There hadn't really been anything wrong with him. He simply hadn't succeeded in cultivating.
But after he reached the end of his natural life, the villagers' descendants revered him, so they built him a temple where he could enjoy the offerings of incense.
By then, the previous Land God had long since vanished without a trace and had stopped answering prayers. So he officially became the Land God of this village.
Only after becoming a Land God did he learn that his predecessor had been appointed by the previous dynasty. When that dynasty fell, the predecessor had been cast down from the altar, and Locust Tree Village had long been without a Land God's protection.
At the same time, becoming a god had given him some understanding of the scriptures, making it easier for him to grasp the authority of his divine office,
and his use of that authority grew ever more refined. It hadn't been long since he became a god, yet he already rivaled an experienced Land God who had served for many years.
But ever since he heard that a Tiger Demon had come down from the mountain to eat people, he'd known in his heart that it was probably the same one he'd encountered in the cave back then.
As the Tiger Demon continued searching the nearby villages, he knew it would find its way here sooner or later.
So he'd already sent the villagers away, preparing to fight the Tiger Demon.
It wasn't that the City God wasn't doing his part. The problem was that most of the City God's underworld officials were ghosts, while the Tiger Demon was a natural bane to ghosts. They could do nothing against it.
The Mages and knights summoned from the mortal world had also often met their deaths at its hands.
"It's getting late. You should hurry and leave, sir."
After finishing his story, the Land God looked at the sun, now high in the sky, and said, "If not today, then tomorrow—the Tiger Demon will surely find this place.
"This Beast Skin Scroll should be able to conceal your presence. Take it with you. As long as you don't run into the Tiger Demon, you should have no trouble getting away."
"If even the City God can't do anything about it, what means do you have to deal with the Tiger Demon, Elder?" Ling Qing asked curiously.
"After hearing you expound on the scriptures, I've come to understand the authority of a Land God more deeply. With a few spells to aid me, I should have a fifty percent chance of winning."
The Land God smiled warmly. "Even if I fail, I can still escape.
"Thanks to your explanations, I've grasped a method from these scriptures that will let me abandon my divine office without becoming a wandering ghost.
"I'll simply have to give up the legacy my ancestors left behind."
As he spoke, he turned reluctantly to look behind him at the ancient village bathed in the morning sun. The homes where cooking smoke should have been curling into the sky had long since been deserted.
"If you have a fifty percent chance of winning, and you're confident you can escape, then I'll stay and help you, Elder."
Ling Qing weighed it over for a moment, then spoke.
As he spoke, he circulated the Natural Force within him and pointed his staff at a nearby thicket of Thorns.
A flash of green light passed over it. The Thorns writhed and intertwined like a nest of snakes, growing larger all the while. Their spines grew longer and sharper, glinting coldly.
Before long, the small thicket had become a wall of Thorns, with several spear-like spines crossing through it.
"I may not be able to deal with the Tiger Demon, but I can handle ordinary tigers.
"Besides, with the Mud Pellet and Beast Skin Scroll you gave me, I can leave at any time and evade the Tiger Demon's pursuit."
After hearing him out, the Land God saw that he was no helpless scholar, and that he had already given Ling Qing the means to escape.
He tried to dissuade him, but to no avail. Once Ling Qing promised to flee if things looked bad, he stopped insisting.
Ling Qing and the Land God then discussed how to deal with the approaching Tiger Demon and its pack.
The easiest approach was to use traps.
Druids weren't as skilled with traps as hunters, but they could still make plenty of them in the wilderness—and their traps were even more concealed.
And, of course, they had the Land God, who controlled the authority over the land.
Having grasped the true meaning of the scriptures, he manipulated the earth with effortless ease, raising soil and lifting mud, softening stone or hardening walls with a wave of his hand.
With Ling Qing's ability to control plants, they had the whole area around the village riddled with pit traps and snare loops in just half a day.
Ling Qing still wasn't satisfied. Relying on his ability to identify plants, along with the medical knowledge he'd acquired last time, he began preparing some poisons.
Of course, most of these traps were meant for ordinary tigers. They probably wouldn't do much against the Tiger Demon, which had become a spirit.
Dealing with the Tiger Demon would still depend on the Land God's abilities.
Ling Qing found plenty of poisonous plants, mushrooms, and mosses in the nearby woods.
When he returned to the Land God's temple, he began making poison.
He wasn't very good at making poisons, but he'd obtained a Detoxification Powder prescription earlier, so he understood the symptoms of various kinds of poisoning and knew which plants were poisonous.
He also knew all about some common poisons.
Ling Qing took a simple set of tools for making medicine out of his Book Box. Just as he was about to begin, he suddenly heard the Land God ask, "May I ask where you got this thing, sir?"
He turned and saw a Stone Tablet floating in front of the Land God, held aloft by a spell.
It was the Stone Tablet transformed from the tombstone he'd obtained in the previous instance.
"This came to me by chance..."
Ling Qing omitted the details of the instance, then told him the truth.
Aside from the time he'd been in that instance, when Ling Qing had sensed a faint connection between the Stone Tablet and the graveyard, he hadn't found anything unusual about it.
But as soon as he moved a little distance from that place, the connection broke. And it had certainly vanished after he left the instance.
The only thing of note was that it contained a large amount of yin energy, which made it pleasantly cool to the touch.
Still, the thing was merely what remained after a tombstone had been purified. Ling Qing wasn't so fond of it that he'd idly handle it for fun.
So it had stayed in his Medical Chest, and now in his Book Box.
But after hearing his explanation, the Land God's face lit up. He laughed and said, "Heaven has truly lent me a hand! With this Stone Tablet, my chances of dealing with the Tiger Demon may increase by another thirty percent."
"What is it? Is there something special about this Stone Tablet?" Seeing how pleased he was, Ling Qing couldn't help asking.
"Would you be willing to part with this Stone Tablet, sir?"
"If it can help you, please take it." Ling Qing answered generously.
The Land God was upright and just, clearly distinguishing right from wrong. He wasn't like those wicked gods who seized whatever they wanted and demanded without end.
Whether he'd asked Ling Qing to explain the scriptures earlier or was now asking for the Stone Tablet, he'd made a request, never once trying to take it by force.
He'd even casually given Ling Qing the marvelous Ancient Scroll, so Ling Qing was glad to help him.
The Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio were filled with evil spirits, treacherous demons, wicked ghosts, and malevolent gods. Few cared about ordinary people.
It was clear that not every divine being in this world was like the Land God.
The Tiger Demon about to attack had led its pack to devour people with abandon. If the Stone Tablet could help the Land God kill it,
then the world would be rid of a Tiger Demon and retain an upright deity. That would count as a good deed.
Besides, killing the Tiger Demon wouldn't go against the Way of Nature in Ling Qing's heart, so he could gain some experience from it.
What's more, he might even be able to get the other half of the Divine Script from the Tiger Demon and complete the whole skill.
It would be a win on three fronts, all for the loss of a mere Stone Tablet that was useless to him. Why wouldn't he?
Before you continue