Chapter 3 Evil Ghost Enters the City
He glanced at the land god already placed on the stone table, then looked up at the sky. There was still some time before dark, so he could carve another god statue.
Thinking this, Zhang Xuan sat back on the chair, picked up another piece of Peach Wood, and began carving. Unconsciously, the god statue gradually appeared. This time, Zhang Xuan was carving the god statue of the land god, after all, having only the land god felt a bit lonely.
In a moment, the carving was gradually completed. He blew gently, and wood shavings flew away, revealing the full appearance of the land god. Her attire corresponded exactly to the land god's, just with some additional phoenix and dragon patterns. She had the same kind eyes and benevolent face, but the difference was that the land god held a Dragon Head Staff in her left hand and a longevity peach in her right.
After Zhang Xuan carved the large characters 'godhood of the Virtuous Lord God land god' on the back of the land god, 'Rumble...' another muffled thunder sounded, approaching from a distance.
Looking up, dark clouds rolled in the sky. A moment ago, there was still bright sunshine everywhere, but now it was as if night had fallen.
Zhang Xuan panicked and quickly moved the remaining god statues on the stone table in the courtyard to the counter, then cleaned the courtyard.
What Zhang Xuan didn't see was that when the land god carving was completed, Xuan Huang Qi rolled in the sky, even more turbulent than the last time.
Xuan Huang Qi rose all over the sky, but no one could see it.
Zhang Xuan quickly called out to the Xiao Yatou Liu Han'er, then sent her back to the Zha Zhi Shop.
Then, returning indoors, Zhang Xuan looked out the window at the dark, oppressive sky, his brows furrowed. According to his memory, Evil Ghosts would be more active in this kind of weather.
Because the thunder came and went quickly. When thunder arrived, any Evil Ghost had to retreat, but when the thunder receded, the Evil Ghosts between Heaven and Earth would become unusually active.
Zhang Xuan placed the two god statues he brought back from the Wang Family Ancestral Hall today on the table inside the room, hoping the two god statues could ensure his safety tonight.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan opened the door again and went to the counter by the entrance, taking the two newly carved god statues of the land god and the land god in his hands. Just as he was about to turn back inside, a much stronger warm current suddenly enveloped him.
'This...' Zhang Xuan stared at the two earth god statues in his hands in surprise, full of doubt and uncertainty.
If Zhang Xuan was unsure the first time he completed the land god carving, this time Zhang Xuan could be 100% certain that this warm current was definitely related to the earth god statue he had just carved.
However, what Zhang Xuan was currently unsure of was whether a warm current would still appear if he carved an earth god statue again in the future; he was also unsure if it would appear when carving other god statues.
Perhaps I could carve the top-tier Gods like the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors...
If he were to carve, the first one Zhang Xuan thought of was the Celestial Venerable of the Dao and Virtue, Tai Shang Lao Jun. After all, compared to the other two, Laojun has historical figures as reference, making him easier to carve.
Furthermore, Laojun was the leader revered by the Ancestor Celestial Master Zhang Daoling when he founded Taoism.
However, Zhang Xuan thought about it and decided to temporarily give up. The godhood of these great Gods is too high, best not to touch them for now!
What Zhang Xuan didn't know was, just as this thought arose in him, deep within the endless void, in an unknown place, an indescribable existence suddenly opened its eyes.
As this existence opened its eyes, Heaven and Earth were seen to be born and destroyed, the clear and the turbid separated, the Four Symbols ascended, the Five Elements generated each other, as if infinite mysteries were evolving.
'Hmm... Interesting! Interesting!' This existence seemed to look in a certain direction, as if discovering something interesting. After praising a couple of times, it slowly closed its eyes again.
Zhang Xuan also couldn't determine what the appearing warm current was. Internal Energy? True Qi? True Essence? Or something else? Zhang Xuan recalled the Wuxia or Xianxia novels he had read in his previous life.
Innate Qi? A term suddenly popped into his mind. This term often appeared in some Taoist classics from his previous life.
In fact, this kind of warm current was a feeling of merit empowering the body. Xuan Huang Qi poured into the body, circulating through the meridians after entering, passing through muscles, bones, and internal organs, feeling like soaking in a hot spring.
However, what Zhang Xuan didn't know was that a large amount of Xuan Huang Qi merely passed through various parts of his body, eventually converging in an unknown location within his body.
He didn't know how long it took, but the warm current gradually disappeared. However, his whole body felt warm and comfortable, an indescribable feeling of ease. He also brought the two earth god statues back into the room and placed them on the table.
Looking at the four god statues on the table, Zhang Xuan felt it might be more appropriate to build a land god shrine in the courtyard tomorrow and place the two earth god statues inside.
At this time, outside, the wind had begun to howl furiously. In an instant, heavy rain poured down, but there was no longer any lightning or thunder.
'Alas, I wonder how many people won't be able to avoid tonight!' Zhang Xuan sighed helplessly. Life still had to go on as usual. There was no need to worry about others; he wasn't even sure if he could safely get through it himself.
'What kind of Ghost world is this!' Zhang Xuan couldn't help but miss his original world. Although everyone had a lot of life pressure in that world, everyone was free from worries about food and clothing. Even if life was hard, compared to this world, it was like paradise.
'I can never go back.' Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan stopped the distracting thoughts in his mind. Since he had come to this world, he would live well in this world.
Washing rice and cooking. Putting brown rice into the pot. Time was limited, so he could only simply cook some rice.
Zhang Xuan decided to find time tomorrow to carve a stone mill himself to grind some refined rice to eat. He really wasn't used to eating rice that still had so much husk on it.
After finishing dinner, he scooped out another bowl of rice, then inserted the chopsticks vertically into the bowl and placed it in front of the four god statues.
Zhang Xuan knew this was a kind of sacrificial ritual in this world. It was said that it could communicate with the god statues and gain protection.
In Zhang Xuan's previous life, if you dared to insert chopsticks vertically like that, you'd be waiting for a beating! There was a saying in his previous life that chopsticks inserted vertically were called 'dead person's rice,' meant for Ghosts. Zhang Xuan in his previous life was beaten severely by his Grandpa once because of this.
However, Zhang Xuan thought about it. The ancestor spirits in this world are dead people, they are Ghosts! They are completely different concepts from the Gods in his previous life.
'Dong... Dong... Dong...' The distant bell sound faintly came through the rain, seemingly announcing the arrival of night.
Zhang Xuan carefully checked the doors and windows again, confirming that all of them were tightly closed.
Coming to the table, with a 'Whoosh...' he blew out the oil lamp, and the entire room plunged into darkness.
Lying on the bed, drowsiness struck, and Zhang Xuan instantly fell into a deep sleep.
What no one discovered was that on the table, the god statues of the land god and the land god were emitting a soft light. The light, centered around the two god statues, gradually spread out, slowly covering the entire Spirit Molding Shop, and then gradually faded away.
Turning the gaze back to the bed, Zhang Xuan's body was actually shining with a faint fluorescence, reflecting the light of the two earth god statues.
Perhaps it was due to excessive fatigue, or perhaps the effect of the god statues, Zhang Xuan slept so soundly and sweetly.
Inside the room, snoring was like thunder; outside, heavy rain poured down.
The entire Heaven and Earth could only hear the sound of rain and wind.
Looking down at this Heaven and Earth from high above, one could see Wangjia Town, about three li in circumference, with over three hundred households scattered within. In the center of the town was a Clock Tower, and on the Clock Tower, a large bell could be seen hanging. This large bell weighed about five hundred jin and was enormous. At the four corners of the Clock Tower, there were also four small bronze bells, only the size of a bowl opening.
The base of the Clock Tower was paved with Qing Shi (Blue Stone). The Clock Tower building was constructed from Peach Wood and jujube wood, and the large bell was cast from bronze. The ringing of the large bell also served to ward off Evil.
The town was surrounded by rammed earth city walls, divided into four directions: Southeast, Northwest. Each direction had a guard post; however, there were only two city gates on the East and West sides, and none on the North and South sides.
The guard posts were also made of Peach Wood or jujube wood. The posts were fully enclosed on all sides, but each side had a window, which was not large; during night duty, under normal circumstances, only the side facing outside the city needed to be opened.
Inside each post, there was a shrine in the center. A ceramic god statue was enshrined within the shrine, facing outwards towards the city. Around the god statue, there was an incense burner, with three sticks of incense in each burner. A faint scent of incense smoke lingered inside the post. Above the left side of the shrine, a bronze bell the size of a bowl opening was hung, used for sounding the alarm towards the city.
At night, three or four Humans would be on duty in each post. They held weapons made from Peach Wood or jujube wood, but the posts were equipped with multiple weapons, including metal weapons made of iron and bronze. Peach Wood or jujube wood weapons had a relatively strong killing power against Ghosts, but their effect was limited against Demons. At this time, metal weapons were needed.
Inside the East Gate post, Wang Dong tightened his clothes and said, 'Brothers, there's heavy rain today, everyone keep your eyes sharp.'
'Chong Jiu, put on your straw cloak and come out on patrol with me; Brothers Liu Zhong and Gao Luo, rest inside for a while, come out at midnight to relieve us.'
'Brother Dong, it's hard work, be careful. If you encounter danger, call for brothers anytime.'
Wang Dong laughed heartily, called out to Wang Chong Jiu, and left the post to patrol on the city wall.
The same scene was happening in the guard posts in the other three directions.
On the city wall, there was a small shrine every dozen meters. Inside the shrine was a clay god statue, but there was no incense in front of the god statue.
'Chong Jiu, carefully check the shrine and see if it's wet from the rain. This damned weather, if the god statue gets wet, the trouble will be big!'
'Hehe... Brother Dong, don't worry, our shrines were built with rain protection in mind, there won't be any problems.'
'Less nonsense, check it carefully! If something goes wrong, not only will you and I be in danger, but who knows how many people in the city will die!' Wang Dong looked at Wang Chong Jiu's careless appearance and kicked him.
'Brother Dong, spare me, I'll check it carefully now.' Wang Chong Jiu dodged Wang Dong's kick with a playful smile, agreeing verbally.
Wang Dong wasn't really trying to kick him anyway. Seeing him dodge, he didn't say anything more.
'Brother Dong, this is bad! This shrine is cracked, the god statue is completely soaked by the rain!'
Wang Dong, holding a Peach Wood Sword, was looking around and was suddenly startled!
'What? Let me see. Damn it!' Wang Dong carefully observed the shrine, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He only hoped no Evil Ghost had infiltrated the city yet.
'Chong Jiu, quickly go get a wooden god statue, then ring the alarm bell and ask the Night Watchman to strengthen patrols. Go quickly and come back quickly!'
'Yes, Brother Dong; be careful yourself.' Wang Chong Jiu didn't dare to delay and turned around to run towards the guard post.
Wang Dong held a Peach Wood Sword in his right hand, and quickly pulled out an Evil-warding talisman from his chest with his left hand, placing it in the shrine to temporarily replace the god statue, and vigilantly stared outside the city.
'Brother Zhong, quickly give me a wooden god statue, one god statue got wet; also, quickly ring the alarm bell and report to the Clock Tower.' Wang Chong Jiu rushed into the post and grabbed Liu Zhong nearby.
Liu Zhong didn't dare to delay, quickly took out a spare wooden god statue from the corner cabinet and handed it to Wang Chong Jiu, while Gao Luo had already rung the bronze bell inside the post.
At this time, in the city, on the Clock Tower, the bronze bell hanging on the Eastern direction began to ring, 'Dong... Dong...'
The few Humans sitting cross-legged in meditation in the Clock Tower instantly opened their eyes.
'Third Uncle, the Eastern direction bell is ringing, two sounds, low risk.' Wang Jiao said softly.
'Hmm, it's Wang Dong's direction. Liu Ji, Gao Feng, Tian Chong, the three of you go to the East City area and check the situation!' An Old Man opened his eyes, which gleamed with sharp light, and looked towards the East Gate.
This Old Man was precisely Wang Hao, the Third Brother of the current Wang Family Head. He was currently over fifty years old, but his Internal Energy was profound, cultivating the Extreme Yang Heart Method. He had a natural restraint against Demons and Evil, and was also one of the top three masters in the current Wang Family, as well as the person in charge of guarding the Clock Tower in Wangjia Town.
'Yes, Lord!' Three of them quickly stood up, put on straw cloaks, and left the Clock Tower holding weapons, heading to the East City area.
At this time, in the West City area, a sedan chair was faintly moving on the road. The sedan chair floated without anyone carrying it, and there was a Maid on each side of the sedan chair. The Maid were dressed in white, their faces unclear.
'Miss, they finally discovered it in the East City. I saw that someone from the Clock Tower has already gone to patrol the East City; Miss is still wise, who would have thought we would come in from the East City and go directly to the West City!'
'Hmm, Xiao Cui, Xiao Hong, watch carefully. Miss is going to enjoy the blood meal tonight. Hehe...' A chilling sound came from inside the sedan chair.
'Hehe... Yes, Miss!'