Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 615 The prophecy begins, the enemy's tracks appear.

The villagers guarding behind the village wall instinctively wanted to sneer: "You say you're a good person, and we'll believe you? Those mountain spirits and demons who come down from the mountain to deceive people also claim to be good people."

However, this thought only crossed their minds briefly, and they did not voice it aloud.

It was Shang Lu's silver tongue that worked, influencing their minds and dispelling their doubts and disdain. They all felt that this scholar was not only handsome and upright, but also spoke pleasantly, and certainly didn't seem like a bad person—it's just that they had never encountered a fox demon before, otherwise they wouldn't have thought this way.

A young villager put down his hunting bow and turned to his companion, asking, "Brother Chunsheng, he doesn't look like a bad guy. They say scholars travel far and wide and are knowledgeable. Why don't we let him into the village and let him help name our soon-to-be-born nephew?"

The man called Chunsheng was in his early twenties, with a burly and powerful build. He had learned some skills at a martial arts school in the county town, but he lacked money and connections. Otherwise, he would have done what Shang Lu did and bought a job in the county government.

Even unregistered laborers can earn a considerable amount of money over the course of a year, which is far better than being a hunter.

After hearing his companion's words, Chunsheng immediately had an idea.

His wife was about to give birth today, and he couldn't help at home. Fearing that the spirits and monsters in the mountains might smell something and come to cause trouble, he took the initiative to come and take on the task of searching. Unexpectedly, he encountered a scholar who came to stay for the night.

Looking at Shang Lu, he didn't think he was a bad person. Besides, he had been to the county town and knew that Confucian scholars knew a lot. If a Confucian scholar helped him choose a name, it would be better than names like Chun Sheng or Er Gou.

Moreover, Confucian scholars are known for their love of teaching, imparting knowledge, and resolving doubts. This Confucian scholar dares to cross mountains and valleys alone, so he must have some skills. If I could ask him to teach me a thing or two, I might be able to improve my cultivation to a higher level.

In that time, not only will they be able to hunt more prey, but they will also be able to teach the skills they have learned to their unborn child...

Thinking of this, Chunsheng immediately said, "He doesn't seem like a bad person, and the anti-demon array set up by the shaman on our village wall hasn't activated. We can open the village gate and let him in... no, invite him in."

Having made up his mind, Chunsheng and his companions immediately put away their hunting bows and opened the village gate.

Shang Lu walked straight to the door, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Thank you."

"Where did you come from, sir?"

When Chunsheng was learning martial arts in the county town, he saw people bowing and talking to Confucian scholars. Now, he imitated what he had seen back then and returned the bow to Shang Lu.

Seeing this, the companions next to them quickly followed suit and hurriedly returned the greeting.

"I came from the capital," Shang Lu said truthfully.

"Sir, have you ever been to the capital?"

Upon hearing this, the hunters guarding the village immediately became interested and began asking questions all at once:

"Sir, is the capital city very large?"

"I heard the capital is in the Yunmeng Marsh? And the Yunmeng Marsh spans tens of thousands of miles. How long would it take to swim there?"

"Sir, have you ever seen the King? I heard from the peddler that the King uses a golden hoe to farm and eats two plain flatbreads with every meal. Is that true?"

Shang Lu smiled and answered their questions one by one, playing the role of a Confucian scholar who loved to teach.

“That’s right. The capital is very large. Your village is only a small part of the capital. There are hundreds of villages in the capital.”

"We can't swim across; we have to take a boat."

“Every spring, the king personally plows the fields and encourages farmers, but I haven’t seen him use a golden hoe, so I don’t know. As for his diet… I’m afraid it’s mainly meat.”

As Shang Lu finished speaking, he added in his mind, "He probably likes to eat his closest relatives the most."

Chunsheng did not respond to his companion's questions.

He had been to the county town and was considered the most knowledgeable person in the village.

After his companion finished asking his questions, he lowered his voice and inquired curiously, "Sir, I heard that the king has turned into a monster, devouring his own children and ministers... You come from the capital, is this true or false?"

Shang Lu looked at Chun Sheng, not saying whether it was true or false, but only asking, "Where did you hear that from?" He secretly activated his spiritual insight, looking him up and down, trying to see if this hunter was Chu Wu in disguise, trying to trick him into talking.

With his keen insight, Lingxin only noticed fluctuations in blood energy within the man's body, and these fluctuations were not strong, at most indicating the initial stage of Bone Strengthening. Moreover, his eyes held no other deliberate expression besides curiosity.

Chunsheng had no idea that his words had almost led to his death. He honestly replied:
"I went to the county town to sell furs the other day and heard people talking about it. They said that in the past few days, the wronged souls of the murdered have been wandering around, lamenting that King Chu, in his quest for immortality, has become a monster. He not only wants to use his blood relatives and close ministers to make elixirs, but also wants to wage war, sacrificing the blood and souls of the people to a monstrous god in exchange for his immortality..."

Shang Lu carefully examined Chun Sheng, secretly using his silver tongue and sophistry to extract information, but he found nothing wrong with Chun Sheng. If the other party was truly capable, able to deceive his spiritual eyes and remain unaffected by his sophistry, his strength must be far superior to his own. He could simply take him down directly; there was no need to play these tricks with him.

Therefore, Chunsheng must have heard these words from the county town.

This move felt very familiar to Shang Lu.

The so-called grievances and complaints of wronged spirits... could they be a kind of Gu poison like the echoing insect?

Xu Zhen, who was skilled in both Gu and martial arts, happened to have the Echoing Insect in his possession, and Zi Shu Xun Shou was aware of Shang Lu's methods.

"Was this message released by the imperial inspector to incite chaos in the State of Chu?"

Shanglu immediately made a judgment.

In this world filled with demons, ghosts, and magic, prophecies can truly become reality, and even cause great disasters!
When the State of Chu invaded the Xingshan region of the State of Ba, it sent people to infiltrate Ba territory to spread rumors and try to incite chaos caused by prophecies.

Now, the Rat is hunting them down, giving them a taste of their own medicine!

Based on this, Shang Lu concluded that the Zi Shu Xun Shou (Rat Hunting) group must have escaped the pursuit of the Chu Wu (Chu Witch), otherwise they wouldn't have had the mind to spread prophecies.

"Since the patrolmen have made a move, I have to lend a hand." Shang Lu immediately made a decision in his mind. Even if he couldn't really hurt the King of Chu, he would still cause him some trouble, make him panic, and make the surrounding countries suspicious and wary of him.

No country would want its neighbor's monarch to be a monster who survives and improves his cultivation by eating people.

Not to mention that this monster has gone mad and could turn them into food at any moment.

Therefore, once the surrounding countries confirm this matter, they will definitely form a coalition to help the people of Chu to change their ruler.

Moreover, once the rumors and prophecies start circulating, the Black-Clad Guards and the Disciplined Black Witches will certainly be busy "putting out the fire," which will be beneficial for him to leave in the chaos.

Despite all this thought in his mind, Shang Lu didn't stop talking for a moment. He shook his head with a smile and said, "Where did you hear these rumors? Don't take them seriously! I've never heard of these rumors in the capital. On the contrary, I heard that the king has abdicated and the court is choosing an auspicious day for the eldest son to succeed him."

"So it was just a rumor. I knew it. How could His Majesty be a monster?" Chun Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want his king to be a monster. It wasn't that he was particularly loyal or worshipful to the King of Chu, but he was afraid that if the King of Chu really became a monster, wouldn't all of them become bait?
He didn't want to be eaten.

Several other hunters nearby disagreed with Chunsheng's words:

"Come on, our king, while not a monster, isn't much better! Today it's this donation, tomorrow it's that tax... Even if he doesn't really want to eat people, these exorbitant taxes will drive us to our deaths!"

"That's right, Brother Chunsheng, have you forgotten? A few months ago, the county officials came to our village and imposed a snake tax on us, forcing us to go into the mountains to catch venomous snakes, saying that the king wanted to use them to sacrifice to the gods in order to pray for good weather and peace for the country!"

"Hmph, what a load of nonsense, not even a ghost would believe it. What god who protects the weather and ensures peace and prosperity would require a poisonous snake as a sacrifice? It must be some high-ranking official using it to practice his skills!"

Chunsheng's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly scolded, "Shut up! How can you say such things carelessly?"

Normally, it would be fine for the village buddies to brag and complain. But at this moment, there was an outsider like Shang Lu present.

Shang Lu noticed his worry and said with a smile, "Don't listen to what you shouldn't hear. I didn't hear a word you said, and I won't tell anyone."

If anyone else had said this, Chunsheng certainly wouldn't have believed it. But for some reason, even though Shanglu said it with a smile and didn't swear an oath, Chunsheng believed him and thought that Shanglu would definitely keep his promise.

The same applies to hunters in several other villages.

After introducing pokeweed into the village, the hunters closed the village gate again.

Behind the village wall, they also kept many hunting dogs to help patrol and warn. After the psyllium was welcomed into the village, some hunters went to restrain the hunting dogs to prevent them from accidentally injuring the psyllium.

However, it was discovered that the hunting dogs, which were not afraid of even tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals, lost all their ferocity upon seeing pokeweed. They didn't even dare to bark or show their teeth, let alone bark.

The hunters marveled at the sight, but Chunsheng felt more and more that Shanglu, this scholar, was no ordinary person. At the same time, he became even more convinced that Shanglu was a mountain spirit in disguise—the hunting dogs had loudly warned him of the mountain spirits that had come down before.

Chunsheng led Shanglu all the way to his home, and on the way he made a request: "Sir, you've come at just the right time. My wife is giving birth, and I would like to ask you to help me choose a name. We are all rough men, and the name we come up with is really not pleasant to hear."

Several hunters exchanged glances and whispered among themselves:
"I never expected Brother Chunsheng to speak in such a literary style."

"It's one thing for a wife to give birth, but another for a wife to give birth to a child. Tsk tsk, people who have been to the county town are different."

Chunsheng heard their crickets chirping and glared at them irritably.

Shang Lu was inwardly groaning, thinking to himself that he hadn't even had children yet, so how could he be helping other people name their kids? Besides, he wasn't good at naming things at all.

But now, he could only bite the bullet and agree with a smile.

As soon as the group arrived at Chunsheng's house, they saw several women who had come to help rush out to fetch hot water. Upon seeing Chunsheng, they all smiled and congratulated him: "We were just about to send someone to call you. Fourth Sister has given birth to a boy. Mother and child are both safe."

"Haha, I'm a dad! I have a son!"

Chunsheng was overjoyed and hurriedly tried to rush into the house, but was stopped by several women.

"What?"

"Why are you, a grown man, rushing in? We can go in after we've settled things."

"Yes, yes, I'll wait here, I'll wait here." Chunsheng nodded repeatedly, his smile was so simple and honest. Fortunately, he didn't forget to settle Shanglu. He needed Shanglu's help, so he simply settled Shanglu in his own house. In addition to the main house, there was a side room in his house. Although it was a place to store firewood, it was clean enough that you could sleep there after laying out some things.

When Shang Lu was traveling, he didn't care much about appearances—in the past, when traveling, it was common to eat in the wind and sleep in the open, and it was already very good to have a woodshed to stay in.

Chunsheng felt embarrassed and apologized repeatedly, while looking at Shang Lu with pleading eyes.

Shang Lu sighed helplessly, muttering to himself as if quoting classical texts, before finally managing to utter, "How about calling him Letian?"

"Lotte?"

"Yes, 'Letian' means to follow one's destiny and live a carefree life," Shang Lu said, forcing a smile.

Fortunately, neither Chunsheng nor the other hunters noticed, and they all thought the name was good.

Chunsheng was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly to Shanglu: "Very well, thank you for bestowing a name upon me, sir. I shall be called Letian!"

Shang Lu dodged to the side, thinking to himself, "Master Xiangshan, I'm so sorry, I've stolen your calligraphy..."

After a while, Chunsheng was allowed to go in to see the mother and child, and he also told his wife the name "Letian".

Shang Lu took out a carpet from the Impermanence Token, laid it in the woodshed, and said to Third Sister with a smile, "The mistress of this house is quite destined to be with you."

Fortunately, at this moment, the hunters all ran into the house with Chunsheng to see their nephew; otherwise, they would have been terrified to see the pokeweed talking to thin air.

Chunsheng quickly came out of the house, bringing a lot of dried meat for Shanglu to thank him for helping him "name" his son.

Pokeweed couldn't refuse, so he had to accept this kind offer.

After dealing with Chunsheng, Shanglu closed the door of the woodshed, summoned Liuquan from the bamboo banner, and asked him to turn the King of Chu's secrets into prophecies and nursery rhymes.

Before his death, Liu Quan was a storyteller. After following Shang Lu, he also learned the methods of ghost cultivation and the cultivation methods of novelists. Shang Lu believed that the prophecies and nursery rhymes he composed would be more widely circulated and sensational, and more likely to be believed by people, thus causing riots.

Liu Quan bowed and accepted the order, then immediately returned to Tongzifan and began composing prophecies and nursery rhymes.

Night falls quickly.

Shang Lu sat cross-legged in the woodshed, focusing on his cultivation. He could hear the cries of a baby coming from the main house, as well as the sounds of Chun Sheng and his wife frantically trying to soothe the child.

The heartwarming scene made Shang Lu somewhat envious.

Before long, it was late at night. Just as Shang Lu was about to check the night sky for any of Chu Wu's spies and planned to find a secluded place to set up a soul-sacrificing altar and practice Nuo witchcraft, his ears suddenly twitched.

He heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching.

Who would ride here on horseback in the dead of night?
Were they here for him?!
Shang Lu's expression turned serious, and his eyes instantly darkened.

(End of this chapter)