Please, Great Immortal, Lend Your Hand
"That wicked old woman Wang family, from the Mist River, has bewitched my elder brother."
"Yellow Dragon Immortal, we beg you to lend a hand."
In the guest bedroom of the Mayflower, two of Commander Liu's brothers knelt on the ground, bowing and offering incense to the shrine on the bed.
Originally, the two brothers were quite prestigious gentry in Xiantai Prefecture. They were a wealthy and powerful family in front of various county governments and local Tusi. Now, the idiot bear had been tricked out of his power by the fox, and the original business partnerships had all fallen into the hands of the elder brother. The governor did not treat his two younger brothers as his own people at all. Even though the governor was qualified to become the local emperor of Xiantai Prefecture, he did not even intend to confer a title of king on them.
These two brothers believed the fox's words and blamed all the mistakes on the Admiral's wife, Wang Ya'an. They insisted that it was these relatives of the emperor who had come to Sendai to seize their power. On the one hand, the Admiral mostly had Lady Wang handle his affairs; on the other hand, the Liu clan was a prominent local family in Xiantai Prefecture. The two younger brothers believed that their elder brother still needed to enter the ancestral temple and return to the family genealogy to receive incense offerings, and would never harm his own brothers.
Meanwhile, the Commander Liu watched his wife and brother fight each other. In the end, all the silver and mines in his wife's family, and the businesses and military power in his brother's hands, ended up in his own hands.
Above the bed, the shrine was magnificent, made of mahogany and lacquered with gold. There were couplets on the left and right sides of the temple, and two layers of plaques inside and outside.
The book says--
--Under the yellow sky and on the yellow earth, all living beings cry for help in their suffering.
--Red meat, red heart, Divine Dragon bestowing grace and morality.
The outer plaque serves as the horizontal inscription.
It's called [Abundant Harvest].
Inside is the story of the origins of the shrines and temples.
[The Dharma Body of the Yellow Dragon True Person of the Yingtian, requested by the devout Judas Priest Lingzong in the fourteenth year]
In the center of the small temple stands a clay figure dressed in a yellow Daoist robe, exuding an ethereal aura, with a large, earthen-yellow python coiled around its body.
"Yes."
A response came from the mouth of the clay figure, urging the believer to express his/her wish.
The second brother of the Liu family immediately cried out in protest, "Yellow Dragon Immortal, Wang family has deceived me! Wang family has deceived me!"
Yellow Dragon Immortal immediately asked, "How did I bully you?"
"This Xiantai Prefecture has been the domain of my Liu family since the reign of Emperor Chengzu!" the third brother immediately shouted. "How dare a relative of the emperor interfere! My father and grandfather devoted themselves to the court, and the thirteen counties along the two rivers were all on the shoulders of our Liu family!"
"But this woman," the second brother said anxiously, his eyes reddening, "This woman went out to collect festival gifts for us brothers around the time of the Spring Festival."
This gift was a congratulatory present from the local county government to the governor-general. The amount was not the key point. In other words, just like how a vassal state would offer tribute to its suzerain state in ancient times, the most important thing was who would receive the gift.
In the eyes of the two brothers, this was a usurpation of power. To put it simply, it was like going out to collect red envelopes during the Lunar New Year, only to find that they had already been given out to their parents. Now, Wang family's actions were like riding on the two brothers' heads and trying to become their father and mother.
The second brother said, "Master, she did it in front of our eldest brother!"
The third brother followed, saying, "They're telling us to be from the same village."
This is somewhat of a deliberate insult. Xiantai Prefecture is a major hub for waterway trade and military garrison. No matter what, the Liu family is an old school family in this big city of Sendai. If we're talking about lineage, the Wang family, who came from the Mist River as stranded river bandits, are the real barbarians.
The two brothers had planned to live a simple life in Sendai, chasing after young girls and counting their silver dollars (the currency used for foreign trade in Xiantai Prefecture). The elder brother had become a governor thanks to the emperor's favor, so they naturally benefited from his good fortune. They were so clueless that they never considered why their elder brother would marry this wicked woman who was a former military officer and bandit.
To elaborate, Governor Liu was indeed preparing to rebel. His first step was to consolidate resources, seize local military power and waterway transportation, and firmly grasp the important conditions for troop deployment, such as salt, iron, and grain, so that he would no longer pay taxes to Xia Bangsheng—he wanted to be the boss himself.
Yellow Dragon Immortal had a general understanding of the basic situation, and then asked questions.
"So what do you plan to do?"
The second brother said to the clay doll, "Today, my brother and I will ask the Yellow Dragon Immortal to take care of this woman!"
"If Liu Zhen finds out about this," Yellow Dragon Immortal said, rubbing his forehead and feigning a headache, "He'll probably cut off my ancestral worship and smash my temple. If I killed his wife, he'll probably stop my lineage."
Liu Zhen is the admiral's real name.
The third brother quickly said, "On this vast ocean, as long as the Yellow Dragon Immortal is willing to help, Wang family has absolutely no chance of survival. This is something that Heaven, Earth, you, and I know."
The second brother chimed in, "With the Yellow Dragon Immortal's abilities, killing a mere barbarian woman should be a piece of cake."
"Fools!" Yellow Dragon Immortal finally couldn't hold back anymore. The demon was somewhat surprised, even feeling that the three Liu brothers weren't born from the same mother. "Can't you understand what I'm saying? If I do things for you, your eldest brother will cause me trouble and demand more money! More money, please!"
"Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know? Who cares?! Do you care? Do you all care?"
"This woman is dead. She was on the same boat as you going back. Do you think Liu Zhen will listen to your explanations?"
"The issue isn't whether it's confidential or not! The issue is..."
The little clay figure spreads its hands, begging for money.
"If you want the gods to do something, you have to offer enough sacrifices."
After hearing Yellow Dragon Immortal's reprimand, the second and third brothers of the Liu family looked at each other and whispered among themselves.
"Second Brother, the Immortal is right."
"But this opportunity is once in a lifetime. Now that Wang family has returned to Sendai and to my elder brother's side, it will be much more difficult for us to get rid of her."
"How about we wait until next time Wang family goes to Eureka to work on the ship, and then we choose an agent for her?"
"I'm not waiting any longer! I can't wait even a day longer! Can a woman compare to brotherhood?! At worst, we'll find our brother another admiral's wife! I don't believe our brother would fight us to the bitter end for a woman!"
The two brothers exchanged glances, finished delivering their harsh words, and then turned to explain to the Yellow Dragon Immortal.
"We humbly request the Yellow Dragon Immortal to intervene. We have made up our minds that Wang family must die, but we wonder how much wealth and offerings the Great Immortal requires?"
"Oh," Yellow Dragon Immortal replied slowly, "Then summon six commoners, all of them must be strong and healthy men."
The two brothers kowtowed and agreed, and immediately seized the servants from their household. Several farmhands who had come on the trip were also with them, all in order to find an opportunity to offer tribute to the Yellow Dragon Immortal.
Under the dim light of the oil lamp, an eerie red light suddenly shone in the blood-red shrine, and the belly of the clay idol slowly swelled up.
"Here you are!" Yellow Dragon Immortal said with a grin.
Suddenly, a strange wind arose, and a damp, unpredictable temperature blew in from the porch to the cabin corridor.
The air currents caused the servants' skin to turn red and swollen, and soon itchy sores appeared on their bodies—a characteristic of the Vita Imprint.
The Liu brothers had never seen immortals eat meat before, and this was the first time they had witnessed such a powerful spiritual energy reaction. They were both overjoyed, feeling confident of victory. The servants, however, had no idea what was happening. Perhaps two noble people were bringing them to worship the gods and receive blessings. Regardless of the commotion in the room, they were only focused on kowtowing and chanting scriptures, repeating the inscriptions and couplets on the ancestral shrine.
--Under the yellow sky and on the yellow earth, all living beings cry for help in their suffering.
--Red meat, red heart, Divine Dragon bestowing grace and morality.
A bright red elixir rose from the clay belly of the Yellow Dragon Immortal.
It shot straight into the Barry of Liu's second brother, getting stuck between the strong man's throat and neck, unable to be swallowed or spat out.
The clay figure in the shrine shouted with a grin—
"--The Golden Pill is complete! Immortality is attainable!"
The second brother waved his hands wildly, feeling unable to breathe, and tried to vomit up the elixir by sticking his fingers out of his tongue.
The third brother came forward to help, grabbing his older brother by the neck. In the chaos, he pried open his brother's mouth and saw a fleshy worm with a snake's head and eyes sticking out of his throat, staring intently at him!
"Whoa!" The third brother gasped in fright and quickly released his older brother.
When the second brother released his hand that had been probing the throat, his fingers were gone!
The fleshy palm was soft and powerless, like paste. In just a few breaths, the flesh turned into tiny red lumps that rolled down the arm, like damp lacquer.
The second brother couldn't utter a sound and could only look at his younger brother in terror.
The third brother mustered his courage and stepped forward to help, but the moment his hand touched his second brother's body, it was immediately sucked in—the silk fabric of his brother's clothes was all drawn together.
The servants were too busy bowing their heads and worshipping the immortal to look or listen, for they had never seen the Yellow Dragon Immortal display his supernatural powers.
A sharp pain shot through him, and the third brother realized that his right arm had grown fused with his second brother's neck!
He mustered all his strength and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Help me! Help me!"
The servants then hesitantly rose, none daring to step forward.
After all, the Liu family invited the Yellow Dragon Immortal themselves. If they ruined the ritual and angered the immortal, these ordinary people couldn't bear the responsibility.
The third brother roared hoarsely, "What are you standing there for! Help me!"
The Liu brothers' bodies were almost completely fused together. The six men in the room made no further move. They stood frozen, not daring to utter a word or step forward to stop them.
The third young master said he would save him, but how?
Are you here to kill the second young master with a knife? If you injure both young masters, and the governor comes to question you, you'll lose your head, and the whole family will be in serious trouble!
Some clever servants had already started walking towards the door, preparing to make a quick getaway.
"Where are you going!" The third brother of the Liu family was furious.
In that instant, the second brother's body split open, revealing a bloody spine that pierced through the clever boy's skull.
A strange "gurgling" sound could be heard.
The poor creature's eyes rolled back, and it immediately fell silent. Its body deflated like a shriveled balloon, and in the blink of an eye, only a limp shell remained.
The third brother turned pale with fright at the sight, and the remaining servants dared not run away any longer, immediately kneeling back before the spirit shrine of the Yellow Dragon Immortal.
Under the flickering lamplight, the shadow of the fleshy monster was cast. It gradually dismantled human flesh, changed its form, and finally became a crimson Divine Dragon —its bones and internal organs were exposed, and its body stood proudly upright. The two spines formed the dragon's horns, the two human heads became the dragon's eyes, and the two broken sternums became the dragon's snout and jaw.
It emanated a powerful tide of spiritual energy, and the golden spiritual energy turned into scales that floated in the air as if weightless. Hot blood emanated from its dark human hair, turning into wisps of auspicious clouds.
The clay figurine of the Yellow Dragon Immortal sits cross-legged in the dragon's mouth.
"He's become an immortal!~"
At that moment, Xue Ming felt an excruciating headache.
--A pain, like being pricked or stabbed, came from the top of the head.
This vicious and burning Inspiration Pressure made him restless, but it also jolted Fragrant Dream back to their feet from a state of paralysis.
The steel giant cat shouted, "There's a monster!"
"You felt it too?" Jiang Xueming clutched his forehead and the top of his head, the pain almost driving him mad. "You can stand up now?"
Fragrant Dream, leaning on the table, trembled. "I can stand, but only a little bit."
The nerve pain caused by this spiritual pressure far surpasses the physical torment.
Xue Ming is not afraid of fists, swords, spears, fire, or ice; however, the mental damage caused by the Inspiration Pressure is the most real harm from this game, and various negative emotions will further affect his mind.
He asked, "Can we fight?"
Fragrant Dream: "It should be possible."
Xue Ming immediately packed his luggage, found two bottles of Universal Elixir injections, grabbed a Berloberg short sword—the only weapon he kept with him—and hurriedly left the guest room, following the direction of the source of spiritual pressure.
At the same time, Wang family talked to Mr. Vincent about the recipes from their hometown, and the chef, who loved fishing, talked about the delicious specialties of Xiantai Prefecture.
"Hiss!" Wen Bucai clutched his head, bloodshot eyes gushing into the pupils.
Victor was in the same pain; he was bent over, unable to move and clinging to the bookshelf.
Madam Wang Ya'an was not a psychic, and the Master of Ceremonies was merely a scholar with a hobby of Qi cultivation, so naturally they didn't understand what had happened.
Wang family: "This"
The Master of Ceremonies said, "Are our two distinguished guests suffering from acclimatization issues and experiencing hysteria?"
Wang family: "Quickly, go and fetch some water."
After saying this, Wang family helped Vincent sit down and then went to help Latia.
The Master of Ceremonies immediately rushed out of the library and gave instructions to the servants.
"Laifu, fetch some medicine for colds, Qianjin Fang (a traditional Chinese medicine formula), and clean water. The two guests are ill. Also, go and call the ship's doctor!"
The Laifu immediately complied, carrying a bucket to the freshwater room and calling to another worker, Jinbao.
" --Jinbao, call Doctor Zhou. Madam Wang has two sick guests, and I need to deliver water. Hurry!"
Jinbao replied, "Okay, okay."
As he said this, Laifu scooped a few ladlefuls of water into the bucket and was about to leave.
He felt a warm, damp sensation on his forehead, and when he wiped his face, some of the red soup was on his fingers.
That's strange.
Laifu looked up and was certain that this was not the mezzanine of the Banquet Hall.
"Why is there hot pot here?"
He licked the red liquid on his fingertip, finding it fishy, foul, and sweet before realizing it was blood. In the instant his expression changed drastically, a twisted, deformed dragon tail wrapped around him.
Laifu was so frightened that he lost his voice. His legs dangled from the red dragon's joints, and he sat down on the edge of the water room door. When he saw the appearance of this monstrous flesh and blood, blood began to flow from his eyes.
The Yellow Dragon Immortal didn't kill Laifu; it merely flicked its claw and pricked Laifu's arm.
The grotesque, deformed dragon head was still flapping its mane, like a butterfly fluttering its wings, making strange, shaking noises, before it swam away.
Laifu, still shaken, quickly pulled up his sleeve and saw a small, round wound on his arm.
It resembles a fleshy mound left by a bee sting, and doesn't seem serious.
Laifu calmed himself down, seemingly thinking he was hallucinating. So he picked up the overturned bucket, filled it with water again, and staggered toward the museum.
Halfway there, he felt his arms were heavy, so he switched to carrying the bucket with his left hand.
As Laifu neared the Master of Ceremonies's side, he could go no further.
" --Master of Ceremonies, water."
Laifu felt something pressing on his throat, and strange gurgling sounds came from his heart and lungs.
He looked down and saw his swollen right arm. This half of his torso had swelled up along with his arm, covered with layers of red markings. His clothes were also torn, and the flesh and blood in his throat had spread all the way to his ear and chin. His head was tilted to the left.
Before the museum doors were even closed, Laifu turned into a bomb, like a balloon bursting, with bone fragments and minced flesh splashing into the museum's entrance, turning into a puddle of mud!
The Master of Ceremonies was terrified and dared not fetch water from Laifu. He fled to the library in a panic, shouting as he went.
"There's a monster!"