The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

Understanding impending events and taking precautions in advance—this is the wisdom that comes with age.

But it is God's power to stop events from unfolding as they should, and to change outcomes that are set in stone.

“Your Excellency, my father asked me to apologize to you…” the young priest said somberly. “He won’t be able to visit you this month either. His back injury is getting worse, and he can’t get out of bed…”

"It's ok."

The trees gazed into the distance, many leaves already turning yellow, bringing a touch of autumn. The cicadas were gradually falling, the forest was no longer noisy, and only occasionally a cicada's chirp would flit through the depths of the yellow leaves, like a mournful song of twilight.

Has your father been coughing lately?

"Oh? Yes, there are..."

The tree's branches swayed slightly, but it remained silent.

As the forest was bathed in the colors of autumn, the little priestess returned. She knelt before the tree, sobbing uncontrollably.

"My father can't eat anything. He keeps coughing, and the village herbs aren't working... Deity, what should I do?!"

The tree shook its branches and leaves, and a green leaf fell into the girl's hand.

“Let him take it,” the tree told her.

That autumn, the old priest's illness miraculously healed, even his stubborn back injury was cured. People all said it was a miracle.

When winter came, the old priest became even more energetic; he could even get out of bed and take the girl to visit relatives and friends. For the entire winter, he went alone to the east end of the island every day to bow to the tree, pray, and offer sacrifices.

They came and went silently, without saying a word.

The tree didn't say much.

Winter passed and spring arrived. The old priest personally sowed the first batch of seeds for the Kukugi family. He closed his eyes on a quiet evening and passed away peacefully.

After his death, he was buried on a hilltop near the ancient tree. Generations of the Jiujiumu family have been buried here, a place that the tree can see at a glance.

The little priestess did nothing for many days, just sitting under the tree gazing at the distant mountains. The tree thought she would complain, asking why he hadn't turned her father into a tree.

"My God, how did people cure diseases in the past?" she asked.

"You should pray to the god of plague, or drive away the monster that brings the disease. When the god releases his power and the monster is driven away, the disease will be cured."

“But now that the gods and monsters are gone, diseases still exist,” she said. “Are diseases just a natural phenomenon?”

Is that so?

The tree itself wasn't entirely sure either. But the little priestess seemed to have figured something out. She began bringing books to the tree, studying the origins and development of various plagues.

“The divine being can cure my father’s illness, but there are so many people on this island; it’s impossible for everyone to ask for your help when they fall ill,” she said earnestly. “I’m thinking, if I could understand the ‘nature’ that the plague gods see… and master the methods to cure diseases, then could I also do what the plague gods can do?”

The tree said to her, "You have to try to know."

"I'll give it a try!"

Shu regretted saying that, because the 138th priestess became the busiest person in the history of the Kukugi family. She was busy managing the shrine, inheriting her father's business, and also studying medicine on her own. Her elders were all married and had children at this age, while she didn't even have time to date.

Correspondingly, the little priestess earned the respect of the islanders—not because she was a tree priestess, but because she had truly learned to heal. People began to call her a doctor, but she seemed ashamed.

"Lord God..."

“Go,” the tree told her. “Go beyond the island and learn some more useful skills. You have legs; people shouldn’t always stay in the same place.”

The young priestess cried, wiping away her tears as she vowed she would return and preside over a grand festival for the god. She sailed to the large island, just as the messenger had departed by boat years before.

The tree was very happy.

From that year onward, the tree grew thinner. This was because its faith waned; after the priest left, no one paid any attention to the ancient tree's festivals anymore.

The tree had been silent for a long time, leaving it somewhat lonely. It understood more and more the expressions of each generation of priests as they aged, for people, like trees, needed the company of others when they grew old. And young people tended to stay with other young people, rarely walking alongside the elderly.

Fortunately, trees know how to pass the time. Humans taught them to use their imagination.

It imagined that the 138th priestess, after leaving the island, led a wonderful life, sometimes studying medicine, sometimes healing the sick. The child was talented and persevering; she would become an excellent doctor. Perhaps a patient would admire her intelligence, or perhaps she would meet someone even more outstanding than herself.

She will fall in love with another young man, stay together, have children... and then return to the island to tell it about her wonderful experiences, pouring out all the things she has accumulated over the years on a bright spring afternoon...

Or perhaps, she would settle down in a foreign land. Shu thought she would tell her children the story of the ancient tree on the distant island, but she was always too busy to go back.

This thought made the tree a little sad. But it thought it was a good thing, because people always go to different places and shouldn't always stand under one tree. The only downside was that there would be a period of time when no one would talk to it.

Fortunately, the animals remember it, and the insects remember it too. In autumn, they gather under the tree, warming themselves with fallen leaves, offering the tree a simple expression of gratitude.

Among those insects was an unfamiliar spider; though small in size, it emitted a cynical laugh.

"Look at your pathetic state. Forget about being an ancient tree, you're barely even a big tree, are you?"

"The physical body is not important."

"Their inner strength is also very weak," the spider sneered. "With you standing here protecting them, the people here will never grow up."

“It’s not protection, it’s watching over,” the tree told him. “Humanity is growing little by little… One day, people will be able to live peacefully without the power of gods. And my purpose is to ensure that they can survive until that day comes.”

"Oh my, what a kind soul." The spider raised its compound eyes. "But what do you care about the lives of humans? Things are not what they used to be!"

After the spider left, the tree felt weary. With less faith, it couldn't keep its eyes open all the time. It decided to hibernate like the animals to conserve its energy. Otherwise, when the 138th priestess returned, she might see a thin, unfamiliar tree.

Divine power should always be used sparingly, Tree thought. What if something happens to the island? How can a powerless god protect it?

It needs to hold on a little longer, because it won't rest for no reason. Time has long since endowed it with the ability to foresee the future. Something is about to happen. But what could it be? What could it be?

The tree awoke on the second day of winter, feeling an ominous tremor. A sound was emanating from deep within the earth.

The sound of the earth churning.

How could this be? The assembly of the gods hasn't even started yet, and the great god's approval hasn't been granted. How could the earth dragon have stirred?! Have they all broken the rules?!

It felt indignation before it was shocked. And then, quite some time later, the tree finally came to its senses.

The gods are long gone.

There will be no more God arranging earthquakes, nor will there be any more God announcing disasters.

But it was still there. Fortunately, it remained. The tree summoned birds, insects, and beasts, informing them of the news first. The animals fled in panic, issuing a warning according to divine will.

On that day, flocks of birds took flight from the forest, wolves and wild boars stormed into the village, and insects crawled everywhere. The cicadas chirped incessantly day and night, like mournful cries from hell.

Even the most foolish person knew that something big was about to happen. People hurriedly gathered and discussed the matter overnight. And in less than a day, groups of people were heading towards the east side of the island.

"The gods are angry!" the elder declared. "The Tree God is furious because of our long-standing negligence, and a natural disaster will soon strike. We must double our offerings to the gods to avert this calamity!"

People were filled with fear and trepidation, offering double the sacrifices, their prayers trembling. In this time of great calamity, they finally remembered the gods.

As the island faced destruction, the ancient tree regained its faith. But what meaning did it hold?

"Come on!" the tree cried. "Stop wasting your time here, come on! Come on!!"

However, mortals are just mortals, and the tree is extremely weak. Those without magic cannot hear its voice. People prayed for days, but the signs of disaster only grew stronger. Finally, even the elder's descendants could no longer bear it and questioned their father under the tree.

"Dad! This isn't something prayer can solve; we have to leave now—"

The elder rebuked, "How many ships are there on the island? Are they enough for even ten percent of us to escape?!"

"This……"

"Have you considered what the remaining 90% will do in order to survive this one-in-ten chance?"

His son was speechless. The elder sighed, "Who would pray to gods and Buddhas unless they were in dire straits? Besides, this tree spirit is truly efficacious... I have already written to the doctor. In this situation, we can only pray for divine protection!"

The tree, like the young man, was speechless.

It knew the decision was correct; human nature couldn't withstand the test, and a one-in-ten chance of survival could harm ten thousand. But the island was isolated and helpless; if an earthquake struck, how many more lives would be lost? It had conserved some divine power, but how many people could that power save?

Even the gods began to pray, to this land and to those they longed for in the distance.

Don't come back. Never look back. Now that you've gone to a faraway place, don't look back at your homeland.

However, the ominous premonition always came true.

Soon after, the new ship docked. That morning, even the people heard a rumbling sound coming from underground.

Then, the earth began to tremble. Offerings fell. Trees in the forest collapsed. Birds and beasts all fled down the mountain, but the people ran uphill.

That expression and demeanor were strikingly similar to those of her ancestors from long ago. The girl herself had looked just like that, filled with fear and unease, yet forcing herself to step forward.

"My Lord God! Are you still there! My Lord God!!!"

They were getting closer. She could see her anxious face. Ignoring the terrified crowd, she ran towards the distant tree.

She was just a naive girl when she left, but now she has grown into a graceful woman.

She was far more beautiful than her ancestors.

Isn't this great?

"Lord God!"

You must have a lot to say.

You've seen a wider world.

I learned things I couldn't have access to on the island and met many different people. This is an experience that trees rooted in one place could never have.

That was the right decision.

If she had become an everlasting tree back then, how could she have become such an outstanding priestess today?

The tree smiles at humankind.

"Lord God——!!"

The island cracked open with a roar, the surface turned into isolated fragments, and people cried out in terror amidst the disaster.

However, the priest did not fall. The ground beneath her feet remained stable.

In that instant, dense roots burst forth from the earth, stabilizing the crumbling land. Thousands of trees grew simultaneously, like a thousand spears pointing straight to the sky, strangling the earth dragon and fixing the island in place!

That was truly divine power.

A world-changing miracle that is virtually impossible for human beings to achieve.

Meanwhile, a corner of the land on the eastern side of the island slid down amidst cracking sounds.

The ancient tree, having exhausted all its strength and even broken its roots, fell towards the ocean under the pull of gravity.

The tree looked at the crying girl. It looked at the many people behind her. It looked at the priest who had smiled at it long ago.

"Live well," it said.

Then, the world fell into darkness.

That was an ancient, almost eternal darkness.

Memories fade in the darkness, the spirit blurs in the darkness. In an immeasurably distant past, only faint voices repeat themselves.

That is its promise to humanity.

We must care for humanity. We must protect life. We must safeguard peace. We must perpetuate existence.

Help them survive. Live longer, much longer.

May it last forever...

[To endure and last forever]

Chapter 61 Cheating Declaration (Double Update Today)

Then, the memories ceased.

The indistinct birds circled back, and the veil of magic dissipated. No more islands, no more ancient trees; cicadas chirped in the darkness, and Lü Wenjun still touched the earth.

He stood up blankly, feeling absent-minded, as if his thoughts were still lingering in the distant past. He turned his head and found Ling Gong rubbing her eyes vigorously, tears streaming down her red eyes and falling onto the dark earth.

“This is… the… memory of a deity…” she whispered.

Lu Wenjun pinched his brow hard, and after a long while, he let out a long sigh.

How could I not have thought of that?

It's a very simple thing.

Withered leaves signify autumn, and also the approach of decay. While crops are harvested, some plants weaken, decay, and die in the harsh winter.

Only in summer.

Only in this never-ending summer can everything maintain its most thriving state.

It desires that all things endure, that everything live on forever. Therefore, it created the realm of perpetual summer, where only in this never-ending summer can life, as fleeting as that of the cicada, escape death. Therefore, it possesses the ability to become wood, for in its eyes, human lifespan is as short as that of a cicada; only by becoming a tree can it endure alongside it.