Song Mugen's family left after offering their incense.
The Xuanqing Temple fell quiet once more, leaving only wisps of thin smoke curling upwards and a live chicken on the offering table, bound and struggling futilely from time to time.
Though the night was deep, Song Xuanqing, no longer human and with no need for sleep, was still full of vigor.
A small medicinal pill lay quietly in his hand.
The pill was about the size of a glass marble, completely transparent, and emitted a refreshing, divine fragrance.
This was the Hanlu Pill, which Song Xuanqing had spent a fortune—ten points of Incense Value—to purchase from the System Shop.
He couldn't wait to find out just how much his cultivation would increase from this Hanlu Pill, which had cost him the exorbitant price of ten Incense Value points.
Ten Incense Value points, if used to directly upgrade, would raise his cultivation by 1%.
If refining this Hanlu Pill didn't increase it by at least 1%, he would have to be more cautious about buying things from the System Shop in the future.
Because it might be a scam!
Taking a deep breath, Song Xuanqing closed his eyes and focused on refining the pill in his hand.
Since Song Xuanqing had no physical body, he couldn't swallow the pill directly.
However, just as he consumed the essence of offerings, he could consume the essence of the pill. Refining it this way would achieve the same effect as swallowing it.
As he refined the pill, Song Xuanqing felt his entire being become light and ethereal.
The comfortable sensation was so pleasant it almost made him feel sleepy.
As Song Xuanqing continued the refinement, the pill in his hand shrank at a visible rate.
Soon, it vanished completely.
The refinement complete, Song Xuanqing let out a long breath and opened his eyes.
He then eagerly opened his system panel.
[Incense to Godhood System
Host: Song Xuanqing
Divine Lifespan: 20/**
Status: Wild God
Cultivation: Unranked (22.8%) +
Cultivation Method: None
Divine Abilities: Divine Might (Initiate) +, Enter Dream (Initiate) +, Merge with Deity (Initiate) +
Domain: Song Family Village
Incense Value: 91.8
Evaluation: A Wild God unrecognized by the Heavenly Dao, with weak faith and no divine title or position. Your fate is as uncertain as a drifting duckweed, your power meager.]
His cultivation had increased by 10%!
Song Xuanqing's eyes lit up instantly!
This Hanlu Pill was that amazing?!
A single pill increased his cultivation by 10%!
What kind of divine medicine was this!
Just moments ago, he was worried if spending ten Incense Value points on the Hanlu Pill was worth it.
Now, Song Xuanqing felt it was worth every point and more!
Ten Incense Value points used for a direct upgrade only increased his cultivation by 1%, but using them to buy a Hanlu Pill boosted it by 10%!
It was an incredible bargain!
It was just a shame that the Hanlu Pill was limited to one per customer.
If there were no limit, Song Xuanqing would have bought as many as he could.
Unfortunately, the system was too stingy!
It even had a purchase limit, only allowing him to buy one!
Song Xuanqing looked at the refresh timer at the bottom of the System Shop and sighed.
There were still fourteen days until the System Shop refreshed. He wondered if the next rotation would have any good items he could afford.
He hoped it wouldn't refresh with something like the "Immortal Sol Art" again—an item he could only drool over.
It was good, and he coveted it, but he just couldn't afford it!
After refining the pill, the still-energetic Song Xuanqing began to study the system out of boredom.
He kind of missed the time when he was human.
When he was bored, he could at least sleep.
Now, as a spirit within a statue, he didn't even need to sleep.
He couldn't fall asleep at all.
After studying the system and finding nothing new, Song Xuanqing decided to cultivate.
Yes, he could cultivate.
He could cultivate by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
But the cultivation speed was incredibly slow. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Song Xuanqing estimated that if he relied solely on his own cultivation, his progress probably wouldn't even increase by 1% in a month.
As expected, a transmigrator had to rely on a cheat system!
***
The moon hung high in the sky.
Time quietly slipped into the Hour of the Rat.
All was still and silent.
[Under the host's protection, the people of the Song Family Village domain are safe and sound. Today's Incense Value +3.2]
Song Xuanqing, who was immersed in his cultivation, was taken aback by the notification.
Huh? What's this?
Song Xuanqing opened his eyes and studied it for a while before he understood.
Besides gaining Incense Value from the villagers' worship on the first and fifteenth of the month, he could also earn a daily amount by protecting the people in his domain and ensuring their peaceful lives.
Although it was a small amount, only 3.2, the advantage was that he received it every day!
Little by little, it would add up. In a month, he could gain over a hundred Incense Value points.
Song Xuanqing was happy again.
He just didn't know what the daily Incense Value from protecting his domain was related to, or if it could be increased.
The Incense Value was too little; it was nowhere near enough.
Right now, Song Xuanqing was trying to think of every possible way to get more Incense Value.
***
It was early summer, so the sky brightened early. The morning sun rose at dawn.
At Song Mugen's house.
Madame Song got up just after dawn, ready to cook breakfast for the family.
But as soon as she pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard, she froze.
Lying on the dirt ground of the courtyard was a hen, its wings, claws, and sharp beak bound.
The hen was still alive, but clearly exhausted.
Madame Song recognized it at a glance. Wasn't this the offering her family had given to Xuanqing Gong last night?
Why was it in their courtyard now?
Snapping back to her senses, Madame Song immediately turned and shouted into the house.
"Old Man, stop sleeping! Come look at this!"
A moment later, the wooden door opened, and Song Mugen emerged, draping an outer garment over his shoulders, his eyes heavy with sleep.
"What's wrong so early in the morning?"
Madame Song pointed at the bound hen on the ground, at a loss for words, a worried look on her face.
"Old Man, look! The hen we offered to Xuanqing Gong last night has come back! I saw it in the courtyard as soon as I got up. Old Man, do you think... could it be that Xuanqing Gong found our offering too shabby?"
But a farming family like theirs was already poor. Although they had it slightly better because they hunted, they weren't well-off by any means.
A live hen was already the best thing Madame Song felt they could offer.
Song Mugen stared at the hen in the courtyard, stunned as well.
After a long moment, he let out a breath.
"This isn't Xuanqing Gong thinking our offering is shabby. The way I see it, it's clear that Xuanqing Gong knows life isn't easy for us common folk and couldn't bear to accept the chicken!"
Madame Song was a little confused. "Is that so?"
Song Mugen sighed. "Xuanqing Gong must be compassionate. Otherwise, why would he have sent the cat demon to save me and my son yesterday? For a deity as merciful as him, it's normal that he wouldn't accept the hen."
Madame Song felt a wave of relief. She had been afraid that Xuanqing Gong found them shabby.
"Old Man, then this chicken..."
Song Mugen: "Let's just raise it. Since Xuanqing Gong doesn't want it, we'll just go offer him a few more sticks of incense whenever we have time."
In fact, Song Mugen wasn't wrong.
This hen wasn't the same as the one or two fish other villagers had offered in the past.
A live hen was quite valuable to poor villagers.
And for Song Xuanqing, this hen was of no use.
He couldn't eat it, and killing it would just be a messy affair. It was better to simply return it.
***
Song Xuanqing neither knew nor cared about the situation at Song Mugen's house.
After tossing the chicken back in the early morning, he paid it no more mind.
The information he could gather was limited to what he could see and perceive.
And his range of perception was only about twenty to thirty meters in radius.
Today was the second day of the lunar month, not a designated day for worship, yet many people came to the Xuanqing Temple to offer incense.
The scene of the black cat entering the Xuanqing Temple last night had stunned many villagers.
They had all unanimously concluded that Xuanqing Gong had shown his divine power, specially dispatching the black cat demon to save Song Mugen and his son.
Thus, even though it wasn't a normal day for worship, many villagers still came to offer incense to Song Xuanqing.
It made Song Xuanqing's mouth water.
Why could he only gain Incense Value from the incense offered on the first and fifteenth?
If only he could gain Incense Value from worship on normal days too.
If so, he could have collected at least dozens or even a hundred points of Incense Value today.
Looking at the incense smoke drifting before him, Song Xuanqing was heartbroken!
Many villagers came to offer incense today. Song Dashan was waiting outside the Xuanqing Temple with incense and offerings.
A few other villagers were waiting outside with him, chatting.
"Dashan, didn't you say yesterday that the statue of the Three-Eyed Lady in Liu Family Village was smashed by some scoundrels a few days ago?"
"Yeah, that happened. What about it?"
"Tsk, you came back too early yesterday. If you'd returned just a bit later, you would've seen a great show!"
"What show?"
"My nephew came to my place from Liu Family Village this morning. He said a group of people showed up in Liu Family Village yesterday afternoon. They looked like people from the jianghu, all fierce-looking with swords at their waists! It seems this group was specifically investigating the people who smashed the Three-Eyed Lady's statue!"
"So, did they find them? Are the scoundrels dealt with? I hope they don't run over to our village and offend Xuanqing Gong!"
"I don't know. Anyway, after questioning the people in Liu Family Village, that group left in a hurry. Who knows if they found a lead."
"I hope they catch those scoundrels who smashed the statue."
"Oh, right, I heard those scoundrels who smashed the statue are from some Tianshan Sect. The people from this Tianshan Sect go around smashing statues, killing, and committing arson—they stop at nothing!"
Inside the statue, Song Xuanqing, who had just overheard this firsthand news, successfully shifted his attention away from the Incense Value.
At this moment, Song Xuanqing was filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry.
He was happy that the Tianshan Sect scoundrels who smashed statues were being investigated.
With trouble on their tails, the Tianshan Sect scoundrels couldn't be so brazen about smashing statues and causing trouble anymore.
He was worried because he didn't know if that group of Tianshan Sect scoundrels had actually been dealt with.
As long as they weren't completely eliminated, Song Xuanqing felt a stone hanging in his heart.
Alas, his strength was still lacking.
If he were strong enough, he wouldn't have to fear anyone targeting his statue.
He could just go up and fight them directly.
Song Xuanqing didn't know how strong he currently was.
In any case, judging by the system's evaluation, Song Xuanqing had no confidence in his own strength.
If he wanted to get stronger, the fastest way was, of course, to obtain more Incense Value and use his cheat system to power up.
Song Xuanqing didn't have much Incense Value left, only 95 points.
He decided not to use it for now. After all, he needed to save some for emergencies.
Besides, with such a small amount of Incense Value, using it all wouldn't make a significant difference anyway.
***
After offering their incense, the villagers went home to tend to their farm work.
The farmlands of Song Family Village had long been planned with droughts in mind, so most of the fields were not far from a river.
It was a tributary of the great river in Wanan County.
In the fields, the villagers were busy weeding, fertilizing, and watering the crops.
They worked until noon, at which point they would either go home to eat or wait for their families to bring them food.
Song Sishui was about to head home for lunch.
However, just as he climbed out of the field and stood on the riverbank, Song Sishui nearly let out a scream.
"In the river... there are dead bodies in the river!"
His cry of alarm successfully caught the attention of the other villagers, who all looked toward the river.
There, by the reedy bank, two bodies were floating.
The bodies were dressed in white robes of obviously fine material, far superior to the coarse linen clothes worn by the villagers.
Pushed by the current, the two bodies washed up against the bank, their deathly pale, bloodless faces turned upward, their eyes shut tight.
"Aiyo! There really are two dead people!"
"Are they really dead? Are they still breathing?"
"Go down and check, then we'll know!"
Proofreader: Peter Pan