"Please speak, esteemed elder."

Wu Xiang Gongzi was overjoyed and hurriedly cupped his hands in respect.

The key to this plan lies in breaking the spell; as long as the spell is undone, everything else will resolve smoothly.

The old woman calmly said, "I require three-year aged glutinous rice, Bashan coarse salt, mugwort ash, rootless water (rainwater), and an Eight Trigrams Mirror."

"Quickly fetch them!"

Wu Xiang Gongzi turned around and commanded.

After his subordinates left, he turned to Gold Granny, "Esteemed elder, the situation is urgent. How long will it take to break the spell?"

"The spell can be broken quickly, but it must be done at noon."

The old woman spoke solemnly, "The method I use is the Yang Rice Breaking Yin Technique, which requires glutinous rice to be sun-dried under the Eight Trigrams Mirror at noon, using salt to break the spell. Any other hour would only lead to the spell's backlash."

"Noon?"

Wu Xiang Gongzi frowned deeply and turned to the crowd, "Everyone, the timing will be slightly delayed, and we must ensure no flaws are revealed."

"Also, relay to those brothers to stall the royal procession of King Shu, no matter what happens, this seat will not mistreat their families..."

Listening to the arrangements, Li Yan took out his pocket watch to check.

It was just past 7 a.m. to 9 a.m, and the Divine Travel of Joyful God at Wuhou Temple would end by 11 a.m. at the latest.

With such a long duration, it's going to be somewhat difficult to stall...

......

The snowstorms had just cleared, and sunlight pierced through the clouds.

Outside Chengdu Prefecture City, a large procession of the Joyful God was crossing the Wanli Bridge.

Due to the large crowd and the narrow bridge, the movement was slow.

From afar, one could see the Jinjiang river with its snow-covered ice appearing like a white ribbon, stilted buildings on the riverbanks hanging icicles, and red paper confetti fluttering in the wind.

"Divine Travel" also has a rule that someone must play Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Wu Hou, leading the procession.

Even the royal procession of King Shu must follow behind.

At the intersection on the other side of Wanli Bridge, over a dozen commoners knelt by the roadside, offering food and wine.

Inside bamboo baskets, there were military rations and a few bottles of Pitong Wine.

This is an ancient custom of sending off troops, also the most ceremonial rule of welcoming Divine Travel.

According to custom, those playing Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei must go up, take a bite of the rations, and drink a sip of wine.

However, the four in front showed no concern whatsoever.

One of the "commoners" gave a signal, and the others immediately rushed forward with bamboo baskets.

"Sir, please taste the humble one's craftsmanship."

"Divine Travel, auspicious and peaceful."

These people spoke kindly, but their backs were all taut.

Clang!

Suddenly, the person playing Guan Yu swiftly raised the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, stepped forward with both arms exerted, executing a sweeping attack.

In an instant, the blade flashed, and blood and heads rolled.

"Attack!"

Seeing their plot exposed, these "commoners" immediately drew daggers from their waists, some even lifted the rations to reveal hidden bamboo tubes containing gunpowder.

"Hahaha!"

The one playing Zhang Fei rushed forward with the Eight-foot Snake Spear, using the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Spear Skill.

In the blink of an eye, three or four more were pierced.

The "commoners" at the rear were about to ignite gunpowder barrels, but "Liu Bei" leapt forward, wielding a Double-edged Sword, severing limbs in a flurry of strikes.

These actors were all masters of Hidden Energy.

Quickly, these "commoners" were slaughtered completely.

The last person had his heart pierced, fell to the ground, his eyes staring fixedly at the stone bridge, filled with unwillingness and confusion...

"Murderer!"

The rear commoners were so frightened, they retreated continuously.

At that moment, Chief Eunuch Liu Gong-gong of Shu Prince Mansion made a signal, and interior guards immediately unloaded bundles, grabbing handfuls of broken silver and scattered them into the sky.

"The demon has emerged, King Shu commands, continue forward without delaying the auspicious hours—!"

With this, the commoners behind instantly halted.

They were dumbstruck, but their eyes quickly turned bloodshot, madly surging forward.

Earlier, only Joyful God Money was scattered, but now it was real silver.

Though cut into small pieces, only the size of a pinky, snatching even one or two could sustain a family for a whole month.

They couldn't care less about the dead.

Even if the sky fell, they had to fight for it.

The crowd swarmed forward, and with the royal procession of King Shu picking up pace, the large group quickly crossed the Wanli Bridge.

A few lagged behind, jumping off the stone bridge, running down the shore.

They had sharp eyes, seeing more than a dozen broken silver pieces falling under the bridge.

In the cold winter, the river surface was already frozen.

They stumbled across, intending to collect the silver but fell face down in shock.

Under the bridge, they saw people clinging to the gaps between bricks, using movement technique akin to wall-hugging geckos, hiding below the bridge, with gunpowder barrels strapped to their waists.

But these individuals were already dead.

Each had a darkened face, muscles cramped as if scorched by something, yet their clothes remained intact...

The rest of the journey proceeded smoothly.

The royal procession of King Shu arrived outside Wuhou Temple.

Along the way, they scattered silver multiple times, attracting the commoners to follow, only a dozen left early due to fear.

King Shu followed the procession into Wuhou Temple.

In front of the Three Loyalties Temple, offerings of three livestock had long been arranged, and the temple priest with several Daoists greeted reverently.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

The temple priest approached carefully to greet.

Naturally, he had heard of the happenings in Chengdu Prefecture City, hoping Wuhou Temple being outside the city would avoid trouble, but unexpectedly, King Shu behaved maniacally, insisting on holding Divine Travel.

Two days prior, he had already sent people to control Wuhou Temple.

The temple priest of Wuhou Temple was affiliated with Huangling Sect, thinking of fellow sect members imprisoned in the city without knowing their fate, he was anxious.

Before entering Wuhou Temple, King Shu dismounted.

He ignored Miao Zhu's grim expression, stepped forward to the altar, and personally lit incense and candle.

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