wind immediately blew in.

Su Che saw only a thick, unyielding yellow mist rolling out from inside the gate.

A foul stench filled the air. A yellow wind swept by, and there was no one left in the vicinity.
There were no more gatekeepers, no more yamen runners, and no more onlookers.

The surroundings were empty, with only the sixteen-character admonition stone standing there.

"Hungry……"

A man in blue robes walked out of the yamen.

This man was nearly ten feet tall, with a bald head that obscured his facial features, except for a single eye as large as a bowl in the center of his face. He wore a blue kasaya, and his bare feet were like palm-leaf fans, with toes like those of a hawk.

"Give me back my arm."

"Give me back my arm!"

He stretched out his right arm, and a gash appeared in the center of his palm, where he roared incessantly.

Could this be the thing that was beheaded at the Kulin Zen Temple last night?
"Monk, what brings you here?"

Su Che calmed himself down and asked.

The monster in blue paused upon hearing this.

"I have two arms, one is my mouth, for me to inhale the essence of heaven and earth; the other is my ear, for me to hear the six desires of the mortal world. I ask you, are my arms with you?"

"Your arm is broken, why are you coming to me instead of looking for your arm?"

The one-eyed demon monk was taken aback, a glint of eerie light flashing in his single eye.

"Good, good, good."

The bubble bursts, and the dream ends.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the blue-clad demon was nowhere to be seen.

"Sir, please."

The gatekeeper, leading a group of clerks, opened the door and waited for Su Che to enter.

At this moment, inside the Kulin Zen Temple.

A beam of blue light suddenly appeared in the courtyard.

He fluttered and danced up and down, as if he were drunk.

The plants and trees in the Kulin Zen Temple seemed to come alive and begin to move.

The flowers and plants danced gracefully, like delicate maidens.

The pine and cypress trees frolic and chatter, like an old man.

The azure light could not suppress the injuries in the end, and a stream of Yi wood essence was released.

"You guys are getting off easy. Enjoy yourselves, enjoy yourselves."

Qingguang laughed hoarsely, as if it wasn't the one whose very essence had been disturbed.

“One-Eyed, I told you not to go, but you went anyway. See, you still got the short end of the stick.”

A delicate, sweet voice rang out in mid-air, each word seemingly containing a thousand charms.

"I advised you last night not to seek revenge against that person, but you didn't listen. As a result, you were attacked and your vital energy was damaged, which is a fundamental injury."

Her sweet, delicate voice suddenly turned hoarse, carrying a mature charm, as if she possessed endless grace.

"When you went to find him again this time, did your soul-summoning technique manage to steal even a trace of his vital energy?"

Upon hearing this, Qingguang trembled violently.

"If my physical body is destroyed by someone and cannot be recovered, then the very foundation of my enlightenment will be severed..."

"What's your hurry? With the Black Mountain Monster around, there's no need to worry about not being able to rebuild our foundation. What was it like when you went there this time? Tell me about it to cheer me up."

"Why don't you go yourself?" The one-eyed blue light was restrained, as if he didn't want to talk to her anymore.

"The swordsmanship of the man surnamed Su is formidable; I would never dare to test it..."

The one-eyed man said with great resentment, "I used the soul-summoning technique on him, but he didn't answer me, so I knew he had broken the technique. I then tried to capture him, but before I could even get close, the sword energy within my body suddenly surged like a tide..."

"This is the technique of a seventh-grade sword cultivator who refines swords into silk. This person's background should be from the East Sea Sword Palace. Their lineage loves to kill bald monks and then monsters. You, idiot, have done both. It's no wonder you're in trouble."

That sweet, delicate voice chuckled a few more times.

"It's strange, there was some movement at Xuanshan last night. Lord Dushan asked me to come find you and ask if you want to go and investigate again, but judging from your current state, I think it's better to forget it."

"My sect's most treasured possession lies within Xuan Mountain." The one-eyed man snorted coldly, "Just call me whenever you wish to explore again."

“…You silly donkey…” the delicate voice retorted, “You said that thing, it didn’t move earlier or later, so why did it move as soon as that person came?”

(End of this chapter)