4: Chapter 4 The Returning Crew

The dilapidated fishing boat listlessly docked at the crude stone pier on the east side of Qin Family Village.

The hull sat unusually low in the water, and its stern was a horrific sight with shattered planks and mooring lines dangling into the sea like rotting entrails.

With every gentle surge of the waves, the vessel groaned as if it would completely fall apart the next second.

As soon as the gangplank touched the slick stone surface of the pier, the surviving crew members scrambled off in a panic.

Stepping back onto solid ground, many of them collapsed directly onto the earth, gulping down air in huge breaths.

"We survived, we really survived!"

A young crew member clutched his head, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably as he didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

"Did you guys see that light? When the statue of Lord Qinling glowed, that evil spirit actually shrank back!"

Another middle-aged crew member grabbed his companion's arm and continued.

"It's Lord Qinling! It must be Lord Qinling showing his divine power!"

"Right, right! I saw it too! The statue of Lord Qinling was glowing! Right when the evil spirit was about to grab us!"

Someone immediately chimed in, their eyes filled with awe.

"Without that light, we definitely would have been dragged down!"

"As soon as we get back, we have to offer incense to Lord Qinling! We'll offer the best fish! If it weren't for Lord Qinling..."

The speaker's voice choked with emotion.

"Yeah, we have to go offer incense! And kowtow! In the past, we weren't devout enough!"

Several crew members looked at each other, seeing an urgent desire to make amends in one another's eyes.

That strand of light on the sea that had forced the evil spirit to retreat was, in their hearts at this moment, a miracle that had saved their lives!

And Lord Qinling was naturally the deity who had saved their lives!

A few villagers by the pier were packing up their fishing nets. Seeing this familiar boat return in such a miserable state, they were stunned at first, then rushed toward the pier.

"Qin Yin! Is that you?! You're back?!"

An old fisherman arrived at the pier and said in utter astonishment.

"Good heavens! How did the boat end up like this? Is everyone alright?"

Another woman covered her mouth, her eyes instantly turning red. Her husband was on this very boat.

When they saw those familiar faces—battered and looking terrified, yet all disembarking from the deck alive—the villagers around the pier instantly erupted into a commotion.

Cries of surprise, shouts, and eager inquiries blended together into a chaotic mess.

More people ran out from nearby shacks and gathered around the edge of the pier.

However, the phrases the crew members repeatedly mentioned—such as "the statue glowing", "Lord Qinling displaying divine power", and "evil spirits retreating"—

left some of the surrounding villagers looking at each other in dismay, doubt plastered across their faces.

Lord Qinling?

That wild god in the village's dilapidated temple who had been increasingly neglected over the years, whose face was barely even recognizable?

He displayed divine power?

How could that be possible?

Just then, one of the young crew members who had disembarked first suddenly sniffed the air, pointing doubtfully toward the general direction of the dilapidated temple in the middle of the village.

"Huh? Why is there smoke over there? It's not even cooking time yet, is it?"

The pier fell silent for a brief second.

A villager who had been mending fishing nets nearby subconsciously chimed in.

"Oh, you mean that? That's Qin Mo that brat, along with some other villagers..."

Before he could finish, a woman nearby who knew some of the inside story cut in glibly.

"What else could it be? That stubborn brat Qin Mo insisted that his sister couldn't come back because the wild god in the temple wasn't efficacious, and he hated it to death. He grabbed a torch and went to burn the statue!"

"The rest of the villagers were afraid that if he lit a fire in the temple, he'd burn the building down too, so they moved Lord Qinling's statue out, piled up firewood, and said they were going to burn it! I reckon they're burning it right now!"

Her words exploded like a thunderclap in the ears of the crew members who had just escaped the jaws of death.

Right now, their hearts were filled with gratitude and awe toward that statue, and upon hearing this, they were so shocked they almost peed themselves a little.

"Burn the statue?!"

The middle-aged crew member who had first mentioned the glowing statue turned pale with shock, his eyeballs practically popping out of his sockets.

"Are they crazy?! It was Lord Qinling who saved us!!"

Another crew member screamed out, his voice cracking entirely.

"Hurry! Go stop them! It can't be burned! Absolutely cannot be burned!!"

The Old Helmsman urged anxiously.

Being the eldest, he had heard many legends of evil spirits in the sea and knew just how precious an existence Lord Qinling was, being able to protect them to return safely from the hands of evil spirits!

Lord Qinling must not come to any harm!

"Let's go, to the temple."

Hearing her younger brother Qin Mo's name, Qin Yin furrowed her brows slightly and led the group of crew members toward the temple.

The rest of the villagers, though clueless, saw the crew members' genuine look of horror and vaguely felt that matters had gone beyond their comprehension, subconsciously following them as they ran over.

...

Inside the temple.

Qin Ling, huddled inside the shrine niche, sighed as he watched Qin Mo lighting the fire below.

So he ended up lighting it after all.

The flame on the torch touched the firewood and instantly ignited a small cluster of orange-red flames, shooting up with a whoosh!

Just then, the system in Qin Ling's mind suddenly rang out.

[Detected that the host successfully protected the believers under his command from evil spirit harm and successfully returned to the village, completing the event "First Display of Divine Power".]

[Rewards are being distributed...]

[Obtained incense points + 100]

[Obtained divine art: Primary Talisman Art]

[Unlocked system basic function: Store]

Rewards unlocked?

That also means that boat really came back?

Qin Ling let out a long breath. The people he had been waiting for had arrived!

Sure enough.

Rapid footsteps came from afar and approached closer.

"Stop—!!"

"You can't burn it! Stop right now—!!"

Rushing into the courtyard first were precisely those crew members who had just crawled back from the gates of hell.

Their gazes locked onto the center of the courtyard almost instantly.

That mottled statue placed atop the crude firewood.

The dry wood beneath the statue was already burning!

The middle-aged crew member rushing at the front paid no mind to the newly ignited flames, hastily using his feet to trample the cluster of fire!

The crew members behind him followed closely, some grabbing handfuls of damp mud from the ground to throw onto the fire, others stripping off their wet outer garments to beat frantically at it.

The other villagers in the courtyard watched this group of suddenly appearing crew members frantically putting out the fire the moment they entered the temple, having no idea what was happening at all.

"Sister?!"

A trembling voice filled with pleasant surprise rang out.

It was Qin Mo.

When he saw clearly the woman walking into the courtyard surrounded by the crew with a straight back, his entire body froze.

Immense joy instantly washed away his previous anger and despair. His eyes widened abruptly, his mouth gaped open, and he instinctively wanted to rush forward.

However, the moment Qin Mo's feet moved, Qin Yin's gaze locked onto him.

While Qin Mo was still dazed from pleasant surprise, Qin Yin spun, stepped, twisted her waist, and delivered a straightforward yet immensely powerful side kick that directly kicked Qin Mo flying.

"Bang!"

Nice footwork!

Qin Ling inside the shrine niche started clapping, though unfortunately no one could hear his applause.