Third Grandpa Temple Village and the Three Matron Temple (Thanks to Qingruo)

The Earth-Fire Cult member inside the Shroud said, "No matter. We still have time. Plenty of it."

He held out his hand, signaling the messenger to do the same.

The messenger knelt and extended both hands.

A rotting hand covered in red sores and clogged pores emerged from the Shroud.

The man tipped the medicine gourd in his hand, and a dark green pill the size of a little fingertip dropped into the messenger's palm.

This pill was different from the others.

Taking the pills would bring gradual advancement.

The figure in the Shroud said, "Swallow it! There's water in the vat beside you. Drink plenty to dilute the pill's effects! But this pill is too potent for you to dispel its effects just by lying on the ground and drawing on the earth's energy.

"Go to the back courtyard.

"And for the next few days, eat nothing that might inflame your condition. Understand?"

"I understand," the messenger said.

He swallowed the pill, drank water, then headed for the back courtyard.

There were pits dug all through it.

In places, blood spattered across the ground. People had clearly been killed there recently.

He climbed into a pit and pulled the excavated earth piled around it over himself.

He buried himself halfway.

At last, he lay down in the pit and breathed slowly beneath the earth. His face turned a terrifying deep purple, then iron gray.

Soon, even his breathing could no longer be seen!

Three days passed, and the work was done.

When the agreed time came, Zhang Kun, the owner of the needle shop, gave Xu Feng a Needle Pouch and threw in a shoulder bag for carrying it.

An angry-eyed deity was embroidered on the Needle Pouch.

It looked rather capable of warding off evil.

Unfortunately, exquisite