Chapter 194 - 191: Money Even Makes the Bizarre Turn the Mill

Jiao Zuo lay collapsed on the ground, and the Cultivators all fell silent.

The bizarre power possessed by this chaotic, upside-down Deceitful Realm was simply incredible.

Across from them, the young villagers who had rushed out from the settlement started shouting, "Hey, this stubborn donkey is really something else! Not only did it get Aunt Liu San’s chicken killed, but it also managed to run itself half to death!"

"Forget it. This donkey can’t work anymore. Since it’s this badly hurt, we might as well slaughter it for meat!"

"There’s a saying: dragon meat in heaven and donkey meat on earth. Eating donkey meat is better than being an Immortal! Come on, fellas! Let’s grab our stools and go slaughter that donkey!"

Other villagers hailed the child-like teacher from a distance. "Mr. Gao," they shouted, "are you taking your students on a field trip? Why don’t we put that on hold? Come on, let’s go eat some donkey meat!"

The villagers were gleeful, running closer and closer, while fresh blood pooled beneath Jiao Zuo where he lay on the ground.

He wasn’t dead yet. He was sprawled on the ground, his eyes gazing bleakly at the distant sky.

The sky in this Deceitful Realm was bright and clear. Blue sky, white clouds—at first glance, everything looked sharp, crisp, and clean.

Who would have thought it could be so far removed from reality—so distant as to be entirely intangible?

Mr. Gao, the child-sized teacher, frowned slightly and took a step back as if disgusted by filth. He then turned his head to look at Song Ciwan. "The beast is hopelessly stupid," he said. "It insisted on calling a chicken a goose, which ended up getting Aunt Liu San’s chicken killed."

"It’s not easy for common folk to raise poultry, you know? Sigh..."

With a sigh, Mr. Gao said to Song Ciwan, "Xin Mian, the chicken is now dead. It would be rather ungracious of me to ask you to recite a poem praising a chicken. Therefore, you shall compose a eulogy for it instead!"

His eyes stared eerily at Song Ciwan. The invisible pressure intensified.

From reciting a poem to composing a eulogy, the difficulty of Mr. Gao’s assignment had also been upgraded.

It was hard to say whether this was a form of punishment.

Song Ciwan suppressed her emotions and slid her right hand into her left sleeve.

A moment later, she drew out three copper coins.

These were no ordinary copper coins. They were, in fact, Ancestral Dragon Coins she had taken from the Heaven and Earth Scale!

When she had first obtained the Ancestral Dragon Coins, the Heaven and Earth Scale had provided a note: *This coin also serves as currency in the Netherworld.*

With the Ancestral Dragon Coins in hand, Song Ciwan opened her palm, looked at Mr. Gao, and said, "Sir, I believe that a monetary offering is better than any eulogy. What do you think, Sir?"

Mr. Gao: ...

And what did Mr. Gao think?

Mr. Gao’s eyes flew wide. With a sudden movement, he crossed several dozen feet in an instant, flashing from the very front of the group of students to the very back, appearing right before Song Ciwan.

He pointed a finger at Song Ciwan, then at the coins in her hand, and said in a tone of disbelief, "You... you actually have money!"

After that one sentence, his expression turned cold. "What? You want to defile the deceased with money? The chicken is dead, and you want to use money for an offering? You... Is this how you read the Scriptures of the Saints and Sages? Huh? Tell me, are the Scriptures supposed to be read this way?"

On the last sentence, Mr. Gao’s voice rose sharply!

Not only did his voice rise, but he also lunged toward Song Ciwan.

In his wide, staring eyes, his eyeballs looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

When he opened his mouth to shout, countless tiny tentacles could be seen faintly writhing in his throat, as if they might burst out at any moment and strike at Song Ciwan.

Mr. Gao, who had maintained the image of a teacher until now, finally revealed a hint of his terrifying true form.

A heavy pressure washed over her. Song Ciwan felt a chill run down her spine and her scalp tingle with fear.

She struggled to control her emotions and spoke as calmly as she could. "Sir, I am untalented and poorly learned; I’m afraid I cannot compose a worthy eulogy. In that case, why don’t I offer these cast coins as a writing fee and request that you, Sir, help mourn the deceased?"

As she spoke, she extended her hand, holding the copper coins out in front of Mr. Gao.

Mr. Gao was very short, barely half of Song Ciwan’s height.

When Song Ciwan held out the copper coins, they were positioned right under Mr. Gao’s eyes.

Mr. Gao’s expression changed in an instant.

He shoved his teetering eyeballs back into their sockets, threw his head back, and roared with laughter. "Good! Excellent! Not bad, not bad at all! Ah, Xin Mian, you are teachable! You’re a good student. There’s no student better than you."

Song Ciwan said, "Please enlighten me, Sir."

Then, she squatted down and placed the three copper coins in a row on the ground before Mr. Gao.

Once the coins were on the ground and Song Ciwan stood up, Mr. Gao immediately squatted down as well.

He ran his hands along the ground, fumbling about until he had picked up the three copper coins.

With the copper coins in hand, Mr. Gao burst into another fit of laughter.

Amid his laughter, the faint tentacles in his throat completely vanished. He laughed so hard his upper teeth fell out, and Mr. Gao pushed them back in. Then his lower teeth fell out, and he pushed those back in too.

He caressed the three copper coins over and over before carefully tucking them into his robes.

Mr. Gao looked at Song Ciwan with a benevolent gaze and beckoned to her. "Good child, you are a good child. Come, come to my side."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands behind his back and began walking forward again.

In front of them, the villagers had already reached Jiao Zuo.

Some were setting down stools, others were shouldering hoes. A few were already making moves to carry Jiao Zuo away. They were even discussing how to slaughter this "donkey" and what recipe would be most delicious.

Song Ciwan quickly said to Mr. Gao, "Sir, is donkey meat really that delicious?"

Mr. Gao said, "What? You want to eat donkey meat too?"

Of course, Song Ciwan had no desire to eat "donkey" meat. She chose her words carefully, avoiding calling Jiao Zuo a donkey directly. "Sir," she said, "I believe that in the Dao of the Saints and Sages, benevolence comes first. If a life can be saved, it should be saved."

"Sir, I have three more cast coins here. Might I ask you, Sir, to be the benevolent one this time?"

Mr. Gao whipped his head around, his eyeballs once again threatening to pop out of their sockets!

Song Ciwan squatted down once more and placed three more cast coins in a row on the ground.

Mr. Gao seemed not to have expected her to be so direct. After a moment of shock, he burst out laughing again. "Haha! Good! Good child! You’re right, all living things have a spirit, and benevolence comes first! This is how the Scriptures of the Saints and Sages should be read!"

After Song Ciwan stood up, Mr. Gao immediately squatted down again. He swiftly swept the three copper coins off the ground and carefully tucked them into his robes.

After receiving a total of six Ancestral Dragon Coins, Mr. Gao seemed to have grown slightly taller. Clutching the coins to his chest, he held his head high and strode before the villagers with his hands clasped behind his back.

One villager was hauling Jiao Zuo’s leg while another grabbed his waist. Jiao Zuo’s eyes were vacant as blood streamed from his wounds.

Mr. Gao placed a hand on one of the villager’s arms. He tilted his head up slightly and said, "The Saints and Sages say, ’In teaching, there are no distinctions.’ Sha Si, do you know what this means?"