Chapter 27

Lu Zheng understood the meaning of the ascetic monk. The question of where people come from does not refer to where a specific person comes from, but rather where all people come from. For example, a baby is born to parents, but who gave birth to the parents? Who gave birth to the first parents of all people? He put away the jade pendant, his thoughts returning to the previous question, and answered, "Great Monk, I understand. People and all things are created by the heavens, so naturally, monsters are also created by the heavens!"

The ascetic monk nodded and said, "That's exactly right. In ancient times, before there were people in the world, the first to be born were countless monsters of various kinds. These monsters took shape and came into being with the creation of heaven and earth, and they are the spiritual birds and beasts of the world. They took form during the initial opening of the world, when the primordial chaos had not yet dissipated, so they were born with extremely powerful and special abilities, making them very unique creatures.

Some of these creatures have gradually disappeared over time, while others have survived and reproduced in various ways, forming the oldest sources of monsters in the world. By three thousand years ago, the monsters imbued with the primordial chaos had been reduced to eight major races: the four holy races of the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, and the four evil races of the Taotie, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Hundun, known as the Eight Ancient Races. Of course, there may be other races that still exist, but these are secrets of the monster race, unknown to outsiders."

Hearing this, Lu Zheng said, "I've heard the names Azure Dragon and White Tiger from storytellers before. So they really do exist! But what do you mean by the four holy races and the four evil races?"

The ascetic monk explained, "The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise are imbued with the positive energy of heaven and earth, and they are peaceful and do not kill indiscriminately, so they are called the four holy races. The Taotie, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Hundun, on the other hand, are imbued with the negative energy of heaven and earth, and they are cruel and often kill innocents, so they are called the four evil races. These names are very ancient, having been passed down among people even before the fence was established. After the fence was planted, people and monsters were separated, and the descendants of humans never saw these monsters, but the stories were still passed down from generation to generation."

Hearing this, Lu Zheng suddenly understood and said, "I get it. Monsters are born from other monsters, and people are born from other people. Because monsters eat people, a fence was needed to separate them. On this side of the fence live people, and on the other side live monsters. This is the separation between people and monsters, right?"

The ascetic monk nodded and said, "Yes, but while people are born from other people, monsters are not always born from other monsters. The monsters in the world, besides those that are born from the spiritual birds and beasts of heaven and earth and their descendants, have another source!

Ordinary birds and beasts in the world, if they are fortunate enough to understand the way of heaven, open their spiritual intelligence, and enter the path of cultivation, transcending their original form and gaining various supernatural abilities, will become monsters. These monsters have very complex origins, and almost any bird or beast can become one. For example, the snake monster you saw is one of these. Additionally, there are wolf monsters, tiger monsters, and many others. In short, any creature with blood and spirit can become a monster!"

The ascetic monk explained the two sources of monsters to Lu Zheng, but when he explained to Tang Xiaojiu, he only mentioned the latter. This was not because he was deliberately hiding anything, but because he himself was a divine thought, and his knowledge was not complete.

Lu Zheng was amazed and said, "They can all become monsters! Thank goodness for the fence, or people would have been eaten up by monsters!" Thinking about this, he remembered something important and asked, "Right, Great Monk, if that's the case, there are also many birds and beasts in the human world. Can they become monsters too?"

The ascetic monk replied, "Of course, but the spiritual energy in the human world is not as strong as in the cultivation world, so it is extremely difficult for ordinary birds and beasts to gain the opportunity to cultivate and become monsters. Moreover, those monsters that cultivate in the human world are often influenced by the people around them, blending in with them and not necessarily causing harm. Besides, there are often cultivators in the human world who, if they encounter these monsters, will educate and guide them or take them back to the cultivation world. Even so, there are still many stories of monsters in the human world."

Lu Zheng was worried and said, "I understand. So the cultivation world is full of monsters? Isn't it dangerous for you to live there, Great Monk?"

The ascetic monk saw the worry on Lu Zheng's face and laughed, "The cultivation world is not a cage for monsters. It is called the cultivation world because all the creatures there are cultivating!"

Lu Zheng asked, "Cultivation? Is it like learning the supernatural abilities to fight monsters that you have?"

The ascetic monk shook his head and said, "Cultivation can grant various supernatural abilities, and the people, monsters, and spirits in the cultivation world do indeed have such abilities, but this is not the purpose of cultivation. The purpose of cultivation is to achieve transcendence. The Buddha said that all beings are lost in the cycle of life and death, and all beings need to cultivate to seek liberation! Besides various monsters, there are also cultivators, plant spirits, and other creatures, some of which are between life and non-life."

Lu Zheng, not understanding these concepts, asked, "Great Monk, the plant spirits you mentioned are like the flowers and plants becoming spirits, which I've heard in stories. But what do you mean by 'between life and non-life'? Are there really such things that are neither alive nor dead?"

The ascetic monk smiled and said, "Of course there are. I'm sure you know what I mean, like the ghosts that people often talk about in the human world."

Lu Zheng felt a chill down his spine, startled, and swallowed a large mouthful of saliva, saying, "There are monsters and ghosts in the cultivation world? What kind of place is it, full of such terrifying things?"

The ascetic monk explained, "It is a place where all beings can hear the teachings, a place where all beings can aspire to, and a place where all beings can achieve in this life. That is the cultivation world! What the cultivation world is like and what cultivation is, you will understand when you get there. In my view, it is not much different from the human world, which also has bad people. It is the heart that has good and evil, not the mountains and rivers that have beauty and ugliness!"

Lu Zheng was struck by this statement and thought about it for a moment, then asked, "Great Monk, aren't all monsters man-eaters? Are there good and bad monsters?"

The ascetic monk did not answer this question directly but said, "This is not something I can decide. If you have the opportunity to embark on the path of cultivation, you will gradually think about this question. I already told you that some questions cannot be answered by others; you must experience and judge them yourself."

Lu Zheng nodded and softly said, "Oh, I want to embark on the path of cultivation, I just need you to nod!" Thinking about this, he suddenly remembered a question and exclaimed, "Ah!"

The ascetic monk was surprised and asked, "Little donor, what's wrong?"

Lu Zheng said, "Great Monk, I remember you told me that the snake monster came from the other side of the fence. If there is a fence, how did it get to the human world? Is the fence not working?"

The ascetic monk, thinking he had a problem, was surprised to hear this question and laughed, "The fence is certainly effective, but its purpose is not to completely separate the human world from the cultivation world. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to enter the human world. In fact, as long as a monster can transform into a human form, it can cross the fence without being blocked."

"Ah, if that's the case, aren't there many monsters in the human world?" Lu Zheng was surprised and couldn't understand. If the fence is meant to prevent monsters from eating people, how can it be that monsters can cross it just by transforming into human form? What's the point of the fence?

The ascetic monk said, "You're right, not only monsters, but many cultivators also cross the fence to come to the human world!"

Lu Zheng was puzzled and asked, "Why? Do the cultivators come to the human world to catch the monsters that cross the fence?..."

The ascetic monk, interrupted by Lu Zheng's questions every few sentences, finally couldn't help but interrupt him, "Little donor, please calm down. The questions you're asking are all related to the origin of the fence."

Lu Zheng asked, "The origin of the fence? Yes, you said the fence is used to separate people and monsters and protect the human world. So where did the fence come from?"

The ascetic monk's face showed admiration, and his voice was filled with longing as he said, "The fence was planted by an extraordinary person three thousand years ago."

What! Lu Zheng was surprised. In his imagination, a fence that divides two worlds and separates people from monsters should have been created by a god or a bodhisattva, not a person. So, three thousand years ago, there was a person who planted a fence, dividing the world into two: the cultivation world and the human world, protecting humans from being eaten by monsters. No wonder the ascetic monk called him an extraordinary person; he truly was extraordinary.

So Lu Zheng eagerly asked, "Who is this person who planted the fence?"

The ascetic monk looked at Lu Zheng and smiled, "Hehe, I was going to tell you the story of this person directly, but you kept asking about where monsters come from and what the cultivation world is, interrupting me so many times that I don't know where to start. You should listen to me from the beginning, and you will naturally know who this person is!"

Lu Zheng blushed and said, "I'm sorry, Great Monk. I can't help but ask questions when I listen to stories. I've been kicked out of storytelling sessions many times for being too disruptive. Jiu Ge has also scolded me many times. Okay, I won't interrupt anymore. Start telling the story!"

The ascetic monk couldn't help but chuckle at the usually quiet boy's enthusiasm and, seeing that Lu Zheng was no longer interrupting, said, "The story I will tell you happened three thousand years ago..."

Under the glow of the campfire, Lu Zheng listened to the ascetic monk tell a story he had never heard in the human world.

The ascetic monk began, "Three thousand years ago, there was no fence in the world. People and monsters lived together under the sun, so there was no distinction between the cultivation world and the human world. But one day, for unknown reasons, a war broke out. This war was not a struggle for dominance among the nations of the human world, nor was it a revolution from the bottom up, but a great and unprecedented war between people and monsters!"