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

On the banks of the Beiqing River,

The covered boat has already docked.

With one hand bracing against the gunwale, Taoist Chen nimbly leaped onto the embankment.

As soon as he landed, the crowd that had been waiting on the shore swarmed around him.

"How is it, Taoist Master? What exactly is that thing down there?"

"Are there really water ghosts?!"

"Is that thing fierce? Can we beat it?"

A cacophony of voices rose up.

Taoist Chen glanced at everyone and said in a calm tone, "There is indeed a water ghost that has been transformed from a sunken corpse down there."

These words elicited gasps from the crowd. Many timid fishermen turned pale with fright and instinctively shrank back.

"I knew there was something dirty in this river! The other day when I was casting my net, I felt something was off – a chilly feeling in the water..."

"Good heavens, there really are water ghosts! So what Master Lin said before was true?!"

When Ah Wei heard the words "What Master Lin said is all true," his eye twitched involuntarily.

But what the Taoist priest said next made him bounce back from the depths of despair.

"but--"

The Taoist priest Chen spoke with a confident tone, saying calmly, "That thing has shallow cultivation; it's just a mindless, dead vengeful spirit. It's nothing to worry about."

He paused, then glanced at Boss Wang: "I need some things to perform a ritual. Once everything is ready, it can be completed this afternoon."

"Good! Good, good!" Boss Wang nodded repeatedly. "Master Chen, just tell me what you need, and I'll get it for you!"

Taoist Chen nodded slightly and listed the items:

"Three eight-immortal tables, one stove, thirty catties of charcoal, and one iron plow—an old, used plow, the stronger the iron smell, the better. Also prepare one hundred sheets of yellow paper, twelve sticks of sandalwood incense, and one live rooster..."

"Alright! I'll get on it right away!"

Boss Wang quickly gave a wink to his two attendants behind him, who then left promptly after receiving the order.

Awei finally found a chance to interject, shouting loudly, "Did you all hear that?! The expert has spoken; this water ghost is nothing to worry about! It'll be dealt with this afternoon! Everyone, stop blocking the way and go do whatever you were doing!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "not worth worrying about," as if to imply to the onlookers—look, this is the real master!

Isn't that much better than some guy who just talks about "sealing off the river"?

The onlookers dispersed, leaving in twos and threes, discussing the matter.

"This Taoist priest from Lushan seems quite capable! He figured out the situation after just one trip."

"It can be resolved this afternoon?! Didn't Taoist Priest Lin say that thing underwater was very powerful? Do we have to seal off the river?"

"The Taoist priests of Lushan specialize in dealing with strange occurrences in the underwater realms! They're far more professional than that Xiao Lin! We should listen to the judgment of the experts!"

"Is this Daoist Master Yimei's disciple not very capable at all? He just spouts alarmist nonsense! If what he says is true, and the river is sealed off for a few days, my whole family will starve!"

"That's not how it works. Master Lin must have had his reasons for daring to explore the river alone last night."

"Surely Uncle Nine's apprentice wouldn't scare people for no reason?"

"..."

Hearing these comments, Awei felt incredibly pleased, and the corners of his mouth almost couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

He put his hands behind his back, straightened his chest, and glanced at the security guards beside him.

Those team members were all very good at handling things, and they all gave Awei a thumbs up:

"Captain, you have excellent judgment! The people you invited are the right ones!"

"That's right! Everyone has their own expertise; matters concerning the water should be left to those in charge!"

Hearing these words, Awei's nostrils twitched slightly, but he still managed to put on a humble posture: "Of course! When have I ever let everyone down?"

Taoist Chen turned a deaf ear to all this commotion.

He came to an old locust tree by the riverbank, leaned against the trunk, and crossed his arms.

We need to conserve our energy and wait for the materials to arrive.

In his view, this was just a trivial matter that could be easily handled.

If he weren't currently stuck at the peak of the sorcerer realm and hadn't yet broken through to the early stage of the Taoist realm, he wouldn't have been granted a talisman.

Why go through all this trouble to deal with evil spirits of this level?

All it takes is to open the altar and summon the troops of Zhaolu Mountain Water Palace to easily suppress and kill them!

"It's almost here... Now that I've been bestowed with the Dharma lineage's military power, I'm just one step away from achieving it!"

The Taoist priest pondered to himself, then closed his eyes.

……

However, what he didn't know was—

The lingering vengeful spirit of the corpse he had just sensed, which was "not even at the early stage of a sorcerer level," was merely the aura emanating from the stone-carved black tortoise.

The real thing is hidden deeper.

Hidden beneath that stone tortoise sculpture bound by iron chains...

Money makes the world go round, and Boss Wang was extremely efficient in order to ensure the smooth running of tonight's smuggling business.

In less than half an hour, everything that Taoist Chen wanted was delivered to the riverbank.

Boss Wang even spent a lot of money to rent a spacious, flat-bottomed sand barge.

At the bow of the ship, three heavy old octagonal tables were stacked in a triangular shape, each as tall as two people.

A stove, about half a person's height, was set up in front of the table. Thirty catties of high-quality black charcoal crackled and popped inside the stove, with flames leaping three feet high.

A heavy, old iron plow, covered in mud and rust, was thrown into the furnace.

Under the scorching heat, the iron plow was turning red-hot at a visible speed, emitting a pungent smell of burnt iron.

Chen Dao grabbed a handful of written yellow talismans, channeled his inner Daoist energy, and tossed them onto the river like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

The thin yellow talisman fell into the water and floated quietly.

"Waaaaah—!!"

As a desolate and deep horn sounded, the river surface, which was calm, began to ripple.

This caused the yellow talisman to float up and down.

Many daring townspeople were on small boats, watching from a distance on the water.

Upon seeing this, a gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd.

"Look! The water's moving! It really is magic!"

Just as everyone was marveling, Taoist Chen took out the red-hot iron plow from the furnace and bit down hard with his white teeth!

"hiss--!!!"

A collective gasp of astonishment erupted from the shore!

Everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!

"My God! He... he's carrying a red-hot iron plow in his mouth?!"

"Isn't this hot?! The iron's been heated to that color; a piece of meat would burn instantly if you put it on!"

"The Lushan Sect! This is the Lushan Sect's Fire-Crossing Plow! It's exactly the same as the legends!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Awei was also stunned.

He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down several times, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

The security team members around were also dumbfounded.

They couldn't believe that someone would actually dare to use their mouth to pick up that scalding hot iron that could melt lead and tin!

This is truly divine and miraculous Taoist magic!

Looking at the expressions on the faces of those around him, Boss Wang's face flashed with smugness. "Master Chen is indeed powerful!! He'll give these bumpkins a good thrashing and show them what true Taoist magic is!"

However, Chen the Taoist remained unfazed. He bit down on the red-hot iron plow weighing dozens of kilograms, stepped on it, and leaped straight onto the top of the Eight Immortals table.

Immediately afterwards, Taoist Chen performed the steps of the Dipper and the Big Dipper on the table!

With each step, the desktop emitted a dull thud!

The powerful Dao Qi of the sorcerer's perfected state surged forth without reservation, causing the red headscarf on his head to flutter wildly!

"good!!!"

Awei watched with wide eyes from the shore and couldn't help but lead the way in clapping and cheering loudly.

He turned to Boss Wang and his men with a smug look on his face: "See that?! That's what real skill looks like! That's the demeanor of a true master!"

Boss Wang wiped the sweat of excitement from his brow and echoed, "Captain Wei is brilliant! Now our business tonight is absolutely foolproof!"

Just then, a sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the Taoist priest Chen, who was standing on the high table, and he suddenly shook his head!

"Whoosh—"

The red-hot iron plow, carrying terrifying heat and gravity, drew a dark red arc in the air before crashing heavily into the river's surface with a loud "plop!"

In an instant, the water vapor rose up wildly as if boiling, and white mist spread across the river!

With his hands flying, Chen the Taoist priest unleashed several powerful spells in succession, and the muffled sound of a horn once again pierced the sky.

Underwater, the heavy iron plow, carrying the surging water and the power of the yellow paper talisman, rushed straight to the bottom of the river like a meteorite!

It pressed down precisely on the iron chains of the stone tortoise sculpture!

"Clang!"

A dull metallic clang echoed from the bottom of the water!

Rust mixed with silt surged and swirled instantly!

Driven by the Daoist energy, the red-hot iron plow embedded itself deeply into the crevices of the black tortoise stone carving's shell.

If it were an ordinary sorcerer's initial stage of vengeful spirit, being suppressed by the red-hot iron plow of the Lushan Sect, which contains extremely yang energy, would cause his soul to be scattered on the spot, and his corpse to be completely melted!

Now, as the iron plow continues to press deeper and deeper!

The chilling aura that had been lingering at the bottom of the water also came to an abrupt end, as if its source had been cut off.

Standing on the Eight Immortals table, Taoist Chen closed his eyes and sensed for a moment. When he realized that there was no more yin energy fluctuation below, he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He leaped and landed steadily on the deck, saying calmly, "The water ghost is gone."

"Whoosh—!"

Cheers erupted from the boats where onlookers were gathered, and the people shouted that Master Chen was amazing.

As Master Chen returned to the shore...

With a beaming smile, Awei swaggered to the highest point of the riverbank, cleared his throat, and immediately announced:

"Fellow villagers! With Master Chen's help, the water ghost has been reduced to ashes!"

I, Awei, hereby officially announce in my capacity as the security captain that all blockades on Beiqinghe are lifted immediately and normal passage is permitted!

Those who want to fish, fish; those who want to sail, sail!

As Awei finished speaking, cheers erupted again from the surrounding area.

"Master Chen is amazing! Captain Awei is brilliant!"

"Thanks, Captain Wei! I can go fishing this afternoon!"

"It has to be Captain Wei! He has such a wide network of connections!"

"..."

However, just as everyone was cheering, the iron chains on the back of the Xuan Turtle were struck by the power of the evil spirit, and the rusted parts of them cracked one after another.

Boom-!

The iron chains slammed heavily onto the riverbed, stirring up the silt and sand.

The water stagnant energy that had accumulated beneath the black tortoise for many years suddenly surged back, lifting the several-hundred-pound stone sculpture little by little off the riverbed.

At the same time, the thing that was suppressed under the Xuan Turtle revealed itself.

that,

It was a slender frame!