Chapter 24: Breaking the Divine

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News of the wolf attacking people spread like wildfire, swiftly reaching every household. Anxiety gripped the villagers, who chose to stay indoors and no longer venture outside. After all, it was the heart of winter; there was no need to farm or labor, so staying home made little difference. Those who relied on small trades closed their stalls, chief among them Butcher Zheng. He had been stared down by the black wolf that day, the beast’s cold and savage gaze still haunting him. Whenever he recalled it, his heart would race with terror.

“I bet that creature’s become a demon!”
Whenever he met someone, Butcher Zheng would declare this. Most people laughed it off, thinking he’d been scared senseless. Yet, hunters like Old Zhang and his companions became rather active. They brought hunting dogs and armed themselves with bows and other weapons, forming groups that fanned out to hunt the black wolf.

Wolf pelts were highly coveted in the market; a complete and high-quality pelt could fetch the hefty price of a silver ingot. As the saying goes, “Great rewards attract the brave.” Even without additional prizes, the black wolf’s value alone was enough to tempt the hunters. Hunting was their livelihood; why would they fear a fierce beast?

But strangely, despite their thorough searches across several miles, they found not a single clue—nothing at all. This baffled them, and they blamed the relentless snowfall for covering any tracks the black wolf might have left, making the hunt much harder.

Today, the snow still fell, though more lightly than before.
Nearly half a foot of snow had accumulated on the open ground in Jingyang Village, crunching underfoot.

Chen Jianchen walked through the snow to the small Earth God temple at the rear of the village. The fifteenth day had just passed, so the little temple was filled with offerings on the altar, the incense burning vigorously.

“Pitiful are those who bow to empty seats at midnight, asking not about the living, but about spirits,” Chen Jianchen suddenly recalled a verse. Glancing at the modest statue, barely two feet tall, he saw the kindly smile of a white-bearded elder, wearing a longevity hat and holding a dragon-headed staff.

The statue was somewhat worn, having stood in Jingyang Village for untold years, enjoying countless offerings.

Chen Jianchen took a quick look, then without hesitation, pulled out the sheets of paper he’d brought and a packet of paste. He coated the backs of the papers inscribed with verses from “Song of Righteousness,” then carefully affixed them to the three walls of the temple.

Posting poetry in a temple was unusual; ordinary people would never do such a thing. But villagers only worshipped the Earth God on the first and fifteenth of each month, and rarely visited otherwise. So, for the next few days, there was little risk of anyone seeing his work. Time was ample.

All ten sheets were posted, forming a ring around the central statue of the Earth God.
Chen Jianchen dusted his hands and left, preparing for the next stage of his plans.

Bang!

A sudden, sharp crack echoed behind him, like a giant egg being crushed.
Just as Chen Jianchen stepped out the temple door, he spun around—stunned. Before his eyes, the head of the Earth God statue exploded, splitting into pieces that clattered to the ground.

The statue, destroyed in an instant.

What had happened?
Chen Jianchen rushed back inside, scanning every corner, but found nothing unusual. His gaze finally settled on the ten sheets of calligraphy surrounding him—

Could it be the effect of righteous energy?
Could this energy have manifested upon a clay statue of a deity?

The thought both shocked and delighted him. Quickly, he drew out his pen case from his waist, opened it, and checked the Exorcism Brush. Sure enough, the transformed white hairs at the tip had increased from two to six.

Each strand glistened, standing out clearly among the bristles.

Immune to all evil, able to repel spirits and gods—could this be what “repelling spirits and gods” meant?

With this new discovery, Chen Jianchen was overjoyed, immediately tearing down the ten sheets he had posted. Because they’d been pasted, the paper crumpled as he removed it, ruined beyond use.

But he felt no regret. The writing could be redone; new discoveries were rare and precious. He hurried back to the village, already considering adjustments to his original plan.

At that moment, the village grew lively. Someone ran about announcing that Wang, the wealthy landlord of Shuyang Village, had heard of the wolf’s havoc and was offering a reward: five silver ingots for whoever killed the black wolf.

The bounty was exceptionally generous.
Wang was known for his miserly ways; for him to offer such a sum was remarkable. But the reward was posted, and it was substantial. Now the saying truly fit: “Great rewards attract the brave.” Not only did local hunters leap into action, but outsiders—even warriors from Jiangzhou City—came when they heard the news.

Hearing all this, Chen Jianchen merely frowned slightly, saying nothing. The wolf demon was sentient and cunning; how could it be so easily caught? Ordinary hunters and so-called warriors would likely not even catch a glimpse of it, let alone hunt it down.

Upon returning home, Mo San Niang, who had been worried, finally relaxed, scolding him for venturing out alone at such a dangerous time.

Chen Jianchen replied that he had only walked around the village and hadn’t gone far.

He entered his study, where Ying Ning emerged from the shadows.
Chen Jianchen recounted what had happened. Ying Ning was amazed, taking a moment before writing on paper: “It’s said that Earth Gods and City Guardians everywhere are under the jurisdiction of the Underworld. Perhaps the Earth God statue, after years of incense offerings, gained a trace of spiritual power, thus triggering the righteous energy…”

Chen Jianchen had heard a little about the Underworld from Daoist Qingyun, but knew little, so he asked Ying Ning.

Ying Ning replied: “The existence of the Underworld is shrouded in mystery. Little Fox’s knowledge is shallow and cannot say what it is like.”

Chen Jianchen could only let the matter rest.

Soon, his main focus shifted to studying the Exorcism Brush, especially the usefulness of the white hairs and what increasing their number might mean.

Unfortunately, at this stage, he was quite lost regarding these questions and could hardly find answers on his own. He only knew that as he continued his studies, the Exorcism Brush’s transformation seemed positive, and what he must do was further cultivate righteous energy until all mysteries were revealed.