Chapter 154: Taking in a "God"!

The Deity of Beauty spoke with such straightforwardness, not a single curve in her words.

Of course, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Deity of Beauty doing this.

Because no matter what the Deity of Beauty said, she simply had no incense offerings on her, nor could she produce any.

No amount of talking could change that.

The end result would be the same.

It's just that... if possible...

Lu Yuan still wished the Deity of Beauty could be a bit gentler.

Lu Yuan held respect and pity for these "deities."

No matter what, these "deities" were once beings who sheltered a region.

But one cannot just talk without action; when truly encountered, action must be taken.

Of course, they hadn't gathered firewood for Lu Yuan.

But... treating them with a little gentleness wasn't wrong either.

It's just that...

The Deity of Beauty was simply too blunt, speaking so directly...

As the Deity of Beauty's words fell.

Dead silence reigned outside the mountain gate.

Those few clumps of dull gray mist seemed frozen solid.

Those sickly green, murky yellow, and ashen white light points, which had been trembling at the Deity of Beauty's appearance—a trembling born of instinctive awe, the uncontrollable submission of a lower deity before a superior one—had now stopped.

Not because they were no longer afraid.

But because... they were stunned.

Lu Yuan glanced sideways at the Deity of Beauty.

This lady held her chin high, her expression one of utter self-assurance.

She was straightforward and clear, not caring whether these beings believed her or not, just stating her own business.

Lu Yuan watched quietly from the side.

Looking at those shadows on the verge of dispersing, he ultimately sighed inwardly.

Lu Yuan wasn't a soft-hearted person, but he was sentimental.

The Recumbent Ox Stone Lord had protected crops, the Spring Mother had guarded water veins, and the Flower Maiden had once made those young women praying for love blush.

If a deity had once sheltered a piece of land, it shouldn't just silently scatter in the desolate wilderness.

Even more so...

Perhaps in their current, extremely weakened state, they couldn't even last until they naturally dispersed...

They were now evil entities, incense for malevolent deities!

But this matter had no solution.

If one had to suggest a way...

It all boiled down to the issue of incense offerings.

For example, Lu Yuan could secretly give them some of Zhenlong Temple's incense offerings...

But...

Lu Yuan definitely wouldn't do that.

The malicious techniques on Gu Qingwan's body weren't fully resolved yet; every wisp of Zhenlong Temple's incense offerings belonged to her, and no one else could touch them.

Secondly, if giving these wild deities just a little incense could solve the problem, then Lu Yuan might consider it.

But the main issue was, this would only treat the symptom, not the root cause.

Even if Lu Yuan gave them some of the incense originally meant for Gu Qingwan,

It would only let them survive a bit longer.

If they couldn't find incense offerings and worship, they would still disperse.

Zhenlong Temple couldn't possibly support them forever, could it?

Lu Yuan dared to use incense offerings for Gu Qingwan because once all the malicious techniques on her body were eliminated, there would be no need to steal anymore.

But they were different.

This incense was meant for the Three Pure Ones, for the Patriarch; it couldn't be stolen forever to support them, right?!

You must know, Lu Yuan had once considered enshrining Gu Qingwan within Zhenlong Temple too,

And got a good scolding from the old man for that.

If he couldn't do that for Gu Qingwan, it went without saying for them.

Soon, the Deity of Beauty finished her simple and clear explanation.

After speaking, regardless of whether these wild deities believed her or not, she turned and left directly.

Lu Yuan stood in place, looking at these utterly despairing rural wild deities before him.

Again, Lu Yuan held respect for them.

But...

Regarding this, Lu Yuan could do nothing.

For a moment, Lu Yuan actually missed the old man.

If the old man were here now, he could probably offer some good advice.

But unfortunately, the old man wasn't here...

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment where he stood, then looked toward them, whose "divine fire" flickered uncertainly due to despair.

Lu Yuan took a step forward, his voice lowering a few degrees:

"Before you find a way to survive, you can stay here for now. Zhenlong Temple will definitely not drive you away."

"This is Zhenlong Temple's territory; no evil entity dares to run wild here."

As these words fell, the wild deities who had already prepared to disband and await death all looked at Lu Yuan in unison.

Their gaze was like that of drowning people grabbing onto the last piece of rotten wood.

"Moreover..."

Lu Yuan rubbed his chin, his mind already beginning to calculate.

"I can go back and ask the Patriarch again; perhaps we can erect a small deity bench for each of you along the mountain path of Qixia Mountain."

"Now Zhenlong Temple's incense offerings are flourishing, with a continuous stream of devotees."

"When they come up the mountain to pray and ask for divination, there are always a few with big hearts who might leave behind two or three sticks of incense for you, which could also sustain your lives."

This method was the optimal solution Lu Yuan could think of.

It wouldn't occupy space in the main hall, wouldn't share the main deity's power of prayer, just like setting up a few convenient roadside pavilions outside the walls of a mansion.

But this matter, easy to say, was hard to do.

This was Zhenlong Temple's territory; all the incense offerings here belonged to the statues of the Three Pure Ones, to the Patriarch of the Zhenlong Temple lineage.

To place the deity benches of other "deities" here required the agreement of Zhenlong Temple's Patriarch and all the founding masters.

This might seem not difficult at all.

What's the big deal?

Just placing a few deity benches beside the mountain path.

If some are willing to offer them incense, then so be it.

It's not like people would stop offering incense at Zhenlong Temple because of them.

That's what one might say, but it's not that simple.

Again, it's the old man's saying.

The Patriarch, and all the founding masters, are already dead.

They are not human; they are not alive.

They now exist only as a wisp of divine thought in this world, sustained by the continuous offerings of their disciples and descendants in later generations.

And you can't reason with this wisp of divine thought.

Otherwise, wouldn't Lu Yuan have long ago asked the Patriarch to descend and help remove the malicious techniques on Qingwan's body?

The Patriarch and all the founding masters cannot be negotiated with; they only follow the rules of that wisp of divine thought.

So, Lu Yuan could only say he would go ask first.

If the Patriarch and masters didn't agree, then Lu Yuan had no tricks either.

Generally speaking, deities would not allow other deities to receive incense offerings on their own territory.

Unless...

This deity was a subordinate deity of a more powerful deity, then it would be permitted.

These wild deities came here today precisely wanting to become subordinate deities of the Deity of Beauty!

Firstly, to gain the Deity of Beauty's protection; secondly, to share a wisp of the Deity of Beauty's incense offerings.

But then again.

Some things aren't achievable just because you want them.

Of the three things they wanted to accomplish today, not a single one succeeded.

They wanted to become the Deity of Beauty's subordinate deities—failed.

Wanted the Deity of Beauty's protection—the Deity of Beauty only wanted to complete a Pure Hand by self-draw.

They wanted the Deity of Beauty's incense offerings...

Hey! The Deity of Beauty had none!

Mainly because they weren't particularly useful anyway.

They were just some rural wild deities; aside from taking a share of the main deity's incense offerings, they couldn't do anything.

Even if they had truly become the Deity of Beauty's subordinate deities today, and the Deity of Beauty had incense offerings to share a tiny bit with them,

What could they do for the Deity of Beauty?

Nothing at all.

However...

Lu Yuan was still willing to ask the Patriarch on their behalf.

But even if the Patriarch agreed.

This matter wouldn't be considered fully resolved.

Because at most, they could only be given a deity bench beside Zhenlong Temple's mountain path to reside in.

But they couldn't enter Zhenlong Temple's main hall, and as for the incense offerings...

One could only say it depended on fate.

How to put it, there's a common saying about worshipping deities: "Sincerity leads to efficacy."

Simply put, when devotees offer incense and make wishes, they must be sincere!

They absolutely cannot be coming to worship just for fun.

If from the bottom of their hearts they don't believe, or think, 'It'd be great if it works, if not, whatever'...

Then even if such a person offers incense and makes a wish, it won't generate any power of prayer!

Now look at these few characters here.

Lu Yuan really wasn't looking down on them!

One is something called Recumbent Ox Stone Lord, another is something called Spring Mother...

Who would worship this stuff?!

Or rather, who comes to Zhenlong Temple specifically for these things??

The common people nowadays enter temples seeking promotions and wealth, worshipping to repel evil and avoid disasters, or at the very least praying for a son.

Who would pray to a rock for favorable weather?

Who would pray to a spring for an unfailing water source?

Looking at these seven... Lu Yuan thought...

Among them, perhaps only this Flower Maiden might be slightly more popular.

She could make women a bit more beautiful, or help them find a good match...

But...

There's also the most important point...

Could they still do it??

Could they still respond to the prayers of devotees now?

If they could.

Then the question arises.

If they could respond to devotees' prayers, how did they end up in this sorry state??

As the saying goes, for every cause there is an effect!

Cause and effect are always a rope tied at both ends; no one can escape.

Zhenlong Temple actually wasn't a suitable place for them to exist.

The devotees who come here to offer incense have their eyes fixed on the Three Pure Ones; who would glance at those wild, unofficial deities in the corners?

The place where they originally existed was the most suitable place for them!

Take this Recumbent Ox Stone Lord for example.

It was originally a rock resembling an ox beside a field, which developed spirituality after years of receiving incense offerings from villagers.

The place it should stay is that field ridge.

It only needed to perform its duties in that place!

Then it would have a continuous stream of incense offerings!

But the problem is, it doesn't.

That means the surrounding villagers no longer believe in it.

Why don't they believe in it anymore?

Because it didn't fulfill its duties diligently!

If it had fulfilled its duties diligently, how could its incense offerings have been cut off?

To put it bluntly, these wild deities lost their incense offerings either because they didn't perform their duties or because they couldn't protect their territory.

Is there a possibility that in this region beyond the Great Wall, with war and chaos, the village scattered and people fled?

Possibly.

But even if the villagers all moved away because of that, it was still because it didn't fulfill its duties diligently!

If it had diligently sheltered the area, ensuring favorable weather, where would the war and chaos come from?!

How to put it.

This is the region beyond the Great Wall during the Republican era; this isn't Earth.

One could even say, even on Earth, aside from situations like entire village relocations due to demolition, it's rare for an entire village's population to completely leave, not a single one remaining.

Moving a home isn't that simple.

Especially an entire village moving away, leaving none behind.

Take the previous Mangniu Village; that malevolent deity was right on the back mountain.

It caused many newborns in the surrounding villages to not survive, yet people still lived there.

As long as they could survive, people wouldn't move; otherwise, if they moved, they truly couldn't live.

If the Recumbent Ox Stone Lord had diligently fulfilled its duties, sheltering that small area with favorable weather, the villagers wouldn't have moved away.

So...

Hey!

It's a case of being stuck at both ends of a stubborn rope!

So, they managed to have their incense offerings cut off in the place originally most suitable for them.

Could they do better here??

That's almost impossible.

If you didn't study properly in a proper high school, you think you'll study hard at a vocational college or technical school?

Of course, there might be other reasons, truly unavoidable.

That doesn't matter; we can ask about the situation later.

Anyway, Lu Yuan was willing to give them a chance, to give them a deity bench to stay at beside Zhenlong Temple's mountain path.

At the very least, to prevent evil entities from targeting them.

As soon as Lu Yuan's words fell.

Those few clumps of dull gray mist seemed struck by lightning, abruptly freezing solid.

The sickly green, murky yellow, and ashen white light points all stopped flashing simultaneously.

Then—

A very faint, very faint hum emanated from deep within the mist.

It wasn't a sound; it was the resonance of divine light.

Like a riverbed dried up for a hundred years suddenly hearing distant thunder.

The Recumbent Ox Stone Lord's stooped figure swayed, its barely maintained human form almost scattering on the spot.

But it paid no heed; those sickly green eyes stared fixedly at Lu Yuan, the light points trembling violently, shaking as if about to extinguish at any moment.

"Dao... Dao..."

It opened its mouth, that hoarse, aged voice becoming stammering for the first time, unable to form coherent words.

The Spring Mother's parched figure also swayed.

Her ashen white mist churned violently, like a riverbed dried for a century suddenly flooded with groundwater.

"Daoist Priest... we... we..."

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found she couldn't utter anything.

Her cultivation was three hundred and seventy-seven years.

She had guarded that mountain spring for three hundred and seventy-seven years.

During drought years, when she herself was almost dried up, she still struggled to leave a mouthful of water for the villages downstream.

But those people forgot her.

Forgotten is forgotten; she accepted that.

But what she couldn't accept was silently scattering in the desolate wilderness, being snatched away like snacks by those evil entities.

She was unwilling.

Unwilling for three hundred years.

But now—

Someone was willing to take her in.

Even if it was just erecting a deity bench beside a mountain path, even if it was just picking up the two or three sticks of incense others left behind.

That was still a path to survival.

The Flower Maiden's maiden-like figure had long since dispersed until only a clump of mist remained.

But now, that clump of mist was churning madly, as if desperately trying to coalesce into human form.

Her ashen white light points flickered, bright one moment like the most vibrant flowers of spring, dim the next like frost-bitten withered stamens.

The remaining four figures also gradually reacted.

One that had been bowing now bowed even lower, so low it seemed about to bury itself in the earth.

One that had been trembling now trembled even more violently, but that trembling clearly carried a different meaning.

Those dismal light points suddenly brightened a few degrees.

Lu Yuan, however, ignored their excitement and gratitude, simply pondering:

"Don't thank me yet."

"I haven't asked the Patriarch yet; I'm not sure if benches can be erected."

"And even if benches can be erected..."

"You all now... can you still manifest efficacy?"

"If you can't even respond to a single prayer from a devotee, wouldn't you feel guilty accepting those incense offerings?"

Lu Yuan had decided to take in "deities"!

But...

Taking them in is one thing!

This stuff can't involve deception, right?

If deity benches are erected beside Zhenlong Temple's mountain path, and someone comes to sincerely offer incense, then you must be effective, right?

Of course.

This doesn't mean that if a devotee sincerely offers incense, the "deity" must definitely respond.

That would be pure nonsense.

Some people do nothing, lying on the kang bed just thinking about wealth falling on them.

If such prayers could be fulfilled by "deities," then people wouldn't need to strive anymore!

The relationship between "deities" and devotees is something like this...

Simply put, it's when the devotee has walked ninety-nine steps toward a goal, with only the last step remaining, the "deity" helps you take it.

If you yourself don't take a single step, just want to rely on offering incense and the "deity" to help you walk a hundred steps,

There definitely isn't such a deity!

Even if there is, it definitely isn't a proper entity.

If it truly helps you walk that hundred steps, who knows what else it might be after from you later!

So, Lu Yuan needed to figure out what the situation was with these people now!

Otherwise, if people come to offer incense and these "deities" can't help, wouldn't that be purely cheating people?!