I Seek My Vision, Only Seeking Clarity

"Hoo..."

Lu Jun let out a long sigh.

He lowered his head and looked at the bronze oil lamp in his hand.

There was still plenty of lamp oil in the lamp. Lu Jun estimated it could burn for at most another hour.

Although time was still sufficient, Lu Jun didn't dare to waste any more of it. He quickly jogged towards the 'Huang Pi Dao Master' shrine in the center of the village.

The words the blind old beggar had spoken earlier kept echoing in his ears.

"Do you want to know the whole truth?"

"Do you want to save the cursed villagers in your village?"

"Go, go to the center of your village, and in front of all your villagers, use this knife to chop down the statue of your village's so-called 'Huang Pi Dao Master'."

"At that time, you will understand everything..."

"..."

Lu Jun tightly gripped the ancient long saber the blind old beggar had given him, his eyes bursting with strong emotion. His face was resolute as iron, and he muttered softly, "I seek my vision, only seeking clarity!"

Inside the Huang Pi Dao Master's shrine.

It was already bustling with noise. Countless villagers held torches or lanterns, illuminating the entire area around the shrine brightly.

The village chief had already gathered dozens of strong men from the village to move a huge sedan chair and place it at the entrance of the shrine.

Immediately after, the village chief led the villagers to the front of the shrine and they all kowtowed and bowed again.

"Invite the deity!"

"We respectfully welcome the 'Huang Pi Dao Master' to the Upper Palace!"

The village chief shouted.

At the same time, dozens of strong men who had been waiting near the sedan chair rushed forward and entered the shrine.

In a short while, the statue of the Huang Pi Dao Master, along with its shrine, was carried out.

The head of the Huang Pi Dao Master statue still had a black cover on it, making it look eerie and mysterious.

Then, it was carried onto the sedan chair by these strong men.

"Lift the palace!"

The village chief shouted again.

The sedan chair was lifted by the dozens of strong men. The dense crowd of villagers around them raised their torches and closely surrounded the sedan chair.

From afar, it looked like a giant fiery dragon was about to take flight.

When Lu Jun arrived, the sedan chair in front of him had already been lifted. Coupled with the crowd surrounding it, Lu Jun couldn't get close at all.

"I'll wait until the sedan chair stops before making my move," Lu Jun thought to himself.

Lu Jun blended into the crowded throng, constantly searching for something within the crowd.

"Old man..."

Lu Jun's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he finally gently approached the old man's vicinity.

At the same time, the old man in the procession seemed somewhat distracted.

"Hey, Fourth Master, where's your grandson Ajun?" a familiar acquaintance of the old man asked, leaning closer.

"Ah, that kid is a handful. He's probably with his friends," the old man replied.

"Ajun is a handful? Ajun has always been the most well-behaved among the village children since he was little. The child is spirited, filial, and one of the few in the village who can read and write..." The person chuckled, "Fourth Master, don't pretend to be unhappy when you've got it good..."

The old man laughed heartily, a proud expression on his face, but his tone was a bit more boastful, "Not at all, not at all. He's just a mischievous brat. If he heard you say that, he'd be tearing down the roof..."

"But the child is indeed filial and quite well-behaved..." He said the last part with a smile on his face.

"Then you'll have a good life in your old age..."

"Hahaha... Being able to hold my great-grandchild soon would be the greatest fortune..."

"..."

Lu Jun quietly followed behind the old man. His nose inexplicably felt a sting of tears. Looking at the ancient saber in his hand, his resolve became even firmer. He even felt a surge of hatred towards the 'Huang Pi Dao Master' statue in the sedan chair.

The procession meandered through the entire village, passing by every house.

It was said that this way, the 'Huang Pi Dao Master's' blessings could be bestowed upon every villager.

However, Lu Jun was starting to feel anxious.

Initially, Lu Jun hadn't expected there to be a procession today. He thought he had ample time and could just sneak into the shrine and chop off the 'Huang Pi Dao Master's' head.

But half an hour had already passed, and there was still some distance to cover. This meant the time Lu Jun had to destroy the 'Huang Pi Dao Master' had become extremely tight.

"It should be enough time..."

Lu Jun's expression was tense, and he kept calculating the time in his mind.

Finally, after the time it took for one stick of incense to burn.

The grand and vast procession of the "You Shen" finally completed its circuit around the entire village.

Lu Jun also breathed a sigh of relief internally. He gently lifted his head, which had been fixed on the bronze lamp in his hands.

However, the moment he saw the scene before him, Lu Jun's heart leaped in alarm.

Ahead, the villagers who had been densely packed together had now transformed into countless demons, each with the head of a weasel atop their shoulders. The skin exposed at their necks and arms was now covered in dense, brownish-yellow fur.

Before him, it was clearly a world of demons!

Furthermore, no one present seemed surprised. They continued to hold their torches and lanterns high, allowing the flames to clearly illuminate their own faces and those of their friends and family, as they chatted and laughed, displaying their bizarre demonic countenances.

"This isn't a case of ninety percent of the village being cursed into demons..."

"This is clearly a situation where everyone except myself has turned into a demon."

Lu Jun's expression grew solemn. He silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

At this moment, he was walking among a crowd of demons, the only anomaly. He didn't even dare to breathe too deeply.

Just then, a demon beside Lu Jun sniffed vigorously in his direction.

Lu Jun trembled in fear and quickly dodged away, then hastily separated himself from the procession.

Immediately after, he heard the conversation of two demons.

"Did you smell something... it smells so good!"

"I smelled it too. I've never smelled anything so delicious in my life."

"What could it be? I really want a bite..."

As they spoke, the two demons' mouths involuntarily dripped with foul-smelling saliva.

A chill ran down Lu Jun's spine.

Finally, amidst Lu Jun's constant fear and apprehension.

The "You Shen" procession came to a halt.

It stopped in front of the stage where the village's "Hua Pi Ban" (Masked Play Troupe) used to perform.

"Please, invite the deity out of the palace."

The village chief, who had transformed into a demon, shouted again in a hoarse, deep voice.

Following that, a burly man, also transformed into a demon, immediately entered the sedan chair and carried out the statue of the "Huang Pi Dao Master." He then carried it directly onto the stage.

At the same time, Lu Jun quietly followed and also arrived on the stage.

After the burly demon placed the statue properly, he quickly descended.

Lu Jun was left alone on the stage.

"Everyone, raise your heads and pray for the deity's blessings, beseech the deity's might..."

The village chief stood at the very front of the demonized villagers, continuing to shout in that hoarse, sharp voice.

In an instant, hundreds of strangely-shaped weasel demons on the scene all raised their heads in unison, looking towards the statue on the stage and offering their prayers.

And this scene, Lu Jun on the stage watched clearly, saw it all.

Hundreds of pairs of golden eyes, with vertically slit pupils, shone with madness, devotion, and an eerie light. In the dim night, they were even brighter and more intense than the torches and lanterns held by the demons.

Lu Jun swallowed, quietly watching this scene, not daring to make a sound.

After taking several deep breaths, Lu Jun finally adjusted his state. His arm no longer trembled, and he finally raised the ancient, simple saber.

He raised the saber high, his gaze fiercely aimed at the neck of the Huang Pi Dao Master before him.

"Die!"

Lu Jun thought inwardly.

Just as he was about to bring the saber down fiercely.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through, kicking up a storm of sand.

The sand blew into Lu Jun's eyes. Lu Jun's heart tightened, and an inexplicable panic rose within him. He couldn't afford to care about anything else and prepared to swing the saber wildly.

But in the next second, Lu Jun discovered with terror that he couldn't move.

His body felt as if it had been frozen.

At the same time, the strong wind blew off the black veil covering the Huang Pi Dao Master's head.

It also blew out the tranquil, pale blue flame within the bronze lamp.

Lu Jun saw it.

He saw the demonic form of the Huang Pi Dao Master once more.

That clay-like, detestable, nauseating... demonic form.

Reflected in Lu Jun's pupils, the Huang Pi Dao Master before him, with its body made of clay, gradually became soft, its surface developing the texture of living skin...

It gently turned its head and gave Lu Jun a large, mocking smile.

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