txolops Chapter 109 There are worms in my stomach
Chapter 109 There are worms in my stomach
Chapter 109 There are worms in my stomach
"But in any case, it's better than before."
After setting down the old bat's dignified posture, Chu Xun stretched out his palm again.
A dozen or so deep blue water droplets floated up in my palm.
Previously, a single Heavenly One Divine Water Bead contained twelve strands of Ren Water essence.
Now, a single stalk of Ren water essence can contain a full eighteen strands.
If they really fight, even the City God's seal wouldn't be able to withstand it.
However, for Chu Xun, these were all byproducts of feeding the blue and white pythons.
Several years have passed, and the length of the blue-white python has increased from seven zhang to nearly twenty zhang.
Its growth rate is more than three times that of the green python and the white python.
After all, the green python and the white python were just taking advantage of Chu Xun's spiritual rain back then, and they could grow about one meter a year, which was already much faster than their kind.
The blue-white python, however, directly consumes the essence of Ren water, which is naturally incomparable to the other two.
The book "Biographies of Immortals in the Countryside" that Chu Xun found contained only a few brief mentions of it.
"A creature ten feet tall becomes a python, a hundred feet tall transforms into a dragon, and a thousand feet tall becomes a serpent, all stirring up storms and waves—"
According to what is written here, the blue-white python must grow to be a hundred feet long before it has the possibility of transforming into a dragon.
At the current growth rate, it will take another twenty-five years.
In Chu Xun's view, twenty-five years was not a long time, and even a bit short.
Although the forging speed of that meteorite iron has increased in recent years, there are still many shortcomings.
Most importantly, there is still no clue as to how to survive the tribulation.
Glancing at his own information, he saw that his incense points had increased slightly over the years, reaching a little over a thousand.
He is still a long way from the next promotion to priesthood.
Fortunately, the karmic fire has dissipated after seven years of burning, so there is no need to worry about the consumption of incense value for the time being.
Of course, Chu Xun was never worried, as he had already found a way to "balance the budget".
Moreover, while karmic fire is a disadvantage for others, it is a great help to oneself.
By relying solely on karmic fire to remove impurities from the physical body, Chu Xun's magical abilities have increased by more than 70% in recent years.
Now that the karmic fire is gone, I feel a little unaccustomed to it.
"We need to find someone with karmic connections and then ignite some more karmic fire."
The benefits are so great that it's addictive.
No one but Chu Xun could understand how she had brought trouble upon herself to this extent.
A few days later, in Yushui Town.
Chu Xun, wearing a bamboo hat, walked down the street.
It's easy to find a cause and effect that can trigger karmic fire.
If someone is on the verge of death and is forcibly saved to prolong their life, it will naturally attract karmic fire.
But you can't save just anyone. If you encounter an evil person who does bad things and deserves to die, why save them?
Not long after they arrived at the restaurant ahead, the innkeeper saw a young man out.
"Don't worry, Manager Guo, tomorrow's dishes are guaranteed to be to your liking. We're all neighbors in town; if things go wrong, it would ruin my reputation."
The young man chuckled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble Manager Liu."
Then, the young man named Guo Shouyi hummed a tune and greeted the familiar townspeople along the way.
They hadn't gone far when they opened the courtyard gate and went inside.
Chu Xun seemed to sense something and looked up.
Then, a ghost messenger carrying a black chain and hook came from the direction of the City God Temple and stood outside the courtyard.
Chu Xun hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward.
In the courtyard, Guo Shouyi's face was radiant.
His shop business was good this year, and his wife gave birth to a big, healthy boy after ten months of pregnancy, making it a double celebration.
Tomorrow is the full moon celebration, so we've prepared a lot of good wine at home.
They were all bought from the best wine shops in Yushui Town, costing one tael and five mace per jar.
He had just gone to the restaurant to confirm with the manager what he would be cooking and what dishes to prepare for tomorrow.
The aroma of wine filled his nostrils, and Guo Shouyi couldn't help but swallow.
I developed a love for drinking from a very young age because of my elders. On my wedding night, I drank so much that I slept for three days and three nights straight and almost didn't wake up.
The doctor came several times, and each time said that it was probably too late.
Finally, at his daughter-in-law's pleading, he pricked her toes with silver needles to draw blood, saying that if she didn't wake up, even a god couldn't save her.
Thank goodness, I finally opened my eyes.
From then on, his family never allowed him to drink alcohol again.
After holding back for over a year, I'm in high spirits now that this happy occasion has brought me the urge to drink.
He glanced at the room where his wife and children slept, then tiptoed out and squatted down beside the wine jar.
Carefully, he used his hands to untie the thin string wrapped around the yellow paper, and then gently peeled off the yellow paper.
The movements were slow and gentle, and the sound was kept as quiet as possible.
As soon as the yellow paper was peeled off, the aroma of wine wafted out.
Guo Shouyi swallowed hard upon hearing this, feeling as if a cat was scratching at his heart, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
He glanced at the house again, and seeing no movement inside, he thought to himself, "I'll just have a taste to satisfy my craving."
Thinking this, he stretched out a finger and dipped it into the wine jar.
I took it out again, put it in my mouth, and sucked on it.
The intense, mellow aroma made him feel numb all over.
That's it!
That's the feeling!
Glancing into the room out of the corner of his eye, Guo Shouyi thought again, "Just a small sip, just a small sip will do."
He went to the kitchen to get a small spoon and a small bowl, and didn't forget to bring back a scallion as well.
He squatted beside the wine jar, swallowing hard as he prepared to fill it with wine.
Just then, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Guo Shouyi was startled and almost dropped the bowl.
The faint sounds of a child crying and a woman patting and comforting her could be heard from inside the house.
Guo Shouyi cursed under his breath and angrily went to open the door.
Seeing a man wearing a straw hat whose face was obscured, he frowned and asked, "Who are you and why are you knocking on my gate?"
'
Chu Xun glanced at the underworld officials not far away and said, "Let me taste the wine in the courtyard, and I will save your life."
Guo Shouyi was so angry he laughed. He wanted to drink but couldn't, and now this stranger was coming to his door asking for a drink.
At another time, he might scold the other person a couple of times and then close the door.
But think about tomorrow's baby's one-month celebration. Outsiders might want to ask for a drink, which would be a way to bring good luck to the baby.
"Alright, you wait here."
As he spoke, Guo Shouyi entered the courtyard and brought over a bowl of wine with a spoon.
Chu Xun took it and drank it all in one gulp.
The taste is not bad, only slightly inferior to Baijia Laopu's Yu Nian Niang.
Guo Shouyi took back the wine bowl and said, "You can leave now that you've finished your drink. Don't knock on doors randomly in the future, or you'll get beaten up if you encounter someone with a bad temper."
Chu Xun called out to him, saying, "Didn't I say that if I drink your wine, I'll save your life?"
Guo Shouyi frowned and said, "You don't look like a charlatan. Why are you resorting to these deceptive tricks? Have you been drinking and are trying to get money from me?"
Chu Xun didn't seem to mind and asked, "Do you feel unwell in your stomach, or like your heart is being scratched by a cat? Do you feel better when you smell the aroma of wine?"
Guo Shouyi raised an eyebrow and said, "So what if it is?"
"That would be terrible. You have something growing in your stomach. It needs to be removed, or you'll die today," Chu Xun said.
Guo Shouyi's raised eyebrows furrowed tightly, his displeasure evident: "How can you talk like that? I offer you wine, and you curse me? You're truly ungrateful!"
After saying that, he turned to close the door.
The child's continuous crying coming from inside the house was making him somewhat irritable.
For some reason, she turned around again and asked, "Then tell me, what's growing inside my stomach?"
Chu Xun said, "Just open your mouth."
"Let's see what you're up to!" Guo Shouyi said, opening his mouth.
Chu Xun stretched out her finger and beckoned to his throat.
"Little bug, little bug, come out quickly."
Guo Shouyi felt something moving inside his stomach, which startled him.
Before I could even react, the thing had already climbed up to my throat.
Then it crawled up to Chu Xun's hand, following the path of its mouth.
Looking at the plump, white insect that reeked of alcohol, Guo Shouyi's scalp tingled with shock: "What, what is this thing?!"
Chu Xun laughed and said, "These are called 'wine worms,' and they only grow in the stomachs of people who love to drink. If you have wine worms, the more you drink, the more you drink, and it's hard for you to get drunk. By the time you do get drunk, you'll be dead."
Guo Shouyi's face turned pale as he suddenly remembered how he had almost drunk himself to death on his wedding night.
It turns out it wasn't that I liked drinking, but rather that I had an alcohol craving!
He was terrified and immediately tried to kneel down and kowtow to Chu Xun: "My benefactor saved my life. Please come into the courtyard so that my whole family can express our gratitude to you!"
Chu Xun helped him up and said, "We agreed that if I drank your wine, I would save your life, and we would be even."
"And remember, alcohol is a poison that burns through the intestines; if you can avoid drinking it, then you should."
Guo Shouyi had witnessed the "wine bug" crawl out of his stomach with his own eyes, so how could he not believe it?
He nodded repeatedly, "No more drinking, no more drinking, I'll never drink again!"
Chu Xun said no more. After Guo Shouyi went in, Chu Xun saw through the wall that Guo Shouyi had covered the wine jar, and without even glancing at it again, he went straight into the room.
The underworld official, carrying a black chain and hook, approached and bowed respectfully: "Immortal Master, this man's lifespan has ended; he should have died from drinking. But you have persuaded him to stop drinking. What should we do?"
Chu Xun smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. If karmic fire burns me, it will naturally fall on me. It has nothing to do with the underworld."
With Chu Xun in control of the City God Temple in Zhangnan County, the underworld officials naturally wouldn't say anything more.
He only said he would report the matter to the City God before leaving.
After the underworld messenger left, Chu Xun glanced at the wine worm on his hand.
With a light laugh, the wine worms instantly turned into water vapor and dissipated.
The so-called "wine worm" was nothing more than a "tool" he created using water-based magic.
Inside the house, Guo Shouyi was already telling his wife about his encounter with a strange man who had drawn out the wine worms from his stomach and saved his life.
The woman gently rocking the cradle listened with a face full of astonishment: "Is there really such an extraordinary person? Why don't you invite them over as guests?"
"I did invite him, but that eccentric man said that once he drank my wine, we would be even."
"How foolish of you! You didn't even bother to invite him again after he said he wasn't coming?" the woman said, exasperated. "I've never heard of any immortal being who enjoys roaming the mortal realm and bestowing opportunities upon others. Perhaps this is him!"
"They just tested you with a few words to see if you were lucky enough to receive the invitation, and you actually didn't invite them!"
Guo Shouyi was stunned for a moment, then jumped off the bed in a panic, without even putting on his shoes.
But when he opened the courtyard gate and went outside, he couldn't find anyone there.
He immediately beat his chest and stamped his feet, filled with remorse.
Several hours later, Chu Xun, who was still searching for the next lucky person on the street, noticed something familiar.
The karmic fire has arrived.
It was still a barrier that burned through the flesh and soul, and then hung on the tent of the pine and willow water god.
Feeling the subtle changes occurring in his body again, Chu Xun couldn't help but exclaim, "Karmic Fire is truly a wonderful thing—"
Whether they are worshippers or cultivators, they all fear karmic fire as much as snakes and scorpions.
Only Chu Xun had a particular fondness for this thing.
Thus, by the nineteenth year of Chongming (1121),...
That spring was exceptionally warm.
Spring has just begun, and tender buds the size of a thumb have already sprouted on the trees.
The southwestern battlefield.
Ma Huai'an, the former military commander of Jingguo, declared himself king.
They also colluded with the state of Wu to invade the border.
Liao Shouyi led the Jing Kingdom army, setting up multiple lines of defense and putting up a fierce resistance.
However, the Wu Kingdom was originally known for its weapon forging, and in recent years it had been recuperating and rebuilding, making it a powerful and well-equipped army.
The Jing Kingdom suffered a series of major battles, which depleted its strength.
Currently, there are still vagrant armies roaming around inside, and the Ma tribe is invading from the outside.
Liao Shouyi's side had only 40,000 troops, but they had to defend the southwestern border that stretched for hundreds of miles.
He was about to face the Wu army, which numbered 110,000.
Without a doubt, this was a war with almost no chance of victory.
But to everyone's surprise, Liao Shouyi fought desperately and often took the lead in battle.
Under his leadership, the morale of the Jing Kingdom army soared, and they actually managed to hold out for three long years.
But by this year, things simply couldn't take it anymore.
Of the 40,000 troops, less than 8,000 remain.
The Wu army still numbered 80,000.
Although the losses for both sides were roughly equal.
But don't forget that the Wu Kingdom invaded with a force several times larger than theirs.
Having lost the mountainous forests of the southwestern barbarians as a buffer, the Jing Kingdom has almost no natural defenses. It is a miracle that it has been able to hold out until now with only two or three cities.
Even Emperor Chongming, who had returned to the capital city several years ago, praised Liao Shouyi highly.
A golden token was delivered from thousands of miles away.
With this command token, all military affairs here can be decided independently.
In addition, Liao Shouyi was appointed as the Southwest General, a first-rank official position.
There is also the title of Marquis of Yong'an. If the Wu Kingdom is defeated, he will be granted the title of Duke of Anguo.
But anyone with eyes can see that this is just empty promises.
These honorary awards will not help the outcome of the battle.
Emperor Chongming was helpless. The Ma tribe had been preparing for over twenty years to invade the border again, having made ample preparations.
The Ministry of War simply didn't have enough troops to send here, so the only thing they could do was recruit as many soldiers as possible.
However, the national policy implemented by Zhang Jingheng led to the relocation of the corvée labor service to the fields.
Many ordinary people did not own land, so they were not required to serve in the military.
Conscription thus encountered difficulties, but the national policy could not be stopped.
The only hope lies in the spontaneous defense of the country by the people's sons and daughters.
The Ministry of War issued a conscription order stating that anyone serving in the military, even as a lowly soldier, would receive a fixed monthly salary.
After serving for three years, one can obtain three mu of military land and have their taxes halved.
Eight acres in five years!
If killed in battle, one will be given fifteen mu of land and an additional thirty taels of silver as compensation.
Such conditions are considered generous for many poor families.
Since he had no land to farm, he simply joined the army.
If you're lucky enough to survive, you can get three acres of land after three years.
Even if you can't get rich, at least you won't starve to death easily.
However, new recruits need time to train and develop combat effectiveness; otherwise, they would be nothing more than cannon fodder if sent to the front lines.
Liao Shouyi was unwilling to accept such cannon fodder recruits. In his words, "The sons of Jing Kingdom should not die so easily."
However, the Wu Kingdom has already secretly planned a final offensive, which, barring any unforeseen circumstances, will determine the outcome of this war.
Meanwhile, in Songguo Village.
Chu Xun, who was hammering away at the meteorite iron from outer space, smashed it with a single blow, sending sparks flying everywhere.
He stuffed the meteorite back into the furnace, as if sensing something.
He looked up at the crows on the eaves and said, "Take some swords to the southwest and give them to Stone."
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