Shulong Daojun

It is also called the Mountain Crocodile God Temple.

The deity enshrined in the temple is not the mountain god who governs the local water and soil, but a strange beast with a human face, a tortoise body, and narrow, star-like eyes.

The peasant woman, quite interested in the book about fish scales and grateful for the celestial flavors he had offered, couldn't help but ramble on a bit:

"Little immortal, you may not know this, but in these mountains, rolling stones and collapsing earth are common occurrences."

When heavy rains come, there are flash floods and mudslides. Even when things are a little calmer, wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards appear; it's truly never peaceful.

At this point, the peasant woman muttered something, which earned her a glare from the man. She then changed her tone and said in a low voice:

"Fortunately, we have the Mountain Crocodile Master. When we come to dangerous places, we can pray to him and be safe. We can get by."

If you're a little more diligent, you might even get lucky and catch a wild rabbit to enjoy.

It's better than outside.

After saying that, the peasant woman carefully used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish, put it in her mouth, and was reluctant to swallow it.

By this time, the man was quite drunk, his face flushed red from the effects of the alcohol.

He let out a muffled burp, his spirits lifted, and shouted, "The temple is just ahead. Little Immortal, walk a little further east and you'll see it clearly."

They were clearly hospitable, and their words conveyed goodwill.

Lin Shu nodded in thanks, then suddenly felt a movement in his sleeve. He found an excuse to rest and was then led by the peasant woman into a side room, where he sat cross-legged on a wooden plank.

Once the wooden door was ajar, Qingmin quietly peeked out, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then swam out.

Immediately, it raised its head slightly, gently rubbed against the hem of Lin Shu's robe, hooked its claws, and darted into his arms.

Seeing this, Lin Shu gently stroked the slight bulge on Qing Min's forehead and said softly, "You must be starving."

As he spoke, he casually pulled a few straws from under him, activated his magic, and they transformed into a stone bowl the size of a palm.

Immediately, a thought struck him, and he filled the jar with monkey wine, then took out a small piece of fish and placed it in front of him.

The Qingmin is a dragon, and although it belongs to the scaled creatures, it is quite different from the normal growth process. Its growth is slow, but its transformation is sudden.

Therefore, after more than ten days, its body shape remained unchanged, but the scales gradually solidified and the stripes on its back became more prominent, making it appear even more extraordinary.

This is also the best time to cultivate and nourish the wood element.

When feeding scaly creatures, they are usually fed mainly monkey wine and supplemented with fish meat, with the former in larger quantities and the latter in smaller quantities.

Perhaps it had been cooped up in the sleeve for too long and was feeling restless, so Qingmin rolled over slightly in Linshu's arms, lingered for a moment, and then swam down to devour the fish meat.

After finishing its meal, it let out a clear cry, and the ape wine in the bowl suddenly rose into the air, turning into a trickle and flowing into its mouth on its own.

However, being a young dragon, it was ultimately unable to withstand the effects of alcohol.

Before long, Lin Shu saw Qing Min wagging its tail and swimming over drunkenly, then falling into his arms.

He chuckled, flicked his sleeve to conceal his figure, and then his thoughts shifted, remembering the temple the peasant woman had mentioned.

Qingmin has entered the path of the gods, and in the future, a temple will surely be built for worship. Since there happens to be one in Guishou Village, and it's on the way, I might as well take a look and not waste any time.

After contemplating, Lin Shu closed his eyes and went to meditate.

Silent all night.

As the sun rose high in the sky, the man awoke leisurely, feeling refreshed and relaxed, his fatigue completely gone.

He glanced at the wooden bowl on the table, which was still mostly filled with ape wine, and couldn't help but mutter, "This immortal wine is really powerful. I got drunk after just a few sips yesterday. It has a really strong aftereffect."

I woke up with no headache or dry mouth; on the contrary, I felt completely comfortable. It was truly amazing.

After saying that, the man smacked his lips, savoring the moment, and then shouted, and the peasant woman came in carrying a bowl of water.

He took the water, gulped down a large mouthful, and asked the peasant woman about the whereabouts of Lin Shu and the other man. He learned that they had left at cockcrow, and he couldn't help but feel a little empty inside.

Then, as if remembering something, he quickly picked up the wooden bowl and handed it to the peasant woman, chuckling, "Woman, this is good stuff, take your time, have a sip."

Seeing that it was getting light, the peasant woman wanted to refuse and continue with her work, but she couldn't resist the man's kindness and had to take a sip.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she swallowed it, she felt unsteady on her feet.

Before long, he was lying on the table, fast asleep.

Upon seeing this, the man stepped forward to examine the situation. After confirming that there was no harm done, he carefully put away the wine in his hand and got busy.

Then he muttered, "This wine, Little Immortal, is excellent."

Then, they lit a fire, boiled water, and stayed at the house.

......

Lin Shu and Bao Dao left the side room and walked east for a while. After passing several houses, they came to see a strange temple.

Built of piled-up rocks and covered with wild grass, the temple gate, though no taller than a person, stood wide open at the crossroads.

It is a small temple, but it has all the necessary internal organs.

Inside was a wooden shrine containing a clay statue, its expression one of fury and wrath.

As Lin Shu approached the temple, upon closer inspection, the clay statue's face was already blurred and indistinguishable, with only the tortoise's body catching the eye.

With its breastplate folded, it crouches upright, exuding an imposing and awe-inspiring presence. Turning to the side, three sharp, jagged edges run across its back, giving it a fierce and menacing appearance.

Three fingers ahead, there is a wooden plaque with six faded characters: The Seat of Lord Mountain Crocodile.

Further ahead, there is an old stone incense burner, covered with thick layers of incense ash.

Two or three cakes were offered as tribute, and a large bowl of coarse wine was offered as a sign of respect. Both items were fresh and new, indicating that the incense offerings were continuous.

However, it was actually a wild god.

Lin Shu observed that the tablet on the statue had no title and its design was not orthodox, so he knew that it was not a righteous god appointed by Heaven and Earth, but rather a spirit or monster that had set up a private temple and was stealing incense offerings.

as predicted.

Then he saw the Taoist priest gaze into the depths of the mountains for a moment, then withdraw his gaze and said calmly:

"Good disciple, although I have spoken to you about the way of gods and explained that the true gods are officials of heaven and earth, I have not gone into the details."

Now, I'll take this opportunity, using this wild shrine, to explain the rules of Shinto to you.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu lowered his hands in anticipation.

The Taoist priest nodded slightly and continued, "The true gods are given titles and names, their territories are defined and boundaries are established, and their subordinates are assigned duties."

The first two are determined at the time of the conferment of the title, and can only change with the promotion of the divine position after accumulating merit and virtue and completing the term of office.

But the latter…”

At this point, the Taoist priest frowned, his gaze falling on the temple, and sighed: "Just like the officialdom in the human world, those who hold positions for a long time are often corrupt and despicable."

They may abuse their power for personal gain, allowing mountain spirits to commit evil deeds, or they may create pretexts for offering incense and donations to exploit the people. All of these actions are disguised as acts of kindness.

However, Heaven and Earth are all watchful, and no one can escape their merits and demerits. Those in positions of power should fulfill their duties, conduct themselves with caution, and lest they bring ruin upon themselves.

After saying this, he shook his head and gently flicked the whisk in his hand.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu's expression turned solemn, and he bowed, saying, "Your disciple will remember this."

He naturally sensed the concern in the Taoist's words and understood the admonition within them: although not all mountain spirits are evil, they are ultimately different paths.

Those whose origins are in Heaven are close to those above, and those whose origins are in Earth are close to those below. Since their roots and paths are different, they should each follow their own kind.

This spirit, known as Lord Mountain Crocodile, would protect the people of Guishou Village whenever there was a dangerous mountain, as if he were doing good deeds, but who knows what his true intentions were?

Thinking of this, Lin Shu's gaze darkened slightly, as if he were deep in thought.

Just then, a wonderful praise rang out, coming from afar:

"What the True Man Baoyi said is absolutely right."

"True gods are noble and virtuous; mountain spirits and monsters are often evil, and since they are different kinds of beings, they should be killed."