121: Chapter 121 The Unsettled Zhenhai Prefecture

Village Chief Qin Zongliang's knees slowly straightened, and the villagers behind him straightened up as well.

Someone secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and someone rubbed the sweat on their palms against their robe hems.

Hearing Qilianshan say this, Village Chief Qin Zongliang immediately led the way, guiding Qilianshan and Pei Se toward the temple.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang walked at the very front, with Qilianshan following behind him, the hem of his official robe swaying gently in the wind.

Pei Se walked to the side, the wine gourds at her waist clashing against each other with a clinking sound.

Soon the temple gates arrived, the threshold worn smooth and shiny by countless pairs of feet.

Incense drifted out from the temple, swirling in the sunlight.

"Please come in."

Village Chief Qin Zongliang stepped aside.

Qilianshan stood at the temple entrance for a moment, lowered his head to step across that threshold, and then raised his head.

He saw the divine statue behind the offering table inside the temple.

No gold lacquer, no painted colors.

Drooping eyelids, calm corners of the mouth.

It clearly looked no different from the countless divine statues he had seen in the past.

But Qilianshan stood there, staring at that divine statue, his pupils contracting slightly.

With just a glance, he could sense the uniqueness of this divine statue.

Although it looked no different, it was completely different from all the divine statues he had ever seen before!

Is this the divine statue where the deity resides?

Qilianshan thought of what he had witnessed with his own eyes earlier: that golden figure holding a sword suspended mid-air, splitting the towering Evil Tree in half with a single sword strike.

Before today, he never believed in deities.

Even after deciding to come and help Lord Qinling, who might be a deity, his heart was still filled with doubt.

But today, after witnessing that golden figure with his own eyes, he finally understood why Pei Se was so adamant in saying that Lord Qinling was a deity.

Because the golden divine statue that split the Evil Tree with that single sword strike really looked like a deity at first glance!

While Qilianshan was sizing up the divine statue, Qin Ling inside the shrine was also sizing up Qilianshan.

He instantly sensed that Qilianshan was very strong, and was the strongest martial artist he had seen so far.

That wave of qi and blood sank deep within his body, unlike ordinary martial artists who surged outward and couldn't be suppressed.

This person's qi and blood were reined in, compressed to the extreme.

Like a knife hidden in its sheath, the blade could not be seen, but that sharpness could be felt.

However, no matter how strong a martial artist was, once they arrived at his temple, they could only offer incense.

Qin Ling yawned.

After all, he was a deity; in the posture of a deity, the other party could not probe any information about him.

Furthermore, the other party came together with Pei Se, and he felt at ease regarding Pei Se.

Qilianshan tilted his head up to look at that divine statue, while Qin Ling lowered his head inside the shrine to look at him.

In the temple hall, there was only the faint crackling sound of incense sticks burning in the censer.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang pulled out three incense sticks from beside the censer and handed them over with both hands.

Qilianshan took the incense sticks with one hand, then turned around to face the divine statue with lowered brows and downcast eyes.

He bent his waist and bowed, holding the incense sticks in his left hand, offering incense as the candlelight reflected on his face.

There was no kneeling and kowtowing.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang retreated to the side, hands lowered, without making a sound.

The villagers standing behind at the temple entrance also remained silent.

After all, Qilianshan was an imperial court official, and whether or not to kneel when offering incense was a personal choice.

After offering the incense, Qilianshan turned his head to look at Village Chief Qin Zongliang and opened his mouth to say,

"This official wishes to speak with Lord Qinling about things that should be said while offering incense. Could I ask everyone to withdraw?"

Hearing this, Village Chief Qin Zongliang nodded and turned to walk toward the temple gates.

The villagers standing around also retreated outside accordingly.

Soon, the temple gates were gently closed.

Only Qilianshan and Pei Se were left in the temple hall.

Sunlight shone in through the cracks of the doors, falling onto the offering table and onto that divine statue with lowered brows and downcast eyes.

The incense sticks in the censer were still burning, wisps of blue smoke curling upward.

Qilianshan stood there, while Pei Se stood behind him, leaning against the door frame.

"Lord Qinling, this official is Qilianshan, the newly appointed Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture."

Qilianshan's voice resounded in the empty temple hall.

Inside the shrine, Qin Ling's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture?

Didn't Huang Zu say before that its Guanhai County magistrate was bought from the Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture?

Pei Se had also said back then in the temple that the Prefect of Zhenhai Prefecture was also a monster.

Yet the Qilianshan before his eyes was clearly a martial artist!

However, Qin Ling's confusion did not last long.

Because Qilianshan stood before the offering table with his spine held very straight, recounting everything that had happened before.

Starting from Pei Se returning to the Demon Slayer Association and reporting the matter of Guanhai County, to inviting the imperial decree to transfer the original Prefect Yin Wuji to Anqing Prefecture.

After listening, Qin Ling's gaze shifted away from Qilianshan and landed on Pei Se's face.

At this moment, Pei Se was still leaning against the door frame, and the wine gourd at her waist knocked against the door panel with a clink.

Qin Ling did not expect that Pei Se actually accomplished what she had said previously inside the temple.

At that time, Pei Se said, "I will return to the Demon Slayer Association and report this matter to the president. Perhaps I can help Lord Qinling resolve this trouble."

Qin Ling had thought the other party was just talking casually, but he didn't expect Pei Se to actually help him avoid the harassment of Prefect Yin Wuji.

From Guanhai County to the Demon Slayer Association, and from the Demon Slayer Association to Zhenhai Prefecture.

How did a tier-3 martial artist like her persuade the president of the Demon Slayer Association, and how did she manage to obtain an imperial decree from the emperor?

And how she drove Prefect Yin Wuji away from Zhenhai Prefecture, Qin Ling did not know.

But Pei Se really did it.

Qilianshan's voice did not stop.

He stood before the offering table, his spine still just as straight.

"Although Prefect Yin Wuji has been transferred away, it does not mean that Zhenhai Prefecture is at peace."

"Those county magistrates all bought their official positions from Prefect Yin Wuji's hands."

He paused, saying word by word,

"Most of them are not human either."

Inside the shrine, Qin Ling's eyebrows twitched.

Not human?

Then they were demons.

Demons like Huang Zu who bought official positions to consume the incense points of the common people.

He had thought it was only Huang Zu, but now it seemed it was not just Huang Zu.

The county magistrates of most of the counties under the jurisdiction of Zhenhai Prefecture were all demons!

So there wasn't a single peaceful place around Guanhai County City!

Qin Ling once again realized the perilous nature of his environment.

After offering incense and finishing his words, Qilianshan stepped aside.

Pei Se straightened up from the door frame and walked over to the offering table.

She pulled out three incense sticks from beside the censer, lit them with the candlelight, and inserted them into the censer.

Then she stepped back two steps, knelt on the futon, and kowtowed.

Unlike Qilianshan, Pei Se knelt and bowed respectfully.

[incense points + 3]

Qin Ling looked at the prompt inside the shrine, watching Pei Se as he slowly nodded.

After sizing up the qi and blood inside Pei Se's body for a moment, Qin Ling inside the shrine raised his right hand, pressed two fingers together, and a dot of golden light lit up at his fingertips.

A talisman condensed at his fingertips, with dense blood-colored patterns. It was precisely an Intermediate Qi and Blood Talisman.

This Intermediate Qi and Blood Talisman consumed 20 incense points of his.

But Pei Se was worth it.

With a flick of Qin Ling's finger, this Intermediate Qi and Blood Talisman floated out from the shrine and landed directly on Pei Se's chest.

Then it merged into her body like a drop of water falling into a pond.

Pei Se's body trembled slightly as she felt that wave of warmth surge out from her chest.