After Shen Shulan finished speaking, she seemed to realize the subtle inappropriateness in her words.
When she saw Lu Yuan's darkened expression beside her, this otherworldly fairy suddenly jolted awake.
Those words just now were purely spoken from the heart, with absolutely no intention of implying anything about Lu Yuan.
Thinking of this, a rare trace of panic appeared on Shen Shulan's cold face as she hurriedly explained, "Master Uncle, I absolutely wasn't talking about you..."
Before Shen Shulan could finish, Lu Yuan just grinned and waved his hand, "No harm. Of course I know you didn't mean that."
"I don't mind, and I don't care. My master once told me something that I've practiced to this day."
Hearing Lu Yuan proactively mention his master, Shen Shulan's curiosity was immediately piqued.
"What did your master say?"
Lu Yuan turned his head, meeting Shen Shulan's inquisitive gaze. He grinned, showing a mouthful of snow-white teeth, and laughed, "If you're unhappy, then go fuck it!"
Lu Yuan felt the old man lived more clearly than anyone.
Evil spirits couldn't be completely eliminated, people couldn't all be saved. Today you eat a meal, tomorrow you'll be hungry again.
You can't save the world, and you're not that great.
Since you can't take care of everyone, then take care of yourself first.
Follow your heart's desires, let the Dao follow nature.
Anyway, when the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. No need to add unnecessary worries.
Shen Shulan clearly hadn't expected that Lu Yuan had been completely serious one second, and the next second would pop out with such a street-smart scoundrel's remark.
She was stunned for a long while. Those clear, beautiful eyes curved slightly, and she actually laughed softly.
"For a moment, I can't tell if those words are right or wrong..."
Lu Yuan also laughed.
"We each have our own Dao. Just stick to our original hearts. This thing has nothing to do with right or wrong."
...
Around ten in the morning, the group returned to Qingniu Village.
Village Chief Chen Fushun had already prepared everything Lu Yuan needed, not missing a single item.
Everything was ready.
The first step of luring the soul, set up the Three Powers Upside-Down Rice!
In the Heaven rice bowl, place millet, bury three raw soybeans in the rice. Soybeans allow qi to pass through, symbolizing ascension.
Stick an inverted peachwood chopstick on top of the rice, with cloud patterns carved on the chopstick body.
In the Earth rice bowl, place aged glutinous rice mixed with seven qian of grave dirt. Stick two crossed willow branches on top of the rice. Willow connects to yin, symbolizing taking root.
In the Human rice bowl, ordinary white rice, but drizzle three drops of strong liquor on it to use the alcohol vapor to easily attract souls.
Stick three half-burned incense sticks on top of the rice, incense heads pointing down.
Arrange the three bowls in a triangular formation. Under each bowl place a cinnabar hand-written Throat-Opening Talisman.
The characters on the talisman paper were like dragons and snakes:
"Pitiful suffering soul, throat closed and unable to swallow.
When the talisman arrives, it opens. Eat your fill and ascend to heaven."
In no time at all, Lu Yuan had properly prepared the Three Powers Upside-Down Rice.
For the Wuqing Temple crowd watching from the side, it was still that same feeling.
Professional, efficient!
Absolutely proper!
Not a single unnecessary movement, not a moment's hesitation.
In their hearts, the Wuqing Temple crowd felt that with their own level of skill, they'd be hard-pressed to do it as well as Lu Yuan.
For a moment, although the Wuqing Temple crowd didn't have much favorable feeling toward Lu Yuan, the eyes looking at Lu Yuan showed increasing admiration.
Especially since Lu Yuan's age looked to be only seventeen or eighteen.
Everyone was a cultivator and naturally understood that to be able to reach this level at seventeen or eighteen years old, one didn't know how much suffering and hardship had to be endured.
Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an, who had been helping Lu Yuan at his side all along, felt the change in the eyes of the surrounding Wuqing Temple crowd.
For a moment, they proudly puffed out their chests. Now you know how amazing our Brother Lu is!!
Did you think the reputation of "White-Robed Young Daoist" was just for show?!
After Lu Yuan finished preparing the Three Powers Upside-Down Rice, he began preparing the final magical implement needed for luring souls.
The Seven Star Soul-Guiding Lamps.
Using seven small clay dishes as lamp holders, filled with tung oil inside.
The lamp wicks were twisted from seven-colored silk threads, arranged according to the Big Dipper Seven Stars positions surrounding the three rice bowls.
"Master Uncle, the oil for the Seven Star Soul-Guiding Lamps should be corpse oil mixed with shark oil, right..."
"Why use tung oil?"
Shen Shulan, who had been standing to the side watching, suddenly asked curiously.
The Seven Star Soul-Guiding Lamps were something all Daoists had to learn.
Just now when Lu Yuan took out seven small dishes, Shen Shulan and the Wuqing Temple crowd knew what Lu Yuan was going to do.
They originally thought there was nothing to see here but seeing Lu Yuan place tung oil in the dishes rather than corpse oil mixed with shark oil, the Wuqing Temple crowd immediately began whispering among themselves.
Wrong! Wrong!
Hearing this, Lu Yuan only raised his head slightly to glance at Shen Shulan, his smile carrying a trace of helplessness.
"True Dragon Temple doesn't have Wuqing Temple's flourishing incense offerings."
"When we go down the mountain to work jobs, we say it's to save the world, but actually it's also to earn a living for ourselves and our fellow disciples at the temple."
"Corpse oil and shark oil are so expensive. We can't have a job where not only do we not earn anything, but we lose money, right?"
When it came down to it, it was still about money.
Lu Yuan turned his head back, picked up a yellow talisman again, and while preparing to write, continued, "Although tung oil's effect isn't as good as corpse oil mixed with shark oil, it can still work adequately."
Having said this, Lu Yuan held the writing brush, the tip fully soaked in cinnabar, preparing to write a line of incantation on the yellow talisman in one flowing motion.
One lamp illuminates a thousand years of darkness, seven stars guide souls from the nine depths.
The starved corpse unwillingly became earth-bound, drink your fill and be reborn soon.
Shen Shulan and the Wuqing Temple group looked at each other, exchanging glances.
For a moment, they didn't know what to say.
Those who could follow Shen Shulan were mostly young talents from Wuqing Temple.
When these people set up altars and performed rituals, they truly had never calculated how much the materials they used were worth...
For a moment, there was complete silence.
Whether it was Wuqing Temple or Shen Shulan, no one spoke anymore.
Only the sound of Lu Yuan holding his brush, swishing as he wrote, remained at the scene.
Soon, after a flurry of elegant calligraphy, Lu Yuan was about to reach the final two characters for "rebirth."
Lu Yuan's body suddenly trembled violently without warning!
That sharp sweeping stroke instantly lost control, like an ugly scar slashing across the entire talisman paper.
The talisman was ruined.
Lu Yuan's body suddenly acting like this left Shen Shulan and the Wuqing Temple group looking stunned.
What happened?
Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an beside him saw Lu Yuan like this and their faces changed dramatically. They instinctively looked up at the sky.
The gloomy sky had not a trace of sunlight.
Bad!
Today was a cloudy day!!
"Hiss..."
A breath of icy cold air uncontrollably escaped through Lu Yuan's teeth. Lu Yuan's face visibly paled.
Shen Shulan's heart tightened. She immediately stepped forward and asked with concern, "Master Uncle?"
"What... what's wrong with you?"
As soon as Shen Shulan finished speaking, Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an said resentfully and irritably, "It's all because of your Wuqing Temple!!"
After Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an finished speaking, Shen Shulan and the other Wuqing Temple members had faces full of question marks.
Because of Wuqing Temple?
What!
Don't wrongly accuse people!
Didn't we just meet today?
We have no idea what's wrong with your Lu Yuan!
Then Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an resentfully accused, "When your Wuqing Temple people were working a job and encountered a tough opponent, you had no ability, so you abandoned the employer and ran away yourselves!"
"It was our Brother Lu who helped you save the person. This root of illness was left from that night!"
Xu Erxiao got angrier the more he spoke. Pointing at the Daoist who had been talking sourly behind their backs earlier, he said hatefully, "And just now you were still gossiping about my Brother Lu behind his back!"
"If not for my Brother Lu risking his life to save that employer and clean up your mess, your Wuqing Temple would be waiting for its reputation to be completely ruined!!"
At this moment, Shen Shulan and the Wuqing Temple crowd stood in shock, stunned in place.
There's... there's actually this kind of thing?!
Damn!!
Who?!!
Which scum from Wuqing Temple is this?!!