1: Chapter 1 Wild God Qin Ling

State of Qian, Guanhai County.

Dozens of miles away from Guanhai County was a vast sea, and many villages were nestled near the coast.

Most of these villages lived off the sea, making a living by fishing.

One of the villages was named Qin Family Village, with a total of just over a hundred people inside the village.

In the center of Qin Family Village was a small dirt mound; because it had once been praised by a feng shui master for its good feng shui, a temple stood here.

The temple doors were swept away by a typhoon in some unknown year, leaving only an opening facing the sea.

Half a piece of rotted wood was nailed to the door frame, faintly recognizable as having been modified from a ship's plank.

An incense burner was placed squarely in the center, its two handles cast into wave patterns.

Inside the shrine was a wooden carved statue several feet tall, with a rusted fishhook stuck between its fingers.

A tattered old man walked in tremblingly with a hunched back.

In his hands, he clutched three earthy-yellow joss sticks and a small oiled paper packet.

The old man stopped by the pottery basin in front of the statue, took out a few shriveled wild fruits and a stinky small fish from the oiled paper packet, and carefully arranged them.

Then, with trembling hands, he lit the joss sticks and inserted them into the thick, old incense ashes.

Wisps of blue smoke rose into the air.

"Lord Qinling, have mercy, bless my wretched son and let him return safely. Since he went out to sea, there has been no news. Please do not disdain this meager token of my sincerity..."

[incense points + 1]

A faint yet clear warm current poured into the depths of the cold stone statue.

Qin Ling inside the shrine sensed the incense, looked down at the old man kowtowing and offering incense before him, and waved at him.

But the old man didn't see him at all, only praying blindly.

Although he had tried it long ago, seeing this, Qin Ling still let out a sigh.

Ever since he was sent flying by a truck, he arrived here the moment he opened his eyes.

Having read numerous novels, Qin Ling realized he had transmigrated at the very first instance.

As the standard configuration of transmigration, he also acquired a system—

The Incense System.

Thinking of this, Qin Ling opened the Incense System panel.

[Host: Qin Ling]

[Rank: Wild God]

[Jurisdiction: Qin Family Village]

[Cultivation: Incense Realm 0%]

[incense points: 10]

[Divine Arts: 2]

[Teleportation: Can teleport to statues within a certain range that receive offerings.]

[Exorcism: Consuming incense points grants the statue the ability to drive away evil spirits.]

[system mall: Locked]

That's right, he had become a god!

And he had become a wild god.

The so-called wild god was a deity not conferred titles by the Heavenly Court, perhaps worshipped by mortals, or formed after the fall of some orthodox deity whose incense had not yet dissipated.

In short, he was not on the roster of deities conferred by the Heavenly Court.

The good news was that as a wild god, he obtained two divine arts at the start.

The bad news was that these two divine arts seemed to be of no use.

Right now, he couldn't even leave the statue!

Didn't they say a god can go wherever he wants?

Cowering inside the shrine, Qin Ling sighed.

When he first discovered he possessed the system, he even thought he could rely on collecting incense to grow bigger and stronger, recreating past glory.

Just because he was a wild god now didn't mean he couldn't be an orthodox deity in the future!

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully a poor wild god!

My fate is up to me, not the heavens!

But the cruel reality of barely receiving 10 incense points after a month completely crushed his dream of becoming an orthodox deity.

A country has its laws, and a village has its rules!

The villagers of Qin Family Village were so impolite!

To think that not a single person came to offer him incense for an entire month!

It was only in the past few days that a sparse few people came to offer him incense, and their petitions were all because a boat in the village had failed to return on time after going out to sea.

All those who came to petition were family members of the sailors out at sea.

Of course, with Qin Ling's current state, he couldn't do anything.

The old man kowtowed again and again, sighed, and his hunched figure retreated from the temple.

Watching the old man's back, Qin Ling helplessly shook his head.

In a short while, footsteps sounded again, and someone came straight toward the temple door.

Someone else came to offer incense?

This was the first time in a month that Qin Ling encountered more than one person coming to offer incense in a single day. He tucked his hands inside his sleeves within the shrine, waiting to receive the incense.

"Bang!"

A loud noise resounded through the temple.

The already rotted ship's plank on the door frame let out an unbearable groan and collapsed.

At the doorway, against the light, stood a youth.

He was around fifteen or sixteen years old, with a lean figure, and his skin had the rough, dark hue left by years of sea breezes and blazing sun.

In his hand, he tightly gripped a burning torch, the flames dancing wildly in the rushing sea breeze.

There was no piety on the youth's face, only anger and despair pickled by the sea breeze.

That door frame just now was kicked down by him.

The youth's eyes stared straight at the statue in the shrine, his eyes bloodshot.

Qin Ling was stunned upon seeing the torch. At first, he thought it was an exceptionally thick stick of incense, but soon he felt that something was wrong.

This was simply too thick!

Who has incense this thick!

"Useless thing!"

The youth roared out, his voice hoarse from excitement.

"Lord Qinling, what kind of god are you?"

He suddenly stepped forward into the temple, the torch tracing a dangerous arc of light in the air along with him.

"My elder sister, as well as the uncles of the village, they went out to sea long ago!"

The youth's voice carried a crying tone.

"They promised to return to the village four days ago, but now not even a shadow can be seen. They must have encountered those filthy things in the sea..."

He couldn't go on, sniffing hard.

Qin Ling, listening to these words, looked slightly surprised.

At first, he thought the ship that went out to sea had encountered some storm, but what the youth spoke of now was filthy things?

What were filthy things?

"Every time, every time they went out to sea, Dad made me come and offer you incense. The best dried fish at home, the rice cakes we saved up, were all offered to you! But what about you? Who have you blessed?"

The youth's finger pointing at Qin Ling's statue was trembling.

"Last year Dad's boat didn't come back, the year before last old village chief and their boat didn't come back either, and now, now my elder sister..."

His throat choked up, and large tears rolled down from his bloodshot eyes.

"You can't do anything at all! You're just a piece of rotten wood! You're trash that scams incense to eat!"

The youth yelled loudly.

"What's the use of keeping you? Burn it! Today I'm going to burn you, this useless decoration!"

Roaring, he was about to touch the torch in his hand to the base of the statue.

Qin Ling was startled upon seeing this scene.

If he could speak, he would really be anxious to speak out.

What do you mean he's just a piece of rotten wood?

What do you mean he's trash that scams incense to eat?

You...

Thinking of this, Qin Ling was stunned, because he actually found that what the youth said seemed to have nothing wrong with it.

Just at this moment—

"Mo'er! Mo'er! You bastard boy! Stop right there!"

"Qin Mo! Don't do anything rash!"

Several urgent shouts rushed in from outside the temple door, accompanied by more footsteps.

Immediately after, three or four figures flurriedly rushed into the dilapidated temple.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with a dark face and a stout build, wearing a patched short jacket with mud stains still on his trouser legs.

Behind him followed two villagers of similar age.

The middle-aged man who entered the temple rushed to the youth's side in a few steps, his gaze looking at the torch in the youth's hand.

"You bastard boy, you really dared to bring a torch in? Are you courting death!"

Some villagers behind also stepped forward, their tones carrying blame.

"Qin Mo, we know you're worried about your sister and anxious, but you can't do such a foolish thing!"

"This is a temple! It's a place for offerings! No matter how angry you are, how could you actually set a fire?"

Finally!

There were still polite people in this village!

Hearing these words, Qin Ling felt like a spring breeze, feeling a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, there were still people who understood reason!

How could they let a half-grown child burn down the divine statue?

However, the middle-aged man's next words made the breath Qin Ling had just let out pull right back up.

"If you're going to burn it, you shouldn't burn it inside the temple. You should carry it to the open ground outside to burn. The statue is useless, but this temple can't be burned down."

???

Qin Ling was completely bewildered.

Does this mean I am definitely going to be burned today?