2: Try it out
The last ray of sunset disappeared into the horizon, and in an instant, night fell, completely enveloping the entire Chang Sheng Village.
From the moment darkness covered the land, Chang Sheng Village plunged into a deathly silence, a stillness that sent shivers down one's spine.
Lin Chuping's Divine Soul was hidden within the idol, his gaze passing through the curling incense smoke, quietly watching Qian Dazhuang and Aunt Qian kneeling before him.
After San Wazi left, the couple seemed to have had their spirit and energy drained, their faces ashen like dead ashes, their eyes hollow and lifeless, making them look more like statues than he did.
Only their slightly trembling shoulders proved that these were two living beings.
“Tong Ge, where did San Wazi go?”
Lin Chuping secretly asked the System in his heart.
Friends who frequently Transmigrate know that the System is generally omnipotent, but he didn't know the quality of his System.
“Ding! Mission issued: Make your follower, San Wazi, feel your protection.”
The System's mechanical voice, devoid of any emotion, suddenly rang out in his mind.
“Rewards will be issued upon mission completion. If the mission fails, all Incense Value will be deducted.”
“Damn it, Tong Ge, are you kidding me?!”
Lin Chuping couldn't help but curse under his breath.
It seemed his System was just average.
He was merely an obscure “three-no” wild god — no money, no Divine Power, no prestige, and he couldn't even step out of Qian Dazhuang's small courtyard. How was he supposed to protect his followers?
Wasn't this just making things difficult for a god?
They were both little grasshoppers on the same boat, so why bother making things hard for each other?
Lin Chuping glanced at the bare System panel, which sparsely displayed a pitiful 30 points of Incense Value, as if mocking his predicament.
“Tong Ge, if you want my 30 points of Incense Value, just say so. What's our relationship? Mine is yours. There's no need to beat around the bush; it's really unnecessary.”
Lin Chuping's lips curved into a slightly self-mocking bitter smile. Although he felt a bit unwilling, he still held a glimmer of hope and clicked on the System Store.
However, the next second, reality mercilessly slapped him hard.
“Ding! Your Incense Value is insufficient. The System Store cannot be opened.”
The System's cold notification sound was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the flicker of hope that had just ignited in his heart.
In desperation, Lin Chuping gritted his teeth and simply converted all his Incense Value into Divine Power.
In an instant, the data on the System panel changed:
“Host: Lin Chuping”
“Rank: Wild God”
“Jurisdiction: San Wazi's home in Chang Sheng Village”
“Divine Power: 3”
“Divine Arts: 0”
“Incense Value: 0 (Can be converted to Divine Power, used to purchase Divine Arts)”
“System Store: Unlocked”
The one-to-ten exchange ratio made Lin Chuping's heart ache.
However, as wisps of Divine Power slowly merged into his Divine Soul, he keenly noticed that his Divine Soul had become ever so slightly more stable than before.
This feeling was exhilarating!
He had a feeling that as long as he kept increasing his Divine Power value, his Divine Soul could even condense into a physical body, like a real person, but Lin Chuping couldn't figure out what use a physical body would have.
Now, it was time to let his followers feel his care!
Time passed by minute by minute.
Hidden within the idol, Lin Chuping keenly sensed a mysterious Qi rapidly approaching the ancestral hall from the darkness.
Recalling San Wazi, who hadn't returned after dinner, Lin Chuping instantly made a decision.
This must be the dirty thing that had the family on high alert!
Given the existence of wild gods like him in this world, it wasn't surprising to have dirty things around.
Completely reasonable.
Having convinced himself, Lin Chuping detached from the idol and silently approached the courtyard gate, looking through the night towards the ancestral hall a hundred meters away.
Through the faint connection with his follower, he could sense that San Wazi's Qi was inside.
Seeing the eerie black mist about to surge into the ancestral hall, Lin Chuping didn't hesitate. He immediately released all three points of Divine Power within him towards the ancestral hall.
In an instant, a faint golden light, like a sword unsheathed, pierced directly through the thick black mist.
Immediately after, a faint, piercing wail, like the shriek of a malevolent ghost, echoed in the air, sending chills down one's spine.
Then, the black mist dissipated into nothingness.
“A good start!”
Lin Chuping was secretly pleased. He hadn't expected this thing, which seemed intimidating, to be much weaker than he had imagined, a mere paper tiger.
After sensing that the dirty thing had completely dissipated, Lin Chuping felt as if all his strength had been drained. He let out a big yawn and dragged his weary body back into the idol, preparing to rest.
Perhaps it was due to over-exerting his Divine Power, but at this moment, his entire Divine Soul felt as if it had been filled with lead, incredibly heavy, and a wave of exhaustion surged over him.
He now had nothing left; the only Divine Power he could use was exhausted. If the mission could be completed successfully, then all was well, but if it couldn't... if it couldn't, then... so be it.
Anyway, he had done his best; as for the outcome, he would leave it to fate.
After Lin Chuping fell into a deep sleep, the System's voice finally arrived late:
“Ding! Killed a Spirit Rank specter, rewarded Incense Value +100.”
*
“Wake up...”
“Wake up quickly...”
In his dream, San Wazi heard a noisy sound, as if coming from the distant sky. Vaguely, he seemed to hear the village chief's voice.
“I'm not dead? How can this be?”
San Wazi was startled, but then he thought it was impossible. Their village had been sacrificing young adults to the mountain god for ten consecutive years, and none of the offerings to the mountain god had ever survived to the next day.
San Wazi slowly opened his eyes. What greeted him was a crowd of people surrounding him, their eyes like searchlights, scanning him from head to toe.
The villagers had shed their usual apathetic expressions, and a glimmer of light appeared in their eyes.
Seeing him wake up, Village Chief Li Fu was the first to speak, his voice filled with urgency and expectation: “San Wazi, do you remember what happened last night?”
San Wazi slowly shook his head, a trace of confusion on his face, trying hard to recall.
“Last night, I was alone in the ancestral hall, feeling especially scared. It was so quiet around me, not a sound. I thought that if I fell asleep, it might not hurt anymore, and as I thought about it, I lost consciousness.”
As the villagers listened to San Wazi's words, the spark of hope that had just ignited in their eyes was instantly extinguished.
Some of the more quick-witted villagers secretly pondered.
The mountain god would not easily abandon his offerings. San Wazi's survival could only mean one thing — He was unable to take him.
“San Wazi, think hard, has anything special happened recently?”
This was a matter concerning the life and death of the entire village, so Village Chief Li Fu's tone couldn't help but be urgent.
Qian Dazhuang and Aunt Qian were also racking their brains beside him. Suddenly, San Wazi seemed to be struck by lightning, and a thought flashed through his mind: “It's that idol!”
“What idol?”
Crippled Wang asked eagerly. Crippled Wang was a famous charlatan in the village; for anything related to ghosts and gods, he was the go-to person.
“Last night, I dug up a box at the foot of the mountain. Inside the box was a clay figurine. I thought it was an idol, so I went home and worshipped it with my parents.”
San Wazi spoke a little faster, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
“I originally thought of it as a last resort, but I didn't expect it to actually work.”
As soon as San Wazi finished speaking, Village Chief Li Fu, as if he had heard a lifeline, immediately decided: “Quick, take us to see it!”