Stealing Incense, Bodhisattva Body

Chapter 31: Stealing Incense, Bodhisattva Body

The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Ning Xuan was already lying on a soft and fragrant bed.

Every inch of his flesh, once gnawed by Yao and Mo, was now covered in Rouge Fragrance.

The wind outside the window also carried Rouge Fragrance.

Ning Xuan felt relaxed, his entire body in a state of bliss.

At that moment, the door creaked open.

The person knocking had light footsteps and knocked slowly.

Ning Xuan said, "Come in."

Xiao Jie entered.

She walked in with her head bowed, sniffling, her embroidered slippers shuffling forward until she stopped about a foot from the bed.

Ning Xuan, without opening his eyes, asked, "After hearing so many stories last night, do you want to tell me one too?"

Last night, at Chenxiang Pavilion, the Chaste Maidens knew who this young master was. So, some of them chatted with Ning Xuan about their past, hoping this young master would take pity on them and help them "advance in status."

Thus, Ning Xuan heard many sad tales and drank much fine wine with the Young Ladies.

The fine wine was all courtesy of the Young Ladies.

The Young Ladies received extra money for it.

This was what he called a "gentle haven with wine, stories, and Red Sleeves Adding Fragrance."

Xiao Jie cried, "Young Master asked me to buy a mansion near Kushi Zen Temple, but I... I searched for a long time and couldn't find one. I had to buy it here. Please forgive me, Young Master."

Last night, Ning Xuan went to Chenxiang Pavilion, while Xiao Jie went to buy the mansion overnight.

Then, Xiao Jie bought the mansion opposite Chenxiang Pavilion that had the best lighting, the most beautiful design, and the largest area.

"You..."

Ning Xuan sighed and said, "Forget it, forget it. This mansion is only three streets away from the Kushi Zen Temple in Wangyue Prefecture. It's already very close."

Xiao Jie's tearful expression vanished instantly, and she nodded emphatically, saying, "It is indeed very close!"

Neither of them mentioned that the mansion was directly opposite Chenxiang Pavilion.

Ning Xuan then instructed, "Find some time to have people bring my horses, dogs, chickens, and all those treasures here."

Xiao Jie replied, "Yes."

Then she turned and left.

She was sensible and wouldn't seek trouble after the Young Master returned from his escapades at Chenxiang Pavilion.

Ning Xuan watched her retreating figure.

Indeed, very few women could compare to Xiao Jie.

Not only did she know her place and act appropriately, but she was also very light...

Weightless in his embrace, the pillow not pressing down, like a delicate swallow, truly a beauty of her generation.

Coupled with that chance encounter in front of Kushi Zen Temple.

It seemed Xiao Jie owed him a story too.

The new mansion was incredibly quiet.

Besides the scent of rouge, there was also the fragrance of flowers and water;

Besides the sound of the wind, there was also the sound of wind chimes.

Those noisy wind chimes were Xiao Jie's favorite.

Like a mother beast marking her territory, she would hang wind chimes from the eaves when the Young Master didn't object.

Once the wind blew, the sound of the wind chimes would be like the roaring waves of the sea, quite noisy.

Ning Xuan liked this kind of noise.

Noise was always better than the dead silence of the world during the day and night.

Noise, vulgarity, that was what he loved.

However, after Xiao Jie had walked away, he still forced himself to sit up and took out the small box he had brought last night.

He had left Ning Mansion without bringing anything extra, only this small box.

Now, he opened it.

Inside the box lay four Bodhisattva statues.

One belonged to the Bear Demon, and the other three were found on Manfeng Mountain.

The Yao was gone, but the Bodhisattva remained. He said he wanted to see them, so Ugly Slave gave them to him.

The four Bodhisattvas had identical appearances, just like the Bodhisattva shell that the Stealing Incense Rat had revealed that day.

They were crystal clear like pure water, with Buddha heads and spiral hair like blue lotuses, faces like a full moon, a white mole between their brows, eyes cast down, lips curved in a smile, majestic and compassionate.

Ning Xuan recalled what the Bear Demon Third King had said before: "Good incense, sincere heart, and proper etiquette are required to receive a Bodhisattva's response." He summoned the [Stealing Incense Rat] with a thought.

With the significant increase in his spiritual attributes and the existence of his Innate Demonic Art, "Stealing Incense Technique," he no longer saw the Bodhisattva as a Bodhisattva, but rather as a treasure outline formed by incense smoke enveloping a jade statue.

There was the Brocade Kasaya, the Yin Wind Banner, and the Monkey Sheep's treasure.

He gazed at the Bodhisattva statue, then suddenly raised his hand and slowly pressed down, activating the "Stealing Incense Technique" simultaneously.

He wouldn't burn incense.

He wanted to steal incense.

He was still a little nervous.

After all, he didn't know if these Bodhisattva statues held any other profound mysteries.

But if the Stealing Incense Rat could steal, couldn't he?

Within the Bodhisattva statue, the treasure outline began to blur. As the first wisp of incense smoke was drawn over, the rest followed, unraveling like silken threads and flowing towards Ning Xuan, spreading out before his outstretched fingers.

After the time it took for one stick of incense to burn, the incense smoke and treasure outline within the first Bodhisattva statue were completely depleted.

Ning Xuan felt a strange power enter his body. These powers swirled around him like a thin mist.

This was the power of incense smoke.

He couldn't use those treasures, but he had absorbed all the incense smoke that formed their outlines.

He clenched his five fingers, and the incense smoke moved according to his will, quickly forming a massive golden palm outside his body. This palm was larger than himself, just like the Bodhisattva he had seen that day.

Seeing that he had gained enough, Ning Xuan didn't absorb any more. Instead, he put away the remaining three Bodhisattva statues.

He wanted to wait and see.

A few more days passed.

Ning Xuan's sleep schedule was completely reversed.

During the day, he returned to the mansion with a yawn.

The mansion was a little livelier now because Xiao Jie had hired a few maids.

But only a little, as there were only a few more maids in the residence.

"Did anyone come looking for me?"

Although it was obvious, Ning Xuan still asked casually.

Xiao Jie shook her head and said, "Not a single person."

Ning Xuan wasn't surprised.

Although enough time had passed for those who needed to know about the "Young Master Ning" to find out, they were still waiting for the dust to settle.

Once it settled, either people would move on and the warmth would dissipate, becoming even colder than it was now;

Or the mansion would be bustling with visitors, and all sorts of influential figures would be knocking on his door.

Yes! They would be looking for him, not Old Master Ning.

He would become the new Old Master Ning, and in some ways, even more formidable than Old Master Ning.

The imperial court was wary of powerful regional officials because they amassed a large number of loyal subordinates through Dragon Qi, thus they could not pass down their power for more than two generations. However, the court was clearly not wary of martial artists who were unrelated to Dragon Qi and could cooperate with Celestial Masters to guard the land for a long time.

The court would not hesitate to grant such "special talents" some real power.

Ning Xuan went to a specially prepared secret chamber for his cultivation.

The secret chamber was large, over ten zhang long and wide.

Ning Xuan clenched his five fingers, and the golden palm, about a zhang in size, reappeared outside his body. This was the power of incense smoke.

After a few days of simple testing, he found that this incense smoke had no side effects.

He took out the remaining three Bodhisattva statues and began to absorb them one by one.

Half an hour later.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

He tossed aside the three Bodhisattva statues.

With a thought, a radiant golden Bodhisattva gradually expanded outside his body, with blue lotus-like coiled hair, a face like a full moon, and a white curl between its brows.

He hunched his back, assuming a crouching posture, so that he could be fully contained within this ant-hole-like cultivation chamber without bursting it.