Field C-7 in the Medicine Garden lay at the far western edge, right against the jagged cliff of the rear mountain.
Jiang Muchen arrived at dawn with Wang Duobao and Zheng Xiaoqi. The three-acre patch was a disaster zone. Furrows had collapsed, spirit plants lay toppled, and the soil was churned as if clawed by a monstrous beast. The ground was riddled with thumb-sized holes, seemingly bottomless. When the wind blew, faint rustling echoed from the darkness—like countless insects grinding their teeth in the shadows.
The air was thick with a sickly, sweet, and rotting stench.
Soul-Eating Bugs. They resembled centipedes but were thinner, jet-black from head to tail, with poisonous mandibles that gnawed at plant roots. Worst of all, they burrowed up to three feet deep, out of reach of ordinary spells.
Lin Yueyao was already waiting at the edge of the field.
She had changed into a pale moon-white combat outfit, her long hair tied high in a ponytail, a short jade-inlaid sword at her waist. Her eyes swept over the tools Jiang Muchen had brought—not pest-control artifacts, but three nearly human-height wooden barrels, a few long-handled wooden scoops, and several bundles of dried Rotbone Flowers.
"That's it?" Her brow furrowed, impatience in her tone. "Jiang Muchen, I don't have time to play house."
"Please be patient, Senior Sister." Jiang Muchen motioned for Wang Duobao and Zheng Xiaoqi to set down the barrels. "May I first inspect the infestation?"
Lin Yueyao waved a hand, granting tacit approval.
Jiang Muchen crouched at the field's edge, parting the fallen golden-thread grass. Dozens of Soul-Eating Bugs, each the thickness of a chopstick, coiled around the roots. Sensing movement, they lifted their heads in unison, mandibles glinting black in the morning light.
He didn't flinch. From his pocket, he pulled out a small celadon vial, sprinkling pale green powder around the bug cluster.
The powder—a mix of Rotbone Flower dust, sulfur, and realgar—was pungent. The bugs stirred, fleeing away from the scented perimeter.
Jiang Muchen studied their movement, calculating quickly.
The fragmented Herbal Codex contained only a few lines about Soul-Eating Bugs—but one sentence mattered:
"Soul-Eating Bugs fear sulfur and realgar, yet crave decay. Their natural predator, the Seven-Star Beetle, is warm-natured, eats bugs, and favors ground rich in decay."
Seven-Star Beetles were low-grade spirit insects, golden with seven spots on their backs, specialized in devouring Soul-Eating Bugs. But lazy by nature, they dwelled deep in mountains, rarely hunting actively—unless… there was a "decay-rich lure."
Jiang Muchen's plan was simple: create a temporary decay patch using Rotbone Flowers to draw all Soul-Eating Bugs into one area. Then, using specially concocted "Bug Lure Incense," summon the Seven-Star Beetles from the mountains for a feast.
Two challenges: the decay patch had to be precise—no contact with golden-thread grass; and the incense required several rare herbs.
He was ready.
Standing, Jiang Muchen addressed Lin Yueyao: "Senior Sister, I need thirty pounds of Rotbone Flower paste, five pounds each of sulfur and realgar powder, to circle the furrows with a three-foot-wide band, unbroken."
Before she could respond, a spectator inner disciple snickered: "Jiang Muchen, are you cooking or exterminating? Do you really think Soul-Eating Bugs follow your instructions?"
Jiang recognized him—Sun Hao, Qi Refinement level five, close to Lin Tianying.
Ignoring him, Jiang Muchen continued: "Also needed: three pounds of Nightlight Vine sap, ten petals of Morning Dew Flower, twenty leaves of Star-Pattern Grass—to mix the lure incense."
Lin Yueyao's expression shifted. "Nightlight Vine, Morning Dew Flower, Star-Pattern Grass? These are secondary materials for second-grade pills! You're using them… for incense?"
"To attract Seven-Star Beetles," Jiang Muchen said calmly. "They're the bugs' natural predator. Once the beetles arrive, within three days, every Soul-Eating Bug in this field will be gone."
A stunned silence fell.
Even Sun Hao gaped, speechless. Beetles could be summoned? Unheard of!
Lin Yueyao stared for ten long beats, then turned to the garden steward: "Fetch everything he asked for from the storage."
The steward hesitated. "Senior Sister, Nightlight Vine and Morning Dew Flower are scarce, reserved for alchemy—"
"I'll cover it," Lin Yueyao interrupted. "Go, now."
Sun Hao's face darkened. "Trickery! I want to see how you plan to lure the Seven-Star Beetles down from the mountains!"
Jiang Muchen ignored him, directing Wang Duobao and Zheng Xiaoqi to begin.
They soaked the dried Rotbone Flowers, mashed them into thick, dark green paste, mixed in sulfur and realgar, then carefully spread the paste around the field with long-handled scoops.
As the paste hit the soil, white smoke hissed up, the acrid scent spreading. The bugs stirred, crawling from all directions into the decay circle.
By the time the circle was complete, a ten-yard diameter decay patch had formed, densely crawling with black bugs. Three feet beyond, the golden-thread grass remained untouched.
Lin Yueyao's eyes sparkled. Strange, yet effective.
"What about the lure incense?" she asked.
Jiang Muchen received the herbs from the steward: Nightlight Vine sap glowing faintly blue in a jade bottle, delicate Morning Dew petals still glistening with dew, Star-Pattern Grass leaves shimmering with star-like veins.
He mixed the three ingredients in precise ratios on a clean stone slab, added some Rotbone Flower paste as bait, and ground the mixture slowly. Using the Resonance of All Spirits technique, his spiritual awareness guided the herbs' properties to harmonize.
After a single incense stick's time, the mixture became a pale gold sticky paste, emitting a subtle sweet fragrance—light yet far-reaching, teasing the senses.
He shaped the paste into three incense pillars and placed them at three points around the decay patch.
"Wait," he said.
The sun rose higher.
Onlookers multiplied—laborers, outer disciples, even a few inner disciples drawn by rumors. Sun Hao folded his arms at the front, smirk frozen on his face.
Time crept by.
By the third hour, one-third of the incense had burned, scent diffusing. Not a single Seven-Star Beetle appeared.
By noon, half burned—still nothing.
Sun Hao finally spoke: "Jiang Muchen, is your incense broken? Where are the beetles?"
Murmurs spread among the crowd. Lin Yueyao's expression darkened.
Jiang Muchen sat cross-legged on the furrow, eyes closed, as if oblivious.
At the first quarter of the sixth hour, the incense neared its end.
Just as Sun Hao prepared to sneer again, a faint buzzing rose from the western mountains—at first, barely audible, like wind through peaks.
Then louder, rolling in like a tidal wave.
Heads turned. A pale golden "cloud" appeared in the western sky—not a cloud, but insects. Thousands of thumb-sized Seven-Star Beetles, their star-spotted backs glinting in sunlight like spilled gold, descended upon the field.
They circled the patch thrice, as if confirming coordinates, then dived in unison, attacking the clustered Soul-Eating Bugs.
Crunch, crunch…
The sound was sickeningly efficient. A single bug was gone in three heartbeats. The golden insect tide swept over the black swarm, leaving only empty husks.
Sun Hao could only gape.
Lin Yueyao watched the golden swarm, then the calm figure of Jiang Muchen on the furrow. Shock, confusion, and a hint of awe flickered in her eyes.
Wang Duobao and Zheng Xiaoqi exchanged looks. One word passed silently between them: Success.
Half an hour later, the decay patch was cleared. The beetles, satiated, circled the western forest three times before vanishing into the clouds.
The field returned to peace. Only empty shells of the bugs and pristine golden-thread grass swaying in the breeze remained.
Jiang Muchen opened his eyes, rose, and bowed to Lin Yueyao. "Senior Sister, the infestation is resolved."
She studied him for a long moment, then tossed a brocade pouch. "Payment."
Inside were ninety shards—enough for all three. Jiang Muchen accepted without looking, tucking it away.
"Thank you, Senior Sister."
"You…" Lin Yueyao hesitated, then said, "If there's pest control work at Danding Peak in the future, I'll recommend you."
"Grateful for your support."
She nodded and left, her steps unusually hurried.
The crowd dispersed. Sun Hao's face was dark as coal; he shot Jiang Muchen a murderous glare before storming off.
Wang Duobao leaned in, whispering: "Jiang, what Senior Sister just said—worth more than ninety shards!"
Jiang Muchen hummed softly, eyes scanning the western forest.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the shadow that had watched since the beetles arrived to finally depart.
Tian Dao Truth: True victory isn't kneeling your opponent—it's making them stand before your finished trap, forced to utter the words between gritted teeth—