Incense and Fire

Before the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue, Huang Huai, who was kneeling and kowtowing, clearly saw this scene. Especially after the statue absorbed the incense and fire power transformed from the treasure bead, the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue underwent earth-shattering changes that were almost visible to the naked eye, as if it had suddenly gained a spiritual light.

Huang Huai slowly stood up, looking at the completely disappeared dark azure treasure bead and then at the changes in the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue. He couldn't help but sigh, "What a treasure! I wonder what it is, to be of such great help to the statue!"

It was a pity that there was only one treasure bead, and it had already been sacrificed to Holy Lord Emperor Guan for his enjoyment. However, Huang Huai had no regrets. Aren't treasures meant to be used? Since it was beneficial to the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue, sacrificing it to Holy Lord Emperor Guan was the best choice.

A cool breeze blew, and Huang Huai felt a wave of sleepiness. He looked at the dark night sky outside, thought for a moment, and then took his bedding to spread it out before the altar and lay down.

He had originally planned to return to the present world to rest that night. One reason was that the living quarters had not been tidied up, and the other was that he was uneasy, fearing that something unexpected might happen if he stayed overnight in this world.

Although the possibility of encountering a God, Demon, or Malevolent Spirit was small, he hadn't invited a Guardian Spirit or Guardian Deity to protect his home. If he were unlucky and some Malevolent Spirit broke in, he might lose his life in his sleep.

However, Huang Huai didn't expect his luck to be so good. No Malevolent Spirit appeared, but a great devil like He Yuan did. As a result, Holy Lord Emperor Guan manifested, not only slaying He Yuan but also bestowing upon him a cultivation method. This made Huang Huai feel like a minor character in the novels he read, specifically designed to deliver treasures to others.

Now that he had Holy Lord Emperor Guan's protection, where was the need for a Guardian Deity or Guardian Spirit? With Holy Lord Emperor Guan presiding, what kind of ghosts and monsters would dare to come? They would likely be unable to withstand Lord Guan Er's gaze and would simply vanish.

With no need to worry about the dangers of staying overnight in this world, Huang Huai was no longer in a hurry to return to the present world. Huang Huai was also unsure if the commotion he had caused earlier would alert the High Gods in Great River City.

Frequently opening that mysterious portal was ultimately not a good idea. After all, he had opened it twice in one day. If you walk on a dark road too often, you're bound to encounter a ghost. Huang Huai felt he should be more cautious.

The magical and dreamlike experience of the day relaxed Huang Huai's tense nerves, and he immediately fell into a deep sleep, entering the dreamland in the blink of an eye.

Holy Lord Emperor Guan's manifestation had indeed alerted many people, but those cultivators merely turned their gaze towards Shun'an Ward. As for the commotion caused by He Yuan's death, it honestly didn't alert anyone. It could only be said that Lord Guan Er's actions were too clean and swift.

Most importantly, even if someone wanted to rush over, they would need the courage. Anyone with a bit of sense would know what to do just by looking at the boundless killing intent contained in the moment Holy Lord Emperor Guan manifested and opened his eyes. Who would be foolish enough to run over and seek death?

Was it just a joke that a cart derailed by a fire at the city gate would also involve innocent bystanders? In the eyes of such existences, casually swatting them to death would be no easier than crushing an ant.

Nothing happened overnight. The morning sun shone through the broken doors and windows into the side room. Huang Huai lay before the altar and slowly opened his eyes.

He stretched his body and felt a dull ache all over, clearly due to sleeping on the floor. Both the bedding and the blankets were obviously quite ordinary.

He slowly got up, tidied up the bedding, and as he touched the rough, thin bedding, he made up his mind. When he returned to the present world, he would bring a comfortable set of bedding back with him.

After a brief tidy-up, Huang Huai prepared to wash. He took the hemp rope and wooden bucket he had bought yesterday and went to the small pavilion to fetch water. However, when he looked into the well, he immediately lost interest.

Let alone him, even the common people here would have to clean the water surface, which was full of dead leaves and branches, before they would draw water.

Fortunately, Huang Huai remembered there was a well not far from the alley entrance. He immediately took his wooden bucket and went out.

At the well at the alley entrance, some residents living nearby had already gathered. They were drawing water while chatting about daily life.

When everyone saw Huang Huai emerge from the alley, some showed surprised expressions, secretly guessing his identity.

Huang Huai could guess their thoughts from their expressions. He immediately smiled and said to everyone, "My name is Huang Huai. I bought the courtyard in the alley yesterday and will be living here from now on. If there's anything, I ask for your care, my neighbors."

Upon hearing that Huang Huai was a new neighbor, everyone kindly greeted him.

After Huang Huai drew water and returned to the courtyard, he washed up briefly and then entered the side room to offer incense and pay respects to Holy Lord Emperor Guan as usual.

He hid the package he brought with him and then went out. As for the statue of Holy Lord Emperor Guan, Huang Huai was not worried that anyone would have designs on it.

There were all sorts of thieves in this world, but very few people would dare to desecrate Gods and Demons or steal their statues. After all, statues had spirits. Stealing other things might be fine, but stealing a statue could cost one their life.

Du Family Eatery

As an eatery, the morning business was naturally as expected. When Huang Huai arrived in front of the eatery, he saw that it was almost full of customers who had come for a meal.

Du Wu, who was busy, immediately recognized Huang Huai when he saw him. With a hint of enthusiasm in his eyes, he smiled and said, "Little brother, haven't you eaten yet? What would you like to have?"

Huang Huai smiled and walked into the eatery, finding an empty seat and saying, "The usual flatbread and thin porridge."

In the real world, Huang Huai could eat delicacies and also eat simple fare. Although the flatbread and thin porridge in this world were a bit bland, Huang Huai considered it like eating vegetarian meals with his fellow disciples at Xunzhen Temple.

After eating, he paid the bill and said to the slightly less busy Du Wu, "Brother Du, I've found a place to stay, but the house is a bit dilapidated and needs repairs. Do you have any good recommendations for someone to help with the repairs?"

He didn't know anyone in this world, but Du Wu had previously given him incense, which showed that Du Wu had a good character. Therefore, it was fine to ask Du Wu for some information.

Du Wu pondered for a moment and then said, "When it comes to repairing houses, in terms of craftsmanship, Master Ma Xing from Majiadong Alley is the best in our area. You can go find him. I guarantee his craftsmanship is superb and his prices are fair."

Huang Huai nodded, thanked Du Wu, and left.

While eating, Huang Huai had already considered what he needed to do next.

The courtyard he had chosen as his residence needed to be repaired before he could truly move in. During this time, he could return to the present world to handle some matters there.

Most importantly, Holy Lord Emperor Guan's statue had manifested last night. The changes before and after the manifestation made Huang Huai worried about how much Incense and Fire Prayer Power remained in the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue and whether it was enough for another manifestation.

Even after the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue absorbed that unknown treasure bead and clearly became extraordinary, it seemed unnecessary to worry about insufficient Incense and Fire Prayer Power to manifest. However, Huang Huai still felt it was better to supplement the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue with enough Incense and Fire Prayer Power. The more Incense and Fire Prayer Power, the better.

Perhaps if the Incense and Fire Prayer Power was sufficient, the power displayed when Holy Lord Emperor Guan manifested would be even more terrifying and astonishing.

Huang Huai did not think it was a wise choice to rashly try to obtain Incense and Fire Prayer Power from this world before he had a complete understanding of its depths.

Since Incense and Fire Prayer Power was related to the manifestation of statues, Huang Huai did not believe that the high and mighty High Gods would ignore the acquisition of Incense and Fire Prayer Power.

Therefore, Huang Huai believed that the proper way was to bring the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue back to the present world to accumulate more Incense and Fire Prayer Power. Then, when the Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue, carrying sufficient Incense and Fire Prayer Power, manifested, the scene would surely be astonishing.

Similarly, Huang Huai was also very curious whether the mutated Holy Lord Emperor Guan statue would still possess divine power in the present world and what kind of reactions it would have.