Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 118 Underwater God
Faced with Lu Zheng's threatening words, a trace of panic appeared in the man's eyes.

But it was only in a trance, his eyes became firm again, and his heart was unmoved.

The man said coldly, "If you do this, our gods and ancestors will not let you go. You will definitely be punished!"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "So, your gods and ancestors are still alive and can still come to find me?"

"You will be punished." The man just said.

Lu Zheng looked at the man coldly and said, "You use human sacrifices, aren't you afraid of retribution?"

The man heard this and acted as if he knew nothing was wrong. "We bought them with our own money. It's their blessing to let them serve God!"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask: "If that's the case, why don't you go and serve the gods yourself?"

The man stiffened his neck and said hoarsely, "After we die, we will naturally serve the gods! If all of us serve the gods, then who will offer sacrifices to the gods and ancestors in the future?"

Lu Zheng stared at the man and saw fanaticism and awe in his eyes.

It seems that in the eyes of the Qingyi people, there is nothing wrong with buying and selling people as commodities and sacrificing them to the gods, and it is the right thing to do.

But how can this be possible?

Lu Zheng felt that the man had been brainwashed too severely, and his thoughts were too barbaric and deeply rooted.

You can't reason with such a person, nor can you talk about morality with him.

Lu Zheng slowly said, "Since you think I will be punished, how about taking me to see the god you worship and see if he will punish me?"

The man was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and said, "You are an outsider, you cannot go to our holy land! I won't take you there!"

"If you can take young boys and girls for sacrifice, why can't I go?" Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask.

The man said, "They are sacrifices to the gods, and you are not."

"Then just treat me as you and send me over to offer me as a sacrifice to your God." Lu Zheng said.

The man glared and said, "You are not! God only wants virgin boys and girls!"

Lu Zheng's eyes flickered, "Oh? Could it be that he told you?"

"It's an oracle received by the elders of the clan." said the man.

"That means I haven't heard it myself." Lu Zheng smiled. "You can't just kneel down before a stone statue and think you'll be blessed, right?"

The man glared at her, "You are blaspheming! We are worshipping the true God, not some stone statue!"

Lu Zheng's mind turned. It seemed that there was really someone playing tricks behind this, and it was not some traditional sacrificial ritual of the Qingyi tribe.

"Take me there!"

Lu Zheng said again in an unquestionable tone.

The man shook his head and said, "I won't take you there. That would be blasphemy. I can't be reincarnated after I die. Just kill me!"

Lu Zheng could see that the man in front of him was truly not afraid of death. His fanatical belief in God even made him willing to sacrifice his own life.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Your God should have warned you not to tell outsiders about him, right? But you just told me so much, you have already betrayed God."

The man was struck by lightning and even forgot the pain.

His eyes lost focus and he felt anxious.

"No, that's not true..."

Lu Zheng stared at the man and continued to provoke him, "You have betrayed God and your people..."

The man trembled and looked up at Lu Zheng with panic in his eyes. "You saw it yourself. I didn't say anything. That's right! I didn't say anything!"

A hint of madness appeared in the man's eyes. He stared at the sword in front of him and reached out to grab it.

Lu Zheng drew back his sword and took a step back.

The man ignored his bloody left hand and stood up and rushed towards Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng frowned and slapped the man lightly with his palm, sending him flying backwards.

Then he quickly took out a rope and tied the man up tightly, and blocked his mouth so that he could not make any sound.

This guy is too stubborn. It seems he would rather die than say anything more.

Lu Zheng had no choice, he couldn't really kill the opponent with one sword.

He carried the man back to the mountain they had been to before.

Then he found a place and hid the man.

Then, Lu Zheng went to the wooden house in the mountains.

It was already late at night, the lights in the cabin had been turned off, and the sound of someone breathing soundly in their sleep could be heard.

Lu Zheng quietly came to the outside of the wooden house and opened the door carefully.

Looking into the room, I saw two children lying on a bed, still unconscious, with a big man sleeping next to them.

The other man slept on the floor at the door.

Lu Zheng looked at the man on the ground, reached out and grabbed the man's neck, then quickly dragged him out.

The man who was sleeping soundly suddenly felt his neck tighten and he couldn't breathe.

He suddenly opened his eyes and found someone grabbing him and leading him up the mountain.

The man struggled and fought back, but Lu Zheng directly broke off his two arms.

The man's eyes widened in pain and he almost couldn't breathe.

After walking a distance, Lu Zheng stopped and said in a deep voice: "Tell me, where is your God?"

"You, who are you..."

The man was being strangled by Lu Zheng and spoke with difficulty.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "It doesn't matter who I am. What's important is what I'm asking you. The guy who brought the child up the mountain with you was very stubborn. I already threw him to the wolves... You don't want that, do you?"

"you……"

The man's eyes widened, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Lu Zheng continued, "Just point me in a direction, and I'll spare your life. This is a rare opportunity. If you're like him and don't say anything, I'll have to ask other people..."

As he spoke, Lu Zheng used one hand to grab the man's neck.

The man suddenly felt dizzy and couldn't breathe. Lu Zheng didn't give him a chance to think about it.

Sometimes, giving such people too much time to think will strengthen their faith and make them not afraid of death.

The man had just woken up from his sleep and his mind was still a little confused. Now he couldn't think calmly.

The fear and feeling of being on the verge of death quickly came over me.

For a moment, the man's instinct for survival overcame everything.

He struggled, raised his hand tremblingly, and pointed in a direction.

Lu Zheng looked at where the man was pointing, then knocked the man unconscious, tied him up and threw him into the woods.

Then, Lu Zheng followed the direction the man pointed.

After climbing over a hill, he found a mountain path under the moonlight.

If those Qingyi people often offer sacrifices to gods and ancestors, there is obviously a way to go.

Lu Zheng walked along the mountain path and soon arrived at a pool of water halfway up the mountain.

At a place beside the pond, some remnants of incense and paper money can be vaguely seen.

Judging from the situation, it is obvious that someone has worshipped here before.

However, there are no temples or statues around, just a pond.

The pool is more than ten feet wide and bottomless.

Lu Zheng was walking by the pond when he noticed some strange smells.

There is a hint of demonic smell, but it is also mixed with another indescribable smell.

This breath comes from underwater.

A monster in the water... Lu Zheng's eyes flickered.

Without thinking too much, he stepped directly into the pool and swam slowly to the bottom.

Having had several experiences in the water before, Lu Zheng swam in the water with agility.

It was pitch black underwater, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you.

As soon as Lu Zheng thought of it, a thumb-sized star condensed, and the flashing light illuminated the surrounding scenery.

There were many fish swimming slowly around. There was no silt at the bottom of the pool, but only large and small pebbles, making it look very clean.

At first glance, no demons or ghosts were found, nor were there any corpses left over from sacrifices.

Lu Zheng frowned slightly, thinking he had come to the wrong place.

He quickly landed at the bottom of the pool and searched with the starlight in his hand.

After a while, he found a crack under the water and water was gushing out of it.

And that special breath also came from the gap.

The gap is wide enough for one person to pass through.

Lu Zheng held his breath, entered the crevice, and swam in the underground river following the guidance of the breath.

After swimming for about several dozen feet, Lu Zheng broke out of the water.

At this time, he was in a cave underground.

The cave is damp and some aquatic plants grow on it.

"call……"

Lu Zheng took a few deep breaths, walked out of the water, and walked deeper into the cave.

He moved very quietly, without making a sound.

Through the narrow and deep passage, a hazy halo can be vaguely seen coming from the front.

Lu Zheng reacted quickly, clenched his hands, and the stars in his palms dissipated.

Following the halo emitted from the cave, Lu Zheng found that these faint lights came from pearls embedded in the stone walls.

The pearls are all the size of a thumb and very round, and you can tell at first glance that they are of great value.

And inside these beads, Lu Zheng could feel several kinds of aura.

However, these auras were weak, and Lu Zheng had just started practicing cultivation, so he didn't understand many things and was unable to distinguish these auras for a while.

He had no time to observe these pearls and continued to move forward quietly.

The further you go in, the brighter the light becomes, illuminating the surroundings.

The aura that Lu Zheng had felt by the pond before became increasingly strong.

That mysterious being obviously lives here.

Ahead, in a wide and bright cave, there are some stone chairs and beds.

On a bed of stone lay a large white shell.

The shell is six feet square, pure white and clean, without a trace of dust, and emits a light golden halo.

And in the opened shell, there was an old man in white lying in it, his eyes closed and his expression leisurely.

And around the old man, there was a mysterious golden aura lingering, giving people a feeling of sacredness and inviolability.

And this kind of aura is not demonic.

Similarly, this golden aura concealed the demonic aura from the old man.

Suddenly, the old man in white seemed to realize something.

He slowly opened his eyes, his eyes flashing with golden light.

The old man's eyes flashed when he saw a young man standing at the entrance of the cave.

Then he sat up leisurely, his face dignified and his tone solemn.

"Who are you? Are you disturbing my meditation?"

(End of this chapter)