Don't worship random roadside shrines, as you don't know whether you're worshipping a god or a ghost.
Under this hundred-year-old locust tree, a small shrine was erected.
People from nearby villages would come and worship whenever they had a headache or fever.
It was said to be quite effective. However, one day, a family from a neighboring village brought their child to pray for good health.
They hung the child's name and birth date on the tree, offered some offerings, and burned some paper before returning home.
Unexpectedly, this worship brought disaster. The child stayed in bed and couldn't get up that night.
They had moments of clarity and moments of confusion.
They claimed that a pair of glowing red eyes on the locust tree were staring at them.
As expected, before they could reach the hospital, the child died.
The cause of death diagnosed by the hospital was heart failure, without any other illnesses.
However, that night, someone saw a human-shaped white light under the locust tree, like a translucent soul, being slowly dragged onto the tree.
As more and more children from the surrounding areas met with accidents one after another, rumors spread that the tree could capture children's souls.
The once responsive tree god became a tree demon.
Since then, no one dared to worship the small shrine anymore.
When Old Chen arrived near the locust tree, he looked around for a while but couldn't see anything different.
Then he took out a handful of sticky rice from his pocket and scattered it in a circle on the ground.
He silently recited a few sentences, and in his mind, the image of the fox with which he had made a contract appeared.
He learned from the big fox that the great locust tree had accumulated good deeds for many years, obtained some cultivation, and helped many people.
However, the one causing mischief this time was not the locust tree, but a monster from the Bai family.
This monster forcefully occupied the roots of the tree and made a cave to cultivate, specifically targeting the souls of children in order to avoid heavenly trials (where lightning would strike and anyone who couldn't withstand the trial would be killed).
Over time, the locust tree also gained some benefits and started assisting the tyrants.
Upon learning the truth, Old Dog Chen made a decision and said to the big fox in a low voice, "Call the owl tonight, we must get rid of him."
When night came, Old Dog Chen brought several offerings that all spiritual animals craved and knelt in front of the small temple, pretending to pray devoutly before pretending to leave.
In reality, he continued to stay far away, circling the big tree.
At the same time, he quietly arranged several maps of the sealed land according to the directions of the four cardinal points.
He stood on the last quadrant, staring at the small temple from a distance, waiting for the monster to take the bait.
Sure enough, not long after, two small yellow eyes lit up in the small temple.
Old Dog Chen successfully lured the monster, immediately sticking the final seal talisman for the enclosed space.
This way, the monster wouldn't be able to use any escape spells. Sensing the danger, the monster ran out of the small temple, attempting to charge back to the great locust tree.
However, a big fox appeared in front of him, blocking his path.
The monster then tried to jump onto the tree from above, only to find his natural predator, an owl, staring at him fiercely from the branches.
With every route blocked, it was trapped in the small temple.
The monster knew that all of this was done by the old man before its eyes.
Furiously, it bared its teeth and glared at Old Dog Chen.
However, Chen showed no concern and simply turned around, no longer looking at the monster.
He just lightly said to those behind him, "He's all yours."
As soon as Old Dog Chen finished speaking, the big fox and the owl immediately rushed into the small temple.
Despite its desperate struggles, the monster was ultimately powerless.
The monster was quickly eliminated by the fox and the owl.
The souls of the children it had lured also vanished immediately.
At the same time, dark clouds gathered in the sky, looming over the great locust tree.
Then, a thunderbolt struck down from the sky, directly hitting the century-old locust tree. With a crackling sound, the tree was split in half, and a raging fire ignited.
The great locust tree, due to its momentary confusion, had attracted a cataclysmic calamity, which ultimately cost it its century-long cultivation.
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