e-booksonline Chapter 13 Evil Spirits: The Yellow Immortal Peeks into the Secret
Chapter 13 Evil Spirits: The Yellow Immortal Peeks into the Secret
"Look at this rice! This rain alone will increase the harvest by at least 30%!"
"My husband's chronic cough, which he'd had for years, has improved considerably in the last few days after drinking the well water that contained the toad pearl! It's truly a blessing from the gods!"
"Of course! Could the rain brought down by the Stone Toad King be ordinary rain? It's celestial dew! It's imbued with spiritual energy!"
"From now on, with the protection of the Stone Toad King, what will our Shixi Village fear from drought and disease?"
Shixi Village.
A few days later, the changes in the fields were nothing short of miraculous.
The seedlings, which were originally wilted, curled, and on the verge of death, now stand upright, their leaves unfurled, so lush and green they seem to drip with moisture, shimmering with a healthy glow in the sunlight.
The fields, nourished by the rain, were soft and fertile, and the wild grass along the field ridges grew exceptionally lush. The water level in the old well had not only recovered, but the water also seemed clearer and sweeter; a sip from it was sweet enough to warm your heart.
Lin Shi carried a hoe and walked towards the fields at the village entrance.
The successful rain prayer not only solved the immediate crisis but also injected new vitality into the village.
The gloom and despair of the past have vanished from the village lanes.
The villagers were all talking and laughing with great energy.
"Good morning, Brother Lin Shi!"
"Thanks to you and the Stone Toad King, my family's few acres of barren land can finally be saved."
Wang Na was sweeping at the entrance when she immediately stopped what she was doing, her face beaming with a sincere smile.
"Yes, Brother Lin Shi!"
"Last night my mother said that if it weren't for your repeated insight into the secrets of heaven, our village would have suffered so much more. From now on, if anything happens, just speak up!"
Li Hua, carrying a hoe, was preparing to go to the field when he came over, his tone filled with unprecedented respect.
Lin Shi smiled and spoke to Wang Na and Li Hua.
Gratitude and worship are directed not only towards the Stone Toad King, but also towards oneself.
When you go to the well to fetch water, someone immediately takes the bucket and fills it up for you.
When inspecting the rice seedlings on the ridges of the fields, the surrounding villagers would gather around, listening intently to every word he said.
The young men who used to ignore him now step aside and make way for him when they meet, behaving very respectfully.
When children see him, they stop playing and greet him in their childish voices.
The clan chief repeatedly told the villagers that he was the lucky star of Shixi Village and that he was sent by the Stone Toad King to guide them.
This change is everywhere.
More importantly, people flock to the stone niche to worship every day. The offerings are simple, but they are full of the most sincere respect. The power of faith gathered on the stone toad statue is becoming more and more abundant and pure.
The spiritual energy consumed by the dragon during rainfall not only recovers quickly but also becomes increasingly abundant.
Lin Shi walked to the village entrance, turned his head to look at the stone niche, and his heart tightened without warning.
What's going on?
What happened?
Lin Shi frowned.
These days, my faith is strong and pure, and everything is going smoothly.
But why does it suddenly feel like something's wrong?
Lin Shi thought it over and over, pondered for a while, but couldn't find anything wrong. He shook his head. It was getting late, and he had to hurry up and finish the work in the fields. He lifted his foot and continued walking forward.
It was late at night.
Lin Shi lay on the simple bed made of dry grass, and the unease he felt during the day resurfaced clearly.
Something's not right!
"This is definitely not right!"
Lin Shi closed his eyes, his consciousness calmed down, and his spiritual senses slowly spread out, like mercury spilling onto the ground, silently enveloping the entire Shixi Village.
Seeing the villagers sleeping peacefully and hearing their even breathing, the spiritual energy flowing smoothly on the stone toad statue indicated that everything in the village was normal and there was nothing unusual.
"Am I just overthinking it?"
Lin Shi thought for a moment, but instead of relaxing, he carefully extended his spiritual senses outward along the water veins and earth energy outside the village.
Ten zhang!
Fifty feet!
A hundred feet!
As my senses extended beyond the familiar woods outside the village and continued into the deeper darkness, an extremely subtle yet nauseatingly foul and greedy aura, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, suddenly crashed into the range of my perception.
Evil!
Lin Shi's heart skipped a beat.
The feeling of spreading out suddenly converged and focused, allowing me to immediately and accurately pinpoint the source of the energy.
Several miles from the village, deep within an ancient, long-abandoned tomb, one could clearly see, through spiritual perception, a thick, twisting mass of yellowish-brown evil energy. It was a large weasel spirit with glowing green eyes, pacing restlessly in the tomb, its greedy eyes fixed on the direction of Shixi Village, or more precisely, on the stone toad statue at the village entrance that exuded an alluring fragrance, filled with a desire to possess and defile it.
"As expected! Abundance attracts wolves."
Lin Shi felt a chill run down his spine.
This is a weasel spirit that has cultivated for many years. It is obviously attracted by the increasingly pure and powerful faith power of Shixi Village, regarding it as a great tonic. That is pure and rich faith power, which is a better tonic than any elixir for such a spirit. Judging from its anxious and greedy appearance, it will probably be unable to restrain itself in the next day or two and come to steal or even pollute the faith power.
We must not let it succeed!
The dragon's clone is trapped by chains at the bottom of the pool and cannot get away. Preparations must be made in advance!
Lin Shi quietly withdrew his spiritual senses, pondered for a moment, and immediately came up with a solution: he would find the clan chief early the next morning to make preparations. When friends come, we welcome them with good wine; when wolves come, we have hunting rifles—once they come, they won't be able to leave.
Deep in the desolate graveyard.
The weasel, its eerie green eyes gleaming, stood upright and paced restlessly in the narrow tomb. It could clearly sense that the once ordinary little village in the distance was now emanating a mouthwatering aroma.
"Such pure willpower! If I could absorb it, it would surely help me break through my bottleneck and shed this beastly skin!"
The weasel greedily inhaled, as if it could smell the alluring aroma from miles away, its sharp claws unconsciously scratching at the grave soil. It could sense that the power of the vow contained vitality and a certain aura of majesty that filled it with awe, which instinctively made it wary.
"To go or not to go?"
Huang Xian was torn internally. The allure of faith was too tempting, enough to make it take the risk. But it had heard about the strange things happening in Shixi Village recently, especially the successful rainmaking and the faint but palpable pressure, all of which indicated that the place was not simple.
"Perhaps that stone toad is just an empty shell? Or has it just awakened and hasn't regained its power?"
"If we're careful and only steal a tiny bit, we shouldn't be discovered!"
Huang Xian's cunning mind raced, and greed ultimately overwhelmed his caution. A ruthless and resolute glint flashed in his eerie green eyes as he made up his mind: fortune favors the bold, and he would go and find out the truth when all was quiet the next night.
The sky was just breaking out! It was barely light!
Lin Shi found the clan chief Sun Ming, his expression more solemn than usual.
"Chieftain."
"These past few days I have been restless, fearing that some evil spirit may come under the cover of night, intending to defile the shrine and steal its blessings!"
"Yesterday I accidentally discovered a yellow immortal who had achieved cultivation in an abandoned grave several miles outside the village."
Lin Shi got straight to the point and spoke directly.
"Why is this weasel spirit targeting our village?"
Sun Ming's expression changed.
The haunting by the Yellow Immortal is no small matter in rural legends.
"Our Shixi Village is protected by the Stone Toad King. Our faith is strong! The Weasel Immortal is greedy by nature. I'm afraid he will come as early as tonight, or at the latest tomorrow night, intending to defile the Stone Toad statue and steal our faith!"
Lin Shi pointed to the direction of the stone niche at the village entrance.
"What should we do?"
Sun Ming gasped.
"Chieftain, don't panic!"
"Ancient texts record that such evil spirits fear things that are extremely yang and pure. We can, during the day, spread a mixture of glutinous rice and soot around the stone niche to form an exorcising circle. Then, hang seven-colored silk threads above the niche to form a spiritual net, blocking its evil energy. This is an ancient method that can greatly weaken its power. At that time, the Stone Toad King will naturally unleash thunder to drive it away!"
Lin Shi was confident and had a plan in mind; this was the method he had devised last night, and he simply stated it directly.
"Alright! As you say! I'll arrange reliable people and prepare all the materials right away, making sure nothing gets out so as not to alert them!"
Sun Ming had complete faith in Lin Shi and immediately went to make arrangements. Several reliable villagers, known for their tight tongues, quietly followed Lin Shi's instructions, carefully mixing glutinous rice with soot from the bottom of a pot and scattering it around the stone niche, forming a circle more than three feet wide. Above the niche, a spiritual net was woven with seven-colored silk threads.
Everything was done in secret.
The villagers were completely unaware of this and remained immersed in the joy of favorable weather.