Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 621 A Troublesome Heart After a Feast
"Excuse me, officers, could you tell me where the gambling dens and brothels in town are located...?"

Shang Lu stopped several patrolling guards, smiled and saluted, and inquired about the locations of the gambling dens and brothels.

The guards were initially wary of Shang Lu's unfamiliar face and wanted to check his identity documents.

However, with his silver tongue, Shang Lu dispelled their doubts with just a few words, and even made them feel as if they had known each other for a long time and wanted to become sworn brothers with Shang Lu.

"Brother, you look like a scholar? You scholars also like to gamble and visit brothels?"

One of the servants joked, raising his hand and pointing westward.

“If you go west along this road, you’ll find gambling dens, brothels, opium dens, and places to listen to music and storytelling all over there.”

"Thank you for telling me, brothers. I have urgent business to attend to. I'll treat you to drinks another time." Shang Lu clasped his hands in greeting, said "I'll definitely do it next time," and hurried off westward.

Seeing his flustered appearance, the servants couldn't help but burst into laughter, shouting at his retreating figure:

"Hey bro, how long have you been holding this in?"

"I never expected that you Confucian scholars, who spout such moralistic platitudes, would actually have such tastes!"

“What do you know? My brother is a true man of character! He’s infinitely better than those hypocrites who spout lofty platitudes but are full of scheming and plotting.”

"You're right, this guy is just to our liking... Hey, what's his name again?"

The servants exchanged bewildered glances. They then realized that they had addressed the scholar as a brother, yet they didn't even know his name.

Even so, they had no doubts and soon burst into laughter again.

"Our brother is so hungry that he forgot to tell us his name."

"It's okay. He'll come to us when he's done venting. We can ask him for his name then."

They assumed that Shanglu was in a hurry to have fun and didn't suspect anything else.

Shanglu was anxious; he was indeed hungry.

But it wasn't him who was hungry; it was the treacherous heart that was starving.

He wanted to feed the wicked heart cup as soon as possible, lest this precious thing become extremely hungry and steal his emotions and desires again.

Although he wrapped the Calamity Lamp with several purification talismans and sealed it inside the Impermanence Token, the Calamity Lamp had consumed a lot of spiritual power last night and was now in a state of extreme "hunger".

Even with the purification talisman and the decree of impermanence, it probably won't be able to trap it for long.

If Shang Lu hadn't discovered this situation, he wouldn't have made another trip to the county town.

He doesn't have the habit of going back to the scene of a crime to take a look after committing it.

Well, he simply went to the temple of the shaman and offered incense to the Lord of the East.

This incense stick is a plea to Dongjun for help, to prevent the Black-Clad Guards or the Disciplined Black Witches from discovering clues in the Witch Temple and tracing them back to him.

After offering incense, as he was leaving, Shang Lu also saw the shaman in the temple.

This shaman's cultivation level was only at the minor stage of Qi Refining. Although the sleep-inducing Gu released by Shang Lu last night failed to take down the three Xuan Yi Guards, it did put this shaman into a deep sleep.

Even though the shouts of battle outside were deafening and the fighting was earth-shattering, he did not wake up.

But because of this, he escaped a disaster, proving that even fools can have good fortune.

Although the shaman was surprised by the departure of the Black-Clad Guards without saying goodbye, he was not particularly surprised and even secretly relieved.

Compared to others, he knew much more inside information.

Those three black-clad guards weren't doing anything good here. Even if those infants who died suddenly had no direct connection with them, there were still plenty of entanglements between them, both overt and covert. It's better for them to leave sooner rather than later!

The shaman also saw the pokeweed who came to offer incense, but he didn't think much of it, and didn't recognize the pokeweed, so he didn't even bother to give it a second glance.

After leaving the temple, Shang Lu headed straight for the west of the city.

The white-collar workers weren't lying to him; all the shady businesses in this county were concentrated in this area.

Besides gambling dens and brothels, Shang Lu also saw several opium dens.

Opioids are strictly prohibited in many countries, and the State of Chu was no exception.

But there are policies from above and countermeasures from below.

These opium dens gave opium a different name, added some spices to mask its original smell, and then claimed it was a precious witchcraft drug that had a refreshing and invigorating effect.

In addition, the people behind the opium dens often had influence and had taken care of everyone in the county government.

In this way, even if they know that they are selling contraband, no one will come to investigate, and they will even help them cover it up to avoid being taken down by higher authorities.

Shang Lu took a stroll around the west side of the city and found that although it was early morning, business was booming there.

The gambling den was filled with smoke and pungent smells, and people were constantly shouting things like "Big" or "Small".

Many people had been gambling here all night, their eyes bloodshot, panting heavily, looking like wild beasts.

Although he was blinded by losses, he refused to leave the table and wanted to use the few coins he had left to gamble for something big.

Ideally, you should be able to earn back all your money, including your principal and interest!

In the opium den next door, people who were feeling the urge would lie on the opium beds day and night, drooling, indulging in their addiction.

After they had their fill of gambling, they felt energized and excitedly ran to the neighboring gambling den, eager to dominate the game.

In contrast, business at brothels is weaker in the morning.

After walking around, Shanglu had a clear idea of ​​what to do.

He chose a deserted alleyway in the center, went inside, and threw out several concealment talismans and hiding talismans.

These talismans landed all around, completely concealing his presence.

At the same time, Third Sister used the feng shui of the surrounding area and the terrain of the alley to create a maze.

With the shamanic talisman present, the commotion here will go unnoticed.

With the maze in place, even if someone accidentally wanders into this alley, they will be like someone trapped in a ghost wall, going around and around but unable to get to the depths of the alley or see Shang Lu.

In the end, these people will simply move on to another place.

Inside the alley, the pokeweed, which had been carefully arranged, finally took out the Calamity Lamp from the Impermanence Token and removed the Purification Talisman that was wrapped around it.

"Buzzing—"

Without needing to be activated by the infusion of vital energy from the pokeweed, the Calamity Heart Lamp emitted a slight buzzing sound, filled with excited emotions.

Immediately afterwards, specks of eerie light shot out from the Calamity Lamp, drifting swiftly in all directions like fireflies.

"Big! Big! I'm definitely going all in this round!"

Inside the gambling den, several gamblers who had lost everything actually won a hand.

It was only because they didn't have many chips that, although they won this round, they didn't win back much money, but it gave them a glimmer of hope.

"Hahaha, I'm starting to win! My luck is about to change!" "I knew it! I can't keep losing forever! I'll win back all the money I've lost right away! And I can win even more!"

It was at this moment that someone in the crowd said, "Luck comes and goes quickly. With the few chips you have, even if you win, how much money can you possibly win back?"

These words instantly awakened the few people who thought their luck had turned around.

Yes, they have limited resources, so even if they win, they won't win much.

They've finally turned their luck around and started winning, so they have to seize the opportunity!
These gamblers gritted their teeth and were determined to borrow money from the gambling den, even at the cost of their houses, land, and even their wives and daughters...

Those in the gambling den, seeing their reaction, curled their lips into a smug, sinister smile.

But at that very moment, an invisible, ghostly light drifted into the gambling den.

In a daze, everyone felt as if they heard a sound, like someone singing, but they couldn't make it out clearly.

Before they could figure out what was happening, their gambling desires waned at an alarming rate.

Even the bloodshot eyes of those gamblers who were blinded by rage and desperate to turn the tables quickly faded, and they all calmed down from their frenzy and entered a state of "sagehood".

He even began to reflect that it was pointless to gamble with his money; the people in the gambling dens would never let them actually win...

This kind of idea would never have crossed their minds before.

"This is boring, I'm not playing anymore, I'm leaving."

The gamblers shook their heads and walked out of the smoky gambling den one after another.

Normally, the people inside the gambling den would have tried every means to stop the gambler from leaving. But at this moment, they had no intention of stopping him from leaving at all.

All their emotions and desires were absorbed by the evil lamp at this moment.

Let the gamblers leave if they want; it doesn't matter whether the gambling den stays open or not... Let the world end, I'm tired.

At the same time, the situation inside the opium den was similar.

People who were addicted to smoking actually "quit" their addiction temporarily under the influence of the evil lamp.

Several people lying on the smoking beds, though smoking, suddenly felt it was pointless. After putting down their pipes, they staggered to their feet and left.

Several people who were craving cigarettes but had no money for opium, who had been pleading with tears streaming down their faces, wiped away their tears and shook their heads as they left.

In the brothel, several men who wanted to show off their prowess while they were in good spirits in the morning had just entered the room when they suddenly lost interest, shook their heads, and were about to leave.

In the past, the people in brothels would do everything in their power to keep those few customers.

These customers, for the sake of saving face, insisted on staying in the room for as long as possible before leaving.

But today, the people in the brothel had lost all interest and let them leave. They no longer cared about saving face.

In the alley, Shang Lu, though guarding the Calamity Lamp, released copper ants to secretly investigate and monitor the surrounding situation.

Once the evil spirit has recognized its master, it will not steal the spirit and desires of the pokeweed when there is sufficient "food".

Furthermore, with the help of the Heart Sutra, Pokeweed is completely unaffected by the evil heart lamp.

At this moment, through the copper ant, Shang Lu saw the effect of the Calamity Lamp on ordinary people and couldn't help but marvel.

This malevolent lamp not only drives people to madness after its sound range is activated, but it also possesses such power over predatory instincts and desires that it can render people utterly devoid of desire...

If this were used on the battlefield, we could first use the sound field to drive the enemy mad, and then when they activated their spells and magic and tried their best to regain their composure, we could use the Calamity Lamp to plunder their spirit and desires. Wouldn't that catch the enemy off guard?
Perhaps this could even create a sure-fire opportunity to strike and kill the enemy in one fell swoop!
Shang Lu quickly devised a new tactic in his mind.

In a very short time, the Calamity Lamp also plundered all the desires in the vicinity.

The pokeweed didn't dare let it continue to plunder.

If they continue to plunder, these people will probably lose even the will to breathe and live!

He's not an evil cultivator, and he doesn't have the habit of using innocent people to cultivate remnant spirits.

Shang Lu took out the Purification Talisman again, wrapped it around the Calamity Lamp, and put it into the Impermanence Decree.

Although the Calamity Lamp's appearance remained unchanged, Shang Lu, through his spiritual insight, could see that its internal energy was much purer and more surging than before. He also sensed the satisfied emotion emanating from the Calamity Lamp.

"Once we reach the next city, we'll let you out to continue your feast."

Shang Lu patted the Impermanence Decree and spoke to the Calamity Lamp stored inside.

Not only did Huoxinzhan hear what he said, but it seemed to understand it, releasing a submissive signal as if to say, "I obey."

Shang Lu put away the Impermanence Token, waved his hand, and the several witch talismans that were stuck around him immediately returned to his sleeve.

At the same time, Third Sister also canceled the feng shui formations around her.

The alleyway was restored to its original state in an instant.

As Shang Lu walked out of the alley, he bumped into several people coming out of brothels and gambling dens.

Although the treacherous lamp has been put away, it will take some time for them to recover their desire to be plundered.

Whether they can give up these bad habits during this period depends on their individual fate.

At this moment, as they wandered aimlessly, they actually began to ponder philosophical questions:

"Why do people live, you know?"

"Will the sky collapse?"

Why is white white and not black?

Shang Lu heard their mutterings and barely managed to suppress his laughter.

After leaving the west of the city, Shang Lu went to the market in the north of the city to purchase a batch of grain offerings, and at the same time searched for the materials needed to make Nuo masks.

Dongjun and Shan Gui have given him the main materials, but he still needs some auxiliary materials.

Unfortunately, although this was a county town, it was not very prosperous, and it was not close to places like the Witch Academy. Shang Lu looked around but was unable to buy many of the materials he wanted.

But it wasn't all without gains.

With his silver tongue, Shang Lu learned something from several well-informed merchants in the county town.

To the north of this county town, about several hundred miles away, lies the Fairy Market.

That market was an industry run by a family of sorcerers, attracting many merchants dealing in spiritual items.

If Shang Lu can't buy the materials he wants elsewhere, he can definitely get them all at the Immortal Spirit Market.

"Fairy Market?"

Shang Lu raised an eyebrow.

This kind of place is frequented by all sorts of people from the north and south.

Aside from buying treasures, it's also the perfect place to spread news and make prophecies come true!

(End of this chapter)