Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 305 A loving father and a filial son
The middle-aged monk was horrified and tried hard to circulate the spiritual power in his body, but he was suppressed by a powerful force and could not do anything.

Lu Zheng stepped lightly and floated in front of the other person.

"Why are you running? Did you do something shameful?"

The middle-aged cultivator stared, wondering in his heart, "Who on earth are you? How could a Confucian scholar from Yu County have such strength as you?"

He heard that the City God of Yu County was only a third-level deity, and the strength displayed by Lu Zheng was too strong, even he was no match for him. How could the local City God's officials have anything to do with such a person?

Lu Zheng said, "I never said I was a scholar from Yu County. I came from Anguo."

Lu Zheng paused, then continued, "Of course, these are not important. You should know the whereabouts of that wild god. Tell us what happened here."

The middle-aged cultivator's eyes flickered. "Anguo scholar? We, the Wanjian Sect, have no grudges against your Anguo. Why are you so obsessed with me?"

After hearing that Lu Zheng came from Anguo, the middle-aged monk felt relieved.

He had previously worried that Lu Zheng was some civil servant of the Chu State, and would definitely not sit idly by when encountering such a thing.

The relationship between Anguo and Chu was not good, and this Anguo scholar probably did not have a good impression of Chu, which made him see a turning point.

"Just curious." Lu Zheng said calmly, "After all, it's hard not to be curious when encountering something like this."

The middle-aged monk couldn't help but ask, "If I tell you the truth, can you pretend not to see it?"

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. It depends on what you did."

After hearing these words, the middle-aged monk frowned and began to think.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "I can give you some time to think about it, but my patience is limited. If you try to play any tricks, I won't mind reducing your cultivation level."

The middle-aged cultivator's face changed slightly. He could feel that Lu Zheng had the ability to destroy his realm.

Seeing this, the middle-aged monk had no choice but to say, "The wild god you are looking for is almost dead. I have sucked away his divine power and luck."

"You are a scholar of Confucianism and Taoism, and I believe you are well-read. I am a Qigong practitioner, and refining wild spirits like these will benefit my own cultivation."

Hearing this, Lu Zheng asked curiously, "I do know a thing or two about this, but you Qi cultivators are even refining spirits for your cultivation. Aren't you afraid of offending the State of Chu?"

The middle-aged monk explained, "If we do things secretly, no one will find out. Besides, no one will care if I refine some wild gods... As for the righteous gods, they are not so easy to deal with. At least I don't dare to offend them."

There are greater benefits to be gained from refining the righteous gods of the Chu State, but the middle-aged cultivator knows his own abilities and does not set his sights on those righteous gods.

But just because he doesn't do this doesn't mean other Qi Refiners won't do the same.

Every year in the territory of Chu, some righteous gods, sub-gods and low-ranking officials die or go missing accidentally. Most of the murderers are Qi cultivators rather than demons and ghosts.

Of course, there are also many monks who are wanted and arrested by the Chu court every year.

There are also many Qi Refiners in the Chu government.

Therefore, the relationship between the State of Chu and the Qi Refiners is very complicated. It is impossible to suppress the Qi Refiners to prevent future troubles.

The middle-aged cultivator said quietly, "I've reached a bottleneck in my cultivation. I can't rely on my own talent to break through to the fourth stage of the Nascent Soul Realm. That's why I left the sect and tried every possible way to seize the power of the Wild God's destiny..."

If it weren't for his limited talent, the middle-aged monk would not have risked doing such a thing.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but look at the middle-aged cultivator. "You are only middle-aged. At this age, you have reached the peak of the third realm. You are already quite talented. Why do you need to rush into cultivation?"

The middle-aged cultivator said helplessly, "Those of us who practice cultivation will also age like ordinary people. If we can't break through and prolong our lives in our prime or even earlier, when we reach old age, our meridians will wither and decay, making it even more difficult to break through."

Practicing Buddhism is like rowing against the current, if you don't move forward, you will move backward. He is so anxious to make a breakthrough because he is afraid that he will become unable to do it as he gets older.

The middle-aged monk paused and continued, "Of course, you Confucian and Taoist scholars are exceptions."

Confucian and Taoist scholars cultivate their own talents and learning. The older they get, the more literary energy they accumulate, and there is no such thing as decline.

Perhaps a Confucian or Taoist scholar was in his seventies or eighties and on his deathbed the day before, but he might suddenly have an epiphany the next day, his literary spirit soared, he broke through the realm, and his white hair turned black again.

If it were other practitioners, when they reached the stage of old age and death, they could only wait for the coffin lid to close.

"I see." Lu Zheng nodded slightly, then asked with some confusion, "What does this have to do with your temple renovations?"

The middle-aged monk said, "Once that wild god dies, the statue in Dawan Village will lose its spirituality and will sooner or later be discovered by the government. That's why I want my father to take the place of that wild god."

Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes when he heard this. He didn't expect that this person was thinking so far ahead.

Lu Zheng said: "Your father is just a mortal, right?"

If a mortal wants to become a god, it is almost impossible without the imperial court's enthronement.

Unless a mortal has great merits, is loved by many people, and thousands of people voluntarily offer incense to him, he can be imbued with divinity and transformed into a wild god.

But given the reputation of Landlord Zhang, he might not be respected by all the villagers even in Dayuan Village. How could he get enough incense and spiritual power to transform himself into a god?

The middle-aged monk whispered, "I have a way." Lu Zheng became curious and asked, "Tell me about it."

The middle-aged monk explained, "I used a magic elixir to solidify my father's soul. After his death, I cast a spell to attach his soul to the statue in the temple. The people will worship him, draw incense, and cultivate their spiritual power. Over time, my father will be able to embark on the path to godhood..."

Lu Zheng raised his brows slightly. So the temple was being renovated for this purpose?

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "You said you brought back a magic pill to prolong your father's life. So this is your method?"

The middle-aged monk said without changing his expression, "Using a mortal soul to become a god, how can that not be considered as extending one's life?"

"Does your father know?" Lu Zheng asked.

The middle-aged monk said, "Father naturally knows. Otherwise, how could I have persuaded him to take the lead in setting up the temple?"

His father had always been a god-reverent person. If he hadn't persuaded him with kind words and even showed him the wild god he had captured, this matter would have been difficult to carry out.

Lu Zheng was amazed, "Your family...how confident are you of success?"

The middle-aged cultivator replied, "I have at least 70% confidence in the secret techniques passed down by the sect."

The middle-aged monk made a lot of arrangements for this matter, but he didn't expect that Lu Zheng would suddenly appear and disrupt his plans.

"Seventy percent?"

Lu Zheng’s mind turned. Becoming a god is not easy. With such a high degree of confidence, the price he needs to pay will probably not be small.

Lu Zheng pondered for a moment and asked, "You've paid a lot for doing this, right? Just for refining such a wild god, what can you gain? What are you hiding from me?"

Hearing this, a trace of unnaturalness flashed across the middle-aged monk's face.

Lu Zheng keenly sensed the other party's emotional changes and said, "Why don't you tell me everything?"

The middle-aged monk said, "I'm only dealing with a wild god from the Chu State. Do you really want to care so much?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Have you read the Confucian and Taoist classics?"

"I've seen some." The middle-aged monk replied.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Since you've read it, I think you understand some of the principles. Scholars like me always like to uphold justice and are curious about learning. Of course, some people may think I'm meddling."

Lu Zheng paused, then continued, "This is my way of cultivation. Even if you don't agree with it, I hope you can understand a little bit."

The middle-aged cultivator said helplessly, "This involves the sect's secrets, so I'm sorry I can't tell you."

"Is that so?" Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I cannot force my way into your sect's secrets. I'll ask a few more questions, and of course you can choose not to answer."

The middle-aged monk felt something was wrong when he heard this.

Lu Zheng turned and stared at the middle-aged cultivator with a burning gaze, and a righteous aura enveloped the two of them.

Lu Zheng said slowly, "Even if this matter is concealed from the authorities, will your father, who has become a god, really have a good ending?"

The middle-aged monk was overwhelmed by the momentum and wanted to say something, but when the words came to his lips, he couldn't say them at all, as if something was blocking him.

He tried to steady his mind but couldn't do it, unable to stay calm enough to hide his true thoughts.

Lu Zheng then said, "The villagers will probably suffer, right? After all, if a mortal is made a god, the incense offerings won't be enough. What will happen to them? Will they die?"

The middle-aged monk's eyes inevitably changed.

Even if he didn't say anything, his expression betrayed him in such a situation.

Lu Zheng frowned and said, "He'll die? If the entire Dawan Village population were dead, where would the incense offerings come from? How could this not attract the attention of the government... So, your deification of your father was also a cover?"

The middle-aged cultivator could no longer maintain a straight expression. He had not expected that Lu Zheng could come up with so much based on speculation. He could not hide anything even if he wanted to.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng couldn't help but shake his head. This Qi Refiner even plotted against his own father. He was truly inhumane.

Lu Zheng said, "Your words and actions are truly unacceptable to me. I'm afraid your so-called sect secrets are not true. A sect that keeps such a cultivation method secret is no different from a cult."

Lu Zheng was too lazy to play tricks with this person and started searching him directly.

After searching for a long time, I couldn't find any martial arts books with relevant content.

The middle-aged cultivator said quietly, "The method is in my mind, you won't find it. I'm just taking the lives of some Chu people, which will do you no good or harm. If you really want something, I can give you spirit stones and elixirs. We are all cultivators, and the lives of ordinary people are just a few, so why bother so much?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Among those mortals, there are also members of your Zhang family."

The middle-aged monk said, "If a monk does not cut off worldly thoughts, how can he concentrate on cultivation and achieve self-realization?"

If he had really been entangled in worldly affairs, how could he have cultivated to his current level?

(End of this chapter)