Incense Faith Bears Divine Sense

The Military Governor's Residence governor's residence.

"Old Li, you really did summon a god."

Early in the morning, the cooks, helpers, and apprentices in the kitchen saw cook Li Fuming leading several people, carrying a statue of a deity slowly into the kitchen and placing it on a prepared open space.

"Old Li, is this the Kitchen God you mentioned yesterday?"

Immediately, a group of people gathered around.

Li Fuming laughed and said, "It is indeed the Kitchen God. Didn't you all ask why my cooking skills have improved so much after my trip back to my hometown? It's all thanks to the Kitchen God."

As Li Fuming spoke, he took out incense and candles, lit them, and then distributed the burning incense to the others.

"In our Yuanning City, every restaurant and eatery now worships the Kitchen God. Even many ordinary households have hired Kitchen God, offering incense and sacrifices to him every day. With the Kitchen God's blessing, not to mention anything else, the food they cook tastes absolutely amazing."

"Brother Li is so generous." The other chefs beamed with joy upon hearing this.

Since Li Fuming returned from his hometown two days ago, he has displayed amazing culinary skills. He doesn't seem to have gained any more skill than before, but the dishes he makes taste far better than before. Even the military governor praised them after eating them.

When asked by others, Li Fuming readily revealed the matter of the Kitchen God. He knew he couldn't keep it a secret for long, so he disclosed it in advance to do someone a favor.

A group of people then took turns offering incense, expressing their thoughts and prayers; the incense smoke was faintly inhaled by the nostrils of the deity.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door. "What are you doing? The ingredients have arrived today, why aren't you checking them? Li Fuming, you're the supervisor today." Then, a fat, middle-aged man, also dressed as a cook, walked in.

The people in the kitchen listened and did as instructed.

The person who spoke was the top chef, a master of his craft, but Li Fuming's return posed a threat to him.

After most people had left, only a few kitchen helpers remained. The middle-aged man looked around a few times, then lit an incense stick, went to the image of the Kitchen God, and devoutly worshipped while chanting incantations.

"Kitchen God, I have diligently studied culinary arts since childhood, yet I was unaware of your divine presence. I will repay you tenfold in the future. I only beg you, Kitchen God, to have mercy on me and protect me..."

After his explanation, the Incense Thoughts arose, and it was even more intense and refined than that of others, even Li Fuming's!

Instantly, a warm feeling descended upon him, gradually dispelling his fear and unease, and giving him a sense of being cared for.

Once the others returned, the middle-aged man composed himself, regained his authority, and began directing the others to work, while he himself took charge of cooking.

"Huh?"

The moment he grasped the spatula, he felt a completely different sensation, finding it easy and effortless to use. Overjoyed, he silently prayed, "May the Kitchen God bless me!"

However, no one in the house noticed that thoughts and perceptions were extending from the Kitchen God statue.

"I never expected that the worship ceremony would spread and create a group effect and a competitive atmosphere. This person worshipped me later, but his intention was the most sincere among all of them. It seems that while simply relying on divine power and intention to respond to believers is effective, introducing a competitive mechanism might be even more effective. I might as well study it in the future."

This thought, which originated from the Kitchen God statue, naturally belonged to Qiu Yan. It came from the divine Divine Pool of the deity himself and was probing out of the Subordinate Deity through the connection of the Domain of Law.

The smoke from the burning incense in front of the statue immediately swirled over, merging with the thoughts and perceptions of the deity. From a distance, these thoughts and perceptions appeared as a thin layer of smoke, slowly drifting and extending out of the kitchen.

The smoke drifted and dispersed, growing thinner and thinner, but the thoughts and perceptions within did not diminish, gradually enveloping a corner of the Military Governor's Residence.

Within this area, servants came and went, guards moved back and forth, and maids were everywhere, creating a scene of prosperity and splendor. Qiu Yan could feel an overwhelming sense of wealth and luxury.

As the smoke spread, more and more places were perceived, with pavilions and courtyards appearing one after another, and every corner was clearly sensed.

If anyone speaks, it's as if they're whispering in Qiu Yan's ear, which he picks up and transmits back to his divine form. In the Divine Pool, it's analyzed by the Incense Faith, who then discover useful information.

Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in Qiu Yan's senses—

In a courtyard, Song Qian was practicing boxing. Her movements were slow, but her punches were powerful and her feet moved with great force. Her body was steaming with heat, and her vigorous Qi and Blood were constantly rising. Even the smoke that enveloped her thoughts was forced back and dissipated.

"When I first saw her, I only felt that she moved lightly and silently, but I couldn't detect her aura or Qi and Blood. I already had a guess then. Now it seems that this woman's cultivation of Fate Dao is truly extraordinary. In terms of the sheer strength of her Qi and Blood alone, she is almost on par with the scholar's clone."

Just as Qiu Yan was pondering, Song Qian suddenly frowned, as if she had noticed something.

"Strange, for a moment just now, I had a feeling that someone was watching me, but upon closer inspection, I found nothing." She said softly, gathering her fists and feet, and took a damp towel from the basin held by the maid beside her to wipe her face.

"Go prepare hot water, I want to take a bath." After giving the order, Song Qian went into the room, sat down, and seemed to be lost in thought. Qiu Yan then took the opportunity to bring his attention back to the present.

The smoke carrying thoughts and perceptions had spread to almost half of the Military Governor's Residence, and Qiu Yan also used it to discover several figures with strong Yao Qi.

"There are many powerful demons in this mansion. Judging by their aura alone, they are on par with Wolf Demon and Goat Demon. They have at least refined Three Souls and should be subordinates of the Tongshan Demon King. However, Song Yuan doesn't seem like someone who can be deceived. He actually allows demons to live in his mansion. There are even a few demons inside, dressed as guards. Hmm?"

Just as Qiu Yan was about to investigate the true strength of the powerful demons, one or two of them reacted, seemingly sensing that they were being watched. At that moment, a cloud of smoke suddenly spread to a strange place.

This is an ancestral hall, built deep within the Military Governor's Residence, surrounded by ancient trees, their layers of branches and leaves obscuring it, exuding a gloomy and eerie atmosphere.

When the smoke from the Kitchen God's cooking fire spread outside the ancestral hall, it immediately stimulated the faint divine power that enveloped the hall.

"Who goes there!"

A scream erupted from the ancestral hall. The next moment, the entire surface of the ancestral hall distorted with light and shadow, becoming covered with divine power. This divine power surged and boiled, rushing towards that area.

"So that's where you were hiding."

Sensing the surging divine power that was about to shatter the Kitchen God's smoke, Qiu Yan did not choose to retreat. Instead, he gathered the smoke and his thoughts, twisted them into one, and charged forward!

Puff!

With a soft sound, the smoke broke through the divine power's seal and entered the ancestral hall.

In a daze, Qiu Yan saw two figures inside the ancestral hall, and then his senses snapped.

"Just now, in a blur, I saw two familiar figures. One of them was full of Yao Qi, with chaotic Qi and Blood and qi mixed with mottled divine power. It should be the Mountain-Passing Great King. The other one had rich Qi and Blood and qi, and was human, not demon. I can't remember where I've seen him before." Thinking to himself, Qiu Yan took a bite of food.

"Brother Qiu, are you really planning to leave?" Luo Jiayun asked from across the table.

The two of them were having lunch in a tavern opposite the post station.

Two days have passed since the literary gathering ended, and the events of the gathering have spread throughout the city, causing quite a stir. The most obvious change is that the Confucian scholars in the post station no longer dare to casually point fingers at Qiu Yan when they see him, but instead lower their heads and hurry away.

Even the scholars who had some prior acquaintance with Qiu Yan seemed somewhat uncomfortable when speaking to him. Only Luo Jiayun remained composed, his attitude towards Qiu Yan unchanged regardless of the recent rumors or his rising fame.

Upon hearing Qiu Yan mention that he might be leaving in a few days, Luo Jiayun felt a little regretful and repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay.

"Your poem has already spread, and many farmers and soldiers have praised it highly after hearing it; Mr. Zhao admires you very much and came over yesterday specifically to discuss philosophy with you. Your reputation is currently at its peak, and if you stay, you might eventually win the heart of a beautiful woman."

The poem Qiu Yan left behind that day has spread these days. The poem is straightforward, and even illiterate people can roughly understand its meaning after hearing Human Thoughts a few times. They know that it is a poem that speaks for poor farmers, and they immediately feel a sense of kinship with the poet.

Ordinary poems are lofty and aloof; there have never been such lines praising farmers. Even the soldiers, mostly from poor families, remembered these four lines and resonated with them.

For a time, it gathered a lot of public People's Wishes, which was beyond Qiu Yan's expectations. The poem "Pity the Farmers" he wrote that day was actually a spontaneous act after listening to many opinions and not agreeing with them.

"That poem was just something I heard someone recite and remembered. That night, I was moved to write it down," Qiu Yan put down his chopsticks. "As for my purpose in coming here, it wasn't to win the beauty's heart. But Brother Luo, when do you plan to leave?"

"My family is poor and has no books, so this is a rare opportunity to browse through so many books at the post station. I estimate I'll stay until the Autumn Examination are approaching..."

As Luo Jiayun was speaking, a sudden commotion arose outside. Several Marshfolk, led by Song Gaosu, swaggered through the market and went straight to the front of the inn, calling out Qiu Yan's name.

"This..." Seeing this scene, Luo Jiayun stopped talking, his face showing worry. He turned to look at Qiu Yan. He had heard about the grudge between Qiu Yan and the Marshfolk Prince and knew that it was not something that could be easily resolved.

"Brother Luo, there's no need to worry, I have my own plans." Qiu Yan waved his hand. He knew Luo Jiayun was worried, but he seemed oblivious as he swallowed the last few mouthfuls of rice, then stood up and walked towards the Marshfolk.

"They've finally arrived. Geluolan is quite patient, waiting two days before making his move. However, now that his men have come, they can finish all preparations before the Daoist priest takes action."

Lost in thought, he had already walked up behind Song Gaosu and called out to him, which startled Song Gaosu, who was three heads taller than him, and he hurriedly retreated.

"What are you going to do?" he asked warily.

Qiu Yan laughed and said, "You came to find me, why are you asking me what I want to do?"

"Yes! Yes!" Song Gaosu calmed down. "Don't be arrogant. It's my prince who wants to see you. If you refuse..."

Qiu Yan didn't even wait for the other person to finish speaking before saying, "Then lead the way." (To be continued...)