Karma of Good and Evil

The roe deer was in front, and the Daoist priest was behind.

Mo Chuan didn't ask any questions and stubbornly followed the roe deer. He was emboldened by the Sacrificial Dao Furnace by his side, daring to venture into any dragon's pool or tiger's den.

After walking for a short while, the roe deer turned into another fork.

Mo Chuan didn't hesitate and followed closely.

The mountain mist around them grew thicker, to the point where the silly roe deer's figure became a mere gray smudge.

Fortunately, they didn't go much further before the silly roe deer stopped in front of a smooth rock face. A wisp of incense offering aura suddenly detached from its body and dissipated.

At the same time, a faint stream of light leaked from the smooth rock face, transforming into an old man in a flowing cloak with a childlike face and crane-like hair upon landing.

"Shoushan Stone Duke pays his respects to the immortal elder. I apologize for disturbing you so late at night. I hope the immortal elder will not be offended!" the old man said, bowing solemnly.

"Stone Duke? A stone spirit?"

Mo Chuan looked at the rotten fruits and a cluster of burnt incense sticks near the rock face beside the old man and asked tentatively.

"The immortal elder has sharp eyes! I was originally a piece of unpolished stone from Shoushan. After years of worship by mountain artisans, I was fortunate enough to gain a trace of prophecy, which enlightened me into a spirit. I have guarded Shoushan for forty years." The Stone Duke said with a candid expression.

"So that's how it is. I am Ming Chen, a humble Daoist priest. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Mo Chuan cupped his hands in return, his mind suddenly enlightened.

So that's why the Stone Duke borrowed the silly roe deer's body. It turns out he's a stone spirit, immovable as a mountain.

This was his first encounter with an inanimate object becoming a spirit, and his curiosity led him to ask a few more questions.

The Stone Duke was forthright and answered them all.

Speaking of the Stone Duke's origins, it was related to Shoushan Town at the foot of the mountain.

Shoushan Town relied on the mountain for its livelihood.

Shoushan had brought prosperity to Shoushan Town, but over the years, it had also accumulated piles of white bones.

Every year, stone quarry workers met their end in Shoushan.

The lucky ones could have their bodies found and entrusted to the corpse drivers to return home.

The unlucky ones didn't even have their bodies.

Human strength has its limits, and people inevitably seek solace in the ethereal. The Stone Duke was born under these circumstances.

The specific details could no longer be verified.

In short, whenever a stone quarry worker from Shoushan passed by this smooth rock face, they would always bring a wild fruit and plant an incense stick, seeking peace of mind.

"It is my honor that the immortal elder has graced me with your presence! Speaking of which, I borrowed the roe deer to guide the immortal elder here because I have an impolite request!"

After the pleasantries, the Stone Duke finally revealed his purpose.

"Oh?"

Mo Chuan uttered a sound of inquiry, neither agreeing nor refusing.

"In the past two years, many stone quarry workers in Shoushan have fallen to their deaths. Most mountain artisans believe it's due to the depletion of precious stones and venturing into the deep mountains, but I know this is not a natural disaster but a man-made one!"

"A man-made disaster? Could it be the fierce bandits who intercept the corpse drivers?"

Mo Chuan suddenly thought of something and asked.

"Precisely! There are three fierce bandits in that group. They are truly vicious and heartless. They often trap and kill stone quarry workers in the mountains to steal their belongings. I, the Stone Duke, feast on the incense offerings of the mountain artisans and also bear the karma of their wishes. It is hateful that my Daoist cultivation is shallow and I am powerless to ward off disaster. Therefore, I implore the immortal elder to help me eliminate these villains for the sake of the people!"

The Stone Duke's face contorted with anger as he spoke of the fierce bandits.

Because of these fierce bandits, his incense offerings had decreased significantly.

He took a breath and continued:

"I have nothing to repay you with, except to present Buddha with borrowed flowers. On Eagle Strike Cliff in Shoushan, there is a fruit tree that bears three to five fruits each year. Hawks and falcons often fight over them. Their beaks are as sharp as iron, so they must be rare and exotic fruits!"

Mo Chuan smiled upon hearing this: "Aren't you afraid I'll dig up the fruit tree and leave with it?"

The Stone Duke chuckled: "As the saying goes, a word and a deed reveal character, and every action shows one's personality. I can see from the immortal elder's actions that you would never do such a thing. Otherwise, I would not dare to invite you here."

Mo Chuan was rendered speechless by his words.

So, this was the opportunity related to the corpse drivers.

He suddenly gained some insight into the Daoist concept of karma.

The Tao Te Ching states:

"A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings; a family that accumulates evil deeds will surely have abundant misfortune!"

Heaven's way has cycles, and good and evil have karma.

Thinking of this, Mo Chuan immediately inquired about the background of these fierce bandits. After understanding it, he said:

"Let me be clear, I cannot possibly kill mortals based solely on your word. Once I have investigated the cause and effect, I will make my decision."

"Naturally. I will prepare water collected from dew or rain now. Let this serve as a toast instead of wine. I await the immortal elder's good news!" the Stone Duke said solemnly, bowing.

"Farewell!"

"I respectfully see the immortal elder off!"

Mo Chuan waved his hand and then went down the mountain along the country road.

The story splits into two.

After parting ways with Mo Chuan, the two corpse drivers hurried on their way, finally crossing Shoushan before dawn.

After resting for half a day, the master and disciple began the final stage of corpse driving.

This involved collecting the corpses into coffins and having the employers come to claim them, settling the final payments in the process.

The reason corpse drivers offered the service of collecting and encoffining corpses was naturally because the secrets of corpse driving were not meant to be seen.

If the families found out that the corpses they received only had heads and limbs, not only would they not get paid for corpse driving, but their lives might even be in danger.

"Gou Wa, Ding Zi! Gou Wa? Gou Wa?"

"...Huh? Master?"

"Ding Zi!"

"Oh, oh..."

In the dilapidated makeshift corpse storage hut, the lead corpse driver, who was collecting corpses into coffins, called out a few times before snapping the junior corpse driver's wandering attention back.

"Didn't rest well?"

Seeing his disciple's ashen face, the lead corpse driver asked with concern.

"...No, no!"

"If you didn't sleep well, go take a nap. Don't mess things up when the employer arrives."

"Alright!"

Gou Wa nodded and turned to leave, but after only a couple of steps, he hesitated and returned.

"Master, are we really... going to stay in the mountains forever, farming when it's busy and driving corpses when it's not?"

"What else? Do you want to find a wife? I'm telling you, that's a troublesome matter. When you're a bit older, I'll take you to town to experience it, and you won't be thinking about this anymore..."

The lead corpse driver muttered while working, glancing at his disciple subconsciously.

He saw that Gou Wa had none of his usual shy and expectant look, only staring blankly outside the hut's door.

Outside the wooden gate, Shoushan stretched endlessly, encircling the small courtyard with its fence.

As the saying goes: A lonely mountain, who would dwell there? A Daoist has his Dao, the mountain is not lonely.

"Sigh—"

The lead corpse driver sighed silently, turned his head, and continued his work, but his expression was much more solemn.

Youth is wasted if not spent in recklessness.

He had been young too and naturally understood a young man's thoughts.

Moreover, Gou Wa was not an ordinary mountain child; he had seen some of the world and knew about the scenery outside.

He also possessed the skills of the corpse driving sect!

The copy of "The Young Hero's Biography" in his hand was almost worn out from being flipped through.

He had also learned the leg and foot techniques he'd bought from the market quite proficiently, even daring to block a fierce bandit's mountain-splitting saber.

But... but didn't he also yearn for the outside world back then?

Unfortunately, ugliness had held him back.

But Gou Wa was different.

Gou Wa was someone he had picked up.

He wasn't exactly handsome; beneath his tanned skin, there was a hint of the clown.

But he was still far, far from truly ugly.

Corpse drivers had two requirements for their disciples.

First, they must be bold;

Second, they must be ugly, the uglier the better.

A wry smile appeared on the lead corpse driver's face. Perhaps... he shouldn't have gone against the ancestral teachings from the start.

Never mind, time would heal everything.

As his thoughts drifted, an unpolished stone around his neck suddenly trembled slightly, interrupting his thoughts.

Thanks for the tips from "Ling Fengyu", "Someone Occupied My Nickname", "Book Friend 20200426063047699", "Happy Planet", "Rain Cloud Lingering Charm", "Book Friend 140920134751594", "Autumn Sky Vast", "Chuan Tuo District Governor", "Book Friend 20220501231627153", "Book Friend 20201024172437681", "Luo Sheng Xiao Meng"!