Chapter 112: An Unexpected Encounter on the Way Home (Seeking First Subscription, Requesting Monthly Votes)

On the official road...

Kong Qing had a blade of grass clenched between his teeth, holding a whip in hand as he drove the horses pulling the carriage, acting as the coachman.

He stole a glance inside the carriage and saw that the overseer was deeply engrossed in reading. He dared neither to make a sound nor to urge the horses to go faster, fearing that any jolts along the way might disturb the overseer’s concentration.

Jiang Jin, having received his orders, had already led a group of supervisors from the Western Depot to ride swiftly back to the capital.

They had begun investigating the whereabouts of Jie Honghua from the Chongxu Sect, as well as handling some private matters previously entrusted by the overseer.

The overseer had also made it clear that there was no rush.

So, Kong Qing had volunteered to be the coachman, traveling along the official road.

At first, it was manageable, but as time dragged on, he grew increasingly anxious, fearful of disturbing the overseer. Since no one spoke along the way, he was left bored, fiddling with the grass in his mouth.

He began to understand why Jiang Jin hadn’t fought for the role of coachman this time.

Suddenly...

His eyes narrowed as if he had noticed something, straightening his lazy posture.

He turned his head to look ahead and saw shadows moving on the official road in the distance, as if a market fair was being held.

As the carriage drew closer, he realized that not far from the official road stood a newly built Dragon King Temple, and indeed, the temple fair was gathering on the road.

The Dragon King Temple was small, with a clay statue of the Dragon King placed at the center of the main hall—depicted as a man with deer antlers and long whiskers. The altar table was laden with offerings: chicken, duck, fish, fruits, and pastries.

Though the temple was modest, with only a single temple attendant selling incense, many locals came to offer sacrifices and prayers, keeping the incense burning brightly.

Most visitors were villagers from nearby, who set up stalls selling vegetables, bamboo baskets, and other goods along the way, gradually forming a small temple fair. During the fair, the villagers would occupy the official road to set up their stalls.

Seeing this, Kong Qing frowned slightly, pulled the reins to stop the horses, spat out the grass from his mouth, jumped down from the carriage, and approached the crowd.

On the road, he casually stopped an old farmer selling vegetables and asked, “Brother, what are you all gathering here for?”

“Can’t you see?” The old farmer rolled his eyes, initially unwilling to respond, but seeing Kong Qing’s burly build and intimidating demeanor, he gestured toward the Dragon King Temple and said gruffly, “We’re here to worship the Dragon King and make wishes. What else would it be for?”

“No, I mean...” Kong Qing pointed to the paved stone road beneath their feet. “This is an official road for carriages and horses. You’re selling vegetables here, blocking the way for others.”

“You young man really...” Not far off, a gray-haired old man interjected, tapping the stone road with his cane. “This road wasn’t built by your family, yet you’re so controlling.”

“Exactly, exactly...” The old farmer agreed, “This road was built by the government for everyone’s use. Besides, people are worshipping the Dragon King here. We’re just selling some fresh vegetables on the side. We’ll pack up once we’re done. What’s wrong with using the road?”

“I’m just in a hurry to get somewhere...” Kong Qing, also from humble origins and wanting to avoid a scuffle, pointed to the carriage nearby and said, “How about this—could you kindly move aside and let my carriage through? You can set up your stalls again afterward.”

“Sigh...” The old farmer showed irritation. “You young man, everyone here in the village is worshipping the Dragon King. Why are you causing trouble?”

The old man with the cane, blowing his whiskers and glaring, pointed to a small path beside them. “There’s a side road over there. Why don’t you take that route instead of being stubborn here?”

“...”

Most of those worshipping at the Dragon King Temple were locals who had secured the best spots and didn’t intend to move just for one man.

They all stood up to scold Kong Qing for being inconsiderate, saying things like “Young man, don’t offend the Dragon King here,” “Just take a detour,” and “Is your master more precious than the Dragon King?”

Kong Qing’s cheek twitched as he looked at the mocking faces of the crowd. He wished he could reveal his identity and slap each of them hard.

But remembering how kind the overseer was to the people, he forced himself to suppress his anger.

Turning back, he saw the overseer had stepped out of the carriage, frowning as he looked this way.

“Troublemakers!” he snarled fiercely at the old man.

Then he ran back to the carriage and said, “Overseer, some unruly villagers are blocking the road for their business. Should I have them driven off?”

“No need,” Xu Boqing waved his hand dismissively, withdrawing his gaze from the temple attendant. Seeing Kong Qing’s barely contained anger, he smiled and asked, “Are you upset?”

“Yes...” Kong Qing replied awkwardly. “Troublemakers indeed. I tried reasoning with them but only got mocked.”

“Heh heh heh...” Xu Boqing smiled, then whispered a few words using the secret sound transmission method.

Kong Qing’s expression changed; he glanced at the temple attendant selling incense in the Dragon King Temple.

Then he nodded, walked down the side path, and when no one was paying attention, used lightness skill to swiftly head toward Siyang City nearby.

Meanwhile, Xu Boqing watched him leave, his gaze lingering on the temple attendant inside the Dragon King Temple.

The carriage had stopped, and seeing the temple fair nearby, Xu Boqing had only intended to see which Dragon King was enshrined there.

Unexpectedly, he could not discern which Dragon King the statue represented but noticed something peculiar about the temple attendant.

In his vision, a grayish-white rat spirit with a pointed snout and long whiskers appeared behind the old temple keeper!

A demon...

A rat demon!

A rat demon disguised in human form, serving as the temple attendant of the Dragon King Temple, peddling incense offerings, surrounded by incense wish power—it was all strangely eerie.

Xu Boqing frowned, pondering.

When Jiang Jin had reported on the situation in the capital, he mentioned that unusual incidents had been increasing recently.

Not only were there more frequent losses of chickens and sheep, but also missing children, people sleepwalking in the middle of the night, and young maidens being violated in their dreams.

Having been away from the capital for half a year, Xu Boqing himself had encountered demons more frequently than usual, leading him to consider deeply.

Was it because the nation was on the brink of collapse, with demons everywhere?

Or was it because the Emperor Yonghe insisted on holding the “Water and Land Dharma Assembly,” which had attracted countless evil spirits?

Or perhaps both?

Snapping back to reality, Xu Boqing sighed and shook his head, then nonchalantly walked into the temple fair and entered the Dragon King Temple.

Using his Heavenly Eye technique for a closer look, he noticed that when people offered sacrifices to the Dragon King, the wispy incense wish power seemed to coil around the Dragon King statue but in a strange way was actually transferred to the temple attendant.

Was this a sleight of hand? A trick of substitution?

Elsewhere at the temple fair, a handsome young nobleman holding a folding fan watched the Dragon King Temple with great interest.

Beside him stood an old man, bent over with a prominent mustache, dressed like a steward.

These two were none other than the Dragon Prince Ao Xing and Chancellor Turtle Wu Qin, who had been expelled from home by Ao Lan and sent to “practice in the mortal world.”

Ao Xing had spent centuries in the Dragon Palace without ever stepping outside. After arriving in Daliang and witnessing the mundane world’s hustle and bustle, he found it rather amusing and had traveled around with Chancellor Wu Qin.

Though somewhat socially anxious and disliking crowds, he was curious when he heard about the Dragon King Temple fair, eager to see if the Dragon King worshipped by mortals was his mother.

He was sorely disappointed.

Ao Xing waved his fan teasingly and asked, “Wu Qin, what kind of Dragon King are these mortals worshipping?”

“Well...” Wu Qin replied with an embarrassed look, “Forgive my ignorance, but I cannot tell which Dragon King this is.”

Ao Xing laughed mockingly, “Even if it isn’t my mother, I could understand if they worshipped my uncles or granduncles, but this one... what is this?”

“You are unaware, young master...” Wu Qin stroked his mustache proudly, “Mortals live a mere few decades, how could they have ever seen the visage of a true dragon?”

“That’s true...” Ao Xing was slightly taken aback when he noticed the temple attendant. As if discovering something amusing, he leaned over and whispered, “Wu Qin, look at that attendant. Judging by his aura, he seems to carry demonic energy.”

“Huh?” Wu Qin stared suspiciously at the attendant, hiding his hands in his sleeves as if calculating something. After a moment, he nodded with understanding.

In a low voice, he said, “Young master, that attendant is a rat spirit who has attained the Way. Though aged, his cultivation is shallow and he is bound by incense wish power. If I’m correct, the Dragon King statue worshipped by mortals is fake, enchanted so that the incense wish power is secretly devoured by this rat spirit.”

“Tsk tsk tsk...” Ao Xing clicked his tongue with interest. “No Dragon King in the Dragon King Temple, but an old rat spirit stealing incense wish power—how intriguing.”

Then, his expression shifted slightly as he caught sight of a figure dressed in moon-white robes inside the temple.

Though it was his first time in the mortal realm, seeing that person’s back stirred a strange feeling in his heart, as if some fateful connection existed between them.

That feeling was very peculiar.

He furrowed his brow and asked, “Wu Qin, did you see that young man in moon-white robes?”

“Huh?” Wu Qin glanced toward the temple and nodded upon seeing the young man. “I see him. He carries himself well. Do you know him, young master?”

“I’m new to the mortal world. How would I know...” Ao Xing rolled his eyes. “Calculate his aura for me.”

“...” Wu Qin nodded, narrowing his eyes as he focused on the young man’s aura, counting silently on his fingers. But the longer he calculated, the more puzzled he became.

Frowning deeply, he tried again with both hands, as if unwilling to believe the results.

Suddenly, his body trembled as if struck by lightning; his eyes rolled back, and he staggered, blood spurting from his nose, staining his mustache red.

“Wu Qin! Wu Qin!” Ao Xing was alarmed as he rushed to support him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“...” Wu Qin blinked, regaining some composure. Wiping the blood from beneath his nose, he said awkwardly, “Young master, I... I... I couldn’t calculate his aura, and lost three hundred years of my lifespan.”

“????”