22: The value of incense has increased significantly

Incense smoke curled upwards, swirling within the tranquil small temple.

"Ding! Liu Chunsheng contributed Incense Value +100."

Lin Chuping looked down at Liu Chunsheng and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad. He truly is the young man I chose."

"Just this impressive 100 Incense Value proves it!"

When the incense had burned halfway, Liu Chunsheng, following Lord Chuping's earlier instructions, picked up a pair of wooden divination blocks placed on the altar.

He pressed his palms together and spoke piously.

"Great Deity, last night you slayed a Black Bear Demon in Nan Shu Village. Should the Black Bear Demon's corpse be used as an offering to you?"

After speaking, Liu Chunsheng clasped the divination blocks in his palm, took a deep breath, and then tossed them to the ground.

With a "clack," the divination blocks landed.

Both showed the negative side.

This clearly meant that the Black Bear Demon's corpse was not to be used as an offering, and Liu Chunsheng was not surprised by this outcome.

Before this, some villagers had presented fresh fruits and vegetables from their own harvests as offerings to Lord Chuping. Although Lord Chuping seemed a bit hesitant, he ultimately accepted them.

Later, when the temple was completed, the village chief and Liu Chunsheng, after much thought, wanted to designate the completion date of the temple as "Deity Descent Day" and sacrifice some livestock annually on that day.

In the end, this suggestion was rejected by Lord Chuping without hesitation!

Lord Chuping was, after all, a benevolent deity who sympathized with their impoverished common folk.

Liu Chunsheng thought of this and tentatively spoke.

"Last night, the Great Deity slayed a Black Bear Demon in Nan Shu Village. Should the Black Bear Demon's corpse be jointly decided upon by Chang Sheng Village and Nan Shu Village?"

After speaking, Liu Chunsheng once again clasped the divination blocks in his palm and gently tossed them out.

With a "clack," the divination blocks landed.

One negative, one positive.

Seeing this result, Liu Chunsheng's heart stirred. One negative and one positive meant that the Deity had agreed to the suggestion.

"Great Deity, you are truly too merciful."

Liu Chunsheng's eyes were slightly moist, and his voice was tinged with a slight choke, "I will definitely handle this matter well."

*

After Liu Chunsheng exited the temple, people from both villages instantly surrounded him.

"Chunsheng, what did Lord Chuping say?"

"Temple Official, please tell us quickly!"

Looking at the gaunt, sallow faces and eager expressions around him, Liu Chunsheng cleared his throat.

"Lord Chuping is benevolent and has granted permission for Chang Sheng Village and Nan Shu Village to jointly dispose of the Black Bear Demon's corpse."

"Did Lord Chuping truly say that?"

Li Fu looked astonished.

The expressions of the others were much the same. It wasn't that everyone thought this way, but rather that the meat of an animal that had become a demon was extremely rare and valuable, fetching a thousand gold on the black market.

As for why it was said to be on the black market, it was because in these times, with demons rampant, no one was foolish enough to openly hawk it on the streets.

Demon meat was a delicacy, but also a taboo.

Liu Chunsheng nodded affirmatively.

"Someone! Go call Wang the Butcher to come and divide the meat!"

"Brother Jin, send someone to call everyone from Nan Shu Village. Today, we will bathe in Lord Chuping's grace right here and have a good meal."

Li Fu's voice was so excited it nearly cracked.

"Everyone, eat to your heart's content! We'll divide the meat after we've eaten!"

The atmosphere on site was joyous.

People grabbed pots, carried firewood, and fetched basins, bustling about.

Liu Chunsheng mentally calculated: Chang Sheng Village had 78 people, Nan Shu Village had 69 people. All the old, weak, sick, and disabled combined didn't even reach 150 people. But this Black Bear Demon weighed a full 500 catties!

It was said that demon meat was much more filling than ordinary grain, and eating a few pieces would make one feel refreshed. He wondered if it was true or false.

Liu Chunsheng secretly swallowed his saliva. Just as he looked up, he saw that eighty to ninety percent of the people present were just like him, their appetites piqued by the Black Bear Demon meat.

*

Before long, Wang the Butcher, carrying his complete set of tools, rushed over.

Upon arriving, Wang the Butcher immediately spotted the enormous Black Bear Demon corpse in the crowd, and his eyes lit up.

"Tsk tsk, incredible, incredible!"

"Today, I, Old Wang, will have to show my true skills!"

"Wang the Butcher, I'll help you!"

*

Wang the Butcher sharpened his bone-chopping knife repeatedly, ensuring the blade was as cold as autumn frost, before putting on his heavy fur coat and special thick gloves, and approaching the Black Bear Demon's corpse.

"My goodness, a demon's corpse truly is extraordinary."

"This Black Bear Demon's fur is not only thick but also exceptionally hard, standing on end like a hedgehog."

Wang the Butcher had spent most of his life dealing with pigs and sheep. Processing a demon's corpse was truly a first for him—like a young maiden riding in a sedan chair for the first time.

Helpless, he could only follow the steps for butchering a pig: bleeding, boiling water, plucking hair... and so on. It went quite smoothly until he got stuck at the crucial point of dismemberment.

The boning knife was raised high, carrying all of Wang the Butcher's strength as it chopped down fiercely, but only a "clank" was heard. The blade not only failed to sever the bone but became firmly stuck in the bone seam, unmoving.

Wang the Butcher: "I didn't expect to encounter a career crisis in my middle age…" Fortunately, everyone didn't care about these minor details and simply used their hands to strip off the meat. As for the complete skeleton and bearskin, they were carefully carried aside for display, so that everyone could admire the Deity's "great achievements" in the future.

*

Inside the temple.

After Liu Chunsheng left, Lin Chuping no longer paid attention to the situation outside.

Although Black Bear Demon meat was a good thing, as a Deity, he naturally had no need for such worldly nourishment.

Granting it to the villagers to enjoy was precisely to his liking; it bestowed grace upon everyone and allowed him to reap their abundant gratitude. Why wouldn't he do it?

The villagers began offering incense again.

Lin Chuping was currently staring at the Incense Value information flashing on the System page, unable to stop smiling.

This was what he needed!

"Ding! Wang Houshi contributed Incense Value +80."

"Ding! Qian Dazhuang contributed Incense Value +80."

"Ding! Li Fu contributed Incense Value +80."

"Ding! Fang Youjin contributed Incense Value +80."

"Ding! Wang Huaizhi contributed Incense Value +50."

"Ding! Liu Cuihua contributed Incense Value +50."

...Perhaps because of the Black Bear Demon meat, today's Incense Value had increased significantly.

Most believers contributed 50 Incense Value, and a small portion contributed 80 Incense Value.

"It seems giving gifts is indeed the fastest way to gain goodwill!"

However, Lin Chuping also knew in his heart that this kind of thing could happen once or twice, but not repeatedly.

As the saying goes, a handful of rice brings kindness, a bushel brings resentment.

If the believers developed a dependency, that would not be good.

Lin Chuping had no hobby of being a nanny.