Uncle Nine: Scattering beans to create soldiers? I'm using plants and trees to create soldiers.

"Hey! Why is this person dressed like someone who's performing in a theatrical opera?"

"Absolutely! A red headscarf wrapped around his head, and a grown man wearing a purple skirt underneath—this androgynous guy, could he really catch ghosts?"

"Where did this design come from? It's quite unique!"

A murmur arose from the crowd.

All eyes were focused on the new Taoist's attire, their expressions strange.

Awei's brows were now furrowed in worry.

Looking at the person's clothes and appearance, he felt that the man surnamed Wang was simply making fun of him!

Earlier today at the security team, my cousin-in-law, Ren Fa, spoke up for Lin Xuan in front of everyone and even told me to listen to him.

That really annoyed him!

Later, Ren Fa, with a beaming smile, asked Lin Xuan to do something for his friend.

This action was tantamount to throwing Awei's face on the ground and stomping on it!

The person whom Awei rejected ended up being treated as an honored guest by Ren Fa.

If Ren Fa hadn't been his cousin's husband, he would have lost his temper on the spot!

So from that moment on, he was seething with anger!

Now, he's just waiting for the "expert" that Boss Wang mentioned to arrive!

Then, with swift and decisive action, they dealt with the water ghosts of Beiqing River, severely suppressing Lin Xuan's arrogance!

This will prove to the whole town—

Captain Wei is the one who is capable and reliable!

But I never expected this!

This guy surnamed Wang actually invited such a brightly dressed fellow!

This person isn't even dressed properly, how can he be here to catch ghosts?

Awei couldn't help but compare Lin Xuan's refined and handsome appearance, with his otherworldly aura, in his mind, and his expression became even more unpleasant.

however,

The Taoist priest from Lushan completely ignored the belittling and snickering of those around him.

He strode ahead, his feet shod in straw sandals, his steps steady and powerful.

A rough hemp rope hung from his waist, with a fist-sized copper bell tied to the end of the rope.

The copper bells swayed with each step, producing a dull "dong dong" sound.

As Mr. Wang walked to the side, he listened to the discussions around him and cautiously glanced at the Taoist priest next to him, cold sweat sliding down his cheeks.

Seeing the other party's expression of no anger, Boss Wang carefully let out a long breath.

Others may not know, but he personally witnessed the true skills of this Taoist priest from Lushan!

They would walk on mountains of knives, cross bridges of fire, and even bite a red-hot iron plow to perform rituals!

The reason he dared to transport goods on this "haunted" river at night was because of the talismans and magical artifacts he bought from the other party!

With these things ensuring his safety, he has never encountered any problems when setting sail.

Just as Boss Wang was about to explain, someone in the crowd suddenly spoke up.

"What do you know?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was a middle-aged man wearing a gray short jacket.

He was thin, had a goatee, and carried a pipe in his hand.

When he spoke, his tone was calm and unhurried, carrying a sense of composure that comes with experience.

"The Lushan School originates from the lineage of ancient shamans, which is different from the Taoist priests of Maoshan and Longhushan that we often see. Their lineage is closer to that of shamans, and wearing red and colorful clothes is a rule of their lineage, not a theatrical performance."

The middle-aged man tapped his pipe and continued unhurriedly, "Moreover, the founder of the Lushan Sect is Lushan Jiulang, a ruthless character who is in charge of the underwater realm! His skill in slaying dragons and locking snakes has been passed down for over a thousand years. It's the right thing to leave the dirty things underwater to the Lushan Taoists to handle."

After he finished speaking, he stuffed another pinch of tobacco into the pipe, squinted, lit it, and looked completely unfazed.

Upon hearing this, the snickers around them gradually subsided.

"Oh, I see. I thought this person liked unconventional clothing..."

"That's because you're inexperienced. The moment I saw him, I recognized him as a red-headed sorcerer from the Lushan Sect! These red-headed sorcerers are incredibly powerful in magical combat!"

"Tell me quickly how amazing it is..."

Many people looked at each other, their mockery turning into curiosity and scrutiny.

So he's an expert at dealing with water ghosts?

Well, that outfit is acceptable...

As Awei listened to the changing tone of the conversations around him, a thought struck him, and his prejudice against the Lushan Sect lessened somewhat.

Well—who cares what he's dressed like, as long as he can get things done!

As long as he can get rid of the water ghost in front of the whole town, Awei will regain his face!

Thinking of this, Awei finally managed a smile.

He stepped forward, adopting a businesslike demeanor, and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, Taoist priest! I am the security captain of Renjia Town. May I ask your name?"

Lushan Taoist stopped and glanced at Awei sideways.

His gaze was utterly indifferent, as if he were looking at a roadside wooden stake.

"No need for formalities, my surname is Chen."

Only four words, not even an extra emoji.

Then, he turned his head, his gaze passing over Awei, and looked directly at the shimmering surface of the Beiqing River in the distance, asking in a deep voice, "Where is that filthy thing?"

Awei's smile froze on his face.

He, a dignified security captain, went up to greet them with great airs, but the other party didn't even give him a second glance!

My face felt burning, as if I had been slapped in public.

Awei's fists were clenched so tightly inside his sleeves that they cracked, and his veins bulged.

But he took a deep breath and forced himself to hold it in.

I can't lose my composure in front of so many people... I'll hold back for now!

I'll settle this score with the Taoist priest after he gets rid of the water ghost!

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Boss Wang quickly stepped forward with a smile to smooth things over: "Master Chen, it's right in the middle of the Beiqing River! A few days ago, they just pulled a water corpse out of there. Last night, Uncle Jiu's eldest disciple went to investigate and said there's a very fierce and dirty thing lurking down there."

"Lead the way."

The Taoist priest Chen spoke succinctly and had already started walking towards the riverbank.

Boss Wang hurriedly jogged to catch up.

Awei stood there, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty for a long while.

He finally snorted coldly, put his hands behind his back, and strode after them.

The security team members behind him also gathered around, and a group of fishermen and civilians who wanted to watch the spectacle rushed to the riverbank.

……

On the river, a small boat slowly glides towards the center.

The Taoist priest Chen stood at the bow of the boat, his arms crossed over his chest, his large red headscarf fluttering in the river breeze.

He closed his eyes slightly, and the straw sandals beneath his feet gently tapped against the deck, as if sensing something.

When the boat reached the widest part of the river, he suddenly opened his eyes.

"stop."

The fisherman rowing the boat shuddered and hurriedly stopped the boat.

The Taoist priest lowered his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through the murky river water, reaching beneath the surface.

At the same time, the Dao Qi within the body circulates, and perception spreads out like a large net.

A moment later, his brows furrowed slightly.

There is definitely something underwater.

A chilling, malevolent aura, like solidified silt, sank deep into the riverbed.

Warlock in the early stages...

"It's a sunken corpse."

Taoist Chen came to a conclusion.

He withdrew his consciousness and slightly opened his eyes.

He has dealt with quite a few corpses over the years.

The corpse sank to the bottom of the water, and its resentment lingered. The vengeful spirits born from this spirit could only cling to the area around the corpse, and their range of movement was extremely limited.

This thing has no intelligence or spiritual attainment; it's just a bunch of instinctive resentment at work.

Once the source of the corpse is found, and the wronged bones are purified with holy water, the wronged soul will naturally vanish.

simple.

The Taoist priest patted the fisherman on the shoulder, signaling him to turn back to shore.

The awning boat slowly turned around, and the river water was stirred up by the stern, creating a turbid whirlpool.

Sunlight penetrates the shallow water and shines obliquely into the riverbed.

Just as the ship's silhouette disappeared into the distance—

Deep in the dark riverbed, amidst the silt, the outline of a stone tortoise can be vaguely seen.

The black tortoise was the size of a millstone, its entire body covered in silt and aquatic plants, almost blending into the riverbed.

Thick, rusted iron chains encircled the body of the black tortoise, coiling around it as if they were wrapped around something.

However, the object was firmly pressed to the bottom of the mud and sand by the stone tortoise sculpture, so its full appearance could not be seen.

Occasionally, extremely fine black smoke seeped out from the gaps in the iron chains.

A small fish swam over the black tortoise, wagging its tail, when suddenly its body stiffened, as if it had been seized by something invisible.

Next second,

The little fish twitched violently, frantically thrashed its tail, and darted away in terror, not daring to come any closer.

……

at the same time.

Aoki Town, Zhang Family Residence.

In the courtyard of the front yard, the altar has already been set up.

Boss Zhang and his servants had already obediently retreated to the front yard, and the gate was tightly closed.

In the center of the spacious courtyard, Lin Xuan, dressed in a blue Taoist robe, stood before the altar.

On the table, wisps of smoke curled from the incense burner, and the candlelight burned straight in the windless courtyard.

Lin Xuan remained calm and took out four straw figures, placing them on a bright yellow Bagua tablecloth.

"call--"

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, and the pure Dao Qi within his body instantly circulated throughout his entire body.

He put his index and middle fingers together and lightly traced a line on his left thumb.

A drop of blood essence, faintly radiating pure yang energy within its crimson hue, was forced out.

Lin Xuan dipped his right index finger in the blood and bent down to gently outline the face of the first straw doll.

Two horizontal lines represent eyebrows, two dots represent eyes, and one vertical line and one horizontal line represent the nose and mouth.

The brushstrokes are simple, yet they subtly correspond to the positions of the five senses and the principles of qi and blood.

With each stroke, a faint trace of Daoist energy seeped into the straw along with the bloodstains.

When the last stroke was completed, the originally stiff straw-woven face inexplicably gained a touch of liveliness.

It's as if it has "expressions".

Lin Xuan remained expressionless and repeated the same actions on the faces of the remaining three straw figures.

One, two, three, four.

The faces of the four straw figures were all painted with lifelike features.

He put his hand away, took the wolf-hair brush from the altar, and dipped it into the ink in the bowl, which was made by mixing rooster blood, cinnabar, and pine soot ink.

The brush moves like dragons and snakes—

The pen tip flew across the yellow paper, and powerful yet fluid runes leaped onto the paper as if they were alive.

With each stroke, Lin Xuan infused his fingertips with a faint Daoist Qi, causing the turns of the runes to gleam with a dark red luster.

One, two, three, four.

Four high-quality corpse-suppressing talismans were completed in one go.

Then, Lin Xuan picked up the lightning-struck wood seal and pressed it heavily onto the talisman; a flash of golden light disappeared in an instant.

Lin Xuan folded the corpse-suppressing talismans into specific triangular shapes and stuffed them into the cavities reserved inside the four grasses.

After doing all this, Lin Xuan calmed his mind and took a stick of incense from the altar, igniting it with Daoist energy.

Wisps of smoke rose and swirled in the afternoon sunlight.

A faint scent of sandalwood wafted through the air.

Lin Xuan closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and began to chant a mantra to summon the gods.

This is a necessary ritual in the Maoshan lineage before consecrating and imbuing the straw figure with spiritual consciousness—inviting the patriarch to descend to the altar and using the patriarch's power as a medium to endow the straw figure with spiritual awareness.

As the incense wafted through the air, Lin Xuan sensed a solemn and dignified aura slowly descending from the depths of the void.

That aura was formless and intangible, yet it truly enveloped the altar.

The candle flames that had been burning straight in the courtyard flickered violently the moment this aura descended—and then the flames became three times brighter than before!

Lin Xuan's expression became even more respectful.

His hands moved swiftly, forming a complex mudra, while he chanted incantations in a deep, resonant voice that echoed throughout the courtyard like a great bell:

"Plants and trees have no inherent nature, yet they can be transformed into divine weapons through the power of magic."

The three souls gather in the body, and the seven spirits suppress the spirit within!

Laozi, may your command be made swiftly!

open!"

The moment he finished speaking, Lin Xuan pointed his fingers like a sword at the four straw figures on the altar.

"Buzz—"

A faint golden light flowed and shimmered across the surfaces of the four straw figures.

The incense on the altar seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, turning into four straight wisps of white smoke that precisely entered the seven orifices of the straw figure.

In an instant, the surfaces of the four straw figures began to glow!

Their originally withered rice stalks became tough and green at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if they had become some kind of tough vines!

Two tiny red lights, no bigger than pinheads, shone in the eye sockets where the essence blood had been applied, as if they had been infused with a real soul!

[Successfully created four Grass Soldier carriers. Grass Soldier Proficiency +40.]

[Grassroot Soldier Quality: Gray, Superior]

[Built-in Talisman: Corpse-Suppressing Talisman (Mid-grade Common) x1]

[Can be equipped with: 1 unit of Dharma Lineage troops]