Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 60: Bamboo Horse, Qi Fortune

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Bamboo Horse, Qi Fortune

East Lake Mountain was treacherous, and the cliff where Zhao Xing stood was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see the end, but it was at least four or five hundred meters high.

Falling straight down from such a height?

Zhao Xing fixed his gaze and found that the person was already a bloody mess, even missing several parts.

But he wasn’t dead!

Under the observation of the Bright Eyes Skill, this person actually still had a sliver of life force.

"What the hell, you scared me!" Zong Shichang jumped up from his chair.

"It’s a person." Zhao Xing activated the Bright Eyes Skill.

"Dead or alive?"

"Not dead yet, but nearly there."

"Not good! I know this person!" Zong Shichang took a closer look, his face changing color.

He immediately ran over.

Zhao Xing surveyed the surroundings, conjured a cloud to support himself, and then slowly walked over.

"Brother Wang, how did you fall from the mountain?" Zong Shichang ran into the pile of rubble and squatted down.

"Pig, pig..." The man with the surname Wang appeared to be a martial artist, and even with only half of his body left, he hadn’t completely died, and he even had the strength to speak.

"Pig? Where’s the pig?" Zong Shichang said. "Brother Wang, speak clearly."

"Horse, horse..."

"Horse? What are you trying to say?" Zong Shichang couldn’t make sense of it. First a pig, now a horse. What on earth did he mean?

"Brother Wang, if you have any last words, please speak clearly. No, once past the Forget Sorrow Stele, I won’t remember anyway."

"You, ugh..." The man with the surname Wang widened his eyes, dying with an unreconciled expression, seemingly infuriated by Zong Shichang.

"Rest assured, although I don’t know why, you were working for my family when you died. Once I leave here, I will definitely take care of your family." Zong Shichang sorrowfully reached out to close the man’s eyes.

Strangely, after Zong Shichang said these words, the man, who had died with eyes wide open, closed them.

"Creak, creak, creak~"

Once the man was completely dead, a sudden gust of Yin Wind emerged, and the pile of rubble began to sink, pulling the man’s two halves into the ground.

Seeing this, Zhao Xing and Zong Shichang quickly clasped their hands in a gesture of respect, bowing to the ground.

This was the Yin God of East Lake Mountain, sending out the deceased official’s body.

After leaving the pile of rubble, before Zhao Xing could inquire, Zong Shichang took the initiative to say, "His name was Wang Dong, a member of the military department of Mai County. He was one of the four people my family had entrusted."

"He had only reached the Gathering Essence Eighth Stage at the age of forty-five and couldn’t secure a position. This year he asked my family for help, and my father agreed to get him a position as a guard this year. Unexpectedly, he died after climbing the mountain for less than two hours."

"Mr. Zhao, do you think he was blaming me for taking this job with all that talk about pigs and horses before he died?"

Zhao Xing shook his head and said, "If he blamed you, why would he trust you to take care of his family?"

Zong Shichang seemed to relax somewhat. "That’s true. But what exactly was he trying to tell me?"

Zhao Xing remained silent, lost in thought.

.......

A man had just died, so Zong Shichang no longer had any interest in drinking and enjoying the scenery, sitting there with a frown pondering.

To their surprise, not long after, a piercing, urgent scream echoed from deep within the dense forest, accompanied by the roars of some unknown beast.

Fortunately, the roars gradually faded away after a while.

Soon after, Zong Shichang stood up, took out a box from the chest, and walked over: "Mr. Zhao, I plan to climb the mountain. I won’t stay with you here."

"Why the change of plans?" Zhao Xing asked.

Zong Shichang sighed: "I originally planned to wait at the foot of the mountain. But now that we’re already on the mountain, it’s unsafe whether we’re up there or down here."

"I plan to contact the other three. If we gather together, it will be safer with their protection."

"Here is a box of Gathering Yuan Pills. You take them, and we’ll part ways here."

Looking at the medicine box Zong Shichang put down, Zhao Xing said, "Mr. Zong, wait."

Zong Shichang turned back, showing a puzzled expression.

Zhao Xing said slowly: "I didn’t want to say much before, and I don’t know if saying this is good or bad for you, but I noticed that brother Wang was already seriously injured before he fell off the cliff."

"His chest was caved in, likely from a blunt force impact, and judging by his last words, he was referring to a Mechanical School treasure, the Unicorn Bamboo Horse."

Zong Shichang was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand.

Zhao Xing continued: "Allow me to boldly speculate. Your business dealings with brother Wang may not have been unknown to others."

"The Zong family has a large business in Nanyang County, inevitably attracting jealousy. Suppose someone took this opportunity to target you; this incident might have been him taking the fall for you."

Zong Shichang’s face changed, his eyes filled with doubt and suspicion.

Zhao Xing said calmly: "The Yin God of East Lake Mountain oversees this place and prohibits killing, but does not prohibit robbery and fighting. This boundary is always very ambiguous; otherwise, there would be no need for the Forget Sorrow Stele."

"Moreover, killing doesn’t necessarily mean doing it personally. Suppose I were competing with you for the Spiritual Beauty and used a spell to bind you and leave you here. If you were later eaten by a beast, it wouldn’t count as violating the rules; it would just mean you had bad luck."

"You don’t lack this Spiritual Beauty. I still suggest you go straight down the mountain and avoid this risk."

Zong Shichang frowned deeply, seeming to ponder Zhao Xing’s words.

It was evident that this young man from a wealthy family had never been severely beaten. After all, he was surrounded by flattery and compliments; everyone gave his father some face. How could he think so deeply?

Now, reminded by Zhao Xing, he seemed to connect some dots, his face changing as he hesitated.

Zhao Xing continued: "If you must go up, be extra vigilant. If you see someone riding a bamboo horse, turn around and leave. Don’t gamble your life on the chance that I’m wrong."

Seeing Zong Shichang lost in thought, Zhao Xing said no more.

To say any more would violate taboo.

As he had just said, if an accident happened on the mountain, it was due to bad luck.

With bad luck, how could one serve as an official in the Fortune Dynasty?

Likewise, to be promoted to the ninth rank, if the national fate rewarded someone with inherently poor luck, it would come at a higher cost.

The Fortune Dynasty had to consider the balance of expenses and revenues, which was why there was a rule that officials’ remaining luck would be returned to the court upon their death.

There were also cases like Xue Wenzhong, who hadn’t been promoted in decades, mainly due to the Old Minister of Agriculture’s inherently low luck level. He could only reach the ninth-rank official unless he achieved great merit. But serving as the Minister of Agriculture in the rear, there were few opportunities to achieve great merit.

Seeking Spiritual Beauty not only weeded out those with bad luck but also gave people a chance to make up for their luck.

Of course, there were more methods than just these, but he didn’t plan to delve into them.

By reminding Zong Shichang, he felt he had repaid the favor for the information Zong Shichang had provided earlier.

"Alright, I understand. Thank you, Mr. Zhao." Zong Shichang cupped his hands in respect.

Zhao Xing nodded, watching him leave.

As for whether Zong Shichang believed him or not, who else he had feuds with, and if he would continue up the mountain, Zhao Xing had no interest in knowing or following up.

His Vajra Bamboo and Green Vine were about to mature.