My Years in the Folklore World

Chapter 398 Peach Blossoms Still Smile in the Spring Breeze

Jiang Xinghuo led everyone towards the back mountain. Several young men surrounded him all the time, constantly looking at his face.

"Brother Jiang, did you really kill those damn mountain ghosts?"

A boy of about eighteen or nineteen couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Xinghuo glanced at him and said with a smile: "You will know in a moment. The bodies of those mountain ghosts are still there. We have to find a way to deal with them, otherwise they will be a disaster in the future."

"Can we just bury it outside?"

Chihu held the cold iron spear in his hand and said:

"All the deceased people in the village are buried in the ancestral tombs outside the Peach Blossom Spring. We can open up a place to bury these mountain ghosts and let them make amends for the ancestors who died in vain."

"I'm afraid this won't work."

Jiang Xinghuo shook his head and said, "Those mountain ghosts were originally transformed from corpses. If they are buried underground like this, over time, I'm afraid other troubles will arise, and they may even cause corpses to transform. So it's best to find a place and burn them with fire."

Jiang Xinghuo is not exaggerating.

Those mountain ghosts were originally made from the corpses of mandrills, which are monsters that live in the mountains. If all the mountain ghost corpses were buried underground and then nourished by the evil spirit in the earth veins, they would most likely be resurrected and cause even greater damage.

At this time, the old man next to him suddenly spoke up and said, "In this case, let's follow Jiang Xiaoyou's arrangement and ask the young men in the village to chop firewood and burn all the corpses of the animals."

"So best."

Jiang Xinghuo also nodded in agreement.

As they were talking, the group had already arrived at the back mountain.

Although this is the ancestral forbidden land of Taoyuan Village, people in the village rarely set foot here because of the mountain ghosts. Even if the hunters in the village want to go into the mountains to hunt, they go to other mountains.

I will never step into the back mountain.

This is experience gained with blood and human lives, and it is also the only ancestral precept of Taoyuan Village. No one dares to come here in violation of the ancestral precept.

"Is this the forbidden area in the back mountain?"

Looking at the stone statues standing on both sides of the mountain path and the blue flames that continued to burn, everyone couldn't help but talk about it.

Now, apart from Jiang Xinghuo, the only people who have been here and are still alive are probably the village chief and his brothers.

Thousands of years ago, they were rescued here by the Medicine King who came from across the border, and were given the ability to live forever.

The old man looked a little excited. For so many years, he had never thought that one day he would be able to come to the ancestral temple again. After all, after those mountain ghosts occupied the ancestral temple, they could no longer set foot here.

The crowd continued to move forward along the mountain road, and halfway through they saw the remains of the mountain ghost's ashes. A few young people wanted to go over to take a closer look, but were scolded by their elders. They could only return to the crowd in disappointment and continue walking up the mountain.

However, when everyone reached the top of the mountain and saw the scene in the open space below the mountain, they were so surprised that they were speechless.

On a vast open plain, stood an old temple, surrounded by hundreds of mountain ghost corpses and broken limbs everywhere.

The monsters that had plagued Taoyuan Village for thousands of years had completely become a thing of the past.

There was also a hint of awe in everyone's eyes when they looked at Jiang Xinghuo. In their fixed thinking, mountain ghosts were extremely vicious monsters.

In the past, it would take more than a dozen hunters working together to deal with two or three mountain ghosts. However, that could only ensure that they themselves would not get hurt, but it was difficult to cause fatal damage to the mountain ghosts.

If fighting alone, no one can be a match for the Mountain Ghost, and Chihu is the best example.

In the village, Chihu is considered the most powerful hunter. Not only is he young and strong, but he is also skilled in archery. With his spear, he can even fight against tigers and leopards without losing.

But even such a strong man almost lost his life when facing the mountain ghost. If Jiang Xinghuo hadn't intervened, he would have died.

"Brother Jiang, did you kill all these mountain ghosts?"

A burly young man squeezed over and asked.

"That's it."

Jiang Xinghuo did not explain in too much detail. These villagers did not understand the method of cultivation. If he told them that there were six evil spirits suppressed in his body, they might not believe it, and it would be even more troublesome to explain it then.

"This hillside is too steep. I'll go cut some vines and make a ladder. Otherwise, we won't be able to get down."

As he said that, Chihu was about to take people down the mountain to cut vines.

"Brother Chihu, don't be anxious..."

Jiang Xinghuo suddenly stopped Chihu and shook his head:
"When the ancestors of Taohuayuan built the ancestral temple, they had already thought of this and left a path for future generations. It's just that it has not been cleaned for many years and is covered with weeds and rubble. If you don't believe me, look over there."

Jiang Xinghuo pointed to the edge of the hillside on the left, where a stone staircase could be vaguely seen extending down the mountain. But just as Jiang Xinghuo had said before, it had long been covered with weeds and rubble as no one had taken care of it for many years.

"I'll go clean it up right away."

Chihu was an impatient man. After seeing the stone steps, he wanted to take people over to tidy them up.

"Don't bother, I'll take care of it."

Jiang Xinghuo waved his right hand, and the Kitchen God's fire swept across like a fire dragon, instantly engulfing the stone steps.

The characteristic of Kitchen God's fire is burning.

How much skill, how much warmth.

Moreover, Jiang Xinghuo particularly likes this simple and crude method, which is convenient and quick.

He poured his magical power into the Kitchen God's fire, and the temperature around him instantly soared. Although he himself was not affected, the people around him felt the heat wave. The weeds and gravel covering the surface of the stone steps turned into ashes and dissipated.

Moreover, under his deliberate control, there was no impact on the stone steps themselves, except that they looked a little burnt, which looked eye-catching and dazzling.

"Okay, go down."

Jiang Xinghuo took back the stove god fire, looked at the stunned villagers of Taoyuan Village, and said:
"This is the power you will inherit later. As long as you practice well, everyone can be like me."

"Brother Jiang, are you telling the truth?"

Some villagers shook their heads, as if to make sure whether they had heard correctly.

The method that Jiang Xinghuo just used was completely beyond their understanding.

And when they heard that they could also master this power, their hearts were filled with disbelief.

"Of course, you will know in a moment."

Jiang Xinghuo did not explain much, but urged everyone to hurry down the stone steps.

The villagers of Taoyuan were simple and honest, and they didn't have any complicated thoughts. If it were someone else, they would probably think that Jiang Xinghuo had some conspiracy, so they were so anxious to urge them to go down. Everyone came to the edge of the cliff and walked down the charred stone steps. Because it was too steep, they walked very slowly.

Jiang Xinghuo raised his eyebrows slightly. He actually ignored this point, so he put his hand on the ground and secretly activated the method of bringing dead wood back to life.

A force full of vigorous vitality quickly spread out, and the grass and trees on both sides of the stone steps began to grow gradually, intertwining and tangling with each other, evolving into a long wooden guardrail.

Villagers can hold on to the railing when going down the mountain to avoid falling because the stone steps are too steep.

This scene also caused other people to exclaim.

Jiang Xinghuo thought that he had done his best and hoped that when Taoyuan Village needed help in the future, they would not refuse him politely.

This is not because he is utilitarian, but just preparing for a rainy day. He has two plans for everything. Even if they are not used, he will not lose money, but if they can be used, he will make a lot of money.

Jiang Xinghuo did not walk up the stone steps. He just flashed and appeared outside the Kitchen God Temple at the foot of the mountain. The others were already used to it.

About half an hour passed.

All the villagers came to the foot of the hill. Jiang Xinghuo pointed to the Kitchen God Temple behind him and said:
"Everyone, this is the ancestral temple of Taoyuan Village. You can come here anytime in the future and you don't have to worry about those mountain ghosts anymore."

After hearing this, there was no cheering in the crowd. Instead, there was silence. Then, led by the two old brothers, they suddenly knelt down in front of Jiang Xinghuo.

"Young Master Jiang has been so kind and generous that the whole of Taoyuan Village has no way to repay him. We only ask you to accept our great gift and pay homage to him."

As he said this, the old man was about to kowtow to him.

Jiang Xinghuo grinned and hurried over to help the two old men up, preventing them from knocking their heads down.

What a joke! How shameless must he be to have two old men over a thousand years old kneeling on the ground and kowtow to him.

Jiang Xinghuo comforted the two old men for a long time before helping them up, and then helped up Xiu Niang and Chi Hu who were behind them. Then the others stood up from the ground, and immediately walked to the front of the Kitchen God Temple, and knelt down again in a large group.

But this time, Jiang Xinghuo did not go over to stop them. The other person was kneeling to his ancestor, so why would he make the decision for him?

Everyone knelt outside the ancestral temple, kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down their faces, and muttered words about being unfilial descendants.

Jiang Xinghuo sat on a tree stump beside the temple, waiting for the villagers of Taoyuan Village to express their emotions.

"My dear Jiang, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

The old man stood up from the ground, brushed off the dust on his body, wiped the tears from his face, and said with a smile: "I will have to trouble you again next."

"fine."

Jiang Xinghuo stood up from the tree stump and said with a smile: "Everyone line up outside and follow my command one by one. Don't be afraid."

When the villagers of Taohuayuan heard Jiang Xinghuo's words, they immediately lined up outside the temple and turned several corners. The key was to avoid the corpses of mountain ghosts on the ground.

Jiang Xinghuo walked into the Kitchen God Temple, bowed to the Kitchen God statue first, then lit the Kitchen God's brazier, and the golden-red flame instantly burned.

"Who comes first?"

Jiang Xinghuo turned around and looked at the people behind him.

"Let the young people come first."

The old man and the middle-aged man walked aside, not because they were worried that Jiang Xinghuo would harm them. With the power displayed by Jiang Xinghuo, if he wanted to harm them, even if all the people in Taoyuan Village were added together, they might not be able to cause trouble to Jiang Xinghuo.

You know, Jiang Xinghuo eliminated all the mountain ghosts, how could they compare with the mountain ghosts.

"I'll come first!"

"I'll come first!"

Chihu and Xiu Niang walked out at the same time.

"Don't worry, the order won't affect anything. It doesn't matter who comes first or who comes last. Don't worry about any problems."

"Sister Xiu Niang, you come first!"

Chihu originally wanted to set an example for the others, but when he saw Xiu Niang coming out, he, as a brother, naturally could not snatch her from the sister.

"Thank you, Brother Chihu."

The embroiderer didn't hesitate to come over and asked, "Brother Jiang, what should I do now?"

"Just stand here and don't move. Focus all your attention on this fire. Perform the fire gathering technique in secret. Don't be afraid no matter what happens. You won't be harmed in any way during this period."

Jiang Xinghuo patiently explained to her that when the inheritor accepts the Kitchen God's inheritance, the Kitchen God's fire will enter the inheritor's body through the seven orifices. If the inheritor is timid, who knows what kind of changes will be caused.

"okay, I get it."

The embroiderer took a deep breath and began to follow Jiang Xinghuo's instructions. She came to the stove and slowly began to practice the method of gathering fire.

soon.

The golden-red flame in the brazier began to become restless, the flame flickered and jumped continuously, and finally separated into a snake-like flame, which drilled into the embroiderer's body along her facial features and orifices.

Although the embroiderer was a little nervous, she kept Jiang Xinghuo's words in mind and stood there motionless, just silently practicing the method of gathering fire.

Not long after, the flame traveled around the embroiderer's body and gathered at the dantian area in her lower abdomen. Then a mysterious secret appeared in her mind.

"Seven Spirits of the Hearth..."

The embroiderer suddenly stretched out her right hand, and a stream of fire quickly flowed out of her body, transforming into a huge firebird circling around her body.

"Seven Spirits of the Kitchen God (rare technique), one of the thirteen secret techniques passed down by the Kitchen God lineage, can transform the kitchen god's fire into seven spiritual objects in the secular world, each with its own power and unpredictable changes."

Jiang Xinghuo used Tathagata's Tathagata to see that the magic inherited by the embroiderer was of rare quality, which was considered an extraordinary magic in the secular world.

"Xiuniang, you can use the corpses of those mountain ghosts to test the power of this magic. It's just the right time to dispose of the corpses of those mountain ghosts."

The embroiderer could not hide the excitement on her face. She immediately walked to the outside of the Kitchen God Temple and pointed her right hand into the air. The huge firebird behind her immediately flew out and directly turned the corpse of a mountain ghost into ashes. The flying sparks ignited the other corpses, like a chain of iron chains.

The embroidered lady was having a lot of fun controlling the firebird. On the other side, Chihu couldn't stand it anymore and hurried over and said, "Brother Jiang, it's my turn now."

Jiang Xinghuo told Chihu all the precautions, and Chihu began to accept the inheritance of the Kitchen God vein by the method of gathering fire.

Perhaps because of his extraordinary bravery, the inheritance he received was a magic spell called "Fire God's Martial Arts".

"The Fire God's Martial Arts (a rare technique) can transform the power of the stove fire into the form of a weapon, thereby launching different attacks on the enemy."

Chi Hu performed it with great interest. The flame seemed to have life, constantly changing between his hands, and finally evolving into weapons of different forms.

(End of this chapter)