Immortality: Grinding Experience Starting as a Paper Craftsman

Chapter 107 The Code of Cause and Effect, Demon Descends upon Pingyang

In Pingyang County, the sky was dusky and a light drizzle was falling.

The bluestone square in the center of the county town, used for praying for blessings, was already packed with people, making it impossible to move.

Thousands of people, dressed in rags and with pale faces, braved the rain, looking up with numb yet devout expressions at the towering vermilion altar in the center of the square.

On the altar, a young Taoist priest dressed in the outer disciple's robes of the Flowing Cloud Sect sat cross-legged on a futon embroidered with gold.

He wore a jade crown, had a white face and no beard. Although he only had the cultivation level of the early stage of Qi Refining, in the eyes of these mortals, the spiritual light that flowed around his body was already the skill of a terrestrial immortal.

Standing beside him was Li, the richest man in Pingyang County, who controlled the entire county's rice and grain business.

Master Li, dressed in a Shu brocade robe, had a fat head and big ears. He held a tray in his hands, on which was a thick stack of yellow paper with red talismans drawn on it.

"Fellow villagers, please quiet down!"

With a full breath and a ruddy face, Master Li shouted, "Today is an auspicious day for Immortal Master Zhao of the Flowing Cloud Sect to preach! Recently, the earth's energy in Pingyang County has been fluctuating, and there is a fear that evil spirits may be emerging. Out of compassion, Immortal Master Zhao has specially requested this batch of atonement talismans from the sect. Simply place them at your door, and your whole family will be safe and free from all illnesses!"

A stir broke out in the audience; some looked eager, some hesitated, and some curled up, biting their nails.

Master Zhao slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the pairs of murky eyes below the stage, his face filled with compassion and pity.

He didn't talk about money directly; instead, he started talking about life.

"All people suffer, but does anyone know why they suffer?"

Master Zhao's voice wasn't loud, but with the enhancement of spiritual power, it clearly penetrated into everyone's ears.

He stretched out his fair finger and pointed to the first row below the stage, where an old farmer was kneeling on the ground, with a huge festering sore on his back, groaning in pain.

"You, stand up."

The old farmer shakily raised his head, his face full of fear, and his teeth chattered as he said, "Master, my back hurts terribly, I can't stand up straight..."

"Pain? You deserve it."

Master Zhao said sternly, his tone devoid of any pity, only a condescending judgment: "The ways of Heaven are clear, and the cycle of cause and effect is real! You were born a peasant, and you've been afflicted with such a terrible disease. Do you think it's because Heaven is unjust?"

"Wrong! Utterly wrong!"

"This means you were an utterly wicked sinner in your past life! You killed, stole, and committed adultery; this sore is the karmic debt you incurred! In this life, you were able to be reborn as a human to repay that debt and suffer! What right do you have to complain?"

The old farmer was so shocked by these words that his face turned deathly pale. Tears mingled with the rain as he knelt in the mud, repeatedly kowtowing, "I'm guilty... I'm guilty..."

Master Zhao snorted coldly, then pointed to the edge of the crowd, where a beggar with a broken leg was huddled in a corner begging for food.

"And that beggar."

Everyone's eyes followed the direction he was pointing and turned to look.

"You've lost a leg, and you're always hungry, surviving by begging. Do you feel resentful and bitter towards Master Li because you think he lives a life of luxury?"

The beggar shrank back, clutching the broken bowl to his chest in fear, and dared not utter a sound.

"Let me tell you, Master Li's great wealth and status in this life are the result of the countless good deeds he did in his past life, such as building bridges and roads and saving countless lives! He deserves to enjoy this life!"

"And you? In your past life, you must have been a lazy, ungrateful scoundrel! That's why you were crippled and forced to beg in this life, to taste the bitterness of being trampled on! You don't deserve any sympathy; your suffering is what you deserve!"

These words were spoken with resounding force, as if they were the most fundamental truth in the world.

The people below the stage fell silent.

They were overwhelmed by this logic.

It turns out that my poverty, illness, and hunger were not due to heavy taxes, high food prices, or because someone was making my life peaceful and comfortable, which is why I had to bear the burden.

Or is it because he was a bad guy in his past life?

A deep sense of inferiority and guilt spread through the crowd.

Seeing that the time was right, Master Zhao softened his tone and sighed, "However, Heaven cherishes life. Since I have witnessed the suffering of all living beings, I cannot bear to stand idly by. This atonement talisman is to give you a chance to cleanse your sins."

Master Li immediately chimed in, holding up the yellow paper in his hand: "A redemption talisman costs five taels of silver! Buying this talisman will erase the karmic obstacles of your past life, and you might even be reborn into a wealthy family in your next life!"

Five taels of silver.

This number is like an invisible hand, gripping the heart of everyone in the audience tightly.

In a world where one coin can buy two steamed buns, five taels of silver is a year's worth of food for an ordinary family.

"Buy it! I'll buy it!"

The old farmer, whose back was covered in boils, tremblingly pulled a tattered cloth bag from his bosom. He opened it layer by layer, revealing a few pieces of silver and a pile of copper coins inside.

That was the money he had saved up for years to buy himself a coffin.

"I don't want to suffer like this in my next life... I want to be a good person..."

With a leader taking the lead, ordinary people with some savings also contributed money.

They were afraid that they hadn't suffered enough in this life and would have to suffer again in the next.

In the crowd, a thin, soaking wet boy was staring intently at the stage.

His name is Lin Xun, and he is twelve years old.

He has no parents, only a younger sister to depend on for survival.

My younger sister is sick with a high fever. She's huddled on a tattered straw mat in the City God Temple, crying out that she wants a meat bun.

Lin Xun only had three copper coins in his hand, which were the wages he earned for emptying chamber pots for several days in a row.

He originally wanted to buy his sister a steamed bun, but after hearing what the immortal master said, he hesitated.

My sister is so sick, could it be because she committed some sin in her past life?

If we don't buy this atonement charm, will my sister die?

Lin Xun gritted his teeth and, like an eel, slithered through the crowd to the foot of the altar.

He held up the three copper coins, his small face covered in mud, and cried out in a tearful voice, "Master Immortal! Please! I only have three copper coins, could you sell me a talisman? My sister is dying, and I want to avert her karmic obstacles..."

Master Zhao was resting with his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the silver in his pocket. Upon hearing this sound, he frowned in disgust.

He didn't even open his eyes, he just waved his sleeve.

An irresistible gust of wind swept by.

"roll."

Lin Xun's thin body rolled a long way as if he had been kicked, crashing heavily onto the bluestone slab. He got a gash on his forehead, and blood flowed freely.

The three copper coins also rolled into the muddy ditch.

Master Li sneered from the side, "Where did this little beggar come from? You think you can atone for your sins with three copper coins? Your sins are grave; you can't be cleansed without dozens of taels of silver! If you don't have money, get out of the way and don't block the way for other believers!"

"Exactly, what sins can you atone for if you don't have money?"

"This child must have been a terrible person in his past life, otherwise how could he be so poor?"

Those around him who had just bought talismans seemed to have found a sense of superiority, pointing and whispering about Lin Xun, as if they could get closer to becoming immortal masters just by using others as stepping stones.

Lin Xun lay on the ground, ignoring the blood on his forehead, frantically groping for the three copper coins in the mud.

That was my sister's money for meat buns.

I can't find it... I can't find it anymore.

The water was muddy and murky, and you couldn't see anything.

He raised his head, looked at the compassionate-faced immortal master on the stage, then at the fat, big-eared Li Yuanwai, and then at the numb and indifferent crowd around him.

If this is the way of Heaven, if this is the right path...

How can this world be colder than hell?

Just when Lin Xun was feeling utterly hopeless.

"BOOM!!!"

A deafening thunderclap suddenly exploded in the sky above Pingyang County.

The thunder was so loud that it shook the altar and caused the tray in Master Li's hands to fall to the ground with a clatter. The thick stack of atonement talismans scattered all over the ground, instantly soaked by the rain and turned into waste paper.

Everyone looked up in horror.

The once hazy yellow sky had been replaced by a surging sea of ​​blood.

That wasn't the sunset, nor the sunrise, but a blood-red aura so thick it couldn't be dissolved!

A suffocatingly terrifying pressure, like an ancient ferocious beast awakening, enveloped the entire county town in just a moment.

"A demonic cultivator?!"

Just moments ago, Master Zhao, who had been so aloof and spouting about cause and effect, was now deathly pale, his air of otherworldly elegance completely gone.

He trembled as he pulled a talisman from his pocket. It was a communication talisman, but before he could activate it and summon the sect's aid, he was left speechless.

"Hehehehe..."

A burst of ear-piercing, maniacal laughter came from all directions, as if countless vengeful ghosts were whispering in one's ear.

"What atonement charm? What past lives and reincarnations?"

"You hypocrites of the righteous path, your methods of swindling money are even more despicable than those of us demonic cultivators!"

Accompanied by this mocking voice, hundreds of blood-red streaks of light descended from the sky.

They wore dark red robes and all sorts of hideous masks on their faces, including fierce ghosts with blue faces and fangs, skeletons with bare white bones, and evil gods with two horns and red eyes.

Each person was surrounded by malevolent energy, clearly indicating that the demonic cultivators of the Blood River Sect had arrived.

"Ah! It's a demonic cultivator! Run!"

The square was in complete chaos, with people crying out for their parents and fleeing in all directions.

And that Master Zhao reacted the fastest.

He didn't even bother to glance at the wealthy man beside him, and directly summoned a disposable flying sword, transforming into a streak of light as he fled out of the city.

"Trying to run away?"

In the sea of ​​blood on the horizon, a huge blood-red handprint, carrying the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, slammed down.

"Snapped!"

Like swatting a fly.

Before Master Zhao could even utter a muffled groan, he was slammed down from mid-air and crashed heavily onto the altar, shattering the vermilion altar into pieces.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Master Zhao lay in the ruins, coughing up blood, his once spotless Taoist robe, a symbol of righteousness, now covered in mud.

Master Li was so frightened that his crotch was soaked with sweat. On the ground, all he could do was mutter, "Don't kill me...don't kill me...I have money...I have lots and lots of money..."

Lin Xun didn't run, nor could he. He was pushed behind a stone lion by the crowd, trembling as he watched everything unfold.

In his mind, demonic cultivators were monsters who devoured people without spitting out the bones, a hundred times more terrifying than Master Zhao.

However, what happened next completely overturned his understanding of the world over the past twelve years.

A tall, demonic cultivator wearing a bone mask kicked open the vermilion gate of the Li residence.

This demonic cultivator, wielding a large, ghost-headed sword and exuding a murderous aura, rushed inside. Not long after, the screams of the Li family's servants echoed from within.

Lin Xun closed his eyes, unable to bear watching the bloody scene that followed.

However, the expected death thud did not occur. Instead, the skeletal demon cultivator was cursing and yelling, "Pah! What bad luck!"

The masked demonic cultivator roared, his tone filled with utter disgust and the fury of someone who had stepped in dog poop: "Why does this Li family's rice smell moldy? I'm a noble demonic cultivator! I absolutely cannot eat this pig swill! Throw it all away! Throw it out!"

As he shouted curses, more and more demonic cultivators ran out of the mansion.

They were like a group of extremely picky robbers, carrying large and small bags of things, their faces filled with disgust.

"Splash!"

Bags of pristine, high-quality rice were mercilessly thrown onto the street. The bags burst open, and the rice grains flew everywhere like snowflakes, landing on the ground and covering the blood of those heartless rich people.

"This flour is too white, it's blinding! I'm throwing it away!"

"This pork is too fatty, all oil! Eating it will slow down my sword-flying speed! Throw it away! Throw it all away!"

"And this silver!"

The skeletal demonic cultivator dragged out two large boxes of silver ingots from the Li family's accounting office.

He grabbed a handful of silver, examined it in the sunlight, then smashed it on the ground, spat on it, and kicked it. The silver rolled and tumbled towards the ragged crowd.

"This silver is filthy! It reeks of Li the Skinflint's money! It's dirty my hands! Throw it away! Only those hypocrites from the righteous path would want this kind of dirty money!"

"This fabric color is so tacky, it's neither red nor green, it doesn't match my Demon Power at all! Throw it away!"

In just a short while, a small mountain of supplies was piled up in front of the tall gate of the Li residence.

Fine rice, wheat flour, cured meat, silk, and scattered silver and copper coins.

The people who had been prepared to die or had already fled far away finally realized what was happening.

They stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at the mountain of supplies, then at the ferocious-looking demonic cultivators who, despite their foul mouths, hadn't killed a single civilian.

Someone, driven by extreme hunger, mustered their courage and shouted, "Grab it! This is the food of those treacherous Li family scoundrels! The demonic cultivator doesn't want it!"

That shout was like a spark igniting dry grass.

"Starving to death is death, being killed by demonic cultivators is also death, so I might as well have a final meal before I die!"

"Rob it!"

The hungry crowd surged forward.

All notions of cause and effect, karma, and demonic cultivation were forgotten in this moment, all because of hunger.

They rushed to the gate of the Li residence, grabbing rice and noodles from the ground and stuffing them into their arms. Some snatched cured meat and immediately started eating it, while others lay on the ground, frantically picking up the silver that the demonic cultivators considered too dirty.

The beggar who had previously broken his leg suddenly found strength from somewhere and climbed incredibly fast. He snatched half a piece of pork, clutched it tightly to his chest, and cried and laughed at the same time.

Lin Xun was jostled about by the crowd. Being weak, he couldn't compete with the adults and was at risk of being trampled to death. So he simply hid to the side and observed his surroundings.

He watched as the Li family members, who were usually so high and mighty, were dragged out by the demonic cultivators like dead dogs and thrown into the mud.

He watched as the once arrogant butler, who had called him deserving of his fate, was now hanging from a tree, his buttocks being brutally whipped by the demonic cultivator with the back of a knife, emitting a pig-like wail.

"Keep yelling! Keep yelling!"

The skeletal demon cultivator continued to attack and curse, "Weren't you so eloquent just now? Saying that the poor deserve to suffer? Today I'll show you what karma is!"

Lin Xun's brain wasn't quite working properly.

Is this the legendary demonic tribulation?

These demonic cultivators not only don't kill people, but they also throw away the stolen goods to them like garbage?

If this is the demonic tribulation, then what about that Liuyun Sect immortal master who just sold talismans for five taels of silver and said they were born sinful?

Is it a blessing? Or a true calamity?

"Hey, you brat!"

Suddenly, a harsh voice rang in Lin Xun's ears.

Lin Xun snapped out of his daze, startled, and looked up.

It was that tall demonic cultivator wearing a bone mask.

The demonic cultivator was carrying a basket of steaming hot meat buns that had just come out of the pot.

He walked to the stone lion and looked down at Lin Xun, who was huddled up in a ball. His eyes, peering through the mask, were filled with a fierce light.

"What are you looking at! Haven't you ever seen a demonic cultivator kill someone before!" the white-bone demonic cultivator roared viciously.

Lin Xun was so frightened that he dared not run away. Trembling, he knelt on the ground.

"Pah! This steamed bun is spoiled too!"

The white-boned demonic cultivator suddenly cursed and casually threw the basket of buns on the ground, where they rolled right at Lin Xun's feet.

The buns had thin skins and generous fillings, and were still sizzling with oil—a delicacy Lin Xun could never have dreamed of.

"This is fucking disgusting! This garbage is only fit to be fed to dogs!"

After cursing, the white-boned demonic cultivator ignored Lin Xun, turned around, grabbed his knife, and rushed back into the Li residence, shouting, "Brothers! Set fire to that granary in the Li family's backyard! Remember, only leave the building empty, don't burn all the grain. That stuff smells terrible when it burns, it's giving me a headache!"

Lin Xun only got up after the White Bone Demon Cultivator had gone far away. He reached out with trembling hands, grabbed a meat bun that was a little muddy from the ground, and took a bite.

It's very hot and very soft.

The meat juices burst in your mouth, so fragrant it makes you want to cry.

Lin Xun wolfed down his food while tears streamed down his face.

He looked into the distance and saw that the once arrogant Master Zhao was taking advantage of the chaos to crawl out of the city like a stray dog.

The demonic cultivator, whose back resembled that of a demon, appeared so tall in the firelight.

This world is truly sick.

Moreover, he was quite ill.

Lin Xun picked up some loose silver coins, put the remaining buns into his pocket, wiped the mud off his face, and the numbness and timidity in his eyes disappeared, leaving only an unprecedented light.

He remembered the bone mask, the righteous but scheming immortal master of the Flowing Cloud Sect, and even more so, the absurd yet real calamity of today.

The boy kowtowed heavily to the red-clad figure, then turned and left, rushing into the torrential rain.

The torrential rain lashed down, and the yellow paper notice that had been posted for so long on the corner of the roadside wall, bearing the words "Cause and effect, retribution is inevitable," was finally soaked and rotted by the rain, peeling off miserably and sliding down.

The soaked yellow paper notice fluttered in the wind, fell into the mud and dust, and revealed the true face that had been hidden on the wall for a long time.

Those were four menacing characters written in red paint: "Fate is not determined by Heaven."