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

The backyard of the mortuary

Chen Bingwen has already left.

The altar in Beiqinghe needs to be reopened, and many things are required.

Clean water, incense, talismans, cinnabar, chicken blood... all need to be prepared again.

Although he was only an assistant in this religious ceremony, he was still holding a grudge deep down.

He's determined to get back the face of Lushan that's been tarnished by him!

Even if he lacks the strength, even if he can only assist Lin Xuan, he will still do his best in everything!

Once Chen Bingwen had walked away, the backyard fell silent again.

Lin Xuan didn't delay and turned to the water vat.

Inside the water tank, two plants of water plants grow quietly.

Lin Xuan looked up and the system panel appeared.

【Shady Water Grass】

[Quality: White]

Maturity: 95.5%

【Characteristic: Watery and Yin-gathering】

[Dao Guo: "Grassroots Soldiers"]

……

【Shady Water Grass】

[Quality: White]

Maturity: 96.3%

【Characteristic: Watery and Yin-gathering】

[Dao Guo: "Grassroots Soldiers"]

……

Nourished by the divine essence of the Well God, the Yin Water Grass has increased its growth rate and is just one step away from maturity.

Lin Xuan flipped his hand, took out the last two drops of Yin Water Essence, and put them into the water tank.

The azure water shimmered and spread in the tank, followed by a chill that seeped into the water.

Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in front of the water vat, his hands forming a mudra, and began to chant the "Huang Ting Jing".

"When the Supreme Lord was at leisure, he composed a seven-character poem to explain his physical form and the various gods."

"Above is the Yellow Court, below is the Guanyuan Gate, behind is the Nether Gate, in front is the Gate of Life..."

A deep chanting sound slowly rose from the backyard.

The meaning of the scriptures spread with the sound and fell into the water tank.

The two Yin Water Grass plants absorbed the Yin Water Essence even faster.

The surface of the water in the tank rippled slightly, and the water vapor was constantly being absorbed by the grass leaves.

The maturity level on the system panel also slowly increased.

[The Yin Water Grass absorbs the essence of Yin Water, thus increasing its maturity.]

Current maturity level: 96.5%

Current maturity level: 96.6%

......

Current maturity level: 99.9%

Time passed, and about half an hour went by.

hum-

The water in the tank rippled slightly.

The two Yinshui grasses crossed the last line, and their breath instantly became complete.

All the blue veins on the leaf lit up at the same time.

The *Agrostis spp.* has reached 100% maturity.

[Harvestable.]

The *Agrostis spp.* has reached 100% maturity.

[Harvestable.]

Lin Xuan opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

Become!

He got up and went to the water tank, reaching out to grasp two plants of shady grass.

The moment my fingertips touched the leaf, a cool sensation traveled down my skin and into my palm.

Lin Xuan gently lifted his wrist.

wow-

He pulled two water plants, covered in fine water droplets, from the water tank.

The moment the roots leave the water, the previously dispersed moisture immediately gathers and condenses into a bunch of bluish-black grass leaves.

Harvest one white-quality Yin Water Grass; "Grass Soldier" proficiency +50.

Harvest one white-quality Yin Water Grass; "Grass Soldier" proficiency +55.

Just as the two notification sounds ended, a new system notification sounded.

[Proficiency in "Grassroots Soldiers" has reached the required level.]

[The Grassroots Soldier has been upgraded to Lv4 (gray).]

[Effects: Deepen understanding of straw soldier making, enhance the straw figure's ability to carry divine intent, increase command response speed, and improve basic spirituality.]

boom!

A sudden realization flooded Lin Xuan's mind.

Plants and trees form the body, talismans the spirit, essence and blood are used to activate the energy channels, and magical energy connects with the spirit!

At this moment, many details about the production of the grass-root soldiers became incredibly clear.

After a while, Lin Xuan finished digesting the knowledge in his mind, went to the side, and took out the materials to make grass soldiers.

Corpse-suppressing talisman.

Yang glutinous rice.

Cinnabar chicken blood.

There was also a small bundle of red thread and two thin bamboo strips.

The corpse-suppressing talisman was one he had drawn beforehand; it had a yellow background and cinnabar, with a faint red magical light shining through the talisman paper.

Yang glutinous rice is spiritual rice that has been consecrated.

The cinnabar mixed with chicken blood has even more yang energy, making it perfect for applying the essence to the straw figure and drawing its image.

All materials are ready.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath and began to move his fingers.

He used thin bamboo strips as the skeleton of the straw man, folding them to create the basic shapes of the head, torso, and limbs. Then he used water grass as the skin, covering it piece by piece, and secured it with red thread around the joints.

Lin Xuan's fingers were nimble and precise; the placement of each blade of grass and the tightness of each red thread were just right.

In a short while, the two bundles of dark green grass leaves in his hands quickly turned into two palm-sized straw figures.

The leaves of the grass, called "Cao Ren Yin Shui Cao," are layered and attached to the bamboo strips, resembling a bluish-black water armor.

The leaves fit together perfectly, and the joints tied with red thread protrude slightly, like hidden snap buttons, ready to be bent and stretched at any time.

Compared to the rough straw figures he had made when he practiced, these two in front of him were far more refined in both shape and structure!

Lin Xuan flipped his right hand and grabbed a handful of Yangnuo rice.

He channeled his inner energy into the rice grains.

hum-

The originally white and jade-like glutinous rice quickly turned crimson.

In just a few breaths, the rice grains turned completely blood red, as if they had been soaked in blood.

A warm, dry yang energy spread from the palm of his hand.

Lin Xuan continued moving.

He divided the blood-red glutinous rice into two portions, wrapped them in layers of leaves of the Yinshui grass, and stuffed them between the chests and abdomens of the two straw figures.

Yin water grass belongs to Yin, while yang glutinous rice belongs to Yang.

One connects to the water veins, the other suppresses the evil spirits of corpses.

Only when the two are combined can the straw figure, when fighting in the water, not have its magical intent dissipated by the water vapor, and can also suppress the evil spirits of the corpse.

Water and fire are in harmony, yin and yang embrace each other!

Then, Lin Xuan folded the two corpse-suppressing talismans into small cores and pressed them into the straw man's abdominal cavity.

The two straw figures trembled slightly the moment the talisman entered their stomachs.

A faint red hue peeked through the gaps in the grass blades.

Lin Xuan took the small dish containing cinnabar and chicken blood.

Within the bright red cinnabar, the yang energy of the chicken blood had not yet dissipated, faintly carrying a pungent aroma.

He ran his fingers along his fingertips, forcing out a drop of blood.

The essence and blood fell into the cinnabar chicken blood.

laugh--

A faint red light appeared in the dish.

The mixture of cinnabar, chicken blood, and essence blood instantly made the aura more solid.

Lin Xuan used a thin wooden stick to dip into the blood and sand, and outlined the facial features on the faces of the two straw figures.

First, tap your eyes.

Draw the nose and mouth next.

Finally, a drop of crimson blood fell between the eyebrows.

The moment the red dot between their brows was formed, the grass leaves on both straw figures rustled and vibrated simultaneously, giving them an added touch of spirituality!

Lin Xuan looked at the two straw figures in front of him with an increasingly serious expression.

Now, the straw man is just one crucial step away from completion!

Lin Xuan lifted the two straw figures and brought them to the front of the statue of the Well God.

Inside the incense burner, only half of the previously burned incense sticks remained.

Lin Xuan relit the three incense sticks, inserted them into the incense burner, and then respectfully placed the two straw figures in front of the statue.

He clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, his voice steady as a bell: "Disciple Lin Xuan requests the Well God to lend a wisp of the water vein's spiritual energy."

"Help this grass soldier enter the water and capture the evil!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xuan bowed deeply.

hum! ! !

Above the statue, the deity seated on the sacred tortoise faintly emanated a blue glow.

As if receiving a decree, the steam at the well's edge suddenly stirred up a gentle breeze.

At the same time, the smoke from the incense burner stopped rising and was instead drawn by an invisible force of water, slowly descending towards the two straw figures.

Pale blue divine light mixed with wisps of green smoke seeped into the straw doll's body.

The two straw figures trembled slightly at the same time.

A faint blue light flashed across the surface of the grass blades.

The grass blades, which were originally a bit dry and stiff, have now become much more flexible, and their surfaces are glistening with moisture.

At the same time, a system notification sounded.

[The spirit of the Well God's water veins has been infused, successfully creating two straw figures for the Water Palace. "Straw Soldier" proficiency +40.]

[Grassroot Soldier Quality: White, Superior]

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

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

Upon hearing the notification, a look of satisfaction appeared in Lin Xuan's eyes!

Become!

And it went even more smoothly than he had expected.

This time, the straw figure is made of white, high-quality Yin water grass, smothered with Yang glutinous rice, encased in a corpse-suppressing talisman, and imbued with cinnabar, chicken blood, and the artist's own essence.

Finally, it was blessed by the spiritual power of the Well God's water veins.

In terms of quality, it is far superior to the straw figures he made casually before.

It is especially effective in suppressing evil spirits such as water corpses and water ghosts.

Lin Xuan raised his hand and put the two straw figures away.

The straw figure felt slightly cool to the touch, but not cold.

I could feel a subtle watery energy circulating within the grass blades in my palm.

If you put them in water, they can hide their form in the water vapor and follow the yin energy to track down and capture the water ghost!

Then, Lin Xuan turned and went to the ancestral hall.

Inside the ancestral hall, incense burned continuously before the statue of the patriarch.

Several ritual implements were neatly arranged on the table.

A peach wood sword, a talisman bell, a command flag, an incense burner, a yellow cloth, a copper coin sword, and a talisman that Uncle Jiu usually uses when opening altars.

These are all items used in the rituals performed to ward off evil spirits at the mortuary.

Lin Xuan stepped forward and put these things away.

Then he instructed Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai to move the table up, and they all went out together.

Lin Xuan walked ahead, his Taoist robe billowing slightly in the breeze, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

Behind them, Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai each lifted one end of the long altar table, steadily placing it on their shoulders.

As soon as the three of them stepped out, they immediately attracted the attention of the neighbors.

"Hey? Isn't that Master Lin, Uncle Nine's eldest disciple? Where is he going?"

"Why are Qiu Sheng and Wen Cai still carrying a table behind them? Is this... perhaps they're about to perform a ritual?"

"Are they going to Beiqing River to exorcise a ghost?! Didn't Master Kobayashi say that tomorrow at dawn, they would use the opportune time and place to eliminate the water ghost? Why are they going today?"

"I don't know, but wouldn't it be easier to find out by asking?!"

Then, someone mustered up their courage and stepped forward, asking in a low voice, "Master Lin, are you heading to the docks?"

Lin Xuan did not stop walking and said calmly, "Yes, the water ghost of the Northern Qing River. Today, we will hold an altar to exterminate it."

These words immediately caused an uproar among the surrounding people.

"Is it really today?!"

Why the sudden change of time?

"It seems Master Lin has made thorough preparations! It looks like that water ghost from the Northern Qing River is doomed to die today!"

"It's good if the lockdown is lifted sooner! Even half a day earlier means we can get back to work; we have a whole family to support!"

"Quick, quick! Let's go to the dock and see how Master Lin's methods of exorcising ghosts differ from those of that Lushan Taoist!"

"I'm going back to get my wife!"

Soon, the news that Lin Xuan was going to enter the river to exterminate the ghost spread rapidly throughout Renjia Town.

In an instant, everyone rushed over upon hearing the commotion.