All Heavens: Dual Cultivation of Magic and Martial Arts Starting from the Republic of China

Fu Ze did not return directly to the village chief's house.

He took a detour and went first to the corner where Crazy He had been squatting and eating dirt during the day.

Zhao Rui followed behind.

"Going to see the dirt again?"

"Um."

Upon arriving at the location, Fu Ze went to the corner of the wall, squatted down, and reached out to touch the ground.

really.

The soil here feels different too.

During the day, the dark red, wet mud that Crazy He was holding and eating was brightly colored, moist, and sticky.

But now, although the mud on the ground is still red, it is noticeably darker. The texture is also the same as the mud near the entrance of the local earth god temple, lacking that indescribable slipperiness, stickiness, and suppleness.

Fu Ze's expression grew increasingly serious.

Zhao Rui also squatted down, grabbed a handful of mud, smelled it, and looked disgusted.

"It just smells like ordinary mud. You warlocks really torture people when it comes to looking at things."

Fu Ze smiled.

"This is not the work of a sorcerer, but the physical perception of a martial artist."

Zhao Rui rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you martial arts practitioners are torturous too. Oh, although I practice martial arts too."

The two did not linger and returned to the village chief's courtyard.

Liao Xibai, Li Junfeng, and Feng Xuan were still awake.

Upon seeing them return, Liao Xibai immediately asked.

"How is the situation?"

Fu Ze shook his head.

"The local earth god temple is strange. It has a heavy yin energy that makes people feel uncomfortable. But no evil spirits appear."

"I destroyed the incense table and offering table, and even broke off one of the arms of the clay statue of the Earth God. There was no flesh or foreign matter inside the statue; it was just an ordinary clay figure."

The old Taoist priest Feng Xuan was somewhat surprised.

"No response at all?"

"no."

Fu Ze shook his head.

"This is completely different from the situation in Huai Shu Village."

Li Junfeng said in a deep voice.

"That means the things in Hewan Village are probably better at hiding than those in Huaishu Village."

Fu Ze did not refute.

He also recounted his discovery of the soil changes.

After hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Liao Xibai looked at the village chief.

"Grandpas, do you usually pay attention to the dirt that Crazy He eats?"

The village chief shook his head blankly.

"Well...who would notice the mud? There's mud everywhere in the countryside. Whether it's redder, blacker, wetter, or drier, nobody will think much of it."

"Let alone taking a closer look at the mud that Crazy He is eating. A normal person would be too busy avoiding it to even look closely."

Zhao Rui shrugged.

"I told you so."

The old Taoist priest Feng Xuan pondered for a moment.

"But since young friend Fu can sense the difference, he can't ignore it. The local earth god, the earth god temple, the earth god, plus a madman who eats dirt..."

Fu Ze looked out at the deep night outside the courtyard.

"He the Madman is gone. There's no movement at the Earth God Temple. The dark red, damp mud from the daytime has changed color and texture by night."

"There are probably some relationships between these three things that we haven't figured out."

Liao Xibai said slowly.

"This madman He is probably more important than we think. Young friend Fu, what do you think?"

Fu Ze nodded.

"I also think that if Crazy He really has a problem, then he must be an important link. But as we discussed before, finding someone in the mountains is like finding a needle in a haystack."

"So let's put this line aside for now, investigate everything we can first, and then find Crazy He."

Liao Xibai also expressed his agreement.

He originally planned to have the village chief lead some able-bodied men to search the nearby villages and forests, but he thought that this might alert the enemy and increase the casualties among the villagers, and the gains would be relatively small, so he gave up the idea.

"Let's rest first. Tomorrow, we'll go to Shuangjing Village together."

……

Early the next morning.

The fog in Hewan Village had not yet dissipated.

In the courtyard behind the village chief's house, Fu Ze and the others ate some coarse grains and drank some hot water before preparing to set off.

Last night's ordeal, though we didn't actually confront the evil spirits, left everyone feeling far from relaxed.

There was no activity at the land temple in Hewan Village.

He Fengzi has disappeared.

The dark red wet mud changed color and texture overnight.

Individually, these clues seem to prove nothing. But when put together, they resemble fine threads, subtly pulling in some unseen direction.

Fu Ze looked at Liao Xibai.

"Mr. Liao, today we can go to Shuangjing Village with Master Fengxuan. You're not feeling well, so you should stay here and rest."

During the day, there are fewer strange things around, so it's most appropriate for Li Junfeng and Zhao Rui to stay and protect him.

But Liao Xibai shook his head.

"It's alright. Since it's daytime, I'll go too."

Li Junfeng frowned.

"Sir, are you safe...?"

Liao Xibai smiled.

"If it were nighttime, I certainly wouldn't be so reckless, but it's daytime now. Besides, with all of you here, what do I have to worry about?"

He spoke gently, but without the slightest hesitation.

"Since this matter has already involved so many villages, I will feel uneasy if I just sit at home waiting for news."

The others did not try to persuade them further.

When the village chief of Hewan Village heard that they were going to Shuangjing Village, he quickly sent a young man who knew the way to lead the way.

The group left the village and headed towards the other side of the river.

The village is named Hewan Village because there is a river outside the village.

After leaving the village and walking along the path for less than half a mile, the sound of water gradually grew louder ahead.

A fast-flowing river appeared before everyone's eyes.

The river wasn't particularly wide, but the current was swift. White waves crashed against the rocks in the river, making a splashing sound. In the early morning, the mist clung to the water's surface, and from a distance, it looked like a long, grayish-white serpent winding its way through the mountain valleys.

There is a stone bridge over the river.

The bridge is not wide, paved with bluestone, and looks very old.

In some places, the bridge surface was worn smooth and shiny. There were no guardrails on either side, only a few stone piers about half a person's height, standing crookedly.

"That's what the young man leading the way said."

"Once you cross the bridge, you'll reach Shuangjing Village."

Li Junfeng raised his hand to stop the crowd.

"I'll go first."

He moved swiftly and stepped onto the stone bridge.

The pace was slow, but each step landed steadily on the bridge surface.

When he reached the middle, he glanced down at the water flowing under the bridge and pressed down on a few loose stone slabs. Only after confirming that everything was alright did he cross to the other side.

A moment later, he returned from the other side and nodded.

"You can pass."

Liao Xibai then stepped onto the stone bridge.

Fu Ze watched this scene with a mix of emotions.

Li Junfeng is indeed impatient and arrogant.

Upon their first meeting, they almost threatened to kick him and Yu Mingzi out of the dilapidated temple at the slightest disagreement.

But this man was absolutely uncompromising in protecting Liao Xibai.

It may look rough and tough, but it is actually very meticulous.

He checked everything first: whether the bridge was stable, whether people could hide under it, and whether there were any ambushes on the other side.

No wonder he was so wary of the two strangers who suddenly entered the dilapidated temple.

It seems that it wasn't simply a matter of being overbearing.

Instead, he truly valued Liao Xibai's safety more than his own life.

After crossing the bridge, the group walked along a narrow path between the fields for a while, and then Shuangjing Village came into view.

There are two old wells at the entrance of the village, with the well rims made of bluestone, worn smooth and shiny by the passage of time.

Some weeds grew around the well, and several old trees stood nearby.

Logically speaking, a village like this, located near a river and with an old well, should have ample water and abundant life.

But this place is just like Huai Shu Village and He Wan Village, or even more so.

There were few people chatting at the village entrance, and the sounds of chickens and dogs were also rare.

Occasionally, villagers would walk past the house, heads down, their expressions blank.

Upon seeing Fu Ze and his group of outsiders enter the village, many people immediately stopped and watched from a distance, but dared not approach.

Zhao Rui said in a low voice.

"It tastes just like it always does."

Fu Ze nodded.

"lifeless."

Li Junfeng frowned.

"Yesterday afternoon, Brother Fu and I came here. But we only asked a few villagers in a hurry and didn't investigate in detail."

Fu Ze looked at the young man who was leading the way.

Where does the village chief of Shuangjing Village live?

The young man pointed to the middle of the village.

"Over there, I'll take you there."

……

The village chief of Shuangjing Village was a thin man in his fifties.

He had dark skin, a thin build, and deep-set eyes.

Upon hearing that Fu Ze and the others had come to investigate the matter of the local earth god demanding the infant, their expressions immediately changed.

It wasn't a surprise.

It was fear.

"Sirs, this matter... this is something our village doesn't want to talk about."

His voice trembled.

"The Earth God is a deity. If he wants it, he must have his reasons. We ordinary people just want to live peacefully and can't disobey the gods."

Zhao Rui frowned, about to speak.

Liao Xibai raised his hand and gently stopped him.

He looked at the village chief of Shuangjing Village, his tone calm.

"Old man, I don't want to ask you any grand principles, I just want to ask you one question."

"Did it hurt you when you sacrificed those children all these years?"

The village chief of Shuangjing Village trembled slightly.

He didn't speak.

Liao Xibai continued.

"If you truly believed this was a perfectly natural and good thing, you wouldn't be so afraid."

"What you're afraid of isn't just the local earth god's revenge. You're also afraid of the hurdle in your own heart."

The tone was not harsh.

It's even quite mild.

However, the village chief of Shuangjing Village looked much paler.

Liao Xibai sighed.

"I know you were forced into this."

"When a village is struck by disaster, the people are filled with fear. If one person is afraid, then ten people are afraid, and eventually the whole village is afraid. When fear lingers, even things that shouldn't be done become things that one has to do."

"Just because you have to do something doesn't mean it's the right thing to do."

The village chief of Shuangjing Village slowly lowered his head, his hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.

Liao Xibai said.

"Now, you are in such a miserable state."

"Children are sacrificed, and adults live like zombies. The village is nominally peaceful, but do you really think you're doing well?"

"If this continues, three a year, thirty in ten years. In the end, what will Shuangjing Village have left?"

"Old man, if you yourself know that what you're doing is wrong, then now that someone is willing to investigate and save you, why don't you give it your all? How much worse can things get?"

The courtyard was silent.

The village chief of Shuangjing Village trembled slightly.

After a long while, he finally raised his head, his eyes already red.

"Sirs...can you really save us?"

Liao Xibai was not exaggerating.

"We can't guarantee it. You know, you're not the only ones being forced to sacrifice infants by evil gods. Several surrounding villages are in the same situation."

Ah this...

The village chief of Shuangjing Village was taken aback.

The villagers in each village dared not spread these matters, so much so that none of them knew about them.

He looked at the young man from Hewan Village who had come to lead the way; the man nodded, looking ashamed.

Liao Xibai continued.

"We have destroyed an evil temple in Huai Shu Village, and the evil entity disguised as the local earth god has been eliminated. At least for now, Huai Shu Village has been temporarily restored to peace. We have also discovered that the events in He Wan Village, Shuang Jing Village, and other places are likely to be connected."

"If you're willing to help, we'll have a better chance of success. If you're not willing, we'll still investigate. But the delay might cost the lives of the children in your village."

Fu Ze, listening to Liao Xibai's words from the side, couldn't help but sigh. Liao hadn't uttered any grand pronouncements or impassioned speeches; he had simply broken down Liao's defenses through calm, casual conversation.

"He truly deserves to be called a figure in this world who could assist Mr. Sun in overthrowing the Tartar dynasty. I hope he can really bring peace back to the people of this world."

The village chief of Shuangjing Village paused for a moment, then took a deep breath.

Then, he slowly knelt down in front of Liao Xibai.

"I'm willing to help."

"Whatever you gentlemen wish to ask or see, this old man will take you there."

Liao Xibai reached out and helped him up.

"Then, take us to the local temple first."

……

The land temple in Shuangjing Village is located in the eastern part of the back of the village.

The walls of the Earth God Temple are not high and are made of a mixture of blue bricks and mud.

The courtyard gate was half open.

As soon as he entered, Liao Xibai suddenly let out a soft "Eh".

His gaze fell on a tree in the corner of the yard.

"This Vitex negundo is enormous?"

Everyone followed his gaze.

In the corner of the courtyard, near the northwest corner of the temple, there is indeed a tree growing.

The trunk is about the thickness of a bowl, the tree is straight, and the branches and leaves are lush. It is about ten meters tall. The leaves are fine and dense, and the branches are flexible and slender, swaying gently in the wind.

Zhao Rui glanced at it, somewhat puzzled.

"Mr. Liao, this tree isn't particularly big, is it? It's quite ordinary. Why do you find it rare?"

Liao Xibai shook his head.

"Arui, take a closer look, this is a Vitex negundo."

Zhao Rui was even more confused.

"What's wrong with the thorn bush?"

Fu Ze, however, realized what was happening.

He looked at the tree with some surprise.

"You mean... that kind of Vitex negundo? People with Vitex negundo branches are said to be good people?"

Liao Xibai nodded.

"That's right. This saying is common in many places in the southwest."

Fu Ze smiled.

"I heard my elders talk about this when I was a child. Vitex negundo is a very common plant. It grows everywhere, on hillsides, field edges, and roadsides. Its branches are thin but tough, and it hurts a lot when you hit someone with it, but it doesn't easily injure bones. So many parents like to break off a Vitex negundo branch to discipline their children."

"The Vitex negundo is a low shrub, usually only about half a person's height, with relatively flexible branches. This one here, however, has grown to over ten meters tall, becoming a real tree..."

Zhao Rui also realized what was happening, and his eyes widened.

"This is actually a Vitex negundo! The thing my parents used to beat me with every day when I was a kid? It's amazing how big it's grown!"

The old Taoist priest Feng Xuan also came over.

His expression had become serious.

"It is indeed very rare to see a Vitex negundo tree grow to such a size. Without special soil nourishment or a very long age, it is difficult to grow to this size."

The village chief of Shuangjing Village whispered from the side.

"According to the village elders, this tree has been growing for many, many years."

"It was this tall when we were kids. It was this tall when my grandpa was a kid. And it was about the same height when my great-grandpa was a kid...."

This giant chaste tree is probably at least several hundred years old!