Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two: Fish, Fish, Fish

“People? Yes, people. There’s someone inside my head,” Xiao Mao said with a strange expression.

“…A person of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith—not a man or woman,” Chen Jin patiently explained once more.

Chen Jin clearly remembered the “Popular Cultivation Scripture,” and so he understood the meaning behind every character.

“Oh, I see. But there really is someone in my head,” Xiao Mao nodded, still puzzled.

“Hm? What kind of person?” Chen Jin asked. Since Xiao Mao was so certain and insistent there was someone in his head, naturally he needed to inquire further. After all, this wasn’t the Age of Decline or a time when spiritual powers had vanished. Maybe Xiao Mao had been affected by something.

“A tall, thin man, someone who looks a bit like you. He mutters words I don’t understand,” Xiao Mao scratched his head, his face oddly troubled.

“What does he say?” Chen Jin was less concerned about the resemblance and more curious about what was being murmured.

“Hmm… I can’t remember, but I know he’s mumbling. He doesn’t bother me, and listening to him actually helps me sleep,” Xiao Mao continued.

“Is he not muttering now?” Chen Jin asked.

“No, only at night… Could he be a ghost?” Xiao Mao said, his face showing fear.

“You think I look like a ghost?” Chen Jin glanced at him.

“Huh?” Xiao Mao was confused.

“I transmit the Dharma in dreams, thinking you had great wisdom. I never imagined you wouldn’t remember the great teachings I passed on to you. Truly disappointing,” Chen Jin’s expression suddenly grew serious, as if this were truly his doing. Then he shook his head and sighed deeply, feigning disappointment.

“Huh?” Xiao Mao felt his brain was running out of capacity.

‘Are all immortal stories this strange?’ Xiao Mao thought to himself.

Yet, he half-believed Chen Jin’s words, especially since the figure in his dreams increasingly resembled Chen Jin.

“Will you come again tonight?” Xiao Mao cautiously asked.

“That depends on your wisdom,” Chen Jin said, eyes fixed on his own nose, then glanced at Xiao Mao before falling silent.

“Oh…” Xiao Mao nodded.

He didn’t understand what “wisdom” meant, but the term sounded pleasant. Not knowing how else to respond, he secretly hoped he possessed great wisdom.

Chen Jin looked at Xiao Mao, silently wondering how such a situation could have arisen in him.

However, Chen Jin felt he could handle this—perhaps it was some kind of nightmare.

Still, he had to be careful in case a powerful being had sent a fragment of spirit or thought to lodge inside Xiao Mao’s head. If so, this was no ordinary matter.

After all, these were turbulent times with many conflicts, and celestial beings often descended to the mortal realm. Who knew if Xiao Mao might be a designated vessel for such a celestial envoy?

But Xiao Mao said the figure resembled Chen Jin, which gave Chen Jin pause.

Chen Jin himself was extraordinary; his physical body contained a Buddhist relic. Could it be that the spirit resembling him within Xiao Mao’s consciousness was the spirit of that relic?

Chen Jin resolved to use his dream-entry technique when Xiao Mao slept to observe his dreams.

He then instructed Xiao Mao to continue studying the “Popular Cultivation Scripture.” In such times, cultivation brought many benefits, as the world’s primal energy was so abundant that one could absorb plenty simply by opening one’s mouth.

In theory, such a favorable environment should extend people’s lifespans considerably. Yet, that was not the case. Many reasons existed—such as warfare—and if the absorbed primal energy was not properly refined, it would be useless or even harmful. Like oxygen, essential yet also a cause of aging and disease, primal energy was similar.

…

The rain stopped, and the sky cleared.

Chen Jin could ride the donkey again.

He had a strong interest in riding. In reality, he had never ridden a horse, at most driven a car, so horse riding was an exciting hobby for him.

Of course, riding a donkey was quite pleasant too; donkeys lacked the wildness of horses and would obediently move forward when you gave a pat on the rump.

It was even like fishing—he could dangle a bundle of fresh grass in front of it, and the stubborn donkey would eagerly move forward. But this made the donkey run quite fast, so Chen Jin just kept patting its rump to urge it on.

The donkey’s rump was quite springy, firm…

As Chen Jin rode, Lü Dongbin emerged from a cart and mounted his own donkey.

However, Lü Dongbin’s donkey kept sneezing, seeming to have caught a cold from the rain.

Though not a veterinarian, Chen Jin was a cultivator, so he quickly used his restorative technique on the donkey.

With that, the donkey’s vigor returned immediately, and it suddenly began to gallop.

Clop, clop, clop, clop…

It carried Lü Dongbin off at a gallop.

Lü Dongbin was a little stunned but quick to react. Strong as he was, he managed to pull the donkey back before it could run more than thirty feet freely.

The donkey still huffed and puffed, wanting to bolt again, but Lü Dongbin held the reins tightly, determined not to let it rebel once more.

“Hahaha…” Chen Jin laughed heartily at Lü Dongbin’s predicament.

“…” Lü Dongbin looked at Chen Jin speechlessly, inwardly thinking how mischievous he was.

Then, holding the reins firmly, Lü Dongbin took a portrait from his pocket.

“This is the person I saw in my dream of Sangzi last night,” Lü Dongbin said, handing the portrait to Chen Jin.

Though Chen Jin had already used his “Divine Artifact” to scrutinize and memorize this person’s appearance, he would not admit he had seen it before.

After all, it would be difficult to explain that he had used a “Divine Artifact” to spy.

So Chen Jin took the portrait and examined it carefully.

“Looks like this was planned a long time ago,” Chen Jin remarked.

“Yes, this person had premeditated everything. But now that he’s dead, how can we break the curse and vexation magic on Sangzi?” Lü Dongbin said, troubled.

“Brother Lü, don’t worry. Once I advance my cultivation another step, I may be able to dispel such curses. Though I’m not confident I can break through soon, I thought finding this person would be a good backup plan,” Chen Jin reassured him.

“Really? Then thank you so much, Brother Chen,” Lü Dongbin said joyfully.

As he said this, he cupped his hands in salute to Chen Jin. But at that moment, the reins slipped from his grasp, and the donkey he was riding seized the opportunity to bolt.

“Yuyuyu…” Lü Dongbin shouted frantically. In his haste, his exclamation became a string of “yu” sounds.

The scene was quite amusing.

…