As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 183 Five Lords and Nine Imperial Guardians
Chen Yutang truly lives up to his reputation.

He is truly well-read and has a photographic memory.

Just like a humanoid AI, as soon as Mingchen entered the keyword command, it spit out a long string of instructions.

No matter how big or small, whether it is history or various myths and legends.

Regardless of whether it was true or false, he told Mingchen all the information he had seen related to it.

"That's it..."

Mingchen gently stroked the bird's head and pondered to himself.

Chen Yutang didn't know what Mingchen was thinking. Seeing him silent, he couldn't help but say, "Master Ming, too much time has passed. It's impossible to verify whether it's true or not."

"In ancient times, the transmission and recording of information was problematic. After two thousand years, the true circumstances of events are no longer recognizable. Strange stories were passed down orally, destroyed in wars, and deliberately exaggerated by authors, ultimately resulting in the current version."

"Our ancestors were often foolish and ignorant, not understanding many things. They liked to attribute unknown things to gods and ghosts. Perhaps they were simply fooled by some sorcerers using ghost tricks, or perhaps it was just a coincidence. Counting back to our recent era, during the 500 years of the Qianyuan era, were there any heroes who were enshrined as gods or immortals?"

Most of these legends are just for entertainment.

Chen Yutang felt that it was more important to plan for national affairs.

He couldn't help but say something to Mingchen as a reminder.

"Whether it's true or not, it's been passed down and believed by people, isn't it?"

“If people believe it, then it is true.”

Mingchen smiled at him with an inexplicable tone.

Perhaps Lord Ming just likes to listen to these mysterious stories.

Chen Yutang pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Mingchen paused, then asked, "Master Chen, do you know of any other immortals who have built a flower bridge to ferry a million soldiers across, or who have guided the dead through the Gate of Death?"

"But the Supreme Master Xuanming Miro Miaofa who rules the Netherworld?"

People always like to attribute life and death, fortune, fate... these uncontrollable and unknowable things to immortals and gods. This world naturally has its own legends about immortals and gods, a wide variety of them. Mingchen had indeed read and heard of them, but he had never studied them in detail. Therefore, he did not understand the legend of the Mars Lord mentioned earlier.

In addition to some various niche legends.

The immortal way believed by the mainstream people is divided into two realms: Taoism and Buddhism.
Taoism has five supreme deities and nine heavenly emperors. The five supreme deities created the universe, all things, and the principles of the world. The Nine Heavenly Emperors oversee all aspects of heaven and earth, and below them are countless deities and stars, each with their own responsibilities and powers. Buddhism has three Buddhas, three Bodhisattvas, eighty-one Arhats, and three thousand Buddhas. Within the supreme Buddha realm lies blissful wisdom, controlling the cycle of life and death. Through suffering and enlightenment, one can achieve instant Buddhahood.

Some gods are vague and ethereal, with no trace of them left.

Some immortals and gods have some basis in history. It is said that a certain hero became an immortal or a certain celebrity is the reincarnation of a certain immortal or god... The legends are confusing and messy. A book is a story. Most of them are too old and sound mysterious. It is impossible to verify them. No one knows whether they are true or not.

The authority of many immortal gods' priesthoods was duplicated.

For believers, the heaven and the earth were created by gods, all things in the world are controlled by gods, and destiny is written by gods, so they need to seek blessings before doing anything.

For non-believers, what they see is the world, what they see is reality, there is no God or master in the world, they do not ask for blessings when doing anything, and nothing will be delayed.

There are also those who are half-believing and half-not-believing, half-asking and half-not asking.

Compared to the unconventional Lord Li Huoxing, Mingchen of the Five Lords and Nine Imperials still knows something about him.

This Xuanming Miro Miaofa Shangzun is one of the five deities, in charge of life and death. After death, the souls of all things in the world return to the underworld and come under the jurisdiction of the underworld.

However, Mingchen only knew the name but not the story.

I had this guess just by hearing about guiding the dead.

Chen Yutang paused after hearing this, then nodded gently: "According to what Master Ming said, it is indeed this Immortal Venerable."

"According to 'The Creation of Heaven and Earth', after death, the soul crosses thousands of mountains and can glimpse a majestic Dharma image before the Gate of Death in the far north. This Dharma image is the thousand faces of the Supreme Being, reflecting the person's life. If the person feels ashamed upon seeing it, they will be reborn into reincarnation. If they feel no shame upon seeing it, they will become a demon or a god, suffering torture and pleasure, never to set foot in the human world again. If they reincarnate, they will forget their previous life, but if they enter the underworld, they cannot return. Therefore, no one can know whether this is true or false."

"According to the 14th chapter of the Annals of the Great Ancestor in the Divine Xia Code, when the Great Xia nation was founded, it faced a life-or-death crisis. After a defeat in a war with the old dynasty, it was besieged in Linghe Mountain, which is now the northern part of Beilieji Prefecture. The Xia ancestor led his army to break out of the siege, but was stopped at the Lie River. The turbulent river prevented them from moving forward, and behind them was a million-strong army, pursuing them relentlessly. Just as they were about to be annihilated, a fairy suddenly emerged from the mountains and forests. She was wearing a flowery jacket, rings on her feet, and had a stunningly beautiful face, as graceful as an angel. She held a green jade bamboo staff in her hand and a flower basket on her shoulder."

As the million-strong army was about to be destroyed, she raised her hand and gently waved her Jade Bamboo Staff. Divine power rippled, radiance flowed, and flowers blossomed. A miracle occurred. The turbulent river suddenly calmed, vines grew, and unknown exotic flowers bloomed, connecting the two banks of the river to form a huge flower bridge, which led the million-strong Great Xia army across. After the army crossed the river, the huge flower bridge turned into tiny dots of light and disappeared. The enemy army, who were in pursuit, could only watch helplessly from across the river, watching Xia Zu leave and escape her predicament.

"The goddess was breathtakingly beautiful, unrivaled in her beauty. She built a flower bridge to ferry a million soldiers across. Xia Zu was captivated by her and, filled with gratitude, desired to marry her and crown her Queen Mother. However, after he had expressed his feelings, the stunning fairy suddenly aged, her three thousand strands of black hair turning completely white, her face withered, her figure stooped, horrifying Xia Zu. The fairy gave him a deep look, then a mighty sound echoed in his ears, and she vanished. From then on, Xia Zu could not sleep, often hearing the howling of wild ghosts. In his dreams, he saw countless demonic Rakshasas, withered and increasingly weak. He later met a strange man who told him that he had offended the Supreme Lord and that he should confess his sin with the rites of the whole nation to atone for his sin. A year after Xia Zu offered sacrifices to the Supreme Lord, the nightmare dissipated. After his death, Xia Zu became the Nine Imperials, in charge of the world's food supply and residing in the immortal palace farthest from the netherworld."

"Besides that, there are some other legends about her."

"The Guangtianzhi says that the Supreme Xuanming has a thousand faces and forms. Every thousand years, she walks through the human world and gains wisdom. She also participated in the struggle for the Nine Provinces after the Xia Dynasty..."

Chen Yutang was so thirsty from talking that he picked up the teacup to moisten his throat and told Mingchen everything, big or small.

The mysterious mythological stories are quite interesting to listen to.

"That's it..."

Mingchen stroked the bird and listened with gusto: "Master Chen is truly erudite." Chen Yutang shook his head: "It's just that I have nothing better to do and enjoy reading. Master Ming is too kind."

"Legends are just legends. It happened so long ago that people just exaggerated it. There's no definitive historical record of it, and whether it actually happened is still unclear."

"According to military strategists, it was impossible for the Xia Dynasty to have a million-strong army when it was founded. The old dynasty was too corrupt to mobilize that many people. Moreover, the idea of a million-strong army crossing a bridge is too imaginary and would be problematic to implement."

"Other historical records don't record that Xia Zu ever offered sacrifices to the Immortal Lord for a year."

"Master Ming, please judge for yourself whether this is true or not."

Chen Yutang had good intentions, as he was worried that Mingchen would be so absorbed in these mysterious stories that he would forget his job.

He then brought up the debates on history and legend in several other books and pointed it out to him again.

"Hahaha~"

"it is good!"

"Chen thanks Master Chen for his concern."

The more you read and the more knowledge you have, the clearer your understanding of the world will be.

This minister with the Chinese-style hairstyle does have a scholarly and elegant demeanor.

He has a wide range of knowledge and is like a human library. He is indeed someone worth making friends with.

Mingchen narrowed his eyes, as if thinking of something, and then said to Chen Yutang, "Master Chen, do you have any eye problems?"

Mingchen was not interested in myths and legends, but instead turned the topic to himself.

Chen Yutang was stunned for a moment, then wiped his eyes and said with a helpless smile to Mingchen, "Master Ming, please forgive me for laughing."

"Yutang loved reading when he was young. He often stayed up all night reading by light, which damaged his eyes. That's why he often squints when he sees people. I mean no harm, and I hope Master Ming will forgive me."

"That's it..."

In this era without mobile phones and computers, it is quite difficult to become nearsighted.

This is a disease of the rich. You have to be able to read books and afford to buy candles.

"Master Chen, during my time in the south, I heard that there is a kind of jewelry in the South that can be worn on the eyes to cure eye diseases and help restore clear vision."

"How about I do some research and help you make one someday?"

Chen Yutang was stunned for a moment, then a look of joy appeared on his face: "Really?"

He really has no choice but to accept this eye disease.

Life is quite inconvenient and seeking medical treatment and medicine is not helpful.

He was about to give up, but he didn't expect that this extremely talented young man would give him a solution.

Mingchen smiled and said, "Chen knows the principle, but he still needs the cooperation of the adults and the craftsmen to conduct more experiments."

"It shouldn't be a problem."

This thing is not complicated at all. Just pick some crystal or quartz without impurities and find a smart craftsman to cut, grind and polish it, and then adjust the curvature according to Chen Yutang's eyesight.

It’s just that few people use it and the cost-effectiveness is not high, so not many people study it.

Mr. Chen can be considered a test subject. After he succeeds, he can promote his method a little bit and provide a solution to other people with the same symptoms.

This matter is not a big deal, but Mingchen knows that he can just do it.

"Hahahaha!"

"Okay, okay! I trust Master Ming."

He had heard about the young man's miraculous qualities.

It will certainly not be done without reason.

He raised his teacup and said to Mingchen, "Come, I'll offer you a cup of tea instead of wine!"

"Oh~ Sir Chen, please don't be polite."

"I still have some doubts in the future and want to ask Master Chen!"

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

"Master Ming, if you want to ask anything, just come to me. I will tell you everything I know!"

(End of this chapter)