The Calamity of the Tiger Menace

Just as with the Five Animal Frolics, once Ling Qing gained a clear understanding of a skill, he could record it into his general skill panel.

He had already tested this while learning staff techniques, for which Ling Qing had specifically sought out various martial arts manuals online for reference.

However, most were incomplete, and their inherent characteristics largely overlapped with the Five Animal Frolics.

Consequently, Ling Qing did not go on a frantic spree of collecting skills; after all, learning one skill of a certain type was sufficient.

This was also the reason he had gone to such great lengths to help the Land God organize the Divine Script.

Although it bordered on taking without asking, how could he not be tempted when faced with such divine methods?

Regrettably, the original Divine Script could not be memorized or recorded, and it was unclear whether this Ancient Animal Skin Scroll lacked a name because it was incomplete, or because he had yet to grasp the true meaning of the original text.

"Please, sir." Ling Qing handed the organized pages, along with the Ancient Animal Skin Scroll, to the Land God, who had been watching with eager anticipation.

"Many thanks, sir." The Land God was overjoyed and snatched them up.

In his excitement, even his form of address had changed.

He casually set the Ancient Animal Skin Scroll aside and picked up the loose pages Ling Qing had organized, reading them carefully.

Ling Qing glanced at the scroll, remained silent, and sat quietly to the side, waiting.

After the Land God finished reading through the pages carefully, he looked up.

Unlike the scroll he had casually set aside, he carefully placed the pages on the stone table.

He then stood up, smoothed out his already pristine divine robes, stepped back, and bowed to Ling Qing.

"I have kept you waiting for a long time, sir."

"Not at all, you are too kind." Seeing this, Ling Qing hurriedly stood up to dodge the gesture, reaching out to support him in the air.

He wasn't sure if he could actually touch the Land God; it would be quite awkward if he reached out to help only for his hand to pass right through him.

"Your knowledge is extraordinary, sir. Your annotations are simple and easy to understand, clearing up all my confusion.

However, I have one more presumptuous request, and I hope you will not begrudge me your guidance."

The Land God looked at Ling Qing with a troubled expression and continued, "It is not that I am greedy, but rather that I am dull and not well-versed in reading.

I can understand the parts you annotated, but there are still characters throughout the text that I do not recognize, and I have many doubts regarding the profound meaning of the scripture.

I hope you will be benevolent enough to explain it to me."

"Very well." Seeing the expectant look on the Land God's face, Ling Qing had no choice but to agree.

It seemed he wouldn't be getting any rest tonight, but then again, he had benefited from the Land God as well.

So be it; he would consider it compensation.

With that thought, Ling Qing picked up the pages from the stone table and began to recite and interpret them word by word, patiently explaining the obscure parts repeatedly.

When he encountered parts he did not understand himself, he did not make wild guesses but admitted it truthfully.

Yet, when such parts arose, the Land God, being a deity with personal experience, had a better grasp and was able to resolve Ling Qing's doubts.

In this way, although there were no system prompts, Ling Qing gained the true meaning.

By connecting the context, he corrected his own previous errors in the annotations, gaining an even deeper understanding of the entire Divine Script.

It could be considered a case of reviewing the old to learn the new, with some small gains.

The man and the god discussed and explained, losing track of time.

As a sliver of white light appeared in the east, Ling Qing, who had been immersed in the process, felt his spirit lift and snapped back to reality.

"It's dawn."

"Indeed, it is dawn."

The Land God looked at the rising sun in the east and sighed, "I had thought this would be the last sunrise I would ever see.

But thanks to your help tonight, sir, I now have a fighting chance."

"What do you mean by that?" Ling Qing asked, feeling puzzled.

"I hope you will forgive me, sir, for causing you to lose your rest."

The Land God turned to Ling Qing and said, "To tell you the truth, Locust Tree Village is now a ghost village.

I have already persuaded the people of the village to move far away."

"Is it because of the tiger infestation?" Ling Qing, who had already suspected as much, asked.

"Exactly. I should have urged you to turn back and stay away when I saw you yesterday, but due to my own selfishness, I let you stay for one more night."

The Land God bowed apologetically, took three mud pellets from his sleeve, and picked up the Ancient Animal Skin Scroll, handing them both to Ling Qing.

"I have possessed this scroll for nearly a hundred years. Although I did not understand its meaning, I gained some divine abilities by practicing it haphazardly.

These mud pellets possess the power of Earth Escape; crushing them allows one to travel over ten miles underground.

These three are enough for you to get thirty or forty miles away from Miao Mountain.

Please, take this scroll as well; I hope you will not refuse."

Ling Qing was very tempted by these two items. After feigning a polite refusal, he accepted them, fearing that if he declined too much, the Land God might change his mind.

It seemed that compared to the righteousness of the Land God, his heart was still too tethered to mortal concerns.

However, there was nothing wrong with that; after all, he was a mortal to begin with.

"My thanks, Land God. I do not understand what you meant by saying I would not see tomorrow's sunrise?"

"This old man is the Land God of this village, and I cannot leave my jurisdiction without an imperial decree.

If I were to force my departure, not only would I lose my divine office, but I fear I would also be summoned by the City God to face judgment and punishment.

Under normal circumstances, there would be no danger if I dispersed the villagers and hid within the Spirit Realm.

Although that Tiger Demon has devoured many people, I have never heard of a Land God Temple being razed to the ground.

But the trouble lies in the fact that the Tiger Demon and I share a grudge; I fear it will not let me go once it sees me."

After the Land God's explanation, Ling Qing finally understood what was going on.

It all came back to the Ancient Animal Skin Scroll.

A hundred years ago, the Land God, whose lifespan had not yet reached its end, had spent half his life struggling in the outside world before returning to his birthplace, Locust Tree Village, with his life savings.

The reason for this was that he had obtained a scroll said to contain immortal arts for cultivation and divinity—that very Ancient Animal Skin Scroll.

He had found the ancient scrolls in a mountain cave; there were two of them at the time.

After flipping through them, he was so overjoyed that just as he was about to pack them away, he suddenly heard a tiger's roar approaching his location.

In his panic, he hurriedly hid, and soon after, he heard the tiger walk into the cave.

"Roar~~"

After entering the cave, the tiger suddenly let out a shrill, furious roar and rushed out like a gust of wind, digging up an ancient scroll from the spot where he had been lingering earlier.

It turned out that in his haste to hide, he had accidentally left one of the scrolls behind.

The tiger then clamped the scroll in its jaws and, in a fit of even greater rage, chased off in the direction from which he had come.

Although he did not know why the tiger had failed to discover him when he was so close, he ran out as soon as he saw the beast move away, carefully hiding as he made his way down the mountain.

Afterward, he did not dare to return the way he came, instead hiding in a town in the opposite direction for several days before finally daring to return to Changyang Town.

He heard that after the tiger caused a ruckus for a while, it was driven back into the mountains. To prevent the tiger from finding him, he packed up his belongings and returned to his hometown.

From then on, he stayed in the village, studying the scroll while using his life savings to benefit the local community.

This earned him much support, and as he aged, he gradually became a respected elder in the village.

However, he was not very literate at the time, and his understanding of the scriptures was based entirely on guesswork.

It was fortunate that this divine art caused no harm if one failed to enter the gate, sparing him from any real danger.

Had he obtained a heterodox technique, practicing it so recklessly as he did would likely have resulted in grass growing three feet high on his grave, or him suffering a mental breakdown and falling into demonic madness.