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"Grandpa, you seem to be in a good mood today."
"That's true, for some reason, I don't feel suffocated or stifled today, and some things suddenly became clear. It's really strange..."
"Life is just like that!"
Grandpa Li Gui felt quite unusual today. When he saw the plaque was broken, he wasn't angry. Instead, he walked around the village entrance a few times instead of sitting at the door smoking in frustration as usual.
Li Yan naturally understood why.
The plaque was damaged, and the Three Talents Demon Suppression Coin inside fell out, breaking the curse on their family, removing the metaphorical blades hanging over their heads, and as a result, people naturally felt relieved.
This influence wasn't apparent.
The old man could feel it, more or less.
Perhaps because he was in a good mood, after dinner Grandpa Li Gui sat at the door, took a few puffs of his pipe, and began to sing an old Qin Opera he hadn't sung in ages:
"With a golden circle on his head, wearing a Nine Palace Eight Trigrams robe. Waist tied with a Resurrection Grass belt, cloud-climbing shoes on his feet..."
"Mysterious, mysterious, mysterious. We traveled through the Three Mountains and Five Peaks. If you want to know my name, turn your head, and it's Shen Gongbao!"
Qin Opera, Yellow River Formation.
This world also had the Fengshen Legend, which was widely circulated.
The "Yellow River Formation" was a favorite song among the old and young in Guanzhong.
Inside the room, listening to his grandfather's Qin Opera, Li Yan squatted on a bench, holding a Guan Mountain Blade, grinding it on a sharpening stone.
Clang! Clang!
The rough Qin Opera and the sound of the blade turning into one.
At sunset, Li Yan held the blade up to examine it.
The cold blade glistened sharply!
...
The Land God Temple, also known as the Fortune and Virtue Temple, originated from the ancient belief in the Earth God.
The "Ritual Records. Spring Officials" mentions that beyond the Great Spirits, there are Earth Spirits, after which the names of the land gods were given. The five earth spirits are the She.
It can be said that it has permeated folk beliefs from ancient times to the present.
Even the current court issued a decree stating that every hundred households should establish an altar to worship the gods of five earths and five grains.
Therefore, Land God Temples are almost everywhere across the Jiuzhou territory.
Of course, their scale varies, and so does the strength of the incense offerings.
Most of the people in the Guanzhong region make a living by farming and are not afraid of hardship nor exhaustion. Their greatest fear is unpredictable weather.
As a result, the incense offerings at both the Land God and Dragon King Temples are quite prosperous.
The Land God Temple in the Li Family Castle was no exception.
The Land God Temple here wasn't large, just a clay house built with blue bricks and yellow mud by the roadside, no taller than a person, with a length and width of no more than five steps.
It was more like a shrine than a temple, barely providing shelter from the wind and rain.
Inside, the effigies of the Earth Spirit and Earth Goddess were offered, their smiles gentle and kindly, yet due to the weathered paint, they appeared somewhat eerie under the moonlight.
In front of the altar, piles of incense ashes and remnants of candles were heaped like a small mountain. The surrounding trees were also covered with red ribbons tied with blessings, clearly showing that the incense was quite abundant.
Tonight, the moonlight was like frost, and the night fog languidly enveloped the area.
A flicker of light approached from the village, growing closer.
The one coming was Li Yan.
He wore rough cloth black clothes, had leg wraps tied, and held the Guan Mountain Blade at his waist. In one hand, he carried a basket and in the other, a lantern.
To avoid being seen, he also wore a rainproof bamboo hat.
Walking alone at night induced a mysterious feeling.
Arriving before the Land God Temple, Li Yan lifted his head slightly, and beneath the bamboo hat, his gaze was penetrating, filled with a chilling coldness.
That afternoon's blade sharpening was nothing short of honing his intent to kill.
After ensuring no one was around, Li Yan set down the basket, took out fruits, sacrificial offerings, incense, and candles, even a piece of cooked meat and a jar of wine.
He laid everything in order and lit the candles.
Li Yan rubbed his face, flashing a brilliant smile, then unsealed the wine jar and said softly, "Earth Spirit Grandfather, I've come to see you."
"You've watched me grow up, and you could say you're like a senior to me. It was wrong of me not to burn incense before, but we can't let that evil thing wreak havoc..."
"Tonight, let's borrow your sacred ground to join forces and exorcise the evil. What do you think?"
Knowing the world wasn't that simple, Li Yan naturally changed his demeanor.
Too lazy to burn incense on a usual basis, he decided to say some nice words to avoid any mishaps later, whether it made a difference or not.
There was something special about this Land God Temple.
From a hundred meters away, one could smell the thick incense. After he laid the offerings and lit the incense, he unexpectedly felt a warmth.
It was somewhat similar to the feeling the "Hundred Battle Valor" plaque gave him but more gentle.
The Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Blade Tassel in the red cloth bag at his waist grew increasingly cold.
Apparently, these were two entirely different powers.
However, the two powers did not clash. According to Widow Wang, the Three Talents Demon Suppression Coin was crafted by the previous dynasty and had been worshipped and tempered at the top of Taishan, turning it into a magic artifact.
Yin and Yang could counteract but also complement each other.
Li Yan was still an amateur and did not understand the underlying principles.
But he could interpret facial expressions and saw that Widow Wang had no malice and truly wanted to eliminate the Cold Altar Rampant Soldier.
Thinking of this, Li Yan chuckled:
"Earth Spirit Grandpa, if you don't speak, I'll take it as your approval!"
Saying this, he lit three sticks of incense and prayed sincerely.
After offering the incense and respectfully kowtowing three times, he followed Widow Wang's instructions, took the red cloth bag from his waist, and placed the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Blade Tassel before the Land God Temple.
This immediately felt different.
Although there wasn't much of a reaction, he could smell the warm incense around him enveloping the blade tassel.
Bear in mind, Li Yan wasn't from the Mystical Sect and hadn't undergone training.
Once enhanced by the blade tassel, the Guan Mountain Blade burst with Evil Qi, causing him to feel icy cold within half a bag of smoke's time, unable to resist.
The incense from the Land God Temple allowed for prolonged use.
Seeing no mishaps occur, Li Yan felt relieved, stood up, and circled around the Land God Temple, memorizing the surrounding terrain.
Fighting at night, with insufficient light, made it crucial to be familiar with the environment.
The Land God Temple backed against a small mound, was about a hundred steps from the official road, and a Poplar Forest lay in the distance. The terrain was flat with no ditches.
For him, this was advantageous, no fear of stumbling in the dark.
After completing these tasks, Li Yan sat cross-legged before the Land God Temple, placing the Guan Mountain Blade across his knees. After glancing at the sky, he closed his eyes to rest.
Behind him, the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin Blade Tassel remained offered as a tribute.
As advised by Widow Wang, this item should only be used after a Rampant Soldier attempted to possess its victim, to avoid alerting the adversary and wasting previous efforts.
Incense smoke curled around, and the Earth Spirit and Goddess still smiled kindly...
...
Finally, midnight arrived.
It was a very special hour.
Within the incense radius of the Land God Temple, Li Yan felt it acutely.
Midnight was when the Yin Qi was heaviest, and even the warmth around the Land God Temple seemed suppressed, with coldness welling up from the ground.
However, there was also a faint hint of nascent Yang.
This was when rats came out to scavenge, making it the hour of the rat.
There's a folk saying that although rats are small, they are full of vitality and can gnaw a crack in the chaotic state of heaven and earth, allowing Yang Qi to gradually rise, rotating between Yin and Yang. Hence, there is a saying, "The rat bites the sky open."
This is why the rat leads the twelve zodiac animals.
Of course, this was also when ghosts and spirits were most rampant.
The Yang energy of the world was suppressed, as was the Yang in the human body, making it easy for these entities to take advantage.
Suddenly, Li Yan opened his eyes, which sparkled with cold light.
Whoosh~
In the distance on the official road, a gust of Yin Wind inexplicably arose, sweeping up dust and swirling in place.
Under the bright moon, it was especially striking.
At the same time, Li Yan smelled a cold, nauseating stench.
The cold feeling on his back intensified.
He knew it was the curse placed on him, acting like some kind of mark, ensuring that even if he fled to the ends of the earth, it would pursue him relentlessly.
Sensing his presence, the whirlwind moved toward the Land God Temple.
Yet, as it approached the incense boundary of the temple, it was repelled, unable to enter despite left and right attempts.
Whoosh~
The Yin Wind whistled, and the cold stench grew stronger.
The sound of the wind translated into his grandfather's voice in Li Yan's ears.
"Yan'er, where are you?"
"Come on out, let's go home..."
The voice was old and mournful, exactly like his grandfather's.
Li Yan's mouth curved into a cold smile, unmoved.
Although not of the Mystical Sect, he had discerned some patterns.
Firstly, this so-called Cold Altar Rampant Soldier had intelligence and was rather cunning, behaving more like a beast following a primitive set of rules. It lacked human depth of thought and had some limitations.
Otherwise, why would it have fallen for his traps two days in a row?
Secondly, it wasn't knowledgeable of human secrets but could manipulate the mind, needing the curse to release its influence.
That night, his grandfather, who hadn't been cursed, heard nothing.
This trick played specifically on human weaknesses.
For instance, it used his concern for his grandfather to mimic the old man's voice.
It was insidious and found its way into every crack.
The enemy was also adept at concealment.
During the day, walking around the village, he couldn't detect its scent, nor did it alert any watch dogs when sneaking in.
Only when it got hurt did the village dogs become aware.
According to Widow Wang, it intended to possess his body.
As long as he stayed within the incense radius of the Land God Temple, without being beguiled, the Cold Altar Rampant Soldier could only attempt to possess to get inside.
Sure enough, there was a change.
As the Yin Wind continued to batter, an unusual movement arose at the Land God Temple.
The scent of incense became even more intense.
Li Yan felt a warm sensation flowing in his heart, the cold curse on his back noticeably reduced, and even the beguiling cries faded away.
The Earth Spirit was strong!
Li Yan couldn't help but silently praise it.
Whoosh~
Unexpectedly, the Yin Wind began to retreat slowly.
From the looks of it, it was trying to leave.
That wouldn't do!
Li Yan thought this was bad news.
He didn't have time to let it linger, and with the plaque protecting their home already destroyed, missing tonight might put his grandfather in danger.
With that thought, Li Yan's eyes flickered, hatching a plan.
Without any hesitation, he ran directly to the edge of the incense influence from the Land God Temple.
"Don't rush, keep playing."
"Hey, I'm coming out..."
"Hey, I'm going back in..."
"Come on, try and get me if you dare!"
The blatant provocation drove it utterly mad.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the Yin Wind surged.
Li Yan felt a chill in his heart, quickly retreating to the temple.
But after the wind subsided, that particular icy, foul smell was nowhere to be found.
Did it actually flee?
Just as Li Yan felt a pang of annoyance, he sensed chills rise on his back.
Rustling!
In the far Poplar Forest, a flock of birds took flight, startled by the night.
Amid the dense fog, a red-eyed Evil Wolf slowly emerged.
Then, a dozen or so wolves of various sizes leaped out from different directions, encircling the Land God Temple…
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