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

Huaiyuan Town.

It's more prosperous than Renjia Town.

Many people in the shops on both sides were hawking their wares, and the pedestrians on the street were dressed in slightly more upscale clothes.

Occasionally, you can see people carrying incense, candles, and fruits on the street, walking in twos and threes toward the temples in the town.

Uncle Nine and Lin Xuan observed the pedestrians as they walked forward.

When the two passed a Dragon King Temple, they saw many villagers kneeling in front of the hall.

The incense burner was filled with sticks of incense, and the swirling smoke partially obscured the face of the clay dragon king.

"May the Dragon King protect us and help those water ghosts to be caught soon."

"May Old Master Li be safe and sound, and may those evil spirits not harm him."

"Dragon King, please have mercy and bless my fish shop so it can open soon and that business will be smooth sailing from now on..."

"Boss Li is a very kind person; we must not let him be implicated by that unfilial son."

"I heard that Boss Li has hired several more sorcerers, those water ghosts definitely won't live much longer."

"I just hope this disaster will pass quickly..."

"..."

Prayers echoed from the temple.

Lin Xuan listened intently, his gaze then falling upon the clay statue of the Dragon King in the main hall.

The clay statue sits high on the altar, wearing a brand-new painted dragon robe, with a majestic face, and even the scales and whiskers are carved in great detail.

It looks very grand and bustling with worshippers.

Uncle Nine suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing slowly. "Something's not right with this temple."

Lin Xuan turned to look at him, "Master, something's not right?"

Uncle Nine did not answer immediately, but stood outside the temple gate, concentrating his senses for a moment.

"Logically speaking, this Dragon King Temple has received offerings from so many people and its incense is so plentiful."

"Even without any real deity residing there, the clay statue should have developed some spirituality after being nourished by incense and prayers over the years."

"But this clay statue in front of me is completely empty inside, without even a trace of spiritual light."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuan's gaze returned to the Dragon King statue.

Upon closer inspection, one could indeed only detect a strong incense aroma, but not a trace of divine intent.

It was as if the incense offered by the people had not been absorbed by the clay statue in front of him at all.

Uncle Nine continued, "It's not just this Dragon King Temple."

"The mountain god temple we just passed, and the temple of the Goddess of Fertility, have the same clay statues inside."

"There are many incense offerings, but not a single clay statue has been imbued with spirituality."

As Uncle Jiu spoke, he walked to the temple gate, reached out and lightly touched the vermilion doorpost, his fingertip getting a thin layer of red paint on it.

Then, Uncle Nine put his hand under his nose and smelled it.

"This temple was renovated only a few years ago."

"The beams, pillars, tiles, and altar are all old, but the clay statues in the main hall are new."

Uncle Nine turned his gaze to the merit stele next to the temple gate.

Lin Xuan followed his gaze.

The inscription in large characters at the center of the monument reads: "[Li Fuhai donated silver for its reconstruction]".

Lin Xuan's eyes flickered slightly. "Could it be that the Li family replaced all the clay statues in the temple?"

He looked at the Dragon King statue in the main hall, and a question arose in his mind.

What exactly is the Li family trying to do by going to such great lengths to replace the clay statues in several temples in the town?

Suddenly, the panel of the Dragon King Temple water vein map appeared in Lin Xuan's mind.

Entry: 【Incense Offerings Transformed into Spirits】!

This entry can absorb the power of incense offerings to nurture spirituality, enlighten aquatic creatures, and cultivate protective spirits for temples.

His expression hardened slightly, and he said in a low voice, "Master, could it be that the Li family replaced these old clay statues, which have been nourished by incense offerings for many years, in order to use the accumulated incense power within them to enlighten the water monster they are raising?"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Nine frowned even more deeply, instantly recalling the Yellow Heaven Sect's method of refining gods from corpses.

He pondered for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, "That's possible. Let's go, let's go check out the Li family first!"

Uncle Jiu then stopped a villager who had just come out of the temple and asked him for directions to the Li residence.

The master and apprentice did not linger and walked along the street toward the Li family's house.

……

at the same time,

Inside the Li Mansion.

In a secluded room with its doors and windows tightly shut, Chen Bingwen clutched his head and slumped onto the cold floor.

Beside him lay several Taoist priests dressed in robes, lying haphazardly.

These people were all independent cultivators who had heard about the exorcism and came to our door specifically to seek it out.

They met Chen Bingwen and his group at the entrance, and were then invited inside by Li Fuhai.

But unexpectedly, less than an incense stick's time later, these people closed their eyes, their bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground, motionless.

At this moment, a thin layer of smoke filled the room in the side hall.

The smoke was a very pale pinkish-white color, and as it flowed slowly through the air, it emitted a faint, peculiar fragrance.

Chen Bingwen shook his head vigorously, but his vision remained blurry.

Even the tables, chairs, and walls in front of me were shaking, and I even saw multiple images of them.

He reached out and grabbed the stool next to him, gritting his teeth as he tried to stand up, but as soon as he put his legs up, he felt a wave of weakness wash over him.

boom!

He only managed to get halfway up before collapsing heavily back onto the ground.

Just then, a pair of black cloth shoes slowly stopped in front of him.

"Don't bother struggling."

A familiar voice rang out from above.

"This is a mind-controlling incense specifically designed to deal with cultivators like you."

"Made from several special flowers, it can not only make people weak and powerless, but also solidify the Dao Qi in the meridians."

"The longer you inhale it, the stronger the effect."

As the sound reached his ears, Chen Bingwen slowly clenched his right hand, his nails digging deep into the flesh of his palm, and a trickle of blood slowly flowed down between his fingers.

The stinging pain in his palm finally brought him back to his senses.

Chen Bingwen struggled to lift his head, and in the overlapping vision, Li Fuhai was standing in front of him.

The other person's face had lost its previous kindness and haggardness, leaving only a coldness.

"Why...why?" Chen Bingwen's voice was broken and seemed to be filled with disbelief. "We're here to help you catch the ghost."

Upon hearing this, Li Fuhai's lips curled into a cold smile. "Even now, you're still putting on an act in front of me?"

He slowly squatted down and stared into Chen Bingwen's eyes.

"The night before last, you encountered my Li family's caravan on the official road."

"I followed the clues to Huaiyuan Town today. Don't tell me this is all just a coincidence!"

Chen Bingwen's heart sank suddenly. "How did you know...?"

How would I know you'd seen the convoy?

Li Fuhai finished the sentence for him, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Someone saw what you looked like that night!"

"I recognized you the moment you appeared in front of the Li residence."

As Li Fuhai spoke, a cold smile appeared on his face.

Upon hearing this, Chen Bingwen's expression changed slightly.

"It's you!! That water monster really is from your Li family!"

"I never imagined, Li Fuhai! You could be so heartless and cruel, persecuting infants and raising them into those inhuman, ghost-like creatures..."

He stared intently at Li Fuhai, speaking as he secretly tried to circulate his Dao Qi.

However, at this moment, it was as if glue had been poured into his dantian, and no matter how he tried to activate it, the Dao Qi in his body remained completely still.

Chen Bingwen's heart sank to the bottom.

From the moment he entered the Li residence, he had been secretly on guard against Li Fuhai.

But he never expected that the other party would actually light this kind of incense, which is specifically designed to bewitch cultivators, in the room.

He was immediately tricked upon entering the room, and after inhaling some of the poison, he completely lost the ability to resist.

Right now, my senior sister is still searching for the water monster in the mountains, while I've fallen into the hands of the Li family and am unable to move...

This time, we're probably really going to fail!

"frenzied?!"

Upon hearing Chen Bingwen's words, Li Fuhai's smile gradually widened.

"What an apt description."

His expression suddenly turned ferocious.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing became rapid, as if Chen Bingwen's words had torn away the facade he had been forcibly maintaining.

"But what can I do? This is the path passed down through the Li family!"

"Since I sit in this position and enjoy the wealth, power, and prestige that the Li family has brought me, I must also bear the responsibilities of the Li family."

"For the family to continue to prosper, someone must make a sacrifice!"

Li Fuhai's voice trembled slightly, and his eyes showed struggle, pain, and fear...

Thinking of the faces of those strange babies, Li Fuhai's body became as stiff as a sugar sieve.

However, after uttering the last sentence, the pain in his eyes suddenly disappeared, replaced by a calm that was almost a sense of relief.

"I've thought about rebelling, I've thought about defecting, but even if I'm gone, there will be another Li Fuhai, a third Li Fuhai..."

"Since that's the case, then I'll do it! As long as I do it well enough, the sacrifices will be minimal!"

"This...this is my destiny, Li Fuhai!"

Li Fuhai slowly stood up and straightened his collar.

The madness on his face faded, and he returned to his usual calm demeanor.

"In the face of the prevailing trend, necessary sacrifices are unavoidable."

"But since we've made the sacrifice, we should gain something in return."

He looked down at Chen Bingwen.

"If you hadn't meddled, the losses this time could have been much smaller."

"My son doesn't have to die either!"

"But it's because of you that the Li family suffered heavy losses, and so many people were also killed along with you."

"Someone has to pay this debt."

Li Fuhai's voice grew colder and colder.

"Perfect timing, you are a cultivator."

"Your flesh and blood can be used to nourish the spirit mud, which will help my Li family recover some of its losses."

"Go to hell in peace! It won't be long before your senior sister comes to join you."

At this point, he looked at Chen Bingwen's face and gave a peaceful smile.

When Chen Bingwen heard the last sentence, his heart clenched.

Li Fuhai's evil clutches extended beyond himself.

He even prepared a trap for his senior sister in the mountains!

This is bad...

The thought had barely crossed my mind when everything went completely dark.

Chen Bingwen's body swayed and he fell heavily to the ground.

Li Fuhai glanced down at him, then turned and went into the study.

He went to the bookshelf and opened a wooden box hidden in the cabinet.

The box was lined with a black cloth, and in the very center was a palm-sized, bluish-black scale.

The scales are covered with fine lines, with slightly curved edges, and have a moist, cool sheen.

Li Fuhai removed the scales, then called the steward, "Send these Taoists to the Fifth Young Master. This is for you." Li Fuhai handed the item over.

"Yes, sir."

The steward accepted the scales with both hands and bowed respectfully.

Not long after, the unconscious Taoist priests were carried to the backyard by servants and thrown into a closed carriage.

The steward himself sat on the carriage shaft and raised the reins.

The carriage exited through the back gate of the Li residence and headed along the town's main street in another direction.