As Li Sanyu narrated, Tao Qian realized what had happened in Seeking Immortal County during the three days he spent in seclusion.
The demons officially started a magical struggle against the Forbidden Immortal Hall and the Demon Suppression Army.
Yet it was the people of Seeking Immortal County who suffered.
Tao Qian frowned and, without thinking, toed a meat worm that had been scorched to death by lime next to him, wondering how this thing was somewhat similar to the methods used by the Naked Saintess, but far weaker, and the growth of flesh tumors and human faces after parasitism were very different, and he didn't know where it really came from.
While Tao Qian speculated, he asked again, "What about that very powerful female immortal? She dared to invade the demon nest, she must be very powerful, right?"
"That female immortal was desperate to save her child, and after being defeated she went to the provincial capital, calling out the Governor of Southern Yue's name as if he was of a very high status, apparently trying to force the governor to send a real Demon Suppression Army to raze Iron Buddha Mountain, but it has been three days, and the result is still unknown."
Li Sanyu's answer didn't have a harsh tone, obviously, he too hoped that the Governor of Southern Yue would send an army to obliterate that demon nest.
"Has the situation in Seeking Immortal County deteriorated so much in these three days?"
While speaking, Tao Qian couldn't help but recall the tragic scenes he had seen outside the city.
It seemed that those places had been plundered again by the demons from the Iron Buddha Temple, leaving homes deserted and bodies strewn everywhere.
At that moment, the owner of the neighboring pharmacy, Jia Qiang, dropped his stick and sighed,
"Before she left, the female immortal issued a Summoning Immortal Order, calling on the Loose Cultivators and True Masters within Southern Yue to come and help."
"These three days, indeed, cultivators have been coming from all over, but it seems none of them are experts, and most of them look down upon us mortals, either going to that Star-picking Pavilion, or joining the Changchun Society, and then trampling and bullying us commoners."
"What has the world come to, suddenly turning out this way, human life treated like grass."
"Vegetable Market Street is almost turning into People Market."
"Tao Scholar, you shouldn't have come back. The county is under lockdown, allowed in but not out, and now it's hard for you to escape again."
Boss Jia's words made Boss Li cry even louder.
But it was Tao Qian who discerned a lot of key information.
"That powerful female immortal is most likely from the Ten Thousand Infant Sect, could she be Tong Dudu's mother?"
"She was willing to issue a Summoning Immortal Order before leaving, she must be a cultivator who still cares about the lives of the common people."
"As for that Changchun Society, that name sounds very familiar, doesn't it…"
Tao Qian pondered for a moment and quickly found the answer in the life story written by Seeking Immortal Hermit Wu Ming from his own memory.
It was an organization akin to a secret society among the common people, not as vast as the Cao Gang, but far more complex than Cao Gang.
This organization specifically gathered those who told fortunes, sold plasters, performed tricks, exclaimed storybooks, repaired feet, cured sexual diseases, played with monkeys... and so on, consisting of a wide array of low-class individuals making their way through the worldly society.
However, that was just one side they presented to the mundane world. In the Cultivation World, the Changchun Society was also considered a power.
Very weak, but very complex.
Every province and city had its own Changchun Society, none subordinate to each other, existing independently, occasionally helping one another out.
The "cultivators" in the Changchun Society were almost all insignificant, at most at the Energy Introduction or Qi Refining Realm.
These people were, after all, complex, some Changchun Societies did good deeds, while others swindled, bullied the kind, and committed all sorts of evil.
Listening to Jia Qiang's complaints, it seemed that the Changchun Society that suddenly appeared in Seeking Immortal County belonged to the latter category.
Just as Tao Qian thought of this, the three men, separated by the courtyard door, suddenly heard a series of hawking cries coming from the street:
"Fellow villagers, wealthy shopkeepers, today we have a great surprise, our society's expert has unexpectedly refined top-grade Changchun Elixirs and superior Evil Exorcism Talismans."
"The Changchun Elixir, upon ingestion, can suppress evil insects, and there's no need to worry about being drained of essence blood and dying overnight."
"The Evil Exorcism Talisman, once affixed above doors and windows, can prevent evil spirits from intruding."
"There are only a hundred of each elixir and talisman, first come first served, if you miss it you may be missing out on your or your family members' lives."
"Come quickly and grab them!"
As these hawking cries rose, Li Sanyu, who was crying on the ground, suddenly stopped, his face twisting with rage as he was about to rush out.
Jia Qiang quickly held him back, persuading him hurriedly,
"Boss Li, please stay calm, please stay very calm."
"Although your sister-in-law has been infested with the evil insect, at least her life is still there, and there's still a bit of hope."
"But if you rush out to settle scores with those wicked Taoists and end up being killed by them, then your family will truly have no hope left."
Jia Qiang's advice worked, calming the rage-filled Li Sanyu, who just slumped on the ground and began to cry loudly.
His crying also stirred the sad emotions of the two families inside the house, each of them began to weep softly.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the courtyard was unbearably tragic.
Tao Qian listened silently for a few breaths and understood the situation:
These three days, every time the insect rain ended, the people of the Changchun Society would come out to sell those so-called "Changchun Elixirs" and "Evil Exorcism Talismans," claiming they could suppress and cure evil insect parasitism, but the prices were exorbitantly expensive, so expensive that ordinary people couldn't even afford to look at them.
Boss Li's wife was infested that day, so Boss Li sold his family property and store and bought both the elixirs and talismans.
But it turned out that both the elixir and the talisman only had a superficial effect, and after a day, things were as they were.
With so many victims, the Changchun Society didn't know how much wealth it had amassed through this means.
Although many victims wanted to fight back and reclaim their hard-earned money, it was a pity that the Changchun Society could do such a thing, because they must have bought off all relations, making all resistance futile.
Boss Li was actually quite fortunate; he had a good friend Jia Qiang who took him in.
Others were less lucky and, in order to survive and feed themselves, even had to make their way to the People Market.
Tao Qian had never anticipated that merely three days of secluded cultivation
would lead to such a scenery upon his return.
"It's as if I've traversed to another world!"
With a sigh, Tao Qian observed Boss Li, who looked haggard beyond measure and seemed to have aged decades.
After pondering for a moment, he made a decision.
Spirit Treasure Source Qi gently began to operate as he said to Li Sanyu:
"Brother Li, if you trust me, why not let me take a look at your sister-in-law?"
"Although I am merely a scholar who runs a bookstore, I have learned a few Daoist Skills for exorcising demons."
As Tao Qian spoke, the Spirit Treasure Source Qi within him surged, naturally emitting the Pure Spirit Qi unique to True Practitioners from the Daoist sect.
Instantaneously, all crying within the courtyard ceased, and both bosses, with wide eyes staring at small ones, observed the sudden and dramatic transformation in the demeanor of Tao Scholar.
If it were any other time, the two may have made a jest or two.
But for Li Sanyu, at this moment, any straw was worth grasping.
Especially, since the current Tao Qian indeed differed greatly from ordinary people.
The special aura of a True Practitioner of Spiritual Treasure cultivation was not something common cultivators could compare with, and this was the transformation brought about by the accomplishment in the Spirit Treasure Root Skill.
Both bosses were first stunned, then overjoyed, especially Li Sanyu, who hurriedly nodded his head, scrambling to his feet and dragging Tao Qian towards the inner room.
Inside the house, there were seven or eight family members, mostly women and children, all of them terrified and haggard.
On a bed in the farthest corner lay a middle-aged woman, with a withered appearance and a body shrunk so much that she was nearly nothing but skin and bones, her internal organs barely covered. Anyone seeing her would declare her not far from death.
In stark contrast was the flesh lump on her neck, almost as big as her head.
The "face" on its surface was incredibly vivid, even with fully developed facial features, mocking everyone present with a sinister grin.
This sight terrified the other women, girls, and children in the house, none of them daring to approach, leaving only Li Sanyu to throw himself on her, wailing incessantly, his voice full of sorrow.
While Tao Qian internally sighed at how Boss Li usually acted like a lustful rogue, he was deeply infatuated with his wife. He then reached out a finger and touched the human-faced flesh lump.
For those who were parasitized, Tao Qian had a throbbing sensation, though very faint, it should be able to trigger his awareness.
As he moved, Boss Jia, seeing Li Sanyu had lost the ability to speak, began to explain:
"Li's sister-in-law was parasitized by an evil insect three days ago, and since then she has continuously weakened. Boss Li sold his possessions for an elixir charm that worked for a day and then failed. In just three days, Li's sister-in-law became ."
"There are far worse cases in the city of those who were parasitized, many not even lasting three days. It is said that at least a thousand people have already died. To prevent the evil insects from escaping, the county government has taken harsh measures. Some poor people were even dragged off to be cremated before they could take their last breath. Every evening, the south side of Seeking Immortal County lights up with blazing fires—that's the burning of bodies."
As he spoke, Jia Qiang also sighed repeatedly, his eyes red with sorrow.
At this time, Tao Qian's mind had already successfully activated Extraordinary Perception, and the chaotic information sorted itself into records.
[Record: human-faced insect puppet.]
[Record Type: Abnormality.]
[Record: Puppets parasitized by "human-faced insects", which need to be cultivated artificially, require gathering life resentment, the fresh blood of harsh and cruel people in the world, and a hundred poisonous insects. The poisonous insects are placed in a filthy copper basin, doused with human blood, sealed with resentment, and refined with secret techniques for a full forty-nine days. Then, a pair of human-faced insects will appear in the basin, which when fed fresh human flesh, will mate frenziedly, laying hundreds of thousands of egg balls in just a few days.]
[Note one: Once parasitized by this insect, one's essence blood will be devoured until death from bursting in a few days. During this period, the insect will emit a terrifying aura, causing people to live in constant fear, and their spirit unable to be at peace.]
[Note two: Ordinary methods cannot solve this insect, but it is restrained by the Evil Exorcism Demon-destroying Daoist and Buddhist Methods. However, it must be caught off guard to be effective, and once the lump forms an insect, it will directly burrow into the puppet's skull. At that point, even if the evil insect is exterminated, the puppet will undoubtedly die.]
[Note three: The insect craves naturally auspicious and spiritual things. If rarities like Ganoderma People or ginseng babies were to bleed and lure it, all human-faced insects within the area will become frenzied, ignoring their master's will, and surge over.]
[Note four: The insect was cultivated by the Heterodox Demon Insect Master Gongsun Yan, whose Lifebound Technique is the Thousand Insects Soul-binding Scripture. He has reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, and is known for his perverse, cunning, and cruel nature.]
Tao Qian understood the secrets clearly.
He also understood why, despite there being many Great Demons and Monsters on Iron Buddha Mountain, the first method employed was so seemingly innocuous.
It seemed the likes of the Beautiful Corpse Bodhisattva and others did not intend to slaughter Seeking Immortal County.
They wanted to plunge Seeking Immortal County into panic; it seemed they intended to keep the Forbidden Immortal Hall and the Demon Suppression Army busy to death?
As Tao Qian pondered, he appeared downcast on the surface.
At the same time, he shook his head and looked around with eyes full of apologies, saying, "I'm sorry, I am powerless to help…"
No sooner had he spoken, the glimmer of hope in the eyes of Li Sanyu and the others dimmed, and an atmosphere of panic and fear spread once again.
The facial expression on the flesh lump on Li's sister-in-law's neck immediately changed to an even more defiant and pugnacious grin.
It was at this very moment that Tao Qian abruptly spoke.
Nine True Spirit Sound!
This Daoist True Sound, designed to subdue Evil Demons, echoed throughout the room, killing the Divine Soul of the "human-faced insect" that was comfortably coiled inside the flesh lump before it could even wail.
Then Tao Qian extended his hand and pressed it on the flesh lump, expelling Spirit Treasure Source Qi, which immediately forced out the filthy Evil Qi from within while pushing the pure life essence back into Li's sister-in-law's body.
After a few breaths, a miracle occurred.
The flesh lump dissipated, and Li's sister-in-law's mummified body gradually regained its rosiness and plumpness.
Li Sanyu, along with everyone in the room, had their expressions change as rapidly as in the face-changing act, instantly transforming from despair and fear to ecstatic joy.