The Dao dies but I live on, the spiritual energy dries up but I remain evergreen

The daughter of Mr. Zhou was beautiful and gentle, and was the dream girl of many young men in Linwu County.

Such an ending is really sad.

It was originally a case of missing mandarin ducks, but it eventually turned into a case of a vicious tiger eating people.

If he were to come back to it, Mr. Zhou would have preferred that the two of them just leave and not die in the tiger's belly.

The county magistrate told everyone about this matter and was filled with emotion. While speaking, he asked the shop owner to bring a chair and sat down with the five people.

Li Changxiao overheard this story and after a few drinks, a strange look flashed across his eyes.

There was a rampant tiger problem in Linwu County, so people who were able to hunt and kill tigers were highly respected. Even the county magistrate would be proud to be on good terms with them.

Upon hearing that several people were drinking here, the county magistrate hurried over. His recounting of the case just now was only to quickly get closer to them so that he could join the drinking party.

It was only after he sat down that the county magistrate noticed that there was also a swordsman in white.

The two looked at each other, smiled and nodded, which was considered a greeting.

The county magistrate laughed, raised his glass and was about to toast everyone. He was indeed a scholar, and he spoke nicely, so he quickly became friends with them.

After drinking a glass of wine, he waved his hand and said that he had paid for the dinner and the tiger-fighting hero of Linwu County must not be allowed to spend the money.

After this, the four people were immediately impressed by the county magistrate's demeanor and felt flattered.

Li Changxiao saw this and smiled, thinking that it was no wonder that this man could serve as the county magistrate and govern Linwu County in an orderly manner. His methods were truly extraordinary.

"Brother Liu, the tiger problem in your county is so serious. What do you do when you go out on weekdays?" Li Changxiao suddenly asked.

Liu Biao is the oldest member of the four-man tiger-hunting team. He has an ordinary appearance, is short in stature but has muscular body.

Liu Biao hasn't spoken yet.

The county magistrate answered: "Of course, we rely on the land lord."

"Our county is surrounded by mountains. There is an unwritten rule that the first, middle and last three days of each month are the activities of the land lord."

"During this period, there will be fewer tiger problems on the roads leading to other counties. Generally speaking, caravans from other counties will take this opportunity to enter our county to do business."

"At other times, if we want to go out, it's not impossible, but the probability of encountering a vicious tiger on the road is not low."

"However, if you go to the land temple and pay homage to the land god before going out, even if you encounter a vicious tiger, you will not die."

The county magistrate said this with a long sigh. In Linwu County, incidents of vicious tigers injuring and eating people happened frequently, and he had no way to deal with it.

The county magistrate seemed to have thought of something, and then said, "The mandarin ducks that died ran away in a hurry and did not offer sacrifices to the land god in advance."

"If we had offered sacrifices in advance and received the master's protection, this tragedy would not have happened."

Li Changxiao felt it was strange. He learned from these people that the land lord was not just a simple superstition, but really played a role.

……

The restaurant dispersed.

Li Changxiao found an inn by himself. After sleeping there for one night, he went to the counter to get a refund because the inn was leaking and the bed was moldy. Under such conditions, it was worse than sleeping on the street.

In the early morning, when everything came back to life, he went to the morning market in Linwu County. Although it was a remote and poor place, the local customs and culture were quite unique.

He saw an old lady carrying a basket of black reptiles and selling them in the market.

What was outrageous was that they were all snatched away in less than a moment. Li Changxiao thought they were going to buy them and fry them, but the next second, a little girl grabbed a black reptile and put it into her mouth, chewing and swallowing it raw.

A crunching sound was heard.

After walking a few more steps, I bought mung bean cakes, clear soup noodles, etc.

After a tour, Li Changxiao discovered that the funeral industry here was particularly developed, and the rare cave burial method was used.

The so-called cave burial is to carve a hole on a cliff and place the coffin inside.

Because of the serious tiger infestation in this area, attempts were made to bury the bodies, but the vicious tigers dug out the bodies and ate them until they were in tatters.

No one wants to be restless after the death of their loved ones.

Take a few more steps.

When he came across some incense shops, Li Changxiao walked into one, bought two incense sticks, and then asked the shopkeeper how to get to the land temple.

The shopkeeper enthusiastically pointed out the way, and then seeing that Li Changxiao was from another place, he told him some taboos.

First of all, the God of Land does not like to be disturbed, so after burning incense, you should leave quickly and not stay for long.

Secondly, you cannot stare at the land temple for more than three seconds.

Following the shop owner's instructions, Li Changxiao walked out of Linwu County and headed towards a mountain on the west side.

Because this road is frequently traveled and the soil has been compacted, it is not difficult to walk on. However, the land temple is built halfway up the mountain, so the journey up the mountain is a bit difficult.

After walking for a long time, Li Changxiao was sure that he had arrived at the destination, but he did not see the tall temple with incense burning like the Hemu Temple that he had imagined.

All I saw was a small temple, half a person's height, built with yellow mud bricks.

This inconspicuous little temple has attracted all the incense from the entire Linwu County.

The moment I saw this temple.

Li Changxiao's doubts were instantly resolved.

original…

A wild god.

Mountains and rivers have spirits.

Only when the court recognizes and confers a title on a deity and a person has a clear and bright basis can he be considered an orthodox deity.

And this temple.

None of the three.

There are actually not many requirements for an orthodox land temple. As long as it is recorded in the county annals, it is considered to be Qingming.

This kind of land temple is not built halfway up the mountain, but only at the foot of the mountain or at the entrance of the village for convenient worship.

It is unlikely that someone built it halfway up a mountain, and every time you burn incense you have to climb over mountains and cross hills, which is troublesome for you.

This shows that this small temple has an illegitimate origin.

In other words, this temple is not actually a land temple, but a wild temple in the countryside that is not orthodox and came from an unknown place.

Generally speaking, no one dares to worship in this small temple with unclear origins and located in such a remote place.

Because you don’t know what might happen to you.

Li Changxiao walked around the small temple. Because the temple was small, it only took him three or two steps.

If anyone from Linwu County were here, they would definitely scold him for being disrespectful to the gods. He would probably never be able to leave the county in this lifetime, otherwise he would surely be killed by a tiger.

The temple is very small and houses a statue of the deity. Right in front of the temple is a large conical mound of earth filled with incense sticks.

The incense ashes fell on the pile of earth and mixed with the sand, while the floating incense drifted into the small wild temple.

The clouds and mist made it difficult to see what the land inside looked like.

Master Muqin and his disciples are not the only ones who want to study the art of incense. However, not everyone has her ability to build such a large-scale temple and attract incense customers in almost an entire continent.

Li Changxiao estimated that the owner of this wild temple was also a cultivator.

And if I guessed correctly...

His statue is enshrined inside.

Li Changxiao reached into the land temple, grabbed the land statue inside, and pulled out of the small temple.

It feels rough to the touch. It is not a gold body, but a clay body made from fired earth.

However, due to years of exposure to incense, the surface of the clay body has turned a little black.

The head of the clay figure was wrapped in a piece of white cloth. Li Changxiao lifted the cloth and finally saw its true appearance.

He looked 70% like the county magistrate who drank with him yesterday.