Drunk Listening to Mountain Whispers

"Mountain Lord, what do you mean by all this?"

"Dare I ask, Mountain Lord, what is the true meaning behind this?"

"Mountain Lord, you are above us. I understand a little, and I know some of the wonders of Yin Yang, but how should we cultivate it?"

The Mountain Lord didn't even want to answer the first two questions, especially since one of the spirits and monsters was so foolish as to not realize that "this seat" was not part of his name. However, the last question put him in a difficult spot.

"The scripture only talks about these things, and the rest is also about these things. As for the specifics, you must comprehend it yourself."

"The rest is also about these things?"

"Precisely."

"Then how will it help us cultivate the Way of Yin Yang?"

"I am still comprehending it myself."

"If even you, Mountain Lord, with your intelligence, haven't fully grasped it, weren't you perhaps tricked by those Taoist priests from Mount Qi Yun?"

"How dare you!"

The Mountain Lord was a little angry!

The Deer Demon who spoke shivered and sat back down.

At this moment, the bonfire on the mountain had become very dim, almost extinguished. However, everyone, including Lin Jue and the young girl, was focused on the Yin Yang Scripture the Mountain Lord was reciting and the many spirits and monsters. Only the old Taoist priest beside them, who didn't care about the Yin Yang Scripture and didn't disturb them, quietly stepped forward to add more firewood.

"Hoo…"

The old Taoist blew on the fire, and the flames grew much larger.

The sky had already dimmed, and the horizon was growing darker. In contrast, the firelight on the mountaintop suddenly brightened considerably, illuminating a large area.

When the old Taoist priest returned to his original spot, he saw that almost all the spirits and monsters on the mountaintop were staring at him.

Lin Jue also looked towards the old Taoist priest.

That's right—

Didn't this Yin Yang Scripture come from the Taoist temple on Mount Qi Yun? If they wanted to determine its authenticity or explain its principles, why not find a Taoist priest with genuine cultivation?

Wasn't there one right in front of them?

"Guest, do you have any insights regarding this Yin Yang Scripture that I, this seat, am reciting?" the Mountain Lord asked.

"True Person! Is this book real or fake?"

"Mountain Lord, you weren't tricked, were you?"

"Why can't we understand it?"

"What does it mean?"

As soon as the Mountain Lord spoke, the spirits and monsters could no longer suppress their itching curiosity and anxiety, and they hurriedly asked.

"Fellow cultivators, please do not be anxious. The Mountain Lord was not tricked… or rather, it's hard to say he wasn't tricked. At least, this Yin Yang Scripture is genuine, and it is the true Great Way of Yin Yang, a path suitable for most spirits and monsters in the world."

The old Taoist priest sat down and continued to adjust the hem of his Taoist robe, as if he were casually chatting while traveling:

"However, this Yin Yang Scripture is actually not rare or precious. Many Taoist temples at the foot of the mountain have copies. Mount Qi Yun naturally has one. Whether he was tricked or not depends on how many treasures the Mountain Lord gave up."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Mountain Lord was stunned.

He was originally a wild boar with a simple mind. When he looked composed before, he seemed somewhat intelligent, but now, with this expression, he looked quite foolish.

Even Lin Jue understood—

The Yin Yang Scripture was real.

But the scam was probably real too.

"As for why you all cannot understand this Yin Yang Scripture," the old Taoist priest said, and then suddenly turned his head to look at Lin Jue beside him, smiling and saying, "This humble Taoist is old and cannot hold his liquor well, and is a bit drunk. Coincidentally, there is a scholar from the foot of the mountain sitting here, perhaps he can explain it to you."

"Swish…"

All eyes turned to Lin Jue again.

Lin Jue himself was also taken aback.

When had he ever read the Yin Yang Scripture? He didn't even understand the cultivation methods circulating in the world; he only knew the simplest Qi Nourishing Method. How could he interpret it?

Looking at the old Taoist priest again, he saw that he was still smiling.

"……"

With a mix of thoughts – "This old Taoist has no reason to trick me for no reason" and "This is a good opportunity to see what the Yin Yang Scripture actually says" – Lin Jue asked the Mountain Lord to hand him the scripture.

The Mountain Lord agreed.

Thus, amidst the sounds of wind and fire on the mountain, another sound joined in: the rustling of pages.

The many spirits and monsters still held their breath, not daring to make a sound, for fear of disturbing Lin Jue's reading and delaying their own great path.

"Rustle…"

Lin Jue continued to flip through the pages, reading by the firelight.

He felt no sense of strangeness.

It seems the ancient book had no reaction.

But after flipping through it, he finally understood.

This was truly a "Scripture."

Perhaps it was the work of a sage.

However, just like human students reading the classics of sages, they either need a teacher to guide them or a commentary to study alongside. Otherwise, they'd be lucky to grasp the superficial meaning of the sage's words. Most students merely memorize them, engraving them in their minds, waiting for a future experience to resonate with a passage and suddenly understand its meaning, grasping its deepest principles and specific methods.

And this was undoubtedly a long and uncertain process.

"I understand now."

"Understand what?"

The many spirits and monsters all stared at him intently.

Lin Jue faced their gazes, knowing they had never read books and lacked culture. Yet, their desire to learn and seek the Great Way was no less than his, perhaps even greater. The purity of their hearts was enough to make a sage descend. Though Lin Jue was unlearned, how could he be so heartless as to hoard his knowledge like a treasure?

"Do you all know what a Scripture is?"

"People often say that only the works of sages are called Scriptures, but that's not necessarily true."

"'Jing' means constant, and 'Jing' means path."

Lin Jue paused, hearing no objections but seeing countless eyes filled with confusion and a thirst for knowledge. This thirst didn't make him arrogant; instead, it made him feel a touch ashamed. He could only pour out his limited knowledge to these spirits and monsters born of nature:

"We often use a word, and the word we often use is 'often.'

"'Jing' means constant, the natural order, the principles that always exist in the world, the most fundamental and broad principles.

"'Jing' also means path, a road that the vast majority, if not all, people must walk.

"These fundamental principles often come from the mouths of sages, hence the saying that the works of sages are called Scriptures. But if you are not a sage, and you propose your own unique Great Way, compile it into a book, and gain widespread recognition from the world, it can also be called a Scripture.

"But because it is so vast and broad, it is merely a direction, an essence, not specifics.

"This Yin Yang Scripture is extraordinary because it speaks of the essence of the world's Yin Yang energy and the Yin Yang Dao. However, it's not entirely perfect because it doesn't explain specific methods for cultivating using Yin Yang energy or practicing the Yin Yang Great Way. The reason it doesn't explain is likely that the Great Dao has many paths, and each person will have different methods for cultivating and practicing the Yin Yang Great Way.

"Therefore, there should be 'commentaries,' which are different annotations made by later geniuses based on this Yin Yang Scripture, representing different methods. I suspect these are the true spiritual methods for cultivation."

As Lin Jue spoke, he couldn't help but glance at the old Taoist beside him.

He saw the old Taoist smiling and nodding repeatedly.

The spirits and monsters remained silent. Even though this wasn't about their specific cultivation methods or ultimate truths, they listened with rapt attention, as if they were spirits from strange tales sneaking into human schools to listen to lessons.

He then proceeded to explain the meaning of the scripture, word by word.

He couldn't remember how late they talked or how much they said last night.

After getting over the initial fear of the spirits and monsters with their varied appearances, Lin Jue treated them with a normal mindset. He even found their thoughts simpler and easier to understand than humans'. While not seeking deep friendships, their brief time together was quite pleasant, and they chatted for half the night.

They discussed how they could use this Yin Yang Scripture to correct past cultivation errors, find the right direction, and forge their own Yin Yang Great Dao.

Some suggested they could seek out Yin Yang spiritual methods.

Some proposed they pool their wisdom and study the Yin Yang Scripture together, which might be more beneficial.

Some suggested they should go find the Taoist priests of Mount Qi Yun to settle accounts.

It was also partly due to drinking the wine.

The Mountain Lord, grateful and happy, gifted him another cup of "Thousand Day Wine" infused with the essence of the sun and moon. However, under the old Taoist's reminder, Lin Jue didn't drink it, fearing he wouldn't wake up. He also heard that the second cup of Thousand Day Wine wasn't as effective, so he put it away.

He thought that after a while, once he absorbed the sun and moon essence from this cup of Thousand Day Wine, or if he encountered other spirits and monsters on his journey who gifted him something, he wouldn't accept it empty-handed. He would gift them this cup of Thousand Day Wine in return, as a gesture of courtesy.

Alternatively, when he reached Mount Qi Yun or Mount Yi, if there were places where gifts were appropriate, he would present this fine wine to a distinguished person.

As for the night's gains, they were already immense.

This Yin Yang Scripture wasn't useless to the spirits and monsters, nor was it useless to Lin Jue. Although he hadn't started cultivating like the Mountain Lord and the spirits, with his talent and the Qi Nourishing Method, even if he didn't obtain spiritual methods later, with time, he might be able to figure out simple Yin Yang spiritual methods and embark on the Yin Yang Great Dao.

Finally, their conversation became increasingly scattered. He even listened to the spirits talk about past events and the Mountain Ghost express its affections.

Unknowingly, he fell asleep.

The next day, he woke up to bright daylight.

The sky was clear and the clouds were light, the sun rose over the mountains. A few pine trees stood silently on Mount Langtou, the grass still like silk. The ground was trampled messily, with a pile of ashes remaining in the center. In front of them, there was still a large granite stone. However, the spirits and the Mountain Lord of various kinds from last night had vanished without a trace.

Only the old Taoist and the young girl remained.

Lin Jue couldn't help but get up and look around--

If not for the remaining traces, he would truly believe that last night's events weren't real, just a strange dream from listening to too many stories.

A sense of emptiness suddenly filled his heart.

He truly feared it was just a dream.