Chapter 41

"Sir, is Master Bian alright?" Jiulang asked anxiously.

Just now, Jiulang had half-supported and half-dragged Master Bian to the side of Lin Bei. Then Lin Bei appeared, and this poor Master Bian fainted after just one glance at Lin Bei and hasn't woken up yet.

Lin Bei's physique was too terrifying, over twelve meters tall and as thick as an adult's waist. This shock was exceptionally intense for a man in his forties from ancient times. Even in modern times, most people would probably faint if they saw it suddenly, and the timid might even suffer a heart attack.

Lin Bei shook his head. They were now in the forest, though only at the edge. He had also checked Master Bian's condition just now. It seemed that he fainted due to sudden shock and the heat. He would wake up after some time.

Lin Bei took this opportunity to observe Master Bian's appearance.

In ancient times, a man in his forties was already considered quite old. Master Bian had a long beard, wrinkles on his forehead, but a fair complexion, indicating that he usually paid attention to his health. Just by his appearance, he seemed to be a rather pedantic person, the kind who is generally not easy to deal with.

The forest was cool and shady. Lin Bei and Jiulang waited for two hours, and Master Bian's hand moved. Jiulang exclaimed in surprise, "Master, you're awake."

Master Bian's eyes moved under his eyelids and then slowly opened. He was a bit confused at first, but gradually became clear.

"Master," Jiulang called out.

"You little brat..." Master Bian started to scold, but then his eyes turned and he saw Lin Bei. His eyes widened, and he involuntarily made a choking sound, his face turning from white to green, and he seemed about to faint again.

"Master, don't be afraid, Master. This is Lord Yaolong, he doesn't eat people," Jiulang quickly said, fearing that Master Bian would faint again.

"Monster... Monster..." Master Bian stammered, but he could finally speak, and he didn't faint, showing some mental resilience.

Lin Bei looked at Jiulang and didn't move, wanting Jiulang to explain the situation first.

"Master, although Lord Yaolong is a monster, his nature is very good. He doesn't eat people, so you don't need to be afraid. Moreover, Lord Yaolong can write and communicate with us..." Jiulang said urgently.

"Foolish!" Master Bian suddenly stopped being afraid: "Monsters are good at deceiving people. I see you have been deceived by it. Monster, in broad daylight, you dare to come out, are you not afraid of being struck by lightning?" He shouted this last sentence at Lin Bei.

Lin Bei was speechless.

"Master, that's not true. Lord Yaolong wouldn't do that," Jiulang was very worried, fearing that Master Bian's words would anger Lord Yaolong and make him eat Master Bian. "Lord... Lord is a good monster, he is here to help us."

Hearing this, Master Bian was even more convinced that Jiulang had been deceived by Lin Bei's magic. Master Bian's face showed righteous indignation as he stood up and pointed at Lin Bei: "Monster, though I don't know how you deceived Jiulang, you won't deceive me. Jiulang, go back to the village quickly, gather people, and beat this monster to death. It will be a service to the world."

Lin Bei was even more speechless. He hadn't done anything, and Master Bian was already thinking about getting rid of him.

Lin Bei realized that bringing Master Bian here might have been a mistake. Scholars, because of their knowledge, understood more and were harder to deceive. Moreover, before the Tang Dynasty, the tradition of scholars was more complete. They were not the weak, bookish scholars of later times, as they had to learn the Six Arts: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics, which were more comprehensive than modern education. Therefore, scholars who mastered these six arts were quite formidable and had their own beliefs, making them hard to persuade. Now that Master Bian had decided that Lin Bei was a monster, it would be difficult to change his mind.

Jiulang was pulling his hair in frustration. He had already decided that Lin Bei was a good monster, but he knew what kind of person Master Bian was. Moreover, he was not a skilled speaker, so he had no idea what to do.

"Go quickly," Master Bian shouted, staring intently at Lin Bei. He was thinking of sacrificing himself for justice, planning to engage the monster while Jiulang went back to gather people to kill it. At this moment, Master Bian felt as if Confucius had possessed him, and he was not afraid at all.

Jiulang looked at Lin Bei.

Lin Bei's snake face couldn't show any expression, so Jiulang couldn't see his helplessness. Lin Bei could only write on the ground: "I don't eat people!!!" with three exclamation marks to emphasize his point.

Master Bian was surprised to see that Lin Bei could write and that he could recognize the characters. He then said fearfully, "You monster, you must have infiltrated human settlements; otherwise, how would you know how to write? Your audacity is so great, are you not afraid that a Taoist master will capture you?"

Lin Bei was initially depressed but then felt a glimmer of hope. Master Bian actually recognized the characters he wrote? And all of them? If so, they could communicate.

So Lin Bei quickly wrote: "Even among monsters, there are good and bad. I have never eaten a person or harmed anyone. Why do you assume I am a bad monster and want to kill me? Heaven has the virtue of preserving life. Besides, have you not heard the phrase 'born with knowledge'? My knowledge comes from nature."

"Born with knowledge? You monster, what a big talk. Do you really think you are Confucius?"

During the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was the only respected school of thought, so only Confucius could be called a sage. Master Bian naturally disdained a monster claiming to be born with knowledge.

Lin Bei continued to write: "I dare not compare myself to Confucius, but regardless, I am born with knowledge. Moreover, Cui Ailan and others have interacted with me several times. You can ask them if I have done anything to them. On the contrary, I have helped them by providing game from the mountains, doing them a favor rather than a harm. Humans value repaying kindness, so I cannot agree with you calling me a bad monster. If I were truly a bad monster, wouldn't it be better to eat you all? Why would I waste my breath?"

To his surprise, Lin Bei's words made Master Bian's eyes widen: "So it was you causing trouble. Now the people of Xishan Village are restless, and there are troublemakers in the countryside, all because of the disasters you have brought. Your intentions are despicable."

Lin Bei felt like spitting out a mouthful of old blood. What a baseless accusation. Lin Bei now really wished he were a real monster and could swallow this old man to bring peace to the world. But there were other scholars, and he dared not eat people.

Seeing that Lin Bei stopped writing, Master Bian thought he had won. "Monster, what else do you have to say?"

Lin Bei couldn't hold back and wrote heavily on the ground: "A summer insect cannot understand ice."

PS: Thanks to Chenxi Weilu for the two donations. Thank you.

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