[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-book-of-strange-tales":3,"chapter-the-book-of-strange-tales-the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-96":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Book of Strange Tales",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317376,4532,"Chapter 96: Paper Donkey","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-96",96,"\u003Cp>Is heaven even this chaotic now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Senior Brother asked, keeping his eyes on the rabbit meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you really unaware, or just pretending?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of thing is that for an uncle to say!” Third Senior Brother replied. “How long have we been on the mountain cultivating? We’re always secluded here, polishing our Dao—why would we care about the scheming of the Talisman Sect?” “Of course we’re truly unaware.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let this Daoist uncle tell you—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Above the Nine Heavens, according to our Lingfa Sect, there are only these Four Heavenly Sovereigns! These Four have stood behind the Heavenly Weng  for a long time. There are also a few ancient gods—true immortals from antiquity—who, after ascending to heaven, rarely interfere in divine disputes. As for other Heavenly Sovereigns and ancient gods, they are merely titles installed by the Talisman Sect—honorifics. As for their contributions to the world, we needn’t speak of those; even in terms of spiritual cultivation and magical power, they certainly don’t reach the level of ancient true immortals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Uncle explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beneath the Heavenly Sovereigns are many Imperial Lords. Again, the Talisman Sect values merit and contributions to determine divine rank and authority. But according to our Lingfa Sect, only five have truly reached the Great Ability Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One is the Heavenly Weng , highest in status, governing the Three Realms and Five Elements, towering above the Nine Heavens, sun and moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The remaining four correspond exactly to the Four Sacred Mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qiyun Mountain worships the Jade Mirror Imperial Lord, Mingchao Mountain worships the Purple Void Imperial Lord, Zhangtong Mountain worships the Miao Ming Imperial Lord, and Yue Mountain worships the Qing Hua Imperial Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do they want to advance further?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Senior Brother, listening, couldn’t help inhaling sharply. Even his temperament couldn’t suppress his lowered voice as he widened his eyes and asked: “Advance further—does that mean… the Heavenly Weng … or…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who knows?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you know either, Uncle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You, a Daoist who probably won’t even achieve ‘True Person’ in this lifetime! Why worry about Imperial Lords and Heavenly Sovereigns?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you talking about yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You little brat…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Uncle shook his head and waved his hand:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it done?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s ready to eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue took down the two roasted rabbits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rabbit meat was charred and fragrant, its skin reddened, thin as paper, covered with neat knife cuts, all coated in spices, exuding an irresistible aroma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue tore off one hind leg, first handing it to Second Uncle, then tore off the other and offered it to the fox.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You eat first—you did the most work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox carefully took it, unafraid of the heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Senior Brother had already reached out without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grabbed the leg and pulled; the meat fibers were clearly visible, the charred, fragrant scent rushing straight to his nose. He didn’t care about the heat—he bit down immediately. Unconsciously, his mouth filled with saliva, perfectly cooling the meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chii…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crisp sound could be heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crust was indeed crispy; inside, though thoroughly dried, the meat wasn’t dry or tough—instead, the spices made it richer with every chew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, didn’t you used to eat roasted rabbit just like my junior brother’s?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, what did you used to eat on the mountain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The same as always! One rabbit boiled per person per month!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tsk tsk! How wonderful!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Senior Brother happily gnawed on the rabbit leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two began chatting about matters that would shock many Daoists on the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This imperial court now favors traitors and harms loyal ministers. Holding such a vast realm, yet there’s no one capable to govern. They can’t defeat external enemies, nor quell internal unrest. They spend their days in pleasure—rotten from within to without, from root to crown. How can they possibly hold or restore it?” Second Uncle said. “Now, outside the capital, only the Jiangnan region and its surroundings remain relatively peaceful. Even so, on my way here, I encountered a band of mountain robbers ambushing travelers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jiangnan region and its surroundings—where Qiyun Mountain and Yishan lie—have always been prosperous in trade and flourishing in culture, the empire’s financial treasury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even Daoists aren’t spared by these bandits?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who says otherwise? Even Daoists aren’t spared!” Second Uncle tugged at his pitch-black Daoist robe. “This Daoist is still wearing his robe!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What happened after?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I originally intended to send them all back to heaven and earth, but my heart softened—I only killed half.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Sister kept glancing at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few bones gradually littered the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But rabbit bones are small to begin with; after slow roasting so long, apart from the leg and spine bones, everything else had turned brittle. Whether Daoist or fox, they nearly chewed and swallowed every bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In short, now, among the Four Sacred Mountains, some are willing to protect this court, others aren’t. Plainly put—what’s said about Daoists being carefree and indifferent to fame? Hah! ‘Carefree’ describes the Lingfa Sect; ‘indifferent to fame’ describes those who meditate and brew pills in the mountains. But the most numerous Daoists in this world are from the Talisman Sect—temples are filled with high officials and nobles, and even the deities they worship compete fiercely for incense and sacred grounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Second Uncle, though old in appearance, had a spirit and vigor vastly different from our own Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had they once interacted on the mountain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue couldn’t help wondering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rabbit meat was now finished, leaving only scraps. Second Uncle, too embarrassed to compete for them, waved his sleeve, reached into his robe, and said to Lin Jue and Little Sister:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though we’ve never met before, and I don’t know if we’ll ever meet again, I’ve eaten your fine meat, and you called me ‘Uncle’—I can’t leave without some token.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to teach you a useful spell, but the Grand Altar is nearly over, and there’s no time to teach it properly. So I’ll give you something instead—it’ll be useful when you descend the mountain and walk the world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both looked up at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Uncle pulled his hand from his robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his palm were two paper cutouts shaped like donkeys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I acquired these in the north. I originally planned to trade them at the Grand Altar for something useful, but everything there was trash—probably the good items were all taken last year! So I’ll give them to you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Paper Donkey Technique?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Senior Brother stared at his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good lad, sharp eyes!” Second Uncle grinned. “Don’t worry—it’s legitimate!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Sister looked at Lin Jue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue hesitated not at all, felt no inner burden—he reached out and took it: “Thank you, Uncle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Uncle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Sister quickly followed suit and took hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Paper Donkeys are convenient. I put real effort into these. Though still vulnerable to fire, they’re not afraid of water—light rain won’t ruin them. Just avoid heavy downpours or prolonged immersion in rivers. Dry them quickly if wet. Inject your Qi and say ‘Donkey, appear!’ and they’ll manifest. Treat them well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Uncle gave a long, detailed set of instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about mine, Second Uncle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second Uncle glanced at him, wiped his mouth, looked at the darkening sky, stood up, and walked away, leaving only one word:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m off!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue and Little Sister rose at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, take care.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that Daoist figure seemed to glide on wind, vanishing swiftly into the night shadows and twilight mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Third Senior Brother snap back to himself, gazing at them with envy: “With this, traveling the world will be so much easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue examined the paper closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt vaguely like paper, but paper these days wasn’t thin—this was thicker, sturdier, like a palm-sized card shaped like a donkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Donkey, appear!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue spoke, then tossed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Peng…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A puff of white smoke suddenly appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ground stood a light gray donkey, medium-sized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Donkey, appear!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another utterance, another burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two light gray donkeys now stood on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The donkey beside them stared, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox also lifted its head, fixed its gaze, eyes flickering—looking at one, then the other, shaking its head back and forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This Paper Donkey and Paper Horse technique resembles our Bean-Soldier method in some ways, but differs in others—it’s even rarer than Bean-Soldier,” Third Senior Brother said, lying down on the spot, feeling both the coolness of autumn wind and the warmth of the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, our temple also has this technique. But do you know why we don’t have Paper Donkeys?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Senior Brother smiled and explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like our Bean-Soldier method, Paper Donkeys and Horses are made of paper, but to make them walk, carry loads, and obey commands like real donkeys and horses, you need a fragment of a soul—only a fragment. Each Paper Donkey created means one less real donkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fragments of souls are born from living beings’ stubborn attachments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Animals are foolish; they rarely form attachments, so their soul fragments are rare—hard to find. Even if you find one, it won’t resonate with human nature or temperament, making it hard to attract willingly. Thus, the Paper Donkey and Horse technique exerts forceful control over soul fragments; animal fragments are easier to bind—this differs from the Bean-Soldier method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But still, they’re rare—hard to come by…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps only after many years, when Brother Donkey’s soul returns to the Western Heaven but refuses to depart, will our monastery ever have a paper donkey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Lin Jue and the others showed expressions of sudden understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of it this way, it truly is precious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, I can leave this paper donkey to the monastery,” the junior sister said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave it to the monastery for what? Master Second gave it to you—take it! Are you not rendering Brother Donkey useless?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister clutched the paper donkey, her eyes flickering; in her entire life before leaving the village to climb the mountain, she had rarely met someone who treated her so kindly after such a short acquaintance, and thus felt it unreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She unconsciously glanced at the senior brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she merely basking in his glory?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the senior brother asked: “Do all three senior brothers give such valuable gifts when meeting new disciples for the first time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It depends on how wealthy the senior brothers are and what they have on hand. Most of them are carefree and don’t care much for such formalities—they give whatever they have, depending on your luck.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then may I ask, Third Senior Brother… where do the other six senior brothers reside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third senior brother, who had been admiring the moon, turned to look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister also stared at him solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, nine days passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grand ritual was thus concluded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the day after the ritual ended did Lin Jue and the junior sister enter the Misty Cloud Monastery to tour it—Qingxuan Daoist Priest came to find them and led them there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, they walked within the Misty Cloud Monastery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone’s talking—yesterday, Master Lingqing nearly stormed out in anger. Is it true?” Lin Jue, having grown somewhat familiar with Qingxuan Daoist Priest and knowing his upright nature, asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Friend, the Buddhists have scriptural debates; Daoists have traditions of doctrinal discourse. Some disagreements are normal—why believe gossip?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When will you depart?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ritual has ended. My senior brother says we’ll set off down the mountain first thing tomorrow morning,” Lin Jue said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was the ritual lively?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I gained much insight and many insights.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s good,” Qingxuan Daoist Priest said. “Otherwise, you’d have made this journey for nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We still have to wait a few more days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then we’ll take our leave first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Travel safely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Naturally.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lin Jue walked and chatted, he suddenly passed a grand hall; out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a statue within—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Same inner armor, but fine-scaled, draped in a five-colored divine robe, about one zhang tall, its solemnity enhanced by flickering candlelight and curling incense smoke, reminding him of the Divine Lord Yi Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue involuntarily stopped walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the hall stood a pair of couplets:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Azure tiles guard wind and cloud, opening another grotto;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson heavens suspend sun and moon, near the divine land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which deity is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, this is the Divine Lord Fuchi, a true general under the Purple Xu Great Emperor. The figures beside him are his generals, Xuan Ri and Xuan Yue. Recently, during the Mingchou Mountain Grand Ritual, Divine Lord Fuchi and his divine generals protected Mingchou Mountain from demons, ghosts, and evil cults,” Qingxuan Daoist Priest smiled. “If you wish, you may come to burn incense and forge a good connection.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, he held a status nearly equal to that of Divine Lord Yi Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then exited the monastery and descended slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>",2163,"2026-06-20T14:45:35.226Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7c94a39d48f22b91b34bbcfbb758d4e44561532026b019009110a55af8dbe999","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-97","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-95",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]