Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Training Partner, Tiankeng!
The confrontation was somewhat awkward for both parties.
Lin Xinghuo was still in shock over the caracal's words, while the caracal was thinking about how to recruit this human chef.
What should I do if humans are a bit too strong? The caracal thought, if I don't fight hard, it will be difficult to defeat humans, right? The caracal felt a little pain in its paws, the humans' thick skin and flesh rubbing against its claws!
"Ah!" After all, he had only found this one human who suited his taste in all these years, so the caracal decided to give him some face and glanced at the human: "You don't want to ask?"
Lin Xinghuo's soul was wandering in the sky. When he saw the water tank with the lid lifted by the caracal, he said, "You eat directly from the tank, how unhygienic!" The porcelain basin was already broken, and the big water tank was one of the few large items left in this poor family. The local product company wanted a ticket!
The caracal's condescending attitude could no longer be maintained. It jumped up and said viciously, "I have to ask you this: why did you carry away my pig?" The caracal's claws touched the meatballs in the jar, the pig stomach in the basin, the pork on the beam, the tusks, pig bones, and pig blood on the wooden racks... It remembered every bit of what Lin Xinghuo had gained from the Wild Boar King. The caracal said, "Everything! Is! Mine!"
Lin Xinghuo was stunned. "You raise pigs?" Was this a pig farmer? She couldn't help but think of another monkey who once raised horses. They were all monkeys, but the Great Sage was far more majestic. Facing this human-speaking monkey, she knew it was a legendary monster, but for some reason, she felt no real fear. Lin Xinghuo believed it was due to her years of practice and her stable state of mind, not because this monster looked a bit foolish.
She certainly didn't sense any ill will from the caracal, so why did the caracal reveal the secret?
It can't be just for a bite to eat, right?
Why couldn't it just be for a bite to eat? The caracal looked at him coldly. How could humans know how hard it was to find edible prey? The caracal uncle had no good intentions and hoped that this human would enter the sect early. Once she entered the pit of cultivation after the Xiantian stage, she would be just like him!
Lin Xinghuo pushed the jar next to the caracal: "Eat it, keep eating..." The jar was dirty.
"I'll catch another one to compensate you later?"
The caracal snorted, his eyes filled with sarcasm: "Do you think the mountain is full of monsters?"
"Demon beast?" Lin Xinghuo seemed to understand, "So what does taking the wrong path mean?" The little foxes clearly reacted to her wooden sign in the same way as the demon pig. Since the wild boar is a demon beast, are her three cubs also?
The caracal's momentum faded after a while, and it completely collapsed. What's more, humans were quite kind, and the first thing they thought of was the three fox cubs.
It replied lazily: "You originally wanted to worship these? It was not bad in the past. As long as you can survive the calamity of spiritual life and the 500-year calamity of becoming a human, and then seek death and shed your body, you may be able to achieve enlightenment and become an immortal." As for whether you will really die or become an immortal after shedding your body, that is a matter of opinion.
"Now..." The caracal burped and stretched himself. "The spiritual energy of heaven and earth has revived. It's a pity for these cubs."
The so-called offering refers to offering the fox cubs to guardian spirits, a method of cultivating merit and improving one's spiritual attainments. The "spiritual lifespan tribulation" mentioned by the caracal refers to the folk belief that foxes, if they survive beyond the lifespan of their kind, will awaken their spirituality and become guardian spirits or altar spirits. The "five hundred years of transformation into a human" tribulation refers to the fact that immortals, after surviving five hundred years, can cultivate a human form, a truly high level of spiritual attainment. As for "seeking death and shedding one's body," it literally means seeking death. Legend has it that upon attaining enlightenment, immortals will voluntarily jump into a boiling pot, shedding their mortal shells, and their souls will attain enlightenment and become immortals. This kind of spiritual practice, relying solely on sheer luck, seems unrealistic upon closer examination. Lin Xinghuo never considered this path for the fox cubs.
The caracal glanced at the red string around Lin Xinghuo's neck and said, "The old lady on Lotus Peak gave you the token, but didn't tell you how to use it?"
Lin Xinghuo simply untied her purse and took out a small light green wooden token. What was this token? And what was going on with the resurgence of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?
Uncle Mao's round ears twitched as he said impatiently, "This is a token to enter a secret place. I guess it's your clan's territory—how would I know where it is? Don't hold out any hope. The spiritual energy tide has receded for thousands of years. Without the spiritual energy to maintain it, these secret places will end up shattered and annihilated..."
These words contained a plethora of information. Lin Xinghuo sorted them out: What they meant was that the legendary attainment of immortality was real, and that a substance called spiritual energy existed in this world, a prerequisite for cultivation. But spiritual energy, like the tide, ebbs and flows. In ancient times, spiritual energy was abundant, and cultivation flourished. It began to decline during the pre-Qin period, reaching its lowest point by the end of the Song Dynasty. After a centuries-long lull, the spiritual energy surged again, and now its concentration has reached a level suitable for cultivation.
Lin Xinghuo recalled hearing his master say things like, "The essence of heaven and earth has become denser, it's time to enter the world and cultivate," and "The essence of Buxianguan is trapped in the magic circle, it will be beneficial for you to come down the mountain." Reflecting on his own breakthroughs since coming down the mountain, he began to believe the caracal's words.
She had hoped to build closer rapport and ask for advice on cultivation, but she hadn't mastered language in her two lifetimes. She simply followed the caracal's lead and asked, "So, you're a successful demon beast? A caracal spirit?" Would the fox cubs be able to speak in the future? She was so excited.
The caracal was furious: "Humans insult me! I am the descendant of the ancient mythical beast, the rabbit! I was born with a spirit..."
After a while, Lin Xinghuo's face and body were covered in scratches. She clamped her hands around the caracal's ribs to restrain it. This time, she wisely erased the record in the Classic of Mountains and Seas that "the caracal is shaped like a rabbit, with long, pointed ears, and is only a foot long." She couldn't help but mutter, "The caracal has such a violent temper and is so moody—even though its name has the word 'rabbit' in it, honestly, it looks nothing like a rabbit, so it's no wonder people can't tell the difference."
The caracal's thick and long tail swung and swept across its back quickly. Lin Xinghuo felt his hand go numb and he involuntarily loosened the clamp.
"My innate magical power—"
"Frictional electrification—"
"You ignorant human, just kidding."
“…”
The caracal leaped onto the table, chin raised, claws extended, and made a direct, veiled demand: "Be my cook, and I'll teach you how to comprehend the token. Your token should contain the basic techniques. With your mortal body, you'll die of old age before you even begin."
Lin Xinghuo was very tempted, but she had been cheated by the so-called contract of the Lin family company when she entered the world in her previous life, and now she was still working for a demon, so she couldn't help but be cautious.
Seeing that she refused, the caracal couldn't help but say angrily, "You stole my prey first, and then listened to my instructions! Human, what else are you lacking?"
Five minutes later, both parties carefully reached a consensus and made a verbal promise to sign a partnership contract after Lin Xinghuo broke through the innate realm and officially entered the door.
Another ten minutes later, Lin Xinghuo broke his companions' silence: "Where is the technique?"
The caracal moved its furry mouth and said embarrassedly, "Wait for me, I'll recover." It had just shown off its power by using its innate magical powers, and now its spiritual energy was running low, so it needed to slow down.
Lin Xinghuo said nothing, but quietly looked at the fox cubs playing at the doorstep: the autumn in the north is dry, which easily generates static electricity - when the little foxes swing their big tails, there is also a crackling sound.
Seeing Lin Xinghuo quietly waiting, the caracal breathed a sigh of relief beneath its thick fur. It wasn't a descendant of the legendary Tuhu, just a newly arrived caracal. But it had heard that humans could claim ancestors as long as they shared the same surname. If humans could do it, so could it.
Partnering with humans wasn't easy. From the vast plateaus to the towering jungles, the caracal searched for a long time before finally finding a human who was both qualified and manageable. Cultivating alone was too difficult. With the spiritual energy of heaven and earth just beginning to recover, even finding spiritually rich food was difficult. There were other demon cultivators who had entered the Dao, but if they were to travel together, they had to be wary of the other one eating them to replenish their cultivation.
After observing and identifying Lin Xinghuo, the caracal quickly offered to partner her up, also to enhance its own strength: whether it was a human or a human, to other monsters, they were both delicious and nourishing. While humans might not be quite as good, they were still better than the monster pigs. The caracal decided to tell her about this later, lest she be deterred from attempting to force her way through. The price was high, but strength was the key to survival.
After a long while, the caracal finally recovered and instructed Lin Xinghuo to "take some blood and soak the token in it."
Lin Xinghuo did as she was told, and soon saw the small wooden sign swell slightly as it absorbed the blood, with tiny patterns appearing on it. The caracal's furry paw patted her forehead, and Lin Xinghuo felt a cool sensation in her eyes. Before she could savor the feeling, she heard the caracal meow, urging her to look quickly.
When you look closely, you can see light flowing on the wooden sign, and countless small characters engraved on it.
Taoists believe that peach kernels can ward off evil spirits. Lin Xinghuo once had a peach kernel carving with the entire "Tao Te Ching" micro-carved on it, which has the same effect as this wooden plaque.
A minute later, Lin Xinghuo's eyes were sore and swollen. Not only could he not see the small words clearly, but even his eyes were blurred by tears.
The caracal licked its paw guiltlessly. "No more. You can only carry so much at a time. You're still mortal. Your eyes will be damaged if you keep doing this for a while."
So, what's the use of you, buddy? What's the difference between a magnifying glass and a microscope?
Lin Xinghuo didn't have time to fight with his friends, so he quickly copied it down on paper while he still remembered it.
The caracal not only pits its companions, it is also good at hurting people's hearts: "While you haven't lost much blood yet, hurry up and stock up on more meat - you haven't gotten started yet, and the demon pig will be more useful in the future." As for these prepared meatballs, how many can human companions eat? Only three a day at most. The caracal thinks it is very generous.
Lin Xinghuo had a lot to do. Not only did she need to stock up on food and firewood, she also had to prepare some eye-brightening and nourishing medicine. She used to think she had no money, but now she realized she needed it everywhere. She could trade for daily necessities at the village sales outlet, but everything else, especially medicinal herbs, had to be purchased in the county. No matter how many medicinal herbs there were in the mountains, some were not grown locally. And that was only possible with a barefoot doctor training class certificate. The villagers had to go to the hospital's Chinese medicine pharmacy to get their prescriptions.
Especially when Lin Xinghuo expectedly asked his companions if they could find any rare herbs in the mountains, the caracal returned his "idiot look" and said something that made people feel even more difficult and poor:
"How many years did it take for spiritual energy to decline from the Qin Dynasty to the Song Dynasty? How long did it take for the spiritual energy to dry up? Then how long do you think it will take for it to recover and return to the time when resources for cultivation are abundant - when natural treasures do not need to be nurtured?" There may be spiritual herbs and precious medicines, but they are extremely rare. They can forget about dreaming.
“…”Is there still hope in this life?
Lin Xinghuo finally realized what the caracal had said before was true; it had indeed revealed itself to be a stutterer. She also wanted to learn how to raise a demon pig from her friend...
***
Lin Xinghuo reported to the brigade headquarters that she was going into the mountains. Before leaving, she stared at the slogan "Do it yourself and have enough food and clothing" painted on the wall for a long time. She decided to cut a piece of paper and hang these eight words in her room to motivate herself and her new lazy partner.
The old branch secretary and the team leader only told her to be careful when entering the mountains. They also mentioned that the patrol had caught a few people from Jinjiayao trying to use the small path from their village to enter the mountains: "You can't be sure that some of them really sneaked into our Nanshan. You'd better be careful with the weapons they carry." Don't let anyone mistake them and get hurt by mistake.
When the Buxiantun production team went to submit their autumn meat harvest, they even alarmed the commune secretary. After inquiring, they learned that the wild game in the mountains was both plentiful and scarce this year, and that more than one production brigade had failed to catch any significant game, and even injured members who had ventured into the mountains. Upon returning, the old secretary halted the autumn hunting team's plans to return, citing excessive publicity as a distraction.
Not only that, the old branch secretary also announced: "Little Fairy's entry into the mountains was her own doing." Any members who wanted to go in could also go in on their own. All they had to do was go to the brigade headquarters and knock over the brigade leader, Huang Dazhuang, so he'd see, and they'd guarantee they wouldn't stop them. Those who went up the mountain without using collective tools would share the harvest according to the old rules: 30% to 70%.
Huang Dazhuang and the old branch secretary had always been a team, one a warrior and the other a scholar. Even the retired soldier Hong Zhong might not be able to defeat him, let alone others. The villagers in the village just laughed it off as a joke, but some were arguing over it.
Wang Huzi covered his daughter's ears. "Their brigade's autumn hunting team was lucky to come back unscathed. Even so, Jin Gouzi hasn't learned his lesson yet. He's just greedy! What? Just because our village won first place in the autumn hunt this year, he thinks all the big, easy-to-hunt creatures are in the South Mountain? The brigade leader reported the tiger sighting, and the whole nearby communes knew about it. Look at him, he really thinks he has the abilities of a fairy lady?"
Jin Zhaodi had no choice but to send a letter to her parents, repeatedly asking her parents to find a good wife for her brother, saying that it was time to deal with Jin Gouzi's behavior. Since her parents were reluctant to let him go, they had to find a sensible wife to manage the family.
Unexpectedly, the relative brought the message and also boasted about many new things in Buxian Village.
The speaker may not mean anything, but the listener may take it to heart. When Jin Gouzi's mother heard relatives talk about how amazing and capable the little fairy was, how everyone in the village loved her, and how she'd be working as a doctor at the health center next year, she couldn't help but wonder, Zhaodi keeps asking her brother to find a capable wife, so why doesn't she just look back at her own village now? Isn't this little fairy just the right person?
After seeing off the guests, Jin Gouzi's mother hurriedly discussed the matter with Jin's father. Jin's father said, "No, we can't suppress their luck."
Jin Gouzi's mother said, "Why suppress? We are asking the Tai Sui to guard the mountain! The more powerful the Tai Sui is, the better to suppress this bad boy Zhen Gouzi! Otherwise, think about it, if his brother-in-law's patrol team hadn't caught them, would our son still be alive? Our commune still has a female incense head. Wouldn't it be nice for the whole family to rely on her and worship her?" There is more than one incense head in Jinjia Yao, and now they also secretly tell fortunes for people. This is why their commune does not rely much on the old fairy lady of Lianhua Peak.
The Jin family's father was somewhat tempted, smacking his lips and hesitatingly said, "Then talk to Sanni and test her opinion. Other people's families are outsiders and don't want to get married. We will make a fool of ourselves."
Jin Gouzi's mother laughed and said, "What girl wouldn't marry? I heard she'll be sixteen by the new year. She's perfect for our Gouzi!"
The author has something to say:
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【I was not satisfied with what I wrote previously, so I rewrote it.】
Note: "The calamity of opening the spiritual life span, the calamity of transforming into a human for five hundred years, and seeking death to shed the body", reference: "The Four Great Gates", written by Li Weizu/Zhou Xing.
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