e-booksonline Chapter 84 The Past of Shiliang Village
Chapter 84 The Past of Shiliang Village
More than 300 li away from Huaicheng, there is a village called Shiqiao.
This is because the mountains surrounding the village are full of rare and unusual stones. These stones have openings, resembling noses, eyes, hands, feet, and other human body parts.
If one is lucky enough, one can find enough stones to polish and assemble a complete stone figure.
Where did the stone figure go?
Naturally, it was sold to devout men and women of the Great Temple. Regardless of height or weight, as long as it was said that the stone figure had a connection with Buddha, someone would naturally buy it.
Even when the monks of Da Ruo Temple were consulted, they could not find the slightest clue.
Those devout men and women put their doubts to rest, and some even flocked to Shiqiao Village, just to be the first to buy the stone figure.
The impoverished Shiqiao Village made a fortune from this, rebuilding the once-desolate ancestral hall and renovating the mud-brick houses.
Bustling activity replaced the desolation of the past, and self-satisfaction replaced the timidity of the past. Even the labor in the fields was ignored.
But as time went on, people naturally became suspicious.
Every now and then, people would disguise themselves and pass by the caravan, and peddlers would come to ask for directions. At first, the people of Shiqiao Village were also uneasy, fearing that others would discover the secret of the Qiaoshi (a type of rock formation).
Only after it was finally confirmed that only the people of Shiqiao Village could find the strangely shaped cave stone did the group of ill-intentioned people give up.
With abundant wealth and a thriving population, the people of Shiqiao Village naturally set their sights on the imperial court. Over the past sixty years, they have hired countless private tutors, yet few members of the Luo family have achieved official rank. Just when they thought that this place could not nurture any scholars,
Ruiji was born...
...
That rainy night, lightning flashed, thunder roared, winds howled, and strange phenomena such as landslides and earthquakes occurred one after another. A great immortal cave appeared in the mountains where the secret stone was usually found in Shiqiao Village...
The area around the house was filled with constant calls, and a nine-colored deer even stepped out of the void and landed in Luo Ji's house, snuggling up to Luo Ji and protecting him tightly.
Thunderclaps raged relentlessly, shattering the place where Luo Ji was born. Before they could even experience the joy of parenthood, Luo Ji's parents perished under the wrath of the heavens.
Until dawn
Only then did the Luo clan members discover that Luo Ji, unharmed, was wailing amidst the ruins. Luo Ji's biological father was named Luo Heng, and Luo Heng had a younger brother named Luo Yuan.
The two brothers had relied on each other since childhood, and their bond was naturally deep and unfathomable. Faced with this nephew who had caused his brother's death, he was both angry and saddened, and even in his beatings and scoldings, he felt more pity.
Strangely, from then on, the people of Shiqiao Village could no longer harvest the Qiao Stones as easily as before.
So some people connected the two.
Some villagers even considered Luo Ji an omen of misfortune, claiming that if he was not eliminated, he would surely bring disaster to Shiqiao Village in the future.
Fortunately, Luo Yuan was notorious, and under his protection, no one dared to provoke Luo Ji, and could only gossip about him in their daily lives.
Years later, Luo Ji displayed his extraordinary talent. He could compose poems at the age of two, write essays at the age of three, and by the age of nine, he was already able to write articles that amazed people.
Even the private tutor exclaimed that the God of Literature had descended to earth!
If not for age and seniority limitations, Luo Ji, at only fifteen years old, would probably already be standing in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, receiving the Emperor's personal appointment.
Even so, a fifteen-year-old top scholar is a once-in-a-millennium talent in Shiqiao Village. Just hearing about him is enough to know how spirited and ambitious he must be, let alone Luo Ji himself!
Upon hearing that Luo Ji had passed the imperial examination with top honors, Luo Yuan, who had been bedridden with ailments from years of hard work, passed away with a smile.
Until then, no one could find the secret stone anymore.
Someone tried to raid the Great Immortal Cave, but not only did he break his leg, he also contracted a strange illness. When they called in a master to take a look, the master was so frightened that he abandoned his talismans and magical artifacts and fled the place in a panic.
"You've offended the mountain god who is about to be born, and now you've made an enemy of him... I think you should stop calling it Stone Cave Village and change it to Stone Beam Village!"
The saying "bad people come from poor and remote places" has been true since ancient times. In addition, the person who offended him was Luo Yaosheng, who was quite famous in Shiqiao Village.
This man was Luo Guisheng's father, and also the former village head of Shiliang Village.
So the group discussed it and decided to strike first and nip the nine-aperture stone spirit in the bud.
...
"In my opinion, not only that Great Immortal Cave, but even that brat Luo Ji is no ordinary person. When has my Luo family ever produced such a scholar? Could it be that he's connected to that Seven Aperture Stone Spirit?"
"Indeed, since his birth, the wealth and grain accumulated in our Shiqiao Village have been declining and have never been as prosperous as before."
"Luo Ji is already the top scholar in the provincial examination, and I'm afraid he won't stay in my Shiqiao Village in a few years. Why not depose him and let him stay in the village and teach the children of Shiqiao Village?"
"Furthermore, it's also to prevent him from seizing the power of the village chief..."
If Luo Ji had someone to rely on, they would never dare to do this.
Now, Ke Luoji is all alone, powerless and without influence, yet he shines like the blazing sun in summer, his brilliance unmatched by anyone. Who wouldn't be envious?
The tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind; that is Luo Ji's crime...
...
After much effort and spending a thousand strings of copper coins, they finally managed to persuade the wise and courageous monk from Da Ruo Temple to come and subdue the demon.
"Yin and Yang in harmony, the mountains possess a spirit. This is precisely the perfect place my master has always dreamed of... and it even has seven orifices..."
"I will destroy its six orifices, leaving only its mouth to gather resentment. Three years later, I will return to harvest the shadow demons it has spawned... At that time, there will be a contest within the Hechou Temple..."
"If it were to become a force to be reckoned with, none of the elders in the temple could possibly defeat it. Fortunately, I discovered it before it was even born..."
Overjoyed, Zhi Yong, having narrowly escaped death, destroyed all six orifices of the Great Immortal Cave. He lay unconscious on his bed for three days before finally waking up.
...
"That's all I know. Even if you ask again, I can't answer. I have an eighty-year-old mother at home, and a baby crying for its mother..."
"I humbly request that you, sirs, spare my life in consideration of my sincere loyalty and filial piety..."
Luo Quanzhou prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly with tears streaming down his face. His pitiful appearance moved even those who heard it.
If it were an ordinary person here, they would probably have let it go. But Luo Ji, whose face was flushed and whose forehead veins were bulging, was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.
Even the woman and the Shadow Spider standing to the side were sharpening their knives, their faces filled with murderous intent.
"If I were to become an official, I cannot guarantee this place would become prosperous, but peace and stability would certainly be assured. Why are you framing me!"
Luo Ji was so angry that he trembled all over, his beard and hair standing on end, making him look like the old man who had transformed from the Great Immortal Cave.
Fang Hongxuan saw it all and was shocked.
"This person was born with extraordinary signs; perhaps he is the reincarnation of a legendary great being? How could such a person end up like this?"
Dao Yuan's voice echoed in Fang Hongxuan's mind, and he also felt very sorry for Luo Ji's fate.
"The Golden Core True Monarch of the Wansheng Dynasty is similar to the Buddha who condensed relics in the Secret Realm; both have the ability to reincarnate."
"It's a pity that this Confucian and Taoist True Lord is really unlucky. All these things must have been caused by a great enemy in his previous life."
"Please, Mr. Fang, do not get involved with him in any karmic entanglement. Leave everything to this humble monk. Perhaps you can even gain some benefits in the process..."