Folklore: The dragon splits into two bodies, and the village worships the dragon as a deity in its p

Chapter 5 The Power of Faith! Lin Shi's New Scheme

Dark as ink.

The moonlight was like water.

Shixi Village was shrouded in a tranquil silvery glow, quiet except for the occasional bark of a dog breaking the silence.

Li Tie pushed open the courtyard gate and waited for a while. Song Ying, carrying a small bamboo basket, came out. Ever since Li Hutou came back yesterday, the two of them had been thinking that they couldn't let down the protection from the unseen world. Tonight, they packed some things and walked together to the village entrance until they reached the stone shrine.

Li Tie squatted down and carefully took out a few red-skinned wild fruits from the basket. They were not large, but they were translucent red. He also took a small handful of freshly roasted wheat, which gave off a smoky aroma, and gently placed them on the stone platform in front of the Stone Toad King.

This is the most respectable offering we could provide.

Li Tie moved clumsily but very respectfully, pulling Song Ying, who was wiping away tears, and the two knelt down side by side.

"King Stone Toad!"

Li Tie opened his mouth, his voice dry and tight. After holding back for a long time, he couldn't say anything nice, so he simply kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the cold ground.

"You saved Tiger Head!"

Li Tie felt as if something was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything more, only heavy breathing and slightly trembling shoulders.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

Li Tie didn't know what to say, so he simply kowtowed twice more forcefully.

"Your Majesty has mercy!"

"From now on, I will definitely do more good deeds and teach Tiger to be a good person! To repay your great kindness!"

"Please keep an eye on Tiger Head and let him grow up safely!"

"This faithful woman kowtows to you! Kowtows to you!"

Song Ying kowtowed while muttering to herself.

Li Tie and Song Ying were in tears, kowtowing repeatedly. Their hearts were overflowing with the joy of regaining what they had lost and endless gratitude to the Stone Toad King. Their unreserved and devout faith transformed into a powerful personal willpower, an invisible warm current, far more concentrated and fervent than their usual scattered thoughts. It flowed ceaselessly into the Stone Toad statue, absorbed and transformed, and transmitted along that invisible bond to the deep dragon at the bottom of the pool.

The north end of Shixi Village.

A thatched shed.

Lin Shi patted his stomach, stood up, stretched, turned around and crawled into the thatched hut. He had just drunk two pieces of wheat cake soaked in hot water, which could only fill his stomach temporarily and wouldn't last long. He should hurry up and go to sleep—he wouldn't be hungry when he was asleep.

Lin Shi ruffled the dry grass on the ground. It was a bit damp and smelled musty. He frowned. If the weather was nice and sunny tomorrow, he would have to take it outside to air it out or simply find some time to cut some new grass to replace it.

Lin Shi lay down. After a day of planting, he was not only tired but also sore all over. He stretched his arms and legs, closed his eyes, and his senses naturally connected with the dragon at the bottom of the pool.

Lin Shi's body trembled violently as a surge of spiritual energy flowed directly from the dragon. It felt as if a gentle electric current had passed through his body. Then, a strange sensation spread outwards from him like ripples on water, enveloping the entire village.

Lin Shi heard Wang Laowu's deafening snores in the village, saw the village head Zhao Fugui's gloomy face as he rubbed a few copper coins under the oil lamp, felt the clan chief Sun Ming's restless turning in his sleep, and even caught the subtle movement of a wild cat skimming over the wall at the village entrance. It was as if the pulse and breath of the entire Shixi Village were clearly reflected in his heart, and he had everything under control.

Lin Shi was both surprised and delighted.

This wasn't the first time his own consciousness and senses had enveloped the entire village. He had been able to do it a few days ago, and when he found the tiger's head, his consciousness extended even beyond the village, reaching all the way to the Western Hills.

But all of this could only be achieved by using the dragon's clones!

That's not the case now.

Without the aid of a dragon, one can sense the movements in this corner of the village on one's own!

Lin Shi composed himself.

Faith! This must be faith!

What was just transmitted to me from the dragon's clone was definitely faith power!

Only by having faith enter one's body can one gain this ability!

But what happened?

Where does the dragon get this power?

With a thought, Lin Shi used his perception to shrink the distance to an inch, and in an instant arrived at the village entrance. The moonlight was like water, and he immediately saw two people standing in front of the stone niche. They were Li Hutou's father, Li Tie, and his mother, Song Ying.

"What a pity!"

"What a pity!"

Lin Shi glanced at the few small red-skinned wild fruits and a handful of roasted wheat placed on the stone platform in front of the Stone Toad King. He knew that Li Tie and Song Ying were worshipping the Stone Toad King, and that this was where the power of faith he had just felt came from.

Unfortunately, although the quality is acceptable, the total quantity is not large!

A small handful of clear spring water drips into the dried-up riverbed, providing some nourishment, but it is far from enough to change the overall situation.

Ultimately, it stems from a sincere heart, but due to a lack of guidance, the absence of purification and fasting, and the lack of blessing from ancient rituals, it is like an uncarved jade that has failed to fully unleash and amplify its potential.

"If there were a formal ritual to guide them, the power of faith generated by such devotion would surely be tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Lin Shi sighed, a trace of regret passing through his heart.

Having absorbed just this much spiritual power, his perception ability has directly reached a new level. He can now cover the entire village without relying on the dragon. Once he obtains a hundred times the spiritual power, it will surely bring about earth-shattering changes.

Lin Shi decided to go see the clan chief Sun Ming tomorrow. This matter was urgent. Scattered gratitude was ultimately a drop in the ocean. He needed a large, stable, and efficient source of faith. The only way to do this was to restore the sacrificial rites with the support of the clan chief Sun Ming, so as to maximize the devout faith of the hundreds of people in Shixi Village.

Lin Shi watched Li Tie and Song Ying leave and walk away, then withdrew his thoughts. He was exhausted from farming every day, but perhaps it wouldn't be long before he wouldn't need to farm anymore.

Lin Shi closed his eyes and soon fell fast asleep.

sunset.

The clouds on the horizon looked as if they had been burned through.

After finishing his work, Lin Shi took off his sweat-soaked coarse cloth clothes, wrung them out, put them back on, and carried his hoe as he left the field and walked towards the village. People greeted him from time to time.

Lin Shi responded to each question on his face until they returned to the village entrance. When no one else was around, he rubbed his face vigorously; his face was a little numb from forcing a smile.

Ever since Tiger Head was rescued, the villagers have looked at him with curiosity and even awe. When they rest in the fields, someone would always come over, hand him a ladle of water, and subtly ask about the details of "Stone Toad Wetting Lips" that night.

Each time, the explanation is vague, always attributing it to "a chance glimpse" or "an old saying passed down from our ancestors," which adds endless mystery out of thin air.

Muramasa Zhao Fugui?

These past few days I've been keeping my distance and absolutely won't come over. But once we bumped into each other right in the act, and I had no choice but to force a very unnatural smile onto my gloomy face. I took the initiative to say that the fish in the pond could wait a while.

Lin Shi rested for a while, but did not go home immediately. He turned around and strode towards his ancestral home. These days, the air in the entire Shixi Village was filled with a restlessness. He could not miss this good opportunity. He had to get the matter he had figured out last night done today.