leonardwarren Chapter 110 The Cultivation of Demons and Monsters
Chapter 110 The Cultivation of Demons and Monsters
Chapter 110 The Cultivation of Demons and Monsters
At the corner of the stairs, Zheng Ding suddenly slowed down.
From the corridor above, a veiled woman was walking towards them.
The woman had a graceful figure and a composed gait. She wore a moon-white jacket, and even though it was just a side view, she exuded a unique charm that made people feel that she was definitely a beauty.
Liu Rushi!
Zheng Ding recognized her. He had visited Xiangmanlou more than once before when he heard that the famous Liu family from both Huaihe River region had come to Qinghe County, just to see her.
But that's all in the past. Now, his heart is only for Lian Niang. No matter how beautiful other women are, they can't catch his eye and can't compare to Lian Niang in his paintings.
As the two groups met, Sister Feng immediately greeted them, "Master Liu, are you getting ready to go on stage?"
Liu Rushi shook her head and said, "I've only come to see a friend, Aunt Feng. What brings you here?"
Upon hearing Liu Rushi say that she would not be going on stage, Sister Feng's face showed a hint of regret. You see, ever since the poem "I see the green hills are so charming" spread, Liu Rushi's fame has soared. Most of the people who come to Xiangmanlou every day are there because of her. If Liu Rushi were to perform every day, Xiangmanlou's business would increase by at least two or three times. It's just a pity that Liu Rushi is a registered resident and can come and go as she pleases.
She had no authority to give orders; otherwise, she would have had people performing on stage every day, leaving them no time to rest.
Sister Feng composed herself and replied, "I'm taking Young Master Zheng to see Xiaoxiaosheng."
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Liu Rushi looked at Zheng Ding, her gaze lingering on his face for a few moments. Her foxy eyes furrowed slightly. "Young Master Zheng looks haggard; it seems you've been quite tired lately."
Zheng Ding raised his head and cupped his hands in greeting: "Thank you for your concern, Lady Liu. I am currently preparing for the imperial examinations, studying late into the night by candlelight, which is why I have been sleeping little lately and am feeling somewhat tired."
Liu Rushi smiled and nodded, saying nothing more. As a fox spirit, she was naturally skilled in this art and could see that the expression on Zheng Ding's face was not caused by lack of sleep. People who truly stay up late to study may have tired eyes, but their eyes are clear and their brows are bright.
However, this young master Zheng's eyes lacked any clarity; his gaze was unfocused, and his spirit was listless, clearly indicating a depletion of vital energy.
Judging from this situation, they must have encountered something.
Normally, Liu Rushi would not bother with him. What did it matter to her if this person's life force was drained? However, Sister Feng had just said that she would take this Young Master Zheng to see Xiaoxiaosheng.
In other words, this person is going to see Qin Chuan now.
If that kid were to encounter this thing and suffer the consequences, that would be disastrous.
After all, she was still hoping that this boy would write more poems for her, gather literary energy to cleanse her animalistic nature, and enhance her spirituality.
It should be understood that ordinary wild beasts are inherently foolish and lack intelligence, acting solely on instinct. Even after becoming demons, they retain a strong animalistic nature and lack spirituality, which is extremely detrimental to their future cultivation.
Even if a wild boar becomes a demon, it still thinks about rooting around in the ground to eat; even if a snake becomes a demon, it still thinks about hunting and hibernating.
If one's animalistic nature remains unchanged and one's intelligence is not developed, one's cultivation will forever remain at the most superficial level and will never amount to anything.
Moreover, if one allows their animalistic instincts to prevail, their cultivation will stray further and further from its proper course, making it difficult to achieve anything significant.
She had seen too many examples like this: those who became demons but couldn't control their beastly nature were either taken in by powerful figures or devoured by their own kind; none of them had a good ending.
The best way to cleanse oneself of the animalistic nature is to listen to the teachings of sages.
When sages expound on scriptures, the way of sages, and the ways of heaven, earth, and the human heart, every word they utter carries literary elegance, and every principle they speak can cleanse evil nature.
But how easy is it to meet a sage?
So another way is to try to cleanse oneself with the spirit of humanity.
The spirit of literature is the spiritual energy accumulated by humankind over thousands of years.
It should be understood that humans and animals are actually the same when they are first born: ignorant and unaware of human nature, they eat when they are hungry and sleep when they are tired, acting entirely on instinct.
Why is it that humans are considered the most intelligent of all beings?
It is because people can read and write, and understand principles through reading.
A child who doesn't study or learn to read from a young age, how is he any different from a wild beast when he grows up?
But once they start reading, learn to read, understand principles, and gain wisdom, they become a different species from wild beasts.
Literary talent nourishes the mind and spirit, naturally opening up one's wisdom.
Using literary energy to cleanse one's animalistic nature is like washing away dirt with clean water. It may not be noticeable once or twice, but over time, the animalistic nature will gradually fade away, and one's intelligence will be awakened.
As demons' intelligence and comprehension improve, they no longer blindly stumble about based on instinct, thus broadening their path of cultivation.
This is why those demons and monsters like to gravitate towards scholars.
It's not that I'm greedy for the physical appearance of a scholar, nor for his spirit; it's mostly for the scholarly air about him.
Even a scholar, even if he is just a xiucai, still carries a certain scholarly air about him.
If one is a scholar who has passed the imperial examination or the highest level of the imperial examination, then one's literary talent will naturally be stronger, making one more attractive to demons.
Many of the legendary stories of scholars "encountering beauties on the road" are, on the surface, about beauties admiring scholars, but in reality, they are nothing more than demons and monsters using the power of literature to cultivate themselves.
When Liu Rushi first came to Qinghe County, she heard that although the place was small, it had produced several well-known scholars.
In particular, there was a man named "Zhou Fusheng" who was quite famous in the past, and his articles criticizing the prefect were widely circulated.
She had been full of expectations and secretly went to check it out, but the result greatly disappointed her. Zhou Fusheng had long lost his former glory and was now just an ordinary teacher in the school, his spirit gone.
She had been living in Xiangmanlou for so long, but she hadn't met many people who were truly talented in literature.
Many of the literati who came to Xiangmanlou were just pretending to be cultured, and few had real talent. Occasionally, they might have one or two poems that were worthy of attention, but they were just mediocre works with little literary flair, better than nothing.
She was once disheartened and thought that if she could not meet her destined partner after this children's examination, she would leave Qinghe County and try her luck elsewhere.
But fate had other plans, and she met Qin Chuan there.
The line "I find the green hills so charming" has a long and lingering charm and profound meaning. More importantly, she has associated this line with herself and proclaimed it widely. In just a few dozen days, she felt that the beastly nature in her body had faded considerably, which was equivalent to the years of hard work she had done in the past.
If only that kid could write a few more poems and add her name to them.
Perhaps, her animalistic nature can be completely washed away, and her path of cultivation will be free of obstacles.
Therefore, we cannot let anything happen to Qin Chuan.
Thinking of this, Liu Rushi smiled charmingly with her foxy eyes: "It's quite a coincidence, I also have an appointment with Xiaoxiaosheng, why don't we go in together?"
Sister Feng was stunned for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing across her face.
Did Grandma Liu also have an appointment with Xiaoxiaosheng? How come she didn't know?
But then she thought again, since Liu Rushi was registered at Xiangmanlou, she was free to come and go as she pleased, and did not need to report to her, the steward, about anything she did.
It's normal that she didn't know.
"it is good."
Sister Feng responded and then led the two to the door, knocking: "Young Master Xiao, Young Master Zheng has arrived."
"Please come in!"
Qin Chuan thought that only Zheng Ding would push the door open and come in, but to his surprise, the moment the curtain was lifted, the first person to enter was a moon-white jacket, and then a woman with a graceful figure came into view.
The woman wore a veil, revealing only a pair of alluring eyes. Her gaze was languid and carried an indescribable charm.
Liu Rushi.
Qin Chuan's brow twitched slightly, then he regained his composure.
He didn't expect Liu Rushi to come, especially not with Zheng Ding.
Qin Chuan subconsciously wanted to let the uninvited Ms. Liu leave first, but when his gaze inadvertently swept over Liu Rushi, he suddenly stopped.
He also saw the aura of good fortune on her forehead.
The faint red aura was much more pronounced than the last time I saw it, and the color was also a bit darker than before. It was no longer that faint red, but rather like a small flame.
A very auspicious sign!
And it's even stronger and more intense than last time.
Qin Chuan's gaze lingered on the top of Liu Rushi's head for a moment before he looked away, his expression remaining calm and unreadable.
This auspicious sign has come at just the right time.
He had been suspicious of Zheng Dinghua's high price to see him—one hundred taels of silver, and he even had to ask to see him in person.
What exactly is this person trying to do?
Is it simply a desire to meet, or is there another motive?
He couldn't figure out Zheng Ding's background, and he always felt uneasy.
With Liu Ru by his side, he felt much more at ease.
This person is very lucky and everything goes smoothly. With her sitting next to him, even if Zheng Dingzhen has any ill intentions, he probably won't be able to cause any big trouble.
When Liu Rushi saw Qin Chuan's current appearance, her foxy eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she quickly realized what was happening. She sniffed the air and, after confirming that the scent was the same, said, "Young Master Xiao, I apologize for disturbing you."
She nodded slightly as a greeting, and then, without waiting for Qin Chuan to invite her, sat down at the table with elegant and composed movements, as if she had entered her own room.
"My name is Zheng Ding. I have long admired Mr. Xiao's name." Zheng Ding followed behind and cupped his hands in greeting.
Qin Chuan stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said calmly, "Young Master Zheng, please sit down."
Sister Feng, being sensible, closed the door, leaving the three of them alone.
Qin Chuan then sat back down behind his desk.
Liu Rushi picked up her teacup and poured him a cup of tea, then poured one for herself and Zheng Ding as well.
Zheng Ding was also thoughtful when he saw this scene. He knew that when Liu Rushi first came to Qinghe County, she was quite famous.
Dressed in white, he sat gracefully on the stage, his fingers plucking the strings of the zither, his eyes sparkling, astonishing the entire audience.
Back then, he came here every day and would sit for most of the day, hoping to be invited by the host, but unfortunately, he never was.
Even now, he has never heard of anyone being invited by Lady Liu alone, let alone having her personally serve tea.
But now, he watched as the renowned Liu family, famous across the Taiwan Strait and renowned throughout the three regions, entered Xiaoxiaosheng's room, sat down without waiting for a greeting, and naturally poured tea.
The casualness and intimacy made me feel as if I were at home.
Who else in the entire Qinghe County has ever received such treatment?
To be honest, if he didn't already have feelings for Lian Niang, Zheng Ding felt he would probably be driven mad with jealousy.