23: New ways to make money

After the devout believers reverently offered their incense and slowly departed, the Little Green Snake finally crawled panting through the back door of the temple.

It twisted its slender body, climbed up the table leg of the incense altar, and then, mimicking the humans from moments before, deftly used the tip of its tail to delicately pick up an incense stick, then painstakingly leaned it close to the candle flame to light it.

It took a considerable amount of effort to steadily insert the incense stick into the censer.

“Ding! Snake demon Little Green Snake contributed 100 Incense Points!”

Lin Chuping, inside the divine statue, was stunned for a moment. “This is also possible?!”

It was indeed the right decision to spare the Little Green Snake’s life; this directly opened up a new market for him!

If he could get the Little Green Snake to go out and spread the word in the future, wouldn't his path to dominance be wide and expansive?

Clearing his throat twice, Lin Chuping manifested his form from within the divine statue, appearing before the Little Green Snake, still maintaining that aloof and ethereal demeanor.

“Little Snake, what made you think of offering incense?”

Lin Chuping had no other intentions, purely out of curiosity.

The System did not allow him to guide believers to offer incense, whether directly or indirectly.

Otherwise, Lin Chuping would have long since had the villagers of Chang Sheng Village go out and recruit people.

Recruiting people back in exchange for Amulets, and then setting up a point System, he would earn a profit from the difference, wouldn't he be raking in money hand over fist?

Ahem!

“Hiss, hiss!”

“This little demon saw all those humans doing it, Divine Lord. This little demon also wants to do it. This little demon’s reverence for you is like a surging river, endless…” The Little Green Snake flicked its tongue, its slender body twisting into an elegant “S” shape, respectfully lowering itself, mimicking human worship.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Lin Chuping raised a hand to interrupt, a slight smile playing on his lips, “No need for more words. This god already knows your intentions. Since that is the case, this god grants permission for this act of offering incense. Remember to continue in the future.”

If you keep talking, the audience will think I’m just padding the word count.

“Hiss, hiss!”

“Thank you, Divine Lord! Divine Lord, you truly are prescient. You told me to investigate the situation in Da Li Village, and indeed, something happened in Da Li Village.”

“Hiss, hiss!” the Little Green Snake continued.

“You’re saying that Da Li Village now has not a single villager left, and has become a veritable ghost village?” Lin Chuping frowned slightly, his expression solemn.

“Hiss, hiss!” the Little Green Snake nodded in affirmation.

“Also, after you arrived there, two groups of people and demons went to investigate?” Lin Chuping pressed further.

“Hiss, hiss!” the Little Green Snake again responded affirmatively.

Next, the Little Green Snake recounted everything it had seen and heard in meticulous detail, even mimicking the tone and intonation of conversations so vividly that it felt as if one were personally present at Da Li Village.

After listening, Lin Chuping nodded slightly, raised his hand to condense a bit of Incense Power and fed it to the Little Green Snake, then waved his hand, signaling it to go Cultivate on its own.

*

“It seems the waters of this world are truly deep!”

A village of dozens of people, gone just like that.

The two men in black, according to the Little Snake’s description, should not be the two martial Cultivators who came to Chang Sheng Village before, who were unskilled and burdened by karmic debt. This means there is another group of human forces paying attention to the situation in Da Li Village.

Who could it be?

As Lin Chuping pondered, the villagers' earlier gossip about the Da Li Village chief sending his daughter to be a concubine came to mind. Could it be the chief's daughter?

And this world even has methods of harvesting vitality!

It must be said, Lin Chuping was quite curious.

No other meaning, just pure curiosity.

And finally, the shapeshifting wolf demon, the Wolf Demon King, mentioned by the Little Green Snake, he wondered what its background was.

*

Influenced by memories from his previous life, Lin Chuping always felt a natural sense of closeness to humans.

When it came to humans, the first thought that came to his mind was to offer them protection and care;

However, once confronted with the species of demons and devils, his mind would instantly switch to battle mode, filled with thoughts of killing, killing, killing.

Now that he thought about it, such a mindset was indeed somewhat biased.

He was no longer an ordinary Mortal, but a deity possessing extraordinary Divine Power.

As a god, he should treat all beings in the world equally, whether human or demon, and should not determine his attitude and approach towards them based solely on preconceived notions.

Perhaps only by abandoning such one-sided thinking could he truly grasp the true meaning of a god.

Most importantly, if he really did that, he would directly lose more than half of his Incense Power in the future!

This was more unbearable than killing him!

*

Lu Ming and Lin Yao, who Lin Chuping had muttered about as being unskilled and burdened by karmic debt, had now returned to the Qingyun Immortal Sect.

After disembarking from the flying boat, the two headed straight for the Mission Hall.

“Elder Wu, Mission 906 is complete. We are here to hand it over!”

Lu Ming and Lin Yao stood in the Mission Hall, respectfully bowing to Elder Wu, who was seated behind a desk.

Wu Changqing was one of the Qingyun Immortal Sect’s Outer Sect Elders, having managed the Mission Hall for many years. His cultivation was profound, his demeanor rigorous, and he was quite caring towards Outer Sect Disciples like them.

He held considerable prestige outside.

Wu Changqing looked up slightly, seeing Lu Ming and Lin Yao, and squinted his eyes in confusion.

“It’s you two children. Mission 906, investigating the anomaly in Da Li Village. Did you have any findings on this trip?”

Lu Ming and Lin Yao exchanged glances. Lu Ming stepped forward and respectfully said, “Reporting to Elder Wu, we indeed made some discoveries. Da Li Village has become an empty village; all the villagers have disappeared. The village is filled with extremely heavy Demonic Qi, identical to the aura of the Naked Ghost.”

Elder Wu frowned slightly, tapping his fingers gently on the table. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, “Did you find any specific clues? Or the reason for the villagers’ disappearance?”

Lin Yao took over, her tone carrying a hint of gravity.

“No, but less than ten li from Da Li Village, there are two villages, Chang Sheng Village and Nan Shu Village. These two villages are perfectly preserved, completely unlike Da Li Village.”

Elder Wu nodded, a flicker of thought in his eyes: “It seems this matter is not simple. Did you encounter any other Cultivators or demons?”

Lu Ming hesitated for a moment, then said, “We encountered a shapeshifting wolf demon outside the village. It also seemed to be investigating the situation in Da Li Village. However, it did not engage us in battle; it merely observed from afar and then left.”

“A shapeshifting wolf demon?”

Elder Wu’s brows furrowed even tighter. “The wolf demon clan has always been solitary, rarely interacting with human Cultivators. Could the Wolf King also be interested in the Naked Ghost?”

Lin Yao couldn’t help but ask, “Elder Wu, could the villagers of Da Li Village have been abducted by demons? Or… have they already met with misfortune?”

Elder Wu shook his head, his tone heavy: “It’s hard to say now, but most likely they are already gone.”

Lu Ming and Lin Yao respectfully bowed and withdrew. After leaving the Mission Hall, both of them felt somewhat heavy-hearted.