095Three Lives Stone????For some reason, the former Huo Mountain God did not instill in Lin Xu any common sense related to the underworld, and as an ordinary person, Lin Xu would not have had the opportunity to come into contact with the Three Lives Stone.

  Even if people living in the 21st century have the Internet, a top-notch tool for obtaining cheap information, ordinary people's knowledge and experience are far superior to those of any previous era. Otherwise, how could it be called an "information explosion"? However, no matter what, people won't commit suicide just to gain knowledge, nor will they go to Naihe Bridge to admire the scenery on the road to the underworld! Moreover, the underworld is a place with strict rules, and only one-way tickets are sold. It's easy to get there, and you can choose from poison, rope, or a knife - but once you're gone, it's harder to come back than to reach heaven.

  Lin Xu really couldn't understand how he could identify the San Sheng Shi, a rare object in this world. Could it be that he had wisdom from his past life?

  After the cultivator's Dao line reaches a certain realm, the memories of past events that have long been forgotten under the deliciousness of Meng Po's soup will automatically emerge in the sea of consciousness, including those memories of reincarnation.

  If it were to make sense, Lin Xu should have succeeded the position of Huo Mountain God and recently advanced to the level of Mountain Lord. The memories related to his past life should have appeared by now. However, Lin Xu didn't feel anything out of the ordinary in this aspect, let alone clear memories, not even a single fuzzy memory fragment has surfaced. Now that I think about it, could there be some hidden reason?

  Withstanding the great psychological shock, Lin Xu calmed down a bit and gathered his scattered thoughts. He turned to Huang Shiran with a smile and said:

  "What is the use of this three-life stone?"

  At this time, Huang Shiren laughed even louder. The old man had a small hobby and vanity in educating his juniors, but he rarely achieved this goal on Lin Xu, the freak.

  It's not easy to catch such a good opportunity, so Huang Shiren naturally wants to show off and says:

  "Ah, you're finally asking the right person! I'm not one to boast, but in this world, there are only a handful of people who can answer your question."

  At the sound, Lin Xu quickly filtered out useless garbage information in his mind and asked straightforwardly: ?

  "Oh, so San Sheng Shi is quite useful after all?"

  He nodded slightly, wearing a deep yellow silk robe, his body plump and stout like the wealthy Huang Shiren. At this time, he had his hands behind his back and paced back and forth, saying:

  "That's for sure! In my younger years, I also heard from acquaintances in the underworld that this Three Lives Stone is a thing that suppresses the flow of air. It's said to be a hundred times more effective than those so-called spiritual objects used in the mortal world. In the underworld, aside from the one at Naihe Bridge that's about as tall as a person and left out in plain sight for everyone to see, all the others are buried in important locations specifically to suppress the flow of air. You say this Three Lives Stone has a big or small use?"

  The old saying goes that people have three declines and six prosperities, which actually refers to the changes caused by the rise and fall of gas transport. In fact, gas transport is equally important for individuals, countries, and even a part of the world.

  It is said that when the time comes, even iron can become a shining star, and when luck runs out, gold loses its luster. All things related to the rise and fall of fortune are not to be taken lightly, and are crucial to life and death, so they cannot be treated carelessly. Unless someone has already decided to die in a more abstract way, the waxing and waning of fortune is a serious topic that needs to be explored with a proper attitude.

  Lin Xu learned about the effects of Sansheng Stone from Old Master Huang's mouth, and immediately began to worry. This thing is good stuff, no doubt, but the key is how to use Sansheng Stone without wasting it, which really made Lin Xu anxious.

  Prior to this, the Three-Life Stones that had been accumulated were copied by Lin Xu using his divine sense and recorded onto circular jade pendants with a structure similar to optical discs. When needed, he could retrieve the information through his divine sense. There were only around ten of these stones in stock, and before he was fully confident in utilizing them well, he couldn't bear to use these precious items for experimentation. What to do next had become a new dilemma staring him right in the face.

  Although Huang Shiren wouldn't admit defeat, he actually knew very little about the Three Lives Stone. The information he did know was merely rumors and hearsay. As for the credibility of these messages, it's hard to say, but they're probably as reliable as a street vendor's news.

  Lin Xu hesitated for a long time, and suddenly remembered the famous saying "to know the rise and fall of history", he also felt that this matter was not trivial, so it's better to consult professional personnel.

  Lin Xu secretly calculated the relationships between various people, and finally locked his target on Xian Zheng Dang, who had followed the Yin Yang family to Huo Mountain to make soy sauce, and was hiding in the folk teaching.

  Everyone in the know is aware that the Shi family excels at investigating news and hidden secrets. If one were to say who might know the correct usage of the Three Lives Stone within this realm, the Shi family would be a prime suspect.

  Having made up his mind, Lin Xu immediately took action. He first ran to the gate of Wangwu Mountain's Yin-yang House to inquire about Zheng Duan's exact address, and then brought gifts to visit him.

  He well inherited the good tradition of being content with a humble life and having a carefree spirit, Zheng Duan lived in a small town in the Taihang Mountains, where his family's daily livelihood depended on teaching children to read and write in a private school.

  Although Zheng Duan occasionally helped people see a doctor, wrote prescriptions and letters to supplement their family income, or else copied books for rural landlords during the winter farming season to earn some extra money, these incomes were not rich after all, and they lived a very tight life. About the difficulty of living, it can also be seen from Zheng Duan's house, where the roof is covered with a layer of grass growing out of the thatch, and the earth wall and uneven stone wall of the courtyard also indirectly reveal the poor economic situation of this family.

  Lin Xue, who came from afar, witnessed this scene with his own eyes and indeed felt a few points of reverence for Shi Jia. Giving up the comfort and ease of life, insisting on using a simple and poor life to continuously temper one's will, Shi Jia is truly not unworthy of being called a proud and unyielding person!

  It's easy for Zheng Duan to get rich, and even if he doesn't become a great instrument, the divine magic won't be exposed in front of people. Let's not talk about this for now. With his talent and vast knowledge, it would be easy for him to become an official or guest at the local government, and the living conditions of Zheng Duan's family would also improve greatly.

  Although the living environment is so difficult, Zheng Duan can still be content with poverty and happiness. Lin Xu asked himself if he didn't have this realm, and for those who are stronger than him, he naturally had to treat them with courtesy.

  Hearing that there were guests visiting at home, Zheng Duo hurried back from the private school and helped Lin Xu up from his bow at the door, laughing loudly:

  "Brother Lin must be very polite. I don't know why you came today and couldn't welcome you from afar, forgive me! On the other hand, your arrival has brought glory to my humble abode."

  Upon hearing this, Lin Xu stood up straight and laughed, saying:

  "How could I dare? Mr. Zheng is too polite. My knowledge and learning are shallow. I have come to ask for your guidance on some academic matters."

  Upon hearing this, Zheng Duan shook his sleeves and said slowly and calmly:

  "Oh, discussing teaching and learning, why doesn't Lin brother go to Qufu? Since ancient times, many Confucian scholars have been very knowledgeable, if we talk about their profound knowledge, they are indeed superior to us common people!"

  At this time, Lin Xu awkwardly smiled and waved his hand, saying:

  "Haha, I'd better not speak of the strange and mysterious. As for the subject I'm about to ask about, the Confucian scholars will probably shake their heads in disapproval upon hearing it. If they become angry and humiliated, they might even scold me for being impolite. It's better if I don't invite trouble!"

  In the ancient times when people's knowledge was still limited, the professionalization of various occupations in the mortal world was not high, and those who were capable were often jacks-of-all-trades.

  Similar to record-keeping and medical work, most of the clerical tasks were handled by the tribe's high-ranking shamans. In that barbaric era, shamans were busy with everything, from minor ailments like children's fever and headache to major events like droughts and wars, as well as private matters like marital discord. Although historians eventually broke away from the shamanic ranks and formed their own tradition, at heart they still believed in those divine things.

  Historians' disciples often write some seemingly absurd content into historical books, which are precisely the heterodox techniques that Confucian disciples disdain to study.

  Confucius, who almost entirely inherited the mantle of the Duke of Zhou, held a clear and distinct personal view on mysterious things outside of human ethics. In other words, when one is alive, they must focus on handling matters between people with a single mind, as for what happens after death, it's not something a living person should concern themselves with. To put it simply, if we don't understand life, how can we know about death?

  In this piece of land, Confucians never had the honor of "abolishing all schools and respecting only Confucianism". Their power was not small, but it did not reach the point where Lin Xu had to be cautious.

  Although so, when Zheng Duan heard Lin Xu's sarcastic tone, he quickly waved his hand to stop him and said:

  "Lin brother is really good at joking... uh, may I ask what kind of strange and supernatural things you want to ask about?"

  "Bad luck! How can I suppress bad luck?"

  Upon hearing this, Zheng Duan immediately retracted his smile and looked around cautiously. When he saw no one was nearby, he spoke seriously:

  "Oh, this isn't a trivial matter that can be explained in just a few words. If the respected god is not in a hurry, we can discuss it through the night."

  Lin Xu smiled slightly and nodded, saying:

  "I have come all the way to ask for your guidance, so I am in no hurry. Please be sure to enlighten me."

  Zheng Duo led Lin Xu into the inner room of the house, carefully closing the doors and setting up multiple layers of restrictions to prevent their conversation from being overheard or intruders from entering. Only then did Zheng Duo solemnly say:

  "What is meant by the term 'fate' in my view as a historian, is the predetermined number of all things from beginning to end. Just like human lifespan, which varies in length, some people live long like Peng Zu, who lived for over 800 years without withering away, while others die young like infants who pass away as soon as they are born. Both are humans, so why do their lifespans differ by heaven and earth? Is it because the heavens also have a biased heart? No, it is because of fate..."

  The Way of Heaven remains constant; it is not preserved for the sake of Yao, nor is it lost because of Jie. This famous saying comes from the mouth of Xunzi, a Confucian sage.

  Xunzi, this old man is not very well-known among the people, but when it comes to his two proud disciples, they are world-renowned figures. The one who assisted Qin Shi Huang in unifying China and served as the first prime minister of the Qin Empire, Li Si, and Han Fei, the culmination of Legalist theory, these two can be called outstanding figures in the history of Legalism, and they both came from Xunzi's school. As a Confucian master who taught a pair of students who excelled in Legalist studies, isn't this quite ironic?

  After Zheng Duo's explanation, Lin Xu said with a seemingly understanding but actually confused expression: ?

  "...... Does Mr. Zheng mean that suppressing the rise of Qi Yun is related to fame?"

  "It is precisely this principle that when the name is not correct, then the words are not smooth. Confucius indeed spoke very straightforwardly. For those who want to suppress their own vital energy, ordinary people bury objects in their ancestral graves or homes, while gods require obedience to heaven and response to humans, only then can they hope to succeed."

  Lin Xu scratched his head and said with a very embarrassed expression:

  "This... I'm a bit ignorant about this subject, can you put it in simpler terms?"

  Zheng Duan was a private school teacher who educated people. He never got impatient with teaching, and nodded at the moment, saying:

  "Doesn't the noble god still remember the story of Lü Wang from years ago?"

  Lin Xu first recalled who Lü Wang was, and then his eyes widened in an incredulous tone:

  "Master Jiang! Are you referring to the Investiture of the Gods?"