Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 462 The Moon Goddess in Her True Form
After hearing the ghost's words, everyone roughly understood what was going on.

Yang Wan and Ju Sheng couldn't help but feel alarmed, but were thankful that no such ruthless person had appeared among the people under their rule.

He was so ruthless that he didn't even care about his life, turning himself into a vengeful ghost to kill gods, and he actually succeeded.

Yang Wan couldn't help but ask, "How do you know how to become a vengeful ghost? Aren't you afraid of dying in vain?"

The ghost said coldly, "I can read and write, I've read some books. I was already on the verge of death, why not give it a shot..."

The ghost looked at its own corpse. It only knew about the method of turning a dead person into a ghost from some books. It wasn't very confident when it did such a thing.

However, he succeeded in the end. In extreme pain and resentment, he transformed into a vengeful ghost with the intelligence he possessed in life, a hundred times stronger than ordinary wandering ghosts.

After that, he went to find the god and managed to kill him, but he also became weak.

The ghost used its remaining power to create a pond, alleviating the village's drought.

When the pool appeared, the villagers thought it was a divine manifestation, a miracle performed by a deity.

The ghost paid no attention to this and returned to the place where it died to recuperate.

I want to take advantage of the time I still have the energy to help my fellow villagers get through this year's dry season.

However, before he could recover much of his strength, Lu Zheng and the others found him here.

Lu Zheng looked at the ghost and asked, "So, you dug the pond outside the village?"

The ghost said in a low voice, "He wouldn't do such a thing."

Lu Zheng then looked at the mummified corpse not far away, "Do you want me to collect your body?"

The ghost was taken aback by what he heard, its eyes fixed on Lu Zheng. "You seem different from them."

Your appearance reflects your heart; sometimes you can tell a lot about a person just by looking at their appearance.

The ghost noticed that the four people who came were clearly different from each other.

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and said, "Didn't I just say that? I'm not one of them. I just happened to be passing through this place and found that the drought here was severe, so I wanted to help the people here."

"I'm going to the village later to plant some drought-resistant bean seeds, to try and ensure they have some harvest this year and don't starve..."

"As for you, is there anything you wish for?"

Upon hearing this, the ghost's expression flashed with confusion. "My family is all dead."

Lu Zheng said, "Do you want to go to Ghost State? It's a place where ghosts gather, and you can live there in the future."

The ghost's expression shifted. "You're going to let me go?"

He never expected that Lu Zheng would let him leave. He had killed a priest, a heinous crime. How could he possibly survive?

Lu Zheng said calmly, "The local deity deserves his punishment. Moreover, the death of a deity is not my responsibility. What do you two think?"

Lu Zheng glanced sideways at Yang Wan and Ju Sheng beside him.

The two righteous gods dared not object upon hearing this. The two of them combined could not withstand Lu Zheng's breath, so why should they sacrifice themselves for a dead colleague?

"I will obey your orders, Immortal Master," Yang Wan quickly replied.

Ju Sheng also said, "I don't know anything. I'm just here to help the villagers alleviate the drought."

Yang Wan muttered to himself, thinking to himself that this dog's brain was actually quite clever.

Lu Zheng looked at Ju Sheng and said, "You still need to report the death of the local deity. Since you live close by, you can take care of this area until a new deity is found."

“No problem!” Ju Sheng nodded in agreement.

If they're lucky, this place might become his territory in the future, and he could receive more offerings. Ju Sheng would naturally be happy to do so.

Lu Zheng then said to the ghost, "This place is not suitable for you. Go to Ghost State. Although you have lost your family, you should still have relatives and friends here. You can come back to visit from time to time. If they are not doing well..."

Lu Zheng didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

Ju Sheng felt a chill run down his spine, realizing he had agreed too quickly. Was it too late for him to refuse now?

Upon hearing this, the ghost respectfully bowed and said, "Thank you, Immortal Master! You are truly wise and righteous, and I will never forget you!"

Lu Zheng sent Qingwan with two righteous gods to the village to treat the villagers who had contracted a fever and to investigate the village's condition.

He stayed behind and gave a ghost cultivation technique to the Yin ghost.

"If you go to Ghost State, be careful..."

Lu Zheng gave the ghost some instructions and taught him ghost cultivation techniques.

The ghost was extremely grateful, and even its malevolent aura diminished considerably.

"I do not know the esteemed name of the immortal master. I am Zhao Niu, but I will certainly offer a longevity tablet to the immortal master from now on..."

Lu Zheng waved his hand and said, "There's no need for that. I don't even believe in God myself."

Zhao Niu couldn't help but sigh, "The immortal master has great abilities, so there's no need for him to believe in these gods."

Lu Zheng said softly, "I'm not some kind of immortal, just someone with some power. In this world, there are no immortals or gods..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Niu was at a loss for words.

In the eyes of these mortals, having the ability to summon wind and rain is enough to make one a remarkable deity.

Lu Zheng raised his hand and waved it, sending out a beam of light that severed the connection between the Yin Ghost and the dried corpse.

Immediately, flames rose from the mummified corpse.

In no time, the mummified corpse, which had been filled with malevolent energy, turned into a pile of ashes.

Lu Zheng put the ashes in a box and handed it to Zhao Niu. Upon seeing this, the hazy, ghostly figure of Zhao Niu knelt on the ground, kowtowed several times, and then left with the urn.

Lu Zheng rushed to the village, following the same procedure as before.

Not long after, a spring rain fell, nourishing everything silently.

The beans planted in the fields quickly sprouted green shoots, bringing hope to the villagers to survive.

"The immortal master truly has the ability to summon wind and rain!"

On a hilltop, Zhao Niu gazed at the rain falling on the village, his eyes filled with melancholy.

The urn containing his ashes was no longer in his hand; he had buried it next to the graves of his wife and children.

Seeing that Lu Zheng had used his methods to improve the village's situation, Zhao Niu had no more regrets and drifted off to Guizhou.

"The immortal master said that there are many people in this world who have had similar experiences to me. I must live on and become stronger so that more people will not end up like me."

"I'm not going to be called Zhao Niu anymore. That name doesn't sound good. I'm going to be called Zhao Mieshen!"

……

The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.

The sun had just risen, and the temperature was already quite hot.

In the fields, villagers are busy working, sweating profusely, carrying water from the river several miles away to irrigate their withered crops.

In the minds of some villagers, what they are doing now is basically a waste of time and will not save much of the crops.

But if they don't do that, they get nothing.

When the autumn harvest came and grain was due, not only would they not have enough to eat, but if they did not pay enough grain tribute to the government, their lives would not be easy.

Some villagers, looking at the rising, scorching sun and the clear blue sky, became dazed, their cloudy eyes revealing despair.

"I'm afraid we won't make it through this summer."

An elderly man sat in the shade by the field, wiping his thin, sweat-drenched cheeks.

The old man had experienced several years of great disasters and witnessed many scenes, and he couldn't help but feel apprehensive whenever he recalled them.

He knew very well that at his age, praying to gods and officials was useless; those gods and officials didn't care about their lives.

Once the drought is over, the same amount of tax should still be collected.

Sometimes, in bad years, the government would even increase taxes!
The old man's breathing gradually became heavy, exhaling scalding hot air, and his eyes became unfocused.

In a daze, the old man only felt a cool breeze blowing, and a figure approached and stuffed something into his mouth.

"He has heatstroke... Take care of this elderly person..."

In a daze, the old man heard some sounds. When he regained consciousness, he found himself back home, lying on his bed.

He suddenly sensed something moving, jumped up, and quickly got out of bed, going outside barefoot.

Looking at the dark clouds in the sky, I saw cold raindrops falling.

"It's raining..."

The old man looked on incredulously, "Heaven has shown mercy?"

"It's not God, it's an immortal! Someone has invited an immortal!"

When a villager saw the old man, he immediately smiled and said, "Old Liu, the immortal just fed you some elixir, otherwise, your old bones would have died from the heat."

Upon hearing this, the old man exclaimed in surprise, "Immortal? Where is there an immortal?"

The villager pointed and saw several people standing outside the village.

Yang Wan stood in the rain, feeling the spring rain on his face. He touched his shoulder and plucked a small sprout of wild grass.

Spring rain again... Yang Wan sighed inwardly.

They hadn't stopped for a moment along the way, and it had rained several times already. He noticed that Lu Zheng seemed to still have energy left, as if he didn't know how to get tired at all.

Not far away, Lu Zheng looked at the happy villagers, a smile appearing on his lips.

It wasn't easy for him to command the wind and rain, but being able to help these villagers made all the effort worthwhile.

After the rain stopped, Lu Zheng called the villagers over and led them to the edge of the field, telling them about the bean seeds and how to combat drought and prevent heatstroke.

On the other side, Ju Sheng found a water source and was there with Qing Wan casting spells to connect the groundwater and build a small pond.

Seeing this, Yang Wan was not to be outdone, so he led the village's guardian spirit to find another water source.

Everyone was busy, and this was the first time the villagers had ever discovered that the gods who usually sat on the altar also came out to work.

Of course, all of this stemmed from Lu Zheng explaining the principles to these deities.

"You only need to loosen the soil a little bit every now and then. These bean sprouts are drought-resistant and don't need much watering. Don't overwork yourself..."

Lu Zheng squatted in the field, picking at some bean sprouts.

A group of villagers gathered around, staring curiously at the bean sprouts that appeared as soon as it rained. They all thought these were magical beans, and that they would never have to worry about food again.

Suddenly, Lu Zheng seemed to sense something and slightly turned his head.

In the distance, a figure appeared. It was a woman dressed in white, with a restrained demeanor and an unremarkable appearance.

But from the woman's familiar eyes, Lu Zheng recognized her as the Moon Goddess.

(End of this chapter)