Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 577 It still has to be the mother's family.
Shang Lu led the group into a witch temple.

The capital of Chu was very large, and each of its wards and markets was quite large, with almost all of them having a shrine of varying sizes.

Although Shang Lu was not entering the witch temple in the West Market, the deities worshipped there were similar.

The statues of Houtu, Dongjun, Shangui, and Xiangjun (husband and wife) are all present, but there are also several wind gods and rain gods, and the fire god Zhurong is also enshrined.

Shang Lu entered the temple of witches and went straight to the shrine where Houtu was worshipped.

Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren were taken aback when they saw this.

Because of the sticky blood curse placed on them, they didn't dare to utter a sound, but they were all surprised.

"I thought Shang Lu rushed here in such a hurry that he might have some other way, but he actually burned incense and prayed to the gods? Will that work? Can the gods really help with this?"

The two were confused and hesitant, but seeing Lü Yang and Uncle Huai follow Shang Lu into the witch temple without hesitation to offer incense, they still led the Judge of the Underworld and followed.

"Let's try anything, even if it's a long shot. What if it works?"

"Since we're already here, let's light some incense. It won't hurt us."

The two comforted themselves in their hearts.

It's normal for them to have doubts, since they didn't know Shang Lu's abilities in Nuo witchcraft.

But soon, their doubts turned into shock!
When Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren led the Judge of Yin into the temple, Shang Lu had already lit an incense stick and was worshipping the Earth Goddess.

Lü Yang and Uncle Huai each held a stick of incense.

However, the incense they used was not given by Third Sister; they exchanged a few coins for it with the temple keeper at the temple entrance.

Seeing this, Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren quickly donated incense money, received incense, and didn't forget to give a stick to the judge.

At this point, the pokeweed had finished its worship and placed the incense sticks into the incense burner.

Xu Zhen, Cheng Ren, and the Yin Child hurriedly followed suit, holding incense and praying for the protection of the Earth Goddess.

Although they kept thinking about it, they didn't actually have much hope.

With so many people offering incense and praying to the gods every day, why should the Earth Goddess protect them?

Moreover, this is a temple built by the Chu people, and there are still sacrificial offerings and livestock displayed by them...

They only need to light an incense stick to get the Goddess Houtu to help them, instead of the Chu people?

Is this a joke? What kind of fragrance could be so precious?

To reiterate, although Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren knew that Shang Lu practiced Nuo witchcraft, they were unaware of his skills in the Nuo witchcraft arts.

They had no idea he had a wife who had "gone back to her parents' home".

The two simply considered it an occasion to offer incense to the Earth Goddess and seek peace of mind. To get rid of the sticky blood curse on their bodies, they still needed to return to the Rat Hunting Sect for a solution.

As they were pondering this, the two suddenly noticed the incense sticks that Shang Lu had placed in the incense burner. The wisps of smoke lingered and gathered in front of the statue of Houtu Niangniang, as if a hand was reaching out to touch Shang Lu.

Then came Lü Yang and Uncle Huai, who then patted them.

Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren were bewildered and instinctively tried to pull the Judge of Yin away, but found themselves frozen in place, unable to move. They could only watch helplessly as the hand formed from green smoke touched their heads.

Not only were they alright, but they also felt a sense of warmth and security.

It felt like being stroked on the head by a mother, wiping away all the pain and discomfort.

No, it's not just "seems"!
Almost simultaneously, surprise welled up in Xu Zhen's and Cheng Ren's eyes.

They discovered that the strange sticky feeling disappeared instantly after the hand formed from the blue smoke touched their heads.

At the same time, they also saw a wisp of dark red blood seeping from their pores, which was gently grasped by the hand formed from the blue smoke.

It was that eerie blood-red eye in the screen wall of the pedestrian police station that left the mark on them!

Does burning incense and worshipping gods really work?
but……

They looked down at the incense they were holding in their hands.

"Our incense hasn't even been put into the incense burner yet."

After their initial surprise, the two suddenly remembered something, and their expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly looked around.

The scene of the green smoke rising from the top of the head and the blood being collected just now was not kept secret!

Ironically, right here in the Houtu Temple, besides the old temple keeper selling incense, there were quite a few worshippers and believers. Surely one of them saw it—hey?!
The worries in Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren's hearts almost came to an abrupt end.

They looked around and realized that everyone in the Houtu Hall, except for a few of them, was frozen in place.

The old temple keeper at the entrance still makes the gesture of taking money with one hand and handing out incense with the other.

The worshippers in the temple had some legs outstretched and not lowered, some lay motionless on the ground, and some remained bent over halfway... and no one looked in their direction.

"What...what's going on?"

"The legendary realm of gods?"

Just as Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren were dumbfounded, the green smoke, carrying the blood that everyone had grabbed, flew out of the Houtu Hall and into the nearby temple where the Earth God was worshipped.

"Tick, tick..."

Sticky blood dripped onto the head of the little devil who was being trampled under Tu Bo's feet.

These little demons were already sculpted into bloody, grotesque figures. The sticky blood dripping onto them made them even more lifelike, as if they would come to life at any moment.

Once all the sticky blood had dripped out, the blue smoke immediately dissipated.

Those who had been frozen in the Houtu Temple returned to normal at that moment. They were completely unaware of what had just happened.

Although Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren were full of surprise, they were, after all, Wuchang Guards and reacted very quickly.

Seeing that these people had returned to normal, he immediately hid his surprise, put the incense he was holding into the incense burner, and bowed three times devoutly to the statue of Houtu Niangniang.

They prayed more earnestly this time than ever before.

Although they realized that Houtu Niangniang was willing to help entirely because of Shang Lu, it had nothing to do with them.

But their manners must not be lacking; they must be impeccable.

Shang Lu was also bowing and thanking Houtu Niangniang at this moment, and his thoughts were similar to those of Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren.

Others assumed that Houtu Niangniang's help was aimed at him.

He knew, however, that it was all thanks to Third Sister.

So when he was thanking the Goddess Houtu, Shang Lu secretly told the Third Sister, "It's all about family. They're the ones who can really help when things happen."

The sticky blood curse has been removed, so there's no need to worry about arousing suspicion by doing so.

Third Sister rolled her eyes at him, said nothing, and simply joined him in bowing and thanking the Goddess Houtu.

After leaving the Houtu Hall, Shang Lu did not rush to leave. Instead, he offered incense to the gods enshrined in the surrounding halls.

Too much courtesy is never a fault, and too much incense is never tiresome to the gods.

If you offer incense, the deities may not remember. But if you don't offer incense, it's hard to say.

Although Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren did not understand why Shang Lu offered incense to each person, their previous experience made them dare not have any more doubts.

It doesn't matter if you understand or not, just follow along. During this process, Xu Zhen seized an opportunity to secretly give Shang Lu a coded hand gesture, asking him if it was appropriate and if there would be any problems.

As a result, Shang Lu directly transmitted his voice: "With the Empress Houtu personally bestowing blessings, what problem could there be?"

After quickly finishing offering incense, the group left the temple one after another.

Xu Zhen and Cheng Ren were still a little uneasy, so they secretly glanced at the four-eared, five-eyed beast on the watchtower not far away and found that it was no longer like before, with an eye and an ear constantly locking onto them.

The two breathed a sigh of relief and then exchanged a glance.

They didn't say a word, but they could see the surprise in each other's eyes: "We didn't expect Shang Lu to have such abilities!"

They had seen many Nuo shamans, but they had never seen anyone like Shang Lu who could grant almost any request.

No wonder he is a man who has earned the high regard and praise of the Great Shaman!
After leaving the temple, the group wasted no more time and went straight back to the fur shop in the West Market.

Upon seeing them return, Manager Sun of the shop visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but said nothing, simply leading them into the backyard.

A moment later, the Rat Patrolman came over and found them. He first used a magical artifact to block out sound, and then asked with concern, "I heard something happened at the Pedestrian Bureau? I thought your operation had been exposed. How are you? Are you all alright?"

Everyone said everything was fine, so the mouse on patrol asked for details.

"They were a few people from a southern barbarian tribe, spying on the Travelling Bureau, when they were spotted by the strange eyes on the screen wall inside..."

Pokeweed recounted the events to Zishu Xunshou.

With the help of his silver tongue, he described the events in a vivid and engaging way, making the mouse hunter and steward feel as if they were actually there.

Having heard that copper ants, shadow creatures, grass spirits, and the like could not infiltrate the Bureau of Personnel, Zishu Xunshou frowned and asked Xu Zhen, "How is the situation on your side?"

"They're basically the same as Pokeweed and the others."

Xu Zhen reported, "Cheng Ren used his 'Hearing Ear,' but he couldn't hear the real sounds inside the Bureau of Personnel. All he heard were fabricated, deceptive voices. I tried to release Gu worms, but they were all blocked. I was afraid of alerting them, so I didn't dare to force it."

At this point, Xu Zhen smiled wryly and said, "If we had known earlier that the barbarians were also spying, we would have been better off letting the Gu worms force their way in while they were causing chaos."

Cheng Ren said, "Luckily you didn't do that. Have you forgotten about the Sticky Blood Curse? If you had really released the Gu worms to force your way in, even if you had gotten in, you would have been exposed after being entangled by the Sticky Blood Curse."

"Sticky Blood Curse? What's that all about?" asked the Rat Hunting.

Cheng Ren quickly reported the situation to Zi Shu Xun Shou, and also told him about how Shang Lu had led them to the witch temple to burn incense and remove the sticky blood curse.

Zishu Xunshou was secretly amazed. He knew that Shanglu practiced Nuo witchcraft and that Shanglu was bold enough to invite gods during the day and withstand the pollution without any strange changes.

Unexpectedly, this kid's prayers to the gods were always answered!

This skill is truly extraordinary; no wonder Da Zhu insisted that he bring Shang Lu along.

"It's not always the case; it depends on who you're worshipping."

Shang Lu spoke the truth, but everyone took it as mere modesty.

Based on the situation at the Traveling Officials' Office, Zishu Xunshou analyzed, "It seems our guess was right. The Grand Traveler and the Clerk are not ill and unable to receive guests, but rather under house arrest! But what are the people from the southern barbarian tribes doing spying on the Traveling Officials' Office? Could it be that some of them are also being held inside?"

He also thought of the several southern barbarian shamans who had been captured on the ship earlier, and turned to ask Steward Sun, who was standing next to him, "Have there been any news from the southern barbarian tribes during this time?"

Manager Sun did indeed remember something.

"Previously, the Chu state had mobilized a large army to conquer the southern barbarian tribes."

Just before the army set off, a man from the southern barbarian tribes was sent to the King of Chu. He was said to be the high priest of a certain tribe and was to represent the southern barbarian tribes in paying tribute to the King of Chu.

At first, the King of Chu disagreed, but after the barbarian high priest came to the palace for an audience, he suddenly changed his mind. He not only stopped the conquest of the southern barbarian tribes, but also turned around and attacked my Xingshan region..."

After a moment's thought, Zi Shu Xun Shou scoffed, "The high priest of the barbarian tribes? Submitting as vassals and paying tribute? I'm afraid things aren't that simple!"

Shang Lu thought so too, especially since the King of Chu's attitude changed so abruptly; there must be something going on.

Zishu Xunshou instructed Steward Sun: "Try to find out if you can find out what the barbarian high priest said to the King of Chu that made him change his mind."

This news was not easy to obtain, but Manager Sun did not hesitate and accepted the order with his hands clasped.

"These barbarians are a real nuisance. Today they alerted us, and the Travelling Bureau will definitely strengthen its defenses even more!"

The Rat Patrol cursed angrily, then snorted, "They can be used. If anything goes wrong, we can pin it on them!"

He paused, then added, "The key now is to find a way to contact the pedestrians and the pawnbrokers. Even if we have to force our way into the pedestrian station to rescue them, we need to confirm their situation and the security measures inside the station first."

Everyone nodded in unison.

The pedestrian station has a strange eye guarding the entrance, and who knows what traps and mechanisms are hidden inside.

Acting rashly could very well result in losing your own life instead of saving the person.

But how do we gather intelligence? How can we make contact with pawnbrokers and brokers?

Based on what we observed today, there is simply no way to gain anything outside the Pedestrian Centre.

We still need to find a way to get in.

Breaking in by force is definitely not an option...

"How about we disguise ourselves as members of the pedestrian police department and sneak in?"

Shang Lu made the suggestion and brought out the ever-changing face mask.

"My magical artifact can not only change one's appearance, body shape, and voice, but also one's aura. If you put it on the target's face before using it, it can make one look exactly like the target."

"Can it be hidden from that strange eye on the screen wall?" the Rat Hunting asked.

This is also a concern for everyone.

You can't hide it forever; no matter how well you try to make it look convincing, it won't work.

"This..." Shang Lu was unsure whether he could hide the strange eyes on the screen wall.

This is damn bad, there's no way to even try it.

If it doesn't work, it will trigger an alarm and lead to being surrounded!

He shook his head with a wry smile: "I don't know either..."

Before he could finish speaking, a voice rang out: "What kind of screen wall is it? What kind of eyes are they?"

Everyone turned their heads and saw Gongshu Ling walk in and throw a talisman to Zishu Xunshou.

The Rat's patrol was not surprised by Gongshu Ling's arrival; it was clear that they had known about it beforehand, otherwise Gongshu Ling would not have been able to enter.

He caught the talisman and examined it with Steward Sun. They were both very excited and exclaimed, "It's so lifelike, it's exactly the same as the real thing! Good, good, it will definitely fool everyone!"

Shang Lu and the others didn't waste any time. They took turns explaining the details of the screen wall of the pedestrian bureau and the strange blood-red eye.

Gongshu Ling, as expected of a professional, immediately gave a name after listening to everyone's explanation: "It is Jiaotu Jianbi."

Then he nodded to Shang Lu: "Your ever-changing mask can get in. As long as the appearance, figure, and aura match, and it allows people to enter and exit, it will let them through. Your ever-changing mask can change all of these."

"Jiaotu Jianbi?"

Shang Lu repeated the name several times, looking suspicious.

"Is that really her name? Senior sister, are you sure you're not insulting someone? No... you're insulting the wall."

(It's so hot, it's 38 degrees Celsius! Without air conditioning, it's like being in a sauna!)
(End of this chapter)