Chapter 17: A Skillful Deception
The information related to the Divine List was not limited to what has been mentioned so far. There were many more details. After all, with the opening of the divine path and the revival of spiritual energy, even though the current spiritual energy was quite weak, it had the potential to bring about significant changes in the mortal world.
For example, spirits that could only exist for seven days before would now have a longer existence. Many spiritual herbs and medicines would now have a more nurturing environment. Many wild beasts would have a chance for spiritual awakening. Practices that had nearly disappeared could be resumed.
In a sense, this reversal had completely changed the course of human development. Fortunately, it had just begun, and everything and everyone was starting from the same point. The ancient gods, immortals, Buddhas, demons, and monsters were not adapting well to this low-spiritual-energy environment and the new rules of the world. So, for the time being, the mortal world remained as it was.
As long as he played his cards right, Zhang Kai could lead the way, develop his influence, and suppress any opposition. With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Kai started making plans.
In the afternoon, some villagers came looking for Zhang Kai, saying that the village chief wanted to see him. Zhang Kai got up and went with them, knowing that it was time for his performance.
The retired school principal helped with the introductions, and soon everyone became acquainted. There was the village chief, the village secretary, and the head of the village women's association.
The village chief's last name was Yang, and he was a descendant of the Yang family, the bloodline associated with the Yang Family Shrine in the village. From the information Zhang Kai had gathered over the past two days, it was said that when the village chief was a child, his family used to be landlords, but after a series of hardships, he was left as an orphan. He grew up eating food provided by various families, and when he grew up, he decided to let respected villagers receive worship at the Yang Family Shrine after their deaths. So, he later became the village chief and had remained in that position to this day.
But this Village Chief Yang was quite proactive in planning for the village and was highly respected by the villagers. Zhang Kai wasn't one to hold back either and directly took out a card, saying, "There's five million in here. It's my goodwill, and I hope it can help your village."
Village Chief Yang accepted it without hesitation and then said earnestly, "Master Zhang, we are very grateful for the Daoist tradition's care and support for our Daliushu Village. On behalf of the 1,735 villagers of Daliushu Village and the over 25,000 people in the three villages around us, I bow to you."
After saying this, Village Chief Yang was about to kneel.
Zhang Kai quickly stopped him and said with a wry smile, "Village Chief, what are you doing? Doing good deeds is accumulating merit, and it's mutually beneficial. You don't need to go to such lengths."
Village Chief Yang, unable to kneel, gave up and then, with teary eyes and a trembling voice, said, "Master Zhang, you don't know how terrible poverty can be. In the past, when someone in our village fell ill, we couldn't afford medical treatment, and we could only endure the suffering. Some couldn't make it through, and we lost them. We also went out to work for money, but we lack education, so we couldn't get good jobs and ended up doing dirty, hard work, earning very little, and being deceived by others. To prevent future generations from suffering in poverty forever, we old folks, even if we lose face, are determined to find a way to educate the younger generations, send them to school, and let them step out into the world. These five million from you are the hope of Daliushu Village and the three neighboring villages."
Zhang Kai couldn't help but sigh. It was often said that poverty could lead to wickedness, but it seemed like it was just a localized saying. Most poor families had endured hard times, didn't have education, yet had great foresight. They were willing to spend their entire lives improving their situation for the sake of future generations, which was truly admirable.
"Village Chief Yang, Principal Bahuzi, all of you are admirable people. Since you've opened up, let me be clear. Actually, you've received the blessings of Cheng Aimin," Zhang Kai said, looking around and speaking with seriousness.
The few elderly people looked at Zhang Kai with confusion.
Zhang Kai smiled and said, "Is it quite miraculous? It's actually quite simple. Because Teacher Cheng Aimin dedicated his life to teaching and nurturing, his great virtue and merits led me to come here and confer upon him the title of the local Scholar God. He has become the guardian spirit of education. As the saying goes, 'when one person becomes a deity, even chickens and dogs can ascend to the heavens.' Cheng Aimin has achieved the status of a Scholar God, so naturally, the place he resides in will receive divine protection."
"Ah, so that's how it is. There really are gods. Our Daliushu Village is, it's…" Village Chief Yang was so moved that his face turned red, and he couldn't find the right words to express his emotions.
Zhang Kai smiled but didn't say anything more. He had let Cheng Aimin appear because it was a well-considered decision. After all, gods couldn't be hidden, and Cheng Aimin would need to be worshipped and supported by the school for his growth. This would help protect the village. Additionally, with five million yuan offered, it was not a small amount. Zhang Kai understood that even the best people could be tempted by desires and strayed from the right path. With the presence of a god, they would have more reservations and avoid going down the wrong path, not letting down Zhang Kai's support.
Seeing the excited expressions of the old folks, Zhang Kai continued, "My purpose in coming here was to confer the title of Scholar God. Now that the task is complete, I will be leaving soon. In the future, you will need to work together with the Scholar God to lead a good life and improve education. This way, the Scholar God can permanently protect the village. Furthermore, after the great changes in the world, with the divine path now open, anyone who accumulates merit can become a god. Daliushu Village has three divine positions, and now that the Scholar God holds one of them, there are still two more to be filled. If all of you work for the welfare of the people and accumulate merits, there will be rewards in the future."
Zhang Kai's words were deep and meaningful, but they were also a temptation. These elderly people had lived through those times and witnessed Bai Yunguan's Daoist magic. Now that they saw an old friend becoming a god, how could they not be hopeful?
After hearing this, the four elderly people took a deep breath and then looked at Zhang Kai with eager eyes. They were people from that era who knew the power of the Daoist magic firsthand, and now that they saw their old buddy become a god, how could they not be eager?
After that, Zhang Kai exchanged a few more pleasantries and took the initiative to leave. Otherwise, if they had a genuine celestial being standing in front of them, it would be difficult for them to speak, communicate, or share the methods of becoming gods.
After leaving, Zhang Kai headed straight for Niutou Mountain. Although it had been said that spiritual energy was reviving, it was still almost non-existent in the village. So, he needed to find where spiritual energy was being born to assess the situation.
Entering the deep mountains, he still couldn't sense a trace of spiritual energy until he reached a valley with a cold pool. There, his almost 200 years of inner strength received stimulation, and Zhang Kai realized that the so-called revival of spiritual energy was starting from the places that were once spiritual sites.
In other words, ordinary people would remain ordinary people, and only those who occupied spiritual sites would receive nourishment from spiritual energy. With this new understanding, Zhang Kai decided to test whether he could break through to the Innate realm now that there was spiritual energy available. With great anticipation, Zhang Kai entered the cave.