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Chapter 458 Still a little unconvinced
This evil thought was well hidden; Xu Yuan hadn't noticed it before.

Just now, with a flick of his finger, he ignited the blood cocoon—the thing probably thought the fire was aimed at her, so it was startled, and that's when Xu Yuan noticed.

Within the "Lingxiao" realm, such evil thoughts, malice, and demonic consciousness abound.

Once the physical body is pulled in, it will inadvertently become attached to this thing.

Their "attachment" is like a speck of dust falling on your body unnoticed; you won't even realize it.

Xu Yuan casually fooled Wei Jinyuan, causing Wei Jinyuan's lips to tremble and plunging him into deep self-doubt:

Could it be... that I like men?

Playing with children is one thing, but truly liking men is another!
Xu Yuan continued to spout nonsense with a straight face: "I will definitely keep this matter a secret!"

Wei Jinyuan was almost fooled.

But after thinking it over carefully, facing his own heart, and confirming it again and again, he finally realized: But I don't like men!
Uncle Xi slowly walked over and said in a deep voice, "Young master, this is an evil spirit we brought out from that small temple. You don't need to worry."

Wei Jinyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he looked at Xu Yuan with a deep, unsettling gaze.

Xu Yuan remained calm and composed: "My judgment is the same as what I just said."

Of course, Young Master Wei would find it easier to accept Uncle Xi's explanation.

After all, not everyone has the courage to face their true self.

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "I understand, I completely understand."

Then he emphasized again, "I really won't tell anyone, don't worry."

If he didn't need someone's help right now, Young Master Wei would definitely jump up and smash this guy's head with his folding fan.

You're determined to make it clear that I like men, aren't you?
Xu Yuan waved his hand, and the fire lashed Wei Jinyuan's face once again.

"what!"

Wei Jinyuan screamed in pain as two marks were crossed out on his face.

Wei Jinyuan's eyes grew increasingly resentful: I suspect you're deliberately retaliating against me, and I have evidence!

But I didn't dare to say it.

Xu Yuan slapped his forehead, looking as if he had just realized something, and said, "I'm really sorry, I just slapped it down without thinking."

"This is not the way to remove the contamination from the young master's alchemy."

So Wei Jinyuan took the hit for nothing. Xu Yuan flicked his hand, and the flames scattered, like countless ants crawling up Wei Jinyuan's body, slowly "devouring" away the contamination within him.

This time, it took a full half hour for the sky to brighten completely.

Wei Jinyuan's situation is similar to Uncle Xi's, but better than Lao Zheng's.

However, he did not possess Uncle Xi's formidable self-healing ability.

After cleaning the infection off his body, Wei Jinyuan felt that many parts of his body were "empty".

He was extremely weak.

He stared longingly at Lord Xu Yuan, who seemed to be talking to himself, "I remember there's still one medicinal pill left. Let me look for it."

Then he reached into the pouch at his waist with his right hand, rummaging around, but couldn't get it out.

Wei Jinyuan waited for a while, and felt the weakness in his body becoming stronger and stronger. His consciousness was floating, as if he were on a cloud.

"A house in Beidu, in exchange for one of your medicinal pills..."

Xu Yuan's face lit up with joy: "Found it!"

The hand pulled out a medicinal pill and handed it to Wei Jinyuan: "Young Master Wei is incredibly fortunate. This is the last one left. It truly saved your life and is extremely precious!"

Wei Jinyuan hurriedly took it and ate it.

Despite his complaints, he had to admit that Xu Yuan's alchemy skills were indeed superb. After taking the pill, he immediately felt a surge of power in his abdomen, which made up for some of the missing parts of his body.

"Young Master, we will protect you." Xiao Bin and the other man immediately stepped forward and stood loyally beside Wei Jinyuan.

Wei Jinyuan and the other two were slowly recovering. Xu Yuan was fine, so he waved his hand and said, "I'll head back now."

Xiao Bin hurriedly said, "Please take care, sir. We will definitely deliver what we promised you."

Xu Yuan returned with his hands behind his back.

A sense of regret lingers: the small temple vanished into thin air at the last moment last night, likely taken away by that evil spirit.

It's a real pity, because this is an extremely rare treasure that can connect the "Lingxiao" and the "Yangjian" world!

I just wonder if this treasure can connect the mortal realm and the underworld again?
Fortunately, it was taken away; otherwise, if the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had broken out of that door, I really wouldn't have been able to deal with him.

However, now that we know the great evil spirit in the village is hiding in the Lingxiao Palace, we have a way to deal with it.

Lang Xiaoba and the others didn't sleep all night, waiting for the adults.

Upon seeing Xu Yuan return, everyone rushed forward to greet him: "My lord!"

Xu Yuan nodded and said, "Let's rest for now. Xiao Ba, go back to Champa."

Bring back 'dreams come true'.

"I obey my orders."

The day passed peacefully.

While Xu Yuan and his group rested, Liu Hu led his men out hunting and prepared three meals a day, which everyone enjoyed immensely.

Wei Jinyuan and his group focused on recuperating until nightfall. Uncle Xi's strength had basically recovered, but Lao Zheng and Wei Jinyuan still needed some time.

The lurking evil spirit was quite well-behaved during the day after last night's battle.

Throughout the day, Xu Yuan continuously combined, analyzed, and pondered various clues in his mind.

There is a problem that is not a detail, but is easily overlooked.

Xu Yuan only realized it after thinking about it several times.

Yesterday, Wei Jinyuan and the others were pulled into the Lingxiao Palace. Why were they immediately and intensely affected, and why did they undergo such a strange transformation almost instantly?

Is there any contamination in the celestial realm?

Of course there is.

However, the influence in Lingxiao was not that strong.

Xu Yuan guessed that there was a strong source of yin energy in that small temple.

Judging from the extent of infection among Uncle Xi and the others, the source was enough to turn the entire village into a "mysterious place."

But this raises another question:
The child's voice appeared several times, and each time it appeared, Xu Yuan did not feel the state of being greatly affected.

“That ‘child’ was not the source of the infection.”

"But is it possible... that it can control the source of the infection?"

"This source of infection first turned the entire village into a strange place, but it suddenly disappeared strangely half a year ago."

"Was that 'child' the one who came here six months ago and took control of the source of the infection?"

Xu Yuan guessed.

"In other words, there are two great evil spirits behind this village!"

But there are still some things that don't make sense: the "child" doesn't seem to have as much power as the source of the infection.

Otherwise, when it appears, it should be accompanied by a stronger infection.

Another point is that the snake-like children in the village, who have clearly become evil spirits, can knock on doors in the middle of the night without being driven away by the door gods.

But other evil spirits in the village at night dare not offend the door gods.

This means there was no problem with the door gods.

Ji Shuangqiu felt extremely bored throughout the entire day.

She volunteered to guard the gate, but there were hardly any intact pieces of furniture left in the yard. She built a stool at the gate with stones, and sat there with her head propped up by her hand, looking somewhat absent-minded.

Her petite body was so large that it felt as if she completely covered the stone pillar.

Every now and then he would get up and walk around a couple of times, then aimlessly punch a few times in the yard.

The force of the punches exploded, like a battle flag fluttering.

During lunch, Ji Shuangqiu couldn't help but complain: "My lord, why did you have to send Lang Xiaoba out on an errand today?"

My poem "Falling Star" was partially completed last night.

Today, I'll take this opportunity to teach that bastard a lesson he won't forget!

Xu Yuan glanced at her while eating.

You seemed completely out of your mind all day; I thought there was some kind of connection between you two.

So it turns out you didn't beat him up today, and you're itching to do it.

In the late afternoon, Xu Yuan went out alone.

They concealed themselves and went to the pond.

Surprisingly, the pond was deserted and cold today.

Those children are not there.

The water dragon did not appear before sunset.

Xu Yuan quietly withdrew.

Thinking about it, it makes sense: if that water dragon ate several children every day, there would be no children left in this village.

It should be eaten only once every so often.

But after Xu Yuan returned, he suddenly thought: "Be careful tonight, something might happen!"

Ji Shuangqiu grinned and smiled happily.

Two fists, each the size of a vinegar jar, wobbled precariously—this girl's fists can't be idle; she's determined to beat something up today.

If I can't beat up Lang Xiaoba, I can beat up you evil spirits instead.

So after nightfall, everyone started making their own preparations.

Ji Shuangqiu sat down behind the door.

Xu Yuan suddenly remembered: "Where's Dafu?"

"Dafu?"

Xu Yuan called out several times, but there was no response.

Dafu didn't come back during the day at all.

It stayed guarding the big insect the whole time.

Mine, this is mine.

I'm not going anywhere until I've eaten it all.

Xu Yuan shook his head in frustration: "A bunch of kids will come and cause trouble tonight, which is the perfect time for the geese to show off their skills—give them a complete childhood of being chased and pecked by geese."

But Dafu wasn't there.

“However…” Xu Yuan smiled again, releasing the Six-Eyed Nethermoth Ghost Pill: “Telling ghost stories to children is a way to have a complete childhood.”

Mu Han's eyes lit up, and he trembled, the shadow beneath his feet rippling like waves: "This humble official is also good at telling ghost stories!"

However, neither of the two strange men succeeded.

Ji Shuangqiu took down each kid with a single punch, eliminating them all.

Ji Shuangqiu is really ruthless.

The main reason is that, in her mind, there is no difference between children and adults.

They showed no mercy when they attacked.

After the fight, Xu Yuan burned everything in one gulp.

Ji Shuangqiu said, "I started cultivating when I was five years old. My father would practice with me every day, using real swords and spears."

Her father was an old inspector in the Bureau of Purification.

He is also a martial arts practitioner.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

But Ji Shuangqiu then said triumphantly, "But when I'm twelve, my dad won't be able to beat me anymore."

"At that time, although my skill level was still not as good as his, youth has its advantages. He was old and his energy was declining, so he was no match for me."

"Then he started making all sorts of excuses, like he was going out drinking with friends today, or his old friend's son was getting married tomorrow. He was always running around and avoiding me."

Ji Shuangqiu glared at him: "You think I'd let him off? Dream on!"

Ji Shuangqiu put her hands on her hips and laughed loudly, "Later, my father came up with the conclusion: you should discipline your child as early as possible."

Then she deflated: "When I turned fourteen, my father and mother had another brother."

"Oh... my poor little brother."

The people around couldn't hold back their laughter any longer and burst out laughing. Later that night, everything outside became completely quiet.

The other evil spirits in the village, having witnessed Ji Shuangqiu's terrifying nature in the first half of the night, dared not come to provoke her.

Xu Yuan guessed that the evil spirit would send the village children to knock on the door tonight, but he didn't expect it to end so abruptly.

After testing the waters with the children, was there no other plan?

Did that thing chicken out?

Xu Yuan remained on guard, but the night passed quietly.

……

No roosters crow in the village.

Because there are no fighting roosters like Ahua in this small village.

Wei Jinyuan was recovering from his injury in the first half of the night and only went to sleep in the second half.

When I woke up today, I took out my pocket-sized almanac and looked at it again.

Today's ban:
Linhe, shouting at the mountain, arson, and sexual intercourse.

Wei Jinyuan then gloated, "That Lord Xu is going to be unwell today."

Young Master Wei owes Xu Yuan a huge debt.

He previously boasted that he would grant one request to whoever obtained the "Dragon's Mouth Fire" first... but now it has become a joke.

Wei Jinyuan lacked the confidence to confront Xu Yuan again.

But I still felt a little resentful, especially since I had been whipped twice by Xu Yuan yesterday.

Seeing that "arson" is banned today, which means that alchemy skills are restricted by half, I am naturally in a great mood.

Tuk-tuk-tuk!
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Xu Yuan's voice came from outside: "Young Master Wei, are you awake?"

The door next to them opened first, and Uncle Xi and the other three quickly came out.

"Master Xu is here."

Uncle Xi and the others weren't afraid that Xu Yuan would do anything to Wei Jinyuan, but rather that Wei Jinyuan would be resentful and clash with Xu Yuan again.

Yesterday, everyone was recovering from their injuries. In fact, the four of them had already discussed it and decided to persuade the young master to go back today, as the village was too dangerous.

A wise person avoids dangerous situations; we don't need to.

Xu Yuan greeted Uncle Xi and the others in a very friendly manner, after all, they were all big spenders.

You may not like your customers, but you can't turn away business, right?

Wei Jinyuan got up and opened the door. Xu Yuan came in, eating a dry biscuit in one hand.

Arson is prohibited today, so Liu Hu cannot light a fire to cook; everyone can only eat dry rations.

Lord Xu, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted the pocket-sized almanac placed by his bedside.

Xu Yuan picked it up casually, glanced at it, closed it, but didn't put it back; he just held it in his hand.

"I've come today to have a frank and open conversation with you, young master."

Wei Jinyuan, with a stern face, gestured for him to speak: "Please speak, sir."

"Young master, you arrived a few days ago and seem to have made some discoveries. Could you tell me what you have discovered?"

Wei Jinyuan hesitated and pondered.

Xu Yuan pointed outside and said, "It's no longer about harvesting Dragon Mouth Fire."

The night before last, a little girl came to knock on your door; last night, all the children in the village came to knock on my door.

These children have all become wicked, and we killed them ruthlessly—but today, these villagers seem to have forgotten they even have children.

Listen to the village; there are no unusual sounds, not even a single person crying.

That evil spirit has a tremendous influence on the subconscious; it's not easy to deal with!

Uncle Xi followed in and cautiously advised, "Young master, the clues we found are clearly bait deliberately released by that evil spirit."

Wei Jinyuan nodded and sighed, "Well, there's really nothing we can't say now."

This is truly thanks to Wei Jinyuan.

A prominent family would never choose an incomplete lineage for the cultivation path arranged for its descendants.

For example, terms like "illegal" and "self-sacrifice".

It won't be something unconventional, like "magic tricks."

They are generally scholars or craftsmen.

They wanted to choose, but it wasn't up to them.

Martial arts training is also an option, but children from wealthy families are unwilling to endure hardship, so fewer people choose this path.

The initial stages of alchemy are fast, but the later stages are slow, and the selection of alchemical methods is limited.

They would almost never choose to cultivate their divine powers.

The Dharma Cultivation is a catch-all, and many lineages are put into it.

The sons of prominent families usually choose the orthodox "Taoist methods" or "laws".

Wei Jinyuan also practiced Taoist magic.

One of his specialties is "observing qi" (vital energy).

This field has a specific branch that openly seeks suitable burial sites for members of the royal family and prominent clans.

In the dark...

Wei Jinyuan's goal was to enter the Imperial Observatory and one day build the mausoleum for His Mausoleum.

After he arrived, he wandered around the village aimlessly, like a headless fly.

Although he was a sixth-rate practitioner, to be honest, he hadn't mastered the skill of "qi observation" very well.

I've looked at it many times before, but haven't gained anything.

But this time, whether it was due to his improved skills or sheer luck, after wandering around the village for half a day, he actually managed to "see" some clues.

The village is filled with a fiery atmosphere, which most likely means that it truly possesses "dragon's mouth fire."

But when he got to this point, Wei Jinyuan was at his wit's end.

I have absolutely no idea how to find the Dragon Mouth Fire.

Then Uncle Xi made his move.

He manipulated the Gu worms to infiltrate underground, starting from the original location of the ancient well, and searched for water veins underground.

They also found three more locations by examining the connections to underground water veins.

One is a small river, about seven or eight miles away, that is closest to the village.

One of them was another well that originally existed in the village.

The third is this old forest over there.

They had checked the first two places but found nothing. When they found Lao Lin, they found something, but it was too late, so they had to go back first.

When I went there again the day before yesterday, I fell into the trap of that evil spirit.

After Wei Jinyuan finished speaking, Xu Yuan finished his piece of cake, stroked his chin, and casually put the pocket-sized almanac into his pocket.

"Alright, I understand."

As Xu Yuan walked out, Wei Jinyuan couldn't help but call out, "Lord Xu..."

Xu Yuan turned around: "Hmm? Is there anything else I haven't said?"

Wei Jinyuan wanted his almanac back, but Uncle Xi and the others all had one on them, so he decided to give it to him.

"What are your plans for today, sir? Could you please take us with you?"

Uncle Xi quickly stopped him, saying, "Young master, let's go back."

Wei Jinyuan ignored him, and in the battle for the Dragon Mouth Fire, Wei Jinyuan admitted defeat.

But this young master from a prominent family was not satisfied and wanted to follow Xu Yuan around to see how things went, at least to gain a better understanding of him.

Xu Yuan was secretly pleased: Free labor was being delivered to his door.

“Of course, but…” Xu Yuan paused for a moment.

Wei Jinyuan said, "Sir, please speak freely."

“My approach to handling cases differs from that of ordinary people,” Xu Yuan said. “It’s fine if you want to come along and observe, but you must follow my instructions. Sometimes, if unforeseen circumstances arise, I may not have time to explain to you, and you will have to obey my orders.”

Uncle Xi then advised, "Young master, we are all injured, and we have suffered heavy losses in terms of artifacts and medicines. Why don't we go back first?"

Wei Jinyuan also hesitated.

"Don't ask any questions, just follow Xu Yuan's arrangements"—Wei Jinyuan felt as if he was about to be tricked by Xu Yuan.

But he was unwilling to leave like this.

If I can win the young lady's heart, my chances of getting a job at the Imperial Observatory will be practically guaranteed.

During his trip to Pingli County, he gained a great deal from observing the qi (vital energy) and felt that he had a remarkable talent for this method!
Wei Jinyuan asked hesitantly, "Sir, you wouldn't send us to our deaths for no reason, would you...?"

Xu Yuan glared: "How could you, young master, make such malicious assumptions about me!"

"I'm ashamed..."

"If you don't trust me, young master, I haven't even gotten my hands on the treasures like the giant fish bone from the North Sea yet. I will definitely ensure that you leave Gangtou Village alive."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jinyuan thought it made sense!
"Very well, I agree. I will follow Lord Xu's arrangements for all actions today!"

Uncle Xi tried his best to stop him, but to no avail: "Young Master..."

Wei Jinyuan instructed, "Get ready, we'll go with Lord Xu now."

When the group returned with Xu Yuan, Mu Han and the others looked completely bewildered: just a few days ago they acted like young masters from a prominent family in the north, looking down on us country folk from the south.

Why have they all come to seek refuge here today?
Uncle Xi and Old Zheng sighed deeply.

Xiao Bin and his companion were barely able to accept the result.

The best arrangement, of course, would be for the young master to leave Gangtou Village immediately, and for them to board a boat on the canal and rush back to Beidu without stopping.

But if the young master refuses to leave, then following Lord Xu is safer than acting independently.

Wei Jinyuan rubbed his hands together eagerly: "Lord Xu, what do we do next?"

"Do nothing, just wait."

"Wait?" Wei Jinyuan was quite surprised and was about to ask further when he saw Xu Yuan glare at him.

Wei Jinyuan chuckled awkwardly and cupped his hands in greeting: "Alright, I won't ask any more questions. I'll follow Lord Xu's arrangements."

Everyone seemed to have nothing to do, but Ji Shuangqiu remained guarding the gate, sitting on a stone stool.

After a while, he got up impatiently and paced back and forth in the yard.

Before long, she set her sights on the fourth person under Wei Jinyuan.

The companion who came to seek help with Xiaobin the day before yesterday is named Nan Zhenchuan.

He was very young, only two years older than Lord Xu, and he studied two disciplines.

Seven streams of divine cultivation and seven streams of martial arts cultivation.

He and Xiao Bin were specially trained by their family to serve Wei Jinyuan for life.

"Hey!" Ji Shuangqiu called out to him, "Have a couple of moves."

"Me?" Nan Zhenchuan pointed to his nose, quite surprised.

"Idleness is also idleness."

Nan Zhenchuan looked at Lord Xu, and Xu Yuan waved his hand: "You two are of similar skill level, and martial arts practitioners are all tough and resilient, so you can't be hurt."

Nan Zhenchuan looked at his young master, Wei Jinyuan, and Wei Jinyuan nodded.

"Okay, alright," Nan Zhenchuan could only agree.

Everyone was bored, and when someone suggested a competition, they all rushed into the courtyard to watch.

Nan Zhenchuan stopped in the courtyard and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Ji Shuangqiu, saying, "Please go first, Miss."

He felt that as a man, he shouldn't take advantage of a girl.

Ji Shuangqiu is a straightforward person; if you're being modest, then I'll make the first move.

"it is good!"

Ji Shuangqiu's "Falling Star" had just been completed and had not yet brought any good fortune, so he immediately and without hesitation unleashed a powerful attack.

Boom!
He threw a punch from three zhang away.

Nan Zhenchuan flew straight out and crashed heavily into the wall behind him.

The wall, which was already on the verge of collapse, suddenly crumbled, burying Nan Zhenchuan inside.

(End of this chapter)