Scent Worship Cult

Scent Worship Cult

Time drifted by, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.

Soon, it was time for the county's Demon Suppression Department to recruit new personnel.

This day, early in the morning.

Before Lu Changsheng had even risen, Fang Qing and Fang Tao had already arrived in his courtyard and begun waiting.

Several days ago, the two had received the news.

Today, they were especially excited.

Fang Qing felt as though she were dreaming. That wastrel who used to spend every day roaming the streets and alleys had suddenly entered the path of martial arts and was even going to take part in the Demon Suppression Department's selection. It was beyond anything she had expected.

Before long, Lu Changsheng got up, washed, and walked outside.

The instant he saw Fang Qing, his expression froze.

Her face had clearly been smeared with ash, concealing its original rosy complexion.

Her clothes were also very loose, no different from those of any other farm girl.

It seemed she was quite clever as well, knowing how to hide her brilliance. Otherwise, she would have fallen victim long ago over these past years.

"Let's go."

Lu Changsheng smiled faintly and took the lead out of the courtyard.

Fang Qing and Fang Tao hurried after him.

The three left the courtyard and proceeded down the street.

Filthy water and rotting animal carcasses lay everywhere on both sides, giving off a foul stench.

It made all three of them frown.

If they had the means, they would have moved away long ago.

By now, more and more people had begun appearing on the street.

Today was the grand day when the Demon Suppression Department recruited new personnel, and many commoners were also heading to the central square to watch.

In ordinary times, some commoners were successfully selected, their names resounding throughout Changping County.

It filled countless people at the bottom of society with excitement, making them dream that one day they too could be so imposing.

Even if most could not get their wish, they would at least have something to boast about over the wine table.

When some neighbors saw Lu Changsheng and the other two, they did not greet them. Their manner was exceedingly cold.

Lu Changsheng was happy enough with that.

Ever since his father had left and never returned, the neighbors had treated him as though he were a plague god, avoiding him whenever they could. Why would they come near him?

"Hmph... When Uncle Lu was around, he took quite good care of Auntie Wang..."

Fang Tao's face was full of indignation.

He was young, and naturally could not tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes.

To him, certain people were simply ungrateful and utterly detestable.

"Little brother, stop complaining."

Fang Qing smiled faintly and offered a word of comfort.

She too was quite dissatisfied with this in her heart.

But Lu Changsheng would soon enter official service, so there was no need to care much about these neighbors. They simply would not associate with them in the future.

The three continued in silence, slowly making their way toward the central square.

Half the time it took to drink a cup of tea later.

Suddenly, waves of chanting came from the intersection ahead, grand and mighty in force.

"The Radiant Venerable descends into the world, delivering all living beings. Blazing Sacred Fire, cleanse away all filth..."

A group of men in white robes walked toward the intersection, their bearing imposing.

Their lips continued to murmur prayers.

Their ringing voices echoed through the entire street.

Seeing this, many nearby civilians immediately stood to either side, their faces filled with reverence.

In their eyes, these people were living bodhisattvas who "saved those in suffering and delivered those in distress."

Whenever someone in their household suffered some minor illness or ailment, there was no need to buy medicine. A sip of miraculous talisman water would cure them.

Over time, countless commoners naturally came to believe in them more and more.

"They're people from the Scent Worship Cult."

Fang Qing lowered her voice and hurriedly pulled Lu Changsheng and Fang Tao to the side, yielding the road.

There was even a trace of fear in her eyes.

She had always been deeply wary of matters concerning gods.

Lu Changsheng did not resist, allowing Fang Qing to pull him aside as he raised his head and studied the group of cultists ahead.

The leader was tall and powerfully built. Two flames were embroidered upon his white robe, making him especially conspicuous.

His tiger-like eyes carried wisps of Sha Qi, and sharp glints flashed within them as his gaze swept around.

Moreover, his temples bulged high.

"A martial arts expert!"

With only one glance, Lu Changsheng knew that this man's cultivation was far from shallow, at least Muscle Refining or above.

With Lu Changsheng's current strength, he probably was not yet a match for him.

Lu Changsheng quietly watched the group disappear into the distance before continuing onward with the two siblings.

Yet this one incident suddenly weighed heavily on his heart.

According to his memories, these Scent Worship Cult members had previously only operated outside the city. It was only in the past half year that they had begun appearing frequently within it.

It was as though they were gradually testing the government's reaction.

This immediately put him on guard.

Lu Changsheng would not naively believe that they were truly here to deliver all living beings.

When a dynasty gradually began to decline, all sorts of demons and monsters often emerged at the first opportunity.

These people definitely had some unspeakable purpose.

Changping County was where he had established himself. If unrest broke out, he would be the first to bear the brunt of it.

With his current strength, it was still difficult for him to travel alone to the prefectural city.

The wilderness was still exceedingly dangerous.

Before long, Lu Changsheng and the other two arrived at a large central square.

He looked up.

At the center of the square stood a raised platform with three chairs upon it.

At that moment, three middle-aged men sat upright in the chairs, their expressions stern and imposing.

The three wore Flying Eagle Uniforms and held long sabers in their hands, which gleamed beneath the sunlight.

These three were the official Demon Suppressors presiding over today's ceremony.

On the eastern side of the square stood three enormous cauldrons of varying sizes.

The cauldrons stood on three legs and were made of brass, clearly weighing a great deal.

A dense mass of people surrounded the three cauldrons. Voices rose everywhere, and the place was a noisy uproar.

Based on the memories in his mind, Lu Changsheng knew the purpose of these cauldrons as well: they were used to select recruits.

Simple and crude.

The three giant cauldrons weighed sixteen hundred jin, twelve hundred jin, and eight hundred jin respectively.

In the past, anyone who could lift the eight-hundred-jin cauldron was considered successful.

With the strength of an ordinary Stone Skin martial artist, a full explosive effort from both arms was enough to lift that eight-hundred-jin cauldron above their head.

The most ordinary martial artist possessed eight hundred jin of tremendous strength upon first entering Skin Refining.

At the completion of Skin Refining, they would have around two thousand jin of strength. Those with exceptional talent would be even more astonishing.

As long as an ordinary person could step into Skin Refining, they would have a chance to join the Demon Suppression Department.

This had also been a rule established by the imperial court for hundreds of years, meant to give commoners at the bottom a sliver of an upward path.

After passing this stage, one would become an Apprentice Demon Suppressor. Only after a year-long assessment period could one officially become a Yellow-rank Demon Suppressor.

As for why there were three tiers, that was beyond his knowledge.

Lu Changsheng guessed it might be related to what came after entering the Demon Suppression Department.

"Changsheng, hurry and register."

Fang Qing pointed at an elderly man in black robes ahead and spoke gently.

Lu Changsheng smiled and nodded.

Then he walked forward.

There were already quite a few people lined up before the old man, all challengers who had come today.

Cultivating as an ordinary martial artist was exceedingly difficult. But as long as one could successfully join the Demon Suppression Department, there would be considerable benefits, so naturally many flocked to it like ducks.

Some had even forcibly stimulated their potential and sacrificed their lifespan to enter Skin Refining, coming here to gamble on a chance.

Such people accounted for the overwhelming majority among the commoners.

Lu Changsheng obediently joined the line at the back.

As the people ahead gradually dwindled, it was soon Lu Changsheng's turn.

"Name?"

"Lu Changsheng."

"Age?"

"Twenty."

"Martial cultivation and cultivation technique?"

"Skin Refining, Iron Cloth Shirt."

Lu Changsheng answered each question with a smile.

When the old man heard Iron Cloth Shirt, his expression froze. He too knew of this "famous" cultivation technique, and had not expected anyone to still dare risk death cultivating it.

Every year, some commoners cultivated themselves to death. He had not expected Lu Changsheng, so young, to choose such a perilous path as well.

A group of martial artists standing in the line behind him also revealed strange looks in their eyes.

Everyone took Lu Changsheng for a martial artist who had forcibly stimulated his potential to cultivate.

The old man then took out a wooden token with a regretful expression and handed it to Lu Changsheng.

"This is your identification token. It will not be replaced if lost."

"Thank you, Senior."

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands, accepted the token, then turned and walked back.

He offered no explanation.

The more he could conceal himself, the better. Seeking a momentary spotlight was clearly not worth the loss.

Fortunately, no one came out to mock him. Such scenes were rarely seen.

For people with only shallow acquaintance, ordinary people could not be bothered to pay attention.

If they were enemies, they would instead exhaust every means behind the scenes to kill the other person. Petty verbal disputes were exceedingly low-level for martial artists.