The old Sour Confucian, who had been floating on air from all the flattery, abruptly came to his senses under the threat of the Fire Lance.
It was like having his skull split wide open and a basin of ice-cold water poured inside.
The shock ran through him from head to toe, and he understood everything in an instant.
He discreetly pushed Lin Feng's Fire Lance aside and said, "Hey, don't do that. Don't do that. I'll tell you. Waving weapons around like this—what if it goes off by accident?"
Lin Feng gave him a cold smile. "Relax, there's no fire. Or should I give it a squeeze and see?"
The old Sour Confucian forced a smile. "No, let's stop joking. I'll talk. I'll talk, all right?
"Don't get angry. It was all in jest. Just a joke."
Lin Feng looked ready to listen attentively. The old Sour Confucian sighed and said, "Coal Spirit is a kind of Mountain Spirit.
"We needn't pay any attention to how outsiders describe them. The appearance of Coal Spirit is actually quite simple.
"Confucius said, 'I have heard that the monsters of the mountains are called Kui and Wangliang, the monsters of the waters are called dragons and Wangxiang, and the monsters of the earth are called 𫅗 Sheep.'"
"Whether the sage actually said that is debatable. After all, it comes from storytellers' tales. Coal Spirit, however, does exist.
"Coal Spirit isn't coal that has become sentient. It's an evil entity formed when the essence of earth and wood combines with yin energy buried in the ground.
"They once caused quite a stir.
"Their greatest danger lies in substitution and impersonation. They replace a dead person and live in that person's guise, perhaps without showing anything unusual for the rest of their lives.
"As