Three Incense Sticks to Ward Off Evil

Beigou Village is not far from Juntun County.

It's called a village, but there are only a few households left.

After the gray fog appeared, everyone in the village who could leave did so. Only a few old people remained, reluctant to leave their houses. During the day, they hid behind the earthen walls, and at night they didn't even dare to turn on the lights.

There is a well in Beigou Village, and two bluestones are placed on the surface of the well.

Shen Gui stood by the well, while two villagers watched him from a distance of three or four zhang.

An old man, wearing a sheepskin coat and leaning on a cane, spoke first: "Young master, what do you want with this well? It's been undrinkable for a long time."

Shen Gui lowered his head, his gaze passing through the cracks in the stone to see the gray line at the bottom of the well.

This line extends all the way from Xidungang, and Shen Gui followed the line to this place.

"Old man, was the water in this well drinkable before?"

"able."

The old man nodded. "Last year the water was sweet, but it started to turn bitter in the spring. Even the livestock would foam when they drank from it. It was also eerie around the well at night, so the villagers were afraid and sealed it off."

An old woman standing nearby, holding half a bag of beans, couldn't help but add, "It's really eerie; little kids cry whenever they come near here."

Shen Gui gently tapped his hand, and the two blue stones flipped over to the side by themselves.

The sudden change startled the old man, who took a step back. The old woman loosened her grip, and the beans rolled out of the bag, scattering all over the ground with a clatter.

She shouted, "See! See! I told you there was something wrong with this well, the stones are flying everywhere!"

After saying that, she and the old neighbor turned and ran without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Gui's attention was focused on the well. There was no sound of water inside, only a fishy, ​​cold smell rising up.

He flipped his wrist and scooped the vital energy down.

A clump of black mud rose from the bottom of the well and hung in mid-air. The mud was mixed with incense ash, and when the wind blew it, it stuck to the edge of the well, like finely ground bone powder.

There are still remnants of old armor in the black mud. The edges of the armor plates are rusted through, but the holes are still there. The style is very old.

Shen Gui continued exploring, and all the black mud at the bottom of the well flew out, revealing a section of black incense.

The incense stick was stuck diagonally in the well. There was no fire, but it kept accumulating ashes. Instead of rising, the ashes flowed against the dark water and seeped into the deeper crevices of the mud.

This incense stick is also imprinted with a ghost face pattern, with fangs and a curved mouth, like someone laughing at the bottom of a well.

"Xidun is a place where fire produces yin."

"This place is for nourishing yin with water."

Shen Gui immediately saw through the clue.

Water is meant to generate Yang energy. When Yang water flows freely, the village thrives. The thriving village generates Yang energy, which in turn nourishes the water, creating a virtuous cycle.

But here, the yang water is used to nourish the yin energy, and then fed with bone powder and old nails.

The earth's energy, blood energy, and military aura were deliberately twisted together, and the resulting filth flowed back into the Northern Third Camp day and night through the dark water.

To achieve this level, one must possess a high level of understanding, be familiar with formations, feng shui, and, more importantly, the nature of inauspicious formations.

This is not something an ordinary ghost could do.

Shen Gui looked at the half-eaten black incense stick at the bottom of the well and said softly, "Such skill."

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept in from the direction of the border, whipping up dry grass and gravel, making the sky seem like it was the end of the world.

Shen Gui looked up.

Darkness fell in the distance.

That wasn't night, but a fog that blotted out the sky.

The fog that had been huddled outside the Third Battalion suddenly rolled outwards, and the gray-black fog wall crossed the Gobi Desert and the chaotic graveyard, pressing down on the ground and pushing in all directions.

The old man who had just run away shouted, "Why is that fog coming over here!"

These words immediately threw Beigou Village into chaos.

Shen Gui stood by the well, watching the direction in which the mist was expanding, and said softly, "Human effort has dispelled the evil influence, and the evil realm has taken shape."

I understand now.

Someone had planned ahead to nourish the inauspicious land with three kinds of incense, thus stimulating it to take shape as a malevolent realm.

We await another opportune moment to stimulate the core cause and effect of the evil realm, allowing it to take shape rapidly.

Shen Gui had never been to the Fiend Realm and did not know the core cause and effect within, but he could roughly guess what the opportunity was for the people who orchestrated it.

When the other party buried three sticks of black incense, they foresaw that the imperial court would seal off the camp, send people to test the waters, and do something provocative inside.

"Take one step and count ten steps ahead."

Shen Gui paused after speaking.

"This feels so familiar."

A gentle face flashed through my mind.

Bai Xingjian was always like this: if he wanted to kill someone, he would often pave the way for ten years beforehand, letting that person walk to the place where they deserved to die.

But Bai Xingjian is already dead, that much is certain.

Moreover, given Bai Xingjian's pride, this small border region of Yan Kingdom is not worth his personal planning.

So...

Who is it?

Shen Gui kept this in mind, then looked away and gently tapped the edge of the well with his fingertip, causing the black mud to sink back down.

The half-cut black incense stick was still stuck in the crevice at the bottom of the well, and he did not pull it out.

If we pull it now, the entire geomantic veins of Juntun County will collapse, and the area will be guaranteed a good harvest regardless of drought or flood, but will be plagued by natural disasters.

Shen Gui glanced at the speed at which the mist was moving, then got up and walked towards the last stream of black incense.

Find the three pillar points and simultaneously ignite incense; this formation can be solved, and it's not that difficult.

When Shen Gui arrived at the village entrance, he saw the few remaining elderly people in the village closing their windows and doors in the strong wind.

The elderly man, who had difficulty moving his hands and feet, used all his strength to remove the wooden stick that was propping up the window sash.

The old woman exclaimed, "Young master, quickly go inside and hide! The master is making trouble today!"

Shen Gui didn't turn around and walked away, leaving behind the old woman's sigh.

No one in the village noticed that after the person in gray left, a transparent light shield rose up and enveloped the entire old village.

In the past, Shen Gui would not have saved him.

......

at the same time.

Juntun County is in chaos.

It was unclear whether the strong wind was pulling the fog away or the black fog was pushing the wind, but in the eyes of the people, the entire sky was covered by a dark fog that was pressing down on the county town at a visible speed.

The firewood seller abandoned his cart, carrying only a bundle of dry branches as he fled south. The noodle stall owner tied all the money bags from his drawer to his body, dragging his family along as he joined the fleeing crowd.

Of course, there were also those who didn't believe in the superstition, and those who couldn't bear to leave their homeland. These people closed their windows and doors, preparing to wait for the gale and the black fog to leave.

In the backyard of the inn, Zhaoyue untied the ropes binding the gray donkey.

"Ancestor, stop eating! If you eat any more, I'll stuff grass up your nostrils!"

He jumped up and slapped the donkey's rump. The donkey, in pain, finally moved a couple of steps and then turned its head to eat the grass in another wooden bucket.

"You're still greedy?"

Zhao Yue cursed and swore, then slapped the donkey's rump again.

Yan Li rushed in from the street, asking before she even arrived:

"Where's my dad?"

"Inside the house." Zhaoyue urged the donkey outside. "Quick, this fog is strange, it looks eerie. You take your father and ride the donkey away."

"And you?"

"I'm fine. Running away is my specialty."

"good!"

Yan Li didn't stand on ceremony any longer and rushed upstairs.

The lights were still on inside.

Yan's father sat on the edge of the bed, pulled the needle out of the shoe opening. The blue cloth shoe was already sewn, but the thread hadn't been cut yet. He slowly tied a knot, and despite the loud noise outside, he seemed not to hear it.

"Father! He's gone!"

Yan's father looked up: "Has Xiao Ci sent a message?"

Yan Li reached out and grabbed her father's arm:

"Come with me first."

"Li'er, tell the truth."

The old man placed the shoes on his lap, arranging them neatly one after another. "Has something happened to Xiao Ci?"

Downstairs, Zhaoyue urged, "Yan Li!"

"immediately!"

Yan Li answered, then turned her head and met her father's gaze.

Those eyes were cloudy, and within that cloudiness lay expectation and prayer.

Yan Li looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.

In my memory, my father was a man who supported the whole family on his own, a man with inexhaustible strength every day.

Yan Li didn't know when, but her father's hair had turned completely white and an age spot had appeared on his face. She only noticed it today.

"Li'er," Yan's father's voice rang out again.

Yan Li's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally said, "Xiao Ci may not be coming back."

The wick popped.

Yan's father didn't reply. He lowered his head and touched the sole of his shoe, the veins on the back of his yellowish-black hand standing out.

"Did you see the body?"

"no."

"Did you see his cards?"

"No, not at all."

"That means it's still uncertain."

"Father, the fog has entered the city. Mr. Zhaoyue said that the fog is not right."

"I know."

Yan's father put the shoes in his arms, and when he stood up, his leg swayed, and Yan Li quickly helped him up.

"It's not that I'm not going," the old man said, catching his breath. "I need to tie my shoes."

Yan Li was stunned.

The old man looked out the window; half of the north street was already gray.

"Your father won't stay here and harm you."

After he finished speaking, he took a pair of shoes out from under the bed; this pair was a bit longer than the ones on the table.

"Your mother said before she left that children shouldn't come home empty-footed. Change your old shoes; new shoes will make you run faster."

Zhaoyue rushed up and just happened to hear this. It looked down at its bare feet and felt a little envious.

Who are her parents? Zhaoyue can't say.

It walked closer and said, "Grandpa, the donkey is down there. It's not very bright and a bit silly, but it's good at carrying people."

Yan's father nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Zhao Yue felt uncomfortable with those two words and turned to run away: "Hurry up, I just talked to it. If it dares to do anything wrong again today, I'll smack its ass."

It's hard to say whether the gray donkey understood.

As Yanfu mounted the donkey, it sneezed, spraying Zhaoyue's face.

Zhaoyue wiped her face and gritted her teeth, saying, "Quack! I'll settle this with you later."

The father of the swallow sat up firmly and hugged the new shoes tightly.

Yan Li led the donkey and walked briskly towards South Street.

The street corner was already packed with people. Some were pushing carts, some were carrying grain, and a child ran away and lost his shoe. He cried and turned back to pick it up, but his mother picked him up.

A gray fog loomed over the city, and people were filled with unease.