I haven't seen the Earth Temple for a long time.
Since Xun Xie moved into Song Mansion, he'd only returned a few times.
No way, Xun Xie enjoyed life at Song Mansion more and more, mainly because there are people to serve him, and he can take a hot bath before going to bed, not to mention how cool it is.
I won't deny being spoiled, but who could resist? Even in my past life, the goal was ironically to work more so you could work less and have time to yourself and get most of the things you wanted.
It might violate a few human rights groups and beliefs but hey, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. So Xun Xie let himself be corrupted by the lavish life of living in a luxurious mansion with maids at his service and soft furniture plus precious knowledge at his fingertips.
People who practice martial arts like him will be sweaty and smelly all day, and if they don't take a bath for two days, they will inevitably turn rancid, and their clothes must be washed frequently.
Someone solved these daily troubles for Xun Xie, and Xun Xie's small life naturally lived happily and happily. No need to relive the days of college suffering without working machines and having to handwash clothes.
**
It's getting late.
In the mountains, there was a faint mist.
Xun Xie dug out the treasures buried in the ground, collecting a total of 62 taels of silver, plus wild ginseng and Ganoderma lucidum worth about 150 taels. He had come to deposit/bury other silver taels he had found occasionally whenever he got the Treasure Seeker plug-in so the bounty was slightly more dazzling. He wanted to save the old gold coin for a bit - based on vague info from the townspeople, gold coins weren't used anymore.
"From now on, Old Man Hu will have to pay five taels of silver every month, and at least one tael of silver every day to buy exotic animal meat..."
Xun Xie is different from other people. He has the lottery wheel in his mind. Moreover, he discovered that his chewing gum grasses were a lot more plentiful than he imagined, aside from the bunch he found at first, there was a nearby cave filled with them, based on the plug-in they ranged from 10-150 years old!
And they were very effective, especially the older ones that he was saving for fear of his pitiful stomach. Just a 30-year one he tried had the illusion of a black hole in his stomach - even after eating until he was full there was a feeling of emptiness and void in his belly. His stomach had almost digested itself in the time he took to put something else in his mouth.
But they were necessary to supplement his malnutrition and martial arts practice physique.
In this way, with the remaining money in his hand, he can only last for five months or so.
Thinking of this, Xun Xie couldn't help but look up and look somewhere.
"Within five months, I will find a way to kill that big bear." Xun Xie made up his mind.
He could actually think of a few deceptive ways to kill the bear right now but there was no guarantee that it was a 100% ordinary bear, so he might end up wasting his effort. He could also easily use his Invisibility cheat to sneak in while it was out since he found he could deactivate it and reactivate it, just wait until it's gone and steal the money.
But somehow doing so would feel underwhelming, this was a martial arts world! he was a martial artist! He wanted to punch it to death, second place was stabbing it to death!
Of course, if he was in urgent need of a lot of money, he would have no choice but to use trickery.
Whatever abilities the bear may or may not have, a quick death with a surprise attack was the best remedy.
The fog gradually thickened, and the sky quickly darkened.
Seeing this, Xun Xie quickly prepared fodder, fed the donkey, washed briefly, and went to bed.
It is midsummer now, the weather is hot, and people can sweat even at night without exercise.
The broken temple is not ventilated.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Xun Xie, however, did not dare to open the door to ventilate, for fear that wild animals would come in at night.
Moreover, there are many large mosquitoes in the countryside. If bitten, they leave big red bumps on the body. He had already suffered enough from those beasts so he had taken precautions by keeping the place as airtight as possible - being baked was preferable to being a blood bag and possibly gaining an unknown disease.
Xun Xie checked the mosquito net for dead ends or holes and only lay down after confirming it was in good condition. The smaller ones that get through should be no problem.
There was only one layer of mat on the bed, and the corners were a bit torn.
Xun Xie took off his clothes and lay naked on the mat, falling into a drowsy sleep.
Some time later...
Xun Xie woke suddenly, feeling a chill on his body. An inexplicable cold surged through the ruined temple.
"Why is it so cold?"
Xun Xie sat up. His eyes met pitch blackness, the chill surrounding him, raising goosebumps across his body.
He found his clothes beside the pillow and put them on in the dark.
At this time!
A light shone into the hall through the door crack.
Xun Xie narrowed his eyes slightly. The light was blue, like firefly fluorescence, but strong enough to pierce the darkness.
He took off the mosquito net and prepared to get out of bed for a look.
A strong fluorescent light swept across the crack of the door, illuminating the interior of the hall.
Xun Xie lit up, his eyes swept away, and he found that the ground, walls, pillars, and door panels were all covered with a layer of white ice slag.
Even the breath out of his mouth was white.
Xun Xie got out of bed, walked to the door, and looked out through the crack. The fog was thick outside, and a dazzling fluorescent light could be seen.
But he couldn't see the source of the fluorescence.
Just as Xun Xie was about to open the door with both hands, he suddenly stopped and thought, "I don't know what's going on outside, so it's better not to go out rashly."
With an idea, he activated the seal in his body, and his soul came out instantly. I've been itching to try this out - it's why I come back occasionally. My territory is only here. Plus it's the safest option right now.
The next moment, Xun Xie's body stopped at the door, his soul passed through and came out at once.
Xun Xie looked around and immediately found the source of the fluorescent light - it came from the winding river outside the village, less than eighty meters away.
Xun Xie pondered, flew over, and flew over the small river, overlooking the sky.
He saw a huge luminous body in the small river, sunk to the bottom. He couldn't see specific details, only the general outline.
This luminous body, shaped like a long snake, was more than twelve meters long and emitted pulse-like fluorescence.
The small river rolled, but the luminous body moved slowly upstream.
Looking at the direction, naturally, it headed toward Blue Grain Town.
"What is this, what is it?" Xun Xie was quite surprised. He didn't dare dive into the water to observe, so his eyes followed the luminous body's movement.
After about a stick of incense, a figure materialized from the darkness.
"Someone!" Xun Xie narrowed his eyes.
A black-masked figure slithered to the riverside near the luminous body, a writhing sack slung over his shoulder.
The masked man stared at the luminous body and opened the sack, revealing an unconscious young girl, her face pale as death.
Then, with an almost casual flick of his wrist, the masked man sent the young girl tumbling into the river.
Splash!
The luminous body surged. The snake-like head twisted unnaturally as it moved toward the sinking girl.
The young girl drifted down.
The long snake's mouth gaped open, revealing rows of bloodied fangs before it slammed into the girl.
The river bloomed crimson.
At this moment, Xun Xie saw the young girl's eyes snap open, her face contorting in terror as she began to thrash, but it was far too late.
The long snake devoured her whole.
The masked man stood like a statue, watching without emotion.
After the luminous body consumed the girl, the river settled back to stillness, the red stain dissolving into nothingness.
The fluorescence dimmed to a sickly glow.
Time crawled by...
Suddenly, the luminous body convulsed, and something burst from the water.
Xun Xie's breath caught at the horrific sight.
What emerged was not a snake head, but a grotesque human head, massive and distorted, its features twisted beyond recognition beneath a coating of glistening scales.
The head began to shrink, its features writhing and reshaping themselves until they settled into a woman's face.
It was the girl who had been swallowed!
Below the surface, the luminous body contorted, its mass collapsing and reforming - bones cracking and flesh morphing into human limbs and features.
The girl rose from the river depths, naked, her skin emanating an otherworldly glow that cast dancing shadows on the water's surface.
The masked man, moving with practiced efficiency, unwrapped his package and produced clothes, holding them out like an offering.
Once dressed, the ethereal light faded from her skin.
She was identical to the girl who had been devoured - a perfect copy.
Without a word exchanged, the pair melted into the shadows, heading toward Blue Grain Town.
Xun Xie couldn't leave his territory, so he had to return to his body.
The chill had vanished - replaced by stifling heat, as if the ice slag on the mosquito net and ground had never existed.
Xun Xie's mind reeled from the nightmare he'd witnessed. The scene defied explanation, reality warping before his eyes.
A luminous being devours a person, then steals their form completely... what kind of monstrosity is this?
And that masked man - who brings sacrifices so calmly, like it's routine...
However, after this incident, Xun Xie discovered that becoming a land god had a great advantage - he could go out of his body at any time and witness things that should remain hidden.
Moreover, unlike his Invisibility cheat, there was no limit!
An extra layer of insurance... though after what I just saw, I wonder if that's always a good thing.
