Chapter 159: Preparing for the End

Afterward, Chen Jin consulted the old Taoist priest on quite a few matters concerning cultivation. The old priest answered them one by one. Some of the answers left Chen Jin fully satisfied, while others were less so, yet he could find no grounds for rebuttal.

Once their conversation ended, the old priest tried to keep Chen Jin for a meal, but Chen Jin declined. After all, two other men were waiting for him; if he did not return soon, those two fellows would surely suspect he had absconded with their silver coins.

Not pressing him further, the old priest slowly accompanied Chen Jin out of the Taoist temple.

At the temple entrance, Chen Jin cast a few more glances at the large locust tree in front of the gate, genuinely feeling that this tree possessed the "making of a great pillar of society."

Although this "pillar of society" looked rather crooked and twisted, it was at least not rotten wood.

Upon leaving the temple, Chen Jin carried the bundle he had obtained from the old priest and headed toward the designated meeting place with Little Mao and Lu San.

When he reached the bustling marketplace, the crowd had already dispersed, and few people remained—only a small peddler selling wild mountain fruits and livestock. Little Mao and Lu San had already finished purchasing all the required supplies and were looking around with furtive, rat-like expressions, searching for his trace.

Seeing him appear, their faces lit up with joy, and all the anxiety on them vanished in an instant.

"Let's go," Chen Jin greeted them calmly, and then boarded the cart with the two men. Giving them no chance to ask probing questions, he directly ordered them to head out of town.

...

Traveling another ten miles and walking for more than half an hour, because the cart was laden with a considerable amount of newly purchased goods, it moved steadily yet slowly. Furthermore, it was midday, and the three of them had stopped along the road to eat dry rations and feed the ox fodder, which delayed them further. By the time they reached the campsite, the sun had already slanted heavily to the west.

Everything they needed for this trip had been fully acquired without any omissions. In short, the supplies in this small town were remarkably abundant and virtually everything one could wish for was available.

Lü Dongbin and the others had been waiting for them for a long time, their faces marked by considerable anxiety; after all, this matter concerned his wife, so how could he not be anxious?

Seeing the ox cart slowly approaching, Lü Dongbin was utterly thrilled, breaking into a trot to guide them into the camp.

The campsite was currently abuzz with construction tasks. A great deal of timber had already been felled, and plenty of thatch grass had been harvested. In short, the situation was looking positive; since the camp construction had just begun, none of the people showed any resentment. Even the wagoner who had been temporarily hired with silver coins had no objections, as Lü Dongbin had directly offered him half a month's pay in advance, leaving him thoroughly satisfied. Since he had to drive carriages wherever he went, resting here for a while was not a bad deal at all.

"Brother Chen..." Lü Dongbin called out.

"Brother Lü, rest assured. I have acquired all the items. We need only wait for sister-in-law to fully recuperate her energy, and the ritual can begin," Chen Jin said, lifting the bundle in his hand.

Chen Jin had already inspected the contents of the bundle. The moment the old priest handed it to him, his spiritual sense had swept inside for a thorough check. Not a single item he needed was missing, and naturally, there was nothing extra either; the old priest's calculations were meticulously precise.

"Many thanks, Brother Chen," Lü Dongbin expressed gratefully.

"How does Brother Lü feel about his own cultivation progress?" Chen Jin asked again.

"My thoughts are nimble and my spirit is vigorous, though I feel my physical strength is slightly lacking," Lü Dongbin replied.

"Ah, that is a good omen. Although Brother Lü, you have practiced martial arts since childhood, martial arts tend to leave behind hidden ailments and lingering injuries in the flesh. Now that your thoughts are as swift as lightning and your spirit as fine as silk, you have reached the stage where you can truly master your physical body. These hidden injuries need to be repaired, which naturally consumes your vital blood as nourishment," Chen Jin slowly explained. "Therefore, you and your sister-in-law need to consume plenty of nourishing foods together."

Hearing Chen Jin's explanation, Lü Dongbin nodded, finding reason in his words. After all, Chen Jin was his guide on the path of cultivation and had no reason to deceive him. Lü Dongbin could not think of anything he possessed that would make it worthwhile for Chen Jin to swindle him, so he took Chen Jin's words deeply to heart.

The days that followed were spent slowly recuperating their bodies.

Time is the cheapest commodity of all—at least, that is how it felt to Chen Jin; time was truly worthless. Thus, three days passed quickly. Under the aid of Chen Jin's Rejuvenation Technique and nutritional tonics, the color in Wei Sangzi's face had recovered significantly.

Everyone present witnessed this change, and she could feel it herself. No longer cooped up all day in the temporary wooden hut, she often stepped outside to walk around.

Seeing this, Chen Jin knew the time had come to perform the exorcism ritual. Moreover, his own cultivation had consolidated considerably; through continuous practical application these past few days, he had truly attained a level where mastery comes from sheer repetition.

In addition, Chen Jin had prepared all the ritual materials, and with everything properly arranged, he was simply waiting to perform the rite.

On a starry night, at an hour when human habitation was sparse and wild beasts roamed freely.

In this small clearing, a newly purchased wooden table, freshly painted with red lacquer, held a large-bellied wooden basin.

Inside the wooden basin, a mass of paste-like liquid rippled, shifting just like jelly being prodded.

This paste-like liquid was precisely the ritual substance Chen Jin had concocted.

It had cost Chen Jin a great deal of effort to make this item. Its most crucial component was soil, which Chen Jin had secretly scooped up from right in front of the old Taoist priest's temple gate. This was truly a good treasure; as the saying goes, "An attendant at a prime minister's door holds the rank of a seventh-grade official." After being steeped for years in the aura emanating from the old Taoist priest, this soil had acquired profound spirituality, much like radiation.

Thus, certain treasures in this world simply exist alongside powerful cultivators, and some powerful beings can even manufacture treasures directly rather than having them accidentally created over the passage of long ages.

Chen Jin simply let his thoughts wander regarding the soil in front of the old Taoist priest's door.

The true essence within Chen Jin's body continuously stirred the heaven and earth vital energy around him, causing it to surge toward the paste-like liquid in the wooden basin.

The reason the liquid rippled in such a manner was precisely because Chen Jin's true essence was agitating it.

Chen Jin did this precisely to guide the ambient vital energy into the paste-like liquid, thereby enabling him to better expel the curse and malevolent arts afflicting Wei Sangzi.

As for how this paste-like liquid was to be used...

Its usage was simple: one just had to drink it... Yes, it was as simple as that.

To ensure the "patient" would drink it with peace of mind, Chen Jin had not revealed its ingredients or the production process to the person involved. He simply stated plainly: "It has a hundred benefits and not a single harm; without drinking it, the ritual cannot be performed."

The silver moon rose high into the middle of the sky. As luck would have it for Wei Sangzi, the moon tonight happened to be perfectly full, without the slightest blemish.

Chen Jin did not don any specialized ritual robes for shamanistic dances; he simply wore his usual Taoist robe.

Then, Chen Jin beckoned to Lü Dongbin and Wei Sangzi, who were standing not far away, signaling Wei Sangzi to walk over.

At that moment, as if performing a magic trick, Chen Jin pulled a yellow talisman out from his sleeve.

The talisman burst into flameless fire in his hand, transforming into a fireball that circled around toward Wei Sangzi.

The ritual had begun.