The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#538 - I've messed up again.

Lu Jing thought he had returned to the academy's library, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that this library was quite different from the one in the academy.

The library he was currently in was even larger than the academy's, and it looked much older, constructed from a large number of stone blocks, each of which was more than two zhang in length and width, making it look quite grand.

Especially when the people inside looked up, the visual impact of the roof, which was more than ten zhang high, was very shocking.

In addition, Lu Jing was surrounded by rows of bookshelves. Because this library was not divided into floors, in order to make the most of the space inside, the bookshelves were built very high.

Even with a ladder, it would take a while to climb to the top of those bookshelves, so the person who built this library didn't seem to have considered how troublesome it would be for people to borrow books.

Thinking of this, Lu Jing's heart suddenly stirred. He tried to clear his mind and silently recited the name of a novel he had just read. Sure enough, the next moment, a bookshelf a dozen steps away from him moved.

A scroll of books flew down from it, landing precisely in his hand.

The book was called "The Bane of Cultivators."

The middle-aged man's brow was furrowed, as if he had encountered some kind of problem. He didn't even notice Lu Jing walking up to him, and just kept muttering, "This doesn't make sense... this doesn't make sense."

Lu Jing coughed and shamelessly asked, "What do you think of this book?"

"A mess, incomprehensible," the middle-aged man replied subconsciously. After coughing a few times, he continued, "The thing you wrote, besides being able to absorb the secret power of cultivators, has no other use. Moreover, the wording is obscure and difficult to understand, and the writing is very boring, just like the notices issued by the imperial court, but..."

His tone changed, "This book is not without its merits. At least the atmosphere is well created, making people feel uneasy, but I still don't understand. The little girl in the previous book wanted to get her hand back, so she wrote a book, but why did you write this book?"

"Of course, it's for my own use."

Since there was no one else here, Lu Jing generously admitted it.

"Are there people who think they have too much secret power these days?" the middle-aged man raised his eyebrows, but he didn't wait for Lu Jing to answer before continuing, "You, writing a book is fine, but why did you have to change the stories in other books?"

"Do you think I changed them for the worse?"

"Of course!" The middle-aged man got angry when he mentioned this. He threw the book "The Bane of Cultivators" on the table, blew his beard, and glared, "I brought you into the book just to give you a small punishment, to avenge you for trying to burn me and scribbling on me, why did you change the stories in the book without saying a word?!"

The middle-aged man's tone became more and more indignant, as if Lu Jing had done something heinous. Then, he couldn't catch his breath and coughed again.

Lu Jing spread his hands, "I thought your stories were all too bitter and vengeful, so I made them more cheerful. Besides, I was playing the role in the book at that time, and I don't have a masochistic tendency."

"Nonsense!" The middle-aged man's hands trembled with anger, "These books are treasures left by our predecessors, and not a single word can be changed!"

"If you don't like it, you can just change it back," Lu Jing said nonchalantly.

However, the middle-aged man became even more furious when he heard this, "If I could change it, would I be so angry?!"

Lu Jing didn't argue with the middle-aged man any further, but looked around again and found that the books on each bookshelf were neatly arranged and categorized, and there was not a speck of dust on the shelves.

So he asked, "Were you also a secretary before you died?"

"That's right," the middle-aged man nodded proudly, "When I was a secretary, the library never flooded or got damp. Most importantly, everyone could quickly find the books they wanted."

"So this is your obsession?" Lu Jing's expression was strange, "To make it easy for everyone to quickly get the books they want. By the way, how did you die?"

"My health has always been bad. I went to see a doctor, who said I had consumption. My family told me to rest, but I couldn't let go of the library. After all, no one else knew the books in the building as well as I did."

The middle-aged man said, "As a result... as a result, I worked myself to death in the library."

"............"

"Let me guess, you were still thinking about the books in the building when you died?"

"That's right," the middle-aged man sighed, "I was worried that the person who replaced me wouldn't do a good job and wouldn't be able to organize the books in the building well. This was my last thought before I died. I didn't expect that because of this thought, I would be trapped in the world for hundreds of years."

"Wait..." After he finished speaking, Lu Jing's expression changed, and he remembered what happened after he encountered that murderous manual before, "Could it be that your current state has already broken your obsession?"

The middle-aged man's anger gradually disappeared when he heard this, and his expression returned to calm. He put his hands together and said, "As expected of a student of the academy. Since you already know what happened to me, then it saves me a lot of words."

"Although there are still ten thousand books in the academy's library, they have all been rewritten by you, which means they are no longer the books that everyone needs. So thanks to you, my wisp of remnant soul will finally not be imprisoned here anymore."

Lu Jing was dumbfounded after hearing the middle-aged man's words.

No way, he had only just gotten rid of the Blessed Abode not long ago, and the strange object in this library was also going to disappear because of him? In that case, everyone would have to find the books themselves in the future. How was he going to explain this to Supervisor Huang and Director Su?!

Thinking that he was going to cause another big trouble, Lu Jing said resentfully, "I said, can't you not leave?"

"This... now that my obsession is gone, I can't control what happens next," the middle-aged man scratched his head and said, "But as a reward, I can promise you one condition, to help you summon something from the book and leave it in this world forever."