Chapter 11

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For more than ten generations the people in this village have relied on the mountains to feed themselves. Farming and raising livestock are their main duties, so it’s rare to find someone who can read or write.

The news that Lu Liangsheng could read and write spread, and after Lu Laoshi’s anger subsided, he felt a bit regretful. After all, his son was his own, and he hadn’t checked thoroughly. What if they went to Yamen and couldn’t argue their case properly? It would not only be embarrassing but could also result in punishment.

While he hurried home, inside Lu Liangsheng’s room, the Toad Daoist sat on the edge of the bed, supporting himself on his webbed feet, watching the young man as he wrote and drew.

“As your teacher, I know you’re feeling uncertain in your heart, but you need to understand. Most of the people in the village are your relatives. There’s a saying, ‘Help the right, not the relatives’. Moreover, here, it’s both about kinship and justice. If you don’t stand up to help everyone, it will be hard to justify. A person who does good should uphold righteousness and stand firm in heaven and earth, even at the cost of their own life.”

Lu Liangsheng set down his brush, looked at his master, and with a faint smile, said: “Master, I understand what you’re saying. It’s just that I’ve never been to the yamen before. The highest official I’ve seen is the village chief, and that was from a distance.”

“If you go, the highest official you’ll see is the county magistrate,”

The Purple Star Daoist sat on the edge of the bed, kicking his toad legs and adjusting his webbed feet. Trying his best to stretch out his fingers and point at himself, he said: “Think about it. After decades of cultivating the Dao, if I hadn’t taken that first step, would I have achieved the profound cultivation I have today? You’re just timid. But a person can’t spend their whole life hiding in the back.”

“Profound cultivation…” Lu Liangsheng looked him up and down.

The toad retracted his hand and shifted it behind him. “Teacher is referring to the past.”

Pausing for a moment, nearly forgetting what he wanted to say next after being choked by his disciple. He reorganized his thoughts, stood up, and began to pace on the edge of the bed. He continued: “In any case, you must go. Cultivating the Dao is about cultivating humanity and a righteous heart. If you don’t do this, it will go against your conscience, and it will be even harder to advance further in your practice.”

His mother…I even resorted to these words, why don’t you just go?

After the Purple Star Daoist finished speaking, he stared intently at the young man, who was pressing his hands against the table with his lips tightly pursed. After a long while, Lu Liangsheng finally relaxed his lips.

He nodded towards his master. “I understand, Master. Liangsheng will remember what you said!”

The Purple Star Daoist also let out a long sigh of relief. He jumped onto the old table and patted the young man’s arm with his webbed feet. “It’s good that you understand. Going to yamen is a test, and Teacher has faintly sensed that you have a certain special destiny awaiting you. Just go with confidence.”

Looking at the young man who had been moved by his words, the toad’s eyes, marked with red dots, flashed with a fierce intensity: This Old Man added another sentence to entice you, I do not believe you don’t want to go.

Lu Liangsheng responded with a determined tone.

“Yes! Master.”

At that moment, Lu Laoshi rushed back home. Hearing the noise, the Purple Star Daoist quickly fell down on all fours, and the door was pushed open.

“Dad, what’s the matter?” The young man looked at his father with some surprise.

Entering the room, Lu Laoshi looked at his son and rubbed his calloused palms with a hint of guilt. His usual mild demeanor returned. “Liangsheng… about going to the yamen…”

Before he could finish, his son spoke up first. “It’s alright, Dad. I will go.”

“You… are you really going?”

Lu Laoshi was taken aback by his son’s response. Thinking it over, he realized that Liangsheng had become more mature and sensible in recent years and understood that if the village suffered injustice, many people would likely starve.

After settling the matter, the village elder gathered eight men and explained the details of the case to Lu Liangsheng. They also discussed some arguments for the yamen before dispersing late into the night.

The next morning, each household contributed some dry rations and a bit of cash for the journey. Lu Liangsheng mounted the old donkey from home, packed with food and scattered coins, and set out with the eight strong men from the village, retracing the path to Fushui County.

Amid the braying of the old donkey and its slow-paced footsteps, the young man’s backpack swayed, with the Purple Star Daoist curled up inside, bumping against the copper coins.

With his eyes closed, he made a faint humming sound.

“At this pace, we’ll probably reach the county town by the next day…”

The group was moving slowly. Firstly, the road outside the mountains was rugged and difficult to traverse, and secondly, this trip was not as casual as when they had more people. They had to be cautious and watchful for bandits.

As dusk fell, the distance to Fushui County still remained about fifteen miles. Although the remaining journey was relatively easier, after a day’s travel, people naturally felt exhausted and drowsy.

The eight men discussed with Lu Liangsheng about making do with an overnight stay outside. The mountain people were not very delicate, as long as it didn’t rain, they could sleep in a heap of wild grass without much trouble. However, the situation was not so dire. This route was familiar to the villagers, and ahead, halfway on a hillside, there were a few thatched cottages.

They had been occupied in the past, but for unknown reasons, the residents had moved out or passed away, leaving them abandoned and the fields were untended. Sometimes when they didn’t want to travel at night or encountered heavy rain, they would stay there for a night before continuing their journey.

Lu Liangsheng looked up. The hills within his sight were shrouded in dark forests, and the night sky was dotted with drifting clouds, revealing a half-moon.

Owoooo—

The distant howl of a wolf echoed through the forest. The rustling footsteps over fallen leaves, combined with the moonlight filtering through the gaps in the trees, created an eerie atmosphere. The eight men walked ahead, heading towards the dilapidated thatched house they had mentioned.

Lu Liangsheng led the old donkey from behind, constantly observing the surroundings. The dark outlines of the distant mountains resembled crouching giant beasts, and the moonlight filtering through the tree gaps, along with the occasional wolf howl, sent shivers down his spine.

“We’re almost there.”

The voice from the front reassured Lu Liangsheng a little. The old donkey he was leading was restless, snorting heavily, and reluctant to keep up, but the young man managed to drag it along.

After climbing a gentle slope, in the cold night, there stood a small thatched house with half of its earthen wall collapsed. It had been neglected for a long time, and after the wall fell, the roof had caved in as well.

Pushing open the crooked door, a creaking sound accompanied by dust falling onto his shoulders greeted them.

Lu Liangsheng coughed a few times due to the musty smell inside the house. Despite the strong odor, the pile of burnt wood on the floor indicated that someone had indeed stayed here occasionally.

Soon, the fire was rekindled. Someone took out a clay pot, placed it on the fire, and broke the dry food into pieces to cook. Adding water to the dry food helped make it more palatable and saved resources.

The eight big men who had accompanied Liangsheng were all volunteers. Since there weren’t many farming tasks in the village, they wanted to come out to see the world. If they were lucky enough to find a good job, they might not have to return until the New Year at the earliest.

After making do with a simple meal, the eight men gathered around the campfire and fell into a deep sleep.

At this time, Liangsheng was not very sleepy. He was reading another book, <Emerald Heart Dream Nourishment>, by the fire. The crackling of the fire and the chirping of insects nestled in the corners created a quiet atmosphere. The package leaned against the wall swelled a few times before loosening, and a figure crawled out silently.

The Purple Star Daoist glanced at the young man’s back, quickly darting through a gap in the wall, and stood under the moonlight, surveying the desolate mountain area as if sensing something.

He leaped forward with all four legs, making a noise as his webbed feet rustled through a thick layer of fallen leaves. His mouth was open, and his long tongue trailed behind him as he ran.

He followed a small stream up the mountain, leaping over a lying rotten tree and standing in front of a large boulder. His toad eyes eagerly focused on the mountain wall where the stream flowed out. Between the moss-covered rocks, there were deep, dark crevices that seemed to lead to a larger space.

“Come out…”

The toad stood upright, puffing out his bulging belly, and slightly lifted his face: “This Old Man has something to tell of you, little demon!”

His voice echoed through the forest, and the previously calm leaves suddenly began to rustle wildly, making a continuous noise.

In the deep crevices between the piled rocks, a faint rustling sound emerged, followed by a pair of scarlet eyes glowing in the darkness.

“Hmph… a minor demon in the Spirit Connection Stage.”

The Purple Star Daoist held his forelimbs and pointed in the direction he had come from.

“This Old Man is ordering you to kill someone, it doesn’t matter if you eat them. Consider it a small gift for you, my junior.”

From the cracks in the rocks, two long shadows emerged. Initially mistaken for branches or bamboo sticks, they were revealed to be a pair of pale red insect antennae swaying in the air when illuminated by the moonlight.

After a moment, a hoarse, sharp voice accompanied by the chirping of insects came from the crevice: “You’re a demon too. Why don’t you do it?”

The Purple Star Daoist frowned, this creature actually dared to question him.

Before he could speak, the sharp voice turned into a deep, mocking laughter: “A little toad like you, daring to make demands on my mountain… Heh heh… I’ll accept your little gift. However, you look quite tasty yourself.”

The Purple Star Daoist’s heart skipped a beat.

“… How can this Spirit Connection Stage demon be so smart?” A flash of thought crossed his mind, and he turned his toad body, leaped off the large boulder, and began to flee, his webbed feet pounding the ground in panic.

Behind him, a tremendous crash sounded as rocks shattered and flew about. As they splashed into the creel, the crimson eyes quickly darted out of the deep place. The cold moonlight illuminated the segments of the creature, and the shattered stones were soon covered with countless insect legs. The pincer-like mouthparts clacked together, emitting a long, harsh hiss.

The fleeing toad glanced back briefly, his short legs moving frantically.

“Why is this old man so unlucky…”

Behind him, a massive centipede slithered into view.

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