Chapter 13: Shrine-Prison
Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Shrine-Prison
"You’re not Yu the Scholar?"
Zhu Ge’s soul returned to his body. He asked coldly, "Who exactly are you?!"
"I am Yu the Scholar! But I just remembered..." A smile spread across Yu the Scholar’s face. "Zhu Ge is already dead, isn’t he? You... Who in the world are you?!"
’I’m dead?’ Zhu Ge frowned.
He couldn’t exactly talk about this.
’He can’t just say he’s a transmigrator, can he?’
"I am Zhu Ge!"
Zhu Ge had a feeling that Yu the Scholar wasn’t as dead as he’d imagined, either. So he asked directly, "What about you... Why can’t I see your soul? You’re the one who’s really dead!"
Seeing Zhu Ge’s guarded expression, the smile vanished from Yu the Scholar’s face, replaced by a frown.
"If you’re not dead, how did you learn to have your soul leave your body? Why didn’t you dare to accept my ’Confucian’ character?"
"And why did you look like a walking corpse when I came looking for you this morning?"
’Didn’t dare to accept the "Confucian" character?’
’This morning? A walking corpse?’
Zhu Ge relaxed slightly, but his guard remained up. "What you wrote wasn’t ’Confucian’ at all. It was the character for ’Double Happiness’!"
"’Double Happiness’?" Yu the Scholar was stunned. He turned to look at the character in his hand. "Isn’t this ’Confucian’? You should be able to read!"
Seeing that Yu the Scholar didn’t seem to be faking it, Zhu Ge’s frown deepened. "Either you wrote ’Double Happiness,’ or I saw ’Double Happiness.’ One of us has a problem..."
But he made his meaning perfectly clear.
Yu the Scholar was the one with the problem!
When Zhu Ge was wearing the Kunpeng, he hadn’t noticed any issues with himself.
He had also considered whether he himself was already dead.
But his final conclusion was that he wasn’t dead. The original owner of the body had died, and he had transmigrated over.
As for the reason for his transmigration?
It was too profound a question, and there was no point in exploring it.
It was like trying to understand why a collection of proteins, fats, and other substances forming a human body doesn’t automatically become a person. It was simply too profound.
So, from the current look of things, Yu the Scholar definitely had a problem.
"One of us has a problem..." Yu the Scholar frowned as well. It seemed he’d also realized that Zhu Ge was perfectly normal.
Then, Yu the Scholar probably recalled his own strange behavior from before.
His expression turned a bit odd, and he seemed to lose confidence in himself.
"You first. Tell me why your soul can leave your body... No, that’s not right. Let me speak first. Perhaps you had some sort of epiphany between life and death. Your soul leaving your body could be normal."
Yu the Scholar sighed.
"You are the only anomaly at the moment. I’ll tell you the important things first. If something happens to me later, you’ll at least be able to escape."
As he spoke, he went to a large drawer under the bed and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a yellowed book. He handed it to Zhu Ge, saying:
"My teacher and I discovered this by chance. We were planning to go into the city to trade it for something with a Martial Artist, but then this incident occurred."
’A book?’
Zhu Ge hesitated to take the book, afraid there was something strange about it.
But when he read the words on the cover, he took it.
*Great Sun Glaze Body*!
’This has to be an incredible Cultivation Technique!’
Once Zhu Ge had taken the book, Yu the Scholar continued, "The world is in chaos. Life is hard for the Human Race, and even the strong can only protect a single region, barely surviving."
"Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters run rampant. Without power, one is nothing more than livestock waiting for the slaughter."
"Today you witnessed the terror of a ’god.’ In the future, you may encounter other Demons, Ghosts, and Spirit Monsters. I hope this Martial Arts Technique will be of some benefit to you."
A Martial Arts Technique!
Speaking of which, Zhu Ge’s curiosity was piqued. "Our teacher didn’t say much about the Martial Dao before. Scholar, would it be convenient for you to tell me a little about it?"
"If it’s convenient, I’d like to understand more about things like the Martial Dao and the Confucian Dao, and many other things..."
Zhu Ge’s expression was filled with a thirst for knowledge.
What else could he do? He was completely in the dark!
His understanding of this world was extremely fragmented because the original owner of his body seemed to have left behind very few memories.
Or perhaps, in this era, most people simply lacked knowledge of the wider world.
It was like some of the elderly from his previous life, who had never left their mountains or even their own county, and had no high-efficiency tools like smartphones or computers to receive information.
Most people in this era had no idea what the world was really like.
Most were lucky just to survive, so they had no time or energy to spare to open their eyes to the world.
But for Zhu Ge to survive now, he had to understand the world better. Only by knowing more would he have a better chance of escaping his current life-or-death crisis.
"The Martial Dao?"
Yu the Scholar mulled it over.
"I shouldn’t be talking about this now, not at such a critical moment... But thinking about it, there’s nothing else of importance to say..."
"Fine. Keep this Martial Arts Technique safe. And take these, my notes and insights from the past decade or so. They are a reflection of my path on the Confucian Dao. If I die, give them to a suitable person. Let them be my contribution to the Human Race."
Yu the Scholar handed Zhu Ge a book he had been keeping in his robes. Written on it was *Jianshan Terraces Notes*.
Seeing Yu the Scholar entrusting his legacy like this made Zhu Ge’s heart grow heavy. He accepted the book and put it away safely.
Seeing Zhu Ge secure both books, Yu the Scholar nodded in satisfaction and began to speak.
"I have a character handwritten by my teacher guarding my literary heart, so I’m not afraid of any abnormalities for now."
He pointed to his chest, where a faintly glowing "Confucian" character was radiating.
"I am merely at the Cultivation Realm. To activate a handwritten character from a ’Scholar’ of a higher realm, I must consume my lifespan."
"But if it can buy you a chance at survival, it won’t be a waste."
’The Confucian Dao, the Cultivation Realm!’
’The Confucian Dao, the Scholar realm!’
’And forcefully activating it consumes lifespan?’
’That’s pretty similar to his simulator.’
Zhu Ge understood. He immediately asked, "How many realms are there in the Confucian Dao? What about the Martial Dao? What other Daos are there besides those?"
"There are many paths in this world. I only know of one or two. Legend says that in ancient times, the Hundred Schools of Thought flourished, carving out a space for the Human Race to survive. The founder of each ’School’ could dominate a region and pass down their path."
"The Confucian Dao, the Immortal Dao, the Martial Dao, and so on were all passed down from that time."
"As for how many realms there are? I only know that I am still stuck in the Cultivation Realm and have not yet become a Scholar. I know nothing beyond that."
"In these chaotic times, the names of the realms for each cultivation path are themselves valuable information, not easily shared with outsiders. That’s why my teacher and I know so little."
Yu the Scholar shook his head.
"Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know how many legacies still exist in the outside world. As for the Martial Dao, this book, *Great Sun Glaze Body*, has some records. You can look through it later."
"Neither the Confucian Dao that my master and I cultivate, nor the normal Martial Dao, allows the soul to leave the body. I’ve heard the Immortal Dao does, but we’ve never cultivated the Immortal Dao."
"Speaking of which, this Cultivation Technique is perfect for you. You’re the first person I’ve seen in recent years who can have their soul leave their body."
"And as for the realms of otherworldly beings like Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters, my teacher and I also know very little."
Yu the Scholar sighed.
"We only know that for the Confucian Dao, there is the Cultivation Realm, so we must strive to cultivate ourselves. For the Immortal Dao, there is Foundation Establishment, so one must build a solid foundation."
"Gods and Ghosts are difficult to encounter through ordinary means. But fortunately, my teacher once heard that after a god steps onto the path of cultivation, its first realm is called..."
"Shrine Prison!"
Yu the Scholar’s expression was grave.
"Shrine Prison?" Zhu Ge looked thoughtful.
"Yes, Shrine Prison. Its shrine is its prison, the vessel for its soul," Yu the Scholar nodded.
"That’s why our teacher taught us that if we encounter a god, we must find and destroy its shrine to destroy its soul, just like destroying a person’s heart."
"It’s similar for Demons, Ghosts, and Spirit Monsters. Let me explain it to you properly. For example, when Demons, Spirits, and Monsters are first born, their Spiritual Wisdom is low and they are quite ignorant, but they will all possess one or two powerful innate talents."
"Like the Snake Demon’s venom, the Vine Spirit’s entanglement, or the Stone Monster’s hardness..."
Just as he was about to continue, the "Confucian" character on Yu the Scholar’s chest suddenly dimmed, and his voice trailed off.
Zhu Ge’s pupils contracted. He said nothing, simply sitting quietly and waiting for Yu the Scholar’s reaction.
A moment later, Yu the Scholar’s body suddenly stiffened. He turned his head toward Zhu Ge like a rusty robot.
His tone was solemn.
"Zhu Ge, what are you doing in my house instead of sleeping?"
"Hide yourself well! Lock the doors and windows!"
"There’s a ’god’ in our village!"