My Years in the Folklore World

Chapter 456: Golden Rat

Jiang Xinghuo found a stone tablet in the ancestral hall and learned about the past events in Sangtian Village.

However, these things are of no use to him. Even if he knew them, they would not bring him any benefits.

"What are you going to do next?"

"Do you choose to have a good rest in the ancestral hall for a night, or leave Sangtian Village under the cover of night, or just wander around the village and see if there is anything good while the villagers are asleep."

There are three options: stay in the ancestral hall, leave Sangtian Village, and explore the village.

Jiang Xinghuo would naturally not choose the first two options. If he just read a short essay and left, wouldn't he have come here in vain?

"You chose to just wander around the village."

Jiang Xinghuo was also careful and released the big Baoshen who lived in his left eye. The Baoshen was naturally sensitive to all kinds of abnormal auras and was suitable for use in this kind of place.

"The treasure god crouched on your shoulder, and the two of you wandered aimlessly in the village. Soon, the treasure god on your shoulder responded, as if it sensed something, and croaked a few times towards a certain place."

"Do you want to follow the direction indicated by the God of Treasure and go over there to take a look?"

Jiang Xinghuo chose yes without much thought, and controlled the game character to walk towards the place where the treasure god directed.

"You followed the instructions given by the God of Treasures and came to a dilapidated house. The family should have moved away or disappeared a long time ago. Even the door is wide open. You can vaguely see that the house is also in tatters. Do you want to go in and explore?"

"You walked into the house and looked around carefully. You found that most of the things in the house had been emptied, with only a few things remaining."

"You walked over and picked up those things, and observed them through the vision of Tathagata. Unexpectedly, you actually found a treasure. It was a sculpture of a turtle and a snake coiled together."

"You have received the blessing of Master Zhenwu."

"The blessing of Master Zhenwu (rare item). Master Zhenwu was originally a great demon-slaying god in ancient times. He was also from the Exile race. He once wiped out 100,000 demons by himself. He had two generals, the turtle and the snake, under his saddle. One was good at defense, and the other was good at attack. If they were combined into one, they would become the mythical beast Xuanwu in the secular world."

"This sculpture is the Xuanwu statue. It was once blessed by the True Martial Lord. If you put it in your home, it can ward off evil spirits and suppress evil spirits. No evil spirits or demons dare to invade."

"At the same time, Master Zhenwu is also the God of Life in the secular world. It is said that he has mastered the art of immortality. There are also rumors that Master Zhenwu has a close relationship with the Black Emperor of ancient times."

After reading the description in the game text, Jiang Xinghuo took the thing into reality. It looked like a clay statue, slightly larger than a fist, and there was nothing special about it.

But if you concentrate on observing this statue for a long time, you will have a very strange feeling, as if this basalt statue has come alive.

After playing with the statue in his hands for a while, Jiang Xinghuo casually placed it on the shelf next to him.

As for the identity of Master Zhenwu and his relationship with the Black Emperor, Jiang Xinghuo did not take it to heart. There was no definite evidence now. Even if he guessed wildly, it would be useless and would not trigger any subsequent plot.

Afterwards, Jiang Xinghuo continued to wander around the village. The treasure-hunting god was really powerful and indeed found quite a few gadgets. Even things buried deep underground could not escape the treasure-hunting god's detection.

The only pity is that the things found are not very valuable, and the best quality ones are only excellent-level consumable items.

Dust removal talisman.

As the name suggests, it is specifically used for cleaning. As long as you stick the talisman on the wall of your house, the house will become spotless. The effectiveness period can last for about a week.

However, Jiang Xinghuo had no interest in this thing, because he had obtained a dust-repellent bead when he was exploring the Songhua River in Kanto earlier. The effect of this bead was an enhanced version of the dust-removing talisman, and it did not have a time limit.

However, having something is better than having nothing. Jiang Xinghuo spent more than two hours searching the village.

Finally, the treasure-binding god actually led him back to the ancestral hall.

This aroused Jiang Xinghuo's interest, and he wondered if there were any treasures in the ancestral hall.

"You return to the ancestral hall again. The candlelight flickers slightly, and the treasure god quacks twice, telling you that the secret and treasure are hidden on the statue."

Jiang Xinghuo saw the prompt in the game text and activated Tathagata's innate vision again.

"You have activated the Tathagatagarbha talent."

"You carefully looked at the Tubo statue in the middle of the ancestral hall, but you couldn't see anything wrong with it. It seemed to be just an ordinary clay statue."

"What are you going to do next?"

"Should we continue to find ways to study this statue, or should we just smash it to pieces and see what secrets it hides?"

smash?

When Jiang Xinghuo read the text, he thought this was a good idea. If there really was a secret, then smashing the statue would reveal the clue. If there was no secret, then smashing the statue would be fine.

"You chose to smash this Tubo statue to pieces."

"You walk to the side of the statue, reach out and press the top of the statue's head. Lightning flashes out from your palm like thorns, and instantly penetrates the entire body of the statue."

"You took a few steps back, and a crack appeared between the eyebrows of the Tubo statue. Then the crack quickly began to spread, and soon the statue turned into a pile of fragments."

"You found a glittering object among the fragments of the statue. It seems to be the secret you are looking for. Do you want to pick it up?"

"You walked over and picked up the object, wiped off the loose dirt on it, and found that it was actually a strangely shaped stone key."

"You have triggered the Tathagata's talent."

"You have cracked the secret hidden beneath the surface of this stone key."

"You have obtained the key to the underworld."

"According to some ancient books, Tu Bo was a powerful figure in ancient times. He may have existed longer than the Empress Huang Tian. It is possible that he was a powerful figure of the same era as the Immortal Master Fu Shuai Bao Yun."

"It is said that Tubo can travel between the Yin and Yang worlds at will, and is also responsible for exorcising evil spirits. Some of the modern folk exorcism methods are likely passed down by Tubo. For example, the oldest Nuo opera respects Tubo as its ancestor."

"This stone key is the treasure that Tu Bo left behind in the secular world. It can open the door to the netherworld, but its use requires certain conditions. A large amount of ghosts and gods must offer blood as an offering before the stone key can trigger its desired effect."

After reading the description in the text, Jiang Xinghuo thought that this was a lot more convenient. In the past, when he wanted to go to the underworld, he could only follow the Yin Fu and follow the river into the underworld.

Even after he became the underworld king of the volcanic hell, he could not reverse this rule. If one wanted to go to the volcanic hell in the underworld, one must first go to the underworld and then be teleported to the volcanic hell through the authority of the king of the underworld.

If he wanted to teleport directly to the volcanic hell, he couldn't do it, at least not for the time being.

But now that he has the key to the underworld, things are different. As long as he offers a sacrifice of the blood of monsters and demons, he can open the gate to the underworld.

The blood of monsters and demons is easy to get. Just light the brazier of taunting, lure a few monsters and demons over, and then kill them.

Jiang Xinghuo explored Sangtian Village and got almost everything hidden in the village. Of course, there would be some that slipped through the net. This might be the mechanism of the game. You can't let yourself get all the benefits.

Maybe there are even more precious treasures hidden in this inconspicuous Sangtian Village.

After counting the harvest, Jiang Xinghuo left Sangtian Village without disturbing the villagers. He just destroyed the statue of Tu Bo.

After leaving Sangtian Village, Jiang Xinghuo continued on his journey.

"On the way, please wait..."

The game entered a semi-idle state again, and Jiang Xinghuo waited for about an hour.

New information prompts just came from the game.

"You have entered the Jiangnan Road area."

"Where do you plan to go next?"

"Jiangnan Road is one of the most spectacular cities in the world. There are also many villages and towns radiating from its surroundings. Where do you plan to go first?"

Jiang Xinghuo looked at the options provided by the game, all of which were parts of the Jiangnan Road map that he had obtained before.

Red Lantern Town, Black Emperor's Tomb, White Lava Village, Guanglu Temple, Qinhuai River, Huaiyin Waterway, Xiankong Island, Lujiang Waterway, Daliang City, Ping'an Village...

In total, no less than twenty map names popped up. Jiang Xinghuo looked through them carefully and finally chose to go to Red Light Town first.

He chose to go to this place first because it was mentioned in previous texts that the traces of the Martial Lord had appeared here. He planned to go over and take a closer look, perhaps he could find something left by the Martial Lord, or clues to a plot mission related to the other party.

"You've chosen, go to Red Light Town."

"On the way, please wait..."

"It will take about half an hour to reach your destination."

Jiang Xinghuo waited for half an hour, during which time no unexpected plot was triggered, and he arrived at the Red Light Town smoothly along the way.

"You have arrived at Red Light Town."

"Hongdeng Town is a town with a long history. During the years when the Lord of the Secular World ruled, the leather lanterns of Hongdeng Town were tributes to the royal family. Several of the village's master craftsmen were even appointed as assistant ministers and served in the Ministry of Works."

"After the fall of the Lord of the Secular World, those master craftsmen managed to escape and avoid being executed. They also brought back many lost skills, making the entire Red Lantern Town more prosperous."

"Nowadays, Red Lantern Town is run by a monster named Red Lantern Fairy, who is doing very well and is well-known far and wide. The lanterns he makes are a perfect match with the candles from Baila Village and are widely loved and welcomed by dignitaries."

"You looked around outside the village, and finally found a dusty Fengdu shrine under the lanterns at the entrance of the village."

"Will you step forward and light this shrine?"

"You walked over and wiped off the dust on the shrine, and the dim shrine suddenly lit up with a faint light."

"You have lit up the shrine of Red Light Town."

"Do you want to go into the town and explore?"

"You chose to walk into the red light town."

"Although it was late at night, a red lantern was hung at the door of every household in Red Light Town. The red light it emitted enveloped the entire town, like a pair of scarlet eyes of different sizes."

"Where do you plan to explore first?"

"Should we go to the Temple of the Goddess of Heaven in the north of the town first, or go to the square market in Red Lantern Town first, or just wander around the town."

The game gives three more options: Temple of the Goddess of Heaven, Square Market, and Just Wandering Around.

Jiang Xinghuo took a quick look at the three different places and decided to go at them one by one in order, not letting any of them go easily.

"You chose to explore the Temple of the Goddess of Heaven first."

"You have arrived at the Temple of the Goddess of Heaven."

"The Red Lantern Fairy who rules Red Lantern Town is a believer of the Goddess of Heaven. He has a blind worship and faith in the Goddess of Heaven. He not only forces everyone in the village to believe in the Goddess of Heaven, but also peels off the skin of the villagers if they show any dissatisfaction or doubts, which will then become the best material for making lanterns."

"Do you want to go into the temple and find out?"

Tsk, Jiang Xinghuo read the text and thought, what kind of brainless fans are these? They say that where there is oppression, there is resistance. Don’t the villagers in the town know how to resist?

"You chose to enter the temple."

"But as soon as you walked into the temple, you smelled a faint smell of blood. In the dark corner, there were faint groans of pain."

"You have discovered various strange things in the temple. Do you want to go over and take a closer look?"

"You walked in the direction of the sound and found a figure in a dark and damp corner. Its body was covered with hideous burns. It was almost unrecognizable. It lay there dying, and it seemed like it would die at any moment."

"Do you want to help him?"

Jiang Xinghuo naturally chose yes. There was no reason to refuse a task that was delivered to his doorstep.

"You used the method of bringing back dead trees to life, which contained the mana of vigorous vitality and slowly injected it into the opponent's body. While repairing its internal injuries, it also forced out the fire poison in its body."

"It also woke up from its coma. After seeing that you were the one who saved it, it was very grateful to you."

“You also learn about the other person’s identity and why it has become like this from their story.”

"The seven heroes and five righteous men are the righteous men of the world, and their chivalrous spirits are passed down through generations."

"Golden Rat, the last of the Seven Heroes and Five Gallants, has lived on Xiankong Island in Jiangnan for generations. He has the ability to read minds and communicate with spirits. He is proficient in Qimen Dunjia, Bagua and the Five Elements. He also has a good appearance. He has always taken it as his duty to help the poor and the needy, and to eliminate violence and protect the good. He enjoys a high reputation in the Jianghu and Green Forest."

"Golden Rat came to Red Lantern Town to fight for injustice and teach the Red Lantern Fairy a lesson, but he didn't expect the news to leak out and he fell into the Red Lantern Fairy's trap. He was almost burned to death by the other party's ghost fire. He risked his life to break out of the siege."

"But its injuries were too severe. If you hadn't accidentally saved its life, the Golden Rat would have died of the poison."

Yesterday I had a bowl of rice at noon, with stir-fried pork, sweet and sour pork, and Kung Pao chicken. I didn’t eat anything in the morning. I had a tomato at night. This morning I weighed myself and lost 1.8 kilograms. I’ll give it a try for a few days.

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(End of this chapter)