Three Kingdoms Lords: Starting by walking into the mouth of a giant python

Chapter 128 Thunder God's Thunder Mill

These past few days, Li Yu has been counting down the days.

The day after arriving at the Yuan family in Ruyang and opening the [Moonlight Scroll], it was, as usual, the day the [Canghai Island] rocks fell.

But after he entered the world of [Egg Monk], ten days passed without any movement from [Canghai Island].

The growth rate of spiritual roots such as [Tuanpiao] and [Boyiwei] in [Xianpu] has also slowed down significantly.

Li Yu wasn't surprised. From his dream, he knew that different grades of the Moonlight Scroll had different contents, access restrictions, and even the speed of time flow.

Scrolls ranging from "Unranked" to "Mysterious" mostly originate from a story or anecdote. Due to restrictions, indigenous people could only step into "the past."

The terms "Earthly Grade" and "Heavenly Grade" are often derived from a historical period or a long story.

Without restrictions on indigenous people, it's possible for things like "Guan Yu's horse tramples Wagang Village and cleaves Qin Qiong in two" or "Zhao Zilong appears in Aolai Kingdom and battles Sun Wukong."

In addition, the flow of time varies for high-grade scrolls. It is common for one day to be equivalent to two days, one day to be equivalent to ten days, or even for "one day outside to be equivalent to one year inside the scroll".

In the third [Dream], a player entered the [Moonlight Scroll - Liu Yi's Letter] and subtly befriended the Dragon Girl of Dongting Lake. Ultimately, they achieved the [Dragon Knight] title and lived in harmony with the Dragon Girl for thirteen years.

However, upon returning to the late Han Dynasty, players discover that the so-called thirteen years were merely seven sunsets.

The experiences within the scroll are as illusory as a woodcutter watching a game of chess or ants climbing a locust tree.

…………

Inside the square pot, on [the island of Canghai].

The stone, which should have fallen by midday, finally rolled down on the fifteenth day.

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"Thunder God's Thunder Grinding Mill"

[Rank] Earth Grade.

[Attribute] When you grind this stone, thunderbolts will fall.

[Description] In Gaoting Village, there is a blue stone, about three zhang square, with marks of sharpening knives and axes on it. In spring and summer, it is clean and bright, with newly sharpened areas; in autumn and winter, moss gradually grows on it. "The thunder god grinds the stones, and thunder roars." — *Jingzhou Ji*

------

There are many kinds of magic spells.

Regardless of time, space, spirit, etc., among the eight elements of heaven, earth, wind, thunder, water, fire, mountain, and marsh, Li Yu's favorite is thunder.

The [Thunder God's Thunderclap Mill] was played, fulfilling his wish.

Li Yu took out the stone mill and slashed with the [Yellow Grade Hundred-Refined Steel Blade].

A bolt of lightning struck down in broad daylight, landing directly in the prefectural government office at the front of the alley.

It struck the pillars of the government office hall and even ignited a raging fire.

The prefect and magistrate, who were presiding over the trial, and the imposing guards standing by, were so frightened that they all ran away in a panic.

The prisoner, who was crying out for justice in the courtroom and was wearing shackles and nooses, was left all alone in the main hall.

After a while, the officials from the yamen rushed over, carrying buckets and water, and put out the fire.

The tung oil on the pillar had aged, and a large patch of it was burned by the fire. Upon closer inspection, everyone found it amusing.

There was originally a couplet on the pillars, which read, "To deceive others is to deceive Heaven, not to deceive oneself; to betray the people is to betray the country, how can one bear to betray them?" It was placed on the left and right sides of the two pillars.

The thunderbolt struck the left side, burning away the five characters "即" and "何忍负之", leaving only "负民负国".

The prefect of this prefecture, Zhang De, is a corrupt official who is greedy, thieving, and accepting bribes. He is so greedy that he wants to fleece the people.

The "burden on the people and the country" that remains after the fire has burned away truly reflects his actions.

In the eyes of the ancients, celestial phenomena were a reflection of human affairs.

The people of the prefecture have long suffered under Zhang De's rule. Now, seeing the "thunderbolt striking the tree in drought," they are all talking about it, saying, "Zhang De is corrupt and lawless, and Heaven wants to punish him."

Rumors spread quickly, causing Prefect Zhang to feel fear.

His daughter was getting married in a few days, and he had originally planned to take the opportunity to plunder her, but now he dared not entertain any evil thoughts.

When Wang Ze returned and heard about the "divine punishment," he couldn't help but think, "Is this Heaven's will for me, Wang Ze, to rise up and kill this scoundrel?"

…………

For five whole days, Prefect Zhang behaved himself. Seeing that his family was safe and sound and his daughter was about to get married, he really didn't want to miss this opportunity to make money, so he stirred up some trouble again.

Ten days earlier, the prefect had obtained thirteen bolts of colored silk from a cloth shop in the city, insisting on buying them on credit without paying.

When Wang Ze returned, the prefect's wife said that the cloth was not brightly colored and the length was too short, so it could not be used as a dowry and asked him to go and exchange it for some better ones.

Wang Ze's mind was not on these trivial matters, and without checking the contents, he took the cloth to the cloth shop.

When they arrived at the destination and unfolded the cloth, there were thirteen bolts of cloth, each of which was more than half the length of the original.

The prefect hadn't paid in the first place, and now much of it had been cut off; how could the cloth shop possibly accept that?

Helpless, the king took back the colorful silk.

Upon returning to the prefectural capital, he had barely spoken to explain the situation when Zhang De accused him of embezzling funds and demanded that he replenish the cloth within a day.

Wang Ze was indignant. He carried the cloth home and on the way, he met Zuo Que'er and Zhang Luan, who were entering the city.

It turned out to be that old fox, the Holy Aunt, who felt something was amiss with the sudden appearance of the [Fanghu Hermit], so she used tortoise shells and yarrow stalks to divine the future.

To everyone's surprise, the tortoise shell shattered and the yarrow stalks spontaneously combusted. This startled the three foxes and Zhang Luan and his disciples.

Not daring to delay any longer, the three of them rushed to Beizhou City.

When the king was troubled by the matter of the cloth, the lame man on the left made a quick pinch, and all the missing pieces of cloth were replaced.

Wang then exchanged the cloth for the prefectural governor's goods before leading the three men home.

……

Li Yu was still experimenting with the use of the [Thunder God's Thunder Grinding Stone] in the [pot].

The power of a millstone in releasing lightning depends on the object used for striking it. Unless it's a special "Thunder God's Anvil" used to attract lightning, other tools will suffer wear and tear.

Although the [Hundred-Refined Steel Knife] is a [Yellow Grade], it is only sufficient for one hundred uses.

Furthermore, the lightning was incredibly swift, making its landing point difficult to control. Li Yu tried more than ten times before finally managing to keep it within three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

He couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

The novel "The Tale of the Demon Slayer" also features thunder magic, such as the methods of the Heavenly Thunder God Fenglong, the Thunder God and the Lightning Goddess, or the "Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Orthodox Method" of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, but none of them are easy to obtain.

At the end of "The Tale of the Demon Slayer," the Egg Monk also received the [True Dharma] from the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden. However, given his temperament, it is unlikely that he would pass it on to someone else.

As Li Yu was pondering this, a strange noise came from outside the pot.

Cao Cao, Dian Wei, and Yuan Ji were talking in hushed tones in the courtyard.

The three suspected that this so-called "Fanghu Jushi" was the same person who had entered the scroll with them earlier and then rode the crane ahead.

Li Yu pushed open the door and went out.

The three were startled and hurriedly stepped forward to greet them, only to hear the other party say, "Distinguished guests have arrived; please follow me to the door to welcome them."

Just as Wang Zegang was about to push the door open, Dian Wei opened it first.

Eight people met.

Just as Wang Ze was about to introduce them, Li Yu smiled and said, "Although I come from overseas, I know all of you fellow Daoists."

He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Greetings to Layman Chongxiao, Fellow Daoist Bu, and Fellow Daoist Zuo."

Seeing Li Yu's humble attitude, the three of them quickly bowed in return.

After exchanging pleasantries, the eight people sat down in the courtyard.

Li Yu smiled and said, "I have some karmic connection with Wang Dupai, and I have been staying in this house for ten days. Today, as a half-host, I will prepare some simple wine and food to entertain my guests. Please forgive any shortcomings in my hospitality."

Having said that, he waved his sleeve.

On the stone table and beside the well, piles of fresh melons and fruits appeared.

Strawberries, watermelons, pineapples, bananas, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts...

Not to mention Bu Ji and Zuo Que'er, even Zhang Luan, who boasted of having traveled all over the country, didn't recognize many fruits.

As a result, the three of them became more accepting of this "fellow Daoist from overseas".

Li Yu waved his hand again, bringing out ten jars of fruit wine and a golden sable.

Its aroma is rich and subtle, and its fragrance lingers in the air.

"Good wine!" came a shout from outside the door.

Then a large monk wearing two purple-gold earrings and a fiery red robe leaped onto the wall and jumped into the courtyard: "Haha, this humble monk has arrived just in time for such a grand feast!"

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Egg." Li Yu smiled and rose to greet him.

Zhang Luan and the others also stepped forward to greet him, addressing him as "Fellow Daoist" and "Egg Master" respectively.

This is the true protagonist of "The Tale of the Demon Slayer"—the Egg Monk.

Once upon a time, there was a nun who left home at the age of twelve to practice Buddhism and never broke her vows for over thirty years. One day, in a lotus pond, she saw geese and ducks mating and was suddenly aroused by desire. She became pregnant and did not give birth for thirteen months.

One day, while passing by Yinghui Mountain, she felt an itch in her abdomen, laid an egg, and abandoned it in a pond. A monk from Yinghui Mountain found the egg and put it in a chicken coop where it hatched into a baby.

He became a monk at a young age and was known as Egg Monk.

As he grew up, he became brave and diligent, devoted to the Dao. Hearing that there were celestial secrets in Baiyun Cave, he spent three years painstakingly copying the [Seventy-two Earthly Fiend Secret Techniques] from the cave walls onto paper.

However, because he couldn't recognize the Thunder Cloud Talisman, he was unable to cultivate. It wasn't until he met the old fox spirit, the Holy Aunt, who could decipher the characters, that he was able to learn the secret technique together with the fox spirit mother and son.

When the Egg Monk arrived, there were now nine people in the courtyard. The already small courtyard felt rather cramped.

Zuo Que'er laughed and said, "This courtyard is too small. How about I take you all to my [Gourd Heaven] for a visit?"

Master Li conjured fruits and fine wine out of thin air, displaying the exquisite skill of his art. Not to be outdone, the lame Master Li also wanted to show off his abilities, lest he be looked down upon by this outsider.

The monk and Zhang Luan, who knew him well and understood his thoughts, both exclaimed, "Let's see what Brother Dao has to offer!"

So the lame man took an empty bowl. He covered it with his left hand, made a hand seal with his right hand, and began chanting a spell.

Wang Ze, Cao Cao, and the other three had long admired the secret technique, and they stared at it intently without blinking.

Three breaths later, the lame man with the left hand moved away. The bowl shimmered, as if it contained a bowl of water.

There are some images in the "water".

There stood a gate with golden nails and vermilion doors, its eaves covered with green tiles. Intertwined cypress trees guarded the entrance, and pine trees that could be embraced by arms encircled the hall; celestial boys beat drums, and a flock of white cranes listened to scriptures; jade maidens rang bells, and several green apes simmered medicine.

What a wonderful paradise!

Everyone praised it.

Left-Lame-Er extended an invitation to Li Yu: "Fellow Daoist, please!"

Li Yu hesitated, while Zuo Que'er's expression remained unpleasant. Egg Monk laughed heartily, "I'll go first."

Having said that, he jumped onto the bowl. Just as he touched the bowl, the monk shrank and disappeared.

When it reappeared, it was already standing under a pine tree in that bowl of fairyland.

The monk waved to the outside, and Zhang Luan said, "I'm coming." He and his disciple Bu Ji jumped into the bowl together.

Then, Wang Ze and the other three couldn't resist their curiosity and jumped in as well.

Left-Waisted Man looked at Li Yu, who smiled wryly: "I practice overseas secret arts, which are slightly different from those in the Central Plains. If I were to enter this [pot] world, I fear there would be disharmony and I might offend you, fellow Daoist."

Left-Lame said expressionlessly, "It doesn't matter if you crash."

Li Yu nodded, said no more, and jumped up.

Bang!

The porcelain bowl shattered, and scraps of paper flew everywhere.

Zhang Luan and his apprentice, along with the Egg Monk, appeared covered in debris.

Meanwhile, Wang Ze and his three companions rolled around like gourds, knocking over a jar of fruit wine and crushing bananas, oranges, and pomelos.

Yuan Ji suffered the worst, plopping himself down into a pile of durians, grimacing and screaming in agony.

Left-side lame man stared in disbelief.

Li Yu helplessly shrugged.

(End of this chapter)