Chapter 689: Empty Flowers
Daqiu was waiting outside and was not allowed to come in.
Gong Mengbi had just finished drafting the contract and placed the pen on the pen holder. He then called them over and turned the contract around for them to see.
Erqiu and Sanqiu looked at each other, embarrassed, and said, "We can't read, so we don't know what it says."
Gong Mengbi looked at Kang Wen.
Kang Wen looked at the contract and explained it to them, saying, "This is the contract. The Goddess of Mount Tai has a benevolent heart that helps the world. If you worship sincerely, the Goddess will respond. If you want to learn, it's all right. But this is the Fox Courtyard. Above it is the Heavenly Fox Courtyard, which was originally established for foxes. We cannot use public funds to teach you."
"You will train here for three years, and all treatment will be the same as that of the Fox Clan. However, your food, clothing, teacher's salary, and Taoist books will not be provided by the Fox Clan. You will have to provide for them yourselves."
Erqiu's expression became even more awkward, and he said, "We know that there is no such thing as learning a skill for nothing. My brother and I have nothing left except this layer of skin on our bodies, which is worth a bit of money."
Kang Wen laughed and said, "I'm not asking you to leave now, I'm asking you to work instead."
Erqiu asked, "What kind of work do you do?"
Kang Wen said, "It's written in this contract. If you sign it, you will follow the ways of the Goddess, be bound by the precepts of the Yue Mansion, always accumulate good deeds, and refrain from evil. Fox Monastery will treat you all equally and consider you one of its own. All expenses for enrollment will be paid in the form of tuition fees of three liters of gold, which will be paid in advance by the teacher. If you have sufficient financial resources, you can pay it off in one lump sum. If not, you can work instead. After completing your studies, you must respond to Fox Monastery's call for thirty years, and you must be ready to serve whenever they are called."
Erqiu and Sanqiu couldn't help but exclaimed: "Three liters of gold?"
Kang Wen said, "Don't think it's too expensive. This is a bargain. The method you cultivate is worth a fortune out there. Let alone three liters, even three dou and three liters is worth it."
Erqiu said, "It's not that it's too expensive, it's just that I can't figure out how much it's worth."
Kang Wen laughed and said, "You have to learn the art of divination. Once you learn it, you will be able to calculate it."
Erqiu and Sanqiu stopped thinking and quickly reached out to sign.
Kang Wen patted their hands and said, "What's the rush? Don't you want to think about it again?"
Erqiu and Sanqiu scratched their heads and laughed. Erqiu said with cunning and mercenary eyes, "Although we haven't traveled far and wide, we are not without experience. Even if we were to learn blacksmithing, pottery making, kiln building, or leatherworking, we would still work like a slave for our master for the rest of our lives, being driven day in and day out until we die. In what profession or industry would one not be driven by a master?"
Sanqiu sighed, "If I don't learn the art, I might not even be able to live another thirty years."
Kang Wen smiled and said, "As long as you have thought it through, please sign and seal it."
Erqiu and Sanqiu bit their fingers and signed the contract.
"After signing the contract, you are now students of Fox Academy. Why don't you pay your respects to the dean?"
The second and third hillocks performed a solemn ceremony and said, "Greetings, Dean."
Gong Mengbi lifted them up with a smile and said, "Go, Daqiu is waiting for you."
Erqiu and Sanqiu ran out with joy. They heard shouts of surprise from outside the door, but they quickly covered their mouths for fear of disturbing the teacher, and quickly slipped away to run wild.
Kang Wen smiled and shook his head, saying with emotion, "Master Gong is truly kind-hearted."
The kind-hearted Gong Mengbi smiled without saying anything. After Kang Wen left, Gong Mengbi blew dry the blood and ink on the paper, folded the deed and stuffed it into his sleeve, lit the small golden incense burner, and headed straight for Haoli Kingdom with the help of the curling incense.
When he was of little ability, he had to burn incense and pray to the Goddess of Mount Tai before entering the Yue Mansion.
At that time, even though Haoli Country and Haoli City were right in front of us, it was like looking at flowers in the fog, and nothing could be seen clearly.
Later, when his Taoism became more advanced, he first reached the Nai River, where he was led by ghosts and gods across the bridge into the palace.
Later, he received the Taiyue talisman from the Lord of the Mansion, and was able to enter and leave the Mansion freely.
Now, I can move around freely in Haoli Country.
At first glance, Haoli Country looks similar to the human world, but upon closer inspection, it is very different.
Beneath Mount Tai is a sleeping place, where most ancient souls who have reached the end of their lives rest in silence. Before they awaken, they are almost permanently gone, and it is impossible to tell whether they will wake up or not, or whether they can wake up at all.
The remaining places are where ghosts live. Yang has its own lifespan, while Yin has its own lifespan. If a Yin lifespan does not end, it will continue to live in the underworld.
Only when one's life span ends will there be concepts of sleep and reincarnation.
However, life span and life span are often not fixed, but they maintain a certain balance overall.
The quality of life of the ghost people in Haoli Kingdom is directly related to their Yin De. If their Yin De is abundant, their life will be happy. If their Yin De is deficient, they will often suffer a lot.
The Five Gods buy and sell Yin De, and convert Yin De into wealth in the world of the living, causing almost all the ghosts in the underworld to become slaves, and some even owe debts for three lifetimes and can never escape the clutches of the devil.
Gong Mengbi stood in Haoli City for a while. The ghosts and gods who passed by were very happy to see him. Some came to talk to him, and some gave him small gifts.
Gong Mengbi did not refuse and took this opportunity to observe their lives.
When one reaches this level of cultivation, his spirits travel to the Haoli Kingdom and are no different from other ghosts and gods. However, the difference between yin and yang is that ghosts and gods in the underworld are all spirits.
The feeling in the world of the living is different from that in the underworld. Although the soul in the underworld also carries a "shell", this shell is completely different from the physical body.
The boundary between life and death is so clear, yet so blurred.
When his hands were full of things, the kind-hearted people of Haoli gave him fruits, flowers, meat buns, pies, and even sachets and handkerchiefs.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, Gong Mengbi quickly apologized and got out of the crowd to go to Yue Mansion.
These people did not chase after him. Instead, they said goodbye to him with a smile and gradually dispersed.
When Gong Mengbi entered Yue's mansion, the priests who came and went all greeted him with smiles, which made Gong Mengbi look a little surprised.
When they met Wei Dapan, he pointed it out and said, "The aura you exude today is exceptionally different, like a pure Yang aura. I'm delighted to see it."
Gong Meng Bi thought about the difference and immediately remembered that the incense used in the small golden censer today was not burnt with fox fire, but with sun beads.
The fire of the Sun Pearl is completely different from that of the Fox Fire, so the aroma they produce is also different.
This subtle difference is nothing in the world of the living, but in the underworld, in front of these ghosts, the difference immediately becomes apparent.
"I thought it was because Haoli City rarely saw outsiders and the ghost people were so hospitable that they gave me so many things."
Wei Dapan showed a slightly strange expression and asked, "What is it?"
Gong Mengbi rummaged in his sleeves and said, "That's a lot."
But he touched nothing. He clearly put something into his sleeve, but nothing was there, just like a dreamlike empty flower, returning to formlessness.
Gong Mengbi showed a strange expression, and Wei Dapan smiled slightly but did not explain.
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