After Transmigrating into an Evil God - Chapter 17

“Then I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip,” Li Chi said.

Jin Yan puffed out his small chest. “Leave it to me, I guarantee there won’t be any problems!”

He nuzzled Ding Qin’s fingers again and said, “Don’t worry, in a couple of days I’ll bring your teacher back for you!”

“Ah…” Before Ding Qin could call out to him, Jin Yan had already whooshed away and disappeared.

“His temperament is too hasty…”

Li Chi smiled. “Never mind. These next few days, you can follow me and learn to read.”

He looked toward Hou Li. “I’ll have to trouble you, fellow daoist, to lend us a few primers.”

“No trouble at all,” Hou Li said courteously. “I’ll go fetch them right away.”

Over the next several days, Li Chi’s time passed quite leisurely and carefree.

Each day, he had limited time most suitable for cultivation.

Although this mountain forest could be considered a decent small blessed land, the spiritual energy wasn’t particularly abundant, and the divine power it could help him recover each day wasn’t much. Though Li Chi could give back to heaven and earth, making the surrounding spiritual energy increasingly rich and pure, heaven and earth had limited capacity to bear it. Improvement was slow work—forcing growth wasn’t good.

All things must have moderation. Apart from the two hours he spent sleeping to heal his injuries and his cultivation time, Li Chi’s daily routine consisted of teaching Ding Qin to read and carving a qin from the heartwood of the old pine tree.

Carving a qin required calm focus and careful work. Although with Li Chi’s current abilities, making a qin was far easier than it was for mortals, Li Chi wasn’t in any hurry.

He had a vague feeling that the time for this qin to emerge into the world hadn’t yet arrived.

While Li Chi was leisurely and carefree, Ding Qin was kept spinning in circles.

Cultivation, practicing divine arts, learning to read, tending to the vegetables and wheat she’d planted, and also pondering how to repair Hou Li’s true body, Li Manor.

Ding Qin hadn’t planted many vegetables, but each one was growing very well. Every day when Li Chi cultivated, spiritual mist would pervade the area. These vegetables were nourished by the spiritual mist and grew increasingly fresh and robust, tempting the little mouse to cling to the edge of the flower bed sniffing every day.

“They’re not fully grown yet,” Ding Qin said, crouching beside the little mouse. “When they’re ready, I’ll pick a big one for you!”

Hearing this, the little mouse jumped into the flower bed, picked out a fresh, dewy cabbage, and held it up.

Ding Qin smiled with pursed lips. “Alright, this one’s for you.”

The little mouse then ran to where the wheat was planted, found a wheat seedling, raised one small paw and placed it on top, looking at Ding Qin with its dark, beady eyes.

“Fine, this stalk is yours too,” Ding Qin said with a laugh.

The little mouse looked overjoyed. It spun around twice, squeaking continuously, then stood upright on its hind legs with both front paws clasped at its chest, mimicking a human bow.

Ding Qin smiled as she stroked its glossy, smooth fur a couple of times. “They’re just two vegetables—why are you so happy?”

“These aren’t merely two vegetables.”

“Mister Hou Li.” Ding Qin turned around.

Hou Li looked at the little mouse and smiled. “It’s quite clever. Every day when High God Li Chi cultivates, spiritual mist and dew condense around him. These plants are moistened by the dew—turbid qi doesn’t arise and spiritual energy increases. They can be considered rare spiritual vegetables and spiritual grains. Eating them can help one’s cultivation.”

“So that’s how it is!” Ding Qin said delightedly. “Would they be useful if ordinary people ate them?”

Hou Li said. “Though they can’t compare to divine elixirs or miraculous medicines, if consumed regularly, they can strengthen the body and extend one’s lifespan.”

“Then wouldn’t they be worth a lot of money?” Ding Qin asked.

Hou Li was taken aback. “What do you need money for?”

Ding Qin felt a bit embarrassed. “This estate is your true body, sir, and it’s where the High God resides. I’d like to repair it.”

Hou Li smiled and said warmly. “It’s good that you have this intention.”

Ding Qin looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes. “Does sir think I can’t do it?”

Hou Li didn’t answer, but instead helped her calculate approximately how much would be needed for the wood, stone, bricks, tiles, doors, windows, and gauze curtains required to repair Li Manor.

When Li Manor was built, the Li clan had constructed it as a foundation for future generations, sparing no expense. For instance, the blue bricks used to build the walls were fine-grained and sturdy, cool to the touch, and could even be ground down to make inkstones. The other tiles, stones, and timber were similar.

Li Manor was located deep in the mountain forest and was a sizable aristocratic estate. The cost required to repair it… would be considerable.

Ding Qin counted on her fingers as she listened, her eyes going blank. Why would it cost so much money?

Hou Li smiled. “If you’re determined, why not start by repairing just the two courtyards where the High God and you live? I can save on labor costs, and with divine arts available, transportation isn’t difficult either. You’d just need to earn enough for materials.”

“However, selling vegetables won’t earn you much money. Ordinary people can’t sense spiritual energy, so even if you say these are spiritual vegetables, they won’t necessarily believe you. Better to gather some medicinal herbs from the mountain forest—ordinary people can also appraise those. Take your time, don’t rush.”

Ding Qin calculated and shook her head. “Small-scale buying and selling earns little profit. Who knows when I’d earn enough for repairs? Unless I found some rare treasure medicine, but I’m small and weak with no backing. Even if I did find treasure medicine to sell, I’d easily be cheated, inviting unnecessary trouble. I couldn’t very well trouble the High God to stand up for me.”

“Does Mister Hou Li have any other suggestions?” She looked at Hou Li with bright eyes.

“Small business is difficult, but big business is even harder,” Hou Li taught her step by step. “If you’re weak and have no backing, you need an identity that will prevent others from looking down on you because of your young age. Princes and nobles are equally young, yet their servants don’t dare bully them. You are a divine messenger who wields extraordinary divine arts and power—why would you hide your identity?”

Ding Qin suddenly understood.

Hou Li continued. “You are a divine messenger. Your identity and abilities are already different from before, so why would you define yourself using the thinking of an ordinary person?”

Ding Qin seemed to grasp something, though she was still a bit confused. She asked. “Then… should I still go sell medicine?”

“You can do what ordinary people do, but you’re not limited to only doing what ordinary people do,” Hou Li advised.

Ding Qin thought for a moment. “I can first go to a nearby town and sell medicine for a few days, but I don’t need to do it long-term.”

Seeing that she understood, Hou Li said no more. Ding Qin had excellent character and was clever and talented, but because she was young and had long lived in a remote area, her experience was limited. Now that she’d received High God Li Chi’s karmic blessing, it wouldn’t do to trouble the High God with everything. Since Ding Qin called him “sir,” he would look after her a bit more.

Ding Qin had been so busy that she’d forgotten all about Jin Yan. After several more days passed, when she calculated the time, she realized Jin Yan had been gone quite a while.

Jin Yan was a bird demon, naturally fast, and he’d said the old fox lived nearby. How could more than a week have passed without him returning? Could something have happened?

Ding Qin hurried to find Li Chi to inquire.

Li Chi looked along the karmic thread connecting him to Jin Yan. The distance was too far—he couldn’t see what was happening on Jin Yan’s end like he had when viewing Qing Fu before, but he could sense that he was fine.

“Don’t worry, he’s not in danger,” Li Chi said.

After confirming Jin Yan was safe, Ding Qin breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Chi looked up at the sky. Every morning, Ding Qin followed him to cultivate using the first rays of dawn, then afterward would practice calligraphy.

It was already afternoon now, but the sky was still bright.

He taught Ding Qin calligraphy and answered her questions, but hadn’t yet tested her. On a whim, Li Chi asked. “How is your study of the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ progressing?”

“I’ve already memorized it all,” Ding Qin answered.

“Then recite it once from memory,” Li Chi said. He looked up at the verdant tree overhead, and when his gaze fell on a certain spot, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Li Chi extended his arm and swept his sleeve through the air. Wind suddenly arose, condensing into a sharp blade that swept across the tree canopy.

Several broad green leaves fluttered down.

This old tree was of some unknown species. Its leaves were as wide as two palms, giving off a subtle cold fragrance that repelled insects and snakes.

Though the Li estate still had ink and brushes, they hadn’t been as carefully preserved as the books. After over two hundred years, the blank paper had long since rotted away.

These past few days, Ding Qin had been using leaves from this old tree to practice writing.

The broad leaves were carried by the wind and slowly descended onto the stone table. Ding Qin fetched the ink and brush and was about to pick up the leaves when she suddenly laughed aloud. She lifted the top two leaves to reveal a small mouse with purple-gray fur.

Ding Qin poked it, and the little mouse spun around in a dizzy daze.

“High God, what’s wrong with it?” Ding Qin smelled a strange fragrance on its body but didn’t know what it was.

Li Chi smiled. “It stole wine from somewhere and got drunk, but still remembered to hide here.”

Ding Qin laughed and moved the little mouse to the side, then leaned over the table and began writing out the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ from memory.

In the courtyard, spring breezes passed through, leaves rustled, sunlight was warm and gentle, and tree shadows dappled the tabletop.

Ding Qin tucked the windblown strands of hair behind her ear and focused on writing out the ‘Thousand Character Classic’. The little mouse lay on its back, snoring softly, its belly rising and falling.

Heaven and earth, dark and yellow; universe, vast and desolate.

……

Li Chi half-closed his eyes, his divine consciousness drifting and wandering.

Heaven and earth suddenly fell still.

Ding Qin was focused and unaware. The little mouse was drunk and oblivious.

Hou Li’s spirit body steadied. Before he could look in this direction, he sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state.

……

Sun and moon wax and wane; stars and constellations are arrayed.

Li Chi’s spirit merged with heaven and earth. Above, the vast sun sank in the west, and in the eastern sky a faint pale trace of moon hung. Below, vegetation grew with vitality and tranquility; insects lived in the morning and died at dusk, harboring both death and vital qi.

Wind traveled between heaven and earth, seeing travelers in mountain forests and cooking fires rising from villages, the old declining while the young grew. When yang qi reached its peak, it turned and fell, giving rise to yin; where there was life, there must also arise the qi of death and decay.

Yin and yang rotated, life and death traveled together. Li Chi drifted and swayed, yet felt that though this world operated smoothly, something was missing.

What was missing?

Before he could conclude his thoughts, Li Chi suddenly saw a vast fog arise between heaven and earth.

That was… the karma of all living beings.

Particles expressing emphasis. yan, zai, hu, ye.

“Done!” Ding Qin’s clear voice rang out.

Li Chi instantly awakened and opened his eyes, looking down.

The divine seal on Ding Qin’s forehead had appeared at some point and was now quietly fading away.

She was completely unaware. Looking at the characters on the leaf, she said with reluctant longing. “I’ve never written this well before.”

But this was written on a leaf and couldn’t be preserved.

Li Chi didn’t look at the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ on the leaf. He patted Ding Qin’s head. The spiritual energy within Ding Qin’s body had stabilized considerably—it seemed she had also gained something just now.

“You wrote very well, without any errors,” Li Chi said. He had already seen it during his spiritual journey.

In the adjacent courtyard, the Manor Spirit Hou Li stood up, feeling a sense of loss.

Just now he seemed to have seen the universe of heaven and earth, the movement of sun and moon, vegetation sprouting, all creatures racing about…

This opportunity triggered by the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ and concluded with the ‘Thousand Character Classic’ had already ended.

A High God was indeed a High God. Even with just a simple primer for children, he could lead others into profound states.

Hou Li was sighing with emotion when he suddenly sensed something and turned to look outside.

Beyond the estate, the noisy “ji-ji zhi-zhi” chattering of monkeys suddenly rang out. Without anyone noticing, a large troop of monkeys had gathered nearby.

As soon as the monkey calls arose, the little mouse sleeping off its wine on the stone table immediately woke up and flipped over in alarm.

When it opened its mouth, what came out wasn’t a mouse squeak, but human speech.

“One who knows their faults must correct them! One’s capacity ought to be beyond measure!”