CHAPTER 634: CHAPTER 31 GODS AND GHOSTS MISCELLANEOUS TALK

Ning Jiesheng brought over the ox-cart and also took out a hundred taels of silver to give to Scholar Ning.

Scholar Ning did not refuse and took all the items.

Lin Feng helped Scholar Ning place the books scattered on the ground onto the ox-cart.

Scholars... to Lin Feng, they were like those scholars in the mundane world, diligently studying in hopes of obtaining official recognition and success.

Perhaps Scholar Ning was also that kind of person.

But in this world of cultivators, where the strong are revered, becoming a powerful cultivator was what everyone dreamt of.

Compared to that, there were far fewer scholars.

Speaking truthfully, Scholar Ning was the first scholar Lin Feng had met.

"Thank you, young friend," Scholar Ning gave a bow.

Lin Feng said, "You flatter me too much, sir. May I know where you plan to go thereafter?"

Scholar Ning replied, "I plan to head to Bamboo Mountain to build a thatched cottage, where I’ll spend my days gardening, reading, and writing to pass my remaining years."

"If sir doesn’t mind, I still have some strength left and hope to help build that thatched cottage," Lin Feng said.

"That would be much appreciated, young friend," Scholar Ning gratefully replied.

"Please don’t mention it, sir." Lin Feng helped Scholar Ning onto the ox-cart and then led the blue ox towards the direction of Bamboo Mountain.

On the road, Lin Feng met Wang Hu and several other disciples and told them to set off for the Ancient Barbarian Mine the next day, and that he would follow shortly.

Wang Hu and the others nodded in agreement.

Bamboo Mountain was a hundred li from Beiman Town, an area covered densely with bamboo trees; there once stood a Mountain God Temple, which was now in ruins.

Lin Feng repaired the Mountain God Temple and built a two-story bamboo building next to it.

"Bamboo buildings are quite cold in winter; come winter, sir could reside within the Mountain God Temple. Although it’s somewhat dilapidated, a repair should make it sufficiently warm," Lin Feng said.

Scholar Ning replied, "You have helped a great deal, young friend, and I have little with which to repay you. Here is a book titled ’God and Demon Miscellaneous’, which took me thirty years to write. Please accept it."

As he spoke, Scholar Ning took out a book.

"Gods and Ghosts Miscellaneous Talk?" Lin Feng was surprised.

"With the heart of a fierce tiger and the gentleness to sense roses, with righteousness in the heart, ghosts and gods cannot invade," Scholar Ning stated.

Lin Feng pondered Scholar Ning’s words, finding them quite profound, and thought to himself, Who says that scholars are utterly useless?

Those who read a lot often have the ability to perceive the essence of matters.

That night, Lin Feng did not leave immediately; he helped Scholar Ning make some simple wooden furniture and set up several formations around the area which would activate if any ferocious beasts attacked, powerful enough to annihilate them.

At night, Lin Feng sat cross-legged, a dim oil lamp casting a weak light; the ’Gods and Demons Miscellaneous Talk’ book lay before him.

Lin Feng opened the book and discovered that ’God and Demon Miscellaneous’ recorded stories of various gods, demons, and ghosts.

The first story went like this: a scholar traveling to his exams passed through an Ancient Forest, a place rarely visited by people. In the forest was a dilapidated Mountain God Temple. The scholar offered incense to the Mountain God and then studied by lamp light, and whilst studying, his vast righteous Qi attracted many spiritual beasts to the area.

Reading this, Lin Feng softly exclaimed in surprise, "Vast Righteous Qi." He had read about it previously in the ’All Heaven Record’, which mentioned that it was cultivated by Confucian cultivators.

Vast Righteous Qi was, of course, easy to understand: reading nurtures the Qi, the spirit, and the thoughts, harboring justice in one’s heart, which in turn generated Vast Righteous Qi after reading.

Ordinary scholars could cultivate Vast Righteous Qi too.

However, for ordinary scholars, even if they could cultivate Vast Righteous Qi, they knew not the ways of cultivation, so they could not utilize it.

Lin Feng continued reading.

In "God and Demon Miscellaneous," it was written that the scholar who produced Vast Righteous Qi not only attracted Spiritual Beasts but also demons from the woods.

The demons wanted to devour the scholar to enhance their own Taoist practice.

Just as the demons were about to strike, suddenly, the Mountain God from the Mountain God Temple came to life and repelled the demons, protecting the scholar.

"This story is really interesting, the Mountain God is a spiritual symbol rather than a real manifestation, how could it possibly come to life?" Lin Feng shook his head slightly.

He treated the content in "Gods and Ghosts Miscellaneous Talk" as simply stories, and Lin Feng noticed that these stories were mostly related to scholars.

At that moment, Lin Feng read another piece that caught his attention.

It said that one day, a Prime Minister named Li Mo went on an inspection; the area he visited was plagued by Evil Demons. These Evil Demons wanted to take the Prime Minister’s life. As Prime Minister Li Mo boarded a boat, suddenly, a wild wind arose from the lake, Demonic Qi billowed, and the Evil Demon’s Magic Power seemed boundless, about to overturn the Prime Minister’s boat.

Yet, the Prime Minister shouted loudly, "The Righteous Path in the human world is full of vicissitudes, Evil Demons dare to disrupt the order, they must be slaughtered!"

As he roared these words of execution, only to hear screams rise and fall, one by one, the hidden Evil Demons fell from midair, dying in the lake, and both the fierce wind and magical fog disappeared.

Someone asked, "Prime Minister, you have never practiced cultivation, why did all these Evil Demons die from your shout?"

The Prime Minister said, "I have been reading for fifty years, I have cultivated Vast Righteous Qi in my heart, naturally, Evil Demons cannot come close."

"Truly profound and mysterious." Lin Feng muttered; these stories were indeed interesting, but he did not believe the contents of the stories.

Lin Feng collected his thoughts and continued reading.

It turned out that after these Evil Demons were heavily wounded, they were not willing to admit defeat, so they resorted to evil tactics by summoning three female ghosts.

The Evil Demons sent these three female ghosts to deal with Li Mo.

Late at night, as Li Mo was reading in his room, the three female ghosts transformed into three incredibly beautiful women and came to Li Mo.

These enchanting women, transformed from the female ghosts, swayed their snake-like waists in ultimate seduction, attempting to lure Prime Minister Li Mo and then bite him to death.

However, as they approached Prime Minister Li Mo, they saw Vast Righteous Qi emerging from the surface of his body, repelling the three female ghosts.

These three female ghosts instantly revealed their true forms.

They roared, "We came here to eat you, aren’t you afraid of us?"

Li Mo said, "If one stands upright, one need not fear a crooked shadow; I am unafraid even when ghosts knock at my door at midnight."

"People say they are not afraid of ghosts, but who wouldn’t be afraid upon seeing one?" The three female ghosts shrieked and lunged at Li Mo.

Just then, Purple Qi within Li Mo surged three thousand li.

"Ah, Vast Righteous Qi!" The three female ghosts were terrified, their souls shaking, and they pleaded repeatedly.

"Very well, I will enlighten you and let you undergo reincarnation."

As Li Mo’s words fell, he infused a stream of Vast Righteous Qi into the bodies of these female ghosts.

The Evil Magic Power within these female ghosts disappeared, and they thanked Li Mo profusely before flying off to reincarnate.