Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 576: Alarming the Snake
Lu Yang was taken aback, then suddenly remembered that Shang Lu's main practice was the arts of military shamanism and exorcism. He did indeed have some unique skills in communicating with and invoking the gods, and perhaps he could really get divine protection.

Thinking of this, although Lü Yang was anxious to get to the Public Security Bureau, he patiently followed Shang Lu with Uncle Huai and entered the witch temple located in the West Market.

The temple is not large, but it is very popular, with many people coming to offer incense and worship even in the early morning.

Judging from their appearance, they were all merchants from the market.

Every morning they come to burn incense and pray to the gods for prosperous business and for the strange things in the night fog to stay away from them.

As for whether the deities enshrined in the temple are in charge of buying and selling, no one bothers to investigate.

Let's burn the incense first. Even if they don't have the authority, they can still help by giving a heads-up to the relevant deities.
Communication between deities is far easier than for mortals like us to pray to them.

Shang Lu and Lü Yang entered the temple and found that the main hall was also dedicated to Houtu. In the several side halls and auxiliary halls, Dongjun, Shan Gui, and Xiangjun and his wife were enshrined.

"You've come back to your parents' home."

As Shang Lu stepped into the Houtu Palace, he used a secret telepathic communication technique to speak with a smile to the Third Sister who was floating beside him.

With the improvement of her cultivation level and the absorption of yang energy through the Yin-Yang Covenant, San Niang is becoming more and more like a human.

Except for the time when the sun is strongest at noon and she needs to use an umbrella, San Niang is unaffected by the sun during other times of the day, even when exposed to it.

Shang Lu originally married San Niang from the Hou Tu Niang Niang Temple. He said that the Hou Tu Niang Niang Temple was San Niang's maternal home. Although there was some exaggeration involved, it was not entirely bragging.

Shanglu lit an incense stick and silently prayed for everything to go smoothly.

Third Sister also lit an incense stick and placed it in the incense burner.

An incense stick appeared out of nowhere in the incense burner, but no one around, whether it was Lü Yang, the temple keeper, or the worshippers, noticed it.

Shang Lu glanced at San Niang with some surprise.

In his memory, it was rare for Third Sister to personally offer incense; why today…?

Just then, a gentle yet powerful force suddenly appeared, enveloping him and interrupting his curiosity.

This was Houtu's power, which Shang Lu had encountered before. All the dust and wear and tear he had endured on his journey, as well as the depletion he had suffered in battle, were restored under Houtu's "care."

Standing behind him, Lü Yang also benefited from Houtu's "care".

Lu Yang had never felt this way before. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he managed to control his emotions and not let others notice anything unusual.

After leaving the Houtu Temple, Shang Lu went to the temples of Dongjun and Shangui and offered incense to each of them.

And in her heart she prayed for blessings: "If something happens to me, you won't be able to enjoy such delicious incense anymore... Even if we don't know each other, you have to bless me so that the incense can continue."

Dongjun and Shangui did not show any "care" like Houtu did; in fact, they did not react at all.

Pokeweed didn't mind. The incense was lit, and the vow was made. Once Dongjun and the mountain spirit regained their senses, they would surely know.

At this hour, they are in a state of madness, and any reaction is not necessarily a good thing... Not all deities are as lucid as Houtu.

Shang Lu also remembered to offer incense to Xiang Jun and his wife.

Although I had never dealt with these two deities before, it's always good to be polite.

Besides, since they're all in the same shrine, wouldn't it be incurring resentment to only offer incense to other deities and not to Xiangjun and her husband?

It's like some people receive gifts; they might not remember who gave what, but they'll definitely remember who didn't give a gift.

Moreover, Xiangjun and his wife are water gods, and the Yunmeng Marsh surrounding the capital of Chu may well be their territory.

First, offer incense and gifts to become familiar with them, so that you can ask them for help in the future.

Besides, Shanglu is currently struggling to find a solution for the deities related to the metal and water elements. If Xiangjun and his wife are easy to deal with, then they will find one.

After offering gifts and incense to pray for blessings, Shang Lu led Lü Yang and Uncle Huai out of the witch temple.

Lu Yang was very curious, but he kept quiet and decided to talk about it later.

Just as they were crossing an intersection, he used a secret telepathic technique to quickly remind Shang Lu: "Left."

Shang Lu also noticed that there was a watchtower set up to the left front.

Watchtowers are not uncommon; Chengfeng County also has them.

Not only were county soldiers on watch to observe and monitor the watchtowers, but occasionally, shamanic officials on duty would also set up "spies" from there.

However, there were no watchtowers in Luoshui County because they were too small; patrols by constables were sufficient.

The watchtowers in Chu capital were much taller and larger than those in Chengfeng county town.

The one responsible for looking out and monitoring the surrounding area from the watchtower was not a soldier or a shaman, but a strange beast that resembled a lynx.

With just a glance, Shang Lu noticed the strangeness of this beast—although it only had one head, it had four ears and five eyes.

With two eyes on the front of the head, one on each side and one on the back of the head, it is perfectly positioned to take in the situation in all directions.

With four ears, two facing forward and two facing backward, it can hear sounds from all around.

"It is a four-eared, five-eyed beast."

Just as Shang Lu was wondering what kind of strange beast it was, he heard San Niang's introduction.

"This strange beast not only has many eyes and ears, but also excellent eyesight and hearing. Its cries are penetrating and can travel a long distance. If it detects a situation, it will cry out to warn people, allowing them to react immediately."

A four-eared, five-eyed beast? The name is rather simple, but how would Third Sister recognize it?
Shang Lu was curious when he heard San Niang say, "Senior Chu's notes contain information about this strange beast. It says that it tastes sour, and you shouldn't add any more sour flavor when cooking it, otherwise you won't be able to eat it. Eating its meat can improve eyesight and hearing, and can also cure eye and ear diseases."

Well, Senior Chu has really eaten all sorts of things.

His notes are truly a complete guide to cooking.

Shanglu secretly complained.

On their way from the West Market to the Pedestrian Administration, Shang Lu and his companions discovered several watchtowers.

"When we get back, we need to ask Steward Sun about the layout of the Chu Du Watchtower..."

Shanglu pondered to himself.

These watchtowers could pose a significant threat to their future actions.

We need to figure out their locations first.

The three of them, Shang Lu and his companions, continued on their way and soon arrived near the pedestrian bureau.

This place is much quieter than the West Market, but there are more soldiers patrolling the streets.

Because in this area, there are not only the pedestrian administration office, but also other government offices. There are not only many patrols on the surface, but also many scouts on the ground.

Shang Lu and his group encountered several checks along their journey.

Fortunately, their identification documents were in order, and Shang Lu was quick-witted enough to get away with it—they had come on an official mission to deliver leather samples to the Directorate of Works.

With this excuse, the patrol officers couldn't find fault with their arrival.

Upon seeing the pedestrian station in the distance, Shang Lu secretly channeled his vital energy into the liver and kidney statues in the Five Internal Organs Temple, maximizing their eyesight and hearing.

At the same time, he activated his spiritual insight and quickly glanced in the direction of the pedestrian bureau.

The area of ​​the Pedestrian Office is quite large, after all, it has to accommodate envoys from various countries. The surrounding walls do not look very high, only two or three meters high, but there are several tall buildings inside the walls, but the doors and windows are all closed, so it is not possible to see the situation inside.

Several minor officials and soldiers from the pedestrian administration stood lazily on either side of the main gate of the administration office.

Although the vermilion gate was wide open, there was a screen wall inside that blocked the view, preventing Shang Lu and Lü Yang from seeing what was inside.

As for the sounds inside the pedestrian station, Shang Lu tried his best to eavesdrop, but he didn't hear anything of value. They were just ordinary conversations, and he couldn't hear anything deeper... It would probably be Cheng Ren's ears that could hear them.

The clerk and soldiers at the entrance of the pedestrian bureau saw Shang Lu, Lü Yang, and Uncle Huai from afar, but didn't notice anything amiss. The three of them kept walking, pretending to be in a hurry.

Secretly, the pokeweed quietly released the copper ants.

A dandelion seed silently flew out from Uncle Huai's sleeve and drifted towards the pedestrian office.

The clerks and soldiers guarding the entrance to the pedestrian station were completely unaware of this, and there was no reaction inside the pedestrian station either.

The smooth sailing was somewhat unusual...

But soon, Shang Lu discovered that things were not as simple as he had imagined.

Copper ants and dandelion seeds were indeed not discovered, but they also could not enter the pedestrian station.

An invisible force enveloped the pedestrian station, preventing the copper ants and dandelion seeds from getting close.

Also blocked were some flying insects—Shang Lu clearly saw a greenbottle fly trying to fly in through the open gate of the pedestrian station, only to crash into an invisible wall. This greenbottle fly, however, was determined to get in, and even after being knocked around and disoriented, it didn't give up.

With his spiritual insight, Shang Lu saw it more clearly—a faint aura of witchcraft emanated from the screen wall of the Pedestrian Bureau, transforming into an invisible bell-shaped shield that enveloped the Pedestrian Bureau.

There seemed to be a shadow moving in the screen wall, but it was impossible to see what it was.

Fearing to alert the enemy, the pokeweed did not dare to let the copper ant force its way in, nor did it dare to continue to scrutinize the creature with its spiritual insight.

At the same time, he subtly hinted to Uncle Huai with his eyes that he should hide dandelion seeds around the pedestrian station—even if he couldn't get in, he should leave an informant behind.

A dark figure darted out from Shang Lu's shadow and quickly disappeared into the shadows beneath the pedestrian police station wall.

However, it was a shadow demon released by Shang Lu.

Shadow quietly slipped towards the door, intending to use the shadows of the soldiers and officers as cover to sneak into the Public Works Bureau.

But at that moment, Lü Yang seemed to sense something and suddenly urged, "Hurry up, or we'll be late and get scolded."

This was a pre-arranged code between the two, indicating that the situation had changed and they needed to leave quickly.

Shang Lu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied "Okay" and quickened his pace.

At the same time, the Shadow Demon, hidden in the shadow of the wall, also heard the conversation between the two. It immediately abandoned its idea of ​​rushing to the door and quickly returned to Shang Lu's body to hide.

Almost instantly...

Two soft "poof" sounds appeared at the entrance of the pedestrian police station, bursting into two clouds of blood mist and revealing two figures at the same time.

One of them was also a Shadow Spirit, and it was even larger than the one from Shanglu.

The other creature was a strange insect resembling a ground bull, about the size of a little fingernail, with bared teeth and claws, looking quite fierce.

"Besides us, is someone else spying on the Pedestrian Bureau?" Shang Lu was startled.

These two things definitely weren't released by Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren.

Xu Zhen does indeed practice Gu poison, but he doesn't possess the Shadow Spectrum. The Shadow Spectrum, a type of strange insect, originates from the barbarian regions of the south…

Are they the barbarians of the South?

Shang Lu immediately thought of the few barbarian shamans captured on the ship. He wondered if they were related.

Just then, I noticed a sudden change on the screen wall of the pedestrian station, where a bloody, mangled eye with bulging pupils appeared.

A divine thought shot out from the blood-red eye and quickly spread outwards.

The concealment talismans carried by Shang Lu, Lü Yang, and Uncle Huai shattered instantly.

Fortunately, no sound was made.

Fortunately, besides the concealment talisman, they also possessed a remnant spirit artifact capable of concealing their aura. Although it cracked instantly upon being activated by divine thought, it did not shatter and continued to function.

Moreover, they not only concealed the auras of the three people, but also masked the sound of the concealment talisman shattering, which is why the sweeping divine sense did not detect the problem.

But some people on the distant street corner weren't so lucky.

As the strange divine sense swept over, two muffled groans came from the other side, as if someone had suffered a loss or been injured.

At the same time, on the watchtower not far away, the four-eared, five-eyed beast immediately noticed the commotion, opened its mouth, and let out a high-pitched, piercing "meow" that seemed to penetrate the clouds.

"Swish swish swish——"

Suddenly, figures appeared in the sky, flying swiftly towards the direction from which the muffled groan came from.

On the ground, squads of fully armed soldiers rushed out from the surrounding watchtowers, formed battle formations, and quickly surrounded them.

At the entrance of the pedestrian administration, the previously lazy clerks and soldiers immediately became tense.

The clerk immediately went to close the gate, while the soldiers drew their guns and swords, shouting at Shang Lu and his companions, "What are you looking at? Get out of here if you don't want to die!"

Shang Lu and his two companions pretended to be frightened, quickly lowered their heads, and hurried away.

Just as the gates of the pedestrian police station were about to close, the blood-red eyes on the screen wall inside suddenly stared at them.

Shang Lu felt a chill run down his spine.

The gates of the pedestrian station slammed shut, and the strange eye disappeared, but Shang Lu, Lü Yang, and Uncle Huai dared not let their guard down.

They could clearly feel a sticky, clinging scent clinging to them.

Undoubtedly, although they were not exposed, Blood Eye did not dispel their suspicions about them; this was marking them.

With this mark, they were placed on the Four-Eared Five-Eyed Beast's key monitoring list. Any suspicious behavior would immediately trigger an alarm and lead to their arrest—looking upstairs, the Four-Eared Five-Eyed Beast clearly glanced at them several more times.

Shang Lu couldn't help but curse inwardly. These barbarian tribesmen were truly more trouble than they were worth!

This not only alerted the enemy, but also put them at risk of being exposed! It's likely that Xu Zhen, Cheng Ren, and Pan Yintong, who were spying from the other side of the pedestrian area, are in the same situation.

The three of them kept walking and went straight to the Imperial Workshop, handed over the leather samples, and then headed back.

On the way, they met Xu Zhen, Cheng Ren, and the Judge of the Underworld who was being led by them.

Neither of them spoke, but they both recognized the sticky, lingering scent in each other's eyes.

This is truly a case of dying before even starting a campaign! Even if he's not completely dead, he's at least half dead!
Lu Yang was filled with hatred. If he could turn back time, he would definitely use his flying sword to take the heads of those barbarian shamans and warriors before Chu Wu made his move.

If we don't wash this mark off, it will be under constant surveillance by the Four-Eared Five-Eyed Beast.

But if you wash it off, it might immediately trigger the strange eye's warning!

We need to find a way to satisfy both sides.

Not only was Lü Yang racking his brains, but Xu Zhen, Cheng Ren, and even the Yin Child Judge were also troubled by this matter, yet they dared not show their distress, for fear that the Four-Eared, Five-Eyed Beast on the watchtower would notice something was wrong.

Just then, Shang Lu suddenly saw Third Sister raise her hand and point to a certain spot.

Looking in the direction Third Sister pointed, he remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

"Haha, I've got an idea!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he strode towards the place indicated by Third Sister.

Lü Yang and Uncle Huai quickly followed.

Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren, who were not far away, were surprised, but considering that Shang Lu was a person of good fortune whom even Da Zhu had praised, they thought that he might really have a solution.

He immediately took the judge boy's hand and followed behind at a leisurely pace.

They seem to be from completely different worlds, yet they're heading in the same direction.

(End of this chapter)