https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-596-Snake-Deity-Temple-Second-Update-/12919112/
Chapter 597: A Breath of Immortality (Third Watch)
Chapter 597: A Breath of Immortality (Third Watch)
The Pacifying Evil Office did not kill living people; this was a rule that many were aware of.
Wu Ma wasn't sure if this was one of the reasons why the Yan Family dared to provoke the Pacifying Evil Office, but he understood that this rule of not killing living people had three exceptions. First, those who belonged to the Wandering Ghost Sect could be killed if they offended the Pacifying Evil Office. Second, if someone disrupted the balance of yin and yang and committed a taboo, the Pacifying Evil Office could also capture them and behead them as criminals.
The third exception was when spirits sought justice, and after an investigation, a human head was required to appease the spirits.
Earlier, the Yan Family had gathered so many Wulin people, causing chaos everywhere, and Wu Ma was naturally upset about it.
But to be fair, this practice was only a Wulin rule, and for the Pacifying Evil Office, it was not considered a taboo.
However, if the Yan Family dared to allow the worship of wild gods and privately receive incense offerings, not only would they have to intervene, but even if the Meng Family found out, they would not let them off easily.
Initially, Wu Ma had wondered if the Yan Family's arrogance was influenced by the Meng Family, but it seemed that was not the case. It was simply that the Yan Family had become overly arrogant.
He thought it was a simple matter of building a temple for a small snake deity, but he had unknowingly offended the taboo of one of the Ten Surnames.
When Wu Ma spoke seriously, the old Lao Suandan beside him also became a little uneasy.
At first, he only wanted to have the wild god killed under the Yan Family's watch, and the Wandering Ghost Swordswoman would establish her authority.
But now, if they were to kill a member of the Yan Family directly...
...It was terrifying! He couldn't even imagine the commotion it would cause.
If it were a minor matter, he would have advised against it, but since it involved the affairs of various families, he couldn't speak up.
With a heavy heart, he could only look out into the courtyard: "Why haven't they served the meal yet?"
Just then, a group of servants appeared, carrying various dishes.
This household had only prepared some temporary food and drinks as a basic courtesy, but as they were about to serve, Wu Ya and Zhou Datong came out and said, "Is there a snake market nearby, or do the restaurants have any?"
"Go buy a few, the more venomous the better. Just remember not to make a fuss, or the news will spread, and it won't work."
"..."
The master of the house, who had been waiting outside, was in a dilemma: "In this city, people worship the Earth Guardian, so we dare not eat snakes, and no one dares to sell them."
Wu Ya replied, "Then don't buy any. I'll call them tonight. You should rest early, and sprinkle realgar and lime at the door and windows. If you hear any noise, don't come out."
"Also, prepare a large jar, some artemisia, and clean cloth. Clear a spacious area."
"Tonight, I'll cure your young master!"
"..."
The master of the house was shocked upon hearing this. He realized that the guests didn't want snake soup.
He hurriedly ordered the servants to prepare and instructed the kitchen, "Don't serve such dismissive food. Bring out the best wine and dishes."
"Also, get four hundred taels of silver from the cabinet. After the treatment, offer it quickly..."
"..."
"What?"
The butler was also surprised: "Master, are you giving this much?"
The master replied, "Are you foolish? If we don't offer silver before the capable person asks, do you want me to give half of our family's wealth?"
The group hurriedly went to prepare and give instructions, their hearts filled with tension.
They didn't know if this dazzling witchgirl truly had the skills to cure the young master, but time was running out, and they only had two or three days left. Even without confidence, they had to try. Fortunately, when the young master was carried to the backyard and his blanket was about to be removed, he burst into tears, causing those around him to feel both heartbroken and helpless.
Wu Ya, upon seeing this, simply said, "Fill that jar with water, using pond or river water, not well water."
"Then put him in, and he'll stop crying."
"..."
The servants hurriedly fetched water from the river and filled half the jar. When they placed the crying young master inside, he indeed stopped crying.
He even squatted in the jar, allowing the water to cover his head, and blew bubbles.
Seeing that Wu Ya's instructions were so accurate, the people in the mansion became more confident. Not only did they serve good wine and food that night, but they also followed her other instructions to the letter, daring not to be careless. Except for the master of the house, everyone else retired early.
After three rounds of drinks, it was already deep into the night. Wu Ya, who had to save someone later, only ate a few bites before squatting outside the living room. She lit a small incense burner and took out something from her pouch, placing it inside. Then, she gently fanned the burner, and soon, even those in the hall could smell a sweet and sickly scent emanating from it.
Before long, a putrid stench filled the air outside the mansion, accompanied by the sound of rustling all around.
When the time was right, Wu Ya held an oil lamp and looked outside. To her surprise, the entire courtyard was crawling with snakes of various colors, some scarlet and others emerald green, all hissing towards the incense burner and writhing with their heads and tails.
She aimed at one particular snake and took out a bone flute, blowing into it with a loud whistle.
A bright red venomous snake slithered towards the house, following her footsteps. Wu Ya put down the flute and reached out to grab the snake by its vital spot. Unexpectedly, the Scarlet Viper was exceptionally ferocious. It suddenly turned around and bit her arm. Hu Ma, who had been watching from the side, quickly stepped forward and stomped on the snake, flipping it over and causing it to bite his leg instead.
"It's fine," Hu Ma assured the worried onlookers as he waved his hand dismissively. He then picked up the snake and handed it to Wu Ya.
"I'm a Year Guardian, what's there to fear?" Zhou Datong, standing nearby, spoke up, "Be careful, brother. If that snake had bitten you just two inches higher..."
"Huh?" Hu Ma couldn't help but give him a glare.
He was a Year Guardian who had entered the Mansion, and his entire body was immune to such things...
...But to be honest, even a single bite still hurt a little.
Wu Ya caught a few venomous snakes and drove the rest away. Then, in front of everyone, she pinned down the snake's head, peeled off its skin, and asked Zhou Datong to help retrieve the young master who was hiding in the water barrel, blowing bubbles. She wrapped the fresh snake skin around the young master, layer by layer, and then bound his hands and feet with cloth strips. She lit some artemisia and began to fumigate him with the smoke.
After a while, the young master's body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if struggling fiercely. His movements gradually slowed down, and eventually, his stomach growled a few times. Suddenly, he opened his mouth wide, and a purple aura rushed out.
"Oh no!" Wu Ya was startled by the purple aura and quickly covered her mouth and nose, taking a step back.
Hu Ma also stood up abruptly, shielding her with his body. As he stared intently, his expression became extremely peculiar.
The purple aura was incredibly strange, winding and twisting in the air before slowly disappearing into the night sky like a spirit snake, dissipating at an incredibly slow pace.
Most importantly, as the purple aura flowed into the night sky, they felt as if the ground beneath their feet was trembling slightly. In their ears, they seemed to hear heavy breathing and the mysterious laughter of some strange creature.
It was as if, deep within the city of Gua Prefecture, there was some bizarre entity that had been awakened by this purple aura, salivating with anticipation.
Lao Suandan and Zhou Datong were also startled by the commotion, their bodies stiffening momentarily.
Fortunately, the disturbance seemed to be just an instinctive reaction, and nothing actually emerged even as the purple aura dissipated.
"Dad... Dad..."
It wasn't until the young master, wrapped up like a zongzi, weakly called out that everyone snapped out of the mysterious and oppressive illusion they had just experienced. The old master, who had been about to bury his head under the table, hurried over, looking at his young master helplessly. Wu Ya helped to remove the cloth strips and snake skins from the young master's face.
Everyone leaned in to take a closer look and saw that the young master had regained consciousness but appeared extremely weak.
The pustules and lumps on his face were still there, but they had shrunk significantly, appearing to be healing and less frightening.
"Oh dear..."
The old master wanted to rush over and embrace his son, but he also felt the urge to turn around and kowtow, his anxiety palpable.
"The young master's illness is cured, and from now on, he just needs to rest," Hu Ma said, after a glance at Wu Ya. He then took out a small piece of meat from his sleeve and said, "Boil this into a soup and feed it to him. I know you're anxious, but there's no need to stay here with us. Take him to his room and take good care of him."
The old master didn't know what the meat was, but he expressed his gratitude profusely and left.
It was only after he left that Hu Ma turned to Wu Ya, sensing that she had something to say earlier.
"Shopkeeper brother, his venom... it was being nurtured by someone..." Wu Ya glanced at the night sky outside, looking uncertain and hesitant to speak.
"I noticed," Lao Suandan interjected, turning to Hu Ma. "Did you see the breath he exhaled at the end? That's called 'Doom Breath'. It's often the last breath before a person dies, and it's the most crucial breath for the living. But this boy's breath was forced out, and because of the Toad Venom, it changed..."
"So, I wasn't mistaken?" Hu Ma slowly nodded, his expression darkening. "Didn't the breath he exhaled look like... the Celestial Qi we talked about before?"
"And this city... there might be something here that feeds on that Celestial Qi..."
(End of Chapter)
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