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Chapter 454 The Transformation of One-Ear
Xiao Bin became one-eared.

However, the young master was always kind to his servants, so he rewarded him with a medicinal pill. After taking it last night, he woke up this morning to find that his severed ear was already showing signs of growing back.

It should take about a month for the ear to heal.

Whether he can still use the trickery he heard that day remains to be seen.

Besides his trickery, Xiao Bin also had many other methods of spying and tracking.

He studied "military strategy," but only a small branch of it: night scouts.

"Night Scouts" were a type of reconnaissance soldiers stationed in the Nine Garrisons. They were sent out beyond the Great Wall to penetrate deep into the northern enemy territory to gather intelligence or to warn those inside the Great Wall.

Scouts usually leave the pass and return by nightfall.

They needed to remain hidden on the grasslands at all times, hence the name "Night Scouts".

Its abilities in areas such as terrain reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, wilderness survival, and individual combat are very comprehensive.

Xiao Bin and his partner were dressed in disguise.

This is one of Xiao Bin's handcrafted items, like a cloak, which can change with the surrounding environment.

The two of them covered the artifact as if they were invisible.

They hid about a hundred feet behind Xu Yuan and his men, and seeing Xu Yuan and his men searching aimlessly, they felt relieved: these people were just a bunch of headless flies.

That's not how you find treasure.

You guys are just taking a gamble.

Yesterday, Xu Yuan's pet goose caused Xiao Bin to lose an ear.

Xiao Bin still couldn't figure out why Da Fu's cry caused him to change so strangely.

However, he did not believe that this was a result intentionally caused by Xu Yuan.

He was young and impetuous, and harbored deep hatred for Xu Yuan, so naturally he was unwilling to acknowledge Xu Yuan's abilities.

No matter what Xu Yuan does, he will subconsciously try to belittle him.

As for Xu Yuan discovering the pit yesterday, Xiao Bin thought: "It's just standing up and squatting down, can that be considered Xu Yuan's skill?"
Then Xiao Bin "got his wish" and discovered that Xu Yuan had wasted the whole morning and the entire team had gained nothing.

Xiao Bin added, "His ability to stand out in South Jiaozhi was due to a combination of cleverness and a bit of luck."

His own strength is still no match for the geniuses of Beidu.

One of his companions was thinking: "They're much younger than us, and they're already considered fifth-rate."

Isn't that a skill?
But since they were all companions, he certainly couldn't speak up for Xu Yuan. If Xiao Bin thought that way, then so be it.

However, his companion found it strange: Xiao Bin wasn't like this before.

The people around Wei Jinyuan were all carefully selected by the master.

They are all very clever.

There will be no foolish and wicked servants around the eldest son of a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

……

Ever since he met Wei Jinyuan and his group yesterday, Xu Yuan's "ruling the world" destiny has been trembling slightly.

This destiny can suppress "disloyalty".

The greater the hostility towards Xu Yuan, the stronger the suppression.

This suppression is comprehensive.

"Disloyal" individuals will miss important opportunities, make wrong choices repeatedly, and inadvertently overlook crucial clues, among other things.

If someone like Xiao Bin doesn't change his attitude and continues to stay close to Master Xu, he'll be at a disadvantage.

I'm afraid that within ten days, he will be plagued by bad luck, his performance will plummet, or he might even die.

……

By noon, Liu Hu, who had recovered to about 70% of his previous state, took over the cooking again.

He paid for the only piece of cured meat a farmer had with three qian of silver.

This cured pork hangs above the stove and has been smoked for three years.

This family originally ran a cured meat business, but six months ago they suffered a misfortune, sold their house and land, and moved to this deserted village.

All that was left was this piece of old cured meat.

The meat was of excellent quality, half fat and half lean. Liu Hu cut it open and had his men pick some wild scallions from outside. They stir-fried it over high heat to bring out the aroma of the fat in the cured meat.

Xiao Bin and his companion, hiding more than ten feet away, could smell the enticing aroma and couldn't help but swallow hard.

The two could only eat dry food and drink water.

The rations were just dry biscuits. When doing this kind of surveillance mission, you can't eat those strongly flavored foods, as it would easily give you away.

Xiao Bin followed them all morning, but the only thing he envied about Xu Yuan's group was their lunch.

In other respects, these people are nothing special.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill—or rather, after everyone else had eaten and drunk their fill, the two uncouth martial arts practitioners, Lang Xiaoba and Ji Shuangqiu, were stuffed.

Since we've eaten too much, we need to find something to help digest.

The two martial arts practitioners began their daily routine of "sparring".

Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The two exchanged blows, a truly hard-fought battle, until one of them gave out first.

There's absolutely no skill involved.

Ji Shuangqiu's talent far surpasses that of Lang Xiaoba.

Although Lang Xiaoba, by sheer chance, broke through to the minor level of "Heavenly Star Fall" due to nervousness, Ji Shuangqiu was also close to achieving the minor level.

She achieved this solely through her own cultivation.

Lang Xiaoba secretly sensed something was wrong: "I'm afraid that by tomorrow or the day after, this woman will have achieved some success, and then I will have no advantage."

If I act ruthlessly again today, she will not spare me once she has achieved some success.

Lang Xiaoba felt a little scared.

But then he glared again, making up his mind: "Guan Qiu, I'll have my fun today first, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow!"

Lang Xiaoba will get beaten up tomorrow, but today Lang Xiaoba will beat people up!

So he showed no mercy and soon Ji Shuangqiu, who had been hit more than a dozen times, was turned into a pig's head again.

Xiao Bin and his companion watched from the shadows and thought, "Xu Yuan is incompetent in managing his subordinates; there's serious infighting among them."

After a short break at noon, Xu Yuan stood up and said, "Let's continue. But we can't do it like this morning. We need to split into several groups and search for clues on our own."

Xiao Bin and his companion sneered: "So you finally understand?"

But soon, their smiles faded.

Xu Yuan directly divided his men into four groups.

Xu Yuan was in one group, Mu Han was in another group, Lang Xiaoba and the yamen runners were in another group, and Ji Shuangqiu and Liu Hu were in yet another group.

The four groups of people scattered throughout the village, but Xiao Bin only had two people. Who should he stick with?
Xiao Bin gritted his teeth and quickly made a decision: "I'll go with Xu Yuan, and you go with... Mu Han."

"it is good."

These two hold the highest positions, so keeping an eye on them is probably the right thing to do.

However, the two did not realize that there had been some confusion during the group formation, and Lang Xiaoba and Lord Xu had switched identities.

The person Xiao Bin was targeting was actually played by Lang Xiaoba using the "Liyuan Method".

While keeping an eye on "Xu Yuan", Xiao Bin wondered to himself: I wonder if the young master and his companions have made any gains today?
……

In the old forest, Wei Jinyuan looked at the temple gate in the tree hole and had a strong premonition: the Dragon Mouth Fire was inside!

He reached up and touched his face, putting on a "white face" mask: "Let's go in and take a look..."

Uncle Xi raised his hand to stop him: "Young master, please wait."

He couldn't let the young master take such a risk.

Uncle Xi scratched his head, and a flake of dandruff fell like snowflakes from his greasy hair.

Then Uncle Xi pulled a worm out of his hair and threw it on the ground. The worm quickly grew larger, and a dark, gloomy aura surged out from the gaps in its segmented shell, enveloping it.

Long, worm-like antennae emerged from the yin energy.

It was Uncle Xi's "Big Bug".

"I'll go in and take a look first."

After saying this, Uncle Xi seemed to have lost half of his soul, becoming blank and dazed.

The "big worm" became even more agile and ferocious, quickly darting into the tree hole.

Then he rammed his head against the temple door, and it opened.

"Big Bug" can see in the dark, and Uncle Xi can see what the bug can see.

Behind the temple gate was a dilapidated main hall.

Although the area is small and covered in dust, it is still possible to see that all the utensils and ritual objects in this small temple were very exquisite and high-end in the past.

On the shrine, there is a statue of a dragon god.

The carving is incredibly lifelike.

A huge and majestic dragon head faces the temple gate, its eyes filled with fierceness, exuding an aura of authority without anger.

There is another, slightly smaller dragon head, which extends diagonally to the left from a slightly lower position.

The dragon's mouth was half-open, holding a ball of flame.

"Big Bug" circled the small temple and discovered a large hole hidden under the dilapidated offering table in front of the statue.

There were also some colorful snake scales scraped on the cave entrance.

Uncle Xi carefully inspected the small temple again, and after confirming that there was no danger, he said, "Young master, you can go in now."

Wei Jinyuan immediately led everyone inside.

When he saw the ball of "flame" in the mouth of the two-headed dragon god statue, his eyes lit up and he laughed, "As expected, I, the young master, got it first."

He does have some knowledge.

The two-headed dragon statue was carved from wood, but the "flames" in the dragon's mouth were not carved from wood.

It is a red crystal formed from the coagulation of a special type of blood.

A warm feeling emanated from inside.

Uncle Xi then pointed to the large hole under the offering table and said, "That evil spirit should have just left. However, if you take the dragon's mouth fire, the evil spirit might sense it immediately."

We then blocked the entrance to the cave and vanquished the evil spirit as well.

Wei Jinyuan nodded: "Alright, then I'll leave it to Uncle Xi."

Wei Jinyuan pondered in his heart: destroying this evil spirit would completely solve this "strange place".

This deserted village will no longer have to worry about evil spirits eating people.

For the villagers here, they can be considered as having been "reborn".

Before returning to the capital, I will give a hint to the officials of the Southern Jiaozhi government to have them mobilize the villagers to erect a monument to commemorate my achievements next to this big tree.

A year or two later, a few more students from Wenxiu traveled to southern Jiaozhi and "accidentally" discovered the stone tablet, writing articles to spread the news.

My reputation in the Northern Capital has now been fully established.

In an instant, Wei Jinyuan had already imagined what would happen a few years from now.

The more I fantasize, the more excited I get!

Uncle Xi urged, "Young master, let's harvest now, lest something unexpected happens."

Wei Jinyuan snapped out of his daydream and nodded, "Okay."

"Would you like to do it yourself, young master, or shall I do it for you?"

Wei Jinyuan wiped his face again, turning it red.

"I, this young master, have come in person."

He stepped forward, his palms turning a fiery red, and grasped the ball of "fire" in the dragon's mouth.

Uncle Xi remained on guard.

If any unforeseen events occur, they are most likely to happen during the harvesting of "Dragon's Mouth Fire".

Wei Jinyuan himself was aware of this.

As he grasped the Dragon Mouth Fire with both hands, a strange vine rose up behind him. The vine twisted like a snake, was about ten feet long and as thick as an arm, and had seven human eyes growing on it!

This was a protective item cultivated specifically for him by a third-rate "agriculturalist" under his father's command.

In terms of quality, it's truly fourth-rate.

The small temple was quiet, and nothing unusual happened.

Wei Jinyuan smiled slightly and exerted force with both hands—red paint flowed down from the mask, gathering on his hands and covering the "Dragon's Mouth Fire".

Wei Jinyuan accepted the fire.

Just then, everyone in the small temple suddenly heard a child's laughter:
"After baiting for so long, a big fish has finally taken the bait!"

Everyone suddenly felt dizzy.

Along with the entire small temple, it was thrown upside down into a chaotic darkness!
Everyone felt a surge in the infection they were carrying.

All around, it was gloomy and dim, as if countless eyes were greedily watching me from the shadows.

Then, another indistinct roar reached my ears.

The ear canal was in excruciating pain, as if the eardrum was being torn apart. My mind was a complete blank, and all sorts of crazy and wicked thoughts were arising uncontrollably and rapidly.

The first to turn treacherous was Uncle Xi!
The others, including Wei Jinyuan, also unconsciously twisted their bodies, becoming longer and longer.

The legs merged, and the feet became a tail.

Strange scales grew from head to tail.

Those scales were so colorful!
Wei Jinyuan even merged with the strange vines behind him, and the seven eyes were embedded in the layers of scales on his back!
Despite being in a daze, Wei Jinyuan maintained a sliver of mental clarity.

This was not because he was strong, but because he carried an auspicious object.

But this auspicious object could only temporarily prevent him from completely losing his way.

It was this moment of clarity that made him realize: Oh no, there really is a great evil spirit fishing in this village.

But it wasn't Xu Yuan who took the bait, it was this young master...

……

The ghost soldiers followed the village children for an entire morning.

Sunlight can still be somewhat harmful to low-level ghost soldiers.

Therefore, they could only seek refuge in the shadows of the village.

There are not many people living in the village now, only about seven or eight households.

There were a total of nineteen children.

During the day, while the adults worked in the fields, the children couldn't just play all the time; they would usually do chores like cutting grass and gathering firewood.

But if you run too far, you're more likely to run into evil spirits.

Therefore, adults usually tell them not to leave the village.

But the village children behaved very well and normally in front of the adults; once the adults left, they all ran off.

Seven of them ran further and further away, and after leaving the village, they each went their own way and gathered together at a pond north of the village.

Then, they revealed their snake-like form, lying on the ground lazily sunbathing.

Occasionally, they would dive into the pond, roll around, and get covered in mud.

Just as the sun was about to set, the pond suddenly began to boil as if it were being cooked.

Bubbles are rising and popping upwards.

The children immediately and carefully stepped back, lining up cautiously about three zhang away.

As it churned, the pool water gradually changed from its original murky yellow color to a variety of colors.

Yin energy then erupted.

It wasn't dark yet, but the area around the pond had already become quite gloomy.

The pool water became increasingly turbulent and chaotic, and a water dragon gradually condensed in the center.

It was enormous and its colors were incredibly chaotic.

As soon as this thing appeared, an unintelligible roar rang out.

However, this roar was confined to the area of ​​yin energy.

The children didn't dare to move, remaining silent as if terrified.

Suddenly, the water dragon rushed ashore in a fit of rage, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed three children whole.

The other children were even more frightened, trembling all over, yet they dared not run away.

After the water dragon ate three, it suddenly soared into the sky, but at a height of several dozen feet, it was suddenly pulled by something and fell back into the pond with a bang.

The water dragon was still not satisfied, stirring things up and rushing towards the shore a second time.

It opened its huge mouth in the water.

However, the force that was pulling it back held it firmly in place.

The water dragon had already rushed halfway ashore, and its large mouth was right in front of several children when it bit into empty air, and was then pulled back into the pond by the force.

The unintelligible roar grew increasingly violent and furious, yet it was still irresistibly pulled into the depths of the pond.

The children were so weak that they collapsed on the spot.

Suddenly, a childish voice rang out in the air: "That's all for today, everyone go back now."

The children hurriedly retreated, and after emerging from that huge expanse of yin energy and dark mist, the signs of serpentification on each of them became even more pronounced.

When they reached the village entrance, they all transformed back into normal children.

Then they smiled, each one innocent and carefree.

Laughing and giggling, they ran home with the other children in the village, calling out "Daddy, Mommy," and asking, "I'm so hungry, what are we going to eat tonight?"

Xu Yuan stood quietly a few dozen feet away, concealing himself with the "Dragon Spitting a Mirage".

When the water dragon appeared just now, Xu Yuan clearly felt the power of the "dragon".

Originating from Pilong's "Dragon Transformation Method," a strong desire to eat has been transmitted!

But Xu Yuan could also see that the water dragon had completely transformed into an evil spirit.

Within the water dragon's body, the evil yin energy and the dragon's power had become completely mixed together.

But Xu Yuan couldn't find the source of that last, childlike voice.

After the water dragon sank to the bottom of the pond, the dark mist and gloom that had enveloped the pond gradually dissipated.

Before long, things returned to normal.

Even when Xu Yuan used "Looking at Fate" and "Yin-Yang Guillotine" to examine the pond in turn, everything seemed normal, with no trace of evil spirits.

"Strange……"

In addition, Xu Yuan noticed something else:
Everything is normal at the little girl's house today.

The couple's three children have all disappeared, but they didn't cry or make a scene. They acted as if nothing had happened and went to work in the fields as usual today!

Xu Yuan waited by the pond until it got dark.

At night, the yin energy is strong, and evil spirits come out.

But the pond remained completely unchanged.

Xu Yuan even saw a wolf with an old man's face cautiously approach the pond, drink some water, and then leave unharmed.

Xu Yuan shook his head and turned back.

……

Xiao Bin and his companion, who had been tracking and monitoring "Xu Yuan" and Mu Han, returned home.

The two men glanced at the sky and realized there was no longer any need for surveillance, so they quietly withdrew and returned to their lodgings.

There was no one in either room.

The two waited patiently.

But it was already well past night and more than half an hour had passed, and the young master and the others still hadn't returned.

The two of them felt uneasy.

"Is something going to happen?"

Xiao Bin gritted his teeth: "Wait a little longer."

They waited until the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), and then the two of them really panicked!
"We can't wait any longer, something must have happened."

"Even if it's because some clues have been discovered and an investigation is underway, the young master should have sent someone back to inform us."

His companion was completely at a loss: "What should we do?"

Everyone protected the young master as they came out; if the young master were gone, neither of them would have a chance to live.

He could commit suicide to atone for his sins and still save his family.

Xiao Bin's mind was also in a complete mess.

He pinched himself hard a few times to calm himself down.

"Immediately request assistance from the Exorcism Bureau, the Mountain and River Bureau, and the Demon Extermination Army of Southern Jiaozhi! Ask them to send strong cultivators to rescue the young master!"

His companion's voice trembled as he said, "Even if we ask for help, the earliest we can get is tomorrow, and the young master..."

His companion dared not say anything more.

Will the young master and his companions be able to hold out until tomorrow?
Xiao Bin was extremely frustrated and yelled, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Suddenly, a thought struck him: "Xu Yuan is from the Exorcism Division!"

Xiao Bin instinctively objected: "How could he possibly save the young master!"

"He's the head of the Purification Division!" his companion emphasized again. "It's his duty. Even if he has a grudge against the young master, as long as he's wearing the official robes of the Purification Division, he can't just stand by and watch someone die!"

Xiao Bin: "But he's only a fifth-rate guy, while Uncle Xi is a fourth-rate guy. Even Uncle Xi couldn't protect the young master, so even if he were willing to help, does he have the ability?"

Comrade: "He's the closest reinforcement. Whether he's capable or not, he's our last hope!"

Xiao Bin sighed and admitted that his companion was right: "Alright, let's go ask Xu Yuan for help."

The two immediately went outside, and their companion reminded them, "We're going to ask for help, so you need to be more humble..."

Xiao Bin nodded: "I understand. I will definitely be humble and subservient. As long as he is willing to help us rescue the young master, what's wrong with me kowtowing to him to apologize?"

His hostility towards Xu Yuan vanished after he said those words.

When you're under a low eave, you have no choice but to bow your head.

Halfway through their walk in the night, Xiao Bin suddenly realized: Xu Yuan is a fifth-rate person? I already knew that.

He was not even twenty years old, and it is said that he had been a fifth-rate student for less than a year!
Those so-called unparalleled geniuses from both the Northern and Southern Capitals seem unable to achieve this...

Why was I so convinced this morning that he wasn't good enough?
Xiao Bin frowned, completely bewildered by his own mindset at the time.

I have a vague feeling that the old saying is true: "The heart is blinded by lard."

Looking back on Xu Yuan's actions today, it all seems very strange now.

Xu Yuan wasn't without any clues—at least he discovered the pit yesterday evening.

Even the dumbest person should know to follow the clues.

But Xu Yuan didn't go to that pit at all today.

Unless... he has completely figured out this clue and there is no need to continue investigating!

The two disregarded the dangers along the way and walked swiftly to Xu Yuan's residence, only to encounter someone right in front of them.

Xiao Bin was taken aback: "Lord Xu?"

The courtyard gate opened, and Lang Xiaoba and the others rushed out to greet them: "Sir, you're back."

Xiao Bin and his companion exchanged a glance, feeling ashamed and embarrassed: the "Xu Yuan" they had been watching during the day was clearly not the real Xu Yuan.

He knew we were secretly watching him and easily outmaneuvered us.

Even though they were disguised as artisans, Xu Yuan could see them clearly with just one "look at their fate".

Xu Yuan stared at Xiao Bin: "What are you doing here?"

Xiao Bin was nudged by his companion with his elbow.

Xiao Bin was now completely convinced. He clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and said, "Ignorant madman Zhao Xuanbin has come to apologize!"

(End of this chapter)