Chapter 785: Battle of Spells (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Votes)
Chapter 785: Battle of Spells (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Votes)
Golden autumn arrived, bringing with it a refreshing coolness.
Near White Sweet Village, acre after acre of rice paddies shimmered with golden hues.
Bountiful harvests were everywhere, and the joy of the farmers permeated the air.
Beneath a peach tree, Fang Xi looked up at the peaches, slowly ripening from green to a mix of white and red, silently calculating when they would be ready to eat.
While for a grand cultivator in the late Return to Void stage to be thinking about eating peaches seemed utterly idle,
it didn't matter.
As one who sought longevity, Fang Xi had long grown accustomed to such a lifestyle.
He was in no hurry to stir up trouble; instead, he waited patiently.
"Gan Yu, greetings, Master!"
A young man walked in from outside. His clothes were worn and faded from washing, and his eye sockets were slightly sunken, as if he hadn't slept well in a long time.
"Ah Yu. . ."
Fang Xi greeted him, "If you had come a few days later, my peaches would have been overripe. . ."
Gan Yu looked up at the peach tree ladder with fruit, then gave a wry smile, cupped his hands, and took three copies of the "Dao Arts Script" from his arms: "I borrowed these books from you a few days ago, and have specifically come to return them. . ."
During this period, Gan Yu had been studying as if his life depended on it.
Not only did he borrow books from Fang Xi, but he also went to nearby wealthy families, helping them copy texts and borrowing other volumes of the "Dao Arts Scripture" in the process.
Furthermore, his family still needed to farm and till the land, and with the recent harvest season, they were extremely busy.
By the time all this was done, even though Gan Yu had already awakened his intellect and consumed potent spiritual remedies, he was still utterly exhausted.
In Fang Xi's estimation, had Gan Yu still been the scrawny youth he once was, he would likely have been worked to death!
But now, though Gan Yu was clearly weary, his eyes gleamed with spirit, and wisps of scholarly aura coiled above his head, almost solidifying.
This time, he wasn't guaranteed to pass, but there was a significant chance.
"Ah Yu, after you return, you'll be preparing for the autumn examination, won't you? Have you prepared your travel expenses?"
Fang Xi asked leisurely.
"Not yet. . . I plan to borrow some from my clan."
Gan Yu answered honestly.
Though he had found work as a copyist thanks to the excellent calligraphy he diligently practiced after his transformation, he couldn't accept payment for it if he wanted to borrow books.
Now, after the harvest, his family still had to pay taxes, and once they'd set aside enough grain for themselves, little remained.
Moreover, that old hen had long since passed on. . . now, their home was utterly bare.
Fortunately, the clan tradition was strong. Since Gan Yu was going to take the imperial examination, it was expected that the clan would pool resources and provide some silver to support him.
"Hmm. . . The Great Dao of Primordial Unity, what is its meaning?"
Fang Xi put away the Dao Arts Scripture and suddenly asked.
"Primordial Unity refers to the primordial qi before it separated, when all was chaos and one, the very beginning of vital energy. . ."
Gan Yu recited it without hesitation, as if it flowed naturally from him.
Fang Xi asked a few more questions about the scriptures, and seeing Gan Yu answer them all fluently, he nodded with satisfaction: "With this foundation, the child's examination shouldn't be a problem. However, even with sufficient preparation, one may not necessarily succeed; it depends on one's destiny. . ."
At the mention of destiny, Gan Yu thought of the Well Dragon King, and a chill ran through his heart.
He was fighting with his life on the line, and if the Well Dragon King knew, it would surely ruin his plans!
The two sides were already in a death-or-death situation.
And thinking of the candidates who went mad in the examination halls every year during the imperial exams, Gan Yu shuddered.
"Please, Master, instruct me!"
Gan Yu lifted the hem of his clothes and bowed deeply.
Being invested in was not shameful; what was shameful was having no value worthy of investment!
He had long been very clear on this point.
"Although I hold no official title, I do have some understanding of the imperial examinations. As the saying goes, 'King Yama is easy to contend with, but minor devils are hard to appease'. . . When registering at the county office, entering the examination hall, finding one's seat, and so on, all the various clerks need to be appeased, otherwise, it's not impossible to be assigned a 'toilet stall' for an exam seat. . . Now that the Gan clan has declined, I fear they won't be able to gather much money."
Fang Xi reached into his sleeve and pulled out several glittering silver coins, placing them on the table.
These silver coins, round on the outside and square in the middle, were surprisingly cast from a silver alloy, with the four seal characters for 'Attract Wealth and Treasures' carved on their face.
"Your talent has matured, and it would truly be a pity if you didn't pass the exam. This old man will subsidize you with nine silver coins!"
Fang Xi said.
In this world, copper coins were the most common currency. Above them were silver coins, similar to copper coins in shape; one silver coin could be exchanged for a thousand copper coins.
And above silver coins were gold coins; one gold coin could be exchanged for a hundred silver coins!
These nine silver coins were actually quite valuable, enough for an ordinary family's living expenses for several years.
Fang Xi didn't give too much; although he could easily hand out a thousand gold coins, it wouldn't fit the identity of a humble tutor.
"Thank you, Master."
Gan Yu said no more, carefully put away the nine silver coins, and bowed, "Your great kindness and virtue, I will surely repay a thousandfold in the future!"
In his heart, however, he had decided to put this money to good use at the county town's City God Temple or a Daoist temple.
Comparatively, even if he were assigned to a 'toilet stall', Gan Yu had a certain confidence in passing.
But if he were to encounter his enemy, the Well Dragon King, things would be hard to predict.
These silver coins still had to be spent where they mattered most!
...
The next day.
Gan Yu, carrying a package meticulously stitched by his old mother, tearfully bid farewell to her and set off for the county town.
Although White Sweet Village was only a few dozen li from the county town, the mountain road twisted and turned, with a great river blocking the way, so he had to leave early.
Gan Yu had arranged to travel with a peddler from the village, so they could accompany each other on the journey.
Half a day later, he parted ways with the peddler and arrived at a pier, where several black-awning boats were docked. A boatman cheerfully hailed him, "Is this scholar heading to the county town? My Old Li's boat is the steadiest; it's only one copper coin per trip, livestock extra. . ."
"Indeed."
Gan Yu took a copper coin from his sleeve, boarded the boat, chose a corner to sit in, and held his package close.
Whoosh, whoosh!
A gentle breeze stirred, creating ripples across the river surface.
A layer of dark clouds appeared on the horizon, hinting at impending rain.
"This rain comes out of nowhere. . ."
The boatman, donning a straw cape and a bamboo hat, pushed off with his pole.
The black-awning boat slowly pulled away from the riverbank, as fine threads of rain sprinkled onto the water, creating a hazy, dreamlike mist.
For some reason, Gan Yu's heart suddenly pounded, and he felt a surge of panic.
Splash!
He watched the lake surface, sensing what seemed to be a giant black shadow passing by. . .
...
At the bottom of the great river.
A jet-black loach, long and slender, several zhang in size, appeared somewhat ethereal.
Staring forward, it surprisingly spoke in human tongue: "Zhang Youde, are you trying to stop me?"
"Alas. . ."
Standing before the Well Dragon King was none other than Zhang Youde, the Earth God of White Sweet Village.
The old man's brows were furrowed, and he gripped his peach wood staff, shouting: "This old one knows you've been wronged. . . The City God Master's Imperial Inspection is approaching, with a deadline to solve cases, and even the civil and military judges are helpless, which is why they used you as a scapegoat, to save face. . . Everyone knows you're innocent, which is why you were allowed to take the form of a loach; as long as you return to the well, all your past sins will be expunged!"
"This matter began because of this old one, so I cannot simply ignore it!"
"This old one only asks that the Dragon King show mercy and spare Gan Yu this once. Afterwards, we can discuss it once the results of this imperial examination are out, how about that?"
"Wait? " The colossal loach scoffed, "For spirits like us to gain sentience is incredibly difficult, and we must wholeheartedly follow the righteous path, cultivating merits to earn even a sliver of good fortune. How many monsters, refusing to obey Daoist laws, were struck dead by divine lightning. . . I painstakingly cultivated for hundreds of years for this unranked Well Dragon King divine position, saving countless drowning victims, only to lose it today because of one mere person. . . If this person doesn't die, the hatred in my heart will never subside!"
Neither of the two confrontational vengeful spirits noticed that at the bottom of the silt, a black fish puppet was quietly observing everything.
Beneath the peach tree, Fang Xi's Divine Consciousness stirred, and he stroked his chin: "Strictly speaking, this seems to be my fault. . ."
"It seems I was the one who drew upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to make it rain, and this Earth God discovered it and reported it. . ."
"As a result, the City God was a muddled fool, using this unlucky Well Dragon King to boost his performance. . ."
"This entanglement of karma is truly interconnected, link by link. Once caught in the net, it's impossible to break free. . ."
As Fang Xi sighed with emotion, the two low-ranking deities had already begun to fight.
The loach wielded the power of water essence, transforming it into currents. Clearly, in the great river, it had a significant advantage in their battle of spells.
In contrast, Zhang Youde, as an Earth God, could only raise a yellowish-brown light shield, struggling to hold on.
"Hmph!"
The Well Dragon King spat out a stream of black liquid.
This was a mouthful of heavy water it had refined for a hundred years.
As this black water spewed forth, it immediately transformed into a large black net, trapping Zhang Youde within.
Seeing this, the Well Dragon King sneered, then swayed its tail and swam towards the black-awning boat.
Once it capsized the boat, causing it to be destroyed and its occupants to perish, it wouldn't just be Gan Yu who died.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Youde's heart instantly grew anxious.
If only Gan Yu died, it wouldn't be much, but if so many people perished, he might very well suffer consequences from the City God.
Immediately, a flash of light appeared in his hand, revealing a yellowish-brown spherical bead.
Within the yellowish-brown sphere, clouds and mist swirled, faintly revealing a scene of a mountain village—it was White Sweet Village!
A flash of yellow light shone, tearing a massive rift in the great black water net.
Pop!
The yellowish-brown sphere flew out, instantly becoming as heavy as a thousand jun, and smashed onto the Well Dragon King's body.
"The power of a divine office. . ."
The Well Dragon King cried out in pain, letting out a heart-rending roar: "Old wretch. . . let's see how long you can protect that person!"
Stung by the pain, he no longer bothered with Gan Yu, but transformed into a black shadow and quickly fled.
"Phew. . . Fortunately, it left. This isn't White Sweet Village; divine power consumed here is hard to replenish. If it had figured things out and continued, this old one would have been in great trouble."
Zhang Youde immediately breathed a sigh of relief, quickly put away his yellowish-brown spherical artifact, and watched the black-awning boat reach the shore before transforming into a yellow light and departing.
...
In the distance, in front of the Well Dragon King, a black fish surged out of the silt, swaying its head and tail.
"Seeking death!"
The Well Dragon King, utterly enraged, immediately lashed out with its tail.
Although it was now a spectral body, killing mere mortals wouldn't consume any of its magic power.
But the next moment, the black fish opened its maw and surprisingly spat out a black banner!
On the black banner, talismans emerged, transforming into chains that instantly bound the Well Dragon King, swallowing it into the banner, where it vanished. . .
For a demonic giant like Fang Xi, casting a spell to ensnare a mere spectral spirit, equivalent to a Qi Refinement cultivator, was as easy as flipping his palm.
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