Set Aside for Now

If the other Incense Gods in this world learned what Yin Yunze was thinking, they might well curse him as an overly sensitive bastard.

An existence so much like an avatar was a treasure countless Incense Gods dreamed of but could never obtain.

For an Incense God, an avatar like this was undoubtedly an extra life.

Even in the face of a devastating calamity like the destruction of their temple and golden statue, they could still seize another body. They might not be able to rise again, but at least they could cling to life.

And aside from a condition like sacrifice, which was not difficult to fulfill, Zhao Wan's own peculiar nature was more important.

Her ability to bear the authority of an Incense God was more important than a sacrifice.

Had there not been so many brides married off to mountain gods and river lords? After being sacrificed, they usually ended up as nothing more than a bloody meal.

But as an ordinary person, Yin Yunze found it hard to change his way of thinking all at once.

Even after obtaining a Land God's divinity, Yin Yunze still saw himself as a person who had gained special powers, not some so-called god.

What had happened to Zhao Wan had also served as a timely reminder to Yin Yunze.

In a world with extraordinary powers, there were many things that defied logic and reason.

If you actually ran into one, there was little you could do but mutter to yourself about your bad luck.

Yes. After turning it over and over, Yin Yunze could only sum it up in one sentence: Zhao Wan had been unlucky.

In fact, taking a step back, Zhao Wan had been unlucky to encounter something like this.

But Spirit Medium Wang and the other two had been burned to death by Yin Yunze. Wasn't that another kind of bad luck?

For Spirit Medium Wang, wasn't the sudden appearance of an anomaly like Yin Yunze just as unreasonable a stroke of bad luck?

Wanting everything to follow reason was itself unreasonable.

Yin Yunze only had these thoughts because Zhao Wan was relatively close to him.

On closer thought, Zhao Wan could at least receive Yin Yunze's care. In other places beyond his sight, weren't those people who became bloody meals after being sacrificed, who couldn't even stay alive, even more pitiful?

He could only say that seeing the cruel side of this world under these circumstances was luckier than learning the same lesson when he actually ran into a formidable enemy, wasn't it?

After thinking it through, Yin Yunze's outlook changed considerably.

In the future, he probably could no longer view this world solely through the values of a modern person.

As for Zhao Wan's present state, Yin Yunze had no good solution.

Even if Yin Yunze wanted to set Zhao Wan free, he couldn't find a way to do so for the time being.

It was like making a chair out of a tree: that was difficult enough, but turning a chair back into a tree was almost impossible.

At least Yin Yunze, who had only just become a Land God, could not restore Zhao Wan's altered nature to what it had been.

Where Zhao Wan was concerned, all Yin Yunze could do was place restrictions on himself and treat her as an independent, equal person.

Only after deciding how he would regard Zhao Wan could Yin Yunze continue to consider what this meant for him.

And after thinking it through carefully, Yin Yunze couldn't help feeling a lingering fear.

To put it in gaming terms, Yin Yunze had nearly ended up with a dead save.

If ordinary Spirit Descent hadn't worked, Yin Yunze would never have learned how important an anchor was to him.

And given Yin Yunze's personality, if he had merely been experimenting, he might not have sought out Zhao Wan to try Spirit Descent after Sun Qin refused.

In that case, Yin Yunze would not have learned that he had already ascended, or how important a temple and golden statue were.

Following that line of thought, who knew how much longer Yin Yunze would have remained holed up in that fox immortal temple, stuck in this malformed state!

In this malformed state, no matter how many believers Yin Yunze gathered, how much incense he received, or how high his rank as an Incense God rose, he could never achieve the crucial qualitative transformation of gaining divinity.

It was like sitting on a mountain of treasure and using it for nothing more than a cushion.

Perhaps only when Yin Yunze had a sudden whim one day and decided to get himself a temple and golden statue would he receive the information he should have received long ago.

But who knew how long it would have been before that happened.

Taking a more pessimistic view, the malicious source behind the drought might even have appeared before Yin Yunze while he was still ignorant of all this!

In a sense, the appearance of a special case like Zhao Wan was instead a great stroke of fortune for Yin Yunze!

But even as he thought that, Yin Yunze felt somewhat annoyed with himself for thinking that way.

After all, Yin Yunze's joy was built on Zhao Wan's misfortune.

"Lord Yi Yun? It still won't work?"

Yin Yunze didn't know how long he had spent thinking amid these tangled feelings before Sun Qin's call roused him from his thoughts.

Yin Yunze glanced at Sun Qin and opened his mouth, but said nothing about it.

Her daughter had become a nonhuman existence. Even if it benefited the god she worshipped, it would probably still be terrible news for a parent.

"It won't." Yin Yunze looked away and smoothly spun a lie. "I miscalculated. I thought the Spirit Descent Technique could be used on others, but someone placed a restriction on it. After choosing Wan'er, I can't descend into anyone else for the time being!"

"How could that be!" On hearing the terrible news, Sun Qin couldn't help crying out in dismay. "Lord Yi Yun, is there no other way?"

"..." In response to Sun Qin's question, Yin Yunze could only avoid answering and speak of something else. "Don't worry. I won't let Wan'er come to harm."

"...Then please, Lord Yi Yun, take pity on Wan'er for being young and take good care of her."

Hearing Yin Yunze say that, Sun Qin could only accept the reality. In the minds of most people in this world, never mind bargaining with a god-even being told about it was an enormous favor.

Back then, when the villagers wanted to sacrifice Zhao Wan, they hadn't asked Sun Qin what she thought beforehand, had they?

Seeing Sun Qin like this, Yin Yunze thought for a moment and promised, "I promise you, once this matter is settled, I absolutely will not descend into Wan'er without her consent unless it's necessary!"

Yin Yunze had never held human nature in high regard, and that included his own.

Yin Yunze was also afraid that, if he found it convenient in the future, he might truly forget Zhao Wan's fundamental nature as a human being.

So it was necessary to place this restriction on himself.

But just then, Yin Yunze heard Zhao Wan say enthusiastically, "Lord Yi Yun! Whenever you descend into Wan'er, Wan'er will be willing!"

"..."

Well, it still comes down to my own willpower! Forget it! Once the temple's divine statue is ready, I won't need to worry anymore.

Yin Yunze could only make that silent complaint.

Even if he changed the condition to Sun Qin's consent, when Yin Yunze actually prepared to descend, Sun Qin would have to dare object.

Yin Yunze was asking to show her respect, and Sun Qin actually took it seriously?

Sun Qin was a clearheaded person too. She knew perfectly well that everything she had now depended on the rights Yin Yunze had given her.

For Yin Yunze to take them back and give them to someone else would take no more than a word.

If she didn't want to return to the days when she had been bullied, Sun Qin actually had no say whatsoever in front of Yin Yunze.

Unable even to support herself financially, Sun Qin was clearly in no position to speak of independence before Yin Yunze.

Sun Qin could only count herself fortunate that Yin Yunze was already a rare benevolent god!