Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 620 The Gods' Thanksgiving

Just a step away from Shang Lu, two more things appeared.

It was entirely crimson, like the feathers of some kind of bird.

The other item was a small, emerald-green branch.

Shang Lu remembered very clearly that these two things did not exist before he began cultivating.

After he opened up the great cycle of heaven, earth, and humanity, even when he entered a meditative state, his divine sense could clearly "see" the surrounding situation through its response to heaven and earth.

But before he opened his eyes, he really didn't notice the feather or the branch.

They seemed to appear out of thin air the moment the pokeweed opened its eyes.

Fortunately, what appeared out of nowhere were feathers and branches, rather than a sneak attack or ambush.

Otherwise it would be dangerous.

Shang Lu was surprised, but he didn't stop talking and asked curiously, "Third Sister, did you get these two things?"

In his opinion, only Third Sister could place things in front of him so secretly without him noticing, and without harming him.

However, this time, Third Sister shook her head and said, "It wasn't me."

"Not you?" Shang Lu was startled upon hearing this. "Then who could it be?" He instantly activated his spiritual insight and cautiously surveyed his surroundings, his hand reaching for the witch knife and beast whip.

As the saying goes, an outsider's perspective is clear, and Third Sister truly knew who had placed those two items.

She waved her hand, and the window creaked open. Shang Lu looked up and saw the majestic mountains beside the village, with the sun rising high above them.

Shang Lu suddenly realized: "It's Dong Jun and Shan Gui?"

Third Sister nodded and softly said, "Yes."

At that moment, the bird feathers and branches, which had previously looked no different from ordinary objects, suddenly began to exude spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy emanating from the bird's feathers was volatile and intense, filled with a fiery aura.

The spiritual energy emanating from the swaying branches is full of vitality, entirely composed of wood-based spiritual energy.

Shang Lu's eyes lit up immediately: "This spiritual energy fluctuation even contains a trace of divinity, it's simply the best material for making Nuo masks!"

With a wave of his hand, fiery red bird feathers and emerald green branches flew into his hand.

Holding the two treasures, Shang Lu was overjoyed, wondering if the fiery red bird feathers might be the feathers of the Golden Crow. As the Sun God, Dongjun's chariot was pulled by the Golden Crow. As for the tree branch, its origin was truly unknown; it only seemed to be full of spiritual energy and of pure wood quality.

"So these two items are a reward for last night?" Shang Lu wondered to himself.

Not long ago, he was complaining in his heart about Dongjun and Shangui, feeling that these two gods were not kind. He helped Dongjun eliminate the Xuanyi Guards who were causing trouble in his temple, and helped Shangui replace the blood essence of the infants with their blood essence. Even if there was no danger to his life, he was busy all night. He deserved some credit for his hard work.
In the end, they didn't offer any response whatsoever; they were incredibly stingy.

But Shang Lu thought differently now.

These feathers and twigs are clearly the core materials used to make Nuo masks!
Needless to say, it must have been Dongjun and Shangui who, after "inspecting" him, granted him permission to make their Nuo masks.

The mountain spirit, in particular, was quite thoughtful. Knowing that he possessed the Nuo mask of a boar-bodied, eight-legged, snake-tailed god and could borrow the mountain god's supernatural powers, he did not bestow anything related to earth but instead gave him a spiritual branch. This was to lend him the supernatural powers of wood!
I was wrong. I shouldn't have thought badly about you guys in my mind! You guys aren't stingy at all!

Shang Lu immediately apologized in his heart without the slightest hesitation.

A true man can bend and stretch, be big and small...

In short, there's nothing wrong with apologizing for the sake of the two Nuo masks!
Shang Lu even took out the Soul Offering Altar, enlarged it, and offered incense and candles. He not only bowed to the spirit tablets of Dong Jun and Shan Gui, but also bowed deeply to the towering mountains outside the window and the sun that had floated above the clouds.

After paying homage to the Eastern Lord and the Mountain Spirit, Shang Lu finally put away the two spiritual treasures they had bestowed upon him.

It is daytime now, and the deity is in a state of madness and chaos. Even when he is lucid, it is only for a very short time.

At this time, it is not suitable to communicate with the gods, let alone to make Nuo masks.

If there is no mistake, not only will the Nuo mask fail and the spiritual treasure be destroyed, but the Shanglu will also suffer backlash and contamination. At best, the cultivation level will drop, and at worst, the person will go mad and become bizarre.

It could even harm innocent civilians in the area.

After putting away the spiritual treasure, Shang Lu waited a while until the incense on the sacrificial altar burned out. Only then did he put away the altar, feed the Shadow Spirit, push open the door, and walk out of the woodshed.

Chunsheng had already woken up and was swinging the stone lock around in the courtyard, putting in a lot of effort.

Seeing Shang Lu come out, he was a little embarrassed: "Did I disturb the master by practicing my martial arts?"

"No." Shang Lu shook his head with a smile. "Don't worry about me, you can continue."

Chunsheng agreed and continued practicing with the stone lock.

Shang Lu stood to the side, watched for a moment, and suddenly spoke up: "The power is not being applied correctly. You can't rely solely on the strength of your arms. You need to generate power from your waist and abdomen, channeling the qi and blood you've cultivated into your meridians, allowing it to circulate and generate power..."

Next, Shang Lu instructed Chun Sheng on several methods of cultivation.

Chunsheng was just a novice martial artist, and Shang Lu's few words of advice were like the sun breaking through the clouds for him.

These simple words resonated deeply with him!

After this day, Chun Sheng's cultivation level, while not necessarily improving significantly, will definitely advance further if he can effectively apply the knowledge Shang Lu taught him.

Whether he can embark on the path of cultivation depends on whether he has such an opportunity in the end.

After giving Chunsheng a few pointers, Shang Lu prepared to take his leave.

Chunsheng was very reluctant to part with him.

He originally just wanted Shang Lu to help him name his child, but he never expected that he would end up receiving guidance from Shang Lu in cultivation as well.

He was unsure of Shang Lu's strength, but Shang Lu's ability to spot his problems in cultivation at a glance and his immediate and effective guidance proved that Shang Lu's strength was definitely greater than that of the master he had paid a lot of money to learn at the martial arts school in the county town.

In Chunsheng's view, if this "Confucian scholar" could stay in the village for a longer period of time, his cultivation would definitely make rapid progress under his guidance.

But he also knew that he had no way to keep Shang Lu, and no matter how reluctant he was, he could only see him off.

"Sir, we are people from the mountains and have nothing of value. Please accept these mountain goods."

Chunsheng brought out his best possessions from home, hoping that Shanglu would stay.

Shang Lu did not refuse his kindness and smiled as he accepted the gift. "Now that I have accepted your 'tuition fee,' I must leave something behind. How about this, I will teach you the 'Righteous Qi Mantra.' Reciting it day and night will cultivate your righteous spirit. If you encounter mountain spirits or ghosts in the future, reciting this mantra will also help you avoid harm."

After saying this, Shang Lu recited the "Treatise on Righteous Qi" amidst the ecstatic expressions of Chun Sheng and the others.

This set of exercises for cultivating vital energy was given to me by the Confucian scholar Tian Chang in Luoshui County.

According to Tian Chang, the reason why Confucian scholars travel around is to spread knowledge, teach skills, and resolve doubts.

Although Shang Lu is currently posing as a Confucian scholar, he still needs to maintain his identity, and this set of "The Righteous Qi Manual" is perfect for teaching.

Thanks to his eloquent words, Shang Lu recited the "Treatise on Righteous Qi," which Chun Sheng and the others memorized perfectly. Even though he only recited it once, they remembered every single word.

This scene surprised everyone.

These hunters were undoubtedly skilled in wielding knives and bows, setting traps, and so on, but getting them to memorize texts was extremely difficult. Especially this text, "The Secret of Righteousness," which used many allusions and wasn't as simple as plain language; it was simply unbelievable that they could memorize it after hearing it only once!
Because of this, the hunters listened even more attentively to Shang Lu's explanation of the "Treatise on Righteous Qi".

As Shang Lu spoke, he walked out of the village.

As he was leaving the village, he flicked his finger, and the few talismans on the village wall that had been destroyed by the blue-faced demon immediately turned into smoke, while several new talismans were pasted on top.

These talismans were not drawn by Shang Lu, but were seized last night. Although their power is average, they are still much stronger than the talismans drawn by the village shaman.

Most importantly, even if a sorcerer from Chu comes here in the future and discovers these sorcerer talismans, he will not be traced back to Chu.

"Even after a long journey of farewells, we must eventually part ways. Let's end it here."

After leaving the village, Shang Lu finished teaching the contents of the "Treatise on Righteousness" and smiled, telling Chun Sheng and the others to stop and not to see them off any further.

He paused, then hardened his expression and solemnly instructed everyone: "Keep the news of your village's new addition to the family a secret for now. Do not let it get out to outsiders until the child is 100 days old."

"Why is this?" Everyone was stunned. The addition of a new baby is a joyous occasion, so why the need to hide it?

Shang Lu said, "Haven't you heard about what's been happening lately? There are demons plundering the hearts, kidneys, and essence of infants everywhere! If these demons find out, wouldn't Letian be in great danger?"

With his silver tongue, his words, though simple, startled everyone. Chunsheng was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly cupped his hands, saying, "What you say is true, sir! A few days ago, when I visited my teacher in the county town, I did hear the rumors of demons harming children! We will certainly follow your advice and keep the secret of Letian's birth until the hundredth day!"

Shanglu nodded.

He had given all the necessary instructions, and if these people didn't take it seriously, there was nothing he could do.

After bidding farewell to the villagers, Shanglu headed towards the county town.

The witch beasts and rampant ghosts responsible for patrolling this area were all put away by Third Sister. Shang Lu was not worried about being exposed, so he directly released the witch gourd and rode it to fly through the air.

The journey of several dozen miles was completed in a short time.

Upon seeing the county town in the distance, Shang Lu descended his magic gourd and began walking.

Upon arriving at the city gate, the gatekeeper from the previous night did not recognize Shang Lu, who had changed his appearance. After checking his identity documents and demanding an entrance fee, he allowed Shang Lu to enter the city.

The county town during the day is different from the desolate atmosphere at night. Although it cannot compare to the prosperity of some larger counties, it still has a considerable number of people.

As Shang Lu walked down the street, his ears twitched slightly, taking in all the conversations of the people around him.

The talisman had not yet been activated, and the rumors and prophecies had not yet spread. Even so, many people in the county were secretly discussing the strange occurrence of the newborn baby lacking heart, kidney, and essence. Many people also linked this matter to the rumors that the King of Chu had turned into a monster.

Shang Lu even discovered that someone was deliberately guiding public opinion, leading people to speculate on this matter.

"It seems that besides us, there are others who also want to incite unrest in the State of Chu," Shang Lu thought to himself.

The person secretly guiding public opinion was not Zi Shu Xun Shou or his group.

Alternatively, he might be someone who was dissatisfied with the aristocratic clans of the King of Chu.

Or perhaps he is a spy sent by another country.

No matter what kind of person they are, it's not a bad thing for Shang Lu.

They can help stir the water even muddier.

It can also help draw the attention of pursuers.

The officials in the county town were very nervous about the rumors spreading in secret. They dispatched a large number of constables to patrol the area, and if they found anyone spreading these rumors, they immediately took them away.

However, such high-pressure tactics not only failed to completely suppress the rumors, but instead allowed them to spread even more widely.

These rumors are especially related to the recent mysterious deaths of infants.

When the Black-Clad Guards were around, everyone was still somewhat cautious.

Now that the Black-Clad Guards were gone, the people felt relieved. Several wealthy families in the county even reported the mysterious deaths of their newborn infants. Before the Black-Clad Guards were around, they had suspicions but dared not cause trouble. Now that they were gone, they were emboldened and rushed to the county government office to demand an explanation from the magistrate…

The county's top officials were so troubled by the commotion that they had no time to investigate whether the Black-Clad Guards had truly left or had died under their jurisdiction.

Even if the letters and witnesses exist, and the county officials know the truth, they will still insist that the three guards in black robes have left.

They would absolutely not allow the Black-Clad Guards to die under their jurisdiction, or in their county town.

The three guards in black robes could only die elsewhere; it had nothing to do with them...

Shang Lu made a trip around the county town and purchased several materials needed to make Nuo masks—none of them were expensive, and they were readily available in the county town. He also bought grains and other items needed for offering sacrifices to the gods.

Although incense is sufficient, the more offerings one makes, the more respectful one appears, right?

Who knows, the Eastern Lord and the Mountain Spirit might even bestow upon us more treasures.

Meanwhile, Shang Lu was also wondering whether he should also erect a deity tablet for Wuzhiqi.

Although Wuzhiqi is violent and terrifying, he is also extremely powerful. If one could borrow some of his power or absorb his divine power to cultivate, it would seem like a pretty good idea.

While purchasing the necessary supplies, Shang Lu also learned the locations of several gambling dens and brothels in the county town from the shop assistants.

Last night, the Calamity Lamp performed perfectly, but it also consumed a lot of energy, so naturally, the pokeweed had to be fed to its fullest.

He even hoped that after the Calamity Lamp had eaten and drunk its fill, it would be able to increase its power and even advance to a higher level.

It's a bit early now, and I don't know if there's anyone in the gambling den or brothel.
(End of this chapter)