Fortune Thin, Fate Beset by Misfortune; Moon Rises, Soul Enters the Night

"Just give this talisman to that mortal," the City God said. Light shone from the eyeholes of her metal mask, like a gaze. "There is something I must remind you of: if we deities meddle too deeply in mortal affairs, we will inevitably disrupt Karma and fortune. Instead, we may bring calamity and disaster upon mortals."

As she spoke, the talisman paper drifted through the air, and Qiu Yan caught it in one swift motion.

This is no small favor I owe her. But with my avatar trapped in danger, I cannot let this chance to improve slip away. Besides, she and I are both deities, our fortunes already intertwined. Now that Karma has been planted, it cannot easily be erased. The City God is willing to pay so much—just what hidden mystery lies in the matter she wants my help with?

Qiu Yan understood that everything the other party had given was a means of drawing him in, but the meaning behind her words also gave him much to ponder.

The Liu Household was suddenly struck by disaster at such a perfect time. It is very likely because my divine true self came too close and disrupted the Liu Household's own fortune...

People often said that when blessings were thin, fate was fragile. What they meant was that one had received favor beyond what one's destiny could bear. Qiu Yan's true self was a god and dwelled within the Liu Household, yet the Liu family knew nothing of it. They neither worshipped nor treated him with reverence. Moreover, their household's blessings were meager; they could not bear such favor, could not enjoy it, and would instead lose both fortune and lifespan.

With that thought, a new decision formed in Qiu Yan's heart.

Still, I must first resolve the present danger. Otherwise, if my avatar becomes entangled in Karma and cannot break free, it will be ruined from this day onward.

Having made up his mind, he spoke a few more words, then rose and bade the Yuanning City God farewell before leaving.

Time flew by, and before long, night had fallen again.

After the upheaval of the day, everyone in the Liu Household was exhausted. None of them had any appetite for dinner. From time to time, Qiu Yan's scholar avatar brought up reporting the matter to the authorities, only to be stopped by Liu Huai. Still, the words reached the ears of several gossip-loving neighbors, and he inevitably became the target of ridicule and scorn, branded a pedant.

"Reporting the Pan Household to the authorities? Are you tired of living?"

"I heard the Pan Household's Second Master is an official in the capital. During every festival, from the prefecture governor down to the county magistrate, who in Yuanning City does not visit the Pan Household to offer greetings? Even ordinary clerks from the Cao Kingdom would be too ashamed to call at their door."

"This Qiu boy has some reputation in Qingchang County, but none of it is good. Seeing him today, he truly is a bookworm who knows nothing of the ways of the world."

"If you ask me, he is not foolish—he is just cowardly. He does not dare truly make trouble with the Pan Household, so he merely talks big to give himself a way out. If you really told him to beat the grievance drum, do you think he would dare?"

Neighbors loved nothing more than excitement. When something like this happened, one person told ten, and ten told a hundred. Qiu Yan's words quickly spread throughout the area.

Best if everyone believes that I, Qiu Yan, am an old fossil who clings to antiquity—timid and afraid of trouble, yet stubbornly determined to file a lawsuit.

After eating a few simple bites, Qiu Yan returned to his room, closed the door, left a narrow crack in the window, and walked over to the table.

There was already an extra sheet of talisman paper on it—his divine true self moved with astonishing speed and had already returned.

From the City God's words, this talisman should be of great help in condensing a Living Soul. It is exactly what I need now. Pan Rongniang's body still has vitality, but her soul is absent from it. That remains a hidden danger; she could die at any moment. This cannot be delayed. It must be resolved as soon as possible. Fortunately, I finally have a little confidence now.

As the thought fell, Qiu Yan's scholar avatar raised a hand. White light flickered at his fingertips, shooting out in a beam of Divine Power that landed upon the talisman paper.

This time, joining the Divine Office of the Yuanning Metropolitan City God had brought tremendous gains. Not only had he obtained a new Divine Office and laid the foundation for advancing upon the Divine Path, he had also gained a large amount of Divine Power. His stars had broken past a hundred; counting the one stored within his avatar, the total was close to one hundred and two, allowing him to cast off his predicament in one stroke.

However, worship of the Kitchen God has yet to be established. For now, I can only accumulate Divine Power through the unconscious thoughts of the city's people and the shares allotted by the entire Divine Office. I can condense only one star each day, so I still need to be frugal. Even so, compared to before, it is the difference between heaven and earth.

As Qiu Yan considered this, the talisman paper in his hand had already been ignited by Divine Power, turning into white flames. They gathered in the air and formed a glowing rune, identical to the one drawn upon the paper.

Ripples flowed from it and entered Qiu Yan's perception. Enlightenment rose in his heart. He turned and lay down on the bed, calming his mind and settling his spirit, meditating to preserve the god within. The god inside him gathered at the crown of his head, then surged forth.

The Living Soul left the body, projecting into the mysteries.

The instant it emerged, the soul twisted and struggled like a drowning man. Yet mist churned within it, carrying streams of memories that became rows upon rows of splendid writings. In an instant, they spread through every part of the soul, and the distorted Living Soul immediately stabilized.

"The Spirit-Calming Incense truly is wondrous. When a Living Soul leaves the body, it is like a person entering water—once it sinks, it disperses. Yet the incense smoke forcibly halted it. Still, this second Spirit Projection has used up all the incense. Next time, I can only rely on myself."

Spirit Projection was difficult.

Among a hundred people, perhaps not even one could succeed. Yet after projecting, keeping the Living Soul from scattering was even harder. Countless people had projected their souls, only to sink into the surroundings, unable to return to their shells. In the end, their souls vanished into the boundless dark.

It was like some people who, while sleeping at night, occasionally became spiritually aware and dreamed that they had left their fleshly shells and soared through the skies. In truth, their Living Souls had spontaneously projected for one reason or another. Such people were generally of exceptional comprehension. But if their souls did not leave the house, they might still return to their bodies, though aftereffects would be hard to avoid. If they flew too far, however, most would die suddenly in their sleep.

With the Spirit-Calming Incense protecting him, Qiu Yan's Living Soul was relatively safe. Moreover, he had experience from the first time, so this second attempt was far more familiar. The moment it projected and stabilized, his thoughts turned, and the Living Soul began to drift.

Yet he had only just entered the Aperture-Opening Realm, and his Living Soul was weak. Even drifting through the air, the resistance along the way was like a gale slamming into his face, blowing the soul into distortions and causing tiny injuries from time to time.

This too was a trial. When ordinary people cultivated, even if they could project their souls, they would initially keep them hovering above their heads, gradually adapting. At the slightest change or gust of wind, they would return to themselves. Who would be like Qiu Yan, attempting to drift about on only his second try? If not for the remaining Spirit-Calming Incense protecting him, his soul would have suffered grievous damage already.

My Divine Power has greatly increased. If I use it to cover my Living Soul and combine it with the remaining incense smoke, I can ensure absolute safety. But cultivation is perilous at every turn. I already took a shortcut with the first step of Spirit Projection. Now I am trying to rush ahead even further. If I use outside strength to erase every risk within it, then when I encounter a crisis that my divine true self cannot protect me from, will I not be left with no choice but to surrender and await capture? So I cannot act now.

With that thought, the Living Soul drifted over the table and approached the glowing rune floating in the air.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, Qiu Yan's Living Soul lunged forward and crashed into the rune. The rune shattered from the impact, turning into threadlike strands of light that wound around him. In the blink of an eye, they bound the Living Soul and seeped into it.

The next moment, an incomparably soothing sensation surged from the depths of his soul. The threadlike light was like sweet spring water, merging into Qiu Yan's soul and spreading swiftly.

Grow! Grow! Grow!

The frail Living Soul rapidly expanded. Its edges, which had previously seemed ready to scatter at the slightest gust, gradually solidified. The entire soul had originally been transparent, but now it gleamed with luster and revealed a form, like a mass of watery mist.

As the light spread and merged within him, the Living Soul became increasingly full and condensed, its surface developing a smooth texture.

Put plainly, the soul was an aggregate of concepts such as a person's consciousness, thoughts, emotions, temperament, and memories. Formless and intangible, it could not be seen or sensed by ordinary people, aside from the eyes of deities or the perception of those who had undergone Aperture Opening.

The reason Qiu Yan's Living Soul now appeared to possess texture and light was not because the soul itself had gained texture and light, but because the radiance transformed from the rune was showing through.

As time passed, the light gradually dimmed, and the Living Soul became formless once more. Yet compared to before, the difference was like heaven and earth.

A feeling of unrestrained ease filled every corner of the Living Soul, making Qiu Yan feel as though he had broken free of all shackles and become utterly unfettered.

The shifting air currents no longer affected the Living Soul in the slightest. With a thought from Qiu Yan, his soul shot through the room. With another turn of thought, it veered and slipped through the crack in the window, arriving outside.

Moonlight spilled down, and the Living Soul became crystal clear.

P.S. Second update. Please vote with recommendation tickets, and friends passing by, please help add this to your collection.