Bai Youli said "Oh," and then added, "Father, aren't toads usually placed at the entrance of shops? It's not really appropriate for us to keep them at home, is it?"
Master Bai scolded his son: "What do you know? The deity himself said that it should be placed directly in front of the main entrance. Only if it is placed in our home can it bless our family with promotions and wealth. If it is placed in the shop, it can only bless the shop with profits. They are not the same."
Bai Youli nodded repeatedly: "Father is right. What you mean by 'we're doomed because we offended Huang Xian' is all nonsense! Luckily, Father went to Wuji Palace to ask Master Kongqing, otherwise we would have really been fooled by that seventh young lady of the Jiang family. That little girl is young, but her mind is quite vicious."
In front of the screen wall directly facing the main entrance, there is a lotus base made of stone, where a gilded toad statue is placed.
One of Master Bai's concubines had already prepared the offerings as instructed. The servants placed the offerings in front of the toad statue, along with a chicken, a pig's head, a sheep's head, and several plates of pastries.
After the three incense sticks were placed in the incense burner, Master Bai and his family knelt in front of the toad statue and performed three bows and nine kowtows in a devout manner.
Master Bai murmured his youngest son's name and whispered that he was willing to sacrifice ten years of his son's lifespan, asking the gods to bless the Bai family with prosperity, to bless him with a successful official career, and to bless his sons with success in their endeavors.
No one could hear what he was muttering; they simply followed along, kneeling in devout worship.
The toad demon hid inside the toad statue, greedily absorbing the incense offerings, even sucking away the ten-year lifespan of a five-year-old child.
...
Xiangli Mansion.
Xiang Lilin was dressed in loose black clothes, and his hood was very large, covering not only his entire head but also most of his face.
He lifted his hood slightly, removed his mask, and looked at his reflection in the bronze mirror. His face was pockmarked, and his neck, hands, and even his entire body were covered in black scabs. He hadn't shown his true face to anyone for three or four months.
Compared to a few months ago, he can no longer be considered human; he's more like a ghost.
Ghosts can still appear in their former appearance, so he's even worse than a ghost.
However, it's fortunate that he survived the backlash from the magic.
During this period, Kong Qing would bring him a pill every three days. The ulcers on his body slowly healed and scabbed over, and the pain in his internal organs, which felt like they were being gnawed by ants, gradually lessened.
He's much healthier now, except for being too ugly.
He stared at the pockmarked face in the bronze mirror with a gloomy expression. Although he was middle-aged and didn't care about his appearance, he still felt uncomfortable looking at it, even disgusted.
Suddenly, a man's figure appeared in the bronze mirror. He turned around, looking very dissatisfied: "You've finally arrived. How's the matter I asked you to handle?"
Kong Qing saw his terrifying and ugly appearance and didn't want to look at him for long. He held a cloth bag in his hand and spread it out in front of Xiang Lilin.
Inside was a book, and on top of the book was a palm-sized iron block. The iron block emitted bursts of black, malevolent energy, and looked quite formidable.
Xiang Lilin finally revealed a strange smile, took the iron block in his hand, and examined it with satisfaction for a long time.
"This is a technique called 'Ten Thousand Ghosts Paying Homage to the Forest' that can quickly change your appearance. With the help of Ghost Blade fragments in your practice, your appearance will be restored to its former state in less than half a month, and your cultivation level will also increase significantly. At that time, you will be more than capable of dealing with Yuan Qi!"
Xiang Lilin felt intense hatred when he thought of Yuan Qi: "That's right, once I master this divine skill, the first thing I'll do is kill that little girl. If it weren't for her, how could I have ended up like this?"
He stared at Kong Qing with a sinister look: "Is your technique really that powerful? That little girl is no simpleton; her cultivation seems to be above yours."
Kong Qing stared at him with disdain for a moment before confidently telling him, "Don't worry, this technique can not only be mastered quickly, but it will also make you invincible. At that time, not only will a little girl be no match for you, but even the Imperial Preceptor will be no match for you. You will be the strongest person in the world."
Xiang Lilin wasn't a three-year-old child. He gave a cold laugh and said, "Since this cultivation technique is so powerful, why don't you practice it?"
Kong Qing paused for a moment, then curled her lips into a serious expression and tried to fool him: "I cultivate orthodox Taoist methods, this is a ghost cultivation technique, I am not suitable to cultivate it."
Xiang Lilin was skeptical of him: "Alright, if I can't restore my original appearance within half a month and can't face people, I'll make you look like me too."
A murderous glint flashed in Kong Qing's eyes. This Xiangli Lin was not as easy to deal with as Xiao Zhen; Xiangli Lin was far too shrewd.
"I won't lie to you. Cultivate well, and when the time comes, becoming the head of the Xiangli family, or even the ruler of the world, will not be a problem. However, don't forget the conditions you promised me."
After making his promise, Kong Qing handed a pill to Xiang Lilin and then used a teleportation talisman to leave.
Xiang Lilin certainly remembered the conditions he had promised Kong Qing: after Kong Qing recovered, he would help Wuji Palace develop its followers and have the people bring back specially made statues of the Three Pure Ones from Wuji Palace to worship, so that some people could gain the power of faith and quickly improve their cultivation.
He also knew that these specially made statues of the Three Pure Ones were different from the statues enshrined in the main hall of the Wuji Palace, and that they were somewhat sinister.
He didn't bother to ask Kong Qing what she wanted to do; as long as the two of them could achieve their goals, that was enough.
As for whether other people are unlucky or have good luck, what does that have to do with him?
Everyone looks out for themselves; otherwise, they'll be condemned by heaven and earth.
Xiang Lilin looked at the pill emitting black mist in his hand and stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation.
This elixir was made by the Ghost King from the refining of countless ghosts; it is extremely sinister.
Yuan Qi was unaware of these matters.
She had just finished telling a girl's marriage fortune under the big locust tree.
The girl gave him ten coins and left satisfied.
There weren't many people around at midday in the summer. After having his fortune told three times, Yuan Qi packed up and prepared to go home.
An elderly woman with gray hair walked towards them from a distance, bowing every three steps. Yuan Qi knew that some religious believers would do this to show their piety, but this was the first time she had seen it since arriving in Kyoto, so she was a little curious.
Meizi also came over curiously and said to Yuan Qi, "These days, there are often people like this, very devout, carrying the statues of the Three Pure Ones, bowing every three steps, and muttering incantations. I heard that the three statues of the Three Pure Ones were brought from Wuji Palace, and that the person who brings the statues must bow every three steps to bring them home for them to be effective. I've seen several people like this every day since you haven't come these past few days."
It was Wuji Palace again. Although Wuji Palace was a royal Taoist temple with thriving incense offerings, this situation had never happened before.
This invitation to dinner seems a bit inappropriate.
Yuan Qi rubbed his chin and asked doubtfully, "Is it really that effective?"
Mei shook her head: "I don't know."
When Yuan Qi returned to the Jiang residence, Jiang Bailu blocked her way and asked arrogantly, "What are you doing at the teahouse with His Highness the Crown Prince?"
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