Mortal Turmoil, Unending Affairs

Qiu Yan immediately sensed the ripple and detected a certain artistic conception within it.

Hm? This ripple seems to have been drawn over by the characters surrounding the talisman soul. It contains many mysteries, but they are not something I can fathom at my current stage.

With a turn of thought, Qiu Yan discovered the connection between himself and the ripple.

The Core Talisman was the profound and intricate character at the center of the Divine Body. It contained a deity's essence, formed the foundation of a god, and was the source that nurtured Divine Power and Divine Ability.

Since Qiu Yan had decided to join the City God's ranks, he no longer had any misgivings. He did not fear that she would harm him, so his mind relaxed and his senses became sharper, allowing him to notice the changes within his body.

The characters circling the Core Talisman were trembling slightly, clearly resonating with the surging incense and People's Wishes, as well as the mysterious ripple.

Drawn in, the incense and People's Wishes poured into the talisman. Countless fragmented words arose in Qiu Yan's perception, as though thousands upon thousands of people were whispering in his ears. If an ordinary person suddenly heard such a chaotic multitude of voices, their mind would be disturbed and they would immediately faint.

At that moment, the Core Talisman spun rapidly, sealing off the noise. It absorbed the chaotic People's Wishes within itself, transformed them into strands of Divine Power, then radiated them outward onto the surrounding Divine Power Stars. The stars immediately blazed with light, and specks of radiance emerged around them.

Yet Qiu Yan had no mind to spare for the changes in his Divine Power. All his attention was focused on the mysterious ripple that had been drawn over.

The ripples passed through his body and merged into the characters, which gradually became more transparent...

At last, the characters changed. One after another, they expanded and shattered, turning into specks of light.

In an instant, the light combined with the Divine Power flowing from the Core Talisman, compressing and condensing into brand-new Divine Power Stars!

Ten!

Twenty!

Forty!

One hundred!

A hundred Divine Power Stars took shape in the blink of an eye!

In that instant, the white-glowing Divine Body expanded. This was a sign that his Divine Power had surged too greatly to control, but in the next moment, expansion became contraction. The radiance emitted by the stars connected with the Core Talisman, sending thread after thread of images through it.

They were scenes of figures bustling about by kitchen stoves and campfires.

Earth formed the stove, dry branches fueled the fire, and smoke rose from the flames.

Then Qiu Yan's Divine Body blurred. When it became clear again, it had taken on a different appearance. He no longer wore a scholar's blue robe, but a gray robe whose hems gathered and dispersed like smoke. Fire rested atop his head, like a headscarf and a small crown binding his hair.

He held a seal in his hand. On its back had originally been a low mountain, but now there was an added stove platform, within which several little flames flickered restlessly.

Qiu Yan closed his eyes, and his perception expanded at high speed, directly surpassing the boundaries of the City God Temple and spreading throughout the city. Faintly, he could sense the location of every kitchen stove in the city.

One or two wisps of weak Wish Power wound around each stove.

Yet there still seemed to be a layer of separation, making it difficult for Qiu Yan to fully sense the stoves and the Wish Power.

This is what it truly feels like to be a deity—incense clinging to the body, Divine Power manifesting. But I have not yet taken my place in the City God's Divine Office, so I have not completely merged with the Domain of Law. There is still a barrier between us.

He had not noticed it while things were so intense just now, but once he calmed down, he felt strands of Wish Power entering his Divine Body, and a faint comfort rose from the depths of his heart.

With another turn of thought, Qiu Yan no longer immersed himself in his perception. He opened his eyes and looked ahead.

The surroundings had long since changed. It was no longer the main hall, but the room he had seen several days ago. A table stood in the middle of the room, and the Incense Burner atop it was still giving off smoke.

Yuanning City God sat beside the table.

Without my noticing, she moved me here. Such methods are truly extraordinary. I wonder when I will reach such a level. Though he thought this, Qiu Yan said nothing. He could sense an invisible thread connecting him to the City God, with faint Wish Power flowing along it. A feeling of shared weal and woe rose from the depths of his heart.

The reason I was able to form a hundred Divine Power Stars in one go this time had much to do with the Wish Power transmitted by this City God. Otherwise, relying solely on the Divine Office's evolution when receiving my post, it would have been difficult to gather so much Wish Power at once. It seems joining the Divine Office of a high-ranking deity is far from simple. She has to expend Wish Power, while I...

"Our fortunes are linked!"

Realization dawned on Qiu Yan. The feeling of shared weal and woe was not merely an illusion; the Fortune of the two deities had become connected.

Neither I nor my avatar have linked Fortune. At most, there is Karma drawing us together. Strictly speaking, we really are two independent individuals.

At that moment, the City God's voice emerged from beneath her mask. "It seems you have accepted the Divine Office." As she spoke, she raised a hand. The armor around her wrist clinked crisply, and when her palm opened, two gray, shadowy figures floated upward.

Qiu Yan focused his gaze and immediately recognized them as two remnants of souls, dazed and unable to distinguish east from west.

A remnant soul was what remained when the Three Souls scattered after death and were no longer whole.

"They are the remnant souls of two demons." With only one glance, he saw their true forms and knew they were not human.

"These two demons ate people in the city before. Their bodies were destroyed and their souls damaged, leaving only these remnants. They have Karma connecting them to the mortal at your side, so I will temporarily entrust them to you. Return them within seven days." As the City God spoke, she flicked her finger, and the two remnant souls drifted to Qiu Yan's side. "I know you still have mortal ties unresolved, so I permit you to delay taking your place for now. But it must not exceed seven days. Settle your mortal affairs within that time."

Qiu Yan's heart stirred. With a sweep of his sleeve, he collected the two remnant souls, then looked toward the City God. What she had done over the past half day, together with the gift she had given him the day before, had already gone beyond an superior's generous treatment of a subordinate.

The City God saw Qiu Yan's confusion and spoke bluntly. "Once you enter the Divine Office, you are no longer an outsider. I do not like beating around the bush, so I will not hide it from you. In a few years, there will be something for which I need your strength. But rest assured, there will be no danger. Naturally, I will not treat you poorly during that time."

Having heard this, Qiu Yan understood the source of his doubts. With a turn of thought, he did not hesitate. "I will repay sincerity with sincerity."

"Good." Yuanning City God nodded and spoke with Qiu Yan for a few more sentences.

A few breaths later, Qiu Yan's expression changed slightly.

The City God naturally noticed and asked, "Is something the matter?"

At the same time, in the Chen Household's courtyard, the door to Qiu Yan's room had been pushed open, and Liu Yue entered with a face full of worry.

Qiu Yan's scholar avatar set down the brush in his hand, lifted his eyes, and met Liu Yue's somewhat grief-stricken gaze.

"Brother Yan, stop writing for now and come with me to the Pan Household. You and Rongniang have known each other, and Aunt has always treated you well. This disaster fell from the sky; by sentiment or by reason, you cannot refuse to go." Liu Yue sighed as he spoke.

At those words, a slender figure surfaced in Qiu Yan's mind. Frowning, he asked, "The Pan Household? Cousin, from the way you speak, has something happened to Rongniang?"

Liu Yue sighed and shook his head. "This is fate. Rongniang... I fear she will not make it."

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