NOVEL WEB Chapter 94 Weird Disease
The Scholar looked on for a long while before suddenly striding with an extremely sprightly walk toward the City God Temple in the city center. As his green robe swayed, it seemed a murmur was carried on the breeze: to live is not always to delight, nor is to die necessarily to suffer.
The Scholar was none other than Lu Yu. In his sight, Hu Shengliang's soul and spirit, under the guidance of Fengjing's City God, were preparing to pass through the Divine Realm of the City God on their way to the Underworld.
At this moment, one could see the benefits of the City God. He only managed the matters of the living and the dead within his city, greatly increasing the efficiency of spirit reaping and reducing the number of lost souls and wandering ghosts due to errors in the Underworld. This was indeed a good deed for the heavens and earth as they stood.
Just then, a noisy clamor arose.
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"Wang the Drunkard, are you here to ask the City God to help you quit drinking again?" a mocking voice called out from the crowd.
"Exactly, I've never heard of anyone asking an immortal for help with quitting alcohol." someone in the crowd jeered.
Immediately, the front of the City God Temple was filled with laughter and mirth. Amidst this laughter, a person in a long, green robe stumbled out from the throng.
The man was actually quite comely, but a nose red from excessive drinking marred his appearance, as if a fly had landed on a masterpiece painting. The scent of alcohol was so strong that even Lu Yu, standing far away, could smell it.
The man rushed into the City God Temple, knelt before the highly revered Divine Statue, and wept bitterly, ceaselessly kowtowing and praying for the City God to grant him the grace to overcome his addiction to alcohol.
"I tell you, Wang the Drunkard, you should just go home. The City God doesn't concern himself with people's drinking problems," someone couldn't help but advise.
However, the person seemed as though he did not hear and continued to plead desperately.
In a place invisible to mortals, the City God who had guided Hu Shengliang to the Underworld had already returned to the main hall, looking helplessly at the person kneeling before him, begging pitifully.
It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but that he couldn't; thus, he could only watch the man's pleas with a wry smile.
Just at that moment, his eyes caught sight of Lu Yu's figure, and he hurriedly ran out of the hall to pay his respects, saying, "Mr. Lu, it has been a long time since we last met."
It turned out that this City God of Fengjing was none other than the former Grand Preceptor Wang Guan. Under his careful administration, Fengjing City had a well-ordered balance between the living and the dead. Known for his deep empathy for the common people, he became regarded as a responsive deity by the residents of Fengjing within just a short decade.
"How have you been lately, Old Grand Preceptor?" Lu Yu asked, showing deep respect for the former Grand Preceptor.
"I can't really say I've been well lately," Wang Guan replied with a frown, upon which he began to share his troubles.
"This person's name is Wang Zhao, a well-known drunkard in the city who is as devoted to alcohol as to life itself. The moment he catches the scent of liquor, he must drink his fill; otherwise, he feels as if his soul and spirit are being tortured."
"Fortunately, he comes from a well-off family, and he seems to be lucky with money, always managing to find a windfall. So, although he spends his days in a drunken haze, his family does not lack for food and clothes."
"A few days ago, he was still reeling from a drinking binge when his mother fell gravely ill and wished to see him. His family searched high and low, only to find him passed out beside a vat in a tavern, too drunk to be roused."
"Regrettably, she never got to see her son one last time before she died. Her final concern was whether her child might be in danger from his drinking."
"Although Wang Zhao was addicted to alcohol to an excessive degree, he was actually a filial son. After sobering up, he would regret his actions and decide to quit drinking. Little did he know that he was completely unable to give it up. At first, it was okay – he could abstain for a few days, but he would feel terrible.
As time went on, just the smell of alcohol would make him lose his reason, and he would drink in pain, only to wake up full of regret again."
"Eventually, he just couldn't quit, so he came to my City God Temple to beg for help. But I had never encountered such a situation before and had no idea how to deal with it, so all I could do was to feign ignorance."
While thoroughly explaining the circumstances to Lu Yu, he carefully observed Lu Yu's expression, his eyes filled with hope.
"It seems that the Old Grand Preceptor has set his hopes on me," Lu Yu said with a smile, guessing what Wang Guan had in mind.
"Please forgive me, Mr. Lu. This young man is truly filial, and I cannot bear to watch him waste his life. If he can successfully break free from his addiction, perhaps he might be able to achieve something great," Wang Guan said to Lu Yu with apologies.
"It's not that difficult, but he still needs to make the decision himself," said Lu Yu, which made Wang Guan extremely happy, and he hurriedly bowed to thank Lu Yu.
Wang Zhao, who had been desperately begging without receiving any response, suddenly felt disheartened and, amid the laughter of the crowd, dashed away.
Wang Zhao ran wildly until he was completely exhausted and collapsed on the ground. At that moment, his craving for alcohol flared up again; his body felt as if it were on fire. He fought desperately to suppress the thirst of his body, but it was to no avail. Frustrated and enraged, he couldn't help but pound the ground fiercely.
A sharp pain shot through his hand, calming his agitated heart a little, and that was when he noticed that what he had struck was a sizeable piece of Gold, lost by someone unknown.
However, Wang Zhao did not feel the joy of finding gold – here it came again. Ever since he developed this terrible addiction to alcohol, a strange fortune had followed him. He would frequently find money on the streets, and whatever he planted at home would increase in value.
He picked up the Gold and threw it away with force. He once had dreams and aspirations, a young man with ambition, but the addiction had eroded his will, leading him to live in a daze for many years. If it weren't for his mother's death bringing him to a sudden realization, he probably would have continued to live his life in a drunken stupor.
To some, this kind of life might seem desirable, but only Wang Zhao knew the desperation it held for someone who still had pursuits in their heart.
The Gold rolled on the ground and gradually came to a stop at the feet of a Scholar in a green robe.
The Scholar bent down, picked up the Gold, weighed it in his hand, and with a smile, said, "The whole world risks their lives for money, yet you cast it aside as if it were worthless shoes."
A breeze passed by, and Wang Zhao's mind suddenly cleared, no longer feeling the previous irritation and madness.
"Indeed, while many people spend their entire lives chasing money and can neither escape nor let go of it, I'm not someone who sees money as trash. It's just that this wealth comes in such a strange way that it leaves me feeling uneasy."
"Blessings may be where misfortunes lie, and misfortunes may be where blessings hide. It's rare to find someone with your kind of awareness."
The Scholar in front of him spoke eloquently, yet it felt like a clear spring flowing through his heart, refreshing and invigorating. Looking at the distinguished Scholar before him, Wang Zhao knew he had encountered a sage.
"Wang Zhao has been plagued by strange ailments and has wasted many years. Now that I've had a sudden change of heart, I beg for your mercy, Mr. Lu, to save me," he pleaded as he knelt on the ground, knocking his forehead until it turned red.
"You're not sick; rather, there are worms in your stomach," said Lu Yu gently, but it was like thunder echoing in Wang Zhao's ears.