landbeastnovel Chapter 68 Pilgrims of Cuishui Village + N
Chapter 68 Pilgrims of Cuishui Village + N
The siege of [Food Fragrance Ghost] is progressing smoothly.
The Soul-Guiding Spirit Soldiers brandished their black coils, continuously exerting control over the actions of the Fragrance-Eating Ghost.
Under Chi Le's prior arrangement, Chen Cheng continuously threw the condensed ice flowers toward the open [mountain gate].
The incense smoke that affects the body of the [Fragrance Devourer] makes physical attacks effective.
In fact, Chen Cheng couldn't see the scene outside the [mountain gate] at all.
Whenever the mountain gate opens, she can only see a shrouded mist.
But that didn't stop her from following Chi Le's arrangements.
When the mountain gate opens for the third time, just keep pouring ice flowers into the mountain gate.
The final output task is completed by the [Landlord of Changxi Village].
The entire combo was executed flawlessly, leaving [Foodie Ghost] utterly defenseless and now reduced to shattered fragments covered in ice crystals on the ground.
[Successfully defeated a Tier 1 evil spirit—the Scent-Eating Ghost. The Scent-Eating Ghost's Scent-Gathering Skill +1, Ghost Core +1!]
With the matter settled, Chi Le waved his hand to disperse the [Soul-Guiding Spirit Soldiers] and the [Land God of Changxi Village].
At the same time, close the [mountain gate].
After continuously using his ability [Frost Flower Flying], throwing out several ice flowers, it was time for Chen Cheng to rest.
"stand up."
Chi Le tugged at the hand of Old Man Tian, who was sitting on the ground.
Old Man Tian opened his eyes slightly.
"What, you've gone to the underworld too?"
"..."
Hearing this, Chi Le was momentarily speechless, and immediately felt that the old man resembled an old friend.
"Get up and take a good look, this is still Cuishui Village."
"Hmm...it really is!"
Old Man Tian cautiously opened his eyes, and after seeing the familiar house around him, he stood up from the ground.
"Then... what about the Fragrance Immortal?"
Old Man Tian searched back and forth, trying to find traces of the Immortal of Fragrance who had emerged from the dilapidated temple.
"Stop looking, it's here."
Chi Le stomped on the ice crystals on the ground. The ice crystals were very brittle, and stomping on them made a crunching sound.
"How...how could this be..."
Old Man Tian's face was full of shock; he simply couldn't believe it.
Just a few seconds ago, he was almost killed by the Fragrance Immortal, and the next second, this Fragrance Immortal, who had killed more than ten villagers, turned into ice crystals on the ground?!
Could it be...?
Old Man Tian murmured, his gaze falling on Chi Le's face, his eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
"Immortal!"
He suddenly prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing and refusing to rise.
"Thank you, Immortal, for slaying this demon and saving the lives of hundreds of people in my Changxi Village!"
Given the current situation, Old Man Tian can only think of one possibility.
This young man in front of me is not some brain-damaged idiot; he is clearly a powerful immortal who can slay demons and evil spirits!
"stand up."
Chi Le's voice was indifferent; he had never liked accepting others' kneeling or worship.
Upon hearing the words of the immortal before him, Old Man Tian nimbly got up from the ground, lowered his head slightly, and dared not look directly into Chi Le's eyes.
"Go inside."
"Alright...alright! This way, please, Immortal!"
Old Man Tian quickly responded and led Chi Le into the house where he had just hidden, which was also his home.
Chi Le will visit the dilapidated temple and ancestral hall in Cuishui Village again.
This relates to his third objective for this trip to Cuishui Village.
But now it is night, and an eerie fog hangs in the air.
The dilapidated temple has no protective objects; who knows what kind of demons and evil spirits might appear there?
Chi Le didn't plan to go there right now.
Moreover, in some situations, it is necessary to understand the situation first in order to facilitate action.
He glanced at Old Man Tian, who was busy serving tea inside the house, then at the three thin wooden poles hanging above the door, and stepped inside.
"My lord, this is just some simple farm tea, please forgive me."
After serving the brown tea in an earthenware bowl, Old Man Tian stood respectfully to one side.
"Is what you call the Fragrance-Eating Immortal's offering, hanging above the door?"
Chi Le sat in the chair, not drinking the tea, but setting it aside, and began to speak.
Old Man Tian hesitated for a moment.
The idea of relying on demons and evil spirits for protection is something that is somewhat difficult to talk about in the eyes of the world.
Food-Fragrance Fairy, Food-Fragrance Fairy...
The "immortal" at the end was just a title added by the people of Cuishui Village themselves.
This doesn't change the fact that it is a demon or evil spirit.
Old Man Tian nodded first, then shook his head, his voice tinged with bitterness.
"There's nothing we can do about it; we have to survive."
"The temple that provided us with shelter had already fallen into disrepair two years ago."
"The temple keeper disappeared, the statues collapsed..."
"At that time, the protective gear we had could only last for another half a month at most. Without it, we wouldn't survive a single night."
"Just then, a man surnamed Zheng... who is about the same age as you, Immortal, appeared and offered us a way out..."
[The one surnamed Zheng...]
Upon hearing this, Chi Le's mind began to race.
Zhang the Bald Guy once mentioned that his attack on Chen Cheng was also due to instructions from someone surnamed Zheng.
[Chen Cheng of Changxi Village, the Food Fragrance Ghost of Cuishui Village—these all bear the shadow of the Demon Extermination Association.]
What are they plotting?
Chi Le had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
He seems to have some deep involvement with the Demon Extermination Society.
After a pause, Old Man Tian's voice carried a hint of decisiveness.
"Immortal, we have no choice."
"As you know, the number of asylum spots that a place can offer is limited."
"With several thousand people in Heliu Town and the surrounding villages, the Qingwu Division has long been unable to take care of them all."
"I heard from people in Changxi Village, which is next to our village, that the Taoist temple they worship still has a few spots left."
"But we dare not use them at all. There are only ten or so quotas to be distributed among more than sixty households, and it's impossible to allocate them all..."
"We also considered seeking the protection of a celestial being in Heliu Town."
"But most immortals also have those they protect. The other immortals are too expensive. The entire harvest of Hecui Water Village in a year can barely buy them three months of protection..."
"If we listen to that man surnamed Zheng and make offerings to the Fragrance Immortal... [Fragrance Ghost] in exchange for protective items, then our Cui Shui Village will have a way to survive."
Chi Le listened with great interest, not because Old Man Tian's story was particularly captivating.
The only claim is that offering sacrifices to evil spirits and demons can bring protection to the objects.
This was the first time he had ever heard of it.
When he first arrived at Cuishui Village at noon, he could already sense the chilling aura emanating from the protective objects hanging there.
At that time, he was only speculating and had not yet drawn any conclusions.
Until they discovered that the scent of the [Fragrance Ghost] was almost identical to the scent of the protected object.
Only after the old man in front of him admitted it did he realize it.
It turns out that demons and evil spirits can also provide protection.
Our understanding of this bizarre world is still too limited...
Chi Le sighed inwardly, realizing that the information the Special Affairs Bureau had given him was ultimately just basic information.
In addition to recording information about demons and evil spirits that are most important to the newlyweds, as well as some basic survival skills,
The rest are destined not to be recorded much.
"How much longer can we hold out?"
Chi Le did not comment on the choice of the people of Cuishui Village. He looked at the slender wooden pole still hanging above the door and asked.
Old Man Tian raised his head slightly, his eyes filled with doubt.
This immortal... doesn't seem to blame him at all?
"It can probably hold out for another seven to ten days."
Old Man Tian spoke the truth.
[Seven to ten days... More than sixty households in Cuishui Village, enough for seventy jars of lamp oil, plus the lamp oil to be kept in Changxi Village...]
Chi Le gazed at the rising sun outside the window, silently calculating in her mind, before finally speaking.
"Let's go to the temple first."
Most of the information about the "Fragrance Ghost" in Cuishui Village is now clear, but there is still one thing that Chi Le needs to do to go to the temple and see for himself.
We arrived at a dilapidated temple in a state of disarray.
The dilapidated temple remained as run-down as ever, unchanged.
The small shrine next to it seemed to have been crushed by something and had completely collapsed, leaving only ruins.
Even the incense burner was overturned and the ashes were scattered all over the ground.
The temple site still retains a chilling, eerie atmosphere.
Feeling the chill emanating from the temple, Chi Le looked at the collapsed shrine and said...
"What is this temple?"
Old Man Tian replied.
"That man surnamed Zheng made us do this, saying that only in this way could we offer sacrifices to the 'Fragrance-Eating Ghost' and obtain the remaining incense for protection."
"It can also prevent the [Fragrance-Eating Monster] from harming people, but I wonder if it didn't satisfy the [Fragrance-Eating Monster's] appetite, because tonight it..."
"But the man surnamed Zheng clearly said that, based on the current standard of offerings, we should have at least half a month of peace..."
Old Man Tian looked at the few scattered mummified corpses on the ground, his voice filled with sorrow.
In other words, the location where the Fragrance-Eating Ghost appeared was in the dilapidated temple, and the small shrine was merely a means for the man surnamed Zheng to confine the Fragrance-Eating Ghost.
The protective objects in Cui Shui Village were provided by the Fragrance-Eating Ghosts, so they couldn't be used to repel them.
[Once the Fragrance-Eating Monster breaks through the seal left by that man surnamed Zheng, Cui Shui Village will be at its mercy.]
Chi Le thought to himself that the details of the events in Cui Shui Village were now clear.
As for the "Fragrance-Eating Ghost," it is not satisfied with the offerings and only wants to follow its instincts to eat people.
Or was it that person surnamed Zheng who did this on purpose?
None of these things matter to the people of Cuishui Village.
The important thing is that the [Fragrance-Eating Ghost] appeared, killed about ten people, and they no longer had any protective items.
Old Man Tian, who had also thought of this, bent down and said.
"Without the [Fragrance-Eating Ghost], Cui Shui Village will have no protective object in the future. We hope that the immortal can protect our Cui Shui Village."
"Cuishui Village will do everything in its power to provide an item that will satisfy the immortal."
Looking at the sincere Old Man Tian, Chi Le knew that he had achieved his third goal for his trip to Cuishui Village.
Qingshan Temple will receive a large number of worshippers who offer incense.