Chapter 134: The Bell That Commands Insects and Rats

"Do you have any other business?"

Wang Chao, who was in the middle of casting a sorcery spell to transform into an owl, paused his incantation, maintaining a bizarre form with a human head and an owl's body.

Shang Lu pointed toward the villagers scattered around. "Wizard Wang, do you have any way to help these people overcome their addiction to the putrid meat?"

Initially, the villagers on this mound had been manipulated by the Blood Age God, driven to intercept and surround Shang Lu and his companions due to the influence of the putrid meat. Now that the Blood Age God’s demonic energy had plummeted, leaving it unable to control them, the villagers had fallen into hallucinations induced by the toxicity of the meat. They lay sprawled in disarray, drooling at the corners of their mouths, looking utterly wretched. Yet, despite their state, they wore eerie smiles, occasionally emitting chilling giggles and laughter.

Wang Chao shook his head. "I have no way to neutralize the addiction to the Blood Age God’s putrid meat. They will have to rely on their own willpower to break the habit."

"Then could I trouble you, Wizard Wang, to transport these people to the Luo Family Village?" Shang Lu made another request.

If left here, these villagers would be in grave danger, not just from demons and ghosts, but even from jackals and wild dogs. As a County Lieutenant, Shang Lu held the responsibility of protecting the borders and the people; he could not simply abandon them. He planned to move them to the Luo Family Village first, and once they regained their senses, he would reprimand and warn them to detoxify properly. However, with so many people, it was difficult to transport them relying only on himself and the injured Du Feng and Liu Zhi.

"That is no problem at all," Wang Chao agreed with a nod.

What appeared to be a troublesome task for Shang Lu was, in his eyes, a mere trifle. He produced a bell and, after chanting a spell, gave it a shake. A dark, dense "flood" immediately surged from all directions, rushing toward the hallucinating villagers. Instead of drowning them, however, the mass of creatures lifted them up.

"What in the world is that?"

Du Feng, unable to see clearly, walked curiously toward the nearest villager to inspect the "flood" that was carrying them.

"It is insects and rodents."

Shang Lu’s vision was sharp even in the pitch-black environment, let alone under the moonlight. He clearly saw that after Wang Chao chanted and rang the bell, countless rats, ants, and other creatures had emerged from the surrounding earth. Even more were swarming in from afar. It was these insects and rodents that formed the "torrent" supporting the villagers.

It seemed this Wizard Wang not only excelled in transmutation but also possessed the skill of beast taming. It was no wonder the Sorcery Academy had sent him to assist Feng Boyuan in exploring and developing the secret realm; he was truly the right man for the job.

"County Lieutenant Shang, I will leave this bell with you. Just shake it, and the insects and rodents will carry the people and follow you. Once you reach your destination, shake the bell nine times in rapid succession, and the creatures will disperse on their own."

After instructing him on the use of the bell and confirming that Shang Lu had no other requests, Wang Chao resumed his transformation. In a few short breaths, he fully turned into a night owl. He grabbed the Blood Age God with his talons and took flight, flapping his wings. He moved with such incredible speed that, in the blink of an eye, he was nothing more than a small black dot.

Shang Lu withdrew his gaze and turned to Liu Zhi. "How are your injuries?"

"Do not worry, sir, we have largely recovered."

Liu Zhi was not exaggerating; the flesh of the Blood Age God had remarkable healing properties. Although Liu Zhi, Du Feng, and their two official horses were still covered in blood and grime, most of their wounds had actually healed. They were merely suffering from severe blood-qi depletion and needed time to recuperate.

After assessing their condition, Shang Lu nodded. "We shall head to the Luo Family Village first; you two can continue to rest and recover on the way."

Du Feng returned at this moment, clicking his tongue in amazement. "It really is insects and rodents. I never imagined that such small creatures could carry people."

Seeing his interest, Shang Lu asked, "What, would you like to try it?"

Du Feng considered it seriously before shaking his head. "I think I’ll pass. I’d rather walk; being carried by bugs and rats doesn’t feel very auspicious."

Shang Lu chuckled without further comment. He walked down the mound and shook the bell. Like a tide, the insects and rodents really did carry the villagers, following the sound and trailing behind him. However, they stopped after only a short distance. Seeing this, Shang Lu tried shaking the bell again. Sure enough, with every shake, the creatures would follow for a bit longer. He found he had to ring the bell every few steps to keep the creatures from falling behind.

The scene struck Shang Lu as strangely familiar. If he were to scatter some spirit money and replace the insects and rodents with zombies, it would be even more fitting.

Liu Zhi and Du Feng patrolled the perimeter to ensure no one fell behind. The three official horses, learning from the situation, also acted as herders. Fortunately, it was late at night and there were no travelers on the road; otherwise, one could only imagine how terrified they would have been to witness such a bizarre and eerie sight.

A short while later, the trio returned to the Luo Family Village. The people in the village had already regained consciousness and, having passed the manic stage, were now lying weakly in Luo Zhutong’s courtyard, moaning and groaning. Seeing Shang Lu return, they struggled to stand, begging him to let them go so they could attend the divine banquet.

"Still thinking about the divine banquet? Your god has already been captured by our superior!" Du Feng mocked. "Look at your pathetic states. If it were truly a divine banquet, would it have left you in such a wretched condition?"

"They are suffering from withdrawal. It is useless to talk to them now. Wait until they survive this phase and regain their senses," Shang Lu said. He continued to shake the bell, having the insects and rodents carry the people from the other villages into Luo Zhutong’s courtyard as well.

After counting them and confirming no one was missing, he shook the bell nine times in quick succession. The courtyard full of insects and rodents receded like an ebbing tide, vanishing in an instant.

Shang Lu toyed with the bell for a moment. Accidentally shaking it, he heard a sound and noticed a few insects and rodents nearby stop and stare at him, waiting for orders.

"Oh?"

Shang Lu’s interest was piqued, and he began to test the bell to control the creatures. After some experimentation, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he could summon and control the insects and rodents even without chanting the incantation. He just needed to explore and practice the specific commands, as the creatures struggled to perform complex actions under his current control. This was likely due to his lack of mastery.

Even so, this discovery delighted him. As long as Wizard Wang did not come looking for the bell, he had no intention of returning it. His intuition told him that this bell might prove immensely useful one day!

"You two focus on your cultivation and restore your blood-qi; I will keep an eye on them," Shang Lu instructed Du Feng and Liu Zhi. He then pulled up a chair and sat in the courtyard.

After watching for a while and seeing the villagers were still in a daze, he realized there was nothing to guard against. He shifted his focus to internal observation, checking the state of the meridians within his body.

After the examination, Shang Lu was thrilled to find that the act of forcefully opening his acupuncture points during the heat of battle had been highly effective. Normally, a breakthrough in cultivation was followed by a period of instability that required time to consolidate and stabilize the realm. However, due to the rapid and powerful circulation of blood-qi during the intense combat, his meridians and points had been consolidated and strengthened in one fell swoop.

Once he returned to the county seat, he would be able to cleanse his marrow and move toward the Marrow Cleansing Realm!

"I really should thank the Blood Age God!"

Shang Lu thought that if he ever had the chance to meet the Blood Age God again, he would certainly have to carve off another piece of its flesh to express his gratitude.