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

After placing the well god statue, Lin Xuan did not leave the backyard immediately.

He flipped his hand and took out a calamus sword grass from his system backpack.

As soon as this calamus sword grass appeared, the surrounding air was filled with a refreshing herbal fragrance.

Lin Xuan walked to the edge of the field near the well.

This place has the most abundant moisture and is nourished by the spiritual light of the well god statue's water veins, making it an excellent planting site.

Lin Xuan used his fingertips to spread the Dao Qi through the damp soil, planted the calamus sword grass in it, pressed it down to cover the soil, and then poured a ladle of clear well water on it.

slam-la-

As the clear water seeped in, the leaves of the calamus trembled slightly, as if they were cheering and jumping for joy.

[Complete one effective watering, Basic Cultivation Skill Proficiency +2]

After finishing these tasks, Lin Xuan walked along the ridges of the field to observe the condition of the glutinous rice and soybeans.

One batch of Yangnuo rice has already been harvested.

What remains in the fields today are new seedlings that have been re-cultivated.

The glutinous rice seedlings swayed gently in the morning breeze, their leaves glistening with dew, and their roots and stems were much thicker than those of ordinary glutinous rice.

Upon closer inspection, one can feel a warm, yang energy emanating from between the leaves.

Maturity: 8%

The soybeans are growing just as well.

The bean sprouts have thick leaves and plump pods, clearly indicating that they will be ripe soon!

Maturity: 96.4%

Lin Xuan's gaze swept across the farmland, and looking at the plants that were about to mature, he couldn't help but have the idea of ​​expanding the farmland.

If the entire backyard could be turned into a spiritual field, and more peach wood, mugwort, willow branches, jujube wood, mulberry trees and other similar plants could be planted, then in the future, whether it be talismans, magical artifacts, soldiers, or formations, they would all be able to benefit from them.

However, he suppressed the thought as soon as it arose.

"It's not the right time yet."

Lin Xuan muttered to himself.

His understanding of the *Huangting Jing* is not yet at a high level.

The Dharma teachings emanating during chanting have a limited scope.

These few plots of land are now right within the range of the Dharma's power and influence.

If the expansion is undertaken rashly, the plants beyond the designated area will be unable to absorb the meaning of the scriptures, and their growth rate and the development of their spiritual fruits will be affected.

Instead of being greedy, it's better to focus on cultivating the spiritual plants in front of you first.

Once the Huangting Jing is further improved and the scope of mental observation expands, it will not be too late to expand the spiritual field.

Lin Xuan stood by the field, looking at the vegetation before him, his anticipation growing stronger.

The fruits produced by these plants can not only greatly enhance his strength and cultivation, but also, in turn, increase the power of his lineage's troops.

Take, for example, the "Grass-Headed Soldiers" created from soybeans and shady grass.

The former is more focused on nourishing qi, while the latter contains water and belongs to yin qi. If these two types of plants are used to make a straw figure, and then a celestial army is invited to possess it, the army can take shape and act by borrowing the form of the plants, and its power will naturally be far superior to ordinary paper figures or straw figures.

Sweet flag sword grass is even more special.

It inherently possesses the characteristics of a "carrier of the Dharma lineage".

The straw figures made from it can not only carry the magical energy of soldiers and horses, but also nurture the spirits attached to them.

even……

Lin Xuan's eyes flickered slightly.

If conditions permit in the future, we can use calamus sword grass to make special field protectors to raise rampaging soldiers.

The so-called "rampant soldiers" include the souls of soldiers who died on the battlefield but were not worshipped, the wandering ghosts in the mountains and temples that were not incorporated into the army, and even mountain spirits, evil spirits and yin entities that are suppressed by the sorcerer with talismans and then driven to do things.

Compared to regular troops with lineages, patriarchs, and official registers, the rampant soldiers were more like scattered, unorganized guerrillas.

Fierce, ruthless, and quick to act, but wild and untamed.

They often only recognize symbols and commands, without distinguishing right from wrong.

If one uses soldiers to carry out rituals, and these soldiers go too far, harming innocent people or disrupting the balance of Yin and Yang, the consequences will ultimately fall back on the one who performed the ritual.

What's more troublesome is that there's also the risk of the rampant soldiers turning against them.

For example, in wicked rituals like the "capture the living to take the dead" type, if the wicked soldiers cannot find a target, they may instead capture the soul of the one performing the ritual to fulfill their obligation.

There is also support.

The soldiers are greedy and fierce; they easily harbor resentment if any one of their food, incense, blood offerings, or paper money is missing.

If offerings are neglected even slightly, they may secretly cause trouble and disrupt the peace of the household.

Therefore, many righteous cultivators would rather spend more effort to invite the army of the Dharma lineage than bother to raise such troublesome things.

But these problems were not a big deal for Lin Xuan.

His system already possessed the ability to transform plants and trees.

If one directly transforms plants and trees into spirits and uses them as guardian soldiers for the fields, these plant and tree spirits will naturally be under his control and will be inclined to be close to him. Therefore, there will be no problem of them being untamed and turning against him at will.

As for the wandering ghosts captured from outside, they can be suppressed with the body of plants and trees, and then cleansed day and night with the teachings of the "Huang Ting Jing".

The scriptures nourish silently, and even plants and trees carry their spirit.

Over time, the malevolence and wildness of those wandering ghosts will eventually be worn away.

Offering food is simpler.

Others who raise sacrificial soldiers worry about not being able to supply them with incense, blood offerings, and spiritual materials.

For Lin Xuan, once the spirit fields are established on a large scale, various plants and spiritual materials are just a matter of course.

Let alone providing them with food.

If conditions permit in the future, it might not be impossible to forge a set of exclusive magical artifacts for each of the field-protecting soldiers.

A glint of light flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes as he imagined that scene.

Protector of the fields, soldiers of grass and trees, soldiers of the Dharma lineage!

If these three elements can work together, this backyard of the mortuary will no longer be just a spiritual field.

It is not a place of plants and trees!

Lin Xuan pulled himself out of his thoughts and sat down cross-legged by the edge of the field.

A morning breeze blows, and the grass and trees sway gently.

He formed a mudra with his hands, slowly closed his eyes, and a deep chanting sound echoed in the backyard.

"The Supreme Lord, in his leisure, composed a seven-character poem explaining the physical form and the various deities..."

As soon as the sound was uttered, the surrounding vegetation reacted immediately.

The leaves of the Yangnuo rice plant trembled slightly, and the dewdrops on the leaf tips reflected a faint red light.

The water plants by the well emitted a faint white light, and the calamus sword grass swayed gently, with a trace of sword intent flowing between its narrow leaves.

[You have completed one effective recitation of the Huangting Sutra. Your Huangting Sutra experience points will increase by 1.]

[You have completed one effective recitation of the Huangting Sutra. Your Huangting Sutra experience points will increase by 1.]

……

System notifications sounded one after another.

Lin Xuan calmed his mind, and his breathing gradually blended with the energy of the surrounding plants.

Time passes little by little.

The sun rises in the east, and golden morning light shines over the courtyard wall and onto the ridges of the fields.

Just as Lin Xuan was immersed in chanting scriptures and cultivating himself, there was a sudden, urgent knocking at the front door.

Bang bang bang!

Is anyone there?

"Has Master Kobayashi returned yet?!"

The voice was heavy with fatigue, weak and listless.

Lin Xuan paused in his chanting and slowly opened his eyes.

In the front courtyard, Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai were also awakened by the knocking.

"Someone's knocking? Is that Wei?"

"I wonder if our senior brother has returned yet. Let's go out and check!"

The two hurriedly put on their clothes.

Lin Xuan got up, brushed the dust off his robes, and walked towards the front yard.

The gates of the mortuary opened.

A security guard was standing outside the door.

The man's eyes were bloodshot, his eye sockets were dark, and his face was haggard, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night.

When he saw that it was Lin Xuan who opened the door, he was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes lit up with surprise.

"Master Kobayashi!"

"You're finally back!"

"Another incident has occurred in Beiqinghe!"

Lin Xuan's expression shifted slightly. "What's going on?"

The team member swallowed hard and quickly said, "Boss Wang's boat sank last night! Boss Wang and his men all died in the river, and their bodies are still floating on the surface!"

At this moment, Qiu Sheng and his companion came out from behind. Upon seeing Lin Xuan, they quickly walked up to him and greeted him.

Lin Xuan nodded to the two of them, then looked at the team member at the door again, "Wait for me a moment, I'll go with you to take a look."

After saying that, he turned and went back to the backyard.

When Lin Xuan arrived at the water tank, he took a special look at the two plants of Yinshui grass.

Maturity: 94.4%

It's still a ways off from being fully mature.

Lin Xuan's gaze darkened slightly. He turned and went into the house, taking out two protective magic items from the cabinet left by his master and putting them into his system backpack.

A moment later, Lin Xuan, along with Qiu Sheng, Wen Cai, and the security guard, headed to the Beiqinghe Wharf.

When the group arrived at the dock, the banks of the Beiqing River were already crowded with people.

The security team used wooden stakes and ropes to set up a cordon, keeping onlookers outside the dock.

But the more people tried to stop them, the more people there were.

All eyes were peering at the river.

Some timid women covered their mouths, their faces pale, and repeatedly chanted Amitabha Buddha.

Some curious young men stood on tiptoe, craned their necks, and peered inside, occasionally letting out gasps of surprise.

On the periphery of the crowd, some sharp-eyed people spotted Lin Xuan walking slowly towards them, and a murmur of discussion immediately arose.

"Look! Master Lin is here!"

"He really is Master One-Eyebrow's eldest disciple! That's wonderful!"

"With Master Kobayashi here, this matter should be handled properly, right?"

The group spontaneously parted to form a path.

At the very back of the crowd, security captain Awei stood there like a wilted eggplant.

At this moment, he had two huge dark circles under his eyes, dark circles under his eyes, and dry, chapped lips.

His previous arrogance vanished completely, and he looked like a sick ghost whose life force had just been drained by a demon.

Upon seeing Lin Xuan, Awei gritted his teeth and forced himself to approach, "Lin...Lin Xuan, you've come."

Lin Xuan nodded slightly, his gaze passing over him to the dock and the river. "Is the area around the dock sealed off? Now it's not just at night that it needs to be sealed off; to avoid accidents, boats can't sail during the day either."

"It's been sealed off, and all passing ships have been notified."

Awei nodded with a sullen face.

Lin Xuan didn't say anything more after hearing this and continued walking towards the dock.

As I reached the riverbank, a faint smell of blood wafted over with the steam.

Lin Xuan looked up.

On the river not far away, several corpses were gently bobbing up and down with the ripples.

Some were facing upwards, their skin pale and bluish from being soaked in the river water.

Some only showed half of their arms, their sleeves swaying with the water.

Further away, several broken pieces of boat planks can be seen swirling on the river.

Awei followed behind Lin Xuan, and when he saw the corpses, his face turned even paler.

After the incident last night, he also led a group of people to the riverbank.

He had intended to retrieve the body, but considering that the vengeful ghost in the water might still be nearby, he didn't dare let anyone go into the water.

So the bodies floated on the river overnight.

And that's why the rumors in the town spread more and more wildly.

"Yesterday, Master Lin told Ah Wei to seal off the dock, but Ah Wei refused and insisted on hiring a Taoist priest from Lushan to perform a ritual. And what happened? The ritual was performed, but the water ghost was still there, and a whole boatload of people died!"

"This is a huge mess! So many people have died, when will the Beiqing River be sealed off?"

"I told you long ago, in our Renjia Town, we should listen to Uncle Jiu and Master Lin! They're the ones with real skills!"

"That's right! I knew something was wrong right away, and I told the people next to me not to rush to lift the lockdown. But nobody listened, and now look what's happened!"

The surrounding people chattered amongst themselves, their voices low, but they still reached Awei's ears.

Awei's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

He felt incredibly frustrated.

When Taoist Chen opened the altar yesterday, the group of people clapped and cheered, constantly praising Captain Wei's wisdom.

Now that something has gone wrong, everyone's become armchair strategist after the fact.

They're pushing all the blame onto him!

But Awei didn't have the guts to lose his temper in public.

After all, it was indeed he who lifted the ban.

Thinking of this, Awei cursed the Taoist priest Chen in his heart and felt a surge of injustice.

How the hell can you blame me? It's all that Chen's fault! He's the one who didn't kill that water ghost!

What does this have to do with me?!

It's entirely their own fault!

It's entirely their own fault!

The surrounding chatter reached Lin Xuan's ears, but he ignored it.

After staring at the corpse on the river for a moment, Lin Xuan said, "Awei, find a fishing net."

"A fishing net?" Awei was taken aback. "What would you need that for?!"

"Retrieve the body."

When Awei heard the words "retrieve corpses," his throat involuntarily bobbed.

He glanced at the river, his eyes filled with apprehension.

But Lin Xuan had already spoken, so he didn't dare delay any longer. He quickly turned around and shouted to his men, "You guys, hurry up and find fishing nets! The sturdier the better!"

Several security guards quickly responded and ran away.

Just then, an old voice suddenly came from behind the crowd.

"Master Kobayashi!"

The onlookers were pushed aside from behind.

An old man carrying a bamboo pole walked over quickly.

His hair was gray and his face was deeply wrinkled; he was the old man who had rowed Lin Xuan's boat the night before last.

The old man approached and bowed to Lin Xuan, saying, "Young Daoist Lin, are you going to retrieve those corpses? I'll go and lend a hand."

"Old man, it's you~" Lin Xuan glanced at him, recognized him, smiled and nodded, then couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of the dirty things underwater?"

"Afraid."

The old man glanced at the corpse floating in the river, a flicker of fear crossing his face, but then he shook his head and said, "With Master Lin here, this old man's life will be safe!"

"Besides, a dead person can't just stay in the river forever. Retrieving them sooner rather than later is a way to give them some dignity."

The surrounding people nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

"You're so kind, sir!" Lin Xuan glanced at the old man, his eyes filled with admiration. "In that case, I'll trouble you."

The old man waved his hands repeatedly, a simple smile appearing on his wrinkled face. "It is my blessing to be able to help Master Lin."

Upon hearing this, Awei, who was standing next to him, blushed immediately.

The old man's words were like a slap in the face!

He, the dignified captain of the Renjia Town security team, holding a foreign gun and leading dozens of fully armed men, stood here, yet he was not as reassuring as a young man in a Taoist robe!

I've really lost face today.