The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 186 So that's how it is! (4k)

"Qingzhou?!"

Du Yuan asked in surprise, urgently needing confirmation.

Seeing Du Yuan's voice suddenly rise in intensity, the old man assumed he also agreed wholeheartedly, and nodded with even greater delight and certainty:

"Indeed, it is Qingzhou!"

"Qingzhou is a perilous and ominous place where bones are buried and the heavens are destroyed! That Buddha came from the Thirty-Three Heavens, and his plans must be earth-shattering! His appointment of a mountain god as a chess piece in the Confucian territory in the name of the Western Paradise is clear evidence of this—but this is not really related to my deduction."

The old man chuckled self-deprecatingly and stroked his beard, saying:
"After all, the power struggle between the three religions is something that someone as insignificant as me, a heretic, can hardly presume to comment on."

The three deities from different religions are all playing big games, and he, with his small arms and legs, shouldn't get involved.

The old man's expression turned serious as he changed the subject:
"What I want to say is that ever since that Buddha helped a powerful figure whose origins are still unknown to cross over in Qingzhou, I have suddenly realized that although it is still a time when the laws of heaven are in effect and the calamities are particularly severe, my various 'activities' in this world are no longer as difficult as before!"

The increasing number of actions taken by other companies, both overt and covert, further proves this point!
“Therefore, I dare to assert,” the old man’s gaze was piercing, “that this Buddha is not a great Bodhisattva as some might speculate, but a great Buddha who has attained the state of perfect enlightenment! Only such a great being could, like those two ancient giants, truly manipulate the secrets of heaven!”

"Therefore, when this Buddha helped people cross the river, he was opening a crack in the door to this new world!"

Du Yuan was stunned.

It wasn't him, it really was me?!

But that's not right! I... I only helped out with a few small favors!

He really didn't think that sweeping the altar and lighting an incense stick would be enough to open the door to the coming of the Great World.

Suddenly, Du Yuan instinctively grabbed the small seal on her waist.

Could it be that the one in the temple is of such high status that my meager assistance has snowballed and triggered a tremendous change?

The more Du Yuan thought about it, the more convinced she became.

The inscription on this small seal, "Imperial Edict to Protect the World," sounds exceptionally refined.

Moreover, the young master Wang and the fox spirit were terrified and ran away as soon as they saw the small seal.

With this small seal, he could easily bestow the title of Mountain God.

Plus.
Du Yuan looked down at her palm.

He had been wondering why, despite the fact that his Buddhist lineage was far inferior to the current Taoist lineage in various aspects, the gap in cultivation levels was widening.

"If you feel too tired to go on that day, feel free to turn back. My little temple can still make room for you. It may not be as prestigious as the seat you gave up, but it's better than crowding next to Buddha."

'I've only ever heard the Buddha preach before me.'

'They're all the same!'

"I see!"

Du Yuan, who had finally seen through everything, murmured aloud.

Du Yuan suddenly understood, but the long-bearded old man couldn't understand.

"What...what do you mean?"

As he spoke, he seemed a little smug. Could it be that this person hadn't even considered what I had thought of before?

Unexpectedly, Du Yuan suddenly lowered her head and smiled:

"It reminded me of a good friend!"

These words disappointed the long-bearded old man.

Oh, so you weren't surprised by my conclusion after all!
That makes sense, I've already revealed it, it would be a miracle if this person didn't know.

After a self-deprecating laugh, the long-bearded old man asked curiously:
Who is your friend?

Du Yuan did not give a detailed answer, but simply looked at the mountains behind her and said:

“A mountain king.”

The long-bearded old man laughed:
"Although not all of them, because of those two ancient gods, the mountain god lineage is mostly composed of kind and honest people. Therefore, there has never been a shortage of people who are on good terms with the mountain god."

As he spoke, he recalled, saying:

"I'm not afraid to tell you this, but when I was young and traveling, I had the honor of meeting a mountain deity. Her name was 'Lady Hanzhu'. She was not the lord of any famous mountain or river, but a deity who lived in a small, remote country and guarded a quiet, nameless mountain."

His tone softened: "That lady possessed a refined elegance like bamboo, and was extremely kind to all living beings, especially the spirits and monsters of the mountains. Whenever snow fell, she would gather bamboo leaves into a shelter to protect those little spirits and monsters who were afraid of the cold, while she herself would sit alone on the mountaintop, gazing at the snow in a trance."

The old man's voice gradually lowered.
“At that time, I visited her because of her reputation. The mountains were quiet and secluded. As I went back and forth, I inevitably developed feelings for her. She was like the moon reflected in a cold pool, clear and illuminating; I was like a firefly in the mountains, admiring her brilliance.”

“But gods and humans are on different paths, and mountains are an obstacle. She cares for the creatures of the mountain and has a duty on her shoulders; I also have worldly attachments and cannot stay.”

Neither of us ever spoke of it, and nothing came of it. Before we parted, she gave me a piece of snow-covered bamboo, saying it was 'a keepsake.' I forged it into a bamboo flute, which has stayed with me ever since."

The old man carefully took out the bamboo flute from his robes. He gently stroked it, then slowly began to speak:
"I later traveled for thirty-six days, but when I returned, everything had changed!"

Du Yuan listened attentively.

Then he asked, "Have you ever thought about going back to take a look?"

The old man shook his head helplessly.
"I thought about it, even before the great calamity, I thought I might as well just wait there to die. But in the end, I was afraid. Now that the world has changed so much, apart from Qingzhou, a place of great danger, it's questionable whether we can even find it again, let alone whether it still exists."

Finally, the long-bearded old man smiled at Du Yuan and said:

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh at all this nonsense I've rambled on."

Du Yuan shook her head:

“You can’t say that. I’m honored to hear it.”

The old man simply waved his hand, then said earnestly to Du Yuan:

"You are a great being and a senior, and I have no right to speak nonsense in front of you. However, since you also have a mountain lord as an old friend, I still want to tell you that the lineage of mountain gods has always been confined to one place. Even the lords of famous mountains and great rivers are the same, and it is extremely difficult to move them without an imperial edict!"

"Therefore, whenever old friends come from afar, even if they only stop for a short chat, it is enough to make them happy for a long time!"

Du Yuan listened intently, then earnestly cupped her hands and said:

"Thank you for reminding me, I will certainly not forget!"

The old man hurriedly returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

After getting up, the old man returned to the beginning of the conversation.

"In short, although it seems like only a decade or so has passed, I truly believe that if these powerful figures remain active for a while longer, the great calamity will arrive in the blink of an eye, just like the great calamity of the past!"

"After all, the door has already been opened; it's just a matter of who pushes it open a little harder!"

Du Yuan felt extremely ashamed upon hearing this.

I never imagined that I would be the one to screw myself over.
However, from now on, there shouldn't be any trouble that I caused myself, right?

After all, the alchemy process looks quite elaborate, but nothing has actually changed, has it?

Finally, Du Yuan heard the old man suddenly say:
"The only problem now is, if the door to the Great World was opened by that Buddha, what is the reason for the Great World being opened so many years in advance?"

Du Yuan looked around, then coughed and said:

"Perhaps some powerful figure has secretly accomplished something big."

It couldn't be me anyway. Yes, it wasn't me. I wouldn't have the nerve to do that!
The long-bearded old man agreed wholeheartedly:

"Yes, you're absolutely right. Although a few decades of error is nothing compared to the days we've endured, the fact that so many people are wrong suggests that some wise person must have struck a thunderbolt in the darkness!"

After speaking, the old man glanced at Du Yuan, seemingly unintentionally.

This made Du Yuan feel a little guilty, so she forced a smile:

"Hey, don't look at me like that, I don't have that kind of ability!"

The old man chuckled dryly, then asked cautiously:
"Throughout history, almost every major event has involved deities from the three religions. So, you really haven't heard anything from your side?" He wanted to say that throughout history, any major event was definitely caused by deities from the three religions. But after thinking about it, he ultimately didn't dare to be so direct in front of a Taoist master.

Du Yuan shook her head decisively:

"No, no, really no!"

The old man was a little disappointed, but more than that, he didn't believe it.

Aside from the gods and immortals of the three religions, who else could cause such a big trouble?
But since Du Yuan had said that, he wouldn't ask any more questions.

He simply cupped his hands and said:
Do you have any other questions?

Du Yuan quickly waved her hand:

"That's all, that's all. I just wanted to talk to you about these things."

I've already taken the blame for too many things, I don't want to take it anymore. I'll just bury my head in the sand, it's quite effective!

Just then, the bald, burly man also hurriedly arrived:

"Grandpa Immortal, I, I've done it! All the treasures I have, and all the grain and fodder in the village, have been distributed. Once the disaster victims have rested, I'll lead my men to dismantle the embankment and release the floodwaters!"

The bald, burly man spoke with great self-satisfaction as he said his last sentence.

Because this was a good idea he came up with after thinking about it for a long time after he went back.

They thought this would surely please the immortals.

Who knows, maybe the immortal grandfather will be in a good mood and leave me with a good leg?

Unexpectedly, Du Yuan shook her head resolutely after hearing this:

"You've been building this dam for so many days, but the water hasn't overflowed. This shows how severe the drought is and how difficult it is to store water. Releasing water now would be like a drop in the ocean, a futile effort that would only waste this well-known water source."

Although Du Yuan did not understand the general principles of flood control, his childhood experience of playing in the countryside by blocking water told him that if the water in a puddle could not flow out on its own, then digging it up rashly would not only fail to keep the water in front of him, but the little water would not flow far before it would quickly seep into the dry land and disappear without a trace.

In the end, only one or two watermarks remained, and there was no further change.

The outcome here is likely the same, but the difference is that in childhood it was simply devoid of any fun. But now, it's deadly.

The bald, burly man froze instantly.

Damn it, I tried to flatter him but ended up making a fool of myself.

After thinking for a moment, Du Yuan said:

"I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. I'll still take away your superhuman strength, but I'll leave you with one good leg. You'll stay here with your men to maintain order and make it easier for the disaster victims to get water."

"Once this is all over, you'll definitely never get your superhuman strength back, but I can give you back your other leg!"

This guy has a notorious reputation; keeping an eye on the water village and letting people fetch water as needed is just the right thing to do.

Instead of just sending them away, let's make the best use of them.

As for why he wasn't given his monstrous strength as a deterrent, it was naturally because this guy was indeed not someone Du Yuan could trust.

Having something to rely on and not having something to rely on are two different things for this kind of person.

The bald, burly man was overjoyed:

"Grandpa Immortal, rest assured, I will definitely handle this matter well!"

Du Yuan nodded slightly, then wrote the character '禁' (forbidden) in the air in front of him.

The bald, burly man suddenly felt his body sink. After trying to move his body, he discovered that he could only move one leg.

This left the bald, burly man feeling both dejected and relieved.

His expression was very complicated; he had ultimately become an ordinary mortal.
The old man glanced at it and said:

"If I'm not mistaken, you're leaving?"

Du Yuan looked northwest and said:
"This humble Taoist priest must hurry to the Northwest to relieve the severe drought in the Southwest."

These words made the long-bearded old man's eyes widen.

He thought to himself, "As expected of a deity from the three religions, he really knows how to play big!"
This means they're completely standing against everyone in the southwest!
Therefore, the long-bearded old man said with heartfelt admiration:

"I do not possess your magnanimity and ambition, but I believe I have some conscience. Therefore, I can stay here temporarily with my newly accepted disciple to bolster the strength and confidence of this water fortress."

Du Yuan nodded repeatedly:

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you!"

The long-bearded old man waved his hand and laughed:
"It's nothing to worry about!"

After glancing at the sky, Du Yuan cupped her hands and said:
"In that case, I shall take my leave!"

The long-bearded old man hurriedly returned the greeting with clasped hands:

"I won't see you off!"

The two parted ways without further ado or formality; the friendship between gentlemen is inherently simple and understated.

But halfway there, Du Yuan suddenly turned around and said:
"Once things are settled in the Southwest, I will definitely remember to go back and visit my good friend!"

The long-bearded old man chuckled and cupped his hands in greeting.

Then I suddenly felt a mountain breeze and my heart skipped a beat.

Far away in a cave, the long-bearded old man, who had been fighting alongside others against the calamity, suddenly opened his eyes.

He hurriedly looked to his left and right; this place was a refuge that he and several fellow Daoists had painstakingly built.

Why is there a mountain breeze?

Could it be that the great formation has been broken, allowing the external world to enter?
Such a thought terrified him to the point of almost losing his composure.

He's not like that Taoist sage who can act like nothing's wrong even when his true form is out in the world.

With the emperor in charge, he can only last a few more days before he kicks the bucket and passes away!

But after looking for a long time, he still couldn't find anything unusual.

"How is this going?"

While wondering about this, he suddenly noticed that a line of words had inexplicably appeared on the wall of his cave.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered to be an ancient text.

This is a script used only in ancient times. It is said to have the power to connect heaven and earth and reflect the differences of all things.

The inscription reads: "In the southwest of the Great Moon, two flowers converge. Bamboo grows quietly in the cold; remember this well, remember this well?"

His gaze swept across the page, and with each word he deciphered, his pupils contracted sharply.

until—

Bamboo sprouts quietly in the cold? Bamboo in the cold?!

Zhang Zuojing stood there, completely in disbelief.

After his lips trembled for a long time, he suddenly prostrated himself in the direction Du Yuan had left, saying:
"Zhang Zuojing thanks you for your great kindness, senior!"
-
Du Yuan, who had been out for quite some time, looked around curiously.

Why does he feel like someone is talking about him?

But he has done a lot of things that are worth talking about, and there are probably a lot of people talking about him.

So after shaking his head, he simply ignored it.

Bathed in the gentle mountain breeze, I strode forward as the small prints on my waist fluttered incessantly.

(End of this chapter)