Walking in the cycle of reincarnation

Chapter 28 Toad Shrine

In the heart of Jiebei Mountain, a solitary ancient banyan tree stands.

A new stone shrine was erected under the tree.

The shrine is simple and unadorned, without windows or doors. There are no shrines or incense offerings; it is completely empty, with only a stone platform in the center.

The morning mist had not yet lifted, and the mountain dew had not yet dried. Meng Jinchuan was already standing outside the shrine.

Dressed in a plain white sacrificial robe, he knelt before the shrine, his hands forming a mudra, and solemnly recited:

"The five insects return to their places, and all poisons pay homage. The golden toad opens its eyes, illuminating the past and present. Disciple Meng Jinchuan respectfully invites the Golden Toad Ancestor to descend to the altar to receive offerings. I wish to offer the essence of the five poisons to nourish the ancestral spirit, and pray that the poison lineage of my Meng family will continue forever."

At the end of the reading, he touched his forehead to the ground and performed the ritual of three bows and nine kowtows.

After finishing the ceremony, Meng Jinchuan brushed the mud off his knees, walked slowly, and bowed as he entered the ancestral hall.

Inside the shrine, on a stone platform, Zhang Nanfeng was resting with his eyes closed.

After three months, his body swelled up to the size of a puppy, his golden skin glossy and translucent, with purple star-like markings spreading along his back. He had a prominent snout, erect ears, and short, strong limbs, possessing both the agility of a rat and the sturdiness of a toad.

With reverence in his heart, Meng Jinchuan walked to the front of the platform with his head bowed, took off the bamboo basket on his back, and poured the five kinds of top-grade poisonous creatures inside onto the stone platform.

After finishing everything, he stepped back against the ancestral wall, folded his hands and feet, and respectfully awaited the Golden Toad Ancestor to enjoy the sacrificial offerings.

Zhang Nanfeng opened his eyes, a flash of golden light disappearing from his pupils.

His tongue moved swiftly, swallowing each of the five poisonous creatures one by one, the sound of chewing echoing throughout the shrine. A few drops of golden liquid spilled from between his teeth, only to be licked back up by him.

After finishing his meal, Meng Jinchuan still didn't dare to move until Zhang Nanfeng let out a low growl, at which point he dared to step forward.

"Golden Toad Ancestor".

Meng Jinchuan took out a sealed ceramic jar from his bosom and held it above his head with both hands:

"This is a rare species that my third uncle entrusted to his son Meng Linhai to bring back from the Eastern Continent. It is called the 'Ink Jade Silkworm.' It is said to be born in the most yin place in the Eastern Continent and is nurtured by rotting corpses for three years before it matures. I dare to invite Ancestor Golden Toad to have a taste."

Zhang Nanfeng looked over.

Inside the jar lay a black silkworm, as thick as a finger joint, its entire body shrouded in a dark blue hue, its tentacles still wriggling. With a flick of his tongue, he plucked the black jade silkworm into his mouth.

Upon biting into it, one finds the juices bland and the toxins soft and loose, far inferior to the Five Poisons native to southern Xinjiang.

He chewed it twice, but it tasted like cardboard. He swallowed it with difficulty, and the poison glands in his abdomen did not stir at all.

It's truly tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw it away.

Zhang Nanfeng glanced at Meng Jinchuan but made no comment. Meng Jinchuan, however, seemed to have received great approval, his face beaming with joy as he respectfully prostrated himself, awaiting his reward.

Zhang Nanfeng spat a drop of golden poison onto the edge of the stone platform. Meng Jinchuan quickly caught it in a jade bottle, kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude, retreated backwards from the shrine, and disappeared into the woods.

The entire process was meticulously planned and executed flawlessly, demonstrating exceptional standardization.

To this day, apart from Meng Lie, all the high-ranking members of Mengjia Village know that a living Golden Toad Ancestor is enshrined inside the Ancient Banyan Stone Shrine. Furthermore, Meng Jinchuan's position as priest was appointed by Meng Cang, and no one in the clan dares to object.

Only after the boy had walked away did Zhang Nanfeng slowly get up.

He stood beneath the stone platform, opened his mouth and exhaled, a strange gust of wind swirling around a corner of the platform. The wind subsided and swirled, shifting the platform half a foot away, revealing a dark hole beneath.

The cave entrance sloped downwards, winding and twisting. Zhang Nanfeng leaped in and hurried along the cave passage.

The cave walls were smooth, and he used his wind breath to cut away all the protruding roots. After walking for about a hundred feet, the space suddenly opened up, and he arrived at a huge underground cave.

This cave is located beneath the main root of an ancient banyan tree. It is several meters in circumference and tall enough for a person to stand upright. Zhang Nanfeng has etched countless tiny holes into the cave walls, allowing miasma to seep in and keeping the cave neither stuffy nor smelly.

Half of the cave floor was covered with countless golden beads.

Each golden bead was perfectly round, ranging in size from a pigeon's egg to a soybean, all refined over the past three months using the "Concealing Edge" technique. The golden beads emitted a soft glow within the cave, illuminating the entire cavern like a treasure chamber.

Zhang Nanfeng lay lazily on the golden pearl, so comfortable that he almost closed his eyes.

He rested for a moment, calmed his mind, and began to introspect.

The poison glands in its chest and abdomen had swelled to the size of a fist, and were covered with golden patterns. With each opening and closing, they released a tremendous amount of poison.

His mind then shifted, and he looked toward the coccyx.

The area around the tailbone is filled with the breath of wind.

Zhang Nanfeng was not happy, because in this life, with his mixed blood, the tailbone was the upper limit for containing wind energy, unlike in his previous life when he could store it in every part of his body, from meridians to limbs to skin and pores.

He also tried to forcefully draw the wind and breath away from the coccyx and into the meridians of the spine to expand the storage.

But as soon as the breath left the orifice, it was like a wild horse that had broken free, running wildly through the meridians for several breaths. Unable to find a place to settle, it then drifted away in wisps through the pores.

He tried countless times, regardless of the losses, but the outcome was always the same. His coccyx was full, and his meridians refused to accept it. This physical body was like a leaky earthenware pot, unable to withstand even the slightest bit of extra air.

Zhang Nanfeng looked at the faint light filtering through the cave ceiling and sighed.

Although he knew that the rat-toad's body had a thin bloodline, limiting the upper limit of his strange wind supernatural powers, he still couldn't help but feel unwilling when he was truly at his wit's end. A strong desire welled up in his heart.

If one can enter into cultivation, taking the origin of heaven and earth as the foundation, this breath might still have a place to return to, rather than being trapped by the intensity of this bloodline.

However, despite his intense desire, it didn't make him feel uneasy.

A few nights ago, he climbed to a high place and looked down over the entire Mengjia village, secretly making calculations.

If the night wind is strong enough and the wind direction is favorable, carrying the golden poison, even just the slightest breath of wind in the tailbone would be enough to kill everyone in Mengzhai overnight, so that they would never see the sunrise again.

enough.

In this life, the Myriad Poisons Transformation is his fundamental reliance, while the Strange Wind is merely an auxiliary tool. Being able to carry the poison far and wide is enough.

Thinking of this, he withdrew from his internal vision and was about to take a short rest when he suddenly remembered something.

Meng Cang has not shown up for many days.

Half a month ago, Meng Cang visited the ancestral hall late at night. His words were full of barely suppressed excitement. He claimed that the plan was complete, the power grab was imminent, and he would soon embarrass Meng Lie in public and take over the position of clan leader.

Yet to this day, Mengjia Village remains peaceful. The quality of the five poisonous creatures that Meng Jinchuan delivers daily has not declined, and there is no sign of anything amiss in his expression. Meng Cang's boastful words from that day seem to have been nothing but empty talk.

Zhang Nanfeng lay on the golden pearl, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Meng Cang is extremely shrewd and not one to make rash decisions lightly. If the plan had changed, he should at least have come to inform us so we could discuss countermeasures.

Could it be... that something unexpected happened?

Zhang Nanfeng's heart sank.

Since I have nothing to do today, why don't I... go and see for myself?

He got up, returned to the ground along the cave passage, used his wind breath to reset the stone platform, and leaped out of the shrine, heading towards Mengjia Village.

Before long, he had climbed the tall tree that often overlooked Mengjia Village.

At this time, the village was sparsely lit, a time of leisurely evening light.

But just as he regained his footing, he saw someone light a torch in the quiet village.

At first, there were only a few scattered spots, but in an instant, they joined together, piercing the night like a fiery serpent winding its way up from the foot of the village and converging on a bamboo house.