Man in the heavens, wins by lying down to prove the truth

Chapter 365 Settlement and Cultivation

At this moment, Shi Linhu and the other men also looked down at the feet of the wolf village girl.

Sure enough, there was no shadow!
Not a living person!

Once her identity was revealed, the "girl's" face suddenly contorted with resentment. Her body twisted violently, and her neck snapped with a sickening cracking sound, her head lolling at a horrifying angle.

At the same time, a deep, gruesome gash, revealing bone, ran from his right shoulder straight down to his left chest. The flesh was torn open, and his internal organs were faintly visible, yet not a single drop of blood seeped out.

"Heh..." The female ghost let out a shrill, inhuman howl, glared venomously at Zhou Cheng, and then with a crisp "snap," her entire form shattered like a bubble, turning into several wisps of filthy black mist that instantly vanished without a trace.

Immediately, both Zhou Cheng and some of the mountain hikers from Shicun breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the lingering fear on the faces of the teenagers beside him, Zhou Cheng said, "Don't be too scared. If this female ghost were too powerful, she wouldn't need to resort to such tricks."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Zhou is right!"

A middle-aged man named Er Gou quickly echoed, rudely shooing the crowd away, "Everyone disperse, go do what you were doing! Keep your mouths shut and stop gossiping!"

"Yes, Uncle Er Gou!"

Immediately, a group of people scattered and busied themselves.

Four older men approached, with the leader, Shi Linhu, bowing to Zhou Cheng and saying, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou, for saving my life."

Zhou Cheng quickly waved his hand: "No, no, I should be thanking you. If something had happened to you, I, a patient who doesn't know the way, probably wouldn't have been able to get down the mountain."

This ancient mountain path is quite different from the modern mountain path Zhou Cheng remembers.

This ancient mountain path is completely different from the modern path Zhou Cheng remembers.

After chatting with a few young men, Zhou Cheng had a general idea of ​​his situation.

This Python Mountain is much like the sparsely populated primeval forests he knew from his previous life. Calling it a desolate place for humans might be an exaggeration, but for a lone traveler, it's a matter of life and death.

“Mr. Zhou, you’re too kind! If you don’t mind our poor mountain village, please stay at my house and recover first.” Another man named Shi Feijiao patted his chest, his voice booming.

Since Zhou Cheng had nowhere else to go, he stopped refusing and readily agreed.

Before long, the villagers of Shicun had set up a pot and cooked a steaming pot of soup.

It was called soup, but it was really just a random stew of wild vegetables and mushrooms that Zhou Cheng didn't recognize, served with coarse, dry flatbread, enough to fill one's stomach.

During the meal, Zhou Cheng subtly probed and chatted with these simple mountain people, managing to glean quite a bit of information.

Shicun was under the jurisdiction of Guiping County, and further up was Dingxing Prefecture.

This dynasty is called "Dayan," and its reign has lasted for over a century. As for the name of the previous dynasty, these men are completely unaware of it; perhaps the village elders might know a thing or two.

Both Shi Village and the wolf village mentioned by the female ghost are small villages nestled against Python Mountain, relying on the mountain for their livelihood. Except during busy farming seasons, the able-bodied men in the villages are skilled at traversing mountains and hunting wild animals.

"Hehe, Mr. Zhou, look, this fox cub is the one I hunted!" The young man named Shi Dazhuang said proudly, bringing his basket closer to Zhou Cheng.

Besides wild mushrooms and fruits, and two pheasants, there was indeed a small, bright red fox in the basket.

"Excellent technique!" Zhou Cheng praised with a smile.

Shi Dazhuang clicked his tongue with some regret: "It's a pity my archery skills are still lacking. If I had the skill of my clan chief when he was young, and could pierce through the eye with one arrow without damaging the skin, that would be truly valuable!"

Zhou Cheng's gaze fell on the earthen bow that Da Zhuang was carrying on his back. The bow was made of a peculiar material and was quite large, with a bowstring that was more than a meter long.

For some reason, Zhou Cheng felt a strange sense of familiarity arise, as if he was born knowing how to draw a bow and shoot an arrow.

However, now was not the time to play around, so Zhou Cheng didn't say he wanted to give it a try.

After the meal, things settled down.

Zhou Cheng chatted casually with these men.

The atmosphere was harmonious, and Zhou Cheng felt inexplicably at ease. Feeling the warm sensation in his abdomen, some vague memories seemed to surface for some reason.

"The Six Treasuries...The Immortal Thief?"

Zhou Cheng's mind stirred slightly, and he silently recited the name. As the name became clear, the chaotic fragments of memory suddenly coalesced, transforming into a complex and profound torrent of information that surged into his mind.

At the same time, some absurd, bizarre, and nightmarish memories quietly slip away like sand through one's fingers.

A chill ran down my spine without warning!

Zhou Cheng suddenly shivered.

"Mr. Zhou, are you alright?"

Shi Linhu noticed Zhou Cheng suddenly trembling and quickly asked him what was wrong.

Zhou Cheng shook his head: "It's nothing, I just remembered some useless things."

Despite this, Zhou Cheng fell silent for a while, pondering the various scenes that came to mind.

I've traveled through time and seen ghosts.

Shouldn't it be normal to have some special advantages?

"Qi is the innate essence of the human body and the root of life."

"Qi is the ancestor of all things and the root of all laws. It is metaphysical and mysterious beyond mystery."

"In the primordial chaos, before the formation of the universe, only the primordial energy stirred, which is called 'the beginning'!"

"..."

"The primordial Qi gave rise to the Great Beginning, the Great Simplicity, the Great Ultimate... from which all things originated. Therefore, the origin of heaven and earth and all things is all related to the primordial Qi."

"The path of cultivation lies in awakening the dormant primordial energy and guiding it to flourish and circulate..."

All sorts of profound principles flow gently like a trickle in the lake of the heart.

Just as Zhou Cheng was concentrating on his meditation, the thick fog outside the temple quietly dissipated.

"Uncle Lin Hu! Uncle Fei Jiao! Look, the fog is clearing!" A boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old shouted, pointing outside the temple.

The previously dense mountain mist had mostly dissipated, leaving only a thin veil lingering around the distant mountainside.

The sun pierced through the clouds, and it was nearly noon.

"Let's go! Down the mountain!" Shi Linhu waved his hand, then looked at Zhou Cheng, "Mr. Zhou, are you alright on your feet?"

Zhou Cheng stood up, feeling a surge of energy within him: "It shouldn't be a big problem."

"Alright, alright, let's go down the mountain then."

……

The descent down the mountain went smoothly without any unexpected incidents.

The group finally emerged from the forest around 3 p.m.

Standing here, Zhou Cheng could already see a village in the distance. It wasn't very big, with about a hundred households.

Of course, this is from a modern perspective.

In ancient times, a village with a hundred or so households would not have been considered small.

"Mr. Zhou, that's our Shicun Village."

Dazhuang stood beside Zhou Cheng and pointed to the village in the distance.

Zhou Cheng remembered the Wolf Village from before and asked, "Isn't that Wolf Village next to your village?"

"Yes, it's on the other side of this hillside, about four or five miles away. It's another road that their village takes into the mountains, and you can't see it from here."

Shi Dazhuang pointed to a hillside not far away.

Based on ancient grain yields, an average person would need to cultivate five acres of land just to have enough to eat.

This village has about a hundred households, cultivating nearly a thousand acres of land, so a large area around the village is their farmland.

The situation in that wolf village was similar; the so-called "adjacent" only meant that the villages' land was adjacent.

"I see."

Zhou Cheng suddenly realized what was happening and then followed a group of people toward Shicun.

Passing by the cultivated fields, Zhou Cheng saw some plants that looked like foxtail grass, but the seeds they produced were yellow. "This is... millet?" Zhou Cheng examined the grain, then looked at Da Zhuang with some uncertainty.

Dazhuang was taken aback when he heard this, then scratched his head and chuckled: "What is millet? This is foxtail millet! I heard from the clan elder that in the south they call it millet."

"Oh, right, I misspoke. Millet is the same as foxtail millet."

Zhou Cheng nodded, no longer asking any questions, and simply looked around with curiosity at the completely unfamiliar rural scenery.

Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao, who were leading the way, exchanged a glance.

They had already noticed that Mr. Zhou was strange.

Mr. Zhou said he had lost all his memory and didn't know many common sense facts, but he would occasionally utter some unheard-of words and phrases in his speech.

For example, this "millet" – when they were young, they traveled long distances with the old clan chief and knew that in the south it was called "millet" and there was no reason to call it "rice".

That rice is a delicacy reserved for noblemen and gentlemen; how could it be confused with this coarse millet?
……

Before long, the group entered the village.

Immediately, many women and children rushed up, as entering the mountains was a rather dangerous task.

If it weren't for the fact that it's almost tax time, the able-bodied men in the village wouldn't easily go into the mountains.

"Father is back!"

"Big Zhuang and the others are all alright!"

"..."

For a time, the village entrance was bustling with activity.

Those who went into the mountains this time all gained something, more or less, which they could exchange for copper coins to pay taxes, making it a happy event.

The men who had been hiking in the mountains told their families about their experiences there.

"The Fog Ghost?!" Upon hearing this, an old man known as Grandpa Yu Er's expression changed drastically. "This is no small matter! You must not go into the mountains again in the coming days!"

"Uncle Yu is right! Everyone should be more vigilant!"

"Thank God! It's such a blessing that we came back safe and sound!"

"When you get home, you should all light incense and kowtow to the local earth god!"

Several village elders chimed in with their advice. The men quickly explained, naturally mentioning Zhou Cheng's help. Immediately, the villagers looked at Zhou Cheng with even more gratitude and affection.

A tough-looking middle-aged woman insisted on dragging Zhou Cheng to their house for dinner.

It was during the meal that Zhou Cheng learned that this aunt was Shi Dazhuang's mother.

As for Dazhuang's biological father, he saw Ganoderma lucidum on the cliff when he went into the mountains a few years ago and wanted to pick it.

The result... naturally, they managed to pick the Ganoderma lucidum, but they also fell down.

The dinner at this farmhouse wasn't particularly delicious.

But Zhou Cheng didn't mind; these days, being able to eat your fill was already a blessing.

"Luckily, there's this Six Treasures Immortal Thief... I wonder if it's possible to master it from the manga in the anime."

"If I master it, I can at least survive on dirt."

As Zhou Cheng ate the dry ice-cold, bland wild vegetables, he silently pondered to himself.

……

The night is quiet.

Inside the west wing of Shi Dazhuang's house, a small oil lamp had long since gone out.

Zhou Cheng sat cross-legged on a simple bed made of straw.

This west wing was originally a place for storing miscellaneous items, but it was hastily tidied up and is now just big enough to accommodate people.

However, Zhou Cheng was not picky; he was happy as long as he could find a place to settle down.

At this moment, he focused his mind, cleared his mind of distractions, and tried to draw upon the mysterious "Primordial Qi".

"The Great Dao is formless, yet it gives birth to heaven and earth; the Great Dao is without emotion, yet it governs the sun and moon..."

Silently reciting the "Qingjing Jing" in my heart, all kinds of thoughts gradually subsided.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Cheng felt his mind and body become clear and empty, completely forgetting himself, as if his nature had broken free from its constraints and was freely roaming in the vast emptiness. The surrounding world was like a bubble, an illusion, all returning to nothingness.

The night in the mountain village was far more desolate than Zhou Cheng had imagined.

In the height of summer, once dusk falls, around 7 to 9 pm, the village becomes completely quiet, and everyone goes to sleep.

At this moment, in a small courtyard in the human world.

"It's that evil spirit in the fog again... Fortunately, Shijiabao didn't come out to hide."

A hoarse, aged voice suddenly echoed from underground.

Immediately afterwards, the ground rippled slightly like water, and an old man with a hunched back, wearing an old-fashioned robe, slowly "floated" up from the ground.

He patted the dust-free hem of his robe, revealing a strange semi-transparent state to his lower body, while his feet were ethereal and indistinct.

"Hmm... the incense here is carefully prepared, and the smoke is quite pure..."

The old man, like an invisible wind, drifted from house to house. At each household, he would pause briefly before the shrine or memorial tablet, take a deep breath of the wisps of smoke that no mortal could detect, and a satisfied look would appear on his face.

Suddenly, the old man froze, his cloudy old eyes snapping to one direction.

He had just inspected that household; it was unremarkable except for an extra guest seeking lodging.

At that time, the guest was sitting cross-legged and his breathing was restrained. He thought he was just an ordinary martial artist practicing some rudimentary internal skills and did not pay any attention to him.

But at this moment, a sudden change occurs!

The old man clearly sensed the pure and exquisite natural spiritual energy surrounding him.

They are converging on the west wing at an unprecedented speed; though their momentum is slow, their intent is overwhelming!

"hiss--!"

The old man gasped, a look of sudden realization crossing his face. "So he was a highly skilled immortal cultivator. No wonder the mist demon didn't harm anyone."

This old man was none other than the local earth god, known as "Qingde Gong".

He was a long-lived old man in this area, living to over ninety years old. The previous dynasty regarded him as an auspicious sign and bestowed upon him the title of the local God of Fortune and Virtue.

In Qingde Gong's eyes, all those who entered the path of immortal cultivation were considered highly accomplished individuals.

"Oh no! I was on patrol just now and didn't have a chance to pay my respects, which is already impolite. If I've offended the esteemed master..."

Qingde Gong was filled with trepidation. After a moment's hesitation, he floated to the door of the west wing, stood respectfully with his hands at his sides, and waited for the master inside to finish his practice before knocking on the door to apologize.

Just then, another strange phenomenon occurred!
The faint yet incredibly pure silver light seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, descending from the heavens like a light veil or mist, silently disappearing into the side room in front of the Earth God.

"Exhaling...exhaling the moonlight?!"

Duke Qingde was struck dumb, standing frozen on the spot, his old face filled with disbelief.

To swallow the sun and spit out the moon—that's a legend from ancient books!
For ordinary people, the land god and the city god are already considered deities.

All kinds of immortal cultivators, as long as they have some cultivation, are regarded as immortal masters or great masters in the eyes of the common people.

However, even in the eyes of a deity like Duke Qingde, or in the eyes of those highly skilled immortal cultivators...

These beings, who can absorb the essence of the sun and moon, are also legendary terrestrial immortals, the Daoist Masters.

"This, this, this... This matter is of utmost importance and must be reported to the City God immediately!"

Lord Qingde dared not hesitate for a moment. The appearance of a legendary immortal here was far beyond what a mere local deity like him could handle.

People in the Daoist path are unpredictable in temperament. If they are virtuous, they are easy to talk to; but if they are eccentric, then trouble will ensue.

(End of this chapter)