Chapter 390: Packing the Viscera (Combined Three Parts)

The two hundred soldiers of the River Camp surged out of the ancestral hall like a hive of bees stung, scattering in all directions through the village.

They shouted orders to search every household.

The villagers dared not speak out in anger.

They burst in, overturning chests and cabinets, claiming they were checking for hidden malevolent spirits.

Naturally, they found nothing.

But during the search, some moved fast, others slow, and without realizing it, they had surrounded one household at the center.

Then Lu Renxing gave the order, and all the soldiers lunged at that house.

The River Camp was elite.

Moreover, the River Camp possessed “guardian talismans”—each soldier carried an ancient armor fragment said to be taken from the full armor of every enemy general and officer slain during the Imperial Ming’s conquest of the Four Barbarians.

Their names, hometowns, and unit numbers were engraved upon them.

When all the guardian talismans of the camp were linked together, they formed the effect of “firmly rooted prison” and “sand piled into a tower.”

The ordinary soldiers of the River Camp were of low caliber—barely Rumen , barely even ninth-rank.

Their ability to suppress high-level malevolent spirits relied entirely on this technique.

All of this was what Zhu Zhanlei had told Xu Yuan in that letter.

Xu Yuan had secretly discussed with Lu Renxing the plan to encircle the villager’s home with the River Camp.

Xu Yuan had noticed the rope tangled on the beam was suspicious and refrained from acting immediately because his “Wang Ming” ability revealed it was peculiar.

Xu Yuan feared if he struck first, the thing might escape.

So he did not alert it.

But when Jia Luojing and Lu Renxing arrived with over two hundred men, Xu Yuan could wait no longer.

The ancestral hall simply could not house so many people.

By nightfall, the villagers would revert to malevolent spirits.

Drenched in pure gold, if the soldiers saw them, they’d likely follow them straight into the river to pan for gold.

Xu my lord could not possibly stop so many.

So before tonight, they must shatter the village’s restrictions entirely.

Xu Yuan did not deploy any personnel from the Purification Office, to avoid casualties among his own men.

The River Camp alone was sufficient.

Since you idiots rushed in so foolishly, then work harder.

After Lu Renxing gave the order, a faint yellow glow flickered in the air around the villager’s home.

Even the ground beneath this patch of earth was sealed off.

Even if the malevolent spirit possessed the ability to Dundi , it could not use it.

Xu Yuan stood behind, arms folded, watching a squad of soldiers raise a thick battering ram and crash it against the courtyard wall with a thunderous boom.

Then two squads charged inside.

They stormed toward the two rooms in the courtyard.

Xu my lord nodded silently—the River Camp was truly elite.

One room was empty, but the other suddenly exploded outward—

BOOM!

Splintered wood and bricks flew like hidden weapons.

Two golden shadows followed close behind, striking the River soldiers.

THUD!

THUD!

The two golden shadows slammed hard into two River soldiers.

Both men were flung over a zhang away.

They hit the ground, rolled over, and sprang up instantly.

At the moment of impact, a layer of yellow light gathered on their bodies.

The military guardian talismans had activated, channeling the entire camp’s strength to shield them.

The two golden shadows landed with heavy, muffled thuds.

The villager couple had transformed into golden figures.

Xu Yuan thought inwardly: Guoran different from Zhao Xianze and the others.

They turned into malevolent spirits directly during the day, unlike Zhao Xianze, who had his head cut off outright.

Both golden figures glowed with brilliant gold light.

The surrounding River soldiers’ eyes filled with greed.

Xu Yuan glanced sideways—Lu Renxing’s expression was already strange.

Xu Yuan let out a cold snort and activated his “Bai Wu Jinji” destiny pattern.

Lu Renxing instantly snapped back to his senses, roaring: “What the hell are you staring at? This is the spirit’s trickery! If you can’t resist, you’ll turn into this grotesque thing too!”

Xu Yuan could not yet wield “Destiny Arts”—the “Bai Wu Jinji” could affect only one person, not the whole camp.

But Lu Renxing’s voice was thunderous; his roar shattered the spell, and the soldiers immediately snapped awake, shouting as they surged forward to surround and kill the two golden figures.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Dozens of blades and axes struck the two golden figures—but their bodies suddenly hardened beyond measure.

Yesterday, a mob of unarmed villagers had smashed and divided up Chen Bao’s four golden figures; today, elite soldiers could not even chip these two.

The soldiers’ weapons were knocked away; the golden figures swung their arms, howling with force!

THUD! THUD! They sent soldiers flying with each blow.

In Zhengzhou, there was a strange weapon called the “One-Legged Bronze Man”—these two were living Two-Legged Golden Men!

But Lu Renxing stood calm, watching the battle without haste.

The soldiers were flung out, but the rest of the camp had already torn down the entire courtyard wall.

One squad after another charged in.

The more soldiers joined the fight, the stronger the yellow light became.

They completely surrounded the two golden figures.

The soldiers in the front bore yellow light like tortoise shells.

Earlier, one swing from the golden figures had sent them flying; now, they stood firm, absorbing the blows without retreating.

Though they still spat blood with every impact.

The River Camp kept reinforcing—the small courtyard now held nearly a hundred men.

They pressed inward relentlessly, not seeking victory, only containment.

Soon, they forced the two golden figures into one spot, leaving them no room to maneuver.

From behind, Xu Yuan saw the courtyard packed with bodies, the yellow light thick and solid, completely trapping the two golden figures.

This was the River Camp’s method for dealing with malevolent spirits—Xu Yuan felt both amused and bewildered: He’d never seen anything like it.

“Hahaha!” Lu Renxing laughed triumphantly: “Xu my lord , I’ve got this for you!”

But before he finished speaking, the two rooms suddenly roared to life!

Bricks, tiles, doors, windows, beams, even the furniture inside—split apart and reassembled into a monstrous idol.

The idol resembled some ancient deity of Jiaozhi, yet also bore traits of a faith transmitted from Zhengzhou under Imperial Ming.

It had three heads and eight arms, but its lower body was that of a deer.

Its four deer legs sat in lotus posture; its head bore no eyes—but the plum blossom spots on its body were all eyes!

Yet the idol moved like a puppet, every part strung together by ropes.

The ropes were filthy and ancient, as if any man could snap them with a tug—yet they bound together two entire rooms, transforming them into the idol.

The idol’s eight arms slammed down together!

BOOM…

The earth trembled; the “firmly rooted prison” formed by the military guardian talismans shuddered—seeming unable to contain the malevolent spirit any longer!

Lu Renxing cursed and stormed into the midst of his men.

The near-collapse of the “firmly rooted prison” made him feel deeply humiliated.

He was a sixth-rank Wu Xiu; the armor fragment he wore came from the helmet of a foreign general.

The yellow light surged!

Then it began to rotate in opposing layers like a grinding stone, wearing down the idol.

The idol raised its eight arms again—and this time, every eye on its deer body blazed with blood-red light.

Xu Yuan still watched from behind, not rushing into battle.

The first time he saw the rope, he sensed something strange.

He had several theories about the origin of this malevolent spirit.

The letter Zhu Zhanlei had sent Xu Yuan did not focus on the River Camp’s guardian talismans—it described a ruined ancient temple Zhu Zhanlei had found upstream from the village stream.

The temple had long been destroyed, but Zhu Zhanlei noticed that though the idol inside had been toppled, its abdomen had been shattered only recently—and inside, it was hollow.

This was almost certainly connected to the village’s malevolent spirit.

Xu Yuan thus concluded: the rope was one of the “Zhuang Zang” items from the temple idol.

When an idol is being formed but not yet completed—specifically, after its carving or molding is done but before it is “clothed”—various symbolic objects must be placed inside as its internal organs.

To "hang the robe" means to paint the divine statue.

Only after the internal organs are installed does the statue gain a "spirit," transforming from a mere carving into a true divine image.

Common items used in installing the internal organs include scriptures, bronze mirrors, five-colored threads, jewels, and medicinal herbs.

This rope is one of the five-colored threads.

But where are the other items?

Xu Yuan summoned the River Surveillance Camp to ensure this malevolent entity would definitely be trapped and captured.

Only then could they use the connections between these malevolent entities to retrieve all the others.

After capturing them, purging their yin energy, they could be placed together with Fu Chongjiu’s Dragon Pearl inside the Skin Dragon!

Then, by cultivating the Dragon Transformation Scripture with the Skin Dragon, the chance of success… Xu Yuan estimated it would rise to ninety percent!

When Xu Yuan first discovered this rope’s malevolence, he did not act immediately but chose to secretly monitor it, intending to net them all at once—because at the time, he had several theories about the rope’s origin, and this possibility occurred to him.

The statue’s first strike was all eight arms slamming into the ground.

The second strike saw all its eyes open simultaneously, and all eight arms thrust forward together.

A force like mountains collapsing and seas overturning rolled toward them!

Lu Renxing had just merged with his soldiers, ready to unleash divine power, but this force threw him off-balance, his body swaying like reeds in the wind.

If not for the military talismans linked together, this single blow would have sent him and all two hundred soldiers flying.

Yet without the military talismans, they couldn’t have withstood even the first strike.

Not even… the malevolent entities formed by the village couple could be suppressed.

Lu Renxing was terrified—this malevolent entity was at least fifth-rank.

Very likely, it was fourth-rank!

My general and my men can at most trap it.

Lu Renxing’s earlier bravado vanished; he quietly remained within the formation, relying on the talismans to resist the malevolence.

Then he turned and said softly to Xu Yuan: “Excellency Xu, please hurry.”

When Xu Yuan asked the River Surveillance Camp to “help,” Lu Renxing was delighted.

Having been “tricked” into this by Jia Luojing, Lu Renxing had felt uneasy—but now that Excellency Xu needed our strength, my general and my men are truly of great use.

So even though we survive only because of Xu Yuan, we need not feel ashamed—we have more confidence now.

So after trapping the malevolent entity, Lu Renxing wanted to “unleash divine power” and simply eliminate it for Excellency Xu.

But after personally enduring one blow, Lu Renxing immediately faced reality.

We can only beat the side drums…

We lack the ability to deal with this malevolent entity.

We must rely on Excellency Xu.

Xu Yuan had been observing the malevolent entity all along and now had his own judgment.

If Lu Renxing had discussed this with Xu Yuan, they would have found their assessments differed greatly.

Xu Yuan believed the malevolent entity was at most fifth-rank—impossible to be fourth-rank.

If it had fourth-rank power, it would have attacked the Purification Office members in the shrine last night.

The formidable strength it displayed now… was most likely just “three axe blows.”

The entity’s greatest strength lies in luring people into greed and corruption.

It probably isn’t skilled in direct combat.

When Lu Renxing pitifully called out, Xu Yuan responded immediately, activating the body technique from the Dragon Form Scripture—like a living fish in water, slipping between the soldiers, and in an instant, standing before the statue.

The statue’s three heads slowly and heavily swayed.

Layer upon layer of power rippled outward.

Eight arms reached from different directions, trying to seize Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan refused to reveal the Dragon Transformation Scripture, so he could not rely on his own strength to resist.

The Dragon Form Scripture did not come from the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

Xu Yuan deliberately revealed the Dragon Form Scripture’s body technique to prove to the Xiang Royal House and the Fu Clan: I have other sources of martial cultivation skills.

A rope suddenly leapt into the air.

In an instant, it wove into a three-dimensional grid, descending to trap the statue within.

The statue’s three heads roared together.

Its body twisted and writhed.

Eight arms strained to tear free.

Lu Renxing had not faced the statue directly, only watched from behind, yet he could feel the crushing weight in every movement.

Yet no matter how it struggled, every motion was repeatedly restrained and blocked by the layered grid.

Xu Yuan declared: “Futile. Why struggle?”

Xu Yuan tossed the carriage upward—it grew larger and larger, then descended like a lid, swallowing both the statue and the beast-tendon rope.

He feared the carriage alone might not contain the malevolent entity.

Then, Xu Yuan pursed his lips and exhaled a thin thread of abdominal fire.

The fire entered the carriage but did not spread—it remained a single thread, darting nimbly between the grid’s knots.

Like a hot blade, each pass left a clear wound on the statue’s body!

This was the astonishing effect achieved by a fifth-rank alchemist combined with the Five Cauldrons Cooking technique.

Moreover, Xu Yuan was cunning—he made sure that every third pass, the fire sliced across the rope’s true body.

Causing the malevolent entity to shudder and roar in agony.

It felt like a prisoner, bound fast, helplessly watching an executioner perform lingchi upon him!

Xu Yuan sealed the carriage but did not order Lu Renxing to withdraw his troops.

The effect of the ground-as-prison talisman remained active.

Lu Renxing’s eyelids twitched.

Could such a powerful malevolent entity really be captured by Excellency Xu?

Seeing Xu Yuan standing motionless, expression solemn, he dared not approach.

Since Excellency Xu had not ordered the talismans withdrawn, he kept them firmly maintained.

He was utterly cooperative.

Meanwhile, he mentally cursed Jia Luojing of the Shanhe Office over and over.

At this moment, even in his heart, he had severed all ties with Jia Luojing!

Jia Luojing belongs to the Shanhe Office—he has nothing to do with our River Surveillance Camp!

After a full hour, Xu Yuan suddenly retracted the carriage.

There, on the ground, two ropes lay intertwined, coiled together.

Xu Yuan raised his hand—the ropes flew back and wrapped around his arm.

“Follow me,” Xu Yuan said, and walked ahead.

Lu Renxing obeyed instantly, waving to his men: “Quickly, follow!”

Two hundred soldiers surged forward, moving along the village path—when suddenly, golden lights flashed from the courtyards and houses on both sides!

The villagers had all transformed into golden-human malevolent entities!

They ambushed the River Surveillance Camp.

Lu Renxing’s weapon was a long spear, but he also possessed a chain-and-flail.

One golden-human malevolent entity knocked down a soldier, pinning him and pounding furiously.

The soldier’s body glowed with yellow protection, but under such heavy blows, blood spurted wildly.

Lu Renxing opened his palm—the flail slid from his sleeve; he kicked the chain with his foot, applying a clever twist.

The pumpkin-sized flail shot out with a whoosh, striking the golden-human’s head with full force.

Crack!

The head exploded; the golden-human collapsed sideways.

Now Lu Renxing finally found his chance to “unleash divine power”—the flail spun and danced around him; he occasionally pulled or pushed the chain with some part of his body, skillfully altering its direction without slowing its speed.

He truly made the flail feel like “a meteor chasing the moon.”

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Golden-human entities were continuously smashed and flung aside, then the soldiers rushed in to chop them to pieces.

Xu Yuan had burned the rope malevolent entity with his abdominal fire.

The other malevolent entities in the village erupted.

Besides the rope, the installed internal organs included several other items; Xu Yuan, following the rope’s guidance, now knew they were hidden in the small river.

Thus, Xu Yuan’s focus now centered entirely on the Skin Dragon in the river.

The Skin Dragon manipulated the Filth Net, searching the river.

All the golden-humans in the village surged out—first, only those nearby ambushed, but soon hundreds surrounded the River Surveillance Camp!

“Hold firm! Hold firm!” Lu Renxing roared.

Excellency Xu already took down that statue—our elite River Surveillance Camp, facing these “minor malevolent entities,” surely can’t let Excellency Xu fight for us?

Our River Patrol Unit has pride!

After all, we’re not trash like the Shanhe Bureau.

Here, “Shanhe Bureau” specifically refers to a certain Zhanglu Lord.

The patrol soldiers fought with all their might, using military talismans to gather sand into a tower, barely holding back the assault and advancing rapidly behind Lord Xu.

Xu Yuan’s sword pellet shot forth, and each flash severed a golden figure into dozens of pieces.

Without the cursed ropes, these golden figures were greatly weakened, no longer as hard as iron like the villagers’ spouses.

Xu Yuan refused to linger in battle—there were too many golden figures, and even if shattered, they would soon melt back into golden water and reform.

To truly eliminate them, we must strike at the root: seize the filth-filled objects in the river.

The great battle stirred the Qushui Bureau inside the ancestral hall; Xiang Qinghuai immediately led his men to reinforce them.

But when they neared the battlefield, they realized it was inconvenient to intervene…

The River Patrol Unit had military talismans binding their entire force into one unified whole.

If they charged in, they’d only disrupt the unit’s formation.

Xiang Qinghuai sharply raised his hand, halting all Qushui Bureau members, then followed at a distance—only advancing if the River Patrol Unit truly needed aid.

Golden figures surged forward in Cengcengdiedie waves, severely slowing the unit’s advance.

But Xu Yuan wasn’t in a hurry, because Pi Long had already located other filth-filled objects.

These curses, realizing they were no match for Pi Long, tried to scatter and flee.

But the Evil Filth Net had already expanded to cover this stretch of the village’s river.

It dropped downward, swallowing them all.

Then it swiftly retracted.

They struggled desperately within the net, and Pi Long swallowed them whole—net and all.

At this moment, Xu Yuan finally curled his lips into a smile.

Inside Pi Long, the belly fire rose.

The River Patrol soldiers suddenly noticed the golden figures attacking them had slowed, their blows no longer as heavy as before.

A little later, Pi Long had fully burned and purified the filth-filled objects, removing all yin energy.

All the golden figures in the village froze in place, then cracked apart one by one—with a crash, they shattered!

Instantly, the ground was littered with golden shards, gleaming with gold’s radiance, looking especially tempting.

Someone’s greed stirred again: the curses were already wiped out—this gold must be safe now. Just take one piece home, and he’d become a rich man overnight!

Especially the River Patrol soldiers—they earned less pay than Qushui Bureau’s stipends, so they were even more greedy.

Xu Yuan suddenly shouted: “Look again—what exactly is this gold?”

After Pi Long swallowed the filth-filled objects, the village’s weirdness began to fade.

The golden chunks on the ground slowly reverted to flesh and blood!

The ground was covered in filth; a stench of decay and blood surged forward.

Even though the soldiers had seen countless bloody scenes over years of combat, the sight of hundreds of bodies reduced to shattered remains still left many feeling nauseated.

Xu Yuan gestured to Lang Xiao Ba and others: “Clear it up immediately.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The Qushui Bureau immediately organized all Dan cultivators to burn the corpse fragments into ash using belly fire.

The River Patrol’s Dan cultivators also came to help.

With the Guimencun eliminated, the heavy stone weighing on everyone’s hearts lifted; all felt light and relieved.

One Dan cultivator joked with Lord Xu: “My lord, after every battle, they get to rest—but we Dan cultivators still have to work. We need extra pay.”

Everyone burst into laughter; the Dan cultivators joined in chanting: “Extra pay! Extra pay!”

Xu Yuan, pleased to have secured the filth-filled objects, didn’t mind bantering with his men: “Fine. From now on, Dan cultivators get two taels extra silver each month!”

This money comes from our private treasury.

But since you’re getting extra pay, you’ll all treat everyone to drinks at month’s end.”

The Dan cultivators immediately looked miserable.

Just two extra taels a month—and now they had to buy drinks for the entire town office? That amount barely covered the cost.

It was effectively no raise at all.

The other Captains now cheered: “Our lord is fair in handling affairs!”

“The Dan cultivators work hard—this pay raise is justified. We’re all brothers—you must buy the drinks.”

“Hahaha…”

…

Inside the ancestral hall, only Jia Luojing and the old village head’s family remained.

When the battle broke out, Jia Luojing had wanted to follow Xiang Qinghuai out.

But Xiang Qinghuai had stopped him with a sarcastic tone.

“Lord Jia, please stay inside the hall. Not helping is your greatest help.”

Jia Luojing was still seething with liver pain from it.

Now, hearing the laughter outside, he wondered: Could Xu Yuan have truly broken this Guimencun ?

Jia Luojing immediately rose and walked out.

He didn’t want to stay here waiting for Xu Yuan’s return—he feared another round of mockery.

He didn’t head to the village gate; instead, he chose any path out.

Soon enough, he truly left the village!

“He really broke it…”

Jia Luojing’s emotions were complex: relief at surviving, yet filled with envy and hatred toward Xu Yuan.

He oriented himself, preparing to return first to the canal dock.

Then suddenly, a splash echoed from the small river behind him—as if some massive thing had emerged from the water.

He turned—and his face turned pale with terror!

A monstrous dragon leapt from the river, swallowing him whole in one bite!

(End of Chapter)