It all started with one person becoming a shaman, but the Stand user...

It's not the refined, blond-haired figure he appeared in later scenes.

He looks similar to Deng Youcai, but his temperament is more imposing.

Deng Youcai immediately chimed in, patting his chest, looking every bit the "local tyrant":

"That's right! Who around here doesn't know me, 'Brother Youcai'? I guarantee I'll take you on a fantastic trip, making sure you eat and drink the best!"

This period of life, and even for a long time to come, is a time when we have relatively little patience to communicate with the elderly.

Qinghe Miao sometimes feels that the old man's words are out of touch with the times.

But for him, who had been tempered by society, it was much easier than communicating with his boss.

Moreover, it also has a progress bar on the system panel, which gives people a sense of constant positive and negative feedback and encouragement.

So my state of mind is much better than in my previous life.

Seeing two college students from years ago talking to him about being trendy, Qinghe Miao found it somewhat amusing, but still politely replied:

"Let's talk about it later. Summer vacation is almost over, and I should prepare to go back. Anyway, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future, so there's no rush."

"Exactly! Stop hanging out with those two brats! What kind of future do they have? All they do is go down to the mountains and fields all day!"

Just then, a slightly shrill voice, with a strong eerie and strange tone, rang out without warning in the empty incense hall.

The voice was elusive, seemingly coming from all directions, carrying an indescribable air of elusiveness and cunning.

However, Qing Hemiao, Deng Youcai, and Deng Youfu, who were inside the incense hall, seemed to have already taken it for granted, and did not even pause their actions for a moment.

They seemed quite familiar with the owner of that voice.

They skillfully placed a specific portion of cooked food in front of an offering table slightly to the right of the center.

The statue on the altar was vaguely shaped like an outstretched fox, yet it also possessed some anthropomorphic features.

As the food was placed, the air in front of the offering table distorted slightly, and a faint, semi-transparent shadow slowly appeared.

The figure was roughly humanoid, but its facial features were blurred. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be covered with fine down, giving it an animal-like texture. The pupils were two faint points of light.

The phantom glanced at the newly placed offerings, then lost interest and turned its gaze to Qinghe Miao.

"The little tune you hummed this morning... was actually quite interesting, but the melody and rhythm were a bit different from the old-fashioned ones, it was rather fancy."

That eerie voice rang out again, this time with a hint of seduction:

“Kid, how about we invite you home? We can have a good chat then. I guarantee you’ll sing even better. I’ve heard you sing for the Empress Dowager before, and that was… tsk tsk.”

Qinghe Miao felt helpless.

This is an offering from the main hall of the shamanic lineage to all the deities.

This job is something that the Deng brothers, Youfu and Youcai, have been doing since they were young.

The benefits of being able to interact with these deities frequently and maintain good relationships are self-evident.

But in order to nurture him, we naturally let him join us during his time on the mountain.

Although most immortals are often elusive and rarely seen.

But there are always some immortals who like to go online while eating.

He had no choice but to bow quickly, politely but firmly declining the offer:

"Thank you for your kind words, senior. I'm glad you like it. My skills are still rough, and I'm just doing this for fun to make everyone laugh. I wouldn't dare to show off my limited abilities in front of you. Besides, I already have a master and a connection with the immortals, which is enough for me to cultivate myself and maintain my integrity. I don't want to have any other thoughts."

The fox-faced phantom seemed to snort, but it couldn't bring itself to force the issue. Its blurry face was expressionless, but it turned to glare at Deng Youcai and Deng Youfu, its voice carrying a hint of reproach:

"And you two! We never see you again! The Liu and Hui families both told us that you're always hanging around in shady places. Look at other people's kids, they're so down-to-earth!"

Deng Youcai was clearly much more familiar with this "spiritual being," perhaps even having been "nagged" about him since childhood. He shrank back and muttered softly:

“Uncle Hu, he’s still young, he probably hasn’t seen anything yet. Once he finds something to have fun with, he’ll definitely want to be just like us.”

"Hmph! You knew he was too young to be a potential cultivator, yet you still tried to abduct him..."

And so, amidst the nagging and complaints of their elders, the three of them quickly and efficiently arranged all the offerings.

He checked the incense again, then stepped back respectfully and bowed in all directions once more.

The murmurs of the phantom known as "Master Hu" gradually subsided, and its form faded again, seemingly focused on enjoying the aroma of the newly offered incense and food.

Only then did he quietly leave the incense hall and carefully close the heavy door.

Outside, the sunlight has returned to its bright state.

Deng Youcai breathed a huge sigh of relief, finally finding peace and quiet.

That room was just a "general ancestral hall" or similar place where offerings are made in a central area of ​​this large courtyard.

Besides, most of the other independent rooms in the courtyard are not for human habitation, but rather "single rooms" for the deities.

Inside, there may be a separate shrine to "immortals" or ancestral spirits.

Among these many rooms, there is said to be a main room that even Guan Shihua herself does not usually enter.

What is enshrined there is probably the true "foundation" of the shamanic lineage or some extraordinary being.

If a spirit later achieves success in its cultivation and its strength is recognized, and it is willing to establish a stable connection with the temple, then it is also possible.

Naturally, there will be a separate "room" here to enjoy incense offerings, becoming part of the essence of the Guanwai Ma Xian lineage.

This is the complex ecosystem and accumulated foundation system built up over hundreds of years by the lineage of shamans.

After they returned the empty food containers to the kitchen and put them away, they went back to Guan Shihua's warm room.

They discovered that a small elm wood square table had already been placed on the kang (a heated brick bed) inside the room.

The table was steaming, with several plates of freshly cooked dishes: the rich aroma of braised chicken with mushrooms, the blood sausage with pickled cabbage and pork, the freshness of stir-fried wild vegetables, and a bowl of golden millet rice.

Master Chai sat in a chair, while Guan Shihua had already taken off her shoes and climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), sitting cross-legged at the table waiting for them.

"We've been waiting for the three of you. Come on up and eat while it's hot."

Guan Shihua greeted them.

The group quickly took off their shoes, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), sat down around the small square table, and picked up their bowls and chopsticks.

Chapter 25 Enjoying the Process of Cooking Lamb and Slaughtering Beef

Although it's just simple mountain home cooking, it's prepared with care by a specialist, using fresh ingredients and a rich flavor. It's much more abundant and delicious than what Qinghe Miao usually eats at home.

This period can be said to be the most comfortable time he has had in terms of "eating" since he transmigrated.

Farmers who have lived for decades are no match for these landlords and wealthy landowners who have inherited their wealth.

Unfortunately, these good days will soon come to an end.

Because summer vacation was coming to an end, he had to go back to school.

A few days later, Qinghe Miao carried the red envelope that Guan Shihua had given him privately, which was definitely a huge sum of money at that time.

Together with Master Chai, we embarked on the journey down the mountain to return home.

The mountain road winds its way through the lush forests on both sides.

After walking for a while, Master Chai looked at his apprentice who was silently hurrying along beside him and couldn't help but ask:

"Miaozi, how was your trip? Did you gain anything?"

"The harvest... is quite substantial."

Qinghe Miao pretended to think for a moment, then put on an extremely serious expression and answered:

"The biggest takeaway is that I think if I can maintain the current pace, it might not take as long as I originally estimated, eighty or ninety or even a hundred years... maybe only sixty or seventy years, and I will be able to ascend to heaven!"

Master, are you really not going to try a little harder and find a way to persevere a little longer? Witnessing a miracle with your own eyes would be so exhilarating!

"You brat!"

Master Chai was amused by his boastful yet teasing words, and jokingly raised his hand as if to hit him:

"You're just spouting unrealistic things!"

Sixty or seventy years... At his age, what's the difference between that and the previous eighty or ninety years!

He just felt that his apprentice was talking nonsense again.

……

Not long after returning to the village, Qinghe Miao put on his school uniform again and became a student who had just entered the third year of junior high school. He would face the high school entrance examination again in a year.

Of course, I didn't do any summer homework, and the teacher didn't look at it either.

However, even in the relatively stressful third year of junior high school, it was still a challenge for a transmigrator with a system.

This wasn't the main thing that wore him down.

It truly proves the old saying: It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

After experiencing the exhilarating feeling of "efficiently gaining experience" at Guan Shihua's place during the summer vacation, I returned to my daily routine of cultivation.

I always feel that the progress is slow and the efficiency is low, and there is an indescribable sense of "sluggishness".

Just by looking at the progress bar, you can clearly see the difference.

But the more this is the case, the more it is a time for him to cultivate, given that he possesses the system.

Qinghe Miao tried hard to suppress his urge to roam the martial world and cause trouble, and forced himself to continue his daily routine.

The past six months at school have been rather uneventful and mundane.

In the blink of an eye, autumn has passed and winter has arrived, and it's time for winter vacation again.

However, even so, when the holiday came again, Qinghe Miao did not rush to the lobby as soon as she did during the summer vacation.

It's not because of the Lunar New Year holiday, and I'm planning to spend it at home.

Although the festive atmosphere of the New Year is indeed very strong in this era, it can truly bring people joy.

But for Qinghe Miao, there is something else that is even more anticipated than the New Year itself.

At the east end of the village, a robust, glossy-coated yellow ox is tethered at the spacious gate of a farmhouse.

The ox stood there obediently, occasionally swishing its tail, seemingly unaware of its impending doom.

Qinghe Miao first nodded to the middle-aged rural couple standing to the side, indicating that they were about to begin.

Then, carrying a butcher knife on his back, he walked over with exaggerated steps, muttering incantations as if he were doing something.

When he got to the ox, he stretched out his other hand and gently covered the ox's eyes with his palm, cleverly blocking part of the ox's vision.

At the same time, he activated his Stand, Metal Product, with a thought.

This third Stand he drew was not a physical manifestation type; it was a very small multiple Stand.

In its normal state, it is like countless tiny metallic life forms, hidden within its own body.

It possesses a relatively sharp lethality.

Its core capability is to precisely control iron elements within a radius of five to ten meters centered on itself through a magnetic manipulation effect.

Whether it's iron objects in the environment or iron elements within living organisms.

As the stand-in within the system was released silently, Qinghe Miao could clearly "sense" it.

Countless abnormally active metallic life forms instantly filled his meridians and blood vessels, closely connected with his spiritual power.

His senses spread out like radar, easily "locking onto" the iron-rich blood flowing through the body of the robust yellow bull before him.

Qinghe Miao pretended to stab someone with a knife, and at the same time, under his mental control, the ability of the [Metal Product] was activated.

Using iron from nature as a raw material, it is directly delivered into the body of a yellow cattle, instantly creating a pure iron scalpel at a vital point that could cause immediate death.

It instantly destroys key physiological structures from within the target area, while simultaneously and rapidly drawing iron from the surrounding area, accelerating death.

The whole process happened in the blink of an eye.

The ox felt almost no pain; its massive body trembled slightly, and its life force quickly dissipated.

Its limbs went limp, and it fell to the ground silently and cleanly, without struggling or groaning, as if it had simply fallen asleep peacefully.

The instant the scalper collapsed, the system notification arrived in Qing Hemiao's mind as expected: