Weird Cultivation, I have a five-organ temple

Chapter 633 Storytelling at Midnight
"No matter how cunning the rat is, we still managed to catch it!"

The Discipline Black Wizard who threw out the animal-hide map wore a ferocious mask with blue faces and fangs. At this moment, two beams of angry fire flickered in the eye sockets of the mask.

He sneered, "These rats think they're helpless once they leave Chu territory. Little do they know, we concentrated our manpower to decipher their messages the moment we intercepted them for the first time. As long as their messages remain unchanged, we can pinpoint their location no matter where they send them. It's just a pity they left Chu territory, making our magic array unable to decipher the contents of their messages..."

The other Disciplined Black Witches all looked at this man, awaiting his orders.

The Disciplined Black Witch, wearing a fierce mask, stared intently at the animal skin map for a long time before making a decision: "Those rats who escaped back to Ba Kingdom, we don't need to worry about them. Someone will take care of them!"

He raised his hand and pointed to the small black dot representing pokeweed.

"This escaped rat that fled to the Jiang Kingdom must be captured! The King has already given orders that we can ignore the other rats, but we must see this rat alive or dead! No matter what, we must bring him back to the palace and present him to the King."

"Yes!"

Several disciplined black witches answered in unison, "We'll set off immediately for Jiang Kingdom and capture him!"

The Discipline Black Wizard, wearing a fierce mask, remained calm and analyzed the situation rationally:
"Even traveling day and night, it would take several days to reach the Jiang Kingdom from here."

Recently, due to rumors circulating, the Jiang Kingdom is very wary of us, and it will be quite difficult to sneak in!
Although we've located the Bashu using the telepathic communication system, this system only lasts for two or three days. Once the Bashu stops sending telepathic messages after that, we'll lose track of him..."

Several disciplined black witches nodded in unison; this was indeed the case.

The telepathic wave couldn't last forever; once the rat became aware and took action, it would dissipate even faster.

But they didn't rush to ask what to do, because they knew that the leader must have a solution.

As expected, the Discipline Black Wizard, wearing a fierce mask, quickly made arrangements:

"Immediately awaken our secret spies in Jiang Kingdom and send them to the place where the rat appeared. Tell them to capture it alive if possible; if that's impossible, a dead body will suffice, but it must be preserved intact! This rat is of great use to the King!"

He paused, then added, "Based on previous intelligence analysis, this Bashu's cultivation level is at the seventh rank of the Tongtian Realm. However, it possesses some unique skills in Nuo witchcraft, reportedly able to summon divine power. Have your undercover agents be cautious during the operation and do not underestimate it! If you feel unsure, remain hidden and keep watch until we arrive!"

"Yes!"

"understand!"

The other disciplined black wizards bowed and accepted the order.

One of the disciplined black wizards couldn't help but ask, "Should we notify the Black-Clad Guards?"

The Discipline Black Wizard, wearing a fierce mask, immediately turned cold: "Why did you notify them? A mere rat at the Heavenly Realm, do you think we can't handle him? Do you want them to come and steal the credit?"

The black witch who made the suggestion immediately shut her mouth and dared not utter a sound.

Immediately, several disciplined black sorcerers chanted incantations and summoned their bone artifacts to communicate with the secret agents lurking within the Jiang Kingdom and transmit orders.

Afterwards, they either rode on black clouds or used magical artifacts to fly towards the Jiang Kingdom.

Within the territory of Jiang, Shang Lu was unaware that his communication with Zi Shu and others had been exposed, nor was he aware that the Black Shaman of Discipline was heading towards Jiang. Even the Chu secret agents lurking within Jiang were awakened.

After finishing his correspondence with Zishu Xunshou and the others, Shanglu fell into deep thought.

Although Zishu Xunshou and his companions didn't understand why the Ba Kingdom's court would suddenly ally with the Chu Kingdom to jointly attack the Deng Kingdom, Shang Lu still managed to glean some information from Zishu Xunshou's words.

Da Zhu was aware of the plan to attack Deng Guo.

However, the Great Master did not stop King Ba.

Whether he couldn't stop it or was persuaded... the specific reasons probably involve some secrets, which is why Da Zhu didn't reveal them in the message.

I wonder what could possibly change Da Zhu's mind?

Could it be that the State of Chu has truly offered such great benefits that even the Grand Master of Ceremonies could not refuse?
While Shang Lu was curious, he also felt a vague sense of unease for some reason.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he made up his mind: "I must return to Pakistan as soon as possible and see what exactly happened!"

He then sent another message to Zishu Xunshou and the others, reminding them to be extra careful.

Lu Yang was the first to reply: "We've all returned to Ba, what's there to be careful about? But you, as long as you haven't returned home, you have to be vigilant! Over the years, Chu has planted a lot of spies in the surrounding countries, be careful not to get entangled."

Compared to him, the answer from the Rat Hunting was much simpler.

There wasn't even a voice message, just three short words: "I understand."

Shang Lu nodded slightly upon seeing the message.

"It seems that the imperial inspector also has doubts about this matter."

Since the rat was on guard, the pokeweed felt relieved and said no more.

As for Lü Yang, it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand the situation. With Zi Shu Xun Shou and Gongshu Ling around, he won't suffer any losses.

Putting away the Decree of Impermanence, Shang Lu continued his journey as a Confucian scholar, intending to bypass the State of Deng from the northwest and return to the State of Ba.

Another day passed in the blink of an eye.

Shang Lu entered a county town before dark.

His current identity is that of a traveling Confucian scholar. If he were to travel through the night, even if he didn't encounter any demons or monsters, being discovered by the censors of Jiang Kingdom would still cause him a lot of trouble.

It would be better to find a place to rest, and incidentally, let the Calamity Lamp consume some more desire to further enhance its power.

Upon entering the county town, Shang Lu did not stay at an inn, but instead went to the county school in the town.

Unlike the states of Ba and Chu, the state of Jiang did not exclusively uphold shamanism. Although there were temples in the county town, the temple priests were not government officials.

On the contrary, county schools and prefectural schools took on the same responsibilities as the county shaman temples and prefectural shaman academies in places like Ba and Chu.

As a Confucian scholar, Shang Lu could stay at the county school even if he wasn't from the Jiang state, but he would need to pay a fee.

He chose the county school instead of the inn in the city because he was reminded of something after listening to Lü Yang's words.

Since there are spies sent by Chu in Jiang State, we must be on guard!
The county school held a high position in the Jiang state. Even if there were spies from the Chu state who discovered his identity, they would hesitate to take action.

There was another reason why Shang Lu chose to stay at the county school – the county school was very close to the brothels and entertainment venues in the city.

They're so close, separated by only a wall.

Just outside the red walls of the county school was the city's most famous brothel.

Every day, students at the county school could open their windows and see the graceful figure swaying in the building next door.

"They really know how to do business. What's the difference between this and opening a KTV next to Shaolin Temple? Wait, no, Shaolin Temple doesn't need to open KTVs next to it. They say they have nuns in their own temple..."

What happened to the rule that women are not allowed to enter Shaolin Temple?
So it turns out the problem isn't that they're afraid women entering the temple will disrupt the monks' practice, but rather that they're worried about the women's safety inside...

Shang Lu grumbled inwardly, then laughed, thinking to himself, "It's quite convenient that the county school is built next to a brothel..."

He glanced at the Third Sister floating beside him and quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, I meant it was convenient to feed the Calamity Lamp, I had no other ulterior motives."

Third Sister knew that even if he had the desire to steal, he didn't have the guts, so she didn't even bother to hum a snort, only giving him a disapproving look.

Shang Lu chuckled and strode into the county school.

After registering with my ID and paying a fee, I received the house key.

Led by a servant from the county school, Shang Lu arrived at the school dormitory and found his room.

Upon opening it, I found that although the space was small, it was still a single room. Almost all the rooms in the dormitory were single rooms.

After all, those who live here are either practitioners from the north and south, or young people from the county who are more talented and have passed the county examination and need to study and practice more in preparation for the prefectural examination.

Single rooms are more suitable for them.

However, the rooms in the school dormitory are very close to each other, so if anything unusual happens, a shout will be heard by everyone.

"Thank you for showing me the way, sir."

Shang Lu took out a few copper coins and stuffed them into the hands of the servants at the county school.

The amount of money wasn't much, but it made the other party beam with joy, thanking him repeatedly and patting his chest, saying, "You're too kind, sir. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. I will do my best to get it done for you."

After dismissing the servants from the county school, Shang Lu went inside.

After closing the door, Third Sister immediately appeared, made hand seals and chanted incantations, summoning a gust of yin wind that swept away all the dust and mildew in the room. Then she began to tidy up the bed and bedding.

Instead of just standing by and watching, the pokeweed joined in the work.

Working together as a couple greatly improved their efficiency, and they quickly tidied up the schoolhouse.

Seeing that it was still early, Shang Lu did not rush to practice or rest.

On the way the servant brought him here, he had already inquired about the curfew in the county town, which started at 3:45 PM.

There's still some time before 9:45 PM, so I might as well go out for a stroll and scout out some locations.

We definitely can't let the evil spirit eat tonight; we have to wait until tomorrow, before we leave, to do that.

In this way, even if someone in the county town becomes suspicious and launches an investigation, he will have already left and will not be entangled.

As for his identity, he has several; at worst, he can change it when he arrives at the next town.

As he was leaving, Shang Lu saw several other people who were also staying at the school dormitory.

With his silver tongue, he won over the group with just a few words.

These people all planned to attend lectures at the Tai Mo Academy.

"We're planning to go for a drink, Brother Taibai, would you like to join us?" the other party invited.

Shang Lu, using the pseudonym "Taibai," shook his head and declined, saying, "I am not a good drinker, so I won't spoil the fun. Besides, I'm new here today and would like to wander around the city."

"Shall we wander around the city, or go next door for some fun?"

The new friends laughed, but didn't try to persuade him further. After leaving the county school with Shang Lu, they clasped hands in farewell.

Shang Lu quickly took a stroll around the entertainment district and was quite satisfied with the lively atmosphere. He just wondered if there would be just as many people there during the day tomorrow.

To his surprise, there was a storyteller in the theater telling the story of "The Monkey King".

"I never imagined that the story of the Great Sage had spread to the Jiang Kingdom." Shang Lu was both surprised and delighted. Only then did he realize that he hadn't had time to look at that novelist's notes for a long time.

I wonder what the "Monkey King" in the notebook has become, and whether he has gained any new supernatural powers besides transformation.
Overjoyed, Shang Lu didn't forget to praise his meritorious servant, "Liu Quan, you did a great job."

Although Liu Quan did not respond, Shang Lu knew that he must have heard it.

Shang Lu stopped and listened for a while outside the theater, only to find that the story of "The Monkey King" being told here was actually a heavily modified version.

Although the Great Sage was still a monkey, he didn't wield his golden cudgel indiscriminately; instead, he used array formations and mechanisms—

"Then the Great Sage set up a witch array barrier, trapping the demons and ghosts within, as if isolated from the world, unable to call out to heaven or earth... Within the witch array barrier, countless evil spirits swelled, dark and oppressive like black clouds pressing down on the city, threatening to tear those demons and ghosts apart!"

"Well, the Great Sage isn't playing with sticks anymore, he's playing with formations now."

Shang Lu shook his head and chuckled, feeling both absurdity and a sense of logic.

Anything can become distorted when passed down by word of mouth, let alone a story told by a storyteller.

Often, they only need to hear bits and pieces and remember the protagonist's name.

The rest is up to each individual to use their own creativity; they can simply apply it to various stories.

The storytellers here at least tell the story of Sun Wukong fighting monsters; they don't make up a romantic tale of Sun Wukong seducing the Iron Fan Fairy...

After wandering around the county town and selecting several suitable locations to feed the Calamity Lamp, Shang Lu returned to the county school dormitory, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to recite the Heart Sutra of Supreme Goodness.

This set of exercises is very suitable for cultivating a clear mind and can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Time flew by and it was already midnight.

Because he was staying at the county school and using the identity of a Confucian scholar, Shang Lu did not perform the ritual of communicating with the gods during the Zi and Chou hours. He simply took out the altar for the soul offering and lit incense to make a sacrifice.

Even without communicating with the gods or using the "Transplanting Flowers and Grafting Trees" technique, Shang Lu still managed to secretly intercept a few strands of divine power when the gods took away the incense offerings.

These divine powers don't require any effort from the pokeweed; the internal organs will absorb and transform them on their own.

Before the end of the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), Shang Lu put away the Soul-Offering Altar and continued to urge the recitation of the "Heart Sutra of Supreme Goodness Like Water." As for the novelist's notes, he planned to read them when he traveled the next day.

Although the Heart Sutra is only a fragment, it can not only nourish qi, refine spirit, and strengthen essence, but also relieve fatigue and can completely replace sleep.

Soon, Pokeweed entered a meditative state.

After entering the state of clear mind, his speed in entering and exiting meditation greatly improved.

Moreover, even when entering a meditative state, one can perceive the surrounding situation through the unity of heaven and man.

About 15 minutes later, Shang Lu suddenly heard a sound coming from outside the schoolhouse.

The voice was erratic, sometimes high, sometimes low, like the whispers of a ghost.

The content of what he was talking about was very familiar to Shang Lu.

"Then the Great Sage Equaling Heaven set up a magical array, and as the mist filled the air, he trapped the Rat within it! In an instant, he was cut off from the world, unable to call out to heaven or earth, truly like a turtle in a jar, with no way to escape; or like a fish in a hot pot, jumping around helplessly with no chance of survival!"

Is this... a storyteller telling a tale?!
Where did this storyteller come from in the middle of the night? What kind of ghost story is he telling now!

Shang Lu suddenly opened his eyes.

But he found himself surrounded by a vast, misty fog. And apart from the storyteller's voice, there was no other sound.

This... has trapped me in a witchcraft array barrier?!
Shang Lu raised an eyebrow.

Before he could summon a gale to disperse the obscuring mist, the faint storytelling voice in the distance suddenly became urgent and hurried:
"A malevolent spirit suddenly appeared from within the formation, and divine soldiers descended swiftly! All for the sake of taking that bastard's life!"

"boom--"

Suddenly, a group of figures appeared in the vast fog.

There are ferocious evil spirits and mighty divine weapons.

With fierce and urgent momentum, they rushed towards Shanglu from all directions!

(End of this chapter)