Sword from the Immortal Mountain

Chapter 17: House God Toad

Malice is a thought that is harmful to others. It is invisible and tangible, and difficult to detect.

But who is Chen Jin?
Normally, the soul is hidden in the Niwan Palace for nurturing. Once it is stimulated by the outside world, it will be startled and rise.

This is the characteristic of the fundamental method of "visualization and induction".

He remained calm and pretended to wait and see.

But the other party was very vigilant, and once his malice was released, it was quickly restrained and concealed very well.

Being able to control his energy so freely shows that he is not an ordinary person, but a person practicing cultivation.

Are there any cultivators in Chen Zexiang?

Chen Jin was not very clear about it, he only heard that there was a witch who was very mysterious and lived in a remote and gloomy place and rarely interacted with people.

He didn't think such a witch was a true cultivator.

So, the one who is now releasing malicious intent towards me is some outsider?
The village chief's family is holding a big banquet tonight, not only inviting people from the village, but also many people from outside.

It is said that the invitation was delivered to the yamen.

Although we cannot invite Lord Song, the county lord, the other party should send an aide to entertain us, which is considered as a courtesy.

After all, Chen Jiande was also a well-known local gentry and landlord.

"Ah Jin, you're here!"

An excited voice sounded, and a man came over to say hello. It was Chen Liang.

He is tall and thin, with three short wisps of beard, and his eyes are a little dull, with a tendency to cross-eyed.

Although Chen Jin and he were classmates, there was a ten-year age difference between them.

This situation is not surprising. Some old students in their forties or fifties are classmates with young men in their teens.

"Ah Jin, where did you go a while ago? I couldn't find you. Your uncle said you went into the city."

Chen Liang asked.

Chen Jin replied: "Yes, I stayed at a friend's house for a few days."

Chen Liang was stunned: "Do you have a friend in the city? Who is it? Do I know him?"

He asked questions like a machine gun, but he was a lively guy.

In his opinion, it was quite novel that Chen Jin could get to know people living in the county town.

Chen Jin said calmly: "I just met him."

Chen Liang said "Oh" and then said: "Next time there is a chance, you must introduce me to him."

Chen Jin: “…”

In fact, there was not much interaction between him and Chen Liang. With his previous scholarly personality, he was sullen and didn't have much to say to anyone.

But Chen Liang was a sociable man. Perhaps he felt that Chen Jin had the potential to pass the imperial examination, so he started talking nonstop: "The last time I came to see you, I wanted to go into the city with you to pay tribute to the gods and fulfill my vows at the Confucian Temple."

"Shouldn't you go there after passing the student exam?"

"It's OK to pass the exam and become a Tongsheng. The more you worship the gods, the more blessings they will bring. But to repay the gods and fulfill the vows, you need to prepare many things, which is troublesome. It's not a bad idea to wait until you pass the Xiucai exam before going."

Chen Jin didn't want to waste time on such nonsense, so he asked directly: "You have a household god in your home, what kind of god is it?"

Household gods is a very broad concept that encompasses a lot of things. If broken down into smaller parts, they include seeking wealth, having children, protecting the house, exorcising evil spirits, and so on.

There are all kinds of them.

In terms of type and functionality, they are similar to the gods in the big temples outside.

The difference is that the main gods in the big temples are open to the public, and anyone can come to worship and pray to them, while the household gods are limited to one's own family.

To make an analogy, the gods outside are equivalent to the imperial court, and the gods at home are the private guards. If something really happens at home, it is difficult to expect the government officials to come to rescue and help; it is much more convenient to have guards to guard the house.

Of course, those who can invite household gods and afford to worship them are not ordinary people.

Ordinary people and common people can only stare blankly.

Chen Liang's face was filled with smiles, and he lowered his voice: "If other people ask, I usually won't tell them. But you are different, Jin. Let me tell you, what my family has invited is a toad god."

Chen Jin was stunned: "What is a Toad God? A toad?"

Chen Liang smiled slightly and said, "You probably don't know this. The ancients said: Winning the laurel in the palace of the moon. The moon is the god of fame and fortune."

Chen Jin wondered: "Shouldn't we offer sacrifices to Kuixingjun, the god of fame and fortune?"

Chen Liang explained: "There are more than one god in charge of fame and fortune. There are many gods. Wenchang Emperor, Wenqu Kuixing, sages and saints, etc. But they are the great gods of the three religions and must be worshipped in a proper temple. We cannot afford to worship them at home."

Chen Jin nodded and said, "That makes sense."

Chen Liang added: "You and I are from the same clan and hometown, and we have been classmates for many years. We should have made progress together. It's a pity that I can't let you come to offer sacrifices to the family gods I invited."

Chen Jin smiled and said, "It's okay. I don't worship that god."

Chen Liang thought he was just trying to hide his disappointment and pretending to be nonchalant, and he wanted to say something else.

A servant came running over and called out, "Master, Master, Mr. Zhu from the government office and Captain Ma and others have arrived at the entrance of the village. The master wants you to go over and greet them quickly."

"Really? That would be great."

Chen Liang cheered up.

Although the county magistrate was not invited, it was still an honor to have a lawyer come, so he had to go and receive him immediately: "A Jin, please do as you please."

Turned around and walked away quickly.

Chen Jin ignored all that and continued to look around, but unfortunately there were people coming and going all around and he couldn't find that person.

Maybe, hidden.

After waiting for a while, the meal finally started and the food was served.

The chairs and tables on the scene were arranged in a very regular manner. Different people had different seats, according to the order of seniority, and people could not just sit casually.

Because he was a scholar, Chen Jin was arranged to have a good seat even though he could not sit in the upper seat.

Most of the people sitting at the table were scholars, and their words and actions were elegant. There were many etiquettes between them, but when they talked, it was all "zhihuzheya".

Chen Jin was too lazy to get involved and said, "Everyone, pick up your chopsticks. Don't wait until the food gets cold or it won't taste good."

At this time of year and season, the food and wine would indeed get cold very quickly after being served.

I have to say that the food and wine tonight was really good. There were eight kinds of food, including fish, meat, chicken and duck. The portions were very large.

In the past few days, he had eaten a lot of wild game in the mountains, but the cooking methods were simple and lacked seasoning. Now, when he ate these stir-fried dishes, he felt that they had a unique flavor.

The other people were still chatting, but seeing the delicious dishes and meat on the table decreasing at a visible speed, they suddenly became anxious and no longer cared about being polite. They quickly picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

Just kidding, they are basically poor people with no family background, and they may not be able to eat meat twice a year. What a good opportunity tonight, if I miss it, I don’t know how long I have to wait for the next chance to have a feast.

If Chen Jin took all of it, it would be a huge loss.

When the meal started, all etiquette was disrupted and chopsticks were flying everywhere, only picking up the good meat.

After all, there is not much good meat left. If you are a step slower, you will miss it.

Seeing this, Chen Jin secretly complained: Why bother? They've already told us to eat, but they're still saying "I've heard a lot about you" and "Please give me more advice". They're just coming to the banquet, making it seem like they're making friends.

He had already been merciful, otherwise these people would not have been able to get a piece of meat.

After filling his stomach, Chen Jin thought about going to see what the so-called "Toad God" invited to Chen Liang's house looked like.

(End of this chapter)