A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 178 Arrangement

Inside the county government office, Xiang He and Zhu Nan reported on their investigations.

Hearing such a bizarre story, Pang Long frowned deeply. "Is it really the work of some evil spirit?"

"Hasn't the general seen those who survived being pierced by swords and spears? The enemy's soul has been controlled, unable to feel the pain of the flesh, and will only obey orders to be consumed endlessly."

Feeling a dryness in her throat, Xiang He swallowed lightly, "like a puppet."

Xiangyang nodded in agreement, "I already reported that the enemy's movements are rather strange. They are not using torches at night, and the paths on both sides are dark and mountainous, making it difficult to travel at night."

“Hmm,” Pang Long frowned and tapped the table lightly with his finger, “It seems that what you said is true, these enemy soldiers are not as good as ordinary people.”

He suddenly looked up and stared at Xiang He, "Since you know those things, do you have any solutions?"

"The only way is to prepare more arrows as soon as possible when the enemy arrives, soak the arrowheads in talisman water, and then set up an array on the open ground outside."

The thought of such a large-scale operation gave Xiang He a headache.

"Only I can handle this matter. I beg the general to assign Xiangyang to me, as there are some things I need him to prepare."

"Zhou Jiasheng will follow you too. Just ask if you need anything. Luckily it's daytime now."

"Yes."

Having received permission, Xiang He immediately went to prepare the talisman water, Vice General Yang went to arrange for the soldiers to prepare arrows, and Xiang Yang went to prepare the ink that Xiang He had requested.

Many soldiers in the city were asleep, and only a few were assigned to work. The quiet Shuiyun City was no longer as lively as it used to be.

Xiang He, dressed in a Taoist robe, stood on the city wall, gazing at the open space in front of her. In front of her were three large vats filled with water.

She walked to one of the large vats, took out twenty-one sheets of yellow paper, put her hands together in front of her lips, and said, “By the great command, the sun rises in the east, I bestow this talisman to sweep away all misfortune… So be it!”

As he turned his hands, the talisman burst into flames, surprising those watching. Only Pang Long kept his lips tightly pressed together, seemingly lost in thought.

When the talisman in his hand had burned halfway, Xiang He shook it a few times to let the ashes fall into the water, and finally let go when only a tiny bit remained.

Using the same method with three large vats, they would be essential when the enemy arrived.

Xiang He lightly brushed the white dust off her skirt. "General, do we have enough arrows? Will the enemy shoot arrows at us?"

Pang Long didn't answer, but simply raised his hand, and soldiers immediately carried a scarecrow up from behind him.

"Of course we don't have enough arrows, we've already prepared straw figures to collect them."

"General is wise," Xiang He walked to one of the scarecrows, took out a talisman, silently recited it to his lips, and then stuck it on the scarecrow's back. "We don't know if there's anything wrong with the enemy's arrows. It's best to be prepared just in case."

"Just go and do it."

"Yes."

More than twenty straw figures were covered with talismans. Xiang He raised his hand to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead, "Doing this too often can be tiring..."

"Girl, take a rest for a while. We still need to go down and set up the formation later."

Xiang He reached out and took the bamboo tube from Zhu Nan, tilted his head back and drank all the water inside.

He raised his hand to wipe his mouth. "No need. Let's go now. It's better for us to resolve this sooner."

"Yes."

The two left the city gate, and Xiangyang ran up behind them carrying a bamboo basket. "Sister, all the ink from Jinyizhuang and our home is here. The bamboo tubes inside are filled with water."

"Okay, you go up first, Zhu Nan and I will stay here."

Xiangyang wanted to stay, but Xianghe had already walked away with his bamboo basket, so he had no choice but to return to the city first.

After the city gates closed, Xiangyang ran up to the city wall and watched with Pang Long and the others.

"Which master did your older sister learn from? Did she learn it from a young age?"

Knowing that it was Pang Long who was asking the question, Xiang Yang nodded slightly and told Xiang He what he had been told to say: "When my sister was young, she met a master and received his teachings. She has been cultivating all these years."

"That's quite a talent, a master's discerning eye."

Xiang Yang stopped speaking, but Pang Long continued to observe his face, unable to detect a trace of panic. He could only silently turn his head to look down.

Zhu Nan held the inkstone with one hand and ground the ink. Xiang He cut his fingertip and dripped blood into it. He took out the inkwell from his cloth bag, poured some ink into it, and then put the inkstone back down.

"Keep walking forward with this in your hand until I tell you to stop."

"Yes."

This ink line is longer than the one she originally had; it was a new one made by her fourth uncle, and it's just the right size for Xiang He now.

On the open ground, Zhu Nan stood in place as Xiang He instructed. The two of them flicked the ink lines together and changed positions more than a dozen times.

After finally setting up a magic array, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky.

Along with the lightning came a low growl of thunder. The sunlight on his body gradually dimmed. Xiang He immediately looked up and saw that the bright sun on the horizon was obscured by dark clouds, with occasional flashes of lightning and thunder.

Holding the ink line, Xiang He frowned deeply. "We need to hurry..."

She turned her head and waved to Zhu Nan, "Hurry up, the clouds are blocking the sun, they might be on their way now."

Zhu Nan immediately hung up the line. "Yes."

In a large open space, the two were busy working in the increasingly heavy rain. The sky was getting darker and darker than before dawn.

The midday heat has dissipated, and a chilly breeze can be felt as it blows by.

Using the city walls on the left and right as the edges, Xiang He drew six squares in total. His hand, which was flicking the ink lines, trembled slightly, and his left middle finger was covered with scratches.

Xiang He's lips were a little pale, and Zhu Nan looked worried. "Miss, why don't you go back and rest for a while?"

"Hmm, I feel a little dizzy right now. I need to eat something when I get back."

The two packed their things and headed towards the city gate. Zhu Nan looked up at the sky, which was now completely covered by dark clouds, and the wind was blowing all around as if a storm was about to break.

"Miss, won't the ink lines on the ground be washed away?"

Xiang He gently kneaded her middle finger. "No, the lines have formed an array. Unless another magical artifact destroys them, they won't be easily erased."

She was playing the instrument and chanting at the same time, putting all her energy into the formation.

I feel weak right now, I need to close my eyes and rest.

As soon as the two entered the city gate, Black Crow flew over, saying, "The enemy troops are marching, and they're moving much faster than before!"

Suddenly frowning, Xiang He immediately ran up the city wall, with Black Crow perched on her shoulder. "The yin energy is much stronger than last night; those soldiers are running now."

"Did you see what's behind the soldier?"

Black Crow nuzzled against He's earlobe, "I can't see, it's too far away."

Xiang He raised her hand and tapped his head. "If you're tired, go and rest. I have to stay here and keep an eye on things."

"No, I have to stay with the girl too."

"You're not scared anymore?"

Black Crow raised its head, as if in protest, "After all, the girl saved my life, so I have to help her out in some small way."

"Thank you."

The two continued talking as if no one else was around. Zhou Jiasheng was already used to it, because he had seen even stranger things, like being able to summon ghost messengers...

"Miss, would you like some porridge?"

Xiang He turned her head and saw Zhou Jiasheng holding a food box. Xiang He thanked him and reached out to take it.

She and Zhu Nan sat on the ground, not caring about the temperature, and filled their stomachs first.

-

After they had been resting with their eyes closed for a long time, Xiang He suddenly opened his clear eyes.

It was pitch black before my eyes, as if it were night, and a fierce wind was blowing.

This time, it wasn't just a distant sound, but rather the sound of orderly footsteps echoing right before the city walls.

"coming."