Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 49 The Locust Tree Spirit [Qingfei]
Wuling Mountain is shrouded in mist.

Instructor Zheng Shuqian, accompanied by five instructors and thirty students from the outer dormitory, rode the wind to the mountainside.

There is an old locust tree stump here that was struck by lightning. This is the place where Han Yugui was tested in his cultivation of literature and Taoism by slaying demons.

Zheng Shuqian took out the evaluation booklet, glanced at the students, and solemnly said, "In the cultivation of literature and martial arts, slaying demons is a compulsory course! Today's evaluation requires you all to do your best."

"Yes!"

Han Yugui stood with his sword in hand. With a flash of sword light, the roots of the old locust tree that had been struck by lightning cracked open.

Lu Ming squatted on a rugged rock, casually broke off a branch from a thousand-year-old pine tree in Wuling Mountain, and said with a smile, "Brother Han!"
You dug up the old roots of this 300-year-old locust tree spirit, and its demonic aura has dissipated.

It seems it's truly dead this time!

"That's right, that must be it!"

"This is like digging up the ancestral grave of the old locust tree spirit, yet the spirit shows no reaction; it must be completely dead!"

The other students chimed in with agreement.

"Do you really believe that this is a demon general who has lived for three hundred years and survived seven tribulations of lightning?"

Li Yunxiao scoffed and said.

Seeing everyone's astonishment,
He explained, “According to the ‘Jiangyin County Annals,’ whenever this locust tree is struck by lightning, the old tree stump will be reborn, and new buds will sprout new life.”

The newly formed young locust tree spirit has only cultivated its powers for a few decades.

The villagers spread the misinformation and mistakenly believed that it had lived for three hundred years.

Not only this locust tree spirit, but also the famous "Lord of Wolf Mountain" in Jiangyin County is like this.

The scholar had killed countless wolves, for in the deep mountains, wild wolves easily cultivated into demons, and each new wolf demon was mistaken for 'Lord of Wolf Mountain.'

"No wonder!"

"No wonder these infamous old monsters recorded in the Jiangyin County Annals could never be killed and would reappear every few years. It turns out they've been replaced by one generation after another!"

The students then realized what was happening.

Han Yugui crushed the charred bark with his suede boots, gripped the sword hilt with his backhand, and bent down to brush aside the decaying leaves.

Upon careful examination of the roots of the old locust tree stump, a tender green seedling was indeed found, sprouting and exhaling the mountain mist.

"The old locust tree is sprouting new buds; perhaps a new locust tree spirit will indeed be born."

Han Yugui carried a scholar's sword and searched carefully on the mountainside of Lingwu Mountain.

The other students also helped him search for clues.

An hour later,

Han Yugui discovered a deep, dark tiger and bear cave, dozens of feet deep, on a desolate, overgrown mountainside.

This place used to be the cave of the tiger-bear demon, but it has been abandoned since the demon was killed.

"Quick, we've found a cave where there seems to be the presence of spirits!"

The students immediately gathered around excitedly.

"Tsk~!"

Han Yugui lit a tinderbox, carried his sword, and carefully entered the cave.

Deep within the cave, a newborn locust tree spirit, a barefoot, graceful girl draped in red gauze, huddled shivering in the depths of the cave, her eyes brimming with tears as she sobbed as she looked at Han Yugui.

Han Yugui froze, his expression hardening, and stared at her for a long time.

That locust tree spirit!

Very pure!

It's not evil spirits or demonic energy at all.

It is, rather, an extremely pure essence of plants and trees, with almost no impurities.

This young locust tree spirit's cultivation level is not high, probably only a few years.

He held the sword in his hand, looked at the young locust tree spirit, and hesitated to make a move.

moment,

Han Yugui sighed, picked up his sword, and turned to walk out of the dark tiger and bear cave.

"Brother Han, why don't you kill it?"

Lu Ming, who was following behind, saw this scene and asked in surprise.

"That old locust tree demon has been destroyed by heavenly lightning."

It is no longer the old demon of yesteryear, but a newly born young locust tree spirit.

I observed that its spiritual energy was pure and flawless, the very essence of plants and trees in the world.

There was not a trace of evil or filth about it; clearly, it had not harmed anyone, nor had it hunted any mountain beasts! It merely consumed mountain dew and absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate.

Han Yugui sighed.

"Humph!

Innocent!

That's because its cultivation is shallow and its power too weak, so it dares not show itself to harm people.

If it cultivates for several more decades and becomes a mature locust tree spirit with profound Taoist power, it will surely bring disaster to passing merchants and travelers.

Back then, how many people did it kill?!

Li Yunxiao said with great disdain.

Even so, that will be in the future.

Not the current form.

"How can I kill it if its hands aren't stained with human blood?!" Han Yugui said angrily.

Li Yunxiao sneered, "Brother Han, with your soft heart and indecisiveness, you're unlikely to achieve great things!"

That's all I have to say.

Killing the locust tree spirit was Han Yugui's assessment for demon-slaying, and Han Yugui couldn't bring himself to do it.

The other students were not in a position to overstep their bounds and do it on their behalf.

They couldn't help but look at Instructor Zheng Shuqian to see how the matter would be resolved.

"Yu Gui, this is your test."

Think it over carefully before you decide!
But if you release it, it will harm the people of Jiangyin in the future, and the people will die because of you.

This assessment during the Qingming Festival can only be rated as the worst.

Instructor Zheng Shuqian shook his head and wrote on the evaluation book: [Han Yugui, Qingming Evaluation: Very Poor.]
He is only responsible for proctoring the exams and issuing the assessment results; he is not responsible for solving the questions.

As for how to make a decision, that is the student's own business.

Those who fail the preliminary examination will have their monthly salary of millet reduced.

The Han family of Jiangyin was wealthy and powerful, and Han Yugui didn't care about such a small amount of grain.

However, being rated as the worst in the examination and thus disqualified from participating in the prefectural examination for the title of Xiucai was something Han Yugui could never accept.

"To kill or not to kill?"

Han Yugui sat motionless against the stone wall beside the cave, his expression hesitant.

He didn't want to kill it.

but,

Instructor Zheng and Li Yunxiao were right.

If we let it remain here today to continue cultivating into a demon, it will inevitably cause harm to passing merchants and hunters, and to the people of Jiangyin County sooner or later.

The people died because of him!

Han Yugui was struggling internally, unable to make up his mind.

Jiang Xingzhou couldn't help but shake his head.

Han Yugui has severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) about cleanliness, not just physical cleanliness, but also psychological cleanliness.

Brother Han,
Since they are unwilling to kill,

Why not keep it and turn it into a literary pet?
Newly born plant spirits are innocent and ignorant, making them ideal for taming.

Keep it by your side and discipline it strictly.

In this way, it will have no chance to harm anyone again.

Jiang Xingzhou asked in confusion.

The Locust Tree Spirit is a large-scale pet.

For a novice scholar, raising a spirit is extremely taxing on their talent and very difficult. Therefore, almost no novice scholar would do this.

Only a scholar with abundant talent and ambition would keep such a large literary pet.

"To take this locust tree spirit as a literary pet? Thank you for the suggestion, Brother Jiang!"

Han Yugui was taken aback upon hearing this.

Just now I was only thinking about whether to kill or not, but I overlooked the solution that satisfies both!
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately turned around and rushed back into the tiger and bear cave.

"Follow me!"
Or not?

Han Yugui stared at the young locust spirit and asked.

Inside the cave, a young locust spirit girl huddled against the stone wall, her face showing surprise.

It realized that Han Yugui wanted to take it as his pet.

For the wild plant spirits, this was a godsend—they had a master to protect them, talent to nurture them, and the opportunity to cultivate peacefully in the Great Zhou Dynasty, thus going ashore.

Which of the monsters and spirits in Jiangyin County wouldn't want such an opportunity?

Even the spirits of plants and trees didn't want to live that miserable life of being hunted down every day and going hungry.

"This humble servant is willing to follow her master!"

The young locust spirit bowed deeply to its master and followed Han Yugui out of the cave. Its pretty face was full of shyness as it bowed deeply to Jiang Xingzhou, saying, "Thank you, young master!"

It could hear it clearly inside the cave.

If it weren't for Jiang Xingzhou's words just now...

It will either be killed on the spot today, or it will probably remain a lonely monster in these mountains, living in constant fear.

"This is the spirit of the locust tree?"

"No wonder Brother Han couldn't bring himself to kill him. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to do it either!"

When the students saw the barefoot, red-veiled young locust tree spirit emerge from the cave, they burst into laughter.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas, Great Wilderness West Classic, has a note: "The spirit of the locust tree transformed into a woman named Qingfei." Fei means beautiful maid.

From now on, your name will be Qingfei!

Han Yugui felt somewhat displeased as he saw it bow deeply to Jiang Xingzhou, and said with a flick of his sleeve, "Come with me!"

"Yes, Master!"

Qingfei nodded shyly.

Instructor Zheng Shuqian thought for a moment, then deleted Han Yugui's previous evaluation and rewrote it: [Han Yugui subdued a newly born locust tree spirit. Qingming Evaluation: Excellent.]
Regardless of the methods used, as long as this scourge is eradicated for the people of Jiangyin, the assessment will be considered passed.

(End of this chapter)